From Larry Goodman: For better or worse, and usually some of both, WrestleMerica puts on a wrestling show like no other in Georgia. ...
For better or worse, and usually some of both, WrestleMerica puts on a wrestling show like no other in Georgia.
I’m still sorting out my thoughts about this show There were things I loved about it. Other aspects were terribly disappointing.
WrestleMerica is generally as old school as it gets but the promotion has at least one thing in common with AWE. Their shows never fail to evoke strong emotions.
This show was all over the map– lots of gimmick matches, unadvertised matches, and zaniness in general, You never knew what was going to happen and maybe the people in charge didn’t know either.
The top babyfaces were booked super strong and the major heels got huge heat. Unfortunately, the top babyfaces were booked in a very similar vein – having to wrestle back-to-back matches. Two of the top matches had the exact same finish.
Attendance at the Old Academy gym was right at 200 with a lot of kids in the crowd.
New GM Ryan North entered to a weasel chant. Some things never change. North replaced Masters as GM as a result of winning a stipulation match at the July show. It was North’s birthday and he had bought himself presents, the first of which was a gold lame jacket from his brother Drew Adler. North read birthday cards of admiration that allegedly came from the fans. North asked a fan to come up and open his gift to the fans. The box was empty. “Nothing, because that’s what you are all to me,” he said.
North summoned production guy Bob into the ring. WrestleMerica had been docking North’s pay because one of his monsters broke Bob’s camera. North offered to reimburse Bob in full AND get him a new studio if Bob could beat him in a match. The catch was if Bob won, he was fired from WrestleMerica. Bob was torn but agreed to the match.
(1) GM Ryan North pinned Production Guy Bob in 1:23. North slapped him and told him to lie down. Bob was anguished about the decision but eventually did as he was told and North pinned him.
North had a consolation birthday present for Bob – bunny rabbit pajamas. He ordered Bob to wear them for the rest of the night. Masters complained about abuse of power. Bob put the pajamas on and walked off dejectedly.
This was the ultimate in humiliation and Bob played his part well. Can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like it.
(2) “Marvelous” Michael Stevens defeated Rob Adonis in a blindfold match at 6:15. The stipulation came about because Adonis blinded Stevens with powder to beat him at the July show. Blindfold matches are typically better left to one’s imagination and this was no exception. Watching two guys wander aimlessly loses its luster pretty quickly, although referee Kyle Carver appeared to be entertained. Adonis cheated by pulling the blindfold up. Fans got engaged by trying guiding Stevens. In the end, Stevens missed with a superkick but a second superkick found the mark.
(3) Simon Sermon defeated Owen Parker in a kiss my behind match in 8:20. Now this was entertaining. Sermon knows this audience and is simply awesome at baiting them to get heat. They brawled back and forth. Sermon took the Flair flip bump in the corner. Sermon blocked the slam off the top (for a change) and did a flying body press but Parker rolled through. Parker had Sermon pinned after a double underhook DDT but Sermon got a foot on the rope. Sermon lured Parker into the corner and pinned him with his feet on the ropes.
Sermon’s pin was classic – feet on the middle rope, then a foot on the top rope at the count of two for extra leverage – one of those little things that matter.
Sermon ordered Parker to get down on his knees and kiss his ass. Sermon pulled his tights down revealing underwear that read “Gay as glitter”. Parker gave Sermon a low blow, pulled his tights down and gave Sermon the stink face. Crowd love it. Sermon threw a fit and dumped over trash barrels on his way out. The postmatch was a variation on the "Iceman" King Parson/Buddy Roberts hair match.
(4) “Mr. WrestleMerica” Dominic Stuckey defeated Dax Anthony and Vary Morales and Josh Wolverton and JC Kelly and Cosmo Martinez in an elimination match in 19:20. No doubt the WrestleMerica fans adore Stuckey, especially the kids. Advertised as a five way, North said he loved a crowd and added Morales to the mix. Some great stuff in this match and some not so great. Martinez (from F2F) was the star of the match. He’s small but he’s so good his offense is believable. The lucha sequence involving Morales and Martinez was tremendous, easily the best technical wrestling of the night. The luchadores gave Wolverton and Kelly spinning headscissors in stereo and tried to clothesline them over the top but neither one could execute the bump. Anthony did a suicide dive over the top rope. Martinez gave Wolverton a Spanish Fly. Kelly dumped Martinez and pinned Wolverton. Kelly executed a giant swing on Stuckey and was still dizzy when Morales pinned him with Northern Lights suplex. Martinez pinned Morales after a dazzling variation of the Canadian Destroyer. Stuckey and Martinez had a nifty sequence. I’d love to see more between them. Anthony halted the fun with a running SSP on both of them and pinned Martinez with the TKO. Anthony and Stuckey went back and forth for a long time. It wasn’t bad just too much. Anthony crashed and burned on a moonsault and Stuckey pinned him with an Ace crusher out of a double underhook.
Match was really different from the usual fare at WrestleMerica and got a positive reaction from their fans. Despite the win, I’m not sure it helped Stuckey to be in match with another underdog babyface (Martinez) who possessed better skills.
“The Grand Design” Clyde Braddock marched into the ring and demanded a match with Stuckey right now. This was a continuation of an angle started several months ago wherein Braddock claimed mental and physical superiority over Dom. The match was scheduled for June but Braddock wasn’t there. Stuckey accepted Braddock’s challenge despite being clearly worse for wear.
(5) Dominic Stuckey defeated Clyde Braddock in 4:28. Braddock dismantled Stuckey, jawing at the crowd after every move and getting a ton of grief. Braddock hit a spinning belly to belly and pulled Stuckey up at the count of two. Pulled him up again after a powerslam and said it was time to end it. Stuckey dodged Braddock’s spear and rolled him for the biggest pop of the night.
North fired Parker for failing to kiss Sermon’s ass per the stipulation.
(6) Pure Goodness and Se7en (with Ryan North) defeated Andy Anderson & Lil Poppa Pump in 5 minutes. One of North’s first acts as GM was to book this match to punish Anderson. The comedy of Lil Poppa’s antics worked – a bronco buster on Goodness, boxing Se7en’s ear and such. Se7en chokebombed Anderson and engulfed Lil Poppa with a Vader bomb. Goodness had Lil Poppa pinned with one finger but pulled him at the count of two for extra torture before the 1-2-3.
Postmatch, Andy’s brother Axel came to the ring and the Andersons confronted North’s monsters. North’s guys backed off. Goodness sarcastically bragged about beating high quality competition. North said he had gone to the depths of Hades to find the newest “North star” in Se7en.
(7) Tyson Dean defeated Tommy Too Much (with Merica Strong) in 11:45.
Match was billed as Dean wrestling with one hand tied behind his back (more punishment from North). Dean did some great mic work to change that. Dean said Strong would fight him with two hands. He said Tommy’s wife was in the crowd and was he going to allow her to see him fight a man with one hand tied behind his back? It was too much for Too Much and he agreed to fight Dean straight up.
Once the bell rang, Tommy did what he does best – embracing the role of villainous chicken shit heel. Straight up the match was not. Strong interfered constantly. It was Strong’s first involvement in wrestling in two years. She did fine and looked great with very little clothes on. Too Much kicked Dean in the nuts on a leapfrog attempt and, um, worked over the body part. Stuckey came to ringside to second Dean, who continued to absorb groinular punishment from Too Much. For the finish, Too Much ate the buckle charging in and Dean rolled him up.
Afterward, Too Much posted Dean and attacked Stuckey, then begged for mercy when Stuckey started a comeback. Strong slapped Stuckey and Tommy pulled her out of the ring before bad things happened.
Masters announced Stuckey vs. Too Much for August 10. Too Much dissed Stuckey calling him “Kunta Kinte”. Dean said he watched the kid work his ass off and on August 10, Too Much would be fighting a damn man, and the next day, Tommy would put some respect on his name.
(8) Fry Daddy defeated Pain to retain the BulletProof Championship in 10 minutes. Pain was back to his bad ass heel ways. No chickenshit stuff from this guy. He was giving Fry fits with stiff strikes and high impact offense, cutting the champion off at every turn. Fry made a full-fledged comeback and hit the Cutline. Fry was in shock and awe when Pain kicked out. Pain hit a spinning hanging neckbreaker on Fry and thought referee Kyle Carver had screwed him out of a three count. Pain was about to chokebomb Carver when Fry gave Pain a backcracker to secure the pinfall. Good match.
(9) Fry Daddy defeated Shaun Banks & Ryan North in a handicap match to retain the WrestleMerica Championship in 6:57. Banks looked much the same as during his “Hot Lava” days. He wrestles only on occasion now. Story was Banks softening Fry up so North could execute his weak ass offense with no resistance. North did give Fry a monkey flip that looked really good. North started putting his tennis shoes to Fry. With fire in his eyes, Fry throttled North. Banks came from behind with a shot to the kidneys. Skyhigh powerbomb by Fry and both were down. Codebreaker by Fry and Banks’ do rag went flying. Bank ate the buckles charging in and Banks rolled him up – identical finish to the Dean/T2M match, like it was an afterthought.
Postmatch- Fry clocked North and Masters threw the birthday cake in his face. It was a perfect hit. North’s face was hilarious.
Pain and Goodness attacked Fry and absolutely destroyed him. It was excessive and chaotic and really heated up the crowd. Pain decked the ref and left Fry laying with a piledriver.
Owner Dennis Gale and Pain got into it verbally, teasing a physical confrontation down the road. Gale said something I didn’t catch that got a huge pop.
Pain and Goodness vs. Fry & a partner of his choosing was announced for August 10. Pain doubted that was happening because he had just broken Fry’s neck.
Fry was carried out.
NOTES: Matches for the return date of August 10 are Fry Daddy & ? vs Pain & Pure Goodness (with Ryan North), Tyson Dean vs Sugar Dunkerton, Tommy Too Much vs Dominique Stuckey, Anderson Brothers vs Damage Inc, Simon Sermon vs Michael Stevens and Trixie Trix vs Double D’Rose…Ricardo Ordaz (Mucha Lucha Atlanta), Iceberg and Mike Money (former AWN owner) were in the house.
