Photo courtesy of Michael Byrne From Larry Goodman: Of all the ACTION shows I've attended, For God's Sake Kick Out! is ...
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| Photo courtesy of Michael Byrne |
Of all the ACTION shows I've attended, For God's Sake Kick Out! is now my favorite.
It's a clear show of the year contender in my book. It was a
stacked show that exceeded expectations. The work was stiff and crisp all night
long with plenty of variety (except the overuse of topes and chops). Two people,
whose opinions I great respect, said the in-ring at the August ACTION show was
better. I did not get that impression from watching it on tape. I loved the Fred
Yehi/Erick Stevens match and was not a fan of Logan Stunt v Arik Royal.
There was
nothing about last night's show that would make me change my mind about ACTION having the best
bell-to-bell product in Georgia.
Admittedly, Rob/Rod Brodhecker would be a better judge since he’s been to a lot
more Southern Honor shows than this writer.
The thing
that set this show apart was the culmination of ACTION’s longest running
storyline – CEO Matt Griffin’s war with Team TAG, which has raged since the
promotion’s first show some 18 months ago.
The other
big news was the babyface turn by ACTION Champion AC Mack. Mack gets his share
of cheers everywhere he goes. That’s certainly true at ACTION and the way the
turn was handled should make it easy for their fans to embrace his change of
heart.
Attendance was in the 200 range, similar to past ACTION events at Roger Spencer Community Center.
Griffin opened by announcing that ACTION would have a bigger presence at this year’s Wrestlemania weekend than last year. Stay tuned.
(1)Shawn
Dean defeated Alex Zayne in 8:57. Dean
was a match for Zayne’s speed. They worked a lighting fast pace – perfect for
this match, which featured some insane aerial moves. Zayne missed a psychotic split leg moonsault
to the outside. Dean followed with a top con hilo clearing the ropes, with the greatest of
ease. Zayne planted Dean on the stage and did a flip senton from the apron to
the stage. Never seen that move before and hopefully won’t ever see it again due
to the risk factor. Big chops and forearms here. Dean used a TKO/lungblower
combo for a near fall. Zayne did a 450 double knees to the back of Dean that
was unreal. Dean won it with a backbreaker flowing into a butterfly lungblower.
This was one hell of a spotfest. Zayne is massively talented and it was a breakout match for Dean.
(2) Arik
Royal defeated Lance Anoa’i in 8:28. Power vs. power at the get go. Anoa’i,
though, showed great agililty with a leapfrog/dropkick sequence. Not to be
outdone, Royal busted out a spinning heel kick. Anoi’a was lighting Royal up.
Royal cut Anoa’i off and body-blocked him out of the ring. Royal was wearing
Anoa’i down. Royal headbutted Anoa’i – a really, really bad choice. Comeback
time leading to a People’s Standing Moonsault by Anoa’i. No water in the pool for
his Snuka Splash. Royal powerbombed Anoa’i, pulled the straps down…and ran into
a superkick. Anoa’i tried for a Samoan drop, didn’t get it and Royal hit Space
Jam for the win. Quite the contrast to the opener. It’s been said before, but
I’ll say it again, Royal’s offense doesn’t look like anybody else’s offense. Anoa'i is
(3) Alan Angels defeated Gary Jay in 8:02. Angels stole one
of Jay’s signatures – the three tope sequence. Jay came back with four. It was
crazy. Jay chopped the bejeezus out of Angels, who said to bring and they
traded. Good lord, the chops in this match were beyond stiff. Angels knocked
Jay for a loop with a spinkick and got the stepover ankle lock but Jay made the
ropes. Jay hit the double stomp to the
head but didn’t get all of it, which might have been worse for Angels. Angels
went to the Jimmy Rave playbook with the STO on the ringframe. Angels went
springboard and ran squarely into a forearm to the jaw. Fans chanted for Angels
when he kicked out of Jay’s Michinoku Driver. Angels’ back was lacerated. They
traded more wicked chops and forearms before Angels hit the Wingsnapper to
score the pinfall. A brutally great match. Angels hung with a prevailed over
one of the fiercest strikers in indy wrestling.
Postmatch - Jay offered a handshake. Angels accepted and
raised Jay’s hand.
(4) Benjamin Carter defeated Matt Sells in 6 minutes. Sells
entrance was insanely over He was mobbed by kids on his way to the ring. Bell rang right away.
Sells said he needed a sec because he was blown up from his entrance. Carter was perplexed by Sells’ goofy
strutting. Carter is another speed demon. He kept going to the enzuigiri with
mixed results. Sells was hitting all of his signature moves but could not put
Carter away. Sells reversed Carter’s standing moonsault and hit the stunner for
a great near fall.. Sells caught Carter
with a stunner as he went for a springboard for another great near fall. Carter
finished strong -- suicide dive, tope con hilo,
coast-to-coast dropkick and a frogsplash. This was a good match made that much
better by the crowd reactions. I knew Sells wasn’t breaking his losing streak
here and they still had me and everyone else on the building on the false
finishes.
Team TAG (Kevin Blue & Chris Spectra & Billy Buck)
attacked both men for the first serious heel heat of the night. No surprise. Team TAG always gets uber heat
at ACTION. Blue said Griffin
had been screwing them since day one and the promotion would be Team TAG
Wrestling at the next show. Griffin
and Bobby Flaco hit the ring with chairs to make the save. Blue accosted
referee Aaron Noyes on his way out.
(5) AC Mack defeated Joey Lynch to retain the ACTION
Championship in 9:31. Mack showed off his new hardware, the SUP Bonestorm title
and claimed to be the most decorated wrestler in the Southeast. Lynch set a blistering pace. He was all over
Mack in the early on, Mack caught Lynch with a flatliner as he rushed in and
methodically went to work. Lynch launched his comeback with a twisting
springboard forearm, then a tornado DDT into a falcon arrow for a close near
fall. Mack was in bad shape but answered with a swinging DDT for a two count.
Lynch used a J driller style shoulderbreaker to set up a running knee to the
face. Looked like curtains for Mack. The wily champion twice evaded Lynch’s
vaunted moonsault and rolled him up.
Mack said he had just beaten the only man that held a
pinfall victory over him in ACTION. “You can’t spell ACTION without AC.”
Don’t get me wrong, this was good, but not as exciting as what preceded it. I never would
have believed you if you told me a Lynch/Mack match would be my least favorite
match of the first half.
-- Intermission –
(6) O’Shay Edwards defeated Curt Stallion in 9:15. Stallion
pissed Edwards off with his disrespectful attitude to establish himself as the
clear-cut antagonist. Edwards threatened to re-break Stallion’s previously
broken hand and crushed him with an Oklahoma Stampede. Stallion got untracked
with a double stomp. On commentary, Dylan Hales pointed out that Stallion is more
dangerous when he’s hurt. Edwards told Stallion to bring more chops. Stallion
obliged. An Edward lariat sent Stallion
to lala land. Edwards executed a deadlift german with a bridge for a nicely
done near fall. Edwards tried for the burning hammer but Stallion rocked him
with one of his sick headbutts. Stallion did a release german and Edwards
popped up. Stallion appeared to be dead weight after absorbing a spinebuster.
As Edward went to powerbomb him, Stallion came from nowhere with an Air Raid
Crash neckbreaker for a close near fall. They sold the accumulated damage big
time. Edwards tried for a swinging side slam that Stallion reversed into a
crucifix pin. Edwards pinned Stallion with a powerbomb variation. Good match.
The finish was a bit of letdown after all the devastation that preceded it.
(7) WARHORSE (Jake Parnell) defeated AJ Gray to retain the
IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship in 11:03. Warhorse was making his eighth defense since
winning the title on September 21. Gray is the Black Label Midwest Champion, having
beaten Warhorse to win that title. Gray gave Warhorse the first shot and the
chopfest was on. Gray did a tiger suplex with a bridge. God damn, that’s a
dangerous looking move. They continued to beat each other up outside the ring.
Warhorse enlisted the help of two ringside fans and whipped Gray into their
double clothesline. I hated that and it may have contributed to a fan issue in
the main event. Gray destroyed Parnell’s sternum with a kick that landed with a
sick thud. Gray leveled Warhorse with clothesline to set up a sitout powerbomb
but Warhorse kicked out. Warhorse hit the half and half suplex and killed Gray
with a lariat but he kicked out. Gray did a superplex into a brainbuster and
followed with a top rope leg drop and Warhorse kicked out of that. In the end,
Warhorse evaded Gray’s finisher and won it with a top rope double stomp. The
punishment dished out in this match was ungodly. I didn’t think it possible,
but these guys beat the shit out each other worse than Angels and Jay.
A unique show of mutual respect followed the match.
(8) Team TAG (Kevin Blue & Chris Spectra & Billy
Buck) defeated Matt Griffin & Bobby Flaco & ??? in a streetfight at
15:20. Per the match stipulations – Griffin
retains control of ACTION Wrestling and Team TAG is fired. Sells came out as
the apparent replacement for Slim J (recovering from injury) but was never
officially announced Team TAG attacked
him in the aisle using golf clubs and crutches. Sells was toast. All hell broke
loose as Team TAG mugged Griffin
and Flaco. A fan got involved in the extracurricular activity at ringside. Buck
broke a crutch over Griffin’s
back. Blue whipped Griffin
into a ladder. Buck waffled Flaco with a chairshot. Blue was a maniac with the
chair. He wasted Griffin’s
with five chairshots to the back. TAG set up a steel coffin of chairs. Someway,
somehow, Griffin
ended up putting Blue through the steel coffin with a crossed-arm Iconoclasm.
Buck yanked Darryl Hall out of position to prevent the three count. TAG
duct-taped Griffin’s
hands together. Flaco and Benjamin Carter tried to save Griffin but Buck cut them off with
superkicks. Blue was threatening to split Griffin’s
wig with a chair. Hales got up from the announce position and ordered Blue to
stop. Blue baited Hales to get in the ring. Hales got on the apron, but then
went to the dressing room. As Blue continued to run his mouth, Mack appeared
with Hales in his ear and the fans chanting “AC”. Mack hit the ring with Mack
10’s on all three member of Team TAG, the last one was on Buck onto the
title. Griffin covered Buck for the 1-2-3.
ACTION paid the angle off with the dividend of Mack’s turn. Quite
the improbable finish but suspension of disbelief ruled the day. The incredibly
crazed atmosphere in the building made anything seem possible. Griffin took a boatload of
punishment. My only quarrel was amount
of offense Griffin and Flaco got against the
odds and with Griffin
basically being retired. I get wanting Flaco to look strong but still.
The show ended with Buck dragged from the ring unconscious
as fans chanted “CEO” and ring announcer Scott Hensley led them in the nah- nah
song.
NOTES: ACTION
returns to Tyrone on December 6…Among those in the house: Tommy Maddox
(formerly Jaxson Cassel) fresh of 2
months in Japan with Zero 1, as were Al Getz, Rob/Rod Brodhecker, Kris Zellner,
Steve Dave and David Manders (feeling world’s better than last week in more
ways than one).. Ken Wallace ran the backstage area…Jimmy Oxendine provided the
ring... Jaden Newman was on color commentary. Mika Villas was on color for the
main event...The third referee was Radar Martin.
