From Jeff Richards: Section D Front Row regulars John Hitchcock and Bruce Mitchell reminisced about the good ole days yesterday (Sunda...
From Jeff Richards:
Section D Front Row regulars John Hitchcock and Bruce Mitchell reminisced about the good ole days yesterday (Sunday 11/25/12). They were among an estimated 1,800 paid at "Wrestlecade 2012," a first annual event to benefit the Salvation Army's Christmas Toy Drive. It was a rather auspicious undertaking for Uncle Frank's Championship Wrestling (UFCW) and promoter Tracy Myers, owner of a local automobile dealership. However, one would have to deem it a nostalgic success and sign of things to come.
Fans of all age groups attended to see those lovable characters who graced the Greensboro Coliseum in years past. Wrestlers such as the "Rock 'n' Roll Express," Valiant, Koloff, Fernandez, et al. would appear in the Triad area each Thanksgiving weekend. They were almost all here in Winston-Salem again but with some fresh new faces as well.
Tickets started at just $10, and autographs seekers were out in droves. Exhibitor tables were lined up along the back walls along with a fully-staffed bar. Two sets of tri-speakers hung from this professionally-rigged lighting system which hung high above the ring. Two projection screens previewed the matches and participants to both young and old.
Particularly amusing were these white-tablecloth tables set up right outside the ring barriers. Well, no first show goes off without a hitch. The first annual "Wrestlecade" was 30 minutes late letting folks in for the "meet-and-greet." A fifteen-minute intermission stretched past the 35 minute mark, and younger fans on a school night were leaving rapidly later.
1. UFCW Champion Alex Adonis & "The 1st" Ric Converse defeated Jake Manning & Caleb Konley (w/Amanda) from highspots.com in 6:55. Converse, a former AWA World Heavyweight Champion, was originally scheduled to meet Reid Flair in a UFCW #1 contender's match. "ManScout" Manning connected with a nice double clothesline off the top rope toward the finish. However, it was Manning who succumbed to Converse's "Richter-Scale." 1 star
2. Bodies flew out at a frenetic pace during a 20-man over-the-top-rope battle royal. Participants included Willie G, "Badstreet" Jason King, Shane Austin, Rob Killjoy, Scotty Matthews, Louis Moore, Seymour Snott, & Joe Storm. In other words, it was a Who's Who among NC indy workers. Who can we round up for a battle royal, and who will work for cheap? The final two participants were Lil' Jimmy Parker and Bo Dupp (Otto Schwanz). The winner received a mythical Cadillac Escalade and this Giant Boot (no kidding). Dupp, with former partner Jack rooting him on from the exhibitor's hallway, grasped an anklelock, momentarily forgetting the match stip. Parker got bit during Dupp's backbreaker and finally was heaved over in a losing effort. Winner: Dupp (no rating)
3. In a Mid-Atlantic tribute match, skinny Jimmy Valiant & round Manny Fernandez teamed to defeat "Mr. #1" George South & the Masked Superstar. "Perfect 10" Baby Doll came down to the ring and declared that she was a good girl w/ bad intentions. So she sided with the heels, and Tommy Young was your special guest referee (lots of them to follow). South brought the Blackjack Mulligan Claw out of mothballs to trouble Fernandez, who took three bumps earlier. Valiant came in to lock the sleeper on South. Superstar wobbled over to lariat Valiant but missed and took out his partner. Valiant, who said he was retiring years ago, made the cover in 8:39. 1/2 of a star
4. Reby Sky (w/Amber O'Neal) shocked Jayme Jameson in her hometown of Winston-Salem. Special guest referee was Lei'D Tapa, niece of the Barbarian, and she towered over everyone in the ring. Sky, Matt Hardy's girlfriend, asked for amateur rules to start off with, and it resembled more of a catfight. Bless her heart, Tapa was pretty clueless here. Jameson invented an unique version of Tajiri's "Tarantula" over in the corner. Sky is quite athletic and pure energy in the ring. She even introduced Jameson to a submission maneuver which looked like something straight out of Chikara. Her "People's Elbow" spot ended up with Jameson giving Sky the boot. JJ rallied with a blockbuster suplex and somehow managed to kick out of Sky's "X-Factor." Winding down, Sky attempted to kick Tapa, who caught the villainess' right foot. Tapa slung it around, and Sky's foot happened to catch Jameson flush in the face. Sky went for a pin attempt, and Tapa unwillingly had to count the "three." Afterward, Tapa bodyslammed a nagging O'Neal. 2 1/4 stars (better than it had any right to be)
5. Best match of night honors go to Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander for upending ROH compatriots Lancelot & Harlem Bravado. First hotspot was Caprice leapfrogging into a legdrop while Cedric held Lance. Cedric got a hot tag early, but the Bravados, who toured Pro Wrestling NOAH this year, defused his foray. Alexander hit a side codebreaker which almost scored the pinfall on Lancelot. Coleman's double fisherman spot was definitely the best move all night. The Bravados connected with their finisher on Coleman, but Alexander saved his partner. High risk maneuvers ensued with Alexander's twisting plancha on both Bravados. Lancelot climbed up to peform a moonsault to the floor on Coleman/Alexander. Coleman then took everyone out with a springboard dive off the top strand. The former "Ice" from OMEGA days legdropped Lancelot, but Harlem saved his brother. It was anyone's ball game at this point; no one could predict a winner. Cedric got "froggy" with his splash off the top, but Lance rolled through for a nearfall. Alexander simply rolled back over and scored the terrific win. 3 1/2 stars
Intermission saw an unmasked Superstar (Bill Eadie) come out as Demolition Ax to sign autographs. Most of the other wrestlers reappeared for more gimmick $.
6. Barbarian and Luke Gallows (D.O.C. from TNA's "Aces & 8s") fought to a double disqualification in the popcorn match. It was a true "Battle of the Bullies" which I used to love in its heyday. Barb was originally scheduled to face Rick Link. This was world's better than that would have been but still a DUD. Shelly Martinez (formerly Ariel in the new ECW) was another special guest referee. She proved to be a very lenient ref considering the eternal slapfest occurring at ringside. Both behemoths used four different chairs, a plastic garbage can filled with trash, vendor tables, among other plunder. Then they headed to the back, so Martinez finally signalled for a bell.
7. Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton derailed this year's version of the Russian Assassins (managed by Ivan Koloff). The Rock 'n' Roll Express got a big reaction coming out. The Asses tried to jump Gibson/Morton, but it was to no avail. There was nothing matching in the Assassins' ring attire at all. They were both wearing black masks, but one was neoprene, and the other guy had eyesockets. Breathing heavily, Gibson did all his favorite spots. The bullies finally got heat on Morton, and "Uncle" Ivan managed to choke "Punky" in the ropes. Both teams went to the four-way, and a double dropkick missed badly but was still all she wrote. Morton scored the pinfall. 1 1/4 stars
Post-match: Ivan's Russian-American team attacked their mentor, until the Rock 'n' Roll saved their erstwhile nemesis. Morton put over Koloff as "the toughest man in the NWA." Ivan repaid those compliments and began witnessing to the crowd about Jesus Christ. It was a Sunday after all.
8. A previously announced three-way dance saw Hurricane (Shane) Helms & Disco Inferno (subbing for an injured Colt Cabana) come out on top. The other two teams involved in this triple threat contest were ECW's Shane Douglas & CW Anderson and WCW's "Flock" (Raven & Lodi). Before the match began, Douglas insinuated "Vince McMahon and that bimbo Dixie Carter" have tried to kill wrestling. The match broke down after just four minutes with all three teams brawling at ringside. Raven used the "iron claw" on Disco and then surprisingly tagged one of his foes in ECW, Douglas. After tagging back in, Raven suplexed Disco on the floor, and referee Redd Jones went out to count a pinfall. Helms gave the CWF Mid-Atlantic referee hell for that mistake. Finishers galore finished up the three-way with CW initially giving Helms a spinebuster. Then it was the "Disco Cutter," a belly-to-belly suplex from Douglas, Raven's "Even Flow" ddt, and finally Helms' chokeslam on Lodi. After Lodi was pinned, Raven threatened his "Flock" member with more violence before hugging it out. 1 3/4 stars
9. Matt Hardy outlasted TNA's Gunner in a 30:00 Ironman match which was trimmed to just over 24 minutes. "Survivor" castaway Johnny Fairplay heeled as the special guest timekeeper. Earl Hebner from TNA was the guest referee. Hardy threw his t-shirt out to the wanting crowd, but it got caught in the ring lights above. 6:53 was the time of fall #1, as Gunner surprised Hardy with a backslide countering the "twist of fate." There were only 10 seconds allotted between falls. Hardy responded with two straight falls to go up 2-1 with his cutters. Fairplay interfered with a chair, which Gunner promply used to smack Hardy for a third fall loss. After multiple shots to the back, Hardy was prone to two quick successful pinfalls by Gunner. The St. Stephens High School graduate went for a third straight, but Matt finally kicked out. The seventh fall was a double countout which is where the match started to fall apart. Hebner or someone ruled it was now 4-4, giving each competitor a fall apiece for the other getting counted out. That would not be right and just confused everyone at the end. Gunner's Macho Man tribute (elbow off the top) missed its mark. Hardy went up top with five minutes remaining, but Gunner met him there with a rousing superplex. Gunner and Hebner collided with four minutes to go. Fans were on their feet at this point. Hardy's "side effect" nailed Gunner, and here came Fairplay with a ref shirt.but wouldn't you know it? Fairplay would not count the pin. Gunner got a fast rollup on Hardy, and Fairplay went to "fast count" the Cameron, NC native, but it was for naught. Hardy escaped in the nick of time. Hebner came to and wondered what Fairplay was doing in the ring. Fairplay pushed Hebner around, and Earl responded with a nutshot for a deafening pop. Hardy tried to punish Fairplay with a twist of fate of his own, but the former TNA personality took it badly. At the 2:00 mark, Hardy again went for his key move, but Gunner shoved him off. With 30 seconds and counting, Hardy small-packaged Gunner to go up 5-4 (realistically 4-3) and thought it was tied. He went to shake Gunner's hand and small-packaged him again (1) for an anti-climatic 6-4 advantage in falls. 1 1/2 stars (taken down by the distracting finish)
NOTES: I was interviewed by O'Neal for her arenachicks.com footage. Amber remembered on-camera that I had reffed her very first match and asked if I was proud of her. That is a definite understatement...The whole show lasted just over three hours if you exclude the long intermission... Mike Howell and David Coates representing the upcoming "Chinlock for Chuck" show in Durham, NC on 1/15/13 were in attendance handing out fliers/posters...Others in the invitational battle royal included Kyle Styles, Lou Marconi, Baron Bullard, James Brody, Konley, Manning, Adonis, etc.... The show was held at the Benton Convention Center which was spacious and featured free parking for out-of-towners.
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