Photo coutesy of Richie Barna From Larry Goodman: If Southern Fried threw down the gauntlet last Saturday with their first show...
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| Photo coutesy of Richie Barna |
If Southern Fried threw down the gauntlet last Saturday with their first show of 2020, Southern Honor damn sure picked it up last night in Canton.
I didn't get the final paid attendance figure but 475 at a minimum and it was the hottest, rowdiest crowd I've experienced at the Action Building.
SHW put on a great show: creatively, bell-to-bell and on the mic...
And it produced an epic main event in the dog collar grudge match for the ages between Joe Black and William Huckaby. Georgia wrestling personalities came from far and wide to see it. Nobody that witnessed it will ever forget it.
To say Black is versatile is a ridiculous understatement. It's been said before but bears repeating -- the guy exudes authenticity. He took Technician of the Year honors, and won feud of the year with Huck, who epitomizes "you don't have to go over to get over". They went out and blew it off with the craziest, sickest match to take place in any SHW ring, although what took place in the ring wasn't really the thing.
Booker Dylan Frymyer did a stellar job with construction of the show. Stories No match ran a minute too long (well, maybe the title match did a bit) or took away one iota from the spectacle that was to come.
(1) Matt Lynch defeated Jordan Kingsley in 7:15 to earn the right to name the stipulation for the rubber match in the NYR/Lynch Mob best of three series. Kingsley is one of the best young aerialists around. He sticks his flying moves with precision. Kingsley did nothing overtly heelish but had a cocky attitude and the crowd was definitely shading towards Lynch, who won it with a frogsplash. Crisp and clean. Off to a good start.
The postmatch show of sportsmanship was interrupted by Logan Chase III stating you don't win championships with respect. NYR promptly beat Lynch down with the fans hating on them while Chase and Cam Carter looked on approvingly.
The crowd popped huge when Lynch said the rubber match would be inside a steel cage.
Gary Lamb promo segment - Lamb thanked the fans for 2019 and said Southern Honor swept the awards, which got a huge pop and a "SHW" chant. Lamb did a line about Southern Honor being hated in other parts of Georgia and took a swipe at criticism that Southern Honor wasn't known outside the state.
(2) Lethal Poison (Mikal Judas & Brady Pierce) defeated Revolt! (Caleb Konley & Zane Riley) in 8:25. Lethal Poison had their hands full with the former PWX tag team champions, a stark contrast to their match against Masked Avengers last month. A spot where Lethal Poison caught Konley and Riley piled on with a tope got a "holy shit" chant. The final outcome, however, was the same. The monsters pinned Konley after a devastating double team.
(3) Dani Jordyn defeated Brooklyn Creed in 5:58. Brooklyn has a new doo in black and was as babyface as she could be but this was all about Jordyn. She came to the ring with an award trophy that she got at Goodwill with a race car on top. The SHW fans are split right down the middle on her with stout chants in both directions, despite (perhaps because of) the way she has totally embraced her heel character. Jordyn tried to use the Burn Book. Referee Jeremie Prater took it away so she clocked Creed with the trophy. Brooklyn kicked out and headbutted her for a near fall. Jordyn then rolled her using the tights.
(4) Gunner Miller defeated Sean Legacy in 1:42. Speed vs. power. Legacy's speed was getting the job done when a Miller spear and Jackhammer brought the match to sudden and decisive conclusion. Miller pointed at his wrist. Match was just what it needed to be.
Miller cut a tremendous postmatch promo. Said since it was award season, he was going to give a history lesson. Brought up being the 2017 Georgia Wrestler of the Year. Said "I'm ba-ack!" and I lay people out. Fans responded with a "we don't care chant", showing they clearly did care. Miller referenced the length of AC Mack's infamous promo and internet dweebs with crunchy Cheetos fingers, then got around to Logan Creed. He left Georgia in Logan's hands. Logan had done nothing and wasn't on his level.
Enter Sunny Daze (with Ravenna Vein) to get in Miller's face. Miller left the ring because "Mr. Rainy Day" smelled and no way he was doing Daze for free. This match needs to happen and I strongly suspect it will.
(5) Ashton Starr defeated Cam Carter (with Logan Chase) and AC Mack and Owen Knight in 7:29 to become the number one contender for the SHW Championship. This was a nicely done, fast-paced four way, devoid of cluster spots. Starr's PP (party planner) did a clever rhyming intro insulting the other competitors and Starr got a superstar reaction from the crowd. Knight hit his finisher but was pulled out of the ring by Carter. Mack went for the Mack 10 on Starr and he reversed it with a jackknife pin.
(6) David Ali defeated Kyle Matthews in 11:35. Ali was screaming at Matthews to "let me save you". Matthews kept his composure and allowed Ali to stew in his own juices. They had a good match with Matthews hitting all his signature moves like he'd never been away and Ali blatantly raking eyes and doing whatever to gain an advantage. Finishing sequence saw Matthews hit the Slurpee kick with Ali crotched on the top turnbuckle. Ali raked the eyes and hit a sunset powerbomb but missed a top rope elbow drop. Matthews applied the Hidaka Lock. Just when it appeared Ali was about to submit, he dropped to the mat and used the ropes for extra leverage to pin Matthews.
I have no clue as to what SHW's plans are regarding Matthews, but he's never needed to win to get over and the fans chanted "Kyle" after the match.
(7) Corey Hollis defeated Suicide to retain the SHW Championship in 15:45. This was a see-saw battle with a gradual build, where they picked up the pace in the closing minutes. The unique quality of Suicide's moveset helped him get over with the crowd. His rolling cradle was a fun spot. Hollis gave Suicide his reverse DVD on the apron and tossed him over the barricade. Hollis plead with referee Todd Fox to count Suicide out but got back in just in the knick of time. Suicide gave Hollis a brainbuster on the top turnbuckle. Somehow, someway, Hollis kicked out. Moments later, Hollis snapped Suicide's neck off the rope and hit a flying nee off the top rope for the pin. The finish came out of nowhere.. It was a good match. I didn't find it particularly compelling compared to the rest.
Postmatch - Starr (who was guest commentating) confronted Hollis. The champion tried to blindside Starr with a belt shot. Starr ducked and laid Hollis out with a superkick. Starr was subjected to a Lethal Poison beat down capped off with a field goal kick to the gonads from Hollis.
(8) Joe Black defeated William Huckaby in a dog collar match that went 26:35. Fans were on their feet before the bell and stayed there. The drama of the moment was palpable. There were two refs for all of two seconds. Huck
knocked Fox the f*** out. The early on featured brutally stiff exchanges of forearms. They were beating each to death. No way the ring was going to contain them. Black used a cheese grater on Huck's head. The crowd got their wish as Huck was bleeding like a stuck pig. Huck gave Black two powerbombs onto a table. That sucker would not break. Huck choked ref Prater until he coughed the key to the collars. So much for chaining together aspect. Huck tore the canvas off the ring and gave Black a package piledriver onto the boards. Black kicked out. With Black slumped in the corner, Huck started pulling ring boards out of the ring and shoving them into the crowd, creating a huge gap in the ring. Black brained Huck with sick forearms to the back of the head, then front suplexed him into the hole in the ring. Huck spit green mist into Black's eyes.
They brawled their way through the lobby and out into the parking lot. There was no mystery about where they were headed. A camera and lights were set up next to a junker car. The action was shown on the video screens in the building but 80% of the crowd as out in the parking lot. A shopping cart of plunder came into play including a barbed wire baseball bat. Black gave Huck four spears into the open car door. The door almost came off the hinges. I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach like I haven't gotten at a wrestling pro wrestling show in a very long time. They beat each other to death standing on top of the car until the roof was about to cave in. Black gave Huckaby a Falcon Arrow onto the front windshield, turning it into a spider web of splintered glass shards, and pinned him.
Paramedics rushed over to check on Huckaby. After Huck was helped to the dressing room, the paramedics picked the glass shards out of his back. Black walked to the back under his own power. Miraculously, neither man ended up in the emergency room.
NOTES: The list of notable Georgia wrestling personalities in the house included perennial manager of the year Jeff G. Bailey and 2019 manager of year Matt Hankins who were chopping it up all night long, GWH'sRob Brodhecker playing hurt,, James Caleb Kitchens (Viral), Lamar Diggs, Jeffrey Taylor, Nick McDaniel and Myron Fancher (Tapped Out Wrestling Podcast), Andrew Alexander (former booker of the year), Tyler Rivera, Tim Holman (Disruptor Pro) Tyler Gazaway (RCW)....The announce team was Brandon Benefield and a dapper looking Gerard Bonner...Diana Michel got in the groove as the new regular ring announcer...Clint Stephens ran gorilla position,
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