From Larry Goodman:
Friday Night Fights, the nightcap off the ACTION doubleheader, was by far the stronger of the two shows. In normal times, a packed out Roger Spencer Community Center would have been rocking. I have no doubt this show would have been among ACTION's best.
For a promotion that has typically not featured big men, Logan Creed and Orion Bishop brought something different to the table. In their respective debuts, the two behemoths went out and had the best match of the night, a match that made believers out of doubters.
Suge D (don't call him Pineapple Pete) cemented his heel turn with one of the best promos of the year. His shooty verbal exchange with Anthony Henry was tremendous. Suge has now cut two of the best promos of the past year in Georgia, the other being his AWE Show of the Year promo with Alex Shelley.
To ACTION's credit, the promotion doesn't throw mic time around like confetti, so the impact is heightened when it happens.
Jaden Newman and Matt Sells was surprisingly good, a really fun match.
(1) Fred Yehi defeated Adam Priest in 11:40. A most excellent wrestling match to open the show. Yehi recently made it to the quarterfinals of the ROH Pure Tournament. He has been part of ACTION since day one and was part of the best singles program in the promotion's history (opposite Arik Royal). Priest has a head of steam coming of an appearance in the Futures Showcase and a pair of shots on AEW Dark.
Yehi frustrated Priest by capitalizing on his size and power advantage. Priest stunned Yehi with a cravate suplex and went to town on him. It was back and forth from there - Yehi with an exploder suplex and a high backdrop, Priest with a snap german suplex. Priest tried for a Boston crab. Yehi tried to reverse into the Koji clutch but Priest escaped. In the end, Yehi hit a brainbuster and got a questionable three count with a butterfly pinning combination.
Priest is a perpetually frustrated, pissed off looking individual and he was POed about the decision. Hopefully, there's more to come.
(2) Billie Starkz defeated Seishin in 10:33. Matt Griffin is positively snake bit when it comes to booking women. Seishin replaced the ailing (not COVID) Angelus Layne. This was not a good match. Starkz has personality to burn and was great at engaging the crowd. She also throws a mean forearm (they used a ton of lot of them in this match) but she's not exactly athletically gifted. Both women have barely two years in and the match was lacking for a ring general. Starkz picked up the win with a swanton bomb.
(3) Logan Creed defeated Orion Bishop in 9:20. The ACTION ring had never been graced by two men of this size. Bishop goes 375. Creed was announced at 295. Creed wowed the crowd with his opening powerslam. Bishop suplexed Creed from the apron back into the ring. Bishop cut off Creed's tope with a draping DDT to the floor. Bishop gave Creed a buckle bomb and a Pounce for another near fall. Creed leveled Bishop with a northern lariat and did his jumping coffin drop for a near fall. Bishop superplexed Creed. They traded blows. Creed cracked Bishop with an open hand that sounded like a 45. Bishop used a fallaway slam. Creed did his Air Creed suicide dive over the top. Back inside, Creed was looking for Scorched Earth. Bishop countered with a Samoan drop and a release german suplex. Bishop charged in for clothesline and Creed hooked him with the full nelson for Scorched Earth.
An incredible match that went no longer than necessary. The back and forth high impact moves in this match were something else and the transitions between them worked. It was the rare case where two huge guys were believably being thrown around and knocked off their feet.
The crowd came to their feet and gave them a long standing ovation. The ring crew checked the ring before the next match.
(4) Matt Sells defeated "#1" Jaden Newman via referee stoppage at 10:25. I've never been so entertained by a Jaden Newman match as I was by this one. Newman ran his mouth incessantly and got more heat than anybody on the card. Fans had giant "#2" placards for the occasion. Newman demanded a field sobriety test for Sells. who successfully walked the line before Newman waylaid him to start the match. Sells took a brutal looking bump on the ring frame off of Newman's clothesline on the apron. Newman crushed Sells with a running knee and applied a grounded octopus. Sells hit the Double Shot but Newman blocked his stunner and countered with a swinging neckbreaker. Newman went up top. Sells caught him mid-air with the stunner for a close near fall. Sells did a victory roll into the Rat Trap and kept hammering Newman's head into the mat until referee Daryl Hall stopped the match. I loved the finish.
(5) Arik Royal defeated Anthony Henry in 10:32. Royal jumped out on top with a pair of exploder suplexes for near falls. Suge D pulled up a chair at ringside to observe. Henry went after Royal's wrist and hand. Royal, who defies predictability, busted out a spinwheel kick. After a monumental struggle with Royal's size, Henry pulled of a Saito suplex on the third attempt. Henry stayed on the attack and tried for an armbar. Royal powerbombed his way out of it. Henry was outslugging Royal. Royal started winging Henry with lefty lariats. Henry countered with a brainbuster. Both were down. Royal tried for Space Jam and didn't get it. Henry was looking for the armbar submission he used to beat Kyle Matthews in the first show when Suge commandeered the mic and said "somebody just win". Royal seized on the moment with Space Jam. Really good match but the good shit was just beginning.
Suge addressed Henry. They came out of the same training class. When the going got tough, Henry had a history of going AWOL on pro wrestling, while he kept coming back: from a broken arm, rejection by the NWA, whatever. Henry owed more than he had put in. Suge said Tracy Smothers didn't get the love he deserved because he was too Southern for the corporate guys. He said Henry wasn't real indy. He only cared when there was money to be made, just waiting to sell out.
Not to be outdone, Henry said the story of Suge's life was whining and complaining and making excuses. He was working his ass off while Suge was whining about management not bowing down to his needs.
Suge said he wanted respect. He wanted a match with Henry before he went missing again, before Southern Honor got shut down because they can't follow COVID rules.
Henry said Suge would never be better than him and he was down for the match.
Griffin came to ringside and made the match for ACTION's next show on December 11.
NOTES: The return date of December 11 is another doubleheader show and will be a Toys for Tots benefit show....ACTION also announced a January 8 date in Tyrone...Wrestling notables in the house included Ryan Rembrandt and Kavron Kanyon...The announce team for IWTV was Dylan Hales and Mose...The ring announcer was Scott Hensley.
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