From Larry Goodman:
I watched the premiere of "A Benefit for Southside Support" from ACTION Wrestling on IWTV.
Match quality was up to ACTION's usual high standard. With all the pandemic-related fits and starts of 2020 out the way, the storytelling by CEO Matt Griffin and Dylan Hales is in high gear.. A major plus coming out of this show was four matches solidly set up for September 24.
I was struck by the number of wrestlers on ACTION's roster that have changed and improved dramatically over the last couple of years -- Cabana Man Dan, Adam Priest, Ashton Starr, Jaden Newman...the list goes on.
This running time was 2:45 -- long by ACTION standards. The show had a nice flow and built beginning-to-end.
ACTION had their largest crowd since the pandemic hit --- looked a whole lot better and was closest the vibe had been to the venue had at its best. They spiffed things up with a new mat. The lighting is what it is and it sucks. Something about the venue casts a greenish tint.
Hales and John Mosley were the announce team. Led by Hales, the commentary is totally in synch with the pro sports style ACTION leans into.
Scott Hensley was the ring announcer. "Shiny Shoes" Aaron Noyes was referee numero uno. Noyes is the the right size for a ref (small!). The other refs were Dante Danko and Rico Gonzalez, both from WWA4.
Hensley opened with the newly minted ACTION tag team title belts on display. Hensley said the winner of three tag title matches on tonight's show would meet in a three way match on September 24 to crown the first ACTION Tag Team Champions.
(1) The Skulk (Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray) defeated No Mas (Takuri & King Garuda) in 10:10 to advance in the ACTION tag team title tournament. Skulk did their irritating, overblown ring entrance. Skulk engages an ACTION crowd that loves to hate them, or hates to love them depending. No Mas had previously beaten Skulk, who had failed to take them seriously enough. They weren't about to make that mistake again. Takura I like. Garuda's strikes looked bad and his stuff was mediocre in general. The finish looked devastating -- a flapjack/implant DDT on Takuri after Garuda had been powerbombed into the post by Alanis.
(2) Trails of Erron Wade Number 1: Kevin Ku pinned Erron Wade in 8:28. Ku put Wade in his personal torture chamber as he previously had done with Kevin Ryan to similar excellent effect, beating him with the double knee lungblower. Wade show guts and was in position to win but in the end...
(3) Adam Priest defeated Landon Hale in 6:38. He survived Priest's figure four leglock but damage was done to his knee. The knee was giving Hale trouble when he went for a handspring stunner and Priest thunked him with the steel-plated forearm that has become his go to.
Priest is so technically skilled and is such a dick. Hale hung with him all the way.
(4) Bobby Flaco & Brogan Finlay defeated Culture Inc (Eli Knight & Malik Bosede) in 7:57 to advance in the tournament to advance in the tag team title tournament. Flaco noted that after all his time in ACTION, this was first chance on the mic as he introduced Finlay has his partner. They've known each other since they were kids but being they were not a regular tag team, a win over Culture Club was portrayed as an upset on commentary. They showed a replay of the European uppercut Finlay caught Knight with as he came off the top rope -- definitely replay worthy Flaco pinned Bosede with a flying crossbody.
Flaco and Knight stood out. Flaco is one of the all-time faves of the ACTION fans and they ate that finish up.
(5) Ashton Starr defeated SCI Futures Showcase winner Robert Martyr in 12:02. Martyr had defeated Starr on the May show and they also mixed up in the SCI Scramble match. This was more ground-based and a welcome change from the pacing of the prior match. Martyr climbed up the ref's ass for not counting three for his brainbuster. Starr escaped the Tiger Driver Martyr used to win the SCI futures, then deftly reversed the move Martyr used to beat him in their first match. Cerebral stuff. The announce team said they wanted to see the rubber match. Me too.
It's fairly astonishing how well-rounded Starr has become as a pro wrestler. He barely resembles the performer I first came to appreciate at those AWE shows on Spring Street. I love Martyr's wrestling and struggle with look.
(6) Suplex Science (Damyan Tangra & Alex Kane) defeated The Good Hand (Suge D & Kevin Ryan) to advance in the tag team title tournament when Tangra submitted Ryan at 15:45. Suge was pissed off as usual and had a bone to pick with the SCI - he was good enough to be in the tournament and Ryan was better than being stuck in a scramble match, so bring the lambs to the slaughter.
Good Hand's attempt to jump the bell backfired. Tangra invited Suge to tangle with him on the mat. Suge went for a sneaky move that did not end well for him. The shine built to the Kane suplex that Suge had desperately been trying to avoid. Ryan posted Tangra to start the heat. Good Hand was happy to have Tangra on the mat now. Kane took the hot tag and had Ryan pinned after a trio of suplexes. Suge shoved Tangra onto the pile to break it up. Suge precipitated a ferocious slapfest with Kane and was thrilled with being able to suplex him. Kane answered with Mark of Kane and they both rolled out. Ryan got a near fall on Tangra with a running Spanish Fly. Tangra got Ryan in the STF. Suge slugged Tangra in the face but Tangra would not release his grip. Suge put Tangra in a submission while simultaneously grabbing Ryan's hand to prevent him from tapping. Kane intervened with a suplex on Suge. Tangra shifted to a cutthroat STF and Ryan tapped.
I thoroughly enjoyed the twist on old style Southern heel/face dynamic in this match. I like Suplex Science conceptually and they'll benefit from the experience as tag team wrestling doesn't play to their current strengths. This match was filled with cool ideas. I wished for cleaner execution on a lot of it. The finish was tremendous and really had the crowd going. I found myself missing Darryl Hall's officiating (he was at PCW).
Angelus Layne attacked CEO Griffin and slapped the crap out of him again. Good Hand loved it and were about to partake when Suplex Science came to the rescue. Griffin said if Layne wanted a match, she could have it -- on October 1 at the Founder's Day event and Griffin was picking the opponent.
(7) AC Mack defeated Cabana Man Dan in 11:54. Mack entered as the conquering hero, carrying the SCI trophy to the ring. Poor Hensley had to hoist the trophy over his head while Mack did his intro. Mack said for two years he had been saying he would win SCI and was the best to come out of the Southeast. Hales made the point that this was Mack's first match since beating Daniel Garcia and Daniel Makabe in the last two rounds of the SCI.
Intense grappling to open. Mack showed concern about not being able to control CMD. and tried to intimidate him. CMD would have none of that. It was one of those matches where the crowd was quiet but intensely focused. The sequence leading into it was so awesome, the crowd popped for a collision of clotheslines double down. Dan hit code red for a near fall and reversed out of the Mack 10. Mack slipped out of CMD's backslide and reversed his La Magistral cradle to score the pinfall.
A super competitive match. Every advantage gained felt like a real struggle. Superb use of facial expressions and the personalities of both men shining through. Loved it.
Mack gave CMD respect and said he was glad they could lock horns again. Fans suggested they go for the tag titles. Now there's an idea...
Mack gave props to IWTV Champion Wheeler Yuta and Danny Garcia for their 60 minute classic at IWTV 100 and made his case for a title match with Yuta.
Priest came out and said he was in all the places Mack wanted to be, and if Mack cared about Georgia wrestling that was the only place he was ever going to wrestle. Mack rubbed it in that Priest lost at IWTV 100 (to Jonathan Gresham). Priest reminded Mack that he beat him last time at ACTION. Mack said how about a rematch on September 24 without the cast on your arm? They had a little pull apart and Hales confirmed the match was official. Nicely done.
(8) Logan Creed & Matt Sells defeated ACTION Champion Arik Royal & Jaden Newman when Creed pinned Royal at 16:27. Fun festivities before the bell -- Newman and Royal in matching muumuus... Sells walking the line to prove he wasn't as drunk as usual. The shine was crazy hot. Sells summoned the drunken courage for a tope. Creed did an air Logan suicide dive. Creed joined Sells for Rat Traps in stereo on the hapless heels. Newman interfered as Sells was setting up for the palm strike and got concussed by Royal's rolling kick to the back of the head. Sells took a lengthy and ferocious beating with Royal and Newman functioning effectively as a unit. Royal sang "happy birthday" to Sells as he was beating his ass but got carried away and ate a palm strike. The match broke down after the hot tag. Creed countered Royal's first attempt at the Kobe and kicked out of a second one. Creed gave Royal the Scorched Earth treatment for the win.
A fun match with great energy that got them where they wanted to go. They kept the focus on the pairings that matter going forward.
Post -- Royal out cold spread eagled with Creed standing over him holding the title, fans on their feet applauding. A fabulous image. Newman attacked Sells on the outside of the ring.
Griffin had two ideas for September 24 -- Creed vs. Royal for the ACTION Championship and Sells vs. Newman one more time and Sells picks the stipulation. Sells chose a falls count anywhere, including the lake outside the building.
