Ultimate Anarchy 3 delivered the goods. Will Kaution retained the Anarchy Championship in a match filled with spectacular moments.
The balance of the show was devoted to setting up a major event for Christmas night, and in that respect this show was a home run. Anarchy won't have another show until then so there was much to be done.
All of the segments involving the key players were well done. There was anarchy aplenty.
The first half was notoriously weak and featured a lot of subpar talent.
Booker/manager Matt Hankins did not appear in front of the live audience.
Attendance at the Landmark Arena was 115, a drop from the show two weeks ago headlined by the Austin Towers/Geter bodybag match.
(1) Duncan Mitchell defeated Caleb Teninity in 6:16. Mitchell is popular with the Anarchy fans and had the crowd pulling for him. Teninity was good with the heelish facial expressions. At this stage, neither one has the aura of a pro wrestler, which could be said of most the talent on the undercard. Teninity was in control most of the way. Mitchell's RKO popped the crowd. A barrage of offense left Teninity reeling. Mitchell picked up the win with a knee strike to the face. The finish looked good.
The Wall and Brother Azriel came to ringside with evil intent. Luka Daniels hit the ring with a chain to support Mitchell. Wall and Azriel backed off.
Commissioner Mike O'Rourke addressed the crowd. He's an affable, energetic authority figure but he's no pushover. O'Rourke announced the following:
-- A new tradition, a Christmas night show called Violent Night.
-- He had figured out how to rectify the tag team championship situation (O'Rourke stripped the Machines at the last show) but was keeping his decision under wraps for now. He was going to evaluate all of the tag team matches tonight.
-- Ultimate Anarchy 3 would be a five man match rather than Kaution vs. Hunter James, the identity of the additional competitors to be revealed when they were introduced for the match.
(2) TSF (Rosario Grillo & Hunter Knott) defeated Richard Ramos & Alex Kytel in 6:02. A filler match of no consequence. Grillo pulled Kytel off the apron and clipped his knee in the opening minute. Kytel was helped to the back and Ramos had to go it alone. He's a big dude with something of a deer in the headlights look. The highlight was Ramos manhandling both TSF guys then chokeslamming Grillo on top of Knott. Grillo hit Ramos in the head with the cast on his wrist to score the pinfall.
(3) Hold My Beer Hanson & Jay 2Strong vs. Jacob Ashworth & Dany Only was ruled a no contest at 10:40. This was the first match that got a strong reaction from the crowd, the only one to do so during the first half of the show. Crowd chanting for Ashworth with 2Strong on the run. Ashworth beat Jay's ass once he got his hands on him. Hanson was busted open hardway as Only pounded him from the mount. 2Strong clipped Ashworth's knee to start the heat. 2Strong crashed and burned on a top rope elbow...and the match disintegrated into an out of control brawl. Hanson smashed Only in the head with a beer bottle so he was a bloody mess.
Commissioner O'Rourke came out and ordered a squad of referees to break it up as the fans chanted "Anarchy". O'Rourke ordered a rematch inside a steel cage for Violent Night.
(4) Pedro Pablo defeated KC Rocker in 9:50. This atrocity of a match was some of the worst garbage to ever in the Landmark Arena ring. They went too long, did way too much and did it poorly while disconnected from a disinterested crowd. Pedro did a series of running European uppercuts that actually looked good. Rocker came back with A CANADIAN DESTROYER FOR A NEAR FALL before settling on a cross armbreaker. Pablo powered out and into a death valley driver, then pinned Rocker with a fire thunder driver. Few fans cared. Left a horrible after taste going into the intermission. I'm all for giving young talent opportunity but Anarchy has to do better than this.
Azriel and Wall attacked Daniels during the intermission. Azriel left him laying with a jumping splash. As Daniels was being helped to the back, Wall decided to throw him back in the ring for more punishment. Mitchell hit the ring with a chair (in his Christmas stocking feet no less) as Commissioner O'Rourke tried to restore order.
(5) The Program (Landmark Heritage Champion Scott Mayson & Anarchy TV Champion Proc Johnston with Hunter James) defeated Dynamic Edibles (Eddie Honcho & Dynamic Dexter) in 6:56. There's no accounting for taste. The Anarchy fans enjoy the hell out of Dynamic Edibles and they are my latest guilty pleasure. Mayson threw up in his mouth at the sight of Dexter. There was a whole lotta humping going on at Program's expense. Proc brought the fun and games to a brutal end with a long distance fallaway slam on Dexter. Honcho cleaned house edible style until Johnston speared his ass and beheaded Dexter with a lariat. Johnston pinned Honcho with a double A spinebuster.
Mayson was waxing strong about the greatness of The Program. He's wonderful as the mouthpiece for this wacky group. The lights went out and this happened...
Joe Black cut a great promo on The Program. What else is new? For starters, Black went around ringside asking individual fans what they thankful for. Black was thankful for The Program because they showed what it takes to be crappy champions. True, Proc beat him but only with the help of"Tigger" Mayson. Since it was season of giving, Black had a match to give for Violent Night. Black was joined by The Undeniable (Shane Marx & Brian Blaze). At first, the crowd wasn't sure what to make of this but they quickly warmed up to the idea of "Poo Bear" Johnston & "Tigger" Mayson & James vs. Black & Undeniable on Christmas night. They chanted "Joe' in approval. Mayson was looking very nervous.
(6) Will Kaution defeated Hunter James and Skrilla The Great and Najasism and Nick Halen to retain the Anarchy Championship in Ultimate Anarchy 3 (14:25). Skrilla, Naja and Halen were great ads and made for a marvelous field of competitors for this type of high risk match. The title belt was suspended from two cables that criss-crossed the ring, a good 10 feet above the mat. I'll stick to the highlights because this match defies detailed description. Initially, James bided his time at ringside and let the other four kill each other. Skrilla did a great looking double blockbuster. Skrilla, Naja Halen and Kaution simultaneously used cables to get to the belt but James pulled them all down. James tried for the belt and took serious abuse. A dive sequence ensued -- Naja with a tope, a tope con hilo by Kaution, a turnbuckle moonsault by James. Naja was picked off the cable and powerbombed by Halen. Halen did an elbow drop on Skrilla from a cable. Kaution did a springboard spear to drop James from a cable. Skrilla and Halen were almost to the belt when Naja brought them both down with a springboard missile dropkick. With everyone down and hurting and the crowd chanting for Kaution, James took a shot at getting to belt but was pulled down. Kaution used another wrestler's back like a springboard to leap for the belt but couldn't quite grasp it. The match came down to Kaution and James on the cables going for the belt. As Kaution unhooked the belt, it fell to the mat. Kaution dropped to the mat and beat the other wrestlers to it in a mad scramble. Halen went directly to the dressing room through a side door in great pain from a leg injury.
Great match, every bit the spectacle that Ultimate Anarchy is supposed to be. The drama built beginning ti end. Everyone worked their ass off and brought their A game. There were things in this match that clearly did not go as planned but the way the competitors reacted to the glitches made them a non-issue.
Enter Austin Towers. He said Kaution was an exceptional human being but did not have what it took to lead Anarchy to glory. Kaution had something he wanted, the title shot he had earned by taking out Geter. Kaution wasn't phased. The Anarchy fans love him. He has grown into the role of champion and looked confident. "You may be the chief but I'm the king around here". O'Rourke came out an made the match official for Violent Night. This was a nice piece of business to close the show.
NOTES: Eric Silva, Azrael and Crystal Rose were visiting backstage. Tyler Graves was in the house...John Johnson and Michael Gentry were on commentary...The officials were David Weakley, Darryl Hall, Dee Byers and Jynnyfyr Wynns...Jason Boyd was the ring announcer...Todd Sexton was backstage in agenting role...Halen was moving around OK after the show.
