Battleslam: Fight For Atl wasn't perfection but it sure as hell was entertaining and like their first event, a show I absolutely do not want to miss.
Way more hits than misses. Undeniably. Battleslam is going for something uniquely ATL without compromise.
The opportunity for talent ot garner more buzz is there. Major league level performances abounded on this show.
Check out KC Navarro and Myron Reed in the main event vs. Private Party, JDX and Adam Priest in their survival match, and the four way tag (Workhorsemen vs. Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo vs. C4 vs. Da Russell Twins).
Attendance was 200+. Looked like the crow's nest seats were fans and not VIP. It was a late arriving crowd that filled in nicely. Very much a SWATS of Atlanta vibe.
Fight for Atl was livestream on FITE with Suge D and Gerard Bonner on commentary. I have no clue about how they did as a team but they sure looked good.
Jake St. Patrick was back as the master of ceremonies. His prescence is a plus. .
The event started 30 minutes late and ran around three hours long with no intermission.
A performance by Lil SCRAPPY energized the crowd going into the opening match.
(1) Lee Moriarty defeated Tre Lamar and Shoot Taylor and Kenny Alfonso in an elimination match in a total time of 12:23. Moriarty is in the zone and and operating on another level. No losers here. Everyone in the match a gem with ample opportunity to shine. Taylor showed he could hang in fast company. The right guy went over. Alfonso eliminated Taylor with a suplex variant at 8:30. Moriarty pinned Lamar with the European Clutch at 9:30 and hit a spike flatliner on Alfonso for the win.
(2) In an IMPACT Knockouts Title Match, Champion Tasha Steelz and Queen Aminata went to 10 minute draw -- actual time 11:40. All hailed The Queen who is treated as a goddess and so it should be...Queen said she was undefeated in this building and asked for a title match. Steelz agreed to the title on the line. Steelz looked smaller in person than she does on TV but brought giant-sized heel attitude. I do believe the title is coming off her at Slammiversary. They had a good match that went almost another four minutes after the two minute call was made. Aminata almost had it won with a Koji Clutch but Steelz
(3) The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo) defeated The Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake) and C4 (Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas) and Da Russell Twins (Allen & Kameron Russell) in an elimination match (20:43). Drake said the wanted to beat everybody so this was now an elimination match. Workhorsemen eliminated Russell Twins at 9:12 following Henry's Gotch piledriver and a Drillbit from Drake. Russells were green compared to the other teams but with big upside. Crowd was into the brutality of the Workhorsemen. Peak crowd energy for the night was reached as Workhorsemen mercilessly destroyed Bravo with chops and kicks. The louder Drake's chops, the wider Bravo's eyes got, the more the crowd liked it. My favorite line of the night was a fan - He's got a family! C4 eliminated Workhorsemen after a high-low combo on Henry. It boiled down to the the unfinished business between C4 and Infantry from the last show. Infantry was on fire =- superkicks in stereo, tandem dives and combo to finish on Chhun. Crowd loved the ATL guys going over.
(4) Reka Tehaka defeated Ashley D'Amboise in 8:21. A match doomed by its spot on the show. They worked really hard. Tehaka won after a trio of headbutts and the claw STO.
(5) Zenshi defeated Baron Black in 14:01. A match of historical significance. Both men trained at WWA4. Then known as Charade, Zenshi suffered a fractured skull in a match with Black almost a decade ago. Baron smiled when Zenshi said it had been a long time. Zenshi's breathtaking aerial artistry in full effect early. Match was distinct on this show because Black was working a body part (the knee). I got the impression Zenshi was going over with the way Black was dominating the action. Zenshi spit in Baron's face. Baron blistered Zenshi with chops. Looked like Black had it won with the cloverleaf but Zenshi reversed out of it. They jockeyed for position on the top rope and Zenshi hit a huracanrana from there for the win.
Lil SCRAPPY started another rap. Baron tried to shut it down. Scrappy planted Baron with a uranage. Spot looked good and got one of the loudest pops of the show.
(6) Richard King defeated Chad Skywalker and Action Jackson and Darian Bengsten and DMC and Jay Lucas and Terry Yaki and Bruiser and Helly and Jack Legend and Larry Lazard in a royal rumble match that lasted 17:26. An added match on a long show with a lot of nobodys. I was feeling cranky. But as a diehard fan of perverse wrestling entertainment I could not resist. Entrances were every 60 seconds, give or take. Bruiser is a huge fat guy but he can move. I missed how he was eliminated. Jackson has quite the physique He started throwing guys out right and left. King had the big ego and stalled getting into the ring. He was wearing a chain around his neck. Ridiculous that nobody used it against him. Final four: King, local fave Skywalker, Jackson and Bengsten. Jackson rudely tossed Bengsten out. Looked like that landing sucked. King dumped Jackson from behind, then kicked Skywalker in the groin before clotheslining him over the top. Creative must have something in mind for King.
(7) Dante Martin defeated Leon Ruff in 9:50. AEW vs. former NXT. They got the dueling chants. A nice sprint. Martin displayed his crazy athletic ability. Ruff was smoother. Ruff did a triple jump spot from three different spots on the ropes. Gotta love that. Back and forth barrages of aerial offense. Back and forth pin attempts. Martin emerges victorious.. Really good and also felt like the crowd hadn't quite gotten their second wind.
(8) JDX defeated Adam Priest in a survival match (victory by ref stoppage or DQ only) in 13:13. St. Partrick's announcement of an added stipulation was no random occurrence This match had a story coming out of Vendetta. where Priest cheated with powder to get over on JDX to win the four way eliminator. JDX beat the shit out of Priest from the jump. Walked a mudhole and stomped it dry. Priest tried to pin JDX after an Alabama Jam. Priest did a spinning Davey Boy powerslam and sold the exhaustion. Great spot. JDX did an avalanche Finlay Roll. Another great spot.
A pure southern wrasslin' finish -- JDX avoided a collision with referee Mike Fullilove. Priest seized on the opening with a piledriver and went for brass knucks. As Fullilove was getting rid of the knucks, Priest went for the baby powder he used at Vendetta. Fulllilove was wise to it. JDX used the knucks and hit his finisher (crucifix powerbomb dropped to a facebuster). Priest out cold and Fullilove stopped the match.
(9) Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Cassidy) defeated Myron Reed & KC Navarro in 10:12. Navarro and Reed have chemistry to burn. From the moment they appeared, their interplay became the focus of the match. Private Party looked fine. The stage belonged to Navarro and Reed. Like Moriarty et al, on this show, operating on another level. Private Party wanted to party and party they did at Reed's expense.. Spot of the match -- Reed's Spanish Fly on Quen while standing on the other two guys. Reed totally fucked up and accidentally hit a springboard cutter on Navarro. Gin and Juice on Navarro. Crowd is thrilled.
Navarro walked out on Reed. They need to take their act on the road.
NOTES: In the house: IWTV World Champion AC Mack, "It's Real To Me" Dave Wills, Brandon Benefield, who happens to be a two time GWH announcer of the year along with that Bonner guy, IWN promoter Dwayne Bell, ace photographer Corey Tatum, BWN owner Alex Arias, Rose Gold, Nathaniel Vanderbilt and Rico Gonzalez...Micah Taylor and Underground Fite Factory provided the ring....Always a delight to catch up with Amber Young....The mysterious twins known as Futago-Shinobi sat front row with their manager and were stone-faced the entire night.