Combine Day is over. The Roster is set (Or is it) and it’s time for SOUTHERN STATES PRO WRESTLING DAY 1! Coming to you from Austell, GA., Southern States Pro Wrestling was looking to shed the past of Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment a bit in favor of a more “Family Friendly” show. From the very start, you could see the changes and it did have a different feel to it. Earlier start time, more inviting music to welcome you in, no PIT Area for the hardcore and yes, more than a few families there. This is the fresh start that Murder One as well as the fans needed. Speaking of fans, the faithful were there early and it seemed that the turnout would be minimal, however people started trickling in more and more and there were 80+ by the time the night was over. 80+ who agree that this was a great way to end Father’s Day and Juneteenth Weekend. Very Solid matches, new creative direction and even a brouhaha of a scrap kept everyone’s attention enough that we want to come back to more shows!
Before the matches began, 3MP (MP3) and All Business Chip Day came to the ring and immediately started to tease the new Ring Announcer and talk about Duncan Mitchell Mom. 3MP is in his bag early because he knows THE Man of Southern States Pro is now his client and even goes so far as to suggest that last shows victory by Mitchell was just a fluke. Hell, even his casual look added an extra layer to say that this was going to be a Vacation of a night for 3MP and Chip. Duncan Mitchell had enough and finally came to the ring to confront the two and he was a bit fired up. Mitchell bypassed 3MP and asked Chip straight up if he wanted to face ‘Big Duncan Energy’. Chip shrugged it off and told Mitchell that he needs to call his parents because he will have a concussion before the night is over...And of course, put Mitchell’s Mom’s name in his mouth anyway. Phew!
Pros: Great opening Promo by Chip and 3MP. Chip has a Badass new look and 3MP with the Casual look of Shorts, Polo and Boat Shoes made the 2 look so smug and just fit so well. Mitchell was doing a lot to hold his own and was fired up.
Cons: Mitchell needs to bring just a bit more flow to his Promo’s and it will come with time.
Match 1. Sal Rinauro d. Larry Lazard
Who else to start the Day 1 matches other than Sal Rinauro himself. Serious Judge Sal from Combine Day was long gone and Happy, Crazy, Silly Sal was back to his usual shenanigans. Grasping at lights, hugging the pole, waving emphatically at the fans and even his opponent, the Sal we know and love was ready to give us a show. Lazard on the other hand tried his best to not to feed into any of it and was ready to get down with the get down. Sal starts off stretching Lazard’s arm a bit and just doing little things to get in Lazard’s head. Lazard was becoming a bit more aggressive and Happy Sal started to lose his smile. Sal starts stretching other parts of Lazard’s body and that is when Lazard had enough. Lazard finally adjusted a bit and came back with a backflip and landing his knees to the gut of Sal. Lazard applies the pressure with a few stretches and even a RainMaker Lariat for a very near 2. Sal goes for another stretch, however Lazard reverses and Sal, once again, looks to be in serious trouble! Lazard hits Sal in the back of the head for another near fall. Sal finally let his instincts kick in and after a Spike DDT to a kneeling Lazard, Sal got the 3. Pretty cool match.
Pros: Sal is a joy to watch no matter what ring he is in and Lazard really stepped up. Well Lazard had no choice BUT to and sold those stretches like crazy.
Cons: The match started a bit choppy and Lazard seemed just a bit too excited. Slow down Bruh!
Match 2. Aaron Dallas d. Pure ASHHOLE Ash Bennett
Ash Bennett came down to the ring, however the Announcer said the wrong name. Bennett looked at the Ref, told him he got it wrong and proceeded to redo his entrance. Take 2. Ring Announcer got the name right this time however this gave ASHHOLE a little more fuel to his ASHHOLE flame. He even grabbed a chair and created his own steps to get in the ring. Aaron Dallas came down to a great reception and things finally got started. A-Aron was in control from the very beginning and had a nice leg sweep, roll through and crossbody combination that had ASHHOLE in trouble early. ASHHOLE has to scratch and claw his way to get out. ASHHOLE gets a bit of offense in with a few slaps and does get A-Aron across the top rope and things get outside for just a bit, however this was A-Aron's Show. ASHHOLE tried to choke A-Aron, however he was fired up and turned it into a slam. A little more offense and a Death Valley Driver by A-Aron got him the pin! Loud Cheers for A-Aron.
Pros: Aaron (A-Aron) is in his first year, however doesn’t look it and the crowd was really digging his look. Ash Bennett (ASHHOLE) was heeling it up pretty good and him using the chair to make his own stairs got a few laughs.
Cons: The match seems just a little standard and nothing really stood out too tough. Both need to lean more into their characters. ASHHOLE came off more annoying than anything else and A-Aron has a Thor LOOK going but could benefit from using Thor mannerisms just a bit.
Match 3. All Star Special (Incredible Huck and Hold My Beer Hanson) d. The Ripper Trey Shaw and Eric the World Walker
Shaw and Walker are out first and then come All Star Special to The Cupid Shuffle by Cupid. Different parts of Georgia, Different Waffle House Selections. Incredible Huck brought the Rhythm and Hold My Beer Hanson brought...Yeah let's just say he needs to work on his dance moves and B-Boy Stance. I wonder if he will ask NAAWNATION to help him out with that...Oh well, moving on. The thing that HMB DOES do well is get down in the ring and A.S.S. were as smooth as ever. Tag in, Tag out. Solid DoubleTeam moves that do a lot of damage very quickly, A.S.S is just that team to beat no matter who is in front of them. HMB had things going up until World Walker turned up the heat. A little more vicious than last month, he applied everything he was taught and gave HMB everything he could. The Ripper wanted some of the action also and HMB was in serious trouble most of the match. A Fireman’s Carry Slam by Ripper gave HMB a new world of hurt. HMB finally gets it together a bit and hits a nice Rock Bottom on Ripper and Huck is tagged in. Huck is movin’ and groovin’ and has a little extra pep in his step this Father’s Day! Walker comes back with a Super Kick to slow down Huck and The Ripper gets back to business. Ripper looks to want to finish the match however Walker tags himself back in and A.S.S. take advantage with Huck hitting a Moonsault to give All Star Special the Win. After the match, Huck and HMB celebrate and HMB drops a beer that a fan tosses to him. Come on man!!!
Pros: All Star Special aint no joke and still one of the best Tag Teams I have seen in the past few years. Great Chemistry and the dynamic of the Youngin’ (HMB) teaching the Old Guy (Huck) is fun to watch when the Old Guy still knows how to have fun and the Youngin’ looks confused as to why he knows these things! The Ripper working down and dirty was great and looking pretty good will get a lot more eyes on him really soon. World Walker surprised me with how much intensity he brought to the match and he should keep it up!
Cons: You are IN NAAWNATION Hanson...You could at least ask for a little help to get them hips moving right! Dancing critiques aside, nothing bad stood out and was really an enjoyable and fun match. Oh, and ANOTHER thing Hanson, CATCH THE BAST DAYUM BEER. Thank You! Match
4. Proc the Joc Johnston (Or Croc...Or Does he have a TikToc) d. LAMAR DIGGS
Big Meaty Men, Slappin’ Meat was the theme for this battle of the Big Guys. Proc underestimated DIGGS early and got a nice Drop Kick for his trouble. Yes, DIGGS got a few of us off our feet with that surprise and sent Proc reeling a bit. Proc baited DIGGS in and chopped his throat to slow the match down. Proc proceeded to wear DIGGS down and even gave a nice SpineBuster that made the building shake a bit. A Spear by Proc kept the momentum going however a second Spear missed and gave DIGGS an opportunity to get a bit more offense. A Shoulder Tackle, a splash, a Samoan Drop and even a Leg Drop had DIGGS feeling good and looking to finish. Proc however sidestepped and hit a Clothesline from Hell (Or was that a Lariat from The Abyss? Either works) to win the match.
Pros: Good Lord this is what we came to see in a match of the Big Men and we got it. A good paced fight.
Cons: It felt like it ended too quickly and there seemed to be a story going but everything was finished before it got started.
Match 5. All Business Chip Day w. 3MP d. Duncan Mitchell
Chip Day started things before the bell rang and Duncan Mitchell never stood too much of a chance. Mitchell tries to feed off the crowd, who was well on his side, and gets Day on defense a bit. That is until 3MP stands in Mitchell’s way and Day capitalizes. Day gives Mitchell bitter work as he kicks and punches and elbows and kicks and punches and elbows and gives Mitchell even more kicks, punches and elbows. Mitchell does come back with a SlingBlade but Day is right back at him. Day goes for what looks to be a SnapDragon type Suplex, however Mitchell just rolls right on through. Mitchell gets fired up and goes to set up for a finisher, however 3MP grabs his legs and Day eventually hits a Curb Stomp Knee for the Win. After the match, Chip Day puts on Mitchell’s jacket and messes with the kids a bit as him and MP3... I mean 3MP head to the back.
Pros: 3MP has his 1st Round Pick in Chip Day and a hell of a pick. Chip looks as good as Chip Day always does in the ring and the 3MP brand just might be the one to take over Southern States Pro if no one else steps up. Duncan Mitchell is crazy over and his ‘Big Duncan Energy’ makes the kids go wild.
Cons: Nothing bad to say. Big Thumbs up.
Match 6. Trever Aeon & The Creeps (Irving West and Andey Ripley) d. Zamir Zuriel and The Nawf Side Heroes (Shooter Gabe and Jose Manuel)
The Devil came down to Georgia and he was looking... To turn off the lights. Yes, seriously the lights went off after Aeon was introduced and stayed off for a good 2 or 3 minutes into the match. After the lights came back on The Creeps kept Shooter down and played keep away from his corner. Aeon would get involved for a second and let Ripley and West do his work for him. Stretches, a Single Leg Crab, an ankle lock and such keep pressure up until Zuriel gets a tag in. It didn’t help much as Trever made short work of everyone and got the Win for his team.
Pros: Aeon and the Creeps whole vibe was enhanced by the lights being off and they played with that pretty well by keeping NawfSide Heroes looking confused as everyone else. Nawf Side Heroes and Zuriel were energetic and were good enough to keep the things at least from going off the rails when the lights were off.
Cons : The Creeps need to be a bit creepier and more Vicious. Scare the kids, Bite the ropes more, scratch pull! Also, while the lights being off helped the vibe, it did make it hard to see some things early on but nothing that can’t be fixed. MORE CREEPINESS and toughness please!
Match 7.... Didn’t get started because LAMAR DIGGS came to the ring to call Proc Johnston out. DIGGS was not at Combine Day and wants to earn his spot on the Roster. DIGGS then calls Proc, Bartholomew, a few times and it was on and poppin. DIGGS rushed Proc as soon as Proc was coming to the ring and fans were scurrying like they were on the Maury show to get footage. The 2 were broken up however couldn’t be separated for too long. Everything spilled to the back however things seemed to go AROUND the building and they were fighting back into the crowd area. DIGGS challenges Proc to a match at Southern Fried Gaming Convention in July! Match
7. AWOL w. Taliaferro d. Keelin Cole
Nothing really to say here. AWOL completely destroyed Keelin Cole before we even got settled into things. AWOL was busy congratulating himself when GETER walked in and was at the merch table minding his business. AWOL decided to poke the Bear and everyone in the crowd was wondering why he would do such a thing. GETER made just as quick of work of AWOL as AWOL did to Cole so I guess Karma was at play here. Don’t come for GETER if GETER does not send for you! GETER goes back to minding his business. Taliaferro “revived” AWOL with a bit of a potion and gets his PCO on as if he felt no pain. Or was he being a Zombie. Who knows. GETER is going to decimate this man soon and there is nothing we can do about it. Hey Taliaferro, keep more of those potions and maybe a Phoenix Down or 2 in your bag ok!
Pros: Squash Match
Cons: Squash Match. Oh, and Zombie-fied AWOL just looks weird. Yeah, just tone it down please a bit!
Match 8. DMC d. Sir Knight Merrik Donovan
The Ring Announcer gets the names mixed up again as he introduces Sir Knight instead of DMC first and the story begins. DMC gets his proper introduction and Sir Knight comes down to an ovation fit for a hero! Sir Knight is ready to get things going, however DMC needs time to get his robe situated. Belly-aching again about how no one is there to take his robe, he asks someone to come take care of the robe. Larry Goodman is volunteered and immediately DMC says “NOT YOU AGAIN”. DMC asks if someone else can collect the robe and a kid is chosen this time. DMC tells the kid it will be his fault if loses so don’t put that karma on him! All of those things out the way, DMC and Sir Knight start hitting, and hitting hard. Olivia Newton-John would blush at how physical these two were going at it. DMC seems to want to play mind games at first, however Sir Knight was having none of it. DMC changes his game and after a nice slam, clip to the knee (Sir Knight should be glad it wasn’t an Arrow), a couple of Arm Drags and a very nice Drop Kick DMC looks to be in control...Until Sir Knight says thee nay and hits DMC with a Power Slam. These two really seem to know each other and neither one gains an upper hand. DMC goes for a Hand Shake and Sir Knight takes him up, and promptly receives a high knee to the face for being so trusting. DMC breaks down and hits with heavy blows and seems to be mauling Sir Knight, however Sir Knight seems to be getting mean. Sir Knight fights back valiantly however DMC is just a step ahead. DMC gets a little full of himself and slaps Sir Knight. Bad Mistake. Sir Knight goes into Warriors Madness and becomes Blood Knight as he savagely attacks DMC. It seems to play right into DMC’s hands as he uses Quick Moves and reels Sir Blood Knight into a ‘Spin Da Block’ Spinning SpineBuster and then a Draping DDT from the Ropes to put Sir Knight away for the 3. Whew Buddy what a match! Afterwards DMC says ‘Tell JOE I said Hey’ as Sir Knight retreats to slay Dragons another day!
Pros: Man, these two are fantastic together and gave us a hell of a show. Hard Hitting and very smooth. DMC has a Killer Look, Killer Smile, Killer Attitude and Killer Moves that you can’t help but love. Very Fluid and lives up to everything people have said about him. No wonder JOE BLACK wants to have a match with him because those 2 Kings will tear the house down. On the other hand, Sir Knight Merrik Donovan keeps showing why he has EARNED the neck beads and the respect of JOE BLACK and the crowd at Southern States. Sir Knight could come off corny at first with his sword and flag and gear, however he makes sure you fear his name by the time he steps in the ring. His presence is worthy of the Kingdom of Southern States.
Cons: Hell if I know. These two would have had the match of the Night (Knight), if not for the Main Event. And that is NO slight at all to DMC and Sir Knight.
Main Event...Top Team (Super Star Jay Lucas and Terry Yaki) d. Exotic Youth (Bryce Cannon and Zach Mosley)
Exotic Youth came to the ring talking crap as they do everywhere they go. Top Team came to the ring and the crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers. As soon as they Face to Face in the ring, nothing else mattered for the next 15 or so minutes. It seemed that Exotic Youth and Top Team had a huge hill to climb in order to live up to the magic of EY vs TT 1 at Combine Day, however they succeeded in showing it wasn’t a fluke. Lucas starts with Mosley and Lucas does the right thing by controlling Mosley by his hair. Mosley tries to get Lucas off of him; however, Lucas just will not let go of the mullet. Mosley finally gets Lucas off and tags Cannon into the match and Lucas tags Yaki in. A #DoublePolo Chant starts as Cannon and Yaki get to it. Yaki does his best to get the Polo off Cannon, and Cannon makes the mistake of turning Yaki’s Trap Card over. Yaki and Lucas double team Cannon for a bit and then Mosley gets a piece of the action also. Eventually Cannon composes himself and after Yaki misses a dropkick to Mosley who is in the Tree of Woe, Cannon begins choking Yaki with a Polo. An #UnoPolo Chant begins. Mosley is back in and Cannon gives him the 2nd Polo and a #TheresNoPolo or #NoMorePolo Chant breaks out. Yaki tries to fight back however, going for the tag, Lucas is pulled off the apron and Yaki is worked over some more. Lucas finally gets tagged in and cleans house. Eventually he gets Lucas and Mosley to take each other out with a Slingblade and DDT combo and gets a close 2. More DoubleTeam moves from both teams and eventually Yaki hits a Hurrica-rana for the win. Top Team 2, Exotic Youth 0. After the match, Exotic Youth came to Celebrate with Top Team in a sign of respect... Or so we thought. Exotic Youth reveal their true intentions and Top Team gets low blows for their trusting ways. Exotic Youth began to beat down Top Team when Larry Lazard made the save with a chair. Pros: Dammit these boys did it again. When all was said and done in the moment, I thought this match might not have been as good as the first. No disrespect, however the bar was set very high. As I thought about it more and more, I have to retract that statement and say that this one was equally as FIRE as the first. Exotic Youth brings out the best in Yaki and Lucas. Yaki and Lucas bring out the best in Exotic Youth. Both teams force each other to step up and dig real deep in order to just be MAGIC together. Someone mentioned that there needs to be a Best of 7 between these two teams. I would totally agree. If they fight anywhere else, I would go out of my way to see that match in person as many times as possible. Exotic Youth may be the Tag Team of the Year for 2021, however please know that Top Team Terry Yaki and Jay Lucas might have to get them to split that award if this keeps going the way it is. #ThatsThatGoodShit (Cover your eyes and ears Children) Cons: Ha. Yeah right. These two teams will be the Face of Southern States Pro and I am here for this rivalry! Anyone hating on this match should kick rocks with open toe shoes.
Overall: Day 1 was a solid show with a couple of hick-ups that didn’t take away from the show. The lights were a slight distraction and the music needed to be edited in some places but things look bright for Southern States Pro.
Big Bear Rating. B
