After the events that transpired at SHW39 there were more questions than answers surrounding the future of Southern Honor Wrestling than ever before. Over the course of the last month the reigning promoter of the year Gary Lamb and former booker of SHW Dylan Frymyer (James) had remained surprisingly quiet regarding the situation for most of the month. Meanwhile new promoter Brooklyn Creed was busy scheduling Rumble Jack qualifying matches, and doing whatever she could to put some of the most loved people at Southern Honor in harm's way. Including booking Zach The Gear Guy against Krule, and putting Dylan in a match against the best wrestler in the state, Joe Black. As the days inched closer to SHW40, rumors began to spread that Gary Lamb could be considering shutting down or selling Southern Honor Wrestling due to Brooklyn Creed’s recent takeover. People were left wondering what the future of Southern Honor Wrestling would be, or even if there would be a future. Gary Lamb made one thing clear, if this was going to be the last Southern Honor Wrestling, they were planning on going out with a bang.
An official paid attendance of 386 as reported from the box office, however it felt and sounded like many more. They were treated to show where the action never seemed to stop. The show was full of moments and the crowd response to everyone was insane. The show provided a wide variety of different match types, sure to please any new or returning fan. The great Larry Goodman has written a FANTASTIC report on this show that can be found on Georgia Wrestling History. I would encourage you to read that before reading this, as I will not be recapping the matches but just offering my thoughts, notes, and ramblings from the events of the night as they transpired.
PRESHOW:
There was definitely a different atmosphere in the arena before the show started, as many fans questioned if this would be the end of Southern Honor Wrestling. Some fans even described the mood before the show as “somber”. “Hold My Beer” Hanson dressed up for the occasion saying that he “wore a suit just in case this in the funeral for Southern Honor.” Southern Honor provides one of my favorite pre show experiences. I enjoy making my rounds through the gimmick tables, visiting my figure dealer, catching up with old friends, and listening to the best DJ in the state. The pre-show atmosphere at Southern Honor isn’t matched by any other promotion in the state. I thought it was brilliant to have Brooklyn interrupt the pre-show, and the commentators were great during that segment. Once again the SHW video package to open the show was just done great. It set the mood and emotion right away, and it caught the fans up on every storyline in the show.
KRULE VS. ZACH THE GEAR GUY for the SHW Championship.
Brooklyn’s new theme music and video package stressing “Southern Dishonor Wrestling '' was a nice added touch and was a great way to let the fans know that the next era has begun. The instant heat that Brooklyn and Joe got when they walked to the ring was REAL. That argument that SHW can’t book heat should be put to bed. This was a different type of energy the fans brought to start the show, and it was refreshing. Brooklyn ordering Diana Michel to “do your job” repeatedly only angered the fans more. I will just say this now, Brooklyn was wonderful every time she was on the mic. Zach’s entrance is something I will never forget, the choice of “Stand Back” as a theme song just seemed to work perfectly for some reason. Make no mistake about it this was the loudest pop for an entrance of the night. This match didn’t just work. It exceeded any expectations I had, and involving Dylan and Owen Knight was extremely smart in not only advancing the story, but making sure the fans had plenty of action to make up Zach’s limited in ring abilities. I would dare say 98% of the building stood on their feet for this ENTIRE match. Zach’s timing with the fire extinguisher was perfect. It was the exact type of spot that match needed to give Zach some momentum. Every person involved in this match did their roles fantastically, but I definitely need to give props to referee David Weakly. He made sure everything in this match worked, he helped protect Zach, and his selling and reactions during the match just really took everything up a level. The energy of the crowd during the 10 seconds where Zach power bombed Krule through the table and then got a two and half count was just simply unreal. There is no other way to describe it. This appeared to end in a referee stoppage so I just want to point out for the record that Zach never gave up or quit. If every wrestler approached every match with the self promotion and energy Zach did for this one, all of wrestling would be much better for it.
BROOKLYN AND GARY LAMB PROMO
Absolutely brilliant move by Brooklyn firing Owen Knight for interfering with the match. Security played their part well in removing Owen and this only helped further establish that Brooklyn is in control. Gary and Brooklyn's interactions with each other are spot on. They have such great timing with each other and the chemistry feels the room. It doesn’t feel fake or phoney. Brooklyn made it clear the only thing she cares about is burning down and destroying Southern Honor. The dynamic and power struggle that is going to play out between the two is going to be very interesting to witness. I would have to give the advantage in this segment to Brooklyn having an effective quick response to everything Gary said. Gary letting the crowd know he wasn’t shutting down SHW got a huge pop and he still made sure to get the last word in Brooklyn.
ROB KILLJOY VS. NAJASISM
Right off the bat, this is my first time seeing Killjoy in person and I was beyond impressed. He is entertainment from the moment he quacks his way down to the ring until he quacks his way back out. His in ring ability exceeded my expectations, and I found his facials and selling to be well above par for others in the state. Naja making a return to SHW made a lot of fans happy for sure. I’ll say it every report if I have to, Naja is an instant fan favorite. I can’t get over how good this match was. It was executed on a very high level and featured a great mix of offensive styles. The two seemed to work great with each other, and both knew when to push the gas, and when to slow down. The fans at SHW usually do not take to newcomers in the debuts, but Killjoy was the exception. The crowd fell in love with this guy and both men’s great in ring abilities won this crowd over and kept them fired up until the end. This is a match up I’d pay money to see again.
CYRUS VS. JUDAS
This was exactly what it needed to be. An all out brawl that never made it to the ring. The brawling was executed very well. The two were extremely smart on where to brawl and how long to stay there, every part of the building was able to see the fighting up close at some point, and they never had their views obstructed of the action. These guys brawled in front of me for about 20 seconds and I can tell you they were not holding back, every hit was stiff and you could feel the anger between them. Never allowing the match to get started was just a great way to continue this feud. Seems like every time Judas gets out of control Todd Sexton is there is calm him down. Having the medic come out to tend to Cyrus, and Judas choke slamming referee Prater both got huge reactions from the crowd. It was a nice effect for Prater to stay out for the rest of the show. As I stated above this show was a show of moments and the crowd were responsive to every one. I can’t wait to see how this feud continues. Wouldn’t surprise me if this one doesn’t continue to “Still Here”
CARLIE BRAVO VS. JORDAN KINGSLEY
Can you say energy? This match brought it and brought it big time. Kingsley just continues to do his thing, he has become such a consistent part of the SHW roster and gets a ton of respect from the crowd. The improvement that Bravo makes from month to month really stands out to me. He is beginning to look years ahead of where he should. He did a great job making sure the crowd knew he was the heel, even though they wanted to cheer him for his excellent in ring execution and selling. He made Jordan look like a star, and I would dare say this was by far the best match Jordan has had at SHW in a while (that’s not an insult). This very easily could have been the point in the show where the crowd began to fade due to all the action they had already seen, but these guys made sure that didn’t happen. In fact they managed to elevate it slightly. Once again the match had a solid ending with Bravo getting the pin with his feet on the ropes, leaving the door open for another match in this already exciting feud. And once again I will gladly pay money to see them wrestle again.
TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE VS. ALL STAR SPECIAL for the SHW Tag Team Championships
The stakes were very high for this one. Whoever wins this match could once and for all say they are the best team in SHW, and they will be the team leading this tag division in to its next phase. I wrote earlier about the atmosphere SHW creates and an All Star Special entrance is just as much a part of that as anything else. It really just isn’t the same without one. This was one of the best yet, the crowd loved “I want it that way” and every member of the audience was engaged either singing, waving their hands, or shining the flashlights on their phones. Once again it would have been very easy to lose this crowd but the action and in ring storytelling was more than enough to keep the crowd engaged. The story that took place between Kyle Matthews and Chip Day during the match was damn near perfect. Never tipping their hand to what would happen later. All Star Special has been really impressive with some new offense recently and have begun to wrestle much more aggressively. Huck’s rope walk arm drag got a huge response from the crowd. So did his springboard moonsault off the 2nd rope, even though he over shot it the fans really appreciated the effort. Hanson took a very hard tumble to the outside, crashing his heel into the concrete and hitting his lower back on the apron, really looked to limit him for the rest of the match. Weird spot towards the end of the match where Huck had Kyle pinned. The ref counted to two and a half but Kyle didn’t kick out. Everyone looked confused for a moment. I’m not sure if Kyle was supposed to kick out, or if the ref was supposed to count to three, or if Chip Day was supposed to break up the pin, either way something clearly was miscommunicated. However these professionals did exactly what they needed to do in order to keep the match going, and I applaud their recovery. Technical Excellence did a wonderful job continuing to tell their story after the match. The fans wanted one to turn on the other so bad, they could almost taste it, and when it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, Chip did the unthinkable driving his partner hard into the ramp. It was a thing of beauty. It got one of the biggest pops of the night, and Kyle sold it beautifully. Anything that gets us anywhere near a Chip Day VS. Kyle Matthews match I am all in favor of. For All Star Special they are all that is left of what was once touted as the best tag team division in the state. But with all the fantastic tag teams currently in Georgia, I would think SHW will have no problems finding some high quality opponents for Huck and Hanson.
JOE BLACK VS. DYLAN JAMES
VERY smart move on the Joe Black music change, it identifies this is a different Joe Black, and it makes it so the crowd can not sing along to his music, as they are prone to do. Larry stated in his report that the crowd wasn’t wanting to root against Black. That was not the case where I was sitting (opposite side of the building from Larry) The fans in my section hated Joe Black, I even noted how it was the most heat he had gotten up to that point at SHW. The pop Dylan gets in that building is a special one. These guys laid into each other the short time this was a singles match. Once again the action never died down and having Owen attack Krule sent the crowd into a frenzy. Making it a tag match really kept the crowd on its feet and prevented the match from ever becoming stale or the crowd checking out. Just very smart booking on every match tonight. The chants for Owen were unreal, and truly felt like the entire crowd was united for one cause. (That’s not always the case at SHW) Dylan took a nasty spill over the top rope, he appeared to land weirdly on his arm, and his face was busted open afterwards. It looked to be from his nose and not his mouth. The blood only added to the excitement of the match. Owen Knight’s strength was on display in this one as he managed to get Krule up on his shoulders before slamming him into the mat. Owen pinning Krule shocked the building but gave us just enough to believe Owen could defeat him in a one-on-one match. I thought it was a little odd for Brooklyn to fire Owen earlier in the night to only hire him back later. Sure it got a huge reaction out of the crowd but it could possibly weaken the perception of Brooklyn’s power in some people’s eyes. The crowd didn’t respond as strongly as I thought they would to Dylan VS. Sal Rinauro match announcement. However, although it’s been explained to this fan base that they are “friends” I am sure that many do not know they are a tag team together and former champions at Southern Fried. After the match the members of Contra do a great job selling their distress at the events that just transpired. Some mouthy fans got in their faces, but security was right on the spot to make sure the situation didn’t escalate.
TANK (WITH REV. DAN) VS. GUNNER MILLER in a deathmatch
This match was 9 months in the making, and is just a great example of the long term storytelling SHW can do. I am a HUGE fan of death match wrestling, but often when shows that usually do not deal with death matches try to have a death match it’s very toned down and often disappointing. That was not the case with this one, this match could have headlined almost any deathmatch show in the country and Gunner Miller looked like he had been doing this for years. Rev. Dan’s opening on the mic never gets old. I love the effect of Tank throwing doors and chairs into the ring as Dan introduces him. As always Gunner’s family was in attendance, it appeared that Gunner checked with his son on his way to the ring to make sure he was okay to watch what was about to take place. The coolest little dude in the building was ready to go, and so were the 385 other fans (It didn’t look like a single person left this show.) The fans were quiet in the beginning of this match, but make no doubt about it they were paying very close attention to the action, and Tank and Gunner had full control over the room. The first skewer spot really got the crowd vocal and screaming for more violence. They became outraged when Tank stabbed Gunner with a carving fork. Little Gunner is just like his dad, not taking any shit from Tank he trashed talked him the entire time never looking away. I’ve been to a lot of SHW shows and it isn’t often that a fan's prosthetic leg gets used as a weapon, but when it does it always gets a huge reaction. I’m not sure which got a bigger pop though the leg, the exploding wiffle ball bat, or the 2 liter of Mountain Dew wrapped in barbed wire. Tank’s suplex of Gunner onto the thumb tacks and light tubes looked like a rough one. Gunner hit the corner on the light tube bundle and I believe this is what led to the deepest cuts on his back. This was a show of moments and reactions. Possibly the biggest reaction of the night was when cameraman Nathan Mowery finally put closure on his feud with Tank when he jumped up on the apron and smashed Tank across the head with a bundle of light tubes. The ending to this match was perfect with Gunner hitting the spear on Tank as Tank was holding light tubes. The explosion was big and loud and they were not going to top it with anything short of setting someone on fire. When Contra came to the ring I was expecting Gunner Miller’s night to end horribly. All those weapons in the ring with Joe Black and Krule were just asking for trouble. Tank standing up to Krule completely changed the dynamic of what looked like it was going to happen, and it opened the door for so many possibilities in the future. Brooklyn telling Contra not to get involved with Tank and that it “wasn’t in the agenda” did two things very well. It showed that Brooklyn has a well thought out plan that she is going to make sure gets executed. It shows that Gunner Miller (or Gary Lamb’s golden boy as she put it) is clearly heading into a feud with Krule. Let me just say, it’s about damn time Gunner is getting what could possibly be his last shot at this title. A “Stone Cold” style celebration took place after the match with Gunner chugging beers with Tank. It would appear at least for now that Southern Honor is getting to have their moment while Contra retreats to the back to plan their next attack. This is the best show that Southern Honor has done all year. Like I said, it was a show of moments, and a show of reactions. I compared it to Pavlov's dogs, when the bell goes off, the crowd responds, regardless of what is in the bowl. That just speaks to two things, Southern Honor has learned what makes their crowd tick, and they have conditioned their crowd to expect big moments at every show. You would think at some point SHW would run out of big moments, or they would grow stale, but that clearly is not the case. Southern Honor is the most entertaining show you can attend in Georgia, from the moment you walk in the door, to the moment you hear the excitement in the fans' voices as you exit the parking lot. You know something interesting and unexpected is going to happen, you know you are going to see some really good stories being told, you know the production level is going to be a clear step ahead of everyone else in Georgia, and you know you are going to see some of the best in ring wrestling in the state. It’s very clear why this is the 3 time Promotion of the Year, and as of right now has the be the favorite for number four. They are yet to have a sub par show in 2022 and are currently building some of their most exciting stories ever heading into their biggest shows of the year, the Rumble Jack in August and Still Here in October. In my opinion there is one thing about this show that I did not like, and that is that Contra looked stronger when the show started than when the show was over. It appeared not everything went Brooklyn’s way between Gary standing up to her, Contra losing the tag match, and Brooklyn ordering them to stand down from Tank and Gunner. If this is what was trying to be achieved then it worked, but I would have gone a completely different way if I was trying to portray that SHW was in trouble for the first actual time in their existence. Once again just my opinion and there is absolutely no reason something like that should take away from how great of a show this really was.
In the hours following the show Gary Lamb revealed on Facebook that the possibility of him closing down SHW “isn’t a work” and that SHW is “closer to its end than its beginning” If this is true, and you haven’t made it out to Canton for Southern Honor, then you need to do so before it is too late. If you are a wrestling fan you need to experience what SHW is all about in person. It truly is an experience unlike any other. The Referees for tonight were David Weakley and Jeremy Prater. As always the commentary team was Brandon Benefield and Gerard Bonner. The ring announcer for the night was Diana Michel.
Southern Honor will present SHW41 from Canton Georgia on July the 8th at 8:00. Krule will defend the Southern Honor Championship against Owen Knight, and Dylan James will take on his pal Sal Rinauro. If we truly are in the end times for Southern Honor Wrestling, it can only end two ways. With either Gary Lamb going out on top in style, or Brooklyn Creed burning the entire thing to the ground.
