Photo by Kristina Rice McCoy From Larry Goodman: Total Wrestling Entertainment celebrated nine years of surviving and ultimately thriving in...
 |
| Photo by Kristina Rice McCoy |
From Larry Goodman:
Total Wrestling Entertainment celebrated nine years of surviving and ultimately thriving in the Chattanooga area.
Building on the successful 13 week run of Uncharted Territory livestreams, TWE drew 140 -- not quite sold out but packed enough to give the building a fantastic vibe.
This was a well-crafted show. They kept things moving. No match overstayed its welcome and nothing felt shortchanged. The running time was 2:25.
It was nothing if not an eventful evening at the TWE Arena.
-- The TWE Championship was switched from Merc to Derek Neal in a brutal main event that included a heel turn and a electrifying surprise appearance to close the show.
-- The TWE Tag Team Championship also changed hands with Squatting Dragons regaining the title.
-- 2022 SCI Winner Jaden Newman and #1 entrant for the 2023 SCI Suge D had the best wrestling match of the night.
Pre-show: Kasey Owens won the 2nd Annual Drew Game Battle Royal over Talon Williams, Lutha X, Adrian Vega, Cade Fite and Tiger Kid. I didn't see the match. It was Williams' final match in the building as he his retiring soon. Payton Blair had to bow out of the match to due to a perilous (but temporary) drop in her blood sugar.
(1) Bret Ison defeated Carson Dilbeck and Lizzy Blair and CJ Lawler and Sean Campbell and Rico Gonzalez in a scramble match (5:30). "KOBK" chant for Ison. They did a train with everyone getting a chance to hit their big move. Highlight spot was Ison Border-tossing Dilbeck over the top rope onto a mass of humanity and hitting it to perfection. Ison smoked Dilbeck with a DVD from an electric chair position for the win.
Post-match -- Ison signaled he was coming for the title and left aligned with Campbell.
If Ison is ready to be a player again. TWE will roll out the red carpet and they won't be the only promotion to do so.
(2) Jayke Murphy defeated "World Class Brute" Aiden Wright in 4:29. Murphy cut a salty promo about feeling slighted by TWE. Wright's offense looked strong. Crowd tried to get behind Murphy but they weren't really feeling it. The dynamic was strange. Kat Von Frankenstein interfered on Murphy's behalf and he immediately pinned Wright with a DDT.
Murphy left with his arm around Von Frankenstein. Wright received a mild "welcome back" chant.
Kind of messed up and did not make interested in seeing more of Murphy. Looking on the bright side -- the low point of the show came early.
(3) Noah Hossman defeated Alex Kane in 6:34. Suge D Accompanied Kane to the ring but didn't stick around. Kane jumped the bell and took Hossman to suplex city. Nice display of agility by Hossman, first evading Kane then busting out a cartwheel clothesline. Kane frogplashed Hossman on the ring apron. Back inside, Hossman reversed Kane's suplex attempt with a doctor bomb for a near fall. Kane was in disbelief when Hossman kicked out his spin out brainbuster. Two lariats later, Kane was down for the 1-2-3.
Solid match (when was the last time Kane had one that wasn't?) and a huge win for Hossman, who is getting a major push. Hossman was the winner of the Uncharted Territory Discovery Gauntlet and his elevation took another step later in the evening.
(4) Jaden Newman vs. Suge D was a double pin/no contest at 15:55. Newman brought the SCI trophy out with him. The fans loved that. Suge made a big production out of his being the "number one pick" for the 2023 SCI and labeled the match old news vs. new news. Newman reminded Suge that he made him tap out. So we had big time heat before the bell rang.
They wrestled with Suge talking trash as they went and the fans chanting "shut 'em up, Jaden, shut 'em up". At the 8 minute mark, Newman did a slingshot flying headscissor and Suge took a TO in frustration. Suge started using closed fists. Newman fired back in kind. Suge targeted Newman's leg. Both down after a missed elbow drop by Suge. Comeback time for Newman with a trio of clotheslines and a power slam for two. Suge with an exploder suplex for two. Slapfest on their knees, then standing and trading shots. As Newman was building momentum, Suge tackled his knee. They collapsed in a heap after simultaneous clotheslines connected. Referee Skiles counted three and ruled a double pinfall. The crowd booed the hell out of the decision and chanted "five more minutes".
An exquisite 5 more minute tease ensued. Suge sucker-punched Newman just before the bell and ran to the safety of the ringside area to taunt Newman about his inability to get the job done. Newman said it was not going to be good for Suge when he got his hands on him.
Excellence on multiple levels. For the first half of the match, they had a heated, compelling babyface-heel story going while doing nothing but technical wrestling. I think a lot of the TWE fans were surprised by Suge's skills because that's not what he's been about there. The closed fist had more impact when they finally put them to use. The non-finish made sense for what is clearly a longer term story.
(5) Squatting Dragons (Erron Wade & Kody Manhorn) defeated Fundamental Violence (Pete Youngblood & Damion Turner) to regain the TWE tag titles in 6:59. The TWE faithful love Squatting Dragons. Fundy V operates under the Freebird Rule. It was the team of Brogan Finlay & Youngblood that won the tag titles in June.
Wild and crazy tope suicida by Wade before the bell, then right to heat on Manhorn. Wade cleaned house with the hot tag. Fundy V hit an assisted top rope elbow combo on Wade but Manhorn broke up the pin. Match broke down with all four in. The finishing sequence was decisive -- Wade crane kick, Manhorn dragon suplex, Manhorn death valley driver and a picture perfect 450 by Wade to pin Youngblood
Fun match. The title change was a feel-good present to TWE's fanbase and the right thing to do. Wade is a talent to keep an eye on.
(6) Tank (with The Rev) defeated "Tennessee Sunshine" Billy Tipton under deathmatch rules (8:52). I guess Tipton is over in this building because the crowd popped as soon as his music hit. Ring announcer Mose applauded the blood-curdling scream Rev let out as the preamble to his promo. Point of Rev's promo being -- Tipton requested this whoopin and the best way for the master to teach him was under Tank's rules. Plunder was brought to the ring.
Tipton aggressively attacked Tank and had him rocked in the opening minute. Then Tank handed Tipton his ass. Tipton was getting killed but he never quit fighting back. Tank's taped fist punches looked great. He choked the life out of Tipton with a chain and put him through a door with a Saito suplex for a near fall, then bashed him in the head with a piece of the busted door. Tipton gave Tank a Russian leg sweep onto a firecracker board but none of the firecrackers exploded. Tipton got a couple of them to pop with a board shot to Tank's back. Disappointing duds. Tank pinned Tipton after putting him through a barbed wire board with flatliner.
Afterward, Tank complimented Tipton on being a tough SOB and predicted he would be a big deal in pro wrestling.
A moral victory for Tipton. The grit and zeal he displayed in the face of the bloodbath behemoth got him more over than already was. Tank has been awesome at giving up and comers the rub.
(7) Derek Neal defeated Merc (with The Regime) to become the TWE Championship in 18:43. These fans are into Merc. After being dominated by Merc in the opening minutes, Neal whipped Merc head first into the gigantic support post near the entrance ramp. Neal also laid out the regime duo (Merc's masked minions dressed in black). Merc's face was now covered in blood. A back and forth battle of stiffly-delivered high impact offense unfolded. At the 10 minute, mark they punched and slapped each into a state of total exhaustion. Neal was looking for the Dudebuster (Fisherman buster) but Merc was able to fend it off. Neal eventually the move but was too damaged to follow up and Merc kicked out. Neal took a tremendous bump on a missed corner dropkick and Merc dropped him on his head with a reverse waterwheel for a near fall.
Neal pulled referee Kim Skiles in front him, forcing Merc to put on the brakes. Crowd gave Neal grief for that. Skiles then got crushed in the corner. Merc had Neal tapping out to his crossface. The fan who had scolded Skiles to "get control ref!", humorously did it again with Skiles laying on the floor. Merc released the hold to check on Skiles. Neal picked up the title belt with evil intent but The Regime hit the ring to cut him off. One Regime dude clocked the other Regime dude with the belt and took of his mask revealing Hossman! Hossman leveled Merc with a belt shot. Neal scraped Merc up, laid him out again with the Dudebuster and covered. Skiles crawled back in the ring started to make the three count but collapsed at the count of two. Skiles finally gathered herself and made a dramatic three count.
A fabulous title match -- a potent brew of old school and new school, violent with a heated atmosphere and the surprise of Hossman's heel turn, just when the TWE fans were really getting behind him.
The lights went out...Krule was in the entrance way. The crowd chanted "holy shit!" Krule advanced to the ring and drilled Hossman into the mat with a chokeslam. Neal bailed like he's seen a ghost. The show closed with the crowd chanting "Krule" and "that was awesome".
The crowd absolutely lost their minds when Krule appeared. He wrestled multiples times at the TWE Arena during the Uncharted Territory series but I guarantee you nobody expected him to show up at "regular" TWE show.
NOTES: SCI promoter Scott Hensley was lurking about the building...Along with the ring announcing, Mose was a one man announce team...Among his various duties, Dylan Hales was running production from backstage...Skiles officiated all seven matches...Ravenna Vein and Sean Christopher were in the house.
.jpg)
.png)
