From Larry Goodman: Deep South Wrestling returned to Little 5 Points for their second show at the Seven Stages Theatre on Black Friday. I...
From Larry Goodman:
Deep South Wrestling returned to Little 5 Points for their second show at the Seven Stages Theatre on Black Friday.
I can't say this was a great show. I will say it was as an incredibly passionate affair that got over big with the crowd. DSW knows what their fans want and they gave it to them.
One thing for sure --their fans go for a high drama and a spectacle and they got both last night in the Coffin of Fear Match. There were three photographers at ringside during the show.
Every match except the opener had a story behind it. Interesting construction to the show with the best wrestling loaded in the first half and all the gaga in the second half.
A late arriving crowd of 165 was in attendance. The poster said 7 pm. Doors didn't open until 20 after and their hipster fans knew from past experience the bell wasn't ringing until well past 8.
The running time was over three hours with two intermissions, the second of which came after 10:30. That wouldn't go over so well in many places but it works like a charm with this crowd. They're out to have a good time. Who cares how long the show runs. Time for another drink.
(1) Najasism defeated Zach Mosley in 18:09. They opened with the best wrestling match of the show. No story necessary beyond the most beloved wrestler in DSW going up against the man their fans love to hate. Great action. Dense heel/babyface dynamic. Crowd on fire. Naja in total control until Mosley made him crash and burn on a high risk double jump deal. Mosley hit on the right mix of heeling and cool moves. Naja came roaring back. Mosley cut Naja off with a snake eyes and a superkick. Naja with a superkick and both were down. Naja was setting up his double jump elbow drop finisher but Mosley smelled what Naja was cooking and spilled him to the floor. Great build to the finish -- Naja hit a flip dive from the turnbuckle onto Mosley on the outside...Mosley with a triple whammy of a dragon suplex, northern shining wizard and curbstomp for a close near fall. Naja knocked Mosley off the top rope with a rolling thunder dropkick and finished with the 450. Crowd loved it and so did this writer.
D Money, Alex Kytel and Cedric Terrell marched to the ringside and caused a big commotion. This crew was not known to the DSW fans. Security ejected them.
(2) Skrilla the Great defeated Cosmo Martinez in 10:30. Martinez over big with the crowd. Match was rough early. Weak strikes and their timing seemed off. Then they got it in gear. Great running forearm shot by Skrilla for a near fall. Martinez had Skrilla in a grounded octopus hold when The Wealth (Nathaniel Vanderbilt & Rose Gold) came to ringside and started messing with Cosmo's wife Siomara, who was holding their son. Skrilla tapped but referee Paul Santa was distracted. Martinez left the ring to tear up the fake dollar bills Vanderbilt had been throwing around. Back inside, Skrilla took Cosmo on the Skrill Ride for the 1-2-3.
Eric Adamz came to the ring for his advertised match. First clue he wasn't wrestling was his footwear -- Crocs. Adamz said if Zero won the match, he would earn a spot in the title tournament but he would be wrestling a man who never wrestled in the city of Atlanta until now --- ERC.
(3) Zero defeated ERC (with Eric Adamz & Irving West) in 9:06. ERC was awesome. Heeling and working the crowd like mad and everything he did looked good. Best I've ever seen him in the ring. Early on, Zero was eyeballing Adamz. ERC raked the the eyes and took over. West distracted the ref so Adamz could slam Zero on the floor. Zero rallied with a missile dropkick and a slingshot senton before pinning ERC with an inside cradle. Good match. The finish looked like shit.
ERC and West gave Zero the beatdown after the match. West was kicking him with the dress shoes that would make Jeff G. Bailey jealous. ERC inadvertenly clocked Adamz and Zero laid Adamz out with a superkick. Andey Ripley got into it with West (a follow up to their squabble at the September show).
Adamz said he was a humanist. Popped me with that line. He gave people chances. February 4 would be his last night as a pro wrestler, but the rise of ERC was just beginning and the fans only had themselves to blame.
First intermission. West and Ripley were all chummy at the gimmick table. Get over it, Larry. It's 2022.
"The Voice of DSW" Michael Longino introduced Nick Patrick to a huge pop. Patrick announced the eight person title tournament on February 4. An honest-to-God movie screen was lowered from the ceiling to show the video introducing the competitors in the tournament as follows:
1) Najasism
2) Jacob Johnson
3) Alexsandr Koloff
4) Skrilla
5) Mosley
6) Zero
7) Adamz
8) Wild Card by popular demand -- Andey Ripley
(4) Scotty Beach defeated "Ultimate Thrillseeker" Chris Henry in 9:18. Based on the angle at the last show, I expected Henry to be the clear fan favorite. That's not how the DSW fans saw it. Beach came to the ring with his pool noodle and cans of PBR. He clocked Henry from behind with a can of PBR to jump start the match, then gave Henry snap mares with his pool noodle. Henry had Beach pinned with a standing moonsault but Beach got a foot on the ropes. Henry got hung up in a compromising position and Beach stood right on his anus. Two women in the second row high-fived each other. Beach followed by giving Henry the Beach Balls. Beach missed huge on a bronco buster. The fans chanted "Scotty". Beach carefully positioned referee Richard Buznego so his back was turned while he bashed Henry in the head with a can of PBR for the win. The DSW fans ate up the finish, as weird and convoluted as it looked.
(5) Randy Reno & Gemma Jewels defeated The Wealth (Nathaniel Vanderbilt & Rose Gold) in 15 minutes and 45 seconds of awfulness. A candidate for worst match of the year. Eight minutes would have been three minutes too long. Reno and Jewels were the nominal babyfaces but worked more like heels. The crowd didn't like any of these people. The men put each other's robes on for shits and giggles. Reno and Jewels botched a cazadora something or other. Jewels did the most miserable handstand elbow drop in wrestling history. Spot of the match was Vanderbilt decking Jewels with a stiff kick in the face. Los Martinez came to ringside. The ripped up The Wealth's money and tried to light their bags on fire but they wouldn't stay lit. Reno and Jewels took advantage of the distraction with stereo roll ups.
(6) Aleksandr Koloff (with Ray Entrepreneur) vs. Jacob Johnson was ruled a double DQ at 4:40. Entrepreneur is insufferable. I will be forever disappointed if Koloff doesn't beat his ass at some point. Match got out of control. Referee Vette Addams got roughed up and called for the bell, then fled to the ring to get reinforcements.
Koloff gave Johnson a piledriver. Addams returned with security and the entire ref crew. They cowered in fear in the face of Koloff and his chain. The crowd chanted "USA" at Koloff. Securty tended to Johnson, who was selling like he had a headache instead of broken neck. To be continued in the title tournament no doubt.
(7) Coffin of Fear: Papa Marko vs. Trever Aeon with Taliaferro as the ghoulish master of ceremonies ended at 13:15 without a winner.
A spectacle of the highest order that took full advantage of everything the theater setting had to offer and worked it's magic on the crowd.
Taliaferro handled the introductions. The band The Ancient Void played death metal as three druids carried the coffin to the ring and to accompany the entrances from the top of the theater--- Aeon in a super cool devil mask, Marko over like rover with the crowd. Taliaferro referred to the match an autopsy and explained Marko and Aeon were brothers on the same road but not together. Taliaferro called for a ref then decided none was needed.
Match opened hockey fight style. Crowd chanted "Marko's gonna kill you" as Papa handed Aeon his ass. Marko hit a Gothplex and called the druids into the ring to set up the casket, which had been propped up in the corner. Aeon threw Marko in the casket. The lid broke off off the casket as Marko fought off being shut inside. They battled back and forth. Marko blocked the Scarmaker and hit the goozle STO. Crowd chanted "rest in peace" as Marko deposited Aeon into the casket.
The druids starting beating on Marko and put him in the casket with Aeon before shutting the lid. The druids removed their hoods revealing Money, Kytel and Terrell. The lights went out...lights on...Aeon and Marko had escaped the casket. Money ran for his life. Aeon and Marko teamed up to lay out Terrell and Kytel and stuff them inside the casket.
Aeon, Marko and Taliaferro drank the potion from Taliaferro's chalice to close the show.
NOTES:.Nathan Hamiton was the ring announcer...The ref not mentioned about was Mike Fullilove...In the house: PCW's Butcher (Bill Hunsinger) and Jen Holbrook taking in the show with her mother.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)