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| Photo courtesy of SHW and Corey Tatum |
SHW is starting 2023 with a bang with a ton of top tier and
main event matches: Owen Knight, Najasism, Chip Day, and Sean Legacy in a #1
Contenders Fatal 4-way match, Kyle Matthews and Carlie Bravo, Exotic Youth vs.
Top Team, Murder 1 vs. Joe Black, Adam Jacobs vs. Shoot Taylor, Nick Halen vs.
Michael Stevens, and the main event of Happy Madness and Brooklyn Creed vs.
Gunner Miller, SHW GM Gary Lamb and Mystery Partner for control of SHW.
Diana Michel is ring announcer. Gerard Bonner and Brandon
Benefield are on video commentary. DJ TonNek is spinning the tunes. The
referees are David Weakley, Jeremie Prater, and Paul Santa.
500 chairs were set out at the Action Building and 434 people filled them.
Recap video plays to open the show with Rocky monologue. IMO,
still the best video production in the state.
1st. Exotic Youth (Bryce Cannon and Cornelious
Pepperbottom with Zach Mosley) vs. Top Team (Terry Yaki and Larry Lazard)
Mosley’s out of action due to some back problems, he limps out using a cane for support. EY and TT have been having quite a series of matches over 2022 and have been nominated for Match of the Year. The crowd is loving TT and hating EY. It looks like Mosley wants to wrestle this match, but it’s a distraction to allow Cannon to sneak in from behind to attack Yaki. TT weather that and double team Cannon. EY shenanigans on Yaki to gain control.
Big
heat on Yaki, Cannon uses his double polo shirts to choke him. Hot tag to
Lazard who kicks Pepps down and Cannon gets kicked out of the ring. Yaki uses Lazard’s
shoulders for an over-the-top top slash onto EY. Lazard follows that with a
what I can only describe as a 360 dive to the outside. TT double team on Pepps,
Cannon makes the save, TT set up for another double team, Mosley uses the cane
to trip up Lazard on the top rope and he crashes and burns. EY knock Yaki out
of the ring and double team Lazard for the win at 10:39.
No Jay Lucas for Top Team tonight, I would expect at some
point down the road there will be a 6-man tag match.
EY’s celebrating in the ring when Cyrus’ music hits and the
monster makes his way to the ring looking for payback from what EY did to him
at the last show. EY quickly abandon the ring. Cyrus grabs the frat paddle and
destroys it to Cannon’s sorrow. EY want to get into the ring, TT pull Pepps and
Mosley down and Cyrus brings Cannon in the hard way. Cyrus lets TT double team
Cannon and then Vader splashes Cannon to the delight of the crowd. Pepps and
Mosley try to drag Cannon out, but Cyrus pulls him back. TT pour water on
Cannon to add some insult to the injury and Pepps and Mosley finally get Cannon
out of the ring and to the back.
Video plays high lighting the past couple of shows between
Shoot Taylor and Adam Jacobs.
2nd: Shoot Taylor vs. Adam Jacobs.
The action starts before Jacobs hits the ring and they fight
around the ring. Jacobs throws Taylor in and lands a cross body from the top
turnbuckle and the match starts with a near fall on Taylor. Taylor fires back
and they are beating the snot out of each other with some near falls thrown in.
A double down lead to a fired-up Jacobs and he gets a near fall. Jacobs loses
his cool and starts grounding and pounding Taylor in the corner. Ref Santa
tries to pull Jacobs off and he gets thrown to the mat. Taylor uses the
opportunity with Jacobs checking on the ref to choke Jacobs with athletic tape
and chokes Jacobs out. The ref calls for the bell at 9:07 as Jacobs is passed
out.
The ending was a bit wonky as I had thought that Santa
called for the bell after being knocked down.
3rd: Nick Halen vs. “Marvelous” Michael Stevens.
Halen comes out to Buff Bagwell’s music and imitates Buff’s
mannerisms. Halen has some issues with Marv’s shenanigans. Halen gets Marv on
the defensive and Marv’s pump-up music plays: Cher’s Do you believe in love
after all. Marv’s dancing has got Halen all sorts of flustered. Halen strikes
back, knocking Marv down and stopping the music and the crowd’s pissed at that.
Halen lands a move from the turnbuckle and pins Stevens at 7:11.
A heel doing heel things.
4th: Carlie Bravo vs. Kyle Matthews.
Bad News and Tattoos looks to get back on the winning track at SHW after getting pinned at the last show by Gunner Miller and tonight he’s facing one of the most decorated wrestlers in Georgia: Kyle Matthews. Bravo’s just oozing confidence lately. Matthews takes Bravo down early and wants to take out a leg with different submissions. Bravo hot shots Matthews on the top rope and starts his attack, using some not so legal moves to do so.
Snake eyes
into a package falcon’s arrow for a near fall for Bravo. Three amigos into a
crossface and Kyle’s teases the tap but reaches the ropes with his legs. The
crowd is trying to rally Matthews and he responds with a drop kick that might
have knocked one of Bravo’s tattoo off. DDT by Bravo, Matthews just gets the
shoulder up. Flurry of offense ending in a frog splash almost gets Matthews the
win. Bravo dodges a rushing Kyle but Kyle splashes down on him. Bravo grabs the
ref and someone in a hoodie comes in from the crowd and attacks Matthews and
throws Matthews in in the ring where Bravo scissor kicks him for the win at 13:03.
The man with the hoodie is Joe Black helping his DisHonor
stable mate.
Intermission with a raffle for a pair of ring worn and
signed AJ Styles gloves. The money raised will be going to Iceberg and I was
told it was close to $400.
5th: Murder One vs. Joe Black.
Carlie Bravo comes out when Black’s music plays, causing a
distraction, and Black sneaks in from behind to catch Uno by surprise. Black
pounds away at Uno and Ref Prater calls for some help from the other refs to
help separate them. The refs do help but Santa gets knocked down for his
efforts. The match starts and Black knocks Uno down with a lariat and pins him with
a handful of trunks at 1:22.
Uno cuts a promo on Black, basically calling Black a bitch
and encouraging the crowd to call him a bitch. Black gets back in the ring and
they skirmish, with Black knocking Uno back down. Black grabs a chair and hits
Uno with it, including a head shot. Black sets the chair on the body of Uno and
then a Senton onto it. Black leaves, Uno gingerly gets out of the ring, saying
that’s the Joe he knows but Joe’s still a bitch.
Call it a gut feeling, but at the end of this there will
be several pints of blood spilled.
6th: Fatal Four-way for the #1 contender for the
SHW Title: Najasism vs. Sean Legacy vs. Chip Day vs. Owen Knight.
Legacy’s a pure white-meat baby face: a young kid yells out
that he’s Legacy’s #1 fan, Legacy calls back with a thank you and I love you. The
bell rings, Day tries to take out Legacy, Legacy dodges and lands a right hand.
Naja kicks Knight out of the ring and they face off. Power moves from Legacy,
Naja with the quick kick to the head of Sean.
As with most three-
and four-way matches, the action is going to be all over the place with everyone
taking turns in the ring and out on the floor. This is basically 3 faces and
one heel. Legacy shows off his power, hoisting both Knight and Naja up in his
shoulders. Day almost pins Naja, Sean breaks it up. Legacy might be a power guy
but he can fly as well: He takes out Day on the floor and then drop kicks both
Owen and Naja at the same time from the top rope and then follows that up with
a double stunner on them. Legacy 360’s onto Naja, but Day sneaks in and hits
the knee to the back of Legacy’s head and pins him with a fistful of tights at
9:05. Chip Day is the new #1 for the SHW Championship and he takes a victory
lap around the ring.
I’m totally down for a Day/Miller match in the near
future.
Main Event for control of SHW: SHW Tag Champs, Happy Madness
(Sal Rinauro and Sunny Daze) and SHW Matchmaker Brooklyn Creed vs. Gunner
Miller, SHW GM Gary Lamb and mystery partner. Todd Sexton will be the special
referee.
Everyone’s on their feet for Lamb and Miller’s entrance and
in anticipation for who the mystery partner is. A video plays with scenes from throughout
SHW history and pauses on a specific scene: Brooklyn Creed slapping Corey
Hollis in the face. In the ring, Brooklyn’s in shock. Video then shows Hollis’s
pile driving Brooklyn onto the boards that make up the ring. The crowd is
almost in orgasmic throws when Corey Hollis’s music hits and he comes to the
ring. Hollis hasn’t been scene since his retirement match against Miller at
SHW’s Still Here 3 show from October of 2021. Hollis looks to be in great
physical shape and he starts the match, facing off against Sal. Sal is mouthing
off to Hollis.
Extended feeling out process with Corey and Sal using some
basic holds and counters; doesn’t look to be much ring rust for Corey here. They
both tag out to Sunny and Gunner; the crowd wants Lamb in the ring. Not quite
yet for Lamb. A couple of shoulder tackles are inconclusive, but Gunner got a
running start and knocked Sunny down. Brooklyn’s in now so Gunner tags in Lamb.
Brooklyn’s daring Lamb to hit her, Lamb’s very reluctant to do so. A shove by
Brooklyn, they start off and Brooklyn tags out to Sal. Lamb hip tosses Sal and
tags in Corey.
Submission by Corey and Gunner on Sal and Sunny, Lamb tries
for a figure four on Brooklyn but she escapes the ring. Corey’s now isolated by
Team DisHonor. A spinning black hole slam by Daze for a near fall. Sal dumps
Corey out of the ring for Brooklyn to get some cheap shots in. Hot tag to
Miller and he unloads on Sal and Sunny and hits the double Stinger Splash.
Miller sizes up for a spear but Sunny pounces him to the corner and Lamb’s in
now. Lamb is throwing punches at Sal and Sunny with some Bionic elbows thrown
in. Brooklyn’s in, Corey wants to piledrive her again, Sunny breaks it up. Ref
Todd gets squashed between Sunny and Lamb. Lamb gives a stunner to Sunny and then
hits him in the head with something wrapped on his hand. Brooklyn’s in Lambs
face; Carlie Bravo sneaks in from behind but hits Brooklyn with the super kick by
accident after she slapped Gary in the face, knocking him out of the way. Bravo
gets speared by Miller and Brooklyn gets pinned by Lamb at 18:19 with Team SHW
winning and retaining control of SHW.
I’ll unpack my thoughts on this in the Final Thoughts.
Chip Day comes out pointing at Miller and then the lights
turn off. Judas comes into the ring from behind and takes out Miller. Hollis
doesn’t look happy with his one time ally’s action on Miller. They exchange
some words and Judas leaves the ring and heads to the back. Corey tries to
apologize but Miller walks off. Next show is Feb 10th.
Final Thoughts:
They put a lot of thought into the presentation of the
Main Event, from the video package where scenes were being rewound from the
present day to show events from back then, to how Lamb actually performed in
the ring, I mean he’s not going to NXT anytime soon but he didn’t suck either,
which is really the best you could hope for in this style of match.
I’m sure someone could spot the ring rust in Hollis’s part
in the match, but spending most of the time in the ring with Sal buffed those
out.
Loads of questions are in the air with the events after
the match was over: Is there an alliance in the works with Day and Judas? Will
Hollis join or was he an innocent bystander? Can Miller trust Hollis at all?
Event though the crowd was cheering for Hollis throughout the match, they were
waiting on the betrayal.
Miller’s entire body is a target now with a match looming
against Day and Judas stalking in the shadows, looking to strike at any moment.
What will DisHonor do now that Lamb’s retained control of
SHW? Is Brooklyn still the matchmaker or will someone else take over? Todd
maybe?
Will Lamb seek some vengeance on DisHonor for what they
have done to SHW?
We’ll have to see on Feb. 10th.
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