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| Photo by @ohsnapalliemac |
ACTION Wrestling opted to go with a mystery show to celebrate the company's 5th-anniversary event. Not one match or wrestler was advertised in advance.
It worked. What a fun night this was, leaning more toward entertainment and story than pro wrestling as sport. That's not to say the show didn't have great wrestling. Adam Priest defeated Daniel Makabe in the main event.
This show featured some awesome surprises. It was a mystery show, right? Along with the return of 2019 SCI winner Makabe, top prospect Alec Price made his ACTION debut and former IWTV World Champion made his first ACTION appearance in 18 months.
Priest has now defeated the last three Scenic City Invitational winners and stated his intention to win the SCI this year.
The Skulk (Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray) vs. Out Of This World (Arik Royal & BK Westbrook was the standout match of the night.
Bobby Flaco is on a roll. On the heels of winning the 2023 SCI Rumble, Flaco scored one of the biggest wins of his career by defeating Price in an outstanding semi-main event.
Damyan Tangra defeated Kevin Ryan and will get another shot at beating Alex Kane clean when ACTION returns to Tyrone on June 16. BUT the Good Hand isn't done by any means. Suge D has added a new member.
The show streamed live on IWTV with Dylan Hales and Mose on commentary.
Rob Brodhecker will have a more detailed report on the show than the quick sketch that follows. I decided to sit back and enjoy rather than taking notes.
CEO Matt Griffin opened the show noting ACTION had raised over $100,000 total for a host of charities during its five years in operation.
AC Mack opened the show as he did the first ACTION show five years ago. Mack said ACTION was his home and the reason he was on the map. Mack did his signature intro with the crowd joining in. The fake number Mack picked out a hat for his announced weight was 225.
Surprise number one was Rico Gonzalez as Mack's opponent. Rico and Mack made their relationship official in the ring at Southeast First, the night Mack won the IWTV World Championship.
(1) Rico Gonzalez defeated AC Mack in 12:43. Really good match. Crowd was on fire and pulling hard for Rico. The finish saw Gonzalez thwart several attempts by Mack to hit the Mack 10 and pin him with a hammerlock inside cradle.
Mack raised Rico's hand after the match and sealed the deal with a kiss. Tremendous.
(2) Damyan Tangra defeated Kevin Ryan (with Suge D) via submission in 11:28. Suge got on the mic. Could barely hear him the crowd was giving him so much grief. Said it was no mystery Tangra wasn't getting Kane tonight (busy winning MLW's Battle Riot V). If Tangra beat Ryan, maybe he would get Kane.
Stiff and edging on out of control. Tangra kicked out of a piledriver and a spanish fly. Suge slid a chair and told Ryan to make it count. He failed. Tangra then submitted Ryan with the STF.
Suge admitted he was a scoundrel but not a liar. Tangra would get Kane on June 16. And he had one more match tonight - a stomp out match. Suge and Ryan stomped the crap out of Tangra. Matt Sells made the save. Segue to the next match.
(3) Suge D (with Kevin Ryan) defeated Matt Sells in 9:09. Sells took a rough landng on a tope. Sells had Suge beaten after a stunner and a palm strike but Ryan pulled referee Aaron Noyes out of the ring. As Noyes was ejecting Ryan from ringside, "The Wall" Tyler Stephens destroyed Sells and did the same to Noyes. Suge pancaked Sells and Darryl Hall hit the ring to make the three count.
Noyes was done for the night...or was he???
Suge did a sitdown interview with a passed out "sleepyhead" Sells. Suge is a miserable excuse for a human being. He called Sells a nobody, a nothing and a waste of space on the roster.
(4) Out Of This World (Arik Royal & BK Westbrook) defeated The Skulk (Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray) in 12:55. While every match to this point had been good, this match was clearly on a whole 'nother level. They killed it. The Skulk are a fantastic tag team. Why they are not booked on more high profile shows is a mystery unto itself. BK Westbrook looked like a star in the making - ring presence, everything crisp and solid, great teamwork with Royal. Westbrook's springboard corkscrew moonsault was amazing. The Skulk are a fantastic tag team. Out Of This World won with a (Westbrook) back suplex/(Royal) top rope Kobe, Westbrook pinning Alanis.
(5) Squatting Dragons (Erron Wade & Kody Manhorn) defeated Jaden Newman & Noah Hossman & Carson Dilbeck in 9:45. For the umpteenth time, Newman ran Wade down on the mic. The debuting Squatting Dragon were immediately over with the ACTION fans. Fun stuff. Manhorn (referee Noyes' alter ego) got posted. Newman and company started giving Wade another beatdown. Newman labeled Wade as a friendless freaking loser.
Enter Krule, medically cleared from the shoulder injury and looking good as new in the ring. The clothesline Krule handed out moved the ring several inches. Krule gave Newman Scorched Earth. With nutcase Wade egging him, Krule choke slammed Erron on top of Newman for the 1-2-3.
(6) Bobby Flaco defeated Alec Price in 13:20. Price out in a Boston Bruins jersey running down the ATL and getting massive heat. He called Atlanta "Gahhbage". That came back to haunt him. Did this match have heel/babyface dynamic or what? Flaco is super over in ACTION. The kids chanted "Gahhbage" at Price throughout the match. A "Southeast First" chant erupted. Flaco hit a great X Factor off the top rope. Price gave a Flaco a whiplash Alabama slam into the bottom turnbuckle that liked to have killed him. Flaco beat Price clean as a whistle with a DDT followed by a poison rana.
(7) Adam Priest defeated Daniel Makabe via submission to retain the ACTION World Championship in 12:53. An excellent technical wrestling match. How could it not be? Makabe worked on Priest's leg. Makabe shockingly tapped to a figure four leglock. The finish caught the crowd by surprise as it felt like they were building to a longer match.
Ring announcer (and SCI promoter) Scott Hensley asked Priest about his intentions for this year's SCI. Priest said he lost in the finals last year and vowed to win the tournament this year. Crowd loved it and Priest's usual parting words. "Go Dawgs, Roll Tide"
NOTES: Classic City Wrestling's Justin Legend and Cole Taylor and Brother Azriel were in the audience...Saraya Saber was running one of the rover cameras...New South ring announcer Carmen Childers was in the building...Pete Youngblood was backstage...Ken Wallace was running the gorilla position.
