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| Photos by Alona Cajuste |
PCW returned to the friendly confines of 5174 Washington Street for the taping of their third episode for IWTV.
This is a promotion on an upswing. The building was packed with an SRO crowd of 100. There's no AC but tickets are only 5 bucks and PCW gave the people a solid night of pro wrestling entertainment. It was the best atmosphere for wrestling I've experienced at the venue, which should help with the way the show comes across on IWTV.
I can't recall the last time I was at a show where a battle royal was the best match on the card. Maybe never until last night. End result: new PCW Champion Bryce Cannon has a new top contender for the title.
The powers that be were smart to keep the matches during the second half to no longer than eight minutes. They lost a few folks along the way but the crowd hung in great despite the heat.
The show is scheduled to upload to IWTV on September 2 at 2 pm.
PCW Live was night one of a double header weekend. PCW is partnering with Power 104.9 to promote matches at the International Power Festival in Morrow this afternoon.
The show did NOT open with a 10 bell for Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt, may they rest in peace.
Cannon hijacked the opening. The new PCW Champion fabricated a story about how he won the title despite Najasism's unfair tactics that included knocking out referee Darryl Hall. The crowd called Cannon out on the lies. Not many Trump supporters in this audience I'm guessing. Cannon summoned Hall to the ring to back up his story. Hall looked baffled. Cannon doubled Hall's salary, a whopping sum no doubt. Cannon said he was making PCW the top promotion in Georgia and accurately pointed out there was an ass in every seat.
Cannon has become a main event player. He was entertaining and definitely got the crowd engaged.
Cannon announced a battle royal with the winner earning a title shot and introduced Cornelius Pepperbottom as competitor numero uno. Najasism appeared as the second competitor and the crowd popped huge.
(1) Dominic Stuckey won a 27 person Platinum Royale in 40:55. An AEW style Casino Royale with a wave of new competitors entering every few minutes. This was a modification of the original Platinum Royale, which was rumble style with the last combatant in the ring squaring off with the competitor scoring the most eliminations to determine the winner.
Competitors in order of appearance: Pepperbottom, Najasism, Marcus Menos, Cedric Terrell and Nathaniel Vanderbilt started. First wave: Warden, Nate Mansions and Jay Alpha Miller; Wave 2: Hunter James, Rose Gold, Stuckey and ERC; Wave 3: Jacob Ashworth, Austin Towers and Hakeem Young; Wave 4: Geter, Martin Oceans and Martyr; Wave 5: Andey Ripley, Irving West and Tyrannosaurus Rex; Wave 6: Edward Honcho, Duncan Mitchell Avecilla and DJ Smoke; Final Wave: Brother Azriel, Cuatro Cabezas and Agonyst.
The final four were Azriel, Young, Stuckey and James. Azriel hit big moves on Stuckey and Hakeem and had James positioned for the Woodgrain but Stuckey broke it up. James and Hakeem teamed up to get Azriel out. James hit a leaping double stomp on Hakeem and Stuckey pulled the ropes down so James could toss him over. Eastside Ronin leader Avecilla verbally abused Young for his failure. Stuckey and James ended up battling on the apron. James tried for the brainbuster. Stuckey blocked and planted James crotch first on the top turnbuckle, then knocked him to the floor with a superkick.
Of note:
-- Cannon offered a cash prize to whomever eliminated Najasism. The other four starters teamed up to make Naja the first one out. Crowd hated it. Not sure who Cannon paid but likely it was similar fortune to Hall's raise.
-- ERC never got into the match. James took him out with a belt shot.
-- The three biggest dudes in the match: Geter. Towers and Ashworth decided to team up. That was fun.
-- T Rex was somebody in a dinosaur costume. Geter couldn't handle wrestling a dinosaur and eliminated himself.
-- Vanderbilt and Gold were more disgusting than usual and that's saying something.
-- Oceans and Martyr spent most of their time outside the ring. Oceans was too busy painting to be bothered. Azriel made Oceans get in the ring and immediately tossed him out. Martyr finally got into the ring by his own volition but let Agonyst do all the work for him.
-- There were major fractures in alliances between Stations and Menos (Midnight Premier) and Martyr and his henchman Agonyst.
-- ERC came back and attacked James after the match.
-- Referee Nathaniel Spivey took the worst bump of the match. Spivey was inadvertently blindsided and knocked into a chair as ERC went for James.
A fairy amazing battle royal. Could have been a disaster and was just the opposite. They had the crowd all the way and built to a peak at the finish. A lot of subplots got weaved in. James and Stuckey did a great job of foreshadowing it would come down to them at the end. The final minutes between them was really good stuff. Crowd was split and would have been happy to see either one of them beat Cannon's ass.
Afterward, Cannon suckered Stuckey into shaking his hand so Pepperbottom could jump Dom from behind. While Cannon was posing with the belt, Stuckey decked Pep. Cannon fled the ring and did the old bait and switch -- he teased giving Stuckey hit title match tonight before putting Pepperbottom in his place.
Cuatro Corner talk segment -- Cuatro Cabezas and CREEPS ("Big Rip" Andey Ripley & Irving West). CREEPS were sitting in lawn chairs that still had the tags on them. Bottom line: Tag Team Season is upon us and CREEPS are coming for the trophies Eastside Ronin beat them for last year at Turn The Page. Hakeem Young interrupted proudly carrying said trophies. Hakeem threw a fit and kicked everybody out of the ring.
They got the point across about Tag Team Season. Turn The Page on October 13 is being positioned as a major show for PCW. I wondered about three babyfaces backing down from one heel.
Some good looking moves by both men. Did not flow particularly well. The finish left a lot to be desired.Crowd wasn't as lively as they were for the other matches. Between making it the final four in the battle royal, the talk segment and this, Young was getting quite a push.
Belt collector Hunter James (SFCW, GCW and Landmark Heritage) said he wasn't done tonight. "All Hail Hollywood." Somebody was getting an ass whipping. Much to Hunter's dismay, Geter appeared to say he warned James to stay out of Red Dog business and ERC was Red Dog business.
James' charisma is as undeniable as his obnoxiousness. Crowd so wanted to see Geter kick his ass.
(3) Geter defeated Hunter James via DQ in 4:20. James ran. Geter got the crowd to crank up a "chicken" chant. Geter cut off James' attempt at offense with a massive Samoa Joe uranage out of the corner and was attacked by Eastside Ronin (Duncan Mitchell Avecilla & Cedric Terrell). ERC stormed the ring with a steel chair to put the kibosh on it.
This was fine as by the numbers stuff to further Eastside Ronin vs. Red Dog and the crowd was into it.
Best match of the second half. They had good chemistry. Stuckey is so much better as a babyface in this building than he has been at ProSouth. Part of it is Stuckey is being booked much stronger at PCW but it's also the way he's feeding off the crowd and bringing more energy to his work. Pep's ringwork continues to improve. He's becoming the workhorse of EY.
Postmatch, Cannon hit Stuckey with the belt, then laid him out with a Keg Stand onto the belt.
(5) "Remarkable" Ryan Rembrandt & Big Bad Diggs defeated ButchHer & The Carpenter in 8:10. Rembrandt let Diggs soften Carpenter up before he graced the ring with his presence. ButchHer finally was able to tag in and go toe-to-toe with Diggs. Diggs drove ButchHer into the corner with a standing dropkick. Tags made again. While Diggs and ButchHer battled outside the ring, Carpenter hit the headlock driver on Rembrandt for a very close near fall. Diggs got in the ring and powerbombed Carpenter. All Rembrandt had to do was cover Carpenter for the 1-2-3.
Diggs continued to do a number on ButchHer until Carpenter made the save with a chairshot to Diggs' back.
A decent main event that did not overstay its welcome. Rembrandt was kept strong. II like Diggs as his heater. Carpenter sold big for the heels. Match pointed in the direction of more between ButchHer and Diggs. PCW doesn't have big menacing heel. ButchHer has equity at PCW. He would be the right choice to take as shot at elevate Diggs.
NOTES: The next show is Covington is September 9...Jeff Jobs was the ring announcer...DJ Tonnek and Jobs were the announce team....Quasi Mandisco was helping out with production...Former PCW manager Jonthan Malick was in the attendance...Venue owner Tim Savage was hawking concession like he did back in the day in Porterdale....Simon Sermon helping out with and hopefully not helping himself to the box office.
