Come hell or high water, Dragon Con Wrestling was bound and determined to happen at the Hyatt Centennial Ballroom Thursday night.
In the midst of the usual Dragon Con maelstrom, with a 1000 fans lined up to get in the room, DCW was without a ring. Head honcho AJ was unhappy but undaunted. This was not his first rodeo. 2023 was his 19th year of putting on this show.
Bell time was 7. The ring didn't arrive until after 8. The show had to be over by 10:30 because there was an 11 pm concert in the ballroom. It was all hands on deck to get the ring set up and the show got underway at just past 8:30.
Not only did the show go on, it will go down as one of the best shows in the history of the event.
The compressed time frame may actually have made for a better show. DCW fans are a passionate group. Patience, however, is not one of their virtues. They need a lot of stimulation and this show gave it to them. It was the perfect blend of action and story.
The atmosphere was tremendous. The room was packed with a standing room only crowd of 1300 and they were crazy hot for the entire show. There have been years when the crowd thinned out a good bit by the end of the night. Not this time.
AJ opened the show with his long-time associate STV and Nemesis acting as his bodyguard. A huge "DCW" chanted erupted, led by the Hooligan section of DCW fanatics. Instead of the traditional Hall of Fame ceremony, this year honorees received lifetime achievement awards. The honoree were STV, Mr. Hughes and Tedy Long.
Teddy got on the mic to do his "Holla, Holla. Holla."
Out to the ring came Cramton with DCW Champion Slim J, DCW Tag Team Cup winners Washington Bullets and CT Keys. Cramton hurled insults at the crowd intimating they were fast food workers, which would fate worse that death for this audience. The Hooligans responded with an "Arby's" chant. Cramton accused AJ or reneging on his deal to allow Cramton to buy him out. David Young put his two cents in. He was sick of Cramton's BS and didn't even have a match on the card. When all was said and done the deal was this: Billy Buck was added to Slim J's title match against number one contender Azrael. Washington Bullets would defend the Tag Team Cup against David Young and a partner of his choosing. If Cramton's guys left with all the gold, AJ was out as an owner.
Cramton introduced the Fooligans to counter the Hooligans and had them seated in the section next to the Hooligans.
(1) CT Keys defeated Wade Adams (Mario) and Sean Legacy (Bowser) and CB Suave (Eddie Guerrero) (with Meagan) and White Mike and Rob Killjoy in a six man scramble to become the inaugural Dragon Con US Champion in 10:45. They popped the crowd with the six way submission pictured at the top of the story. Kiljoy's was on his aerial game. Mike's giant swing neckbreaker got a big reaction. Suave cosplays a different wrestling superstar every year. He had Guerrero's signature move down pat -- a huracanrana, a frog splash and the three amigos all done to perfection.
The focus was Super Mario and Bowser.
A masked green alien type came to ringside with a question block. Bowser got to box and found a Superstar inside.
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Legacy, er Bowser got the Blue Shell and flew with a springboard cutter on Adams.
Keys shitcanned Legacy and stole the pin on Adams to become the inaugural champion.
This match was a home run, a fantastic way to start the show. The Dragon Con geeks were all too familiar with the nuances of Super Mario and lapped it all up.
(2) Crystal Rose & Taurin (with Leo) defeated Tracy Taylor & Amethyst (with Douglas Sanders) in 5:45. The highlight of the match was Leo mentally and physically torturing Sanders. Leo is the Crystal and Azrael's son. Clearly, Leo is a chip off the old block.
Crystal curbstomped Amethyst to win the match. Leo KOed Sanders.
Cramton said he would take on two Hooligans in a handicap match but wanted Hughes in his corner. Two Hooligans jumped at the opportunity.
The Hooligan wrestlers stripped off their t-shirts revealing Fooligan shirts underneath.
The Fooligan section went nuts and verbally abused the Hooligan section. So juvenile. So much fun.
(4) Mikal Mosley & Scotty Beach & Simon Sermon & Darkstone defeated Georgia Legendary Legends (as proclaimed by Matt Griffin), Adryan Hawkins (Sabu) & Nick Halen (Terry Funk) & Bobby Moore (Cactus Jack) & Matt Griffin (Justin Credible) in 5:40.
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Darkstone (David Ross) travels from Canada to be at Dragon Con and wrestle on these shows. He took a tombstone piledriver from Credible.
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Cramton came to the ring with his goons to address Mosley, who has been a favorite cosplayer for years and came as Barbie's Ken this year. Cramton told Mosley everyone can be bought.
Mosley said he, his sister and Xavier first came to Dragon Con Wrestling 20 years ago. It was a place where wrestlers could have fun. Cramton had sold his soul but he (Mosley) could not be bought. Cramton said he wasn't talking to Mosley. Sister Mercedes gave Mosley a low blow and pounded on her brother as Slim J laughed his ass off.
Cramton, as despicable as the come, taunted Woods on the mic. He mocked Power of Positivity, Said it was too bad Woods couldn't get in the ring and help his boy Mosley, who had something common with New Day -- always getting hurt. The Fooligans chanted "thank you, Scott". Cramton was getting nuclear heat.
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(7) David Young & CB Suave (with Meagan) defeated Washington Bullets (Jon & Trey Williams) to win the DCW Tag Team Cup in around 6 minutes. The Bullets got heat do die for if your a heel. All in good fun.
Playing off of last years' "twist his dick" phenomenon, Young applied a double dick twist to the Bullets. "It's true, black guys are bigger," Young said.
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On a show where technical skill and work rate were not prominently featured, Suave really stood out. Why this guy is not being booked all over the place, I have no clue.
Bullets were sore losers and attacked Suave and Young after the match. AJ, STV and Nemesis came to the rescue.
AJ told Cramton next year it would be his boys vs. Comton's boys. If Al's squad loses, Cramton get his half of the company, if Cramton's squad loses, his punk ass is gone.
AJ gave props the Dragon Con fans for sticking it out despite the last start, noting that the room was still packed.
NOTES: Michael Gentry and Aloysius Skipper Jenkins III handled the live commentary...Dan Wenzel Jr. was the ring announcer...Darryl Hall and Dee Byers were the referees...Jen Holbrook and Papa Marko were among the notable personalities backstage.
