The Good Hand took the tag team championship from Culture Inc via massive skullduggery.
Adam Priest retained the ACTION World Championship in a chaotic no decision with MLW World Champion Alex Kane. "Real" IWTV World Champion Krule made a surprise appearance to set up a huge three way match between the three champions for December.
The story of the night was Brogan Finlay, who announced he had wrestled his final match for ACTION and was moving on to the next chapter of his career. Finlay is clearly WWE bound.
Attendance was over 125 tops and enthusiastic about the show but it was ACTION's lowest crowd at Roger Spencer Community Center since the pandemic.
The show livestreamed on IWTV and will be available on demand with Dylan Hales and Mose on commentary.
Jabari McIntyre will have a report the show as well as the Deep South show tonight at Das BBQ. GWH's Rob Brodhecker sponsored on of the matches.
(1) Rachel Armstrong defeated Billie Starkz in 9:53. The Athena influence was evident in Starkz was not above breaking the rules. Starkz blocked sliced bread and went for the swanton bomb but Armstrong got her knees up. Armstrong hit sliced bread but Starkz kicked out and it was Armstrong with the 450 for the win.
Sweet show of respect and mutual admiration after the match.
A reversal of their fortunes and the finish of their match at the REVOLVER Women's Grand Prix two months ago where Starkz defeated Armstrong in the opening round and went on to win the tournament. Armstrong was over with the crowd and put over nicely by Starkz, who was laying in her strikes like never before, another Athena effect.
(2) 1 Called Manders defeated Kasey Owens in 6:13. Manders was giving Owens a beating until he chopped the post with a loud thunk. Owens zeroed in on Manders' hand and arm. Manders won with a lariat that would have Stan Hansen's seal of approval.
A solid match for what it was. Manders was a welcome late add to the card. He's now based in Tennesee. Owens is a TWE trainee. Owens doesn't look like much but he's good worker.
(3) "Body Positive" Cody Fluffman defeated Alexander Lev in 3:53. The debuting Lev did a brief promo with his "I am faithful" mantra to issue an open challenge. Crowd took an intense dislike to him right off the bat. They had fond memories of Fluff's first ACTION match and loved him every bit as much here. Fluff's shoulder block series ending with the big knockdown was tremendous and the crowd ate up the steam roller. Lev used a Grappler eye poke. Fluffman with a Doctor Bomb to score the pinfall.
A very entertaining match with some innovative fun spots. It had an instantly strong heel/babyface dynamic like you don't often see.
(4) Squatting Dragons (Erron Wade & Kody Manhorn) defeated Out Of This World (Arik Royal & BK Westbrook in 10:35. Wade and Westbrook wrestled. Manhorn tried to shoulder block Royal showing both extreme determination and utter stupidity. Dragons pulled off a wacky double team before trying and failing to double suplex Royal. Wade took the heat. Westbrook hit a killer top rope elbow. Westbrook dropkicked Manhorn off the apron. That backfired as Wade seized the opening to launch a comeback until he missed a tornado DDT. A series of cravate mares by Out of the This World was something different. Manhorn took the tag. He kicked out of Royal's doctor bomb and scored a flash pin moments later.
The heels attacked Dragons after the match and left them both laying with top rope Kobe/back suplex combos.
Any time Wade and Westbrook were in together this was really good. They have excellent chemistry and their work was crisp. Manhorn's hot tag was not so hot. He's so small that his offense isn't credible against a guy like Royal. I couldn't buy the finish.
(5) The Good Hand (Suge D & Kevin Ryan with Tyler Stevens) defeated The Culture (Eli Knight & Malik Bosede with Nick J. Holiday) to win the ACTION Tag Team Championship in 17:28. Suge claimed to be the PWI-recognized Pan-Afrikan Diaspora World Champion, and said this would be a night where Good Hand's actions spoke louder than words.
Good Hand tried to get the jump on Culture Inc. and ate topes in stereo for their troubles. Culture isolated Ryan until Stevens caught Bosede's dive and planted him on the ring apron. Bosede took heat. Ryan caught him right in the mush with a perfect corner dropkick. Bosede pulled off a Rocky Maivia-style DDT counter on Suge. Culture Inc. foiled Good Hand's first two shots at the Violator 420. Suge teamed up with Ryan on a Spanish Fly on Bosede. His kick-out got a "Culture Inc" chant. Suge decided to whip Bosede with his belt. Holiday jumped in the ring to take the belt away from Suge. Stevens gave Holiday a catatonic but Hall caught him. While Hall was busy ejecting Stevens, Suge gave Knight a low blow and blasted him with a chair shot. Matt Sells hit the ring with a chair shot for Suge. Hall finally made it back into the ring. Knight hit his amazing moonsault with a tuck on Suge but Ryan broke up the pin at 2.9. Suge whacked Knight with a chair behind Hall's back and Ryan pinned him with rabbit shining wizard.
Quite the roller coaster ride. If you like title matches heavy on the booking, this one is right up your alley. The time was right to pull the trigger on the title change. Good Hand had to back up the bravado with a championship or the talk was going to begin to ring hollow. Knight has something special. He's so athletic and he gets great ups on his aerial moves. Stevens is a menacing presence at ringside, a classic heater.
Suge was elated. The entirety of Good Hand celebrated in the ring to a sickening degree. Suge rubbed the fans' faces in it on the mic. Said Matt Griffin was shaking in his dad's shorts because it would take an act of God to stop Kane. "Good Hand up, all you haters bow down."
Suge D is a treasure of Georgia wrestling, a brilliant promo - always coming up with entertaining and interesting ways to use the language and get heat in the process. Beside which, I envied his Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge tour sleeveless tank top.
(6) Shazza McKenzie defeated Devlyn Macabre via submisson in 7 minutes. McKenzie appeared to land right on top of her head when Macabre slung her off the ropes -- scary looking and the crowd reacted but McKenzie was OK. McKenzie gave Macabre nine Yes kicks and kick the face for good measure. McKenzie pinned Macabre with with the Shazztastic Stunne but referee Anthony Rivera inexplicably halted his count. McKenzie went a submission and Macabre tapped.
Macabre threw a fit after the match.
The match was only going to be as good as McKenzie could make it and tonight that was not good. Macabre's gimmick makes her quite photogenic but she's athletically limited. Despite his egregious screw up on the finish, Rivera is getting much better as a ref. Quick thinking by the veteran McKenzie not to dwell on it and switch to the submission.
(7) Rico Gonzalez defeated Brogan Finlay in 10:57. Bobby Flaco had to bow out of the match due to a shoulder injury and sat in on commentary. Story going in was a rubber match between rivals. Gonzalez was on fire out of the gate. His Fosbury plancha transitioned the action to the outside, where Finlay blistered Gonazalez with chops and rudely slammed him on the bleachers. That must have sucked for Gonzalez. Back inside but not for long. Rico used the ring apron for a tornado brainbuster onto a chair. Looked insane from a distance. They battled on the ropes. Both spilled to the floor and crawled back in a split-second before the 10 count, facing off on their bellies like snakes. Gonzalez missed with his double stomp to the apron and took a DVD on the ring frame from Finlay. He tried to end it with a top rope elbow. Gonzalez kicking out got a "this is awesome" chant. Gonzalez flattened Finlay with the top rope double stomp to the apron and rolled him back inside for the three count.
I loved this. They had a good story going in, to say nothing of the story that unfolded afterward. They were letting them fly with the strikes and trusted each other on some risky spots. Very different from the match I saw Rico have at Freelance and every bit as good.
Finlay announced that after two and half years, that was his last ACTION match. ACTION had given him the opportunity to team with his best friends and the chance to wrestle one of his best friends in his hometown. He thanked the ACTION fans and his family being there every month to support him. Finlay went to the stage for a moment with Flaco.
Beautiful just beautiful.
(8) ACTION World Champion Adam Priest vs. MLW Champion Alex Kane (with Suge D & Kevin Ryan & "Wall" Tyler Stevens) was ruled a no contest (12:19). This was set up by Priest coming to Culture Inc's aid at Sharpsburg showdown and getting into a wild brawl with Kane.Priest owned Kane early, constantly one step ahead, suplexing the suplex king and putting on Ryan's sunglasses for a dive. Stevens grabbed Priest's leg. Kane took over with an avalanche belly to belly. Suplex city included a choke suplex. Kane went to a rear naked choke. Crowd chanting for Priest. Kane speared referee Rivera. Priest DDTed Kane for a visual three count. Stevens leveled the champion with a big boot. Good Hand jumped in for a triple team powerbomb Violator 420. Ryan ran to the back for a ref. Darryl Hall slid into the ring to take over but so much time had elapsed that Priest was able to kick out. Priest hit a draping DDT onto the ring frame and had Kane dead to right with the Alabama Jam. At that point, Suge D stomped the crap out of Hall. With Priest getting hell beaten out of him, Mose rang the bell.
Great match given no expectation of a clean finish. The postmatch was fantastic in so far as setting up the hugest title match possible for December. I loved the swerve of Krule having higher aspirations than being buddies with Priest. Pound-for-pound, there is no better independent wrestler better than Adam Priest. Kane keeps expanding the range as a character and what he's doing in the ring. He seems to possess an infinite combination of suplexes.
NOTES: Scott Hensley was the ring announcer...Darryl Hall and Anthony Rivera were the referees...Saraya Saber was on the rover camera...ACTION Wrestling next live event is in Fayetteville on November 10 at the Line Creek Bus Barn.. Alcoholic beverages will be available. Tickets will be limited to 100...December 8 back at Roger Spencer Community Center will be the annual Toys for Tots benefit show...Fit Finlay and many members of Brogan's family were on hand for his final ACTION match...AC Mack, Brother Azriel and Rick Michaels were in the house...Aaron Dallas did well in his Next Up tryout.
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