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| Photos by McAteer |
Judais won the triple threat title match at Crossroads to regain the Southern Fried Championship. He defeated Hunter James and former champion CT Keys in a outstanding main event to become a five-time champion. Krule is a three-time champion. Billy Buck has held the title twice.
The Southern Fried Championship was but one of three championships to change hands during a history-making night at Southern Fried's premier fall event.
The Approved's Adrian Hawkins was crowned as the new Classics Champion via a fatal four-way, thus becoming the first triple crown champion in Southern Fried history. Hawkins took the title from the sometimes fearless leader of the Approved, Nick Halen.
While the babyfaces took home the prizes on the two best matches of the show, Crossroads wasn't all sunshine and roses. Grapplers upset Happy Madness to win the Tag Team Championship. Brooklyn was the only champion that managed to hold onto a title.
Crossroads was pitch-perfect for pacing, nine matches in less than three hours, crowd was intensely engaged for the duration. The early matches delivered top drawer wrestling. Story development dominated the middle portion of the evening and carried to the end with the JBE dissension. The main event was exactly that -- a match that stood above the rest of a very entertaining show.
As good as the it was overall, it felt to me like a certain something was missing that kept Crossroads from being one of SFCW very best shows.
Crossroads drew 225 at the Boys and Girls Club Gym and it was a much hotter crowd than two weeks ago. Attendance was done in by the triple whammy of Georgia Bulldogs football, Atlanta Braves postseason and multiple fall festivals.
(1) Jacob Ashworth & Jaden Vain defeated The Approved (Bobby Moore & Rob Adonis) in 6:57. The finish was a sequence of major moves -- Moore sick kicked Vain. Ashworth hit Ashes to Ashes on Moore. Adonis gave Ashworth an exploder suplex. Vain broke up the pin and shitcanned Moore but got spinebustered by Adonis. Ashworth hit roll of the dice on Adonis for the win.
A solid match that got the evening off to a good start. Adonis has embraced the big man role and is doing some of the best work of his career.
(2) Brooklyn defeated Crystal Rose and Kat Spencer (with Rosario Grillo) to retain the Southern Fried Women's Championship in 4 minutes.
A battle of rear naked chokes unfolded. Brooklyn inadvertently speared Rose as Spencer stepped aside. Spencer locked in the rear naked choke on Brooklyn and she reversed out of it to score the pinfall.
Surprise, surprise, this was one the better women's matches at Southern Fried since the women's championship became a thing. Spencer's best match for sure. All three hit their marks and they got the story across -- the friendly rivalry between Brooklyn and Crystal ain't over by a long stretch.
(3) Najasism defeated "Kool" Seth Delay in 7:12. Fast paced, back and forth, with plenty of aerial stuff. Delay broke out the Kool Krusher for a near fall. Naja had Delay locked in his TO submission. Delay reversed Naja into a pinning predicament. Naja neatly flipped Delay over and pinned him.
A pure workrate match, different from the rest of the card and nicely done. Like Naja, Delay has returned to the ring after many years away from pro wrestling like he'd never been away and in better shape than ever.
Naja and Delay showed great sporstmanship after the match. The feel good moment was spoiled by the arrival of Zach Mosley. Like a petulant child, Mosley made good on his video threat to camp out in the ring until somebody made him leave. Mosley told Naja and Delay they looked fresh, how about a match? Naja called Mosley "Bryce" and and said he didn't recognize him without the mullet. Owner David Manders wasn't having it. Manders said he made a call to somebody who happened to have the night off. That somebody was perennial Southern Fried favorite Marcus Kross.
(4) Marcus Kross defeated Zach Mosley in 8:35. Mosley jumped the bell. Kross made Mosley pay big time. Mosley hit a backstabber to take over and worked the body part with high impact moves. Kross got his aerial game in gear and won with a Spanish Fly.
They need a back story to have a strong babyface/heel dynamic. Monroe's love affair with Kross is unending. Mosley has a knack for saying and doing the right things to get heat in almost any circumstance. It was also a good match with plenty of high powered offense.
Matchmaker Bill Behrens and SFCW owner David Manders resolved the suspensions of Billy Buck and Will Kaution. Behrens was back after missing two months due to a broken leg. How does the matchmaker end up with a broken leg you may ask. Behrens reinstated both wrestlers and announced they would square off in a fan participation strap match on November 4.
The animosity between Buck and Kaution escalated into a pull apart brawl that ended with Buck laying Kaution out with the Buckshot.
The pop for Buck's superkick to lay Kaution out was huge. I dare say the Southern Fried fans are as invested in this feud as any of the ones that played out at Crossroads, maybe more so.
(5) Adrian Hawkins (with Kelly Sexton) defeated Classics Champion Nick Halen and Tyler Stevens and Kenway to win the Classics Championship in 9:42. Hawkins entered to "Houe of the Rising Sun". He had Kelly with him and did not follow leader Halen's order to dress like the other members of Approved.
Kenway got off to fast start with gutwrench suplexes for everybody. He grappled with Hawkins. Stevens used his size and strength to run roughshod over the other competitors. Would Hawkins and Halen be able to work as a unit? Surprisingly, at least at times. the answer was yes. They teamed up for a Hart Attack on Kenway. All three competitors hit their finishers on Stevens to put the big man down.
The other members of Approved came to the ring to celebrate. Adonis took a selfie of them with Hawkins holding the title. Halen stomped on Adonis' phone and stormed to dressing room clutching his Anarchy Heavyweight Championship belt.
(6) Dany Only defeated Alexander Lev in 1:48. Lev said he took Only' sobriety back to zero days by pour alcohol down his throat at the last show. Lev claimed Only wasn't there. Referee Brandon Todd started a 10 count. Only came through the curtain with a beer bottle in his hand at the count of eight.
Manders checked Only before letting him in the ring. Evidently Manders knew what was up. Once inside the ring, Only stumbled around and fell on his face. Lev was blithering about being a messiah and didn't see Only cluing in the crowd that he was as sober as CM Punk. Only gave Lev a reverse piledriver and pinned him.
After the match, Lev smashed Only in the head with the beer bottle. Only was bleeding and had to be helped to the back.
I was happy to see Only was swerving Lev. I was not happy to see this storyline continue because it's driving me to drink.
(7) The Grapplers (#1 & #2 with Zander Seabolt) defeated Happy Madness (Sal Rinauro & Sunny Daze) to win the Southern Fried Tag Team Championship in 1:17.
Grapplers ambushed HM. The combatants brawled all over the building forever before the bell with a good time being had by all. Grappler #1 ended up with his head inside a trash can filled with nasty food residue.
At the bell, Grappler #1 clipped Sal's knee. As Daze was minding his own business, that egg-sucking dog Seabolt blasted him in the back with his tennis racket. Sal's knee gave out on a 619 attempt and Grappler #1 rolled him up.
A soul crushing outcome for the Southern Fried fans. Their beloved Happy Madness had just regained the title. The show didn't have a gimmick match per se, so this was the next best thing.
(8) Xavier Reyes (with Triston Michaels) defeated David Ali in 7:55. Reyes sent Michaels to the back before the bell. After a stiff strike exchange, Ali tried for the punt kick. Reyes caught Ali's foot and applied an ankle lock. The crowd was chanting Ali's name as he broke the hold. Moments later, Reyes gave Ali an avalanche Angle Slam to win the match.
They worked their asses off and had a really good match. Reyes was super physical without using dirty tactics.The only negative was they were so focused on executing what they had mapped out that they lost touch with the crowd.
Ali said he pushed people to the limit and Reyes had just gone to the limit with him. Ali said Reyes had what it took and didn't need JBE. Reyes looked torn as he allowed Ali's words to register.
A nice piece of business. Ali put Reyes with class. More seeds were planted for a JBE implosion.
(9) Judais defeated Hunter James (with Triston Michaels) and CT Keys to win the Southern Fried Championship in 12:20. Keys is a bad ass heel. Judais' entrance with the lights out was babyface heaven. James got the loudest entrance pop, a mixed reaction ala CM Punk. JJ set the stage with the championship introductions.
"All Hail Hollywood" James hit the AJ Styles cliffhanger (middle rope backflip to his feet into a reverse DDT) on Keys to score the first near fall of the match. Not known for his flying, Keys executed a flip dive to the outside. Keys caught James right on the button with a pop up punch. Judais took over with three body slams apiece for Keys and James.. Judais agave James the reverse fallaway slam onto Keys, Judais then went corner to corner delivering clotheslines until James and Keys were hanging on by a thread. Michaels took advantage of the no DQ rules by getting in the ring and trying to use an ether rag. Judais applied a single leg crab on James. Keys gave Judais a rabbit lariat to break the hold. Keys put Judais in the torture rack. James broke that up. Judais brainbusted James on top of Keys. Keys choke slammed Judais. James applied the ankle lock on Keys. Judais gave James El Crucifijo but Keys broke up the pin and rockbottomed Judais. Keys tried to do the same to James but he countered with a DDT and landed a 450 on Keys. Judais then speared James to take home the Southern Fried Championship for the fifth time.
A terrific title match with no real loser and tons of great spots. All three looked tremendous and it was anybody's ballgame with all three having multiple chances to win. Keys putting Judais in the torture rack was something else as was James flying through the air on Judais' crucifix powerbomb. It was too much ask for James and Triston to hold onto the title with more shenanigans but when I heard the reaction for James entrance, I couldn't help but wish they had.
Keys begrudgingly gave the champion a nod of respect as he departed.
Cutthroat lived to fight another day.
Triston was distraught. He looked on helplessly as Judais put a foot on James' chest while holding the title overhead. Reyes came to the ring and he was not a happy man. Reyes and James jawed at each other. Reyes shoved James down and walked out on him.
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The problems in the camp of JBE are nearing the breaking point.
NOTES: Wrestling luminaries in the building included Murder One, Joe Black, Ashton Starr, Darryl Hall, Nick McDaniel, Myron Fancher, nurse Georgeanne Hardin and the great Alex Arias...John Johnson and Rosario Grillo split the color commentary duties alongside Adam Vance for the video release... Dee Byers, David Weakley and Brandon Todd were the referees...Rick Richards was timekeeper and ring announcer...JJ did the old school championship style introductions for the main event.
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