Change 4 Wrestling - Conyers on June 16

Photos by Alona Shoots Athletes From Larry Goodman: Chaos is just the breath of life trying to create something new. -- D.E. Paulk Change 4 ...

Photos by Alona Shoots Athletes

From Larry Goodman:

Chaos is just the breath of life trying to create something new.

-- D.E. Paulk

Change 4 Wrestling was the first pro wrestling show in Georgia history with an all African American cast, a brainchild of Najasism and photographer Demariae Roberson-Nettles. 

Many things are being said and will continue to be said about this show. It was the stuff legends are made of. The artform that is pro wrestling was advanced -- inspired, flawed, spontaneous and over the top as the show was. I'm grateful life granted me the opportunity to experience it.  

Najasism defeated Patrick Clark, the former Velveteen Dream in one of the most fascinating matches of the year. 

Change 4 Wrestling is a work in progress. A return show in February 2025 is rumored to be the plan. An announcement is imminent regarding internet availability of Change 4 Wrestling 2024. 

Jabari McIntyre, repping NAAW and GWH, spent almost the entire night backstage. That's how a Jewish white guy ended up writing the report. 

The 6 pm press conference was a trip. Ashton Starr moderated with assistance from Mike Fullilove and consisted of three 15 minute panels. Members of the press were allowed to ask questions from the floor. 

Panel 1 -- David Ali, CT Keys, Skrilla the Great, Tyson Maddux 

Panel 2 -- Shalonce Royal, Chad Skywalker, Hyena Hexx, Rose Gold and Owen Knight

Pretty much out of control. The room was not miced for the audience to clearly hear what being said during the first two panels. The press got few questions in, mostly it was a free-for-all between the opponents to build heat. Ali chewed Skrilla up and spit him out. Hyera has an attitude on him. Royal carries herself like a star. She let out a high note to bring order to the second panel. I was left wanting to know more about what makes Skywalker tick  I feel like he is out to prove something this year but perhaps that  is my projection. 

Panel 3 --   Najasism, Matt Hankins, Shane Marx, Russell Twins, Patrick Clark

Hankins got the floor and went into Froghorn Leghorn mode, nobody could a word in edgewise. What a promo he cut. Said he had suitcases that had done more than Russell Tiwns. Clark played it cool and stayed in the periphery. He was wearing a hat and sunglasses. Naja nutted up. 

The show outdid the notorious Batleslame late Sunday night show. advertised bell time was 7 pm. The show got underway some time after 7:30 with  a full house of 125-150 in attendance, roughly an 80% black audience. The audience suffered some casualties at the intermission, which did not happen until 10:30. The show ended at 11:30.

I really like the vibe of this venue with a full house. Doing something to diffuse and warm up the lighting would help immensely. 

Roberson-Nettles opened the show with a brief tribute and a 10 bell in honor of Robbie Rage. 

TonNek introduced "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (the Black National Anthem). A video was supposed to play but it did not. So TonNek improvised by leading the crowd in singing. It was divine.

Starr was introduced as "Slayer of Ceremonies". His booming ring announcer voice caught me surprise. Ring announcing was part of his training at A4 where everyone learns to do a little bit of everything. 

Change outdid the notorious late Sunday night Battleslam shows. The advertised bell time was 7 pm. The show got underway some time after 7:30 with  a full house of 125-150 in attendance, roughly an 80% black crowd. The audience suffered some casualties during the intermission, which happened three hours later. The show ended at 11:30. 

I really like the vibe of this venue with a full house. Doing something to diffuse and warm up the lighting would help immensely. 

(1) D.J. Smoke won a 19 man Fight For Survival in 47:17. Participants in order of entry: Dominic Stuckey,  Jay Lucas, Trey Shaw, Eddie Hendrixx, Lamar Diggs, "I'm small boned" Keelin Cole, Smoke. Nate Mansions, Cedric Terrell, Trever Aeon, Austin Towers, Deon Summerz, Jay Tyler, Alpha Miller, Ryan Rembrandt, Atown Supreeme, ERC, Edward Draven and The End. 

A Rumble style battle royal. Eliminations could occur by pinfall, submission or being thrown over the top rope to the floor. The first elimination didn't happen until after 20 minutes in. Once he entered, Towers dominated. It came down Towers and Stuckey, who went the entire 47 minutes. Towers sent Stuckey over the top with a Kobiya kick for the apparent win. As Towers stepped over the top rope to exit the ring, Smoke came from underneath the ring and knocked him off the apron. ENT (Najasism, Mansions and H-Town Hittas) excessively celebrated with Smoke.

A few notes: Hendrixx has something. His hoss fight with Diggs was over. Summerz tickled the crowd by dousing the other competitors with his squirt gun. Atown Supreeme has an impressive physical presence. Shaw has transformed his physique, looks and moves like a different guy in the most positive sense. Seeing so many wrestlers that have gotten so much better over the last year gave me great hope for the future of Georgia wrestling. 

Crowd was on fire the entire time but the length of the match and expenditure of so much energy proved costly before the night was over.

(2) Tyson Maddux defeated Southern Fried Champion CT Keys in 10:50. 

Two athletic physical specimens in a super competitive match.  Maddux pinned Keys with an F5, the same move Keys had used to capture the Southern Fried Championship the night before. This one needs to get run back and I strongly suspect that will happen. They did a show of sportsmanship after the match.

(3) Da Russell Twins (Allen Russell & Kameron Russell) defeated Undeniable (Shane Marx & Brian Blaze with Matt Hankins) and Trey Williams & William Huckaby in 15:32. GHW Mentor of the Year William Huckaby was introduced as guest commentator. Hankins heeled on the crowd on Father's Day. Said there wasn't anybody in the building that had a father at home. 

Trey's brother John was MIA, so he started the match without a partner and almost broke his neck on a dive. The action ended up at the announcer's table. Hankins punched Huck. Boom!. A mentor of the year don't  need no stinkin' gear. Russell Twins hit strereo splashes and Blaze was pinned. 

H Town Hittas confronted Huck & Trey in the entranceway after the match. Mouthpiece Mansions said next time. 

(4) Rose Gold defeated Shalonce Royal (with Vougan) and Nina Monet in 2:57. Royal's special rules were in effect. She ran down a list of banned moves -- no DDT's, Canadian Destroyers of stuff like that -- and when she sang, Gold and Monet had to freeze. 

Gold eliminated Royal after a kick in the face and then pinned Monet. 

Royal said she didn't do this show for a two second match. Jada Stone appeared much to Royal's dismay.

(5) Shalonce Royal defeated Jada Stone in 12:01. They had really good match, way better than most of the stuff that passes for women's wrestling Georgia. They size up right.  Royal has so much polish from consistently working TV at OWV. She lays her stuff in. Stone hit a split legged moonsault but Vougan pulled Royal out of the ring. Vougan posted Royal on the outside and Royal won it with a flatliner.  The finish did not go according to plan and you could feel something was off. Too bad because they had it going on until then. 

(6) David Ali and Skrilla the Great was ruled a no contest in 23:30. They got across that they hated each other's guts with all the online shit talking and the press conference. You could cut the tension with a knife. They were working stiff to where it felt like the match devolved into a shoot  . If that's what they were going for the match was a complete success. 

-- Ref got bumped. Skrilla took a tough bump on a missed Skrillride. Ali tried to revive the ref and took a trio of chair shots that landed too high on his neck. Ali battered Skrilla with his barbed wire bat. The action spilled to the floor where Skrilla gave Ali a piledriver onto a chair. 

The fight continued after the bell. Wrestlers came from the back to break it up. This got too real. Lamar Diggs had Ali in a shoot choke hold. Tempers flared. The unpleasantness between Diggs and Ali continued backstage.

(7) CCW Champion Owen Knight and IWE Mayhem Champion Chad Sky Walker and IDP Champion Hyena Hexx went to a 15 minute draw. A top shelf triple threat. Hyena held his own against two of Georgia's best.  Nobody on this show worked harder than these men. They were cursed by going on after the intermission.

(8) Najasism defeated Patrick Clark in around 15 minutes. Clark wrestled in blue jeans, purple boots and without underwear. hair a Dennis Rodman red. 

It felt like  a match that should have been a bigger deal in  the overall scheme of the night. 

Clark had a mind to whip Naja with his belt. Referee Darry Hall put a stop to that.  Clark countered Naja's flying bodypress with a World's Strongest Slam for a big near fall. Clark evaded the double jump elbow drop that has won Naja many a matches and hit the lovely reverse STO from his NXT days  But his cover was  unserious. Clark ascended to the top rope for the Purple Rainmaker,  reciting the the lyrics...

Purple rain, purple rain

I never meant to cause you any sorrow, 

I never meant to cause you any pain.

ENT appeared in the aisle, maybe or maybe not causing a distraction. Clark hit the line -- "I only want to see you laughing". Naja evaded the Purple Rainmaker and pinned Clark with  a corkscrew spear. 

ENT came out en masse to celebrate victory with Naja. 

Clark has all the mystery, charisma and athleticism that made him a star. His facial expressions were extraordinary. He struck me as a great artist who is ambivalent about his art. 

NOTES:   TonNek and Fullilove the announce team for the video...Darryl Hall and Bryan Waites were the referees.. Bill Hunsinger aka ButcHer was helping out with production...Nathaniel Vanderbilt, Alex Arias and Donn Kester were among those in the house.