Hot Pursuit was one of CEW's best shows. It was undoubtedly their best produced video.
The use of video segments in variety of forms was outstanding. They enhanced and advanced the stories. The production was stellar with great work by cameraman Clayton Franklin.
VFW Post 660 will be CEW's regular home going forward. That's a good thing. The venue comes across better on video than Emerald Coast Brewing. I like the CEW crowd and the way the room feels and sounds.
This was the second show with Brandon Benefield, injured former CEW Champion Bryce Cannon and Maestro as a three man commentary team. They're developing a an entertaining chemistry. Benefield did great job of steering a ship that could have veered way of course.
CEW has great officiating in the form of Lewis Santiago and Mike Fullilove. Diana Michel is their ring announcer. Her credentials as Georgia's four time ring announcer of the year speak for themselves. Benefield is a four-time commentator of the year.
The video opened with Pastor Donald Jaykes in a bathing suit, suitcoat and tie standing in front of a Tybee Island green screen. The pastor said rest assured Sergeant Scratch and Lieutenant Lampley would be winning the tag team championship in his absence and he would return to CEW to continue the cleansing.
Ridiculous fun from the Pastor.
(1) Dax Anthony defeated Cornelius Pepperbottom in 8:13. Anthony jumped Pepps before the bell and beat hell out of him to where referee Mike Fullilove was ready to call the match off. Pepps said no way. He fought valiantly but was clearly compromised by Anthony's Pearl Harbor job. Anthony eyeballed Cannon with malice throughout the match. Dax had Pepps beaten with the TKO but pulled him up and pinned him with Cannon's Keg Stand finisher.
A nice piece of business. Anthony and Pepps played their roles to a hilt. Cannon said he wasn't close to being medically cleared but all signs point to a match with Anthony somewhere down the line.
CEW Champion Randall Reno III came to the ring like VFW Post 660 was a revival tent with a collection basket. He received not one thin dime and a "not our champion" chant from the crowd. Reno went on a delusional rant on Hollywood and dissed Hunter James, his opponent for the night. Hollywood arrived. Reno bailed. Crowd chanting "Hollywood". Reno may not be their champion but he would be after giving Reno a brainbuster and why not have the match now? Reno started to get in the ring then begged off.
A heated cacophony. Couldn't make out a lot of what they were saying and didn't really need to. Crowd loves this version of James as a babyface. So do I. Reno is too amusing to truly hate as heel.
Cut to a couple of vets urinating against a wall outside the venue. Probable Cause (Scratch and Lampley) put them in handcuffs and placed them under arrest.
Highlight was Lampley telling one of the violators to put that Vienna sausage away.
(2) Pat Roach defeated Hakeem Young in 6:30. Roach cheating with hair and tights to get the advantage, then keeping Young on the ground and working over his arm. He threw in a classic Lawler fist drop along the way. The crowd was fully behind Young on the comeback. He connected with a Claymore and both were down. Young went for the death blow to base of the skull. Roach ducked and rolled Young up with a handful of tights.
I enjoy watching Roach matches because his throwback style set him apart. There was a method to the madness of beating Young, who has become a popular babyface here. Read on.
Backstage, Omega Camacho wanted to know what was next for Anthony at CEW. Dax said the night is young, how about I show you.
I've never been much of a Dax Anthony fan until now. This is a difererent Dax. I misunderestimated his potential as a heel.
(3) Probable Cause (Sergeant Scratch & Lieutenant Lampley) defeated The Route (KayJay Impala & Frankie Filto) and Saturday Night Temptation (Karl Hager & CJ Shine) to win the vacated Tag Team Turmoil Championship in 10:36. Triple threat rules applied. The Route debuted as heels. Lampley and Impala took turns punishing Hager with high impact moves. With no DQ under triple threat, the ref was powerless to stop double teaming, and Hager and Shine did a lot of that. Route pulled of a back suplex/powerbomb combo but Filto's pin was broken up. Scratch used his baton on Hager and Shine. Lampley gave Filto an exploder suplex onto Hager and pinned them.
This was fine. It didn't have the heat of the first two matches. DCVC vacating the title required an adjustment to the story direction.
(4) Michael Walker (6-2 with the fro, 5-11 without) defeated "The Mad Mallard" Rob Killjoy to retain the Coastal Chaos Championship in 20:36. Cheers for Killjoy's entrance turned to mix of boos and quacks during his intro. No way these fans were going against their boy Walker. Handshake before the bell. Chain wrestling to open. After a dizzy exchange of standing switches they ended in a stalemate. Killjoy won the next exchange with a basement dropkick to the schnoz. A huracanrana off the ropes followed by a dropkick sent Killjoy out of the ring for a TO. Walker took Killjoy to arm drag city. Killjoy teased a hair pull. Killjoy gave Walker snake eyes out of an electric chair flowed into a wheelbarrow suplex. Walker sold the big hurt of Killjoy's chops. Crowd busted out a "you sick duck" chant. Killjoy worked on Fro's surgically-repaired back for bit and applied a Gori Especial. A series of Walker clotheslines knocked Killjoy for a loop. Walker's missile dropkick was a bullseye. Killjoy used a slingshot slam called Quack the Ripper. Walker kicked out of Killjoy's double stomp from the top rope. Crowd bought it as a possible title change. Killjoy did not want to hear the "Fight Forever" chant. Walker hit the Lyons Destroyer (Canadian Destroyer out of an up and over) right into the Fronado DDT. Walker in disbelief when Killjoy kicked out. Frogsplash elbow coming. Countered by Killjoy. Walker evaded Killjoy's top rope double stomp, fought off a huracanrana and hit the frogslash elbow off the top to retain.
This match ruled. The spotfest of the night with Walker's aerial skills on full display. Closing minutes Killjoy does a great job of laying that type of match out with transitions that make sense. Closing minutes were tremendous. Benefield called it a career defining match for Walker, who has elevated himself and the title by beating Hunter James, Chad Skywalker, Roach and Suge since winning the title from Simon Sermon in January. Crowd was 100% for Walker with a healthy percentage simultaneously rooting for Killjoy.
Anthony attacked Walker and laid him out with a TKO, then did the same to Killjoy with a jumping flatliner. Anthony picked up Walker's title and bowed in Cannon's direction. Hakeem Young hit the ring with a steel chair to make the save.
As the crowd chanted "Hakeem", Young helped Walker up and sat him in the chair. Then Hakeem helped Killjoy up. Then Hakeem blasted Walker out of the chair with a Claymore kick. Killjoy pulled Young off of Walker. Young punched Killjoy in the face and wasted both babyfaces with multiple chair shots, while Anthony looked on from the aisle in horror at being outdone by Hakeem. Young put the icing on the cake by planting Walker on the chair with a World's Strongest Slam. Exotic Youth entered the ring. Young was unfazed, walked around the ring with Walker's belt. EY walked Young out the side door.
Killjoy said he would be back at CEW on July 27 and Young was his.
A fantastic segment. From ecstasy to agony for Walker. Nothing like two heel attacks in one post match to tarnish a beautiful babyface-babyface match. The turn by the beloved Young was set up as a shocker after what Anthony had just done. Manipulation of the crowd's emotions to the utmost was achieved.
Camacho followed Young to his car with a cameraman in tow. Young grabbed his mic and told him to go. Young said he was tired of being the nice guy and hiding who he really was. He was taking Walker's title. "I am destruction. I am devastation. I am chaos."
Young was a demon. Loved the staging of this -- a plausible way for Young to be in the parking lot with a microphone in his hand addressing the camera.
(5) Zach Mosley defeated "The Journeyman" Suge D in 14:48. Mosley debuted the shaved head. Benefield dubbed him the Million Dollar Baldy. They grappled for the first six minutes. Tempers flared, fists started to fly and the action spilled to the floor where Suge gave Mosley a wicked drive by knee. Suage maintained control back inside the ring, wearing Mosley down with a body scissors. Suge bumping big for Mosley's comeback. Mosley with a slingshot russian leg sweep and kick to the head for a close near fall. They went technical again with an ambar by Mosley and a counter by Suge. Seesaw counters into the finish -- Suge made Mosley miss with a moonsault, Mosley blocked Suge's donkey kick to the groin, Suge got his knees up on Mosley's senton and tried for a crucifix pin. Mosley reversed for the three count.
Good match. The grappling brought a different flavor to the show.
A video from Simon Sermon appeared on the big screen in the building. The video was an extreme close up of Simon's gap teeth and mouth and nothing else. "Daddy" Simon said they (Simon, Chip Skyler and Pastor Jaykes) had screwed Cannon and Pepperbottom but there was one member of EY missing. Daddy hadn't screwed Mosley yet. His time was coming. Daddy was on vacation but daddy misses him.
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Never seen anything like it -- creepy, repulsive and extremely effective.
Off mic, Suge accused Mosley of screwing him over. Mosley said they could have a match every month with the same result.
Suge was panicked. He put on Benefield's headset at the desk to continue. Suge said Sermon sent him. Hed didn't get the job done and didn't know what was going to happen to him.
Suge starting in the ring and continuing at the desk underscored his level of distress.
(6) "The Deacon of Divinity" Randall Reno III defeated Hunter James to retain the CEW Championship in 17:43. James got a kiss from a young blonde before the match. Boatloads of gaga in the opening minutes to build heat. Funny spot where James was bouncing Reno's head off the top turnbuckle and Reno kept going after James stopped. James was busted open after his head made contact with the top of the ringpost. Maestro said Reno's prayers had been answered. James fired up with a hammerlock lariat followed by a running SSP for a near fall. Reno with a sweet northern lights suplex for a two count. James spilled out and Reno prayed for a count out. Reno got a foot on the ropes after taking Hunter's brainbuster. In dire straits, Reno used a donkey kick to the jewels. James kicked out. Reno countered James' second attempt for the brainbuster and applied a single leg crab (the move he used to defeat Shine at the last show). James powerered his way to the ropes. Reno caught James with a boot as he charged into the corner and pinned him clean with a flying crossbody off the ropes.
A good title match. They were building to a finish, but the way it ended didn't feel like a finish. Reno is tremendous with the facial expressions and body language. Match was another reminder James is a great babyface when the opportunity presents itself.
Cut to Scratch being confronted by Exotic Youth backstage. EY was upset about Probable Cause locking up the vets. Mosley said Scratch wasn't a real cop and demanded to see his badge. Scratch declined to do so but accepted a match with EY for July 27 without getting the OK from Pastor Jaykes.
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