From Jeff Richards: "Title Change in Cage Headlines Fanfest" CHARLOTTE (NC) -- Retirements in pro wrestling rarely occur on a pe...
"Title Change in Cage Headlines Fanfest"
CHARLOTTE (NC) -- Retirements in pro wrestling rarely occur on a permanent basis. Angles involving retirements have made headlines for years. But when a legitimate stepping away from the ring occurs, the news spreads like wildfires.
Nate "The Great" Lawson has found himself in that position. And after capturing his 2nd Tmart Heavyweight Championship on Saturday night in Charlotte, he did just that: retire.
What this means for the non-prestigious belt remains unclear. However, in typical NC promoter fashion, the "Final" Gathering @ Charlotte's University Hilton most likely will not be the penultimate one.
Nate the Great unlaced his boots and left the enclosed ring overcome by emotion. Winning the title in a quadruple threat bout to headline "Rumble at the Hilton" was a crowning moment for a young man in his prime.
Lawson had come into Charlotte last August (2023) as the reigning title holder and defended the belt in a nonsensical battle royal. Kerry Morton, Ricky's son, defended the championship in a four-way cage match Saturday night. Also competing were the "Kingpin" Bam Bam Bundy and "The Headliner" Coiet Montgomery. I'm sure Chris Michaels enjoys sharing that moniker (or not).
As usual, Bob Keller's caged structure went up in more time than the actual match lasted (8:46). Somewhere, the art of main events lasting longer than preliminaries has been lost.
Estimated attendance on a busy Summerslam evening reached 500. "The Gathering V," final or not, was much better attended this season. Bigger names, such as Kevin Von Erich, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Abdullah the Butcher & Thunderbolt Patterson were in attendance.
Lines were long to see/speak with ROH's Paul Wight and, of course, Von Erich. News spread quickly that another "Gathering" was forthcoming next summer.
Eight matches were staged ranging from the normal "very bad" to one "really good" attraction. Let's start from the beginning and work our way to the top.
(1) Justin Kindred(-Allen) pinned "The Prophecy" Jovannissi Cruz in 13:11. My prophecy concerning this opener came true: it was a clunker. Cruz needs gear FAST. Resembling Rios De La Sangre, he kicked out of a gourdbuster early. Kindred reminded me of a very caucasian Joel Deaton. Jovannissi springboarded into the ring and caught Kindred w/ a cradle for a two count. Kindred kicked out as he was being pinned (Cruz' feet were on the ropes). Allen's swinging neckbreaker spelled the end of Jovannissi. Rating: 1 star
(2) Medium-sized VITO cheated past Andrew Anderson in 9:34. An ECW mainstay, Vito tried to turn the crowd against him by dissing ailing Kevin Sullivan (real life best friends). If you think George South Sr. takes a long time to disrobe, Vito was rocking suspenders and a tie! Vito ought to be booked for "The Gathering VI" due to how well he worked the crowd (heel heat). Anderson hit a big powerslam as part of his comeback. The second powerslam attempt looked like wrestling fantasy camp day one. Big or small, Vito won with a schoolboy and held Anderson's trunks. A post-match promo turned Vito back face. Rating: 2.25 stars
(3) Inter-gender at times, Angelina Love & "Psycho Boy" Fodder surprised Miss (Samantha) Starr & Dustin Bozworth ("BOZ") in mixed tag-team action. Time of the fall was 9:49, and Spanky reffed (no, not Brian Kendrick). Starr's DDT tribute to Uncle Jake was broken up by Fodder. Bozworth dumped Fodder out of the ring, leaving Love and Starr. A high bicycle kick by Love nailed its mark, as "Psycho Girl" pinned the future star. Last August, Starr worked heel versus Savanah Evans. This year, she was wildly cheered and lost. Rating: 2 stars
(4) Former NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Champion Colby Corino upended Movie Myk in 16:48 of the show's best match. Myk has transformed his body over the years, adding much needed mass and size. Corino worked face this year at the Hilton. He is now competing anywhere and everywhere as a freelancer. Corino has mastered the craft of transitioning between moves. He stuck a 640 Swanton for a near fall. Corino's knife edge chops will make your ears ring. His tope to the floor was quite cautious as to not wipe out the front row guys. Myk worked over CC's right hand after a missed chop hit the ringpost. MM's first slow mo elbowdrop netted a one count only. Corino nailed a one-foot moonsault off the ropes but missed a Jeff Hardyesque swanton. Before succumbing, Myk kicked out of a Tiger Driver and Toni Storm's short piledriver. Corino's one-winged angel variation punched his winning ticket though. Rating: 4 stars
(5) "Rock 'n' Roll" Ricky Morton was helped by a fast count in his 6:36 match with "Mr. #1" George South. Tommy Young, who received a standing ovation, was the replacement referee handpicked by Morton to officiate. South insulted select members of the audience to the point Morton was doubled over giggling. "Please tell me you did not pay for that hairdo"... "You are the ugliest that I've ever seen."
South even pushed a fan on his way to the squared circle! He resorted to the Blackjack Mulligan Sr. claw for an early advantage. When South pushed ref Young, Morton snuck up behind with the second schoolboy. It is possible that Young has never counted so fast in his life. Rating: 1/2 of a star
(6) Allysin Kay & Marti Belle ("The Hex") defeated Ella Envy & Emily Jaye in 12:42. The heels were on the attack first, but that was short-lived. I was rather envious of Envy's fantastic facial expressions. Beating up on Belle for a long time, the heelish girls started bickering amongst themselves. Kay hot-tagged herself in and went to work. Uh oh, that finisher of the Hex needs some fine tuning, as the former NWA champions had to do it twice to get it right once. AK pinned Jaye in this 1 1/4 star bout.
(7) In a battle of ECW originals, Pit Bull #1 (Gary Wolfe) upset CW Anderson in 8:20. Tip for upcoming indy shows: these long musical intros are not needed or appreciated by today's short attention span audiences. Especially when the wrong song is being played. A chair magically appeared in the ring for Wolfe to do Raven's drop toe hold spot. Was that Pitbull #3 who kept interfering? Anderson's valet Brittany Marie made short work of that useless clod. However, it was then time for schoolboy number three to mark the end of this unique match-up, as CW went under. Heaven forbid an agent is utilized to make sure the same finishes are not being done over and over again! Rating: 1.75 stars
(8) Nate the Great speared Bundy to win the main event. Lawson had declared before the bell rang that his career would be over if he did not come out on top. Surprisingly, his career is over anyway. Kerry Morton waited it out as the heels had fun with Nate "Not Always So" Great. Montgomery's second rope bulldog on Bundy was the first pop of the match. Montgomery got smashed into the cage four consecutive times but did not blade until much later. Morton suplexed Nate twice but no "Three Amigos." Bundy's manager Lucky P. Larsen ordered outside referee Tony S. to open the cage door. Luckily, the Tmart belt got slid into the ring. In the end, Nate speared Montgomery and then Bundy to win his retirement match. Rating: 2.5 stars
Post-match: both Bundy and Montgomery came up bleeding. Bundy hugged his former nemesis and raised his arm in victory. Nate celebrated with his huge bodyguard/second Gabe XL and of course his wife & children. This year's event was a feel good moment which would have been even more perfect if there were no further gatherings.
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