CCW's final show of the year at the 40 Watt Club might have been their best of 2024. It's hard for me to say because there have been so many great ones. I can say it was fabulous fun from beginning to end.
Classic City drew their eighth consecutive sell-out crowd at the venue. These people are passionate about CCW and let it be known all night long. The front row is but a few feet from the ring with no barricades.
The matchmaking was sterling. Booker Justin Burnham has a knack for making matches that have my interest piqued before I ever set foot in the building.
The stories at CCW are being beautifully told these days. CCW has only one title and they've been so much the better for it. Owen Knight's title reign has become an epic story and his main event with Suge D was a fascinating chapter. Najasism and Rico Gonzalez bubble just beneath the surface.
Sean Legacy vs. Alex Kane was match of the year quality. That makes two match of the year contender for Legacy at the 40 Watt. Neither Kane nor Legacy are even in the title picture.
If you like workrate, this show had it in spades. Rico Gonzalez & DJ Smoke vs. Cody Fluffman & Rico Gonzalez was a home run. The three way tag was advertised as pure adrenaline. No exaggeration there.
The midcard is a juggling act with numerous balls in the air at all times, masterfully manipulated by Burnham.
I've enjoyed all the musical acts CCW has booked. Vincas was right up my alley. Martha and the Sleaze at CCW's first Macon show is still my favorite.
The show ran almost three hours. I think CCW is better off closer to two and half hours at the 40 Watt because so many people are standing all night.
Emcee and co-promoter Cole Taylor juiced up the crowd. Taylor said CCW and their fans had built something special over the past two years. The 40 Watt was now known as one of the best wrestling venues in the United States and pro wrestling was another of the great art forms to come out of Athens.
(1) "The Wall" Tyler Stevens defeated Austin Towers in 11:15. They opened with a lock up and a test of strength to a stalemate and it was bombs away. Towers choke slammed Wall. Wall popped up with a choke slam on Tower for a near fall. Both men were down for an eight count. They traded blows. Towers landed a trio of European uppercuts and connected with the Kobiya kick. Stevens kicked out of the move which is a rarity. Towers went for the move again and Stevens rolled him up using the tights. The crowd applauded Towers as he headed to the back.
A riveting way to open the show. Hoss Fight XXL with giant power moves galore. Towers and Stevens had chemistry and made great use of facial expressions. It was Stevens' first time in the venue and his aura was in full effect. No damage done to Towers' standing. Stevens escaped beat him by the skin of his teeth.
(2) Rico Gonzalez & Cody Fluffman defeated Najasism & DJ Smoke in 17:54. Naja ordered the fans to stand up for their next champion and Hoochie Daddy. They were koo koo for Fluffman's entrance. Fluff bounced Smoke into the ropes with 15 short shoulder blocks. Smoke was getting his ass kicked. Naja wanted no part of that action. Naja cheated allowing Smoke to DDT Rico. Naja and Smoke broke out the tandem offense on Rico. Naja's put Rico in a Gori Especial and dropped him across Smoke's knees. Fluff took the hot tag and made a one-against-two comeback. Rico sent Naa into a midair spear from Fluffman. Naja and Smokes leveled Fluffman with a high-lo combo.
A sequence of devastating moves left everybody down. Knight came on stage to get in Naja's head. It worked. Fluff pounced Naja who rolled to the apron. Rico drilled Naja into the apron with a double stomp and Fluffman pinned Smoke with a doctor bomb.
An outstanding tag team match with a killer hot tag. Smoke has raised his game immensely. Kept up in fast company 100%. He was in he right places at the right times and he executed. Rico is way too good for three years in. Fluffman is one of the most over guys in any wrestling venue he sets foot in.
(3) Cabezas Dynasty (Cuatro Cabezas & Sean Sims & "The Ripper" Trey Shaw) defeated Matt Sells & CREEPS (Irving West & Andey Ripley) in 8:30. Sells came on stage with his hands full of Miller Lite. CREEPS were al little awkward as beer guzzlers but they were game. West started chewing on a can of Corona. Shaw spoiled a beer toast by the babyfaces. West took a shellacking. Hot tag to Sells. He nailed Cabezas with five corner clotheslines taking a sip of beer between each one and somehow didn't spill his beer on a Double Shot. Shaw decapitated Sells sending a spray of beer out of Matt's mouth. Sims gave West a World's Strongest Slam and Cabezas covered for the win.
The Dynasty attacked Sells and CREEPS after the match. Dave Stage in a police uniform confronted Sims. They traded foream smashes straight out of the 70s. As Sims tried for lariat, Stage speared him out of his boots.
Stage led the babyface team and the 40 Watt Club faithful in a rendition of "YMCA" that had the place rocking.
The deal where the music plays bell to bell is one of CCW's tried and true gimmicks. I thought it worked pretty well this time. Cabezas Dynasty was getting heat. The YMCA sing-along was the highlight..along with Irving chewing on a beer can and Sells amazing skill at wrestling with a beer in his hand. Never seen Stage so loosey goosey. Hard to believe he's the same guy that had almost zero personality a few years ago.
(4) Deity defeated Jazzy Yang in 7:03. At the crucial moment, Deity spun referee Daryl Hall around so he couldn't see Nikki Heat knock Yang off her perch. Deity planted Yang with the Fire Thunder Driver for the win.
Post-match, Yang got the crowd to chant "crackhead whore" at Heat and said she wasn't done with Heat her little dick friends (No Good Bastards).
The best Deity has looked in any of the singles matches I've seen live. Jazzy has big-time babyface appeal. Not a mat classic and not intended to be. What mattered was they nailed the timing of the finish, pissed off the crowd and made Nikki vs. Jazzy a match the people want to see.
(5) Nawfside Heroes (Jose Manuel & Shoota Gabe) with ChaynMale) defeated Top Team (Terry Yaki & Jay Lucas) and Spectre & Trever Aeon in 15:22. The early part of the match was the first time all night the crowd piped down. There were no easily identifiable babyfaces or heels. Aeon and Spectre got heat on Manuel and the crowd got behind Jose huge. Nawfside ran wild. I will not attempt to describe the craziness that ensued in detail. Manuel and Chaynmale did homicidal dives (three feet of space between the ring and the front ow). Yaki took a nasty bump on a dive, hitting the small of his back on the edge of the ring frame. Top Team had Aeon pinned with an assisted J Driller but NBG's Duncan Avecilla pulled the ref out of the ring. Jazzy attacked Heat with a kendo stick. Yaki whacked Avecilla in the head with a chair. Top Team exited in hot pursuit. Nawfside pinned Aeon with a spear/frog splash combo.
A non-stop whirlwind of action. They were going a mile a minute. It had great moments and spurts of sloppiness. When the A4 guys are firing on all cylinders, they're magic and when they're not, they're an exciting train wreck to watch. Aeon was the veteran glue to keep things halfway sane. Good luck with that.
(6) Sean Legacy defeated Alex Kane in 14:36. They shoulder blocked each other to stand off. Kane pie faced Legacy. Legacy kicked Kane straight in the face. Kane executed his first suplex of the match, a german, followed by a shoulder block knock down. Legacy got great ups on a standing dropkick. Kane sent Legacy sailing with an overhead suplex for a one count only. Legacy with a standing backflip splash for two. Kane with a superkick to set up a doomsday Saito for two. Kane started beating on Legacy's neck. Kane wiped his ass with Legacy's Georgia Bulldogs Brock Bowers jersey. That got heat. They got into a see-saw battle of blocked suplex attempts until Legacy won out with a release german suplex. Legacy nailed a springboard cutter for a count of 2.9. The crowd was in an uproar. Kane retreated to floor. Legacy pursued and got posted. Back inside, Kane gave Legacy an overhead belly to belly suplex. Legacy rolled through on a 450 attempt and got speared. Legacy was in a bad way as Kane hit an X Plex for another great false finish. Kane tried to smother Legacy with the Bulldog's jersey but Legacy fought it off. Legacy caught Kane with a vicious enzuigiri and finished him with the springboard 450 for the pop of the night.
A bonafide great pro wrestling match. They were operating at a different level for clean execution, skill, speed and strength. No surprise considering who was in the match. Their counter wrestling was terrific
(7) Owen Knight defeated Suge D to retain the CCW Championship in 18:47. Trash talk to the utmost in the opening minutes. Suge patted Knight on the head. You'll get there one day, kid." Knight showed Suge two could play at that game. Suge hung Knight out to dry ona dropkick and tied him in a knot to where he was helpless. "I forgot more than you'll ever know." Knight dropped Suge with a right hand. "I'm not a lil boy anymore." Fists of fire at the seven minute mark. Suge lobbied referee Rivera stating he got three two counts which equaled six. Both down after Owen's missile dropkick. Suge gave Knight a wicked looking DVD into the turnbuckles. Suge stuffed Knight first attempt at the Clock Out. Knight hit the move but had sustained too much damage to cover quickly and Suge kicked out. They exchanged strikes to the point of exhaustion. They headbutted the bejeezus out of each other and Knight collapsed on top of Suge for the three count.
The existential journeyman grappler and the beloved CCW Champion told a compelling story and built to a great finish. It was a match that showed the value of veterans who could quickly adapt to the circumstances. They weren't going to out-dazzle Legacy and Kane and they took a different tack, mixing trash talk and athleticism.
A heart warming postmatch display of mutual respect was disrupted by Naja's and Smoke's heinous attack. Smokes had a chain wrapped around Knight's neck, while Naja was grinding hit boot into Suge's nuts. Legacy, Fluffman and Rico chased Naja and Smokes out the front door. Knight was carried to the back as the crowd chanted "CCW".
NOTES: CCW returns to Macon at the Capitol Theater on October 26 and closes out their year at Terminal West on December 14...Darryl Hall and Anthony Rivera officiated...AWOL joined Josh Deal on commentary for the IWTV video release...Jimmy Yang was backstage...AC Mack was in the house in support of you know who...Keelin Cole manned one of the rover cameras...Bobby Popham was on production...Hakeem Young was helping out with various things.
