ProSouth Battle Rumble 2024 -- Piedmont on September 27

Photos by Gina Jones From Larry Goodman: Coming on the heels of an episode show episode wasn't all that eventful, ProSouth made up for l...

Photos by Gina Jones

From Larry Goodman:

Coming on the heels of an episode show episode wasn't all that eventful, ProSouth made up for lost time this week. 

Caeden Ooten is the new ProSouth Champion. He ended the title reign of Aaron Dallas at 287 days in one of ProSouth's best matches of the year. At the age of 20, Ooten became the youngest ProSouth Champion in company history.

Cameron Keast was the winner of the Battle Rumble. Keast went all the way and outlasted 29 other combatants to earn a ProSouth championship with Ooten, his Broken House stablemate and nemesis. What will their fearless leader Harley Haven do?

Atonement is disintegrating before our eyes. Or are they?

This show play so much better on TV with the crowd noise humming in the background like it was this week.

Mathias Darkthorne was joined by Bucky on commentary except for the Rumble when Ooten did color. Adam Hunter, Jeremy Blackson, Joseph Void and Kevin Tubbs were the referees. Adam Hunter is a really good ref by the way. Cory Shattles was the ring announcer. Katie Lindsey on the rover camera.

(1) Lincoln Logs (Alexander Lincoln & D'Angelo LeFlame & Sean Sims &

AWOL & AJ Black)   defeated Keast Crew (Cameron Keast & Ethan Dallas & Joe Wood & Tsunami & Scott Spade) in the Rumble Showcase Match (7:01).  Lincoln wanted no part of brother Joe. Wood no sold AJ's strikes and hit the Woodchipper to start a train of  big moves. Ethan took heat from the heels. Captain Keast made the save and got into a spirited exchange with Black. The match broke down UGLY. Mathias called it pandelerium. Spade hit Keast with the Copenhagen kick and was pinned by Lincoln.

I liked the choices of talent for the showcase and it was well put together. Lincoln is showing more personality. The more I see of Black, the more I like him. Sims' presence was a pleasant surprise. If only we had gotten the CCW version of his act. Spade's Copenhagen kick to Keast was no accident. 

(2) Brother Azriel defeated Julius Pryor via DQ to retain the All-Out Championship in 2:30. Bucky said country music wasn't a good for anyone (referencing Pryor's previous incarnation as a cowboy). Pryor jumped the bell and went after Az's leg straight away. Az gave Pryor a long distance fallaway slam out of a squat position. Pryor delivered a Shaolin Fist to Az's groin for the DQ and a Johnny Cage reference by Mathias.

After the bell, Pryor delivered a second Shaolin Fist off the ropes to Az's knee and a third to the body. Az was toast. 

I love this match up. They know how to sell for each other. Az's intro music is perfect for his character. He is now over huge in Piedmont and his confidence is building by the week. That squat fallaway slam is a keeper. Pryor is deserving of the push he's receiving.

Atonement (Ayden Andrews & Christian Pierce & Dorian & Charlie Punk) all in the ring. Pierce wanted Andrews to explain why he wasn't there last week. Andrews said he thought Pierce was getting what he wanted, to do things his way. Dorian said whether or not Pierce needed help it was up to Andrews to be there. Pierce said Dorian was right. Andrews said wasn't it funny they didn't have any problems until Dorian came back. Pierce said don't blame him. Andrews decked Pierce with  a forearm. The crowd reacted with a huge "Ayden" chant. Dorian got in AA's face. Andrews shoved Dorian into Pierce. They came to blows. Punk jumped Pierce's back. Andrews dumped Charlie off of Pierce's back and pulled her up by the hair. Pierce told Andrews to stop. Instead, Andrews gave Punk the Stamp of Atonement. Andrews kicked Dorian in the groin and ordered Pierce to join him for a Gallows/Stamp combo to lay Dorian out. Andrews gave Pierce his title belt and said "we are on the same page". Dorian and Charlie were left laying. 

This was a remarkable segment. Andrews has never been so expressive. It was the expansion of his character I've been waiting for. Evidently I wasn't the only one with the way the crowd popped when he popped Pierce.   Pierce can go on the mic but what knocks me out are his facial expression. Dorian has had great lines two weeks in a row. And a wrestler who's no longer with the company looms large in the story.

(3) Caeden Ooten (with Harley Haven) defeated Aaron Dallas to win the ProSouth Championship in 12:38. Ooten acted like this was going to be piece of cake. He gave Dallas his variation of a high angle german suplex. Dallas came back with one of his own. Ooten hit a third german. Dallas hit an avalanche release german suplex and called for the Steel Toe but Harley grabbed his leg, allowing Ooten to connect with a pop up punch for a near fall. Mathias made the point about how dumb it is to call your next move out loud. Will they ever learn?  They swapped chops. Ooten teed off on Dallas with that fierce right hand. Ooten with a Samoan drop for a near fall. They traded right hands. Dallas kicked out of Loaded Gun Complex. That sent shockwaves through Ooten. Dallas countered Loaded Gun Complex and gave Ooten a Perfect Plex for a near fall. Ooten speared the bejeezus out of Dallas but the champion kicked out. As the battled outside the ring, Dallas sent Ooten over the barricade with a Steel Toe. AD could have won by count out but refused to let it end that way. Back inside the ring, Ooten nailed AD with own finisher but Dallas kicked out again. Dallas was looking for superplex. Ooten reversed it with an avalanche Loaded Gun Complex to capture the title. 

A great high impact match. Loudest "A-ron" chants in Piedmont in quite some time. Ooten won the title and got the lion's share of the offense. Props to Dallas. If this was his swan song at ProSouth, he put Ooten over in style. They were trading bombs like a Brock Lesnar match. Ooten has one of the most lethal right hands in the Southeast.

Alleged Alabama Athletic Commission representative Patrick Gilbert entered the ring to say 30 was too many for a battle royal. 25 was Ok, maybe 28 and a dwarf but not 30, so he was shutting the show down. The house lights came on. Shattles told the crowd to drive safe. Gilbert made his way out of the building. As soon as Gilbert was gone, the house lights went out and the show continued. 

Got to love satire ProSouth style. Like an AAC member would wear an ear ring. It got the crowd going. 

(4) YouTube Champion Cameron Keast (with Harley Haven) won the 30 person Battle Rumble over (in order of entrance) Ace Haven, Jake Franklin, Genesis, AJ Black, Jasper Reid, Charlie Punk, Samuel Reid/Dean, Mason Addison, Christian Pierce, Brandon Collum, Security Guy Jamie, D'Angelo LeFlame, Sean Sims, Ricky Cagle, AWOL, Ethan Dallas, Scott Spade, Alexander Lincoln, Ayden Andrews, Brother Azriel, Dorian, Joe Wood, Brando Bennet, Julius Pryor, Bucky, Tsunami, Amy Haven and Brandon Whatley (49:22). Chosen Ones broke out an assisted Poetry in Motion. Ace did a baseball slide in Harley's direction. Keast  went into trance and pummeled Ace. Jamie entered in a robe disguised like he was Shean Christopher and Jamie wasn't going down without a fight.

Three babyfaces beat up Punk. Not a pretty picture. Black and Ethan got into a big exchange of blows. Spade gave Ace a stunner. Andrews accidentally eliminated Pierce. Dorian speared Andrews to eliminate him. Wood eliminated brother Lincoln. Pryor hoisted Az onto his back and dumped him over the top rope. Tsunami surfed on a bunch of backs. Bucky posed with Chosen Ones wearing one of their t-shirts and took a pedigree from Amy. 

Amy was eliminated when Spade knocked Ace into her with a Copenhagen kick. Amy was pissed. Roma eliminated Tsunami. She extended a handshake...and pulled him over the top rope. Douglas Sanders showed up. He sided with his fiance against Roma. Sanders and Tsunami embraced. 

Down to Chosen Ones, Serpent Ninja Academy and Spade. Ace and Spade went over the top together. Both men grabbed the top rope to save themselves but Ace booted Spade to the floor. As Ace skinned the cat, Whatley dropped him to the floor with scissors kicks. Serpent Ninja beat up Keast two against one. Keast threw a fireball at Pryor and tossed him out. Whatley gave Keast the Bottomless Pit. Whatley thought he had it in the bag and tried to deposit Keast over the top rope. But Keast pulled Whatley over the top rope and connected with a running knee to knock Whatley to the floor. 

Keast winning sets a whopper of a confrontation for the ProSouth Championship. The advancement of multiple subplots was a major plus - Atonement, Drip Addicts, Lincoln brothers, Pryor/Az and whatever Scott Spade's beef is with Chosen One all moved forward in interesting ways. The right people (Pierce, Pryor, Azriel, Whatley, Tsunami) got to shine. The time between entrances was kept to around 1:15. That helped limit the dead spots. Crowd faded in the midportion and it got clusterish about 30 minutes in with too many bodies in the ring and too much standing around. Given how things have been going lately, it was minor miracle ProSouth had 30 wrestlers in Piedmont for the match. All things considered, this was very good rumble match.

Post match, Keast had a staredown with Ooten at the commentation station.