ProSouth Uprising -- Piedmont AL on August 30

Photos by Gina Jones and Drew Hulsey From Larry Goodman: The miracle of Uprising was what ProSouth was able to pull off under extremely try...

Photos by Gina Jones and Drew Hulsey

From Larry Goodman:

The miracle of Uprising was what ProSouth was able to pull off under extremely trying circumstances. For a multiplicity of reasons, this was a show I had to experience live. Like the Change 4 Wrestling show, I came away feeling grateful for the opportunity to be there.  

For the Hell In A Cell, members of ProSouth's support staff spent countless hours constructing a twenty-foot cell outside the building with a second ring (the old Peachstate Wrestling ring) inside.

Ace Haven defeated Shean Christopher in the Hell In The Cell to bring closure to a feud that has raged for almost the entire year. They did the impossible in finding a way to  top all the unreal things they had already to each other and tell  a compelling story in the process. The match ended with Ace throwing Christopher off the top of the cage onto the ring truck,  a fifteen-foot drop.

Brother Azriel won the All-Out Championship, his first real singles title in ProSouth after being with the company for over three years (Az held the You Tube title for a few minutes in 2021). 

The controversy surrounding the ProSouth Championship was not resolved.  We're back to having one champion, Aaron Dallas, but KJ Impala still has a claim to the title.

Cameron Keast survived the 10,000 thumbtacks and the brutality of Caeden Ooten to regain the YouTube Championship.  

It's mind-blowing to consider what have been if things had gone halfway according to plan. Maybe it was better that it went the way it did. We will never know.

Two matches on the original card were scrapped altogether, one of them day of the show. Several roster members abruptly departed two weeks before the event including Dameon Ceretone, one of the top stars in ProSouth history. 

A full house of 140 made a huge difference in the feel and energy level of the ProSouth Palace and the way the show came across on video. The livestream drew a record number of viewers. There were issues with the stream during the Hell in Cell and it did not do the match justice. The re-uploaded version will be a much better reflection of the true flavor of the match.

One of the things I most appreciate about ProSouth is their commitment to the art form. The theatricality of the lighting was exquisite. Katie Lindsey is a wonder woman with a rover camera in her hand. 

Brandon Whatley said his scheduled opponent for the no ropes Kumite match, Redneck Brawl's "Manbearpig" Ryan Anselman canceled and if he didn't show up on Friday the 13th (September), Manbearpig was a bitch. Whatley reasoned that since Christian Pierce put himself in the title match last week, the former ProSouth Champion could do the same.

(1) Aaron Dallas defeated "The Real" ProSouth Champion KJ Impala and Brandon Whatley and Christian Pierce in a fatal four-way to retain the ProSouth Championship in just 4:24. Big move upon big move until Dallas and Impala simultaneously hit their finishers on the heels. Dallas had pinned with the Steel Toe. Impala had pinned with the choke slam. Referee Ft. Worth who just so happens to be AD's little brother ruled Dallas was the winner. 

Simply amazing that after all the gyrations, the issue between Dallas and Impala remains shrouded in controversy and Impala is yet to hold a legitimate ProSouth singles title. This time, Ft. Worth was the culprit. The match was quality stuff. Everyone had their moments. My only complaint was I wished they had gone longer.

(2) Julius Pryor defeated Jake Franklin via referee stoppage in a bullrope match (5:25). Ashley debuted as a ring announcer and alternated with Cory Shattles. Franklin has a stellar jumping neckbreaker. Pryor did a great strength spot pulling Franklin from the floor to the apron. Pryor wrapped the chain around Franklin's neck and across his mouth. Franklin passed out and referee Adam Hunter called for the bell. 

They were in a tough spot. The match had no steam behind it because it was supposed to be the blowoff of Saul Wright and Hakeem Young. They didn't have the crowd to begin with and didn't do much creative to draw them in. Those dog collars looked like they were designed for terriers. 

Promo by the ProSouth Tag Team Champions The Drip Addicts (Roma Miller & Douglas Sanders) In breaking news, Roma snatched two babies out of the crowd.  They talked through Sanders' megaphone, which made it hard to understand what they were saying, desperately trying to be sports entertainers. Darkthorne said they were bickering like an old married couple. They hugged out to mercifully end the segment. 

Wicked Nemesis and Mathias Darkthorne do not suffer fools gladly. They buried Drip Addicts on commentary. Wicked said this was why aliens would never visit us. 

(3) Brother Azriel defeated Ayden Andrews in a casket match to win the Unified All-Out Championship in 10:50. Andrew hooked Az in the ding ding and hit Stamp of Atonement. Ayden tried for another and got spinebustered through the canvas. They fought into the crowd. Az gave Andrews a Wood Grain on the concrete floor and smiled into the camera. Andrews answered with a Stamp of Atonement on the bleachers. Back inside the barricade, Andrews was seeing stars. Andrews used a kendo stick on Az. Az blocked Ancrews' home run swing and broke the kendo stick across Andrews' back.  Andrews targeted Az's vulnerable knee. Az survived two Stamps of Atonement, gave Andrews three Wood Grains rolled him into the casket and slammed the lid. Referees Kevin Tubbs and Joseph Void called for the bell.

GREAT match, one of ProSouth's best this year. Steeped in drama. They didn't rush a thing. The decisiveness of the finish was the right call. Their feud had been a testament to their character work and chemistry. It was the perfect payoff to Az' story arc at ProSouth.  Az had not won, I'd a lost my mind.

A video hype package for House of 10,000 Tacks match was shown on the big screen with narration by Cameron Keast. By losing the match, he could still escape the House. The problem was he had too much hatred for Ooten to lay down for him. Keast vowed to make Ooten feel the fire he had run from for far too long.

(4) Cameron Keast defeated Caeden Ooten (with Harley Haven) in the House of 10,000 Tacks Match to regain the YouTube Championship (10:12). Ooten handcuffed Keast to the ropes. Harley told Keast the key to the cuffs was in his jacket and he uncuffed himself. Harley then snapped Keast's fingers, allowing Sleazy C to german suplex Keast into a pile of tacks. 

Harley handed Keast a confetti popper. Ooten took it away and fired it at Cam but all that was in it was confetti. Harley gave Ooten another confetti popper that did no damage. Ooten was losing patience with Harley. She gave Ooten a third popper. This one was loaded with tacks and Keast got blasted with them. Ooten dumped a wastebasket of tacks on the mat. Keast powerbombed Ooten into the tacks for a two count. Keast tried to finish Ooten with a frog splash but there was no water in the pool and Keast landed on the tacks. Ooten got pissed at referee Joe Wood for not counting three. Wood threatened to choke slam Ooten but Harley gave Wood a low blow. Ooten planted Wood in the tacks with  Loaded Gun Complex. 

Keast hit Dramatic Irony on Ooten for a visual fall while Wood was still lying in the tacks. Harley snapped Keast's fingers again. This time allowing Ooten to give Keast a superplex into the tacks. Harley started to use Wood's limp hand to make a three but stopped at two. Keast shot Harley in the back with a confetti popper loaded with tacks. Keast snapped. Time stood still while Keast fiddled with a fireball.  Keast then stuffed tacks into Ooten's mouth for another Dramatic Irony and hit the frog splash to win the title. 

This story has been a complicated and wild ride. Harley was ambivalence personified. The payoff for "world's largest referee" Joe Wood trying to take a swing at Ooten last week was tremendous. Cameron Keast is a madman. The bumps he took into the tacks that had to suck. Ooten had sense enough to wear a tank top. Ooten's right hands look even stiffer in person than they do on TV. The botched fireball was unfortunate as it stalled the momentum going into the finish.

Postmatch, Keast celebrated the beginning of his second YouTube title reign. Keast extended a hand to Harley to help her up. They hugged. Keast offered to shake Ooten's hand. Ooten refused and snatched his mask back from Keast. Where things stood between Harley and Ooten was unclear. 

I guess these three are stuck with each other, at least for now.

An incredible video package detailing the panoramic feud that led to Hell in Cell was shown on the big screen.

(5) Ace Haven (with Amy Haven) defeated Shean Christopher (with Trace Haven) in Hell In The Cell (22:20) with Donnie Primetime as the special referee. Former referee Jeremy Black was introduced as the special enforcer to control the cage door. Ace said it didn't have to be this way. Shean said it always had to be this way. This was a monster Ace created. When the action spilled outside the ring, Donnie told them to be mindful. He had to be fucking kidding.  Ace was channeling Undertaker on offense. Christopher kicked out of a tombstone piledriver.  Shean caused Ace and Donnie to collide. Christopher started laying a beating on Ace. He lawn-darted Ace into the cage. Shean called for Trace to slide a kendo stick through fence. Trace hesitated but did as he was told. Shean used the kendo stick on Ace. With the crowd chanting his name to spur a comeback, Ace hit the springboard cutter. 

Christopher took a chair to Ace. Donnie took the chair away. As the brothers argued. Ace brained Christopher with the chair. Christopher's face was covered in blood. Ace powerbombed Christopher into the cage. Security guy Jamie was allowed inside the cage because he was afraid the cage was going to give way. Ace speared Christopher and all three of them flew through the side of the cage. Jamie got busted open by the fence.  

Christopher tombstoned Ace on the lawn. Christopher brought a sword from the building.  Amy grabbed the sword out of Shean's hand and he slugged her hard in the face. Shean picked up the sword like he was going to slay Amy. Trace gave his "father" a shot to the nether region. Trace pulled off his Christopher t-shirt revealing a Haven t-shirt underneath. 

Ace dropped Shean with a cutter and called for the Endgame. Shean gave Ace a low blow and cracked him in the head with the Beelzebutt. Shean used a ladder to climb onto the roof of the cage. Ace threw the ladder aside and scaled the 20-foot cage.to run Shean off the roof. Shean flipped in midair and landed on the bed of the ring truck below. 

Ace climbed down and said something to Christopher, who was lying motionless on the bed of the truck. He embraced his wife and son.  Ace was crying as he left the scene with his family. 

To call it a war is barely scratching the surface. They were taking big bumps on an old ring with wafer-thin padding. I could hear the ring boards on every impact. The spot where they went through the side of the cage looked spectacular. Of course the truck was gimmicked with a crash pad. It was a hell of a risky stunt regardless and had some fans shrieking out of fear.  Christopher landed it perfectly. As to the story, Ace's emotional state was no gimmick. The match symbolized so much. I loved that Donnie called it right down the middle. Trace turning against Shean and showing loyaltyto his parents was a great moment and got the loudest reaction of the match.