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| Photo by Julie Puckett |
Bullpen Pro Wrestling crowned their inaugural Light Heavyweight Champion Saturday night in Villa Rica. It was none other than Frankie Valentine who defeated Kyle Matthews in an outstanding two out of three falls match to break the tie in their two out of three series.
Other than the main event, this show was an all out effort to build up the December 7 event in Temple, which will be the biggest show in Bullpen's six months in existence. On that score, this was an outstanding show.
Owner Bull Buchanan announced the December 7 show will be headlined by Krule vs. Judias to crown the Bull of the Woods Champion as the company's main title will be known.
Bull is coming out of retirement to go inside a steel cage against Brad Lynch, the man who sent Bull's son Zack out of the building on a stretcher last night and has gone around for 10 years claiming he retired Bull.
Son Zack Buchanan will be in a hair vs. mask match with Super Destroyer. If that wasn't gimmick matches enough, the TV title will be on the line in a bullrope match.
Attendance at World Changer's International Church Gym was 275. It is a smaller venue than any Bullpen had run previously. Almost every seat was full. They couldnt get the Temple Rec Center because it was already booked.
The West Georgia area is having a banner year in 2024. Bullpen, Premier and New Legacy have all been drawing well. They're sharing talent and avoiding running the same dates.
Bull opened the show. He is super popular with the Bullpen fan base, a man of his people. His announcement of the Judais/Krule match for December 7 got the crowd buzzing. Bull said if the mask came off of Brad Lynch tonight, he was going to jail.
(1) J-Rod vs. TV Champion Sean Nelson was ruled a double count out at 6:45. This match got the show off to a rip roaring start. The blows were making legit contact such that the crowd could hear them landing. J-Rod was on fire. The crowd was split. The action spilled out of the ring. J-Rod went over the barricade. Nelson used the barricade for a draping DDT on J-Rod. After the bell for the count out, J-Rod used a chair on Nelson. A squad of guys came running from the back to pull them apart.
J-Rod said Nelson like to played on the computer in his momma's basement talking shit online. He was tired of him running. Since this was Bullpen Pro Wrestling, he was challenging Nelson to a bullrope match for December 7. Bull made the match. The crowd approved
(2) Brady Booker & Eddie Honcho defeated Chris Kamikaze & Dante Diamond (with Cowboy Johnny Brown) in 13:29. Booker in the ring against Diamond was the visual mismatch of the century. Booker, a former NXT talent and D1 linebacker is a major league physical specimen. He was bursting with energy and did a great job of engaging the crowd. Honcho is as unorthodox as the come and underappreciated as a worker. It was good match when Kamikaze was in against either one of them. Honcho took heat. Brown is no spring chicken. He interfered as best he could.
After taking the hot tag, Booker flattened Diamond with three leaping splashes. Honcho pounced Kamikaze out of the ring. Booker speared Diamond for the win and holy shit, it was the most impressive spear I've seen in Georgia wrestling all year. Diamond was hurting for real.
Honcho gave Diamond a stinkface after the match. There was dissension in the Johnny Brown's camp.
(3) Shane Noles defeated the masked Mr. B via submission in 12:33 with The Mercenary as the special referee. Noles got a healthy pop. The former Peach State Wrestling promoter was making his Bullpen debut. Mr. B is a hated man in these parts. He was so brazen as to wear a "BL" t-shirt. Mr. B said since it was Thanksgiving season, the fans should be thankful they got to see him and he was thankful he didn't look like some of "you people".
The cowardly Mr. B claimed conspiracy and tried to bail on the match but Mercenary threw him back in the ring. Every time Noles went for the mask, Mr. B would slip away. Mr. B poked Noles in the eyes and choked him with his wrist tape. He got in Mercenary's face and Mercenary shoved him away. Noles got a sleeper hold applied. Mr. B tried to use the ropes to force Noles to break the hold but Mercenary wouldn't allow it, and Noles put Mr. B to sleep.
Postmatch, Noles sang "Mr. Sandman" as he removed Mr. B's mask revealing what everybody already knew. Lynch ran out the front door before Bull and the babyfaces could get to him to have him arrested.
Noles thanked the Bullpen fans for making him feel at home. Bull told Noles he would be bringing him back.
Intermission (LONG) -- All of the fans that purchased the $25 Superfan pass were invited into the ring with Bull and his massive trainee Lambo. The intermission concluded with shenanigans in the ring involving Cowboy Johnny Brown, his nephew Cowboy Woody, Diamond and Valentine. Woody got one over on Johnny. I wasn't paying close attention but whatever this was seemed amateurish compared to the rest of the show.
(4) The Standard (AJ Black & Jaden Vain) defeated Wonder Boyz (Aaron Dallas & Ethan Dallas) to become the number one contenders for the Bullpen Tag Team Championship (13:56). Aaron got slew of two counts on Vain with pinning combinations in the opening minute. Ethan and Black got into a fast-paced exchange to a stand off. The Standard isolated Aaron. He made a one against two comeback. Aaron's overhead belly to belly left both men down. Tags made. Ethan ran wild. Ethan went for a moonsault when his target (Vain) was so long gone from the spot looked ridiculous. Black dove off the stage to break up a Wonder Boyz double team. Back inside, Vain used spinning back fist and a codebreaker to pin Aaron. Ethan's going to be good once he add some size and starts laying his stuff in. AD was clearly a level above the other people in the match.
The postmatch was all mutual respect and sportsmanship between the two teams.
(5) Zack Buchanan defeated Michael Stevens via DQ in 6:35. This was a good match. They were just starting to cook when Super Destroyer spoiled it by interfering. Destroyer had a razor and cut a few of Zack's locks before heading to a side door with Stevens.
Zack said Destroyer wasn't too happy that he took his mask (at the last show) and he wasn't too happy Destroyer took his hair, so on December 7 it would be hair vs. mask.
Lynch attacked Zack from behind and spiked him with a DDT. Zack sold it like death. He was motionless as his father and a cast of thousands came into the ring to tend to him. Lynch was long gone. A table was used a makeshift stretcher and Zack was carried out.
Bull was livid. Said he'd brought people into Bullpen that he didn't agree with but he never booked Lynch, who had been running around for 10 years claiming he retired him. Bull said he had no business getting in the ring but he could still fight. He challenged Lynch to stee cage match on December 7 and if Lynch didn't show up he'd have him arrested.
(6) Frankie Valentine (with Tweety) defeated Kyle Matthews two out of three falls to become the inaugural Bullpen Light Heavyweight Champion (17:26). Matthews had a heelish attitude. He had some crowd support but this is Valentine country. Match was all grappling early. Valentine got a near fall with a sunset flip and tried for a flying body press but Matthews rolled through to win the first fall at 5:56. Valentine was fighting from underneath for most of the second fall. He was bleeding from nose as Matthews punished him with submissions. They chopped the bejeezus out of each other. A lady in the crowd started losing her shit yelling at Matthews. He leaned into it. Valentine showed incredible fire on his comeback with the crowd chanting his name. He almost pinned Matthews with a flying body press and a satellite Russian leg sweep. They went back and for with pin attempts until Valentine got the three count with an O'Connor roll at 15:25 I think referee Whoric signaled Matthews kicked out but Valentine was announced as the winner of the fall. The momentum had shifted. Valentine won the third fall in short order with a moonsault.
A stellar match between two ring veterans who read each other like a book. The hardway blood added to the drama. Matthews got to show how great he is as heel. The way Valentine emotes when he's selling and his babyface fire are unsurpassed.
Postmatch, Matthews thanked Bullpen for bringing him in for the last three shows. He said and Frankie had know each other for over two decades. He new it was his job to bring out the old Frankie Valentine.
NOTES: Bullpen is running a spot show in Delta AL on November 16 with Booker vs. Super Destroyer and Kamikaze vs. Zack Buchanan along with the debuts of Bullpen Po Wrestling Academy trainees JT Paradox, Damon Thomas and Xavier Cross...Stevens is one of a select few to have wrestled all three Buchanans -- Bull, Ben and Zack...Stan Robinson, Darryl Hall and Zander Whoric were the referees...Jason Boyd was the ring announcer...Billy Knight (Premier) was in the house.
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