SHW 68- Canton on November 8

From Larry Goodman: SHW 68 was a banger of a follow up to Still Here.  After 5+ years, SHW owner Gary Lamb had his first official wrestling ...

From Larry Goodman:

SHW 68 was a banger of a follow up to Still Here. 

After 5+ years, SHW owner Gary Lamb had his first official wrestling match -- a Canton Streetfight. Gary got his ass kicked. Everyone in the match got their asses kicked. It was violent. It was fun. And it had the big moments and cataclysmic conclusion booker Dylan Frymyer excels at providing.

Photos by Peter Sigmund

If you came looking for great wrestling, this show had it. Newly crowned SHW Champion Joe Black and Jackson Drake may have stolen the show in the opening match and this card was stacked with talent and story developments in abundance throughout the night. 

I'm reluctant to read much into the rock bottom attendance number of 231 because the November show is historically the low water mark of the year for SHW. I did expect Lamb in the ring opposite EY to be a better draw, which may be a matter of timing more than anything else.

Lamb's Facebook post today indicated that he is stepping back to allow SHW "to create an identity outside me." The infrastructure backstage, the production, the talent in the ring are as good or better than they've ever been at SHW. The question mark revolves around promotion. How does SHW fill the void left by the only three time GHW promoter of the year?

(1) Joe Black (with M urder One) defeated Jackson Drake to retain the SHW Championship in 20:42. Drake cut a promo at the benefit show two weeks ago to set this match up. He came to the ring with a toothpick in his mouth and knocked Murder's hat off his head. The guy also has a mouth on him.  Heat was instantaneous. Drake tried and failed to break Black  down with a knuckle lock. Black invoked the name of Jimmy Rave, using one of his signature chain wrestling sequences. Drake said "Who?". Black did a tope into a tornado DDT on the floor. He set Drake and in a chair and took a lap around the ring but Drake rose up with an exploder suplex onto the chair. Drake targeted Joe's arm which became a theme. Drake landed a thudding kick to the chest that got a reaction from the crowd and made Murder wince. Black name-dropped Chip Day on his missile dropkick.  They jockeyed on the ropes to set up a Liger bomb by Joe. Black broke out a ropes walk rana and speared Drake. That was it that but it was not! Drake hit a handspring stunner for a near fall. Drake speared Black but Joe kicked out again. Drake applied a the cross armbreaker. Black amde it to the ropes but his arm was limp. Black somehow summoned up a spear to retain.

A stellar first title defense for Black and Drake looking like a future star. Black made Drake look like a million bucks not that he needed an ounce of help. I loved the way the match was laid out -- technical wrestling mixed with cheap heel tactics by Drake, Joe sprinkling new wrinkles into his offense along with tried and true favorites. Great finishing sequence. About as good as it could get for a match Black was not going to lose. 

Postmatch, Joe said Drake would be gracing our TV screens sooner rather than later. He was a (fellow) Carolina boy he had known since he was 12 who once had a tag team partner named Je'Von Evans. "Get on TV and make some real money." 

Black is a class act. Based on Drake's performance, I do not believe Joe was exaggerating one bit. Drake has the look, size and athletic ability to make it happen.

An ominous video featuring Grayson Pierce was shown on the big screen. Pierce said Warden had already proven Alexander Lev still had followers and Lev was responsible for showing him the way. "I will take a risk on myself for you". 

(2) Nick Halen (Todd Sexton) defeated Aaron Dallas in 9:06. A-Ron's army was out in force. Huge chants during the match. Halen worked over Dallas' leg. AD's comeback was clearly hampered but he spinebustered Halen and had the crowd calling for the Steel Toe. Sexton jumped on the apron. Dallas slugged Todd. Halen  swooped in with a spinning neckbreaker for the three count. 

Nicely done. Dallas could be in for a push. 

After the match -- Halen and Sexton tortured Dallas with a sharpshooter/crossface combo. Kyle Matthews made the save. Segue to the next match...

(3) Kyle Matthews defeated CT Keys (with Todd Sexton & Nick Halen) to retain the JTS Legacy Championship in 9:14. Keys capitalized on the disturbing presence of Sexton and Halen to tee off on Matthews. Kyle responded with a flying body press for a near fall. Right on time, Halen distracted the champion so Keys could Pounce Matthews off the apron into the barricade. Keys punished Matthews with high impact offense. Cool spot where Keys countered a dragon sleeper with an X plex. Matthews applied a crossface. Halen put Key's foot on the ropes while Todd distracted the ref. Keys had Matthews beaten with The Pounce but Halen on the apron. Todd pulled Halen down. Keys was like "WTF?" and ate a Slurpee Kick from Matthews. 

Post-match -- Halen and Keys were at each other's throats. Sexton had to play peacemaker. Dallas hit the ring with a 2x4 to save Matthews from further abuse. 

 A more than solid title defense for Matthews with intriguing story advancement. 

(4) Owen Knight defeated the debuting Jay Lucas in 8:38. A babyface match. Lucas got a surprisingly strong reaction coming through the curtain. Crowd was  split throughout but more vocal for Lucas. Fast-paced back and forth to open. Funny spot where Knight agreed with the crowd on his chop being weak so he lit Lucas up. Lucas turned Knight inside out with a lariat. Knight evaded Jay's double stomp off the top and superkicked him for a 2.99 might have actually been 3 near fall. Lucas escaped Clock Out. They seesawed pin attempts until Knight came out on top. 

Grayson Pierce attacked the competitors to spoil a heart-warming show of sportsmanship. He laid Lucas out with a sick double stomp. Knight tried to help Lucas up but Jay blew him off thinking he was the culprit. 

I'd say Lucas has a future here. Pierce made a physical statement to back up the video.

A video package depicted how Kenway was looking for payback on Xander Seabolt for a backstage attack that cost Hierarchy a legit shot at the tag team championship.

(5) Xander Seabolt (with ChaynMale) defeated The Kenway via DQ when Grappler #2 punched Seabolt at 3:50. Kenway out for revenge and getting it. A fans called for Kenway to "Twist them titties!" Good idea. Maybe next time. Kenway was pissed about the DQ. He got clocked by Grappler #1. Murder One tried to make the save but the number game got to him. Black hit the ring with a steel chair and the Graps bailed.

By the numbers stuff not that there's anything wrong with that. 

Murder One asked the crowd how they felt about Grapplers and received 100% agreeance they sucked and were hated. Murder proposed a Fans Bring the Weapons Match for the next show and encouraged the sickos to get right, go into the lab and create the craziest weapons they could think of. 

Murder cut the perfect promo to rally the SHW troops to come out for the December show.

(6) The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) defeated Lost Brothers (Alexander Lev & The Warden) in 15:36. "This is my Warden and we are family," Lev explained. Infantry cleaned Lev's clock. 

...Until Lev knocked Bravo off the apron into Warden's waiting arms and bear-hugged him into the post. Both Infantry members were subjected to isolation plays. Lev hit a Styles Clash on Bravo but Dean broke up the pin. Lost Brother collided and Infantry tandem stomped Warden into oblivion.

The match was fine. It got over and everyone looked good. Lev was a bumping fool. The spot where Warden rammed Bravo into the post looked great. They could have cut some time given what the main event was going to be. Don't mind me. I always find a reason to cut time somewhere.

Bravo promo. Carlie explained why he didn't go after the  SHW Championship when he won the RumbleJack and Infantry chose to focus on the tag team championship to show what SHW was all about. No need to earn anything, the door was open to any team in Georgia, the USA or alien life. 

A gloriously entertaining promo. More importantly, Bravo put the promotion and the SHW Tag Team Championship over.

A video recap got across the epic nature of the feud between EY and Lamb.

(7) Canton Streetfight: Exotic Youth (Zach Mosley & Cornelius Pepperbottom) defeated Gunner Miller & Gary Lamb in 13:17. Gunner beat the living shit out of EY. He literally destroyed a kendo stick on Mosley. Zach's back was swollen up with welts. Peps threw a mass of powder into Gunner's face to turn the match around.

Mosley beat hell out of Gary, while Peps kept Gunner out of the ring. Lamb caught hell from EY with a fresh kendo stick. A paddleball racket was in play. EY handcuffled Gary to the ropes and spanked him with a belt. "He must have been a bad boy" said a bright light in the crowd. Lamb got free of the cuffs which was not supposed to happen. That did not end well for Gary. 

EY put Gunner's head on a cinder block and tried for a tandem double stomp. Miller escaped and wasted Mosley with a Jackhammer. Bryce Cannon made his return  with a fraternity paddle of death for Gunner and Mosley pinned him.

Matt Griffin appeared onstage doing a derisive, unenthused "Gary! Gary!" chant. Miller speared Lamb. He was dead six ways from Sunday.  Soon as the initial shock subsided, the crowd pelted the ring with trash. Frymyer and the loyal babyface rushed into the ring while Griffin and Miller embraced onstage. End of show.

 A match filled with magical moments and others that were comical at a whole 'nother level. What better time for Bryce Cannon to make his return. Feels like Gunner has a new lease on his SHW life. Gunner's spear on Lamb was shock and awe. He was swinging for the fences with that kendo stick. The powder spot was visual perfection. Extra point for EY's use of a paddleball racket as a weapon.

NOTES: SHW returns to the Action Building on December 6...Sal Rinauro is recovering well from injury and joined Brandon Benefield and Gerard Bonner on commentary...Diana Michel was the ring announcer par excellence...David Weakley, Paul Santa and an uber authoritative Jeremie Prater were the officials...Impak Palmer and DeMaraie Roberson-Nettles on the rover cameras.