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| Photos by Gina Jones |
Cameron Keast is the new ProSouth Champion and more improbably, the first double Grand Slam Champion in ProSouth history. Keast's quest to be free of the psychological and physical bondage he has been subjected to for months at the hands of former protoges Caeden Ooten and Harley Haven ended in a compelling and satisfying moment of triumph.
Ayden Andrews and Christian Pierce were as outstanding in their table match as they have been week in and week out, though some fans in the building were vocal about their unhappiness with the inconclusive finish.
The heavily promoted gimmick matches, Unchained and Crosswire were both won by Commission stooges and turned out to be building blocks for the real blockbuster match, Caged Warfare announced for control of the company in the Valentine's Day.
The crowd was on fire for the Crosswire match. Ace Haven is now 0-6 in Crosswire matches. Brother Azriel failed to regain and Julius Pryor failed to attain the All-Out Championship in Unchained which remains in the grips of the Commission's Small-Out Champion Jake Franklin.
The ProSouth roster gave it their all to put on the best show possible at ProSouth's 16th anniversary event. Anniversary XVI wasn't at the level of last year's SuperShow, nor was it ProSouth's best show of 2024. That honor goes to Uprising. As ProSouth has done throughout the back half of the year. They made the most out of limited resources. Perhaps the came out of it with some momentum going into the new year.
The sight and sound of a full house at the ProSouth Palace was heartening. It makes a huge difference in how the product comes across on the livestream.
They had a new intro video for the occasion.
(1) Jake Franklin defeated former champion Brother Azriel and Julius Pryor and Joe Wood and The Commission (represented by Alexander Lincoln and Tsunami with Douglas Sanders & Patrick Gilbert) to retain the All-Out (aka Small-Out) Championship in 16:32. Shattles explained the rules: two wrestlers start with a competitor handcuffed to each of the four turnbuckle posts. A competitor is unchained at the three minute mark and every two minute thereafter. Eliminations by pinfall or submission.
A fair amount of perverse entertainment value here. Wood walking into spots like Frankenstein's monster...Tsunami getting but one foot on Wood's back on the hang 10 spot...Darkthorne's "eyes of hawk, teeth of a beaver" line for Jake. Az was kept strong and Pryor's stereo kick spot looked fantastic. Wood is more over by the week. As ridiculous as the finish was, it fit the story and Franklin is clearly relishing the role of the Small-Out Champion.
Wicked compared the brother vs brother action in pro wrestling to Shakespeare only less violent. Ethan escaped Aaron's TKO and superkicked his brother.Ethan broke out a buckshot lariat, good for one count only. Crowd got behind Ethan as Aaron had him in a Boston crab. Aaron was measuring Ethan for stiff shots. Ethan fired back in kind. Aaron tried to bully Ethan by repeatedly pie facing him. Ethan rallied hard.
Ethan said "you made me do this, I love you" and hit a Last Call for a near fall. Ethan was poised to deliver a Hidden Blade but hesitated when Aaron begged off. Aaron started crying and motioned like he wanted a hug, then booted his brother with the Steel Toe for the three count.
They're not tipping their hand about where this story is headed and that's keeping this things interesting. Working a program with his brother is a positive for Ethan's progress in the ring. He did a much better job of laying his stuff in than in his previous ProSouth appearances.
Video package preceded each of the matches that followed.
(3) The tables match between Christian Pierce and Ayden Andrews was ruled a draw at 17:11. Wicked was on pins and needles because both these men were his guys. At the bell, they both dove out of the ring to look for a table. Pierce found a table but neither wrestler could gain control of it. At ringside, Andrew laid some kidney shots on Pierce. Andrews propped the table up against the ring post and tried to suplex Pierce into it but Pierce reversed it with a brutal suplex on the floor. They fought into the crowd. Pierce was yelling at fans to move but they weren't moving. With Andrews standing on a chair, Pierce clotheslined him over the barricade back into the ringside area. Andrews took a flat back bump on the concrete, landing with a sickening thud. Back inside, Andrews slipped out of the Gallows and hit two flying knees on the button, the second one sending Pierce out of the ring. Andrews tried to german suplex Pierce on the floor. Pierce went to standing switch and ran Andrews into the post. Back inside, Pierce hit a trifecta of german suplexes. Andrews answered with a german of his own.
The crowd started chanting "we want tables". Pierce hit the Gallows and set the table up inside the ring. Andrews tried for Nail In the Coffin and got powerbombed by Pierce. Andrews did a number on Pierce's knee and was set to put him through the table with Nail In the Coffin. Wicked Nemesis ran into the ring from his announce position to put a stop to it. Andrews decked Wicked. They jockeyed for position on the top rope and simultaneously crashed through the table. Some disgruntled fans chanted "bullshit" when the draw was announced.
Another savage and extremely physical match between these two. I didn't mind the finish because it kept the most vital in-ring feud ProSouth has going alive. It's a sign of modern day pro wrestling that fans are so used to wrestlers brawling in the crowd that they didn't move even when told to do so.
(4) Donnie Primetime defeated Brandon Whatley two out of three falls in 21:28. After being beaten to a pulp for several minutes, Primetime ducked a clothesline and rolled Whatley up at 4:52. Primetime took a gnarly landing on Whatley's Samoan drop. Could have messed him up bad. Whatley planted Primetime on the apron with the Bottomless Pit. Primetime narrowly beat the 10 count and was a sitting duck for Whatley's vaunted scissors kick to take the second fall in 5:35. Primetime was staggering like his legs were gone. Donnie connected with a bullseye of a frog splash. They both sold the damage huge. Crowd was chanting for Donnie as Whatley was thrashing him with roundhouse kicks to the chest. Primetime fired up. A series of withering blows dropped Whatley to his knees. Whatley implored Primetime to finish him. Moments later, Primetime nailed Whatley with a shining wizard to the back of the head and pinned him.
Like their previous encounters during this feud, it was a good match and at the same time disappointing. Third fall was better but it still never kicked into the high gear both of these men are fully capable of attaining. It was weird the match even happened given Primetime said his contract was up and walked out on his verbal confrontation with Whatley last week.
(5) Scott Spade (with Patrick Gilbert) defeated Ace Haven in a Crosswire Match to retain the YouTube Championship in 11:57. Spade superkicked Amy before the bell and immediately tried to climb for the wires. Ace cut Spade off and got jumped by Gilbert. Ace decked Gilbert.
Several attempts to use the cables to get to the belt did not end well for either man. Most notably, Ace's attempt to spring from leap from the turnbuckles to the X where the cables cross. He had the distance but he lost his grip and crashed hard to the mat.
Ace took Gilbert out with a tope as Spade stepped aside. Spade backdropped Ace over the barricade. Back inside the ring, Spade got on Gilbert's shoulder for a boost and shimmied down the cable towards the title. Amy gave Gilbert a low blow and got knocked down by Spade trying to stop him. Spade was in a helpless position when Ace brought him off the cable with an Ace cutter. Gilbert summoned the Commission. Ace met them with a round of Ace cutters but was eventually pinned in the corner by the entire lot of them. Primetime came to Ace's rescue but got planted by Lincoln. Spade unhooked the belt and dropped to the mat before Ace could get to him.
As noted above, the crowd was hyped to the max for this match and it was exciting. Spade going over with the help of the Commission was the only finish that made sense since creative is bound and determined to see this storyline through to Valentine's Day. It struck me that being a firefighter as a shoot job was a good way for Spade to stay in shape for pro wrestling. The Crosswire illusion was broken any time they went to a shot of a Spade or Ace hanging from the wires because the cables had so much give they weren't that far off the mat. That said, Ace took a brutal bump on spot where his hands slipped off the wires.
Amy said she had been on the phone with Gilbert's boss and announced Gilbert's team vs. her team in Caged Warfare at Valentine's Day Massacre (February 14) for control of company. The crowd went bananas.
(6) Cameron Keast defeated "Sleazy C" Caeden Ooten (with Harley Haven) via submission to win the ProSouth Championship in 13:46. C attacked Keast before the bell. They brawled in the seating area for several minutes. Keast gave a nod to Tyler Cullprett and the League of Terribles era by using a Raindrop. Back inside the barricade, Keast handcuffed Harley to the ringpost and the match was finally officially underway.
An amazingly well laid out match which was the perfect closing chapter to the incredible arc of this story.. So many call back to the key elements and stars from ProSouth's past. The symbolism in the finish -- Keast and Ooten being handcuffed together -- blew my mind. Keast brought his A game and he had a great athlete for an opponent game to get the best out of him.
Postmatch, Keast hauled Harley over to where Ooten was sitting dejected in middle of the ring and returned the Kids of Keast leader mask to him. Keast left the ring to celebrate with the fans and embrace Ace and Amy. Keast returned to the ring to do his signature slide. The babyface wrestlers came out from the dressing room to applaud Keast and put him on their shoulders. Fade to black.
The high emotions, the feelings of elation that permeated the building after the match rang true. Maybe part of it was the recognition something remarkable had been achieved through group effort. He was not in the match that bore the name but it was Keast that was ultimately unchained.
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