Attendance was 350 paid, almost double the company's previous paid attendance record for Forever Pro's debut event in Calhoun in May 2024.
Forever Pro brings different performers and a style unlike what Rome has been exposed to in the past. Given NAWA Classics' difficulties the town is Forever Pro's for the taking.
As fantastic as the ladder match was on every level, there's work to be done if Forever Pro is to be a long-term success in Rome. The pacing was lousy. The show ran three and half hour long with only the main event being longer 10 minutes. The intermission lasted 45 minutes. The lighting in the Palladium building is dim and unflattering. The pre-show match went into the ring at bell time and did not likely make a great first impression for new fans.
Damon Stryker won a scramble match over Lamar Diggs and AWOL and Keelin Cole and CB 4Three and JDR and Troy Carter and Coyote Sandstorm and Kode Brian. Countless finishers and pin attempts being broken up. One of these dudes did the most hopelessly screwed-up topes in Georgia wrestling history. Cole overshot a tornillo dive but lived to fight the next night at RIPW :). Ring announcer Ring announcer Salem Alexander's handling of the intros was one of the most impressive things about the match.
Commissioner Rocky Shaw said Forever Pro was planting their flag in Rome and put the talent over. Shaw introduced the competitors in the ladder match: Nothing but love for Kevin Ryan and hatred for Chris Crunk. The crowd was pro Black and liked Skrilla the Great, who has history in Rome from his run at KLT/NAWA Classic. Chayn Male got nuclear heat as soon as he grabbed the mic. He touted Terry Yaki as the new generation of innovation.
Shaw's popularity in Rome makes him a logical pick for GM, replacing temporary GM Ben Thrasher who parted ways with Forever Pro in November. I don't know what it was about Chayn Male but these people instantaneously despised him.
All hell broke loose. Nawfside Heroes hit the ring and joined Yaki in attacking Black. Wrestlers spilled out of the dressing room area to separate Ryan and Crunk who were brawling their way back to the dressing room. Nawfside and Yaki wrapped a chair around Black's head and Pillmanized his neck. Shortly thereafter, an ambulance entered the building the garage door, lights flashing. EMTs loaded Black onto a backboard and he was wheeled into the ambulance.
(1) Warden defeated Walker 13 (with Andrew Bates) in 9:52. The crowd got behind Warden and more into it match the longer it went. Bates got on the apron with Warden's motorcycle helmet. Walker and Bates collided. Warden hit a double jump Vader Bomb for the three count.
Good hoss fight. Lots of crude brutality. Bates has a very punchable face.
(2) Cody Fluffman defeated D'Angelo in 10 minutes. Kids were squealing for Fluff. He entertained another new audience with all of his signature spots. D'Angelo has charisma and an interesting look. His ringwork left something to be desired. Fluffman pinned D'Angelo with a Vader bomb style elbow drop.
Fluffman said Forever Pro was one of his last Georgia matches and highlighted the opportunity he received through pro wrestling (Fluffman will be touring full-time with the Savannah Bananas during the 2025 season). Fluff showed respect for D'Angelo and tried to light a fire under the kid.
Fluffman's act has been one of my favorite things about Georgia wrestling over the past two years. He's earned every bit of the success he's attained.
Shane Oakley made an unadvertised return to Forever Pro and launched into a spiel that was not on ring announcer Kyle Charisma's run sheet. Oakley issued an open challenge.
(3) "Heartless" Shane Oakley defeated Mondo Malenko via submission in around 2:30. Malenko was some greenhorn under a mask. He was horrible. The segment was a waste of time. Oakley landed a clothesline to the nipples and choked Malenko out. Oakley proclaimed the obvious. "I'm back."
File this match under perverse wrestling entertainment.
(4) Nawfside Heroes (Jose Manuel & Shoota Gabe with Chayn Male) defeated Dark Passion Assassins (Ichiban & Dante Darko with Stella Randy) and Eddie Hindrixx & Jay Tyler in 8:53. Chayn Male got molten heat. As soon as he picked up the mic, the crowd chanted "shut the fuck up." He did not endear himself to Romans by saying he'd never seen so much inbred white trash in one place.
Nawfside hit topes in stereo. DPA got on a roll of synchronized tandem offense. Ichiban hit Scarlett Overdrive on Manuel for a near fall. Darko took a swanton bomb bump. Hindrixx german suplexed Darko clean across the ring. That got a reaction. Tyler hit a Silver King dive. DPA had the match won but Manuel broke up the pin. Stella Randy got in the ring. Chayn Male knocked her down. Ichiban teed off on Chayn Male for putting hands on his woman. Who said chivalry was dead? Gabe clipped Ichiban's knee and rolled him up.
Fast-paced, action-packed with more hits than misses. A good choice to take the show into the break.
The 45 minute intermission happened. Yes, there was some merch being sold and concessions business but no long lines or anything to explain why it went on forever.
(5) Jazzy Yang defeated Eden Monroe in 8:35. "The Southeast Artiste" referred to the crowd as uncultured, uneducated swine. Monroe scored a takedown and took a bow. Monroe was getting heat. Jazzy hit spinning headscissors. Eden answered with hangman's neckbreaker and heeled. Crowd chanted for Jazzy. Yang's comeback peaked with a flying body press for a close near fall. Monroe cut Yang off with sitout choke bomb for two. A strike exchange led to a ref bump and visual near fall for Monroe with a phantom driver. Yang escaped Monroe's encore attempt at her finisher and got the three count with a shining wizard.
Good match, maybe the second best on the show. I was looking forward to seeing Monroe perform live and she did not disappoint. Monroe has a fully developed character and can work. Has the confidence not to rush and allow things to sink in to maximize the dramatic impact. Yang elevated her game for the occasion.
(6) Zach Dye defeated Steven Michaels in 10:45. Dye had a beer in his corner. Michaels gave his flask to the referee for safe keeping. This was a physical mismatch. Dye is normal sized human being. Michaels is a beast. He beat the living shit out of Dye. About halfway through, a young girl in the front row shouted "this is boring". She was not wrong. Michaels took it out on Dye with wicked powerbombs. The match was getting appreciably more interesting. Dye mounted a courageous underdog comeback and went toe-to-toe with Michaels. As Michaels had Dye mounted on his shoulder for his finisher, Dye wriggled free and rolled him up.
Michaels nixed Dye's offer of a beer toast but bumped his flask instead.
This was an OK match but a tough sell at this point in the evening.
(7) Joe Black defeated Terry Yaki (with Chayn Male) and Kevin Ryan and Chris Crunk and Skrilla the Great in a ladder match to become the inaugural Forever Pro Champion (around 23 minutes). Crowd was amped. Ryan was super over. Crunk was loathed. Yaki got the rub from off the extreme hatred for Chayn Male. They liked Skrilla but he was clearly second fiddle babyface to Ryan.
Two 10 foot ladders were set up at ringside. Yaki brought a ladder in and teamed up with Crunk to level Skrilla with the ladder. Ryan put both heels down with a missile dropkick into the ladder. Ryan hit a coast-to-coast missile dropkick on Crunk. Yaki gave Ryan a piledriver to cool his jets. Skrilla was first to climb for the belt, cut off by Crunk. Ryan took a shot at climbing. Yaki brought him down with a springboard dropkick. The heels teamed up to control the match, then the babyfaces did likewise. Ryan and Skrilla attempted to put Crunk and Yaki through doors set up in opposite corners with stereo destroyers. Skilla's door didn't bust so he got the job done with a spear. Ryan and Skrilla simultaneously climbed for the belt and almost got to it before the heels tipped the ladder over. Yaki superkicked Crunk. So much for honor among thieves. Ryan landed his Orihara turnbuckle moonsault on all three opponents for the first "holy shit" chant of the match. With the ladders set side-by-side, all four climbed and crashed to the mat on stereo cutter from the top rungs of the ladder. Crowd started a "Kevin Ryan, Fuck Chris Crunk" chant. Yaki went wild. He did a Sabu tribute by running up a ladder for a psychotic flip dive to the floor, then put Ryan through a door bridge on the floor with a slingshot springboard destroyer that had to been to be believed. Skrilla took Yaki out with phantom driver through a door. Chayn Male tried to stop Skrilla from climbing the ladder and ate a sling blade for his troubles. Crunk wasted Skrilla with a chair.
Crunk constructed the most bizarre structure I've seen used any type of match. It consisted of a small ladder bridged between the tall ladders with two doors and a chair stacked on top. Crunk and Ryan scaled the tall ladder and Ryan used a tombstone piledriver that sent the entire structure and both wrestlers crashing to the mat. Ryan was still in one piece and had a clean shot to get the belt. Nawfside Heroes hit the ring and annihilated Ryan to pave the way for Yaki to get to the title.
An ambulance pulled into the garage bay. The crowd exploded when Joe Black emerged. He fought his way through Chayn Male, Nawfside and Yaki to climb the ladder and pull down the belt. The crowd was going crazy during all of this and broke into a massive "Joe" chant in celebration.
With a field of four fearless daredevils, all with significant experience in this type of craziness, the match was in good hands. The finish was one for the ages.
NOTES: Josh Cox was the referee for all seven matches...Rob Weather did solo commentary after making his commentating debut for Pro Wrestling Adrenaline in Byhalia, MS the night before alongside partner Carmen Michael...Jimmy Yang Andrew Alexander and Jason Hampton were among those in the house. Hampton is recovering well from the broken leg he suffered at Forever Pro's October show in Rome...Golden Boy Academy trainees Cody McHale, Zach Riley and Kory James were in attendance and confirmed they are no longer working for NAWA Classic.
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