Photos by Bob McAteer From Larry Goodman: Pro Wrestling Aggression's Destiny was a quality show in search of an audience. The card was ...
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| Photos by Bob McAteer |
From Larry Goodman:
Pro Wrestling Aggression's Destiny was a quality show in search of an audience. The card was headlined by GWH Male Performer of the Year Alexander Lev challenging Thom Latimer for the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship, the first NWA World title match to take place in Georgia since December 2021 (Trevor Murdoch (c) vs. Mike Knox).
Destiny had Good matches up and down the card. The problem was the subdued atmosphere.
Attendance at the Royston Dome was 80, which is less than Squared Circle Action has been drawing lately for their weekly Friday night shows in the same venue.
The commentary team was John Johnson and Blake Blackwell. Dee Byers and Paul Santa officiated. Jason Boyd was the ring announcer.
Former NWA Women's World Champion Kamille was introduced to the audience before the opening match. She watched the entire show while doing what she could to stay warm in cold building.
(1) Kyle Matthews defeated Jackson Drake in 12:50. Matthews stepped into the spot vacated by the NWA's Alex Misery. Matthews taking on the WWE ID prospect made the match more interesting to this writer and was everything needed from an opener in terms of clear babyface/heel dynamic and good wrestling.
Matwork early. Matthews fell for Drake's handshake offer. Drake targeted Kyle's arm and got nasty. Matthews turned Drake inside out with a clothesline. Both were down after Matthews' tornado DDT. Matthews rallied big time. Drake headbutted Matthews' in the groin and blamed it on being sweaty. Drake tried to submit Matthews with an ankle lock. Twice, Matthews escaped. Drake locked it in center ring and it looked like third time was the charm, but Matthews reversed out of the ankle lock and rolled Drake up.
JJ exited the broadcast booth to do a classic managerial intro for GWH Rookie of the Year nominee Spiiral DeSilva (aka Lucas DeSilva) touting his shoot amateur credentials. He also made light of ring announcer Boyd's attire. Part of the gimmick is DeSilva's ring.
(2) Spiiral DeSilva (with John Johnson) defeated Warden in 9:08. This match was an interesting experiment in casting against type. DeSilva has wrestling in his blood. He's a cousin of the CZW Spiral, now deceased. Warden is good hand who gets around. He dwarfed DeSilva. Warden got off to fast start. DeSilva worked over the big man's knee. Warden rallied and hit a diving headbutt. DeSilva got a foreign object out of his corner. Ref took it away. JJ tossed the ring to DeSilva and out go the lights for Warden. I am so over that finish.
(3) Seth Delay & "The Quad" Brett BuffShay (with Quad Cutie Christy) defeated Christian Taylor & Austin Thorne in 10:15. Buffshay is based in Georgia but is quite the traveler. His gimmick struck me as a derivation of The Outrunners. Taylor and Thorne were the villians. Taylor got into it with Christy. Thorne took advantage of the distraction and started heat on Buffshay. Delay's hot tag was fire.
He had Thorne pinned with the Kool Krusher but Taylor broke it up. The bad guys hit a top rope lariat combo on Delay and BuffShay made the save. Delay pinned Taylor with a northern missile dropkick. Hard to believe Delay turns 40 this year.
(4) "The Wild Thing" Stevie Ray Frost defeated AJ Black in 10 minutes. This is the best version of Stevie Ray Frost. Authentically creepy. He meshes with AJ like butter. The dueling chants was interesting. Black got a big near fall with a frog splash. Frost crotched Black on the top rope and beat him with an twisting avalanche power slam with a twist. Run this match back.
Lev was interviewed by Blackwell. Lev said going for the 10 pound of gold was the undoubtedly the biggest match of his career and harkened to the NWA Champions that influenced him to become a pro wrestler -- AJ Styles, Steve Corino and Raven. Latimer regarded him as not being in his stratosphere. "Win, lose or draw, I am in your stratosphere. I am faithful."
(5) Nick Halen & Billy Buck & Joey Hyder defeated The Hierarchy (Murder One & Joe Black & The Kenway) in 11:40. Good match, not the moon and the stars but everyone involved came across well. Hyden was not on the same page with Halen and Buck to be consistent with the main angle at SFCW but it wasn't a big thing. After a killer sequence of destruction by the Hiearchy, wouldn't you know it? They screwed at the very end. Kenway tried to pin Hyder but was not the legal man and Halen won the match with a top rope elbow drop.
(6) Thom Latimer defeated Alexander Lev to retain the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship in 15:07. Latimer looks every bit the part of an old style NWA World Champion from the territory era. Crowd was close to 100% pro Lev. They shook hands at the bell. Lev was being overpowered until he went aerial to get some offense in, but his springboard crossbody came up empty.
Latimer dished out punishment. He grounded Lev and locked in a sleeper. Lev's arm went down but not the third time. On the outside, Lev went for broke and crashed hard into the barricade. Lev got up with his face covered in blood. The crowd chanted "Faithful". Latimer called on Lev to give it up. "You don't want this mate". Lev continued to fight up from underneath. Latimer said have it your way. Lev rallied with a pedigree for a two count on the champion. Kamille started vocally supporting her husband. Referee Dee Byers got squashed in the corner and went down. Latimer gave Lev a piledriver. Byers was in no shape to count Latimer's pin attempt.
Referee Paul Santa hit the ring to make the count. Lev rolled a shoulder at the last split second. Lev went for desperation Pedigree, couldn't hit it and Latimer ended him with a sitout powerbomb.
Latimer and Lev displayed sportsmanship and mutual respect after the match.
The match delivered. Latimer is a formidable physical specimen and was the embodiment of a traveling NWA World Champion from the territory days. Lev was great in the role of the underdog babyface. They milked about as much drama as possible out of a match Lev had no realistic chance of winning.
NOTES: A return date for Pro Wrestling Aggression was not announced. Ring announcer Boyd said to check PWA's social media for updates...Nick McDaniel and Myron Fancher of the Tapped Out Podcast Network were in the house.
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