Photos by Gina Jones From Larry Goodman: This was a show I was looking past rather than forward to. The Commission vs. Team Haven in Caged W...
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| Photos by Gina Jones |
This was a show I was looking past rather than forward to. The Commission vs. Team Haven in Caged Warfare did not float my boat.
Pro South delivered the match I should have known they would all along -- a six on six War Games filled with twists and turns, callbacks and cameos, the kind of fringe spectacle that keeps a growing number of ProSouth addicts coming back for more.
Christian Pierce won the Grand Prix tournament to become the ProSouth Champion. It had a been a long, arduous climb for Pierce to get to the top of the mountain. Earlier in his career, Pierce was a big-bumping comedy heel, who also had some bumps in the road backstage. At ProSouth, Pierce developed into a serious, gritty, technical worker with a violent streak. His feud with Ayden Andrews was one of the best things about ProSouth Wrestling in 2024. The fans took to him and here we are.
Brandon Whatley became a two-time All-Out Champion, Whatley's first taste of singles gold since losing the ProSouth Championship at the end of 2023.
Chris Crunk scored a big win over Ayden Andrews in the opener. Rising young stars Zack Buchanan and AJ Black turned in a solid TV-style sprint.
By the time intermission rolled around, it was clear Valentine's Day Massacre was some of that good shit regardless of what happened in Caged Warfare.
Wicked Nemesis was in the commentation station along with Mathias Darkthorne who again pulled double duty as ring announcer. Adam Hunter, Jeremy Blackson, Joseph Void and Kevin Tubbs officiated. Videographer Katie Lindsey had her first physical involvement in a match. Congratulations.
Great way to open the show. These guys take too much pride in their work to go out and do anything other. Loved seeing their strong style influence in a ProSouth ring. Crunk has been putting people over. The fact he beat Andrews clean suggests he's sticking around. Nice.
Scott Adams Speaks. After the livestream ended last week, Commission laid a colossal beating on Team Haven. Patrick Gilbert revealed his real name was Scott Adams. Said he was the best man at Ace Haven's wedding and accused Ace of being the real mole in Team Haven. It was a lot to digest.
The former Patrick Gilbert led the Commission to the ring wearing a t-shirt that read "The Best Man Always Wins" on the front and The Mish đŸ’“Larry" on the back. The crowd gave Adams hell. Adams gave it back. Adams said he knew Ace better than anyone, referring to him by his real name (Hugh Batey). He threatened to shut ProSouth down after Commission was victorious in Caged Warfare and invited fans to the demolition.
The Commission feud was going to end tonight. But the Ace Haven/Scot Adams connection gave the story a twisted new direction.
(2) Aiden Pierce defeated X-Alater in 5:21. Darkthorne noted Pierce tried for an Anaconda Vise without softening X-Alater up at all. He brutally necked X-Alater on the middle rope. His draping swinging neckbreaker was something different. Pierce's pumphandle gutbuster hit X-Alater on the chin and he won it with a jumping knee strike.
An OK match for their level of experience. Crowd not feeling it all that much. Aiden was making his second appearance since Young Lion's Cup. X-Alater is a ProSouth Academy trainee with only a handful of matches.
(3) AJ Black defeated Zack Buchanan in 6:48. Wicked informed viewers Black was wearing the last ring jacket West Georgia legend Doug Somers had made. They started with matwork, then transitioned to ringside where Buchanan snap suplexed Black on the floor. AJ gave Buchanan an STO. Back inside and they're stiffing the crap out of each other. Buchanan with a diving European uppercut to the low back for a near fall. Black countered Zack's springboard kick with a swinging neckbreaker for two. Buchanan superplexed Black and hit four consecutive charging European uppercuts. Black used a Dudley Dog to set up his best frog splash in a ProSouth ring.
Big win for Black. Buchanan looks like a star and his workrate is hellacious. And they both sold. Showcasing young wrestlers with this level of in ring ability bodes well for ProSouth.
(4) Brandon Whatley defeated Hunter Hendrix to win the All-Out Championship in 8:18. Hendrix was in a fight for life against the ferocity of his strikes. Hendrix had the crowd behind him as he gamely fought back but he was no match for Whatley's power. Hendrix landed a pair of forearms and hit a famouser. Hendrix tried to lock in his finisher. Whatley reversed into a standing cobra clutch. Hendrix had to use the one ropes break allowed under All-Out rules. Whatley reapplied the hold. Hendrix kicked off the ropes to put Whatley's shoulders on the mat and force him to release his grip. Hendrix went to a spinebuster for a near fall. Hendrix evaded Whatley's scissors kick and tried for his finisher again. Whatley wasn't having it and pinned Hendrix with the Bottomless Pit.
Finishers countered. Spinebuster by Hendrix for two. Hendrix can't hit Gangsters Paradise and Whatley wins the title in decisive manner with the Bottomless Pit.
Nice match. Whatley dominated just enough. I liked how they accentuated the counter moves and didn't rush leading into the finish. This has been a good run for Hendrix. He got over with the ProSouth fans rose to the occasion of having the All-Out Championship thrust upon him. Julius Pryor challenging Whatley for the title is a no-brainer.
(5) Christian Pierce defeated Caeden Ooten (with Harley Haven) to become the ProSouth Champion in 12:50. Mind games and minimal action until Ooten got a near fall with his trademark power suplex. Pierce tried to get something going with a Liger bomb. Ooten cut him off and delivered a Samoan drop for a near fall. Pierce trying to fight up from the bottom and not having much luck. C looking for a bulldog on the apron. Pierce shoved him head-first into the post and Ooten took a flat back bump onto the concrete. Yikes. Pierce moved Harley out of the way to go after Ooten. Harley grabbed Pierce by the leg. Blackson saw what happened and ejected Harley. Ooten counted Pierce's cannonball with a spinning power slam. Pierce countered Loaded Gun Complex with a crossface. Ooten appeared to be fading but suddenly powered out into a roll up. Both down out of strike battle. Pierce hit the cannonball. Ooten blocked Once Bitten, gave Pierce a ripcord punch, a knee to the face and tried to spring off the ropes. Pierce was waiting with Once Bitten to win the title.
A solid title match. They shifted into the higher gear it needed after that crazy spot on the apron. I was struck by how comfortable Harley is now with getting physically involved in matches.
(6) Team Amy (Ace Haven & Amy Haven & Cameron Keast & Donnie Primetime & Justin McKenzie & Julius Pryor) defeated The Commission (Scott Adams & YouTube Champion Scott Spade & Alexander Lincoln & Jake Franklin & Douglas Sanders & Tsunami with Traitor Joe (Wood) in Caged Warfare (48:17). Keast and Douglas started. Keast was bloodied by a shot into the door as opening five minute period expired. Lincoln was next. Ace was supposed to enter after the next two-minute interval. Traitor Joe and his barbed wire bat wouldn't let Ace in the cage and thwarted his attempt to climb inside. Adams entered the cage with the rest of the Commission and it was six against Cam, who was beaten to a pulp.
Primetime couldn't get in the cage either. McKenzie scaled the cage and did a psychotic dive off the top onto the entirety of the Commission, McKenzie took crashed and burned on the follow up and was first to be eliminated after a triple team powerbomb by the Commission at 21:10.
Brother Azriel received a hero's welcome, appearing for the first time in two months, Az slammed Wood's head into the cage and ripped the door off its hinges. The rest of Team Haven piled into the ring. Az ran wild. He hit an Olympic Slam on Lincoln. Keast pinned him at 26:38 and Az dragged Lincoln to the back. Team Haven was in full control. Keast snapped Adams' fingers and had Sanders in the Koji Clutch.nAdams used the chloroform on Keast and he went under at 28:43. Julius Pryor got a huge pop entered as the surprise sixth member of Team Haven. He pinned Franklin with the Shaolin Fists at 31:18 but was quickly pinned by Spade's stunner at 31:51. Adams tried to use the chloroform on Primetime. Donnie kicked Adams in the groin and drank the alleged chloroform. Donnie was about the eliminate Adams with the package piledriver when Spade nailed him with the Copenhagen kick for the pin at 33:14. Ace got on a roll. He fired a chair into Sanders' face to pin him at 34:44. A bloody Joe Wood handed his barbed wire bat to Sanders. As Sanders tried to reenter the cage, camerawomen extraordinaire Katie Lindsey gave him a shot to the ding ding. Brandon Collum made a shocking appearance. He teased going after Ace and Amy before hitting the Neverflo DDT on Spade. Ace swooped in to pin Spade at 36:56.
It was down to Tsunami and Adams vs. The Havens. Adams kicked referee Blackson in the ribs to prevent Tsunami from being pinned. Adam low blowed Ace and pinned him with the End Game at 38:31 with Wood making the count. Wood rammed Blackson into the cage. Traitor Joe was about the put Amy through a table with the Woodchipper when head of security Jamie busted into the ring to save Amy. Wood put Jamie through the table with the Woodchipper.
The crowd was chanting their lungs out for Amy going against Wood, Adams and Tsunami. Wood turned against the Commission. He gave Tsunami the Woodchipper and Amy eliminated Tsunami at 42:50. Lincoln returned to the ring with a steel chair. Adams held brother Joe so Lincoln could brain him with the chair. Lincoln instead gutted Tsunami and Adams with the chair. Adams gave Lincoln a low blow and used the chair on him. The crowd chanted "Queen" as Amy squared off with Adams. He was holding nothing back as he repeatedly gutted Amy with the chair. Wood rose up with a lariat for Adams. Amy grabbed her crown and clobbered Adams, drawing blood. Amy then dug the crown into Adams' head. With Adams' head now covered in blood, Amy gave him Endgame on the chair for the final three count.
If you're looking for a great standalone War Games, look elsewhere. This was for serious ProSouth fans. The booking was that intense. Two turns in one match, the emotional return of Azriel, brothers reunite and all the perversity you could ask for. People were laying their stuff in. Adams was a madman. Amy busted him open hardway with the crown. Adams bladed and his blood was everywhere.
