If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.
- Wicked Nemesis
Cameron Keast is the new number one contender for what has become a hotly contested ProSouth Championship.
The core of this show was essentially a mini-tournament to determine a new #1 contender -- a trio of qualifier matches led to the triple threat finale won by Keast over co-finalists Ayden Andrews and Donnie Primetime.
ProSouth Champion Christian Pierce also has Caeden Ooten breathing down his neck and "Man Beast" Rhyno waiting in the wings, should he still be champion on March 15.
ProSouth is building towards a big weekend. On March 14, ProSouth is returning to Pisgah for an encore of the fundraiser show that drew over 500 people last year. They're back in Piedmont on the 15th for Redemption, a rare Saturday night show at the ProSouth Palace. Rhyno is the featured star on both nights.
Wicked Nemesis and Mathias Darkthorne on commentary. Jeremy Blackstone, Joseph Void and Kevin Tubbs officiated. Darkthorne pulled double duty as the ring announcer. Videographer extraordinaire Katie Lindsey was the rover camera.
(1) Ayden Andrews defeated Justin McKenzie in a ProSouth Championship #1 contender qualifier (6:06). Andrews controlled McKenzie with a vise-like headlock. McKenzie got his aerial offense in gear. He escaped Andrews' Ushigiroshi and countered a powerbomb with a huracanrana. McKenzie thew a chop that echoed on contact as McKenzie came up on the short end of strike exchange. Andrews rolled out of the way as McKenzie came off the top rope, hit the flying knee and pinned McKenzie with Nail In The Coffin.
Spot on. McKenzie showed toughness and got right amount offense. Trading strikes with Andrews is a losing game. The suddenness with which Andrews hits his killer moves is tremendous. The shorter haircut works.
Andrews was looking to do more damage to McKenzie after the match and was confronted by Chris Crunk. Andrews left the ring but slid back in and laid Crunk out with Nail In The Coffin.
(2) Scott Spade (with Scott Adams) defeated Joe Wood to retain the YouTube Championship in 5:39. Prematch: Spade said he had checked the boxes he needed to check when he returned to ProSouth. He wrestled Ace Haven and he won the YouTube Championship. He didn't need Adams anymore and Wood should have stuck to being a referee. Wood charged at Spade. He ducked and Adams ate the clothesline and tumbled to the floor. Spade tossed Adams toward the ramp like trash.
Spade's YouTube title reign has exceeded all expectations. Adams has gotten to where he takes really good bumps.
Our nearly award-winning commentary team talked about how far Spade had his hand up Adams' ass which could
cause baldness. Wood made the catch as Spade dove off the top rope and positioned him for the Woodchipper. Spade slithered out of it and applied a cloverleaf dubbed the Marijuana Patch. Wood powered out and leveled Spade with a clothesline. Time stood still while Wood waited for Douglas Sanders to run out and club him with a wrench. Spade then pinned Wood with the Copenhagen kick.
Perverse wrestling entertainment on parade. In-ring, Wood can be a crude mofo. There's a lot to be said about that as we saw in the oval office on Friday.
(3) Donnie Primetime defeated Tsunami in a ProSouth Championship #1 contender qualifier (6:47). Primetime didn't hesitate to use Tsunami's hair or hit her in the face. Tsumani answered with a release german and a clothesline. Tsunami knocked Primetime through the ropes with a forearm shot. Back insie, Tsunami rag-dolled Donnie with a chinlock. Wicked brought up Tsunami's training at the Underground alongside Spi-ral and Trever Aeon. Tsunami ripped Donnie down by the hair to cut off his comeback and kneed him right in the face. Primetime got a near fall with a tomahawk chop off the top. Donnie ascended the ropes again. Tsunami forearmed Primetime, causing him to crotch himself on the turnbuckle. As Tsunami was postioning Donnie for the Wipeout DDT, Primetime grabbed referee Void to save himself. Tsunami complained and Primetime rolled her up.
Tsunami is coming into her own. She's wrestling with confidence and aggressiveness, doing more more of the little things that make a difference. Primetime's current ProSouth run continues to be marked by his generosity in the ring.
Adams approached Primetime as he was headed to the back. The "bald" chant was deafening. Adams wanted to put the band back together again. Donnie was wise to Adams' motive: he couldn't get back on the show without a client. If Adams wanted him as a client, he needed to take his cap off to prove he was bald. Adams took off the cap. Primetime said Adam was a liar because had a goatee and he couldn't be a client of someone who would lie to his face.
Totally sophomoric but always entertaining to see humor at Adams' expense.
(4) Cameron Keast defeated Douglas Sanders via submission in a ProSouth #1 contender qualifier (6:58). Sanders got a "we hate Doug" chant as he went the cowardly cheater route, jawing at the crowd while he worked Keast over. Sanders raked the eyes to foil Keast's finger snap and made a move for his megaphone. Keast cut him off with a tiger feint kick. Sanders almost pinned Keast with DDT. Sanders tried for the Candy Shop Drop elbow and Keast caught him in the Koji Clutch.
This was OK. I didn't like it was much as the other qualifier matches. Sanders' russian leg sweep had Brad Armstrong rolling in his grave. The tiger feint kick spot looked great.
Brandon Collum and Ace Haven face-to-face. Collum said he'd done lot of bad things in wrestling and out in the world, a lot bridges he'd burned. Helping ProSouth in Caged Warfare was just the beginning of his road to redemption. He knew he had a long way to go. Collum called Ace to the ring.
Ace said he was probably the person closest to Collum besides Brandon's family. Ace said the first in a long list of times he let Ace down was five years ago when he no-showed ProSouth #500 where they were supposed to wrestle each other in the main event. His MO was to get close to ProSouth and then go away leaving a mess of upset people, hurt feelings and unkept promises in his wake, including to his son Trace. He and Brandon built ProSouth, years of carrying around trash bag wrestlers and trying to make something out of this place. Collum should be a ProSouth legend. The only pitfall that prevented that from happening was Brandon Collum.
Collum admitted he lost his way. He was man enough to admit he got arrogant and pissed all over everything he came from. But Ace let him down too. He booked him against women. He booked him in a match for a toilet seat on a pole. Made him look like a jackass. He made the best out of everything Ace threw at him because he loved ProSouth. He had a lot of regrets. He was tired of failing at redemption.Ace was right. He was his own worst enemy. "The truth is Ace. I'm tired of fighting you, man."
Ace said it wasn't about Brandon proving something to him. He was Mr. Second Chance. He brought people back that had no right to be back in this ring. He could let Ace down and he would get over it, but this was Collum's last chance because if he let ProSouth and its people down again, that would be the end.
Coming out of the intermission, Caeden Ooten attacked ProSouth Championship Christian Pierce as Pierce was doing in-ring photos. Ooten tried to give Pierce Loaded Gun Complex. Pierce slipped out of the move and left Ooten laying with the Gallows. Harley Haven looked dismayed.
Amy constantly changes up her look. Redhead might be her best.
(4) Brandon Whatley defeated Chris Crunk at 7:23 via referee stoppage to earn an All-Out Championship match. Whatley jumped the bell. All-Champion Julius Pryor watched from the stage. Crunk gave Whatley a dragon screw leg whip in the opening minute. Whatley was hobbled for the duration. Crunk started eating Whatley up with strikes but not for long. Whatley fired back and tried for a cobra clutch forcing Crunk to the ropes. Crunk hit a second dragon screw and locked in a figure four leglock. Whatley used up his ropes break. Crunk was looking for One Last Breath. Whatley blocked it and fought off a leg lock. Crunk reversed the Bottomless Pit with a crucifix pin. They traded blow until Whatley caught Crunk in the cobra clutch. Crunk grabbed the ropes but his ropes break was gone and Whatley cinched in the hold until Crunk went out.
Well played. Crunk has brought something to the table ProSouth was missing. l loved all the counter wrestling, crisp without looking choregraphed, Whatley's consistency in selling the leg and how they worked the All-Out one rope break only rule into the story.
I popped for Whatley invoking Pryor's days at Spartan Wrestling doing the cowboy gimmick and was more than the champion could bear.
(5) Cameron Keast defeated Donnie Primetime and Ayden Andrews to become the number one contender for the ProSouth Championship in 10:00. Pierce was on color commentary. He put McKenzie over. A little lucha Cam to get things going. Andrews gave Keast a Jimmy Rave STO on the apron. Donnie speared Keast. Andrews took over with a double suplex on Keast and Pierce. He hit Endgame (the Pedigree) on Keast but Primetime broke up the pin. Primetime reversed Ayden's Endgame attempt with a package piledriver. Keast immediately gave Primetime Dramatic Irony. As Keast crawled to make the cover, Andrews cut him off with Nail in the Coffin and all three were toast. Ooten attacked Pierce in the commentary booth. They brawled to the back. In the ring, the competitors engaged in a three way strike exchange. Andrews gave dragon suplexes to Primetime and Keast. Primetime kicked out of an Endgame from Andrews. Andrews kicked out of a One-Winged Angel by Primetime. Scott Adams ran in with a low blow for Primetime. Andrews hit Nail In The Coffin on Primetime. Crunk pulled Andrews out of the ring and destroyed him with One Last Breath on the floor. Keast came within a hair of pinning Primetime with a frog splash and finished him off with the Dramatic Irony.
Wow. This match was a veritable hit parade of finishing moves with a ton of moving parts. They pulled it off because they had their timing down. They got across the concept that the number one contendership was anybody's ballgame.
