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| Photos by Peter Sigmund |
From Larry Goodman:
Attendance may be down without the Gary Lamb factor (259 paid) but the quality of the SHW product is as good or better than ever. (Lamb was mingling with the crowd before the show and departed after bell time). SHW has in-ring talent to burn and the benefit of so many great wrestling minds backstage.
Dylan Frymyer has done an outstanding job of remolding the SHW roster since the anniversary show to where multiple stories are really starting to cook. The presentation makes every show feel like a big deal.
SHW 71 had great pacing. The run time wasn't much over two hours and SHW is really good about not letting matches drag on too long. The overall professionalism of SHW's presentation is the gold standard in Georgia wrestling.
The highly anticipated Alexander Lev vs. David Ali, Messiah vs. Savior match did not happen due to a medical issue that kept Ali in Chicago. Ali was missed but the show quality wasn't impacted in the least.
Ring announcer Diana Michel jazzed up the crowd and turned the reigns over to Aaron Dallas to get the party started. AD's army was in full effect. He got the "A-Ron Yeet" chant again.
(1) Jay Lucas defeated Owen Knight and Grayson Pierce in 6:42. Prematch- a video aired in which Pierce made his allegiance to Alexander Lev crystal clear. Called Lucas a roach in his life he was going to squash like bug. Crowd hated him on sight. Lucas got a louder pop than long-time SHW fave Owen Knight. The ever opportunistic Pierce picked his spots. All three were thwarted in attempts to his their finisher...until the end. Knight hit Clock Out on Lucas. Pierce obliterated Knight with a Skullpiercer off the top. In a flash, Lucas pinned Pierce with the J Driller.
An excellent opener that got the story across, had good action, and they absolutely nailed the finish. Pierce takes big bumps. The right guy went over as the Lucas love in Canton continues.
(2) Hunter James (with Triston Michaels) defeated Alexander Lev (with Pierce) in 10:43. James informed the crowd Ali was not there. They had no need to worship false prophets. He would be their god. Lev appeared on stage to a big pop. Said he respected Ali and told him to get well soon. Sal Rinauro used his matchmaking powers to make the match official.
Crowd 110% pro-Lev as he beat on James with Pierce cheerleading at ringside. Hunter hit the PPS and went to work, slowing the pace and taking target practice on Lev. Both were down after Lev's sunset powerbomb. James cut off Lev's comeback with the Hollywood Twist and the backflip deadlift german for near falls. Lev applied a crossface. Triston got into it with Pierce so the ref did not see James tapping. James collided with Pierce and got rolled up by Lev, clearly using a handful of tights. James kicked out. With Pierce back on the apron diverting referee Paul Santa's attention, Triston hit Lev with his shoe, then won with a brainbuster.
Tremendous. I was extremely curious about how Lev would be received after the split crowd he got last time wrestling Black for the title. The strength of the babyface reaction was shocking. They did a stellar job of leaning into it and had a high caliber match to boot. Crazy to see the crowd responding to Pierce's cheerleading after hating his guts. No damage done to Lev losing the way he did.
(3) Austin Towers defeated Kenway (with Murder One) in 4:45. Kenway showed no fear. He went right at the monster until Towers grabbed him by the throat and dropped him with a forearm. Towers' chops got a reaction. Kenway kept swinging and had Towers rocked but the Kobiya kick put him down for good.
Murder One gave Towers props but said he still had to prove himself and if Towers didn't like it, to come see him. Towers thought about it but backed off. The crowd applauded Kenway after the match.
A Towers win was a forgone conclusion after what he did to the champion last time. Kenway showed so much heart, he had the crowd although victory was not in the cards.
(4) Gunner Miller (with Matt Griffin) defeated Rob Killjoy in 9:24. Miller was rocking a MAGA Trump baseball jersey. Griffin, the self-proclaimed kingpin of Georgia wrestling, said they made Lamb run scared out of his own building and the real GM left Frymyer in a puddle of his own blood. He tried to get a couple of fans tossed out but security refused to cooperate.
Killjoy frustrated Miller in the early going. That was before Miller crushed Killjoy with a body block and tossed him halfway to Woodstock with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Miller intimidated the hell out of referee David Weakley. Griffin slipped in a cheap shot. Killjoy dodged Gunner's spear and got a near fall with the Duck Valley Driver. Miller made Killjoy work for it to clothesline him over the top rope. Griffin maneuvered Miller out of harm's way. So much for Killjoy. Speared in the middle of the ring and pinned with an insulting People's Leg Drop.
The twisted marriage of Gunner Miller and Matt Griffin is one of the best things going in Georgia wrestling. Miller's explosiveness is special. He was a major league prospect for a reason. I thought Miller's Trump jersey might babyface him in Canton. Not a chance. These are despicable human beings. No amount of quacking from the crowd could save Killjoy from his ultimate fate.
Sunny Daze's music and video played after the match. Miller and Griffin directed their attention towards the stage. Daze attacked from the other side and got a few licks in with a strap before they bailed. Miller took his belt off. The wheels turning in matchmaker Rinauro's brain were almost visible...
(5) Kyle Matthews defeated Todd Sexton to retain the GTS Legacy Championship in 6:00. Sexton tried to end it fast with a piledriver. Matthews kicked out and blocked Sexton's attempt to hit a second one. They went to submission work. Matthews hit three consecutive Slurpee Kicks (corner dropkicks) to pin Sexton clean as a whistle.
I really liked the way this match put together with the limited time allotted. Personally I wanted to see a longer match between these two but it had heat and worked great at this length. Consecutive successful defenses against QT Marshall, Nick Halen and Sexton have put his title reign on a plane with inaugural champion Chip Day.
Former JTS Legacy Champion James attacked Matthews after the match. Dallas clocked James with the title and handed the belt back to Matthews. Lev came on stage and signaled he was coming for the Matthews.
They've got a good thing going around the JTS Legacy belt. A nice piece of business. James want his belt back, a hint of an issue between Matthews and Dallas, Lev thrust into the mix.
(6) The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) defeated The Skulk (Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray) to retain the SHW Tag Team Championship in 10:52. Skulk made sure the crowd didn't like them one bit with their shitty attitude. Infantry beat up Gray. They pulled his t-shirt over head and chopped him unmercifully. Alanis interfered to turn the momentum. Gray clotheslined Dean out and hit a beauty of a slingshot elbow on the way back in. Alanis pulled Bravo off the apron with perfect timing to prevent the tag and sent him into the rail. Tag finally made. Bravo iced Alanis with the Disrespeck but Gray kicked out of Gangster's Paradise. Alanis took Bravo's head off with a discus lariat. Skulk had Bravo set up for their finisher. Dean foiled it. Infantry victimized Alanis with the double curb stomp.
Postmatch, Skulk gave Infantry stereo kicks to the groin and absconded with their tag title belts.
This was a top drawer tag team match. Great energy. Breakneck pace. Infantry are spectacular when they kick it in to high gear. Dean gets a ton of air under his flying moves. Bravo kept the ringsiders entertained with his commentary. Skulk in no way looked out place in the ring with Infantry and had a better the one they had with Top Team last month. I look forward to the rematch.
(7) CT Keys defeated Krule in 8:17. Krule over huge with the crowd chanting "Krule is gonna kill you" at Keys. Initially, Keys' offense wasn't making a dent. A woman in the front row took a totally accidental boot to the chest as the action spilled into the crowd. She was OK but it was scary stuff with such big dudes in such tight quarters. Krule booted Keys ass over tea kettle out of a chair. Keys took Krule down with a psychotic dive off the stage. Krule popped up. Back inside, Keys started to do damage but Krule kicked out his uranage at one. Keys could barely move Krule with his pounce attempts.
Krule pulled the straps down and beat Keys down. Keys got Krule up for the F5 no problem. Krule hit a chokebreaker and was about to devastate end Keys with Scorched Earth when Sexton appeared on the apron. Krule took the bait. This time, Keys' full force Pounce did the trick.
Keys and Sexton tried to get the hell out of there, but Alex Kane was already on his way to the ring. Keys and Kane almost came to blows with Sexton struggling to keep Keys under control.
A spectacle of a match. Krule brought out the beastly side of Keys that lurks just beneath the surface. Krule is an attraction. defeating the former two-time SHW Champion and two-time IWTV World Champion, Keys scored the biggest win of his career and has got to be on Joe Black's radar.
(8) Joe Black defeated Alex Kane to retain the SHW Championship in 15:28. Both men cheered coming to the ring. Applause their handshake. They did two clean breaks. Kane stomped on Black's elbow. The crowd did not like that. Black countered Kane's offense with pin attempts for a bit. Kane stomped on Joe's hands and threw him out of the ring. The tour of Suplex Island got underway. I've seen a lot of Kane matches, not like this. You name it, he did it, at least 15 suplexes during the match. The started swapping germans, three a piece then Kane gave Joe two more. Black got a big near fall with a backcracker. Kane went back to the suplexes. Black started eating Kane up with chops, invoking the name of Misawa. Kane hit a pair of X-Plexes. Both men looked exhausted. Kane did a stalling suplex turned jackhammer. Black kicked out and speared Kane to retain.
Match of the night -- a hard-hitting, physical battle of willls, fascinating in terms of crowd response. Damn, they worked hard. The crowd wanted to like them both. As soon as Kane stomped Joe's elbow, they gradually started to turn on him to where it was eventually 80/20 for Joe. They were attentive but quiet much of the time. The style was atypical for a SHW main. I think an ACTION audience would have been over the moon.
Keys attacked Kane. They brawled to the ba ck. Up on the stage, Towers bloodied up Murder One and left him laying. Crowd was hushed as Black and Kenway tended to their fallen leader.
I didn't care for the Keys-Kane brawl at all. It dissipated the awesome build of tension that had been built between them. Black was deprived of his proper moment after a huge title defense. Creative is in a tough spot trying to do angles after the main because a lot of the SHW fans are ready to hit the trail after the final bell rings. The thing with Murder played well but a portion of the crowd missed it. Clearly, Black vs. Towers and Kane vs. Keys are barreling towards the SHW fans like freight trains. The questions are how and when do we get to those matches?
NOTES: Krule had a throng of people in line to meet him in the lobby after the show and Lev wasn't doing too shabby... Rinauro sat in on color commentary alongside Brandon Benefield and Gerard Bonner for most of the night...Impak Palmer and Weakley were on the rover cameras...Diana Michel was in St. Patrick's Day mode with her choice of garb... Rinauro sat in on color commentary alongside Brandon Benefield and Gerard Bonner for most of the night...Darryl Hall, Nick McDaniel, Myron Fancher, Jay Clinton, AJ Kissinger (former AWE senior official), Nathan Mowery and the incredibly shrinking Dave Wills (minus 150 pounds since the last time I saw him) were among those spotted in the building...Lamb had 23 attendees for his first promoter's class. Who better to learn from?
