SHW 75 -- Canton on July 11

Photos by Peter Sigmund From Larry Goodman: The scene above was the way the Gunner Miller/Sunny Daze fan participation strap match concluded...

Photos by Peter Sigmund

From Larry Goodman:

The scene above was the way the Gunner Miller/Sunny Daze fan participation strap match concluded -- facility manager Fay Voyles speared into unconsciousness by Gunner Miller. Gary Lamb helpless to do anything about it. From a promotion known for delivering memorable moments, this was one their fans will not soon forget.

Miller is the most notorious  and despicable once-a-month wrestler in modern Georgia wrestling history.

The question mark about Hunter James' presence in the Rumblejack was removed but not quite in a manner to Hunter's liking.

Alexander Lev's hero's journey was once again devastated by the wickedly unfaithful Grayson Pierce.

Multiple Rumblejack entrants were revealed.

As effective a go-home as SHW 75 was, the main event to set up a three way SHW Championship match for Rumblejack -- Joe Black (c) vs. Alex Kane vs. CT Keys missed the mark. The crowd was suffering PTSD from the Fay atrocity and never came all the way back. 

282 was the official attendance number at the Action Building. It was SHW's largest crowd of 2025. I have a feeling Rumblejack is going to be big. 

Gary Lamb promo. A "Gary"  chant broke out as Lamb made his way to the ring for his first show-opening promo in many months. Lamb said after 5 and 1/2 years, he needed a break from all the shithole promoters and promotions. That's when the snakes start to enter, namely Matt Griffin whispering sweet nothings in Gunner Miller's ear. Lamb took exception to heckling from an inbred idiot with a two inch penis (his words). Lamb talked about SHW having the best of everything in the state -- fans, wrestlers, commentators, announcer -- and said an end would be put to Griffin tonight. Lamb promised the biggest Rumblejack ever with the "you never know who will show up" concept being taken to a whole 'nother level. On the Lamb promo scale, I'll give it an A-.

(1) Joe Black defeated The Kenway in a non-title match with Murder One at ringside (15:53). This was a hell of way to open the show. Murder played it straight down the middle and supported both of his Hierarchy brethren. Pure aggression and bombs away from the get go -- Black with a spear, Kenway with a piledriver. Black did a three amigos with brainbuster suplex as the capper. Kenway hit a shining wizard. Black kicked it up a notch. He invoked the name of Martin Stone before executing a Tower of London. Both slow to rise. Kenway now with an exploder suplex, Black with tiger suplex and a spear but Kenway grabbed the ropes. Kenway tried for another piledriver but Joe thwarted it. Black did an old school ropes walk into a springboard cutter. Kenway rolled to the apron and did a two finger salute while lying there. Kenway delivered a piledriver on the ring apron. He rolled Black into the ring and the champion would have been pinned had he not grasped the ropes. Black won out in a battle for position on the ropes and won with an avalanche Pedigree. 

These dudes were motivated. They put on a great match that didn't received the full appreciation it would have with a different dynamic in play.  The SHW fans believe in Joe. Kenway has proven himself.  The fans do not want to root against him. Black broke out some new moves for the occasion.

Black said one year ago, he put a gun to his temple. The gun jammed and Kenway saved his life. Some asshole fan yelled "you couldn't even do that right." Black Kenway over as a top shelf talent. Said it pissed him off Kenway was not signed.

Black said he was going out front and invited the smart-mouthed fan to meet him in the parking lot. Chad Sky Walker went to the fan and got on his case for chickening out.

Zicky Dice video. "I'm not afraid to be everything you're not." Zicky is in the Rumblejack.

(2) Grayson Pierce defeated Tristan Moody in 5:50. This worked. Pierce was getting really good heat. He proudly said he was "Unfaithful" and ripped up the sign of a female Lev supporter. Moody's lip got busted open on the first minute. His fighting spirit as an underdog babyface is irresistible. Moody got a big near fall with an Oscutter. Pierce used a package facebuster to set up the Skullpiercer for the win.

Alexander Lev bolted to ringside and chased Pierce out into the lobby. The Lev love was a nice segue to his match.

(3) Alexander Lev defeated Joey Hyder in 7:08. Good match. Hyder was draped in the US flag. Lev tried to do his "I am Faithful" tag line. Hyder cut him off for easy heat. Lev made a comeback and did his  line without the mic for a nice piece of business. Lev ate Hyder up with strikes. Hyder brutalized Lev on the mat. Lev broke out a tope suicida. That was new. Hyder stuffed a Lev Clash. He did a Finley Roll into a standing moonsault. Lev won with a Jimmy Rave tribute -- apron STO and Ghanarrhea.

Lev's female admirer from match #2 got in the ring and jumped into his arms. Lev was taken aback as security got her out of there. Pierce exploited the situation with a blindside attack and Skullpiercer for Lev. Pierce had an outlandish make out session with the young woman, who took her Lev t-shirt off revealing a Pierce shirt underneath. Score another one for Pierce. 

Jay Alpha Miller video. Miller is coming to SHW to raise the national pride. America is Teflon and Teflon is in the Rumblejack.

(4) Grappler 26 defeated Adrian Alanis and Liam Gray and Ethan Dallas and Aaron Dallas to qualify for the Rumblejack to earn a spot in the Rumblejack and was revealed as Hunter James (9:13). A video played before the match showing James laying unconscious at an undisclosed location.  Aaron Dallas was over huge as usual. Grappler 26 was a robotic masked man, remarkably svelte compared to previous Grapplers. Match was Wonder Boyz (the Dallas brothers) vs. Skulk (Alanis & Gray) with Grappler in the mix for comedy. After a train of big moves left all four down, Grappler tried and failed to pin every one of them. Skulk hit their finisher on Aaron. Ethan broke up the pin. Grappler 26 pinned Ethan with the brainbuster and took his mask off. 

Matchmaker Sal Rinauro congratulated James on getting one over on them. He was guaranteed a spot in the Rumblejack and that spot would be number one. The fans chanted "your number one" at James. 

The saga of James' arduous path to the Rumblejack has been a great throughline for the last three shows and I'm curious to see how it plays out in the match.

Chip Day video. Chip was being held hostage. It was an analogy for the emergence of an upgraded Chip Day made whole in the Rumblejack.

(5) Bryce Cannon defeated Rob Killjoy to retain the JTS Legacy Championship in 7 minutes. As good a match as one would expect between these two. Not much heat. There was no story going in and I doubt many thought there was much chance Killjoy was walking out with the title. Killjoy hit an Asai moonsault. As Killjoy tried to springboard back to the inside, Cannon used the ref as shield. Cannon kicked the ropes into  Killjoy's groin and pinned him with a destroyer.

Backstage interviewer Chianne Michaels joined Brandon Benefield in the ring for the raffle drawing to determine the fan lumberjacks. Nick McDaniel from the Tapped Out Podcast and facility manager Fay Voyles were among the dozen lumberjacks awarded the opportunity to be at ringside, strap-in-hand.  

The match was preceded by a great video package showing highlights of how the Miller & Griffin vs. Daze feud got to this point. 

(6) Gunner Miller defeated Sunny Daze (with Juju) in a fan participation lumberjack strap match with Matt Griffin locked in a dog kennel (8:25). 

Daze was carrying a strap and had Juju on a leash. Griffin came out next. The kennel on stage was barely large enough to hold Griffin's rotund frame. Griffin resisted going in. Lamb came onstage and gave him five seconds to get in there.

Photo by Diana Michel

Miller is no fool. He was wearing a baseball jersey and had two shirt layers underneath. No way he was going to expose his tender skin to being strapped. Trapped like a rat, Miller was momentarily knocked to the floor on three sides of the ring, not long enough for the lumberjacks to get a clean shot at him. Daze went to the floor on the fourth side and nobody would strap him. Miller went out after Daze and absorbed a few good licks from the lumberjacks. Back inside, Miller pounded Daze as the crowd chanted "Sunny". Miller shot the crowd double birds before executing a People's Leg Drop. Miller stripped down to his wifebeater and took his belt off.  Daze speared Miller and laid in some shots with the strap. A pair of Samoan drops had Miller in trouble but Gunner speared Daze and pinned him clean.

Miller grabbed the strap out of Fay's hand and started to whip Daze. Fay marched into the ring and Miller killed her dead with a spear. 

This was a surreal scene. Voyles was laying motionless as Lamb rushed into the ring to check on her. Kids cried. Miller and Griffin celebrated. The crowd was hushed. Voyles was able to wobble to the backstage area with assistance.

(7) CT Keys vs. Alex Kane  to determined the number one contender for the SHW Championship was ruled a no contest at 11:24. Crowd was noticeably smaller as they went to the ring.

Black joined the commentary team. They were beastly and they were working hard. Solid, high impact 50/50 action until Keys shot-putted referee Paul Santa. Keys knocked out referee #2 David Weakley. The got into a slapfest that appeared to break down into a shoot. Kane suplexed referee #3 Clark DeBennedeto.

Black mixed it up with Keys and Kane. Keys ended up holding the title belt. Diana Michel finally announced the outcome as a no contest. Babyface wrestlers hit the ring to break it up as the crowd chanted triple threat. Rinauro had a "light bulb moment" and made the match. 

Chaos and carnage ensued. Griffin and Miller came into the ring and had a thing with Keys. The energy level picked up when Krule appeared onstage. James tried to attack Krule. Silly goose. Krule gave James and Skulk a triple whammy and did an Air Krule dive to the outside, then exited with a mass of bodies laying on the floor. Kane and Keys had their moments but the show closed with the SHW champion standing tall. 

NOTES: The date for the Rumblejack is August 8...Paul Michael Hauser is ont he Rumblejack poster...1FW will have a free TV taping at the Action Building the night before the Rumblejack (Thursday, August 7). The 1FW show at Centerstage on July 25 featuring the MJF meet and greet was plugged with a video featuring Tony Schiavone.