From Larry Goodman:
This was an eventful go home show for Battle Rumble.
Ace Haven boldly called his shot. He will enter and win the Battle Rumble and go on to win the ProSouth and YouTube championships at Anniversary SuperShow XVII.
Brother Azriel revealed his team of killers for the four-on-four match against a team captained by Joe Black, who teammates remain a mystery.
Ayden Andrews won the Queen's Gambit triple threat match, thus earning the right to enter Battle Rumble in the prime 30th spot. AJ Black is out the Battle Rumble because he took the pin. Same as last year, Cameron Keast must enter in the number one spot, so the man who likes to repeat himself has a chance to do just that.
Among the 17 announced competitors in the 30 person Battle Rumble are Alexander Lev, Bull Buchanan and Leon Ruffin.
This week's show was a bit of comedown from recent episodes The opening and closing triple threat matches were good, the matches in between not so much and would have done as well without the talk segment at the end.
In the absence of Brandon Whatley (boo, tomato, tomato), the "dream team" of Wicked Nemesis and Mathias Darkthorne was back in business at the commentation station. Jeremy Blackstone (Ethan Black), Joseph Void an T-bird were the referees. Jessie was the ringside videographer.
(1) All-Out title match: Champion Justin McKenzie defeated Hayden Seal via DQ due to outside interference at 2:45. They wrestled to a stalemate. McKenzie had his aerial game in gear when he was jumped from behind by Chris Gainz (accompanied by Scott Adams). Adams said Gainz was all about gains: mental, physical and financial.
Darkthorne said per Commissioner Amy Haven the match must have a definitive conclusion, therefore she was ordering a triple theat.
(2) Justin McKenzie defeated Chris Gainz (with Scott Adams) and Hayden Seal to retain the All-Out Championship in 5:03. Wicked said ProSouth was rewarding bad behavior. McKenzie and Seal joined forces to drive Gainz out of the ring. Seal almost stole it with a roll up on McKenzie but they ended up shaking hands. Gainz capitalized on their sportsmanship and heeled on Seal. McKenzie picked up where left off with a superkick, flying burrito and a Pele for Gainz. Seal broke up the pin. A sequence of big moves and close calls ensued. In the end, McKenzie caught Seal off guard and retained with Sliced Bread 69.
Good match. All three were hitting their marks. With his size, speed and athletic ability, Seal is going to be a prospect when he gets more seasoning. Gainz has been around the Georgia scene for 20 years going all the way back to NAWA in Rome and is in the best cosmetic shape of his career. He wrestled for ProSouth in in its infancy' would be a good add to the ProSouth roster on the heel side now.
(3) Tony Midas defeated Vougan in 6:45. Midas made the ref check Vougan's furry boots for foreign objects. Vougan connected with a trio of standing leg lariats and kept the pressure on Midas until he locked in a bridging Fujiwara armbar. Midas broke the hold by sticking his meathook under Vougan's eyelids (thank you, Mathias). The crowd got behind Vougan. Midas' short arm clotheslines had some oomph behind them. Midas got a two count with a DDT and applied a camel clutch. The highlight of Vougan's rally was his version of Stratusfaction. Midas used a Tower of London to set up a discus elbow for the win.
Midas was making his return to ProSouth for the first time since his 2022 tag title run with Brother Azriel. He was an entertaining character. Watching him wrestle was never a great joy. The most positive spin I can put on his ring speed is that he was deliberate. The crowd had taken to Vougan, who is getting incrementally better in the ring.
(4) Brother Azriel pinned River D'Angelo (with Scott Adams) with a Black Hole Slam at 4:53. The debuting D'Angelo received an "Az is going to kill you" chant for his troubles.
The heights of perverse wrestling entertainment. Suffice to say, D'Angelo isn't going to make the Armegeddon team. He's got the wrong kind of size. I liked that Az didn't even need his regular finishing move to beat him.
Az named his team of killers for the four-on-four match with Joe Black's team next week: Eric Silva, Justin McKenzie and Julius Pryor.
Az assembled an impressive squad. This is a match I want to see.
(5) No Hold Barred: "The Failsafe" Joe Wood defeated "The Emo King" Trey Jordan in 8:24. They went to the weapons early and often. Jordan waylaid Wood with a kendo stick and delivered a White Russian legsweep ala Sandman. Jordan did a number on Wood with a steel chair. Wood took his turn with the chair and wedged it in the corner, but it was Wood that got sent head first into the chair. Jordan slid a 12 foot ladder into the ring. Wood's top rope splash crashed onto the ladder as Wood got the hell out of there. Wood banged up his knee on the landing. Wood whacked Jordan in the head a couple of times with a baking sheet. Jordan laid Wood face down across to chairs and came off the ropes with a splash to Wood's back. Looked like Jordan was trying for hidden blade. Wood blocked it with chair. Wood connected with his homicidal, suicidal running headbutt and draped an arm across Jordan for the three count.
Postmatch, Jordan sandwiched Wood's ankle between two chairs and dropped a running splash on the contraption.
Captivating like a car crash you couldn't look away from. They were going for broke on those high impact moves. I loved the big boys using a he-man 12 foot ladder. It looks there's more to go between these two. I hope they both survive in one piece.
The Return of the King Ace Haven said Uprising had become ProSouth's second most viewed show of 2025 and moved on to the topic of ProSouth Champion Scott Spade. Instead of being at ProSouth, Spade was at the Easom Hill fair run by his family cokeheads and moonshiners. The King of the South didn't like a part-timer being champion. The fans deserved a champion that in the building representing the brand every week. Ace said maybe that would change in the triple threat next week. Pierce was a former champion and at this stage, he would take a fourth title reign for Ooten over Spade because at least he was there every week.
Ace said here were 30 competitors in the battle royal and one of them was going to earn a title shot. He wasn't going to line cut and that was why he chose tonight to return. Ace announced that he was entering Battle Rumble and would become a two-time winner because like his friend Cameron Keast, he liked to repeat things, then was going to beat Scott Spade's ass all over the ProSouth Palace at Anniversary Supershow and walk out as a double champion. Ace said he had a made a career out of ending careers at Anniversary. Spade would be another notch in his belt and Spade's YouTube title reign would be a footnote in Spade's eulogy.
This was a vindictive king. Spade was harming his brand. In the process of cutting a great promo on Spade, Ace also totally discounted the chance of a title change at Battle Rumble.
(6) Queen's Gambit: Ayden Andrews defeated AJ Black and Cameron Keast by pinning AJ at 7:04. Before the bell, Commissioner Amy seated herself in a ringside throne.
Andrews and Keast made AJ regret wanting in on the chopping action. AJ told them quit so the gave him a double punch in the face. Moments later, AJ paid them back. AJ knocked Andrews wobbly-legged with a punch. AJ took control of the match for a bit. Keast got the best of a three way sequence with a twisting crossbody on AJ and a reversal into a destroyer on Andrews. Andrews buckle bombed Keast, AJ gave Andrews a flatliner and Keast hit Dramatic Ironknee on AJ and all three were down. Andrews and Keast teamed up for assisted Ushigoiroshi on AJ. Keast sent Andrews into the turnbuckles with Keast Infection. AJ was about to capitalize on the triple threat rules by using a chair on Keast when Andrews flew in with Nail In the Coffin and pinned him.
Really nice match. It had flow and they had their timing down on the three way stuff. That three way sequence into the triple down was dope.
Postmatch, Adams tried to tase Andrews but Keast took the taser away from him. Keast raised Ayden's hand. Julius Pryor appeared on the top rope and hit the Shaolin Fists on AJ.
Pillow Talk/Whip Ass Ranch Ooten came to the ring with Harley Haven and pulled up a chair. Since Whatley wasn't there, this segment would be Pillow Talk with Sleazy C. Ooten called Pierce out Pierce brought his own chair and said this would be the Whip Ass Ranch Show. C claimed he was not a bad guy. He felt for Pierce and all his personal problems. Pierce wasn't having it. Ooten was a piece of trash and Harley was a low value woman.. He was going take home the ProSouth Championship next week and enjoy beating Ooten's face in for all the hell he had put him through. Ooten sarcastically empathized with Pierce about his dog, sweet, sweet Louie getting run over.
Pierce lost it and pounced on Ooten. They brawled. The ref crew got wasted trying to break up the fight. Wrestlers ran in from the back and finally got them separated while Chosen Ones watched from the stage. Adams had his taser and tased Pierce. All hell broke loose and pandemonium reigned as the screen went to black.
The talk segment felt like a slapdash rehash and a generic pull apart did them no favors. They powers that be should have left well enough alone and allowed the ringwork of two good workers do their talking.
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