Southern Fried November Reign Review - November 1

From Larry Goodman: Pretty much the perfect go home show. Ultimate Battleground on Thanksgiving Night is looking stellar.  Owner David Mande...

From Larry Goodman:

Pretty much the perfect go home show. Ultimate Battleground on Thanksgiving Night is looking stellar. 

Owner David Manders and booker Todd Sexton could not have asked for more out the Southern Fried roster. The entire cast of characters executed like a machine.

The mic work on this show was fantastic. After being a babyface throughout his Southern Fried career,  Jacob Ashworth cut a heel promo to die for.

Ashworth will square off with Nick Halen in a singles match on Thanksgiving Night.  The winner will enter the Ultimate Battleground battle royal in the final spot (number 30). Loser enters first.

Todd Sexton will get his "one more match" with Judas on the Ultimate Battleground show. Judas promised to make it Todd's last match ever.

Jaden Vain and Xavier Cross are the new Southern Fried Tag Team Champions. They took a despicably crooked route by beating Michael Walker in a handicap match. 

Adam Vance and Blake Blackwell on the call. John Johnson was the ring announcer. The refs were Dee Byers, Bryan Waites, David Weakley and a special shoutout to Hayden Weakley for his work on the rover camera. John Johnson was the ring announcer.   

Ten bell for Scotty Beach. John Johnson presided and honored Scotty for his 26 year career in Georgia Wrestling, dating to back to his training at TCW under Dusty Rhodes.

(1) Nick Halen defeated Jay Alpha Miller in 9:12. Vance said Jay Alpha needed a locknut for his loose screws and was treating Halen's nose like a bowling ball. Teflon was all full of himself after planting Halen on the ring apron. Halen caught Miller with an enzuigiri as he tried to reenter and beat him with the Gamebreaker.

An outstanding old style opener. Loved the matchmaking and they meshed in the ring. Their work was super crisp.

The echo in the sound of the building gave me flashback to this place. 

Veterans Memorial Coliseum -  Cedar Rapids IA

 

Cedar Rapids was a regular Sunday night stop on the NWA Central States circuit. Sergeant Slaughter came in to the territory as he was honing the gimmick. Harley Race was in his prime and in demand so he wasn't coming to CR on Sunday nights. I did get to see Race in Waterloo. 

(2) Billy Buck defeated Zach Mosley in 6:59. Mosley got hatred. Buck tore him up and pinned him with the Buckshot. 

A fine match for storyline advancement. 

John Johnson intercepted Halen to conduct an impromptu ringside interview. Said Ashworth stipulated Buck could not be in the building during his appearance and risked being forcibly asked to leave. Manders came to ringside hot under the collar and gave JJ a piece of his mind. 

I'm not sure Manders has many pieces of his mind to to spare at this point.  JJ acts like he's Mr. Innocent. He's a sneaky shit-starter. 

(3) Rosario Grillo (with Kat Spencer) defeated JT Paradox in 8:59. Both men wrecked per Vance. Paradox broke out the Polish Hammers and had Grillo  pinned. Spencer hooked hands with Grillo but referee David Weakley wasn't having it. 

Mr. 25 mule kicked Paradox's private parts to downtown Monroe and stomped him for the win.

Paradox is a made guy after winning a gauntlet match to earn a Classics title shot and making life difficult for Hunter James. That said, the fans weren't buying Paradox going over Crusade and reacted accordingly. 

(4) Pat Roach defeated Bobby Moore in 3:32. The sight of Disturbed lumbering to ringside distracted Moore and  he was consequently leveled by Roach's lariat. 

With Moore's story with Tayo in abeyance due to injury, Moore needed another direction. Disturbed is a choice. 

Michael Walker said his Fro Cool partner Seth Delay was not in the building for their tag team title defense. Walker said he would offer a challenge to Jaden Vain or Xavier Cross for a singles match. Vain said no way. He was the the standard. Not their fault Delay had four flat tires. Walker pointed he never said that. 

Extremely well played. 

(5) Jaden Vain & Xavier Cross defeated Michael Walker to win the Southern Fried Tag Team Championship in 6:20.  Egregious interference by Cross with referee Bryan Waites neutered as the Democrats to achieve anything constructive. Vain laid on top of Walker like a slug to secure the victory for the new champions.

I plead innocence as to knowledge of Delay's absence. But why let the truth get in the way of an classic Southern Wrasslin' angle? Beside which Fro Cool had missed as many title defenses as they'd made. 

JJ introduced Chianne Michaels as the newest member of the Southern Fried announce team. 

(6) Judas defeated Bryce Cannon via submission in 10:20. Judas beat Cannon's ass unmercifully for the first half of the match. Cannon slipped out of El Crucifijo, clipped Judas knee and kept the big man down. Judas clotheslined Cannon to death in the corner. His fallaway slam sent Cannon out the ring but Judas' knee was becoming a severe problem. Judas caught Cannon's Disaster Kick and locked in a single leg crab. Looked like Cannon might make the ropes out of sheer desperation but Judas made sure that did not happen.

The lights went out. The lights came back on to find Todd Sexton seated on one of the turnbuckles. Todd said he appreciated his wife for protecting him from one more match with Judas (after he'd lost all six they've had) but what if Kelly was protecting Judas? Todd had intimate knowledge of Judas' vulnerabilities. Todd said he'd been asking for the match for a year and half because it was what he needed to go home. So he was going to slap Judas in the face. A fed up Kelly Sexton marched to ringside and told Judas to do it. Todd said no more waiting, Thanksgiving Night. Judas said Todd's one more match would be his finale.

Todd escaped a choke slam from Judas and ran back in the ring with a superkick to lay out his friend of 20+ years.

Well played. They've been building to it for a while and the Ultimate Battleground show is as good a night as any to deliver the match. Can't blame Kelly for throwing in the towel on being the voice of reason.

(7) Hunter James (with Kat Spencer) defeated Zack Buchanan to retain the Classics Championship in 15:03. Hunter showed serious concern about Zack's formidable abilities.

Ameteur style ensued. Zack with a sliding basement german. James trapped Buchanan in the ring apron and went to town on him. Taste of his own with snap power slam. Buchanan innovated a  Deep Six backstabber. 

Hunter in turn kicked out of Zack's Michinoku Driver. They traded superkicks.  Faabulous sell by Buchanan for a 2.9 near fall. 

Grillo and Roach came to ringside to breath down Buchanan's neck. Zack kicked out of a picture perfect 450 by Hunter. Crusade fucked up totally.  Zack ascended to the rope for the Alabama Jam. Spencer got caught before she could interfere. A partially obscured figure knocked Buchanan off the top causing Zack to self-inflict a hotshot and James got the win with a crucifix pin.

This match demands to be run back. Two of Georgia pro wrestling's stud athletes had an excellent pro wrestling match.

Christian Taylor was the culprit. Roach and Grillo weren't sure what to make of him.  

Way back when the Crusade was formed, the pre-psycho Taylor declined to join the group. In his current demented state, who knows what he's up to now.

Ashworth and Manders sit down.  Jacob to the ring overflowing with hostile attitude. Ashworth said you first. Manders did not reply. Ashworth went off on Manders. He was the longest tenured wrestler in Manders' company, loyal to the original owner, the late Charles Anschutz as well as Manders. He held Manders' hand as Manders came in to this business and where did it get him? Manders stripped him of the title and he answered for his mistakes. He came back still loyal to Manders but was denied a title rematch. He wanted to compete for the Classics Championship and was told that spot was taken.  Ashworth thought he had found  a tag partner. but that POS Billy Buck went soft on him. He called Buck a rhinestone cowboy and a poser.  Ashworth blamed the fat piece of crap fans for holding him back. He was the best Manders had and he was going to prove it.

Ashworth said he wasn't crying about food stamps or looking for handouts. Ashworth asked Manders to give him the last spot in Ultimate Battleground and earn his title match.

That brought  Halen to the ring. Ashworth had to be kidding him. Halen challenged Ashworth to a match at Ultimate Battleground. Winner enters at number 30, loser enters first. Ashworth  said he didn't appreciate the "golden boy" sticking his nose in and started to walk out.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Halen called Jacob a gutless yellow coward. Ashworth came back to the ring and accepted the fight. He was not afraid to whip Halen's ass. They tussled. Manders got knocked down. Ashworth laid Halen out with Roll of the Dice and pulled his beanie off to reveal a head shaved clean like a billiard ball. 

With his goatee and shaved head, Ashworth looked like Manders evil twin.