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| Photo by Allie McPhetridge |
From Larry Goodman:
ACTION Wrestling chose their final event of the year to crown a new world champion and it provfed to be a most excellent choice. In their fifth meeting, Darian Bengston defeated Tim Bosby to end his storybook title reign at 377 days.
Bengston's rise to World Championship status is a storybook in itself. By his own admission, Bengston had trouble getting booked when he arrived in Atlanta five years ago. I remember him working the box office at a Battle Slam show. Bengton became a star for TWE Chattanooga. He was the top babyface and held the title for over a year and half. During his reign, Bengston wrestled and defeated an astounding list of talents that included Sean Legacy, Adam Priest, Alex Kane, Marcus Mathers and 1 Called Manders, 30 title defenses in total. Bengston was forced to vacate the title in January of this year due to a blood clot that threatened to end his career. Since returning action, Bengston has wrestled all over the US, culminating in the events that unfolded last night.
IWTV World Champion Ryan Clancy had just made his seventh successful title defense when the appearance of Bosby and "Starmaker" Dylan Hales lit the fuse. Hales said Bosby had been shafted out of an IWTV World title shot for a year and they were coming for Clancy. Hales then broke the news that 4825 (Jaden Newman and Jameson Shook) were done as the IWTV Tag Team Champions due to Newman's torn ACL. That brought 4825 to the ring. Newman admitted Hales was telling the truth AND they had gone over Hales' head to secure a guaranteed IWTV World Championship match for Shook.
All hell broke loose in the Bosby/Bengsten title match which devolved into carnage. Three referees got laid out. ACTION CEO Matt Griffin took an F5. Hales did a forced stage dive courtesy of the six time GWH referee of the year. When the fog of war lifted, Bengston was the new ACTION World Champion.
Attendance at the Roger Spencer Community Center was roughly 175, not a large crowd for ACTION at this venue and not a particularly hot crowd until the main event had them going bonkers.
The show streamed live on IWTV with Rob Weathers as the lead announcer and Kody Manhorn and Shook on color commentary.
(1) Krule defeated Channing Thomas in 5:23. Thomas came out of his delusional World Class Wrestling world and went into a panic at the sight of Krule. The MLW World Champion had Thomas goozled when Grayson Pierce appeared at ringside to divert Krule's attention. Thomas attacked Krule from behind but Krule soon had Thomas goozled again, so Pierce jumped Krule for the DQ.
Thomas and Pierce doubled up on Krule until Cody Fluffman was greeted by a huge pop coming to Krule's rescue.
(2) Channing Thomas & Grayson Pierce defeated Krule & Cody Fluffman in 9 minutes. Krule subjected Thomas and Pierce to headshots into Fluff's rock hard ass. The heels got heat on Fluff. Krule took the hot tag and cleaned house. Krule and Fluff gave Thomas and Pierce stereo choke slams and stereo steamrolllers. Pierce got on a roll and had Fluff pinned with a split legged moonsault. Krule made the save and chased Pierce clean out of the building. Thomas then pinned Fluffman with a piledriver.
Krule had a staredown with Thomas after the match.
Fun match, heavy on personalty and then they let the air out of balloon with the heels going over. The return of Fluffman got a tremendous reaction. Maybe we get Thomas and Krule run back. Thomas is an entertaining character with great facials and he can wrestle as evidenced by alll the titles he's held in the Northeast.
(3) Joe Black defeated Matt Sells in 7:40. Sells swaggered to the ring wearing a necklace of Miller Lite can to mock Joe's beads. Sells stalled. The crowd started to hate on him. Black hit an absolutely brutal looking senton. Joe inadvertenlty chopped the post. That didn't prevent Joe from chopping hell out of Sells despite the pain. Sell tried to pin Black with feet on the ropes. He went for donkey kick to the nuts but Black blocked it. Sells' palm strike was good for near fall before Black beat him clean with ropes walk cutter and a spear.
Sells' heel turn is intriguing. He fully revealed the dark, bitter, brooding side of his persona to the ACTION fans and it was not a pretty picture. Meanwhile, Joe Black continues to get over in Tyrone. This match evoked stronger crowd reactions than match #2.
(4) Slim J defeated TJ Crawford via submission in 8:40. Slim surprised Crawford by entering from the front door and owned him in the opening minutes. Crawford had a slightly bloody nose. Crawford countered Screwdriver on the Rocks and was in control until a crash and burn moonsault. Slim scored with the 3-6 Mafia Kick, Screwdriver on the Rocks and a double underhook tornado DDT. Crawford rolled through on Slim's flying bodypress for a close near fall. Slim then caught Crawford by the leg and tapped him out with the inverted STF.
Good match with Slim J hitting his signature moves but not much in the way of heat.
(5) The Good Hand (Suge D & Tyler Stevens & Kasey Owens) defeated Bomaye South Alex Kane & Terry Yaki & Jay Lucas in 12:20. Owens and Stevens took the punishment for the Good Hand. Suge stayed out the fray and complained about what Bomaye South was doing to "son" Kasey. Interference by Owens allowed Good Hand to isolate Lucas. Jay hit a german and made an agonizing crawl towards his corner. Yaki was on fire after taking the hot tag. Kane slammed into Stevens with a tope like a heat seeking missile. Yaki followed with a flip dive to the outside. But as Yaki flew back into the ring, Owens was waiting for him with The Bullet and got the three count.
Kane addressed Suge after the match. You got us this time but had your hoes to back you up. The people built Alex Kane not Suge D. Let's have a strap match on February 27.
Crowd was into it, good action with a strong hot tag and the match achieved it's objective. Good Hand suddenly snatching victory from the jaws of defeat was a great finish. Most selling I've seen Stevens do in an ACTION ring and all in the service of shielding Suge and to set up the match with Kane. Owens is spot on with his ring positioning and timing. No wonder high caliber talent wants to work him.
(6) Landon Hale defeated Brett Ryan Goselin in 10:45. Hale bombarded BRG in the early going. Hale said his hand hurt so bad he needed a chiropractor. BRG got his feet up on Hale's moonsault and went on offense. Hale slipped on a leap to the top rope and landed ugly. Hale got back on track with a backstabber for a very close near fall. The crowd gave Darryl Hall grief about the count. Hale did a standing shooting star and a tope but BRG got his knees up on Hale's 450. BRG growled and gritted his teeth when Hale kicked out his spear. Hale gave BRG a nasty looking snake eye and won with SPO Driver.
They did a lot of stuff and worked hard but neither of them were having their best night in the ring.
(7) Ryan Clancy defeated Adrian Alanis to retain the IWTV World Championship in 14:06. They opened with wrestling in a traditional championship style. Alanis wasted not time talking trash. The pace accelerated with a high speed a running the rope sequence with Clancy coming out on top. Alanis raked the eyes. Clancy fought fire with fire. Alanis hit a slice leg drop. Clancy appeared to hurt his elbow on the landing. Clancy went for his vaunted dropkick and Alanis hung him out to dry. Alanis got a near fall with a northern lights suplex. Clancy came storming back with a barrage of offense and got a two count with a bridging butterfly suplex. But Alanis again had the dropkick scouted. Alanis used to ropes to block Clancy's russian legsweep hit a Tiger Driver for a close near fall.. He racked Clancy but Clancy reversed with a backslide. Referee Kevin Blicker almost got bumped. Alanis got a 2.9 near fall with side powerslam. A fan said I don't even like you and I thought that was three. Alanis racked Clancy again. Clancy fought out of it, rocked Alanis with a high knee and caught him with the dropkick to retain.
Clancy is throwback classic style wrester and super smooth in the ring. This was his first appearance in Tyrone and they can be a tough crowd to win over for first timers. Alanis not wanting Clancy to outshine him in his building turned out to be not just storyline Truth be told, Alanis outperformed the IWTW World Champion in this match. I get that Alanis and Liam Gray are a great tag team, but with his look and ability, why Alanis has not received a strong singles is beyond me.
"Starmaker" Hales approached the ring with Bosby and had hard truths to tell. Hales said Bosby had been deprived of a world title shot despite being in the PWI top five for the last year, while Clancy won a tournament tailor made for his style to become champion. Hales outed Newman's injury and the pending forfeiture of the IWTV World Tag Team Championship. Newman called Hales the absolute douche for blowing his spot. Newman confirned surgery was set for January and he would be out for 10 months. Shook said this was not how 2025 was supposed to end for 4825. He listed off his title credentials and informed Hales that The Starmaker's boss had awarded him a guaranteed shot at the IWTV World Championship.
Bosby and Hales decked Clancy and Shook and had Newman cornered. Bengsten made the save...
Hales is the uber heel of ACTION Wrestling. It takes a complete dick to do what Hales did to Newman. The segment was a great misdirection away from the ACTION title change that was about to happen.
(8) Darian Bengston defeated Tim Bosby (with Dylan Hales) via submission to win the ACTION World Championship in 17:45. Bengsten was white hot out of the gate. The match took a 180 turn after Bosby gave Bengston an F5 on the floor. Good thing a couple of A4 wrestlers were there to help break Bengston's fall. Bosby ragdolled Bengston and gave him an inverted giant swing. Crowd all Bengston love. Referee Gina Monti wasn't taking any crap from Bosby. Bosby hit an F5. Bengston reversed Bosby's nonchalat cover with an inside cradle. Bengston connected with a double jump Whisper In the Wind.
Hales jumped onto the apron to distract Monti. As Bosby charged for a belt shot, Bengston caught him with drop toehold and locked in an STF. Bosby smacked Monti's head onto the belt. She was out. Bengston grabbed Hales. Bosby clocked Bengston with Hales' backpack. Hales covered. Hall slid into count and Bengston kicked out at the last split-second. Bosby threatened to german suplex Bengston out of the ring and onto the stage. Bengston escaped and dropped Bosby's face on the ring apron with an F5. Back inside, Bengston delievered a Mack 10. Hales pulled Hall out and slugged him. #3 referee Kevin Blicker tried to hit the ring and he too got decked by Hales.
Griffin went nose-to-nose with Hales. Griffin shoved Hales down and slapped Bosby. Bengston got two super close near falls with Griffin making the counts. Bosby laid Griffin out with an F5. All three referees and the ACTION CEO were toast. Hales ordered Bosby to drag Bengston onto the stage and toss him onto the floor with an F5. Hales said Bengston was nothing until The Starmaker put him in play and now Bengston was going out of the world Hales brought him into. Referee Blicker gave Hales a low blow. Referee Hall threw Hales off the stage. Hales took a flip bump onto the floor. Bengston knocked Bosby off the stage and applied a Makabe Lock inside the ring. Bosby tapped. Blicker and Hall were both there to signal for the bell.
The closing minutes were completely insane: the plethora of false finishes the visual off everyone in authority out of commission and the intensity and air of danger with so many people crowded onto that tiny stage. The title change was tremendous. It looked like more of the same bullshit and shenaigans from Hales ACTION fans had seen too many time before and than it wasn't. Hales took one hell of a bump.
In his victory speech, Bengsten said five years ago, Griffin told him he wasn't good enough to be on his show. Now he was his champion. Bengston thanked those that believed in him -- TWE, Newman, Dan Wilson, Tank, AC Mack, Derek Neal, Bret Ison, Daniel Makabe -- and it was his time to give back. The Southeast had everything the boys up North had and more, Southeast First. Clancy returned to the ring to raise Clancy's hand.
Great speech. A genuine, passionate expression of reflection and gratitude with a glimpse of the feature.
NOTES: Ring announcer Scott Hensley listed off the following upcoming ACTION show for 2026: Fayetteville at Line Creek Bus Barn on January 19, Newnan at Arnall Middle School on January 26 and back in Tyrone on February 27...Four light stands with diffusers have been added in Tyrone which hugely improved the lighting...In pre-show action, Neji Ichiban & Ron LeFlere & KJ Valentine defeated Herculon Rage & JDR & Damon Stryker...Among those in the house and circulationg backstage: Chayn Male, Aaron and Ethan Dallas, Jazzy Yang, Corinne Joy, Cullen Henderson, former AWE announcere Danny Danger, referee John Ellingston and RIPW promoter Renegade Enforcer...Griffin was ably assisted by Young Boy Cooper ...Crawford and BRG worked the Wrestling Open show in Worcester MA the night before, then Clancy, Thomas, Crawford, Monti and BRG drove in from Massachusetts (16 hours).
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