Premier All-Star Wrestling -- Carrollton on November 29

Photos by Julie Puckett From Larry Goodman: I'm not ashamed to say I was a mark for the first barbed wire cage match in Georgia wrestlin...

Photos by Julie Puckett

From Larry Goodman:

I'm not ashamed to say I was a mark for the first barbed wire cage match in Georgia wrestling history. Apparently, I was not alone.

The crowd at the Chuch Without Walls event building was 300+, probably the largest crowd Premier has ever drawn. Premier staff was scrounging for more chairs. The venue is conducive to heat. The sound reverberates. The lighting is a problem (too dim and uneven). 

Premier clearly delivered the event  their fan base wanted to see. Premier is aiming for primitive gut level emotions and succeeding in evoking them. The poster promised violence and this show delivered it. The booking and pacing reminded me of Anarchy for some weird reason.

It also set things up nicely for Christmas Night, which will featured Black vs. Frost for the Premier Championship, Xander Whoric vs. Richard Page in a Fan Participation Strap Match and the perverse entertainment of a blind fold battle royal.

Premier has upgraded and improved the blend of talent on their roster. The company has also stepped up its social media presence.

Premier owner Billy Knight announced that Premier could not sanction the barbed wire cage match and summoned Premier Champion Stevie Ray Frost and AJ Black to sign liability waivers. Frost said he was going to rip the skin off AJ"s bones. Knight informed Frost that if AJ won the cage match tonight, he would get a title match with Frost on Christmas night. 

AJ Black was super over with the fans in Carrollton. Frost got heat but the overall reaction was more about AJ love than Frosty hate.

(1) Monster's Ball Match: Mad Man Mayson defeated Alexander Lev and Krule via referee stoppage in 10:47. Lev, the underdog babyfaces had his work cout out for him battling two monsters. They brawled into the crowd and people were scattering. Somebody was wielding a mop bucket. Mayson used a stop sign on and chair shots on Krule but hardly slowed him down. Lev superkicked the stop sign into Mayson. Lev took a brutal backdrop on the floor. The crowd got excited as soon as they saw a table brought into play. Mayson gave Krule a shot with a cowbell. Lev exploded a firecracker bat on Mayson. Lev brought Krule off the ropes with a powerbomb through the table.

Mayson was hanging Lev with a chain when referee Caleb Lane called for the bell. Mayson and Krule vigorously bludgeoned each other all the way to the back. Lev was barely ambulatory. 

They got the show off to a rip roaring start. This match had West Georgia white trash heat at its best, reminiscent of the VFW Fairgrounds. Mad Man Mayson is one big dude. He's doing Bruiser Brody proud with his gimmick and matched up great with Krule, who is one of few legitimate attractions in Georgia. He whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Lev showed his toughness. He had to.

(2) Machine DeSilva & Lamar Phillips won a four team gauntlet match to earn (and  use that term loosely) an Ultimate Tag Team title shot later in the evening (17:31).  Ace Haven & Justin McKenzie (with Amy Haven) defeated DRP & Xander Seabolt at 5:53.  The heels got heat on McKenzie. DRP's Eye of the Hurricane was good for a two count. McKenzie with a Pele to make the hot tag to Ace. They did a wacka doo double stack riding the shoulders deal into an Ace cutter with DRP taking the bump. McKenzie then pinned Seabolt with a swanton bomb.

Ace & McKenzie (with Amy) defeated  Madstreet (Sal Rinauro & Michael Stevens) at 16:02. Madstreet isolated Ace. I will not be so foolish as to attempt to go into detail about anything that happaned after that. 

Ace and McKenzie went to coast-to-coast in stereo. For the finish, Rinauro had Ace in position for an avalanache crucifix bomb. Ace reversed it with a huracanrana sending Sal into a McKenzie powerbomb. At least that's how they drew it up. 

Greatness Inc took advantage of the exhausted state of their opponents to put the Alabamians away in short order. Phillips pinned McKenzie with lariat from hell. 

Something different for West Georgia. They worked at a lightning fast pace and the crowd ate it up. I doubht Sal and Ace could have fit more spots into their portion of the match if they tried. It was whirlwind of action and ideas. The Premier fans have taken to Mckenzie. DRP was a great late addition to the show as Seabolt's partner. 

(3) Joey Hyder defeated Chris Gainz (with Richard Page) in 10:22. Hyder was outdoing the physique guy with power and skills. Gainz capitalized on distraction by Page and slowed things down with a body scissors. Gainz missed a twisting splash. Hyder capped off his comeback with a standing shooting star press. Page got on the apron. Hyder grabbed Page and ate a sick kick from Gainz.

A hot blonde named Christina Hilton came out to scout talent. Gainz tried to impress Hilton by showing her his muscles and got rolled up by Hyder.

This mix of sport entertainment and southern wrasslin' was a nice change of pace before charging full speed ahead for the rest of the show. The emphasis was on character work. I'm used to seeing Hyder as a heel elsewhere. He's legit active duty Air Force and has interesting possibilities as a babyface here. Hilton is updated doing version of the Alexandra York gimmick from WCW. Fun stuff. She definitely has the looks for it.

Zander Whoric promo. Whoric out with his tag team belt on his shoulder. Ring announcer Jason Boyd (doing the best work of his career by the way) said Whoric would get his match with Richard Page on Christmas night. Whoric said since becoming a champion on November 1, he'd been stewing about the right time and place to knock his foot down Page's throat and he was getting his Christmas wish.

Richard Page interrupts. Page wanted to run his mouth but the crowd was drowning him out with boos. Page said he was going to bring Whoric back to reality. He wanted to shake Whoric's hand. Whoric said nope. Page used his cane to put Whoric down and whipped him with his belt. Page tried for another cane shot but Whoric blocked it. Page bailed. Whoric challenged Page to a fan participation strap match, ALWAYS good for a big pop in Georgia. 

Good angle. Whoric showed fired and it had heat. Whoric referring to Richard as "Dick" tickled me. Page's belt shots left something to be desired. I hope to God the fans in Carrollton whip Page a lot harder on Christmas night than he whipped Whoric. 

(4) Hayden Seal & Ashton Martin defeated Phillips & DeSilva (representing Greatness Inc) to retain the Ultimate Tag Team Championship in 9:0 5. Seal and Martin came in hot and  hit stereo pescados. A belly-to-belly by DeSilva turned the tide. The heels stayed high impact with a stalling vertical by Phillps and DeSilva's gutwrench suplex. The babyface rallied strong into the finish. Martin pinned DeSilva with a frog splash. 

This was fine. Martin is getting over as a white meat babyface. Seal is the superior athlete and better pro wrestler at this stage.The team of Philips and DeSilva was a solid choice to work with less experienced talent. 

Intermission to set up the barbed wire cage. It was 10 feet tall and encased the entire ring. If a wrestler got thrown through the ropes, barbed wire was the next stop.

(5) AJ Black defeated Premier All-Star Champion Stevie Ray Frost in a barbed wire cage match to earn a title match on Christmas night (17:17). Initailly, they both put on the brakes to avoid contact with the barbed. Frost took the first shot into the barbed wire and was bleeding two minutes into the match.  AJ did the grinding of Frost's head and pounding of the cut. Six minutes in, AJ took a hotshot into the barbed wire and got the same grinding and pounding treatment. Frost took a head-first shot into one of the 2X4 supports.  The stabbed each other in the heads with weapons. AJ had a fork. This was getting visually gruesome. Frost gave AJ a low blow got a near fall with a swinging cutter. AJ got a two count with a jumping flatliner. Frost tied AJ to the ropes and whipped him with a belt. Frost slugged referee "Butterbean" Ryan Harmon and threw him into the barbed wire. Butterbean. Frost trotted out Lucille (his barbed wire board). AJ kicked Frost in the groin and used Lucille on him.

AJ used a Codebreak to set up a top rope splash for the pin and gynormous pop ensued.

Black said he proved he wanted it all and on Christmas Night he was going to take it all. 

A spectacle for sure, the barbed wire gave the match the air of danger missing from most pro wrestling these days. The match had throwback grit and grunge and magic. Aj and Frost is  a great match up. Unfortunately, Butterbean got way better color than either. And it wasn't for lack of trying on their part. Buttterbean can bleed with the best of them.

NOTES: SECW promoter Scott East was in the house...Colt Derringer was visiting backstage...Darryl Hall,was helping out...Sean Nelson and Pastor Jaykes were backstage during the show...Caleb Lane, "Butterbean" Ryan Harmon and Al Berrie were the referees.