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| Photos by Gina Jones |
From Larry Goodman:
What I do want to tell all you people that pay your hard earned money to watch us performers put on a live show is thank you for everything in the last 17 years of my life. I love everyone in that locker room like they're my own family. Ace, you've been with me the whole journey. We've been tag partners. We've been arch nemesis. I couldn't think of a better way for me to go home to my wife and kids...ProSouth family, I love you all.
-- Scott Spade
It was not the first time a competitor won a title in a match they were not supposed to be in and probably not the last. This one hit different. Joe Black came in a late replacement for Ayden Andrews and walked out with the ProSouth Champion thanks to the inexplicable behavior of Commissioner Amy Haven. Nobody was more shocked than Brother Azriel, who after a marathon climb to the mountain top, suffered the indignity of losing the championship at the hands of the gatekeeper he had defeated to get there and the woman who supported him throughout his ascent.
Scott Spade's Hall of Fame Run is over for good. Spade lost the YouTube Championship in one hell of a match, He lost a Crosswire match for the first and what will be the only time in his career. During the course of 2025, he held big Big Blue and been a double champion for three months.
There would be no better moment to announce his retirement. Spade said his farewell while sitting on the mat, unlacing his boots.
This was Spade's second retirement. His first was in April 2022, the night of ProSouth's final event at their original home on Southern Avenue. Spade came back for a brief stint the next year. But when Spade returned to Piedmont in the fall of 2024, he was a man on a mission. He did the best work of his career. The fireman from the mythological Esom Hill became ProSouth's top heel. His hall of fame run becomes part of ProSouth's legend.
In defeating Spade, Ace achieved the grand slam champion status that had eluced him, joining four other competitors in ProSouth history (Dameon Ceretone, Cameron Keast, Spade and Brother Azriel). Ace has been far from a nice guy and more than a bit unhinged at times. Now Ace seemingly finds himself at the opposite side of the fence from his wife.
The show was almost an hour in before we got a real wrestling match. Caeden Ooten and Christian Pierce made up for lost time. Their match rivaled the Crosswire for the most physically intense match of the show.
Justin McKenzie, AJ Black and DRP did their damndest to steal the show and would have on most any other night. Watching these young men grow as performers has been a delight and a highlight of my ProSouth 2025.
The balance of the Anniversary XVII consisted of three wild and crazy gimmick matches that yielded mixed results. Of the three, the All Sins Legal match between Ravana Xin and Leon Ruffin came closest to a full realization of what its creators envisioned.
Supershow XVII exemplified all the things I love about ProSouth Wrestling, the passion, the warts and excesses, the uniqueness of the vision, the dedication to the art form. There is something about ProSouth that can only be appreciated by direct experience.
The livestream was boosted by the excitement level of a larger than usual crowd that was on fire all night long.
Wicked Nemesis and Brandon Whatley were the broadcast team for the first half. Mathias Darkthorne joined Wick for the second half and ring announced. Matthew Gibson was back as the senior official, joined by Joseph Void, T-Bird (doing double duty) and a special appearance by Kevin Tubbs as the ref for the Crosswire match. Katie Lindsey was the videographer. The gimbal crapped out and she had to shoot the last couple of matches handheld.
(1) Blood Born defeated Steven Calozzi & Trey Jordan and Tony Midas & Vougan and T-Bird & KJ Valentine in a TLC match to retain the ProSouth Tag Team Championship in 15:05. T-Bird stripped of his ref shirt and donned his mask to become Valentine's surprise partner. The action quickly moved to ringside where Valentine came off a ladder with a cannonball dive that knocked the other combatants down like bowling pins. The odd couple of Midas and Vougan could not get on the same page. Blood Born wasted Valentine and T-Bird with savage ladder bumps. Lincoln ran headfirst into a wedged ladder. Jordan sunset powerbombed Wood through two tables after Calozzi crowned Wood with a chairshot. Vougan almost got to the belt but Midas yanked him off the ladder. Valentine dove off the apron to put Midas through a table on the floor. Wood heaved Valentine over the top rope with a Woodchipper to send him crashing through a table. Wood ditched the six foot ladder in favor of an eight foot ladder and started to climb. Calozzi scrambled up the other side of the ladder to head Wood off and fished brass knucks out of his pocket. Lincoln grabbed Calozzi's arm. Wood clocked Calozzi with the knucks. Lincoln destroyed Calozzi with a burning hammer through a table and the rest was academic.
Every bit the train wreck it looked to be on paper. They broke five tables and produced mass quantities of carnage. Can't fault their effort or bravery. To their credit, Blood Born retained against three teams and climbing ladders is definitely not their thing.
(2) First Blood Chain Match: Christian Garrett (with Scott Adams) defeated Cameron Keast to retain the All-Out Championship in 10:19. Before the bell, Keast said they forgot to play his special music so he was going to the back to do his entrance one more time. Keast came ouo singing (if you call that singing) "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" with his own twisted lyrics directed at Adams. He blew some of his llnes and segued to a stream of consciounsess loosely related to Home Alone. Keast pulled a candy-striped Singapore cane from under the ring. Under threat of being beaten with the kendo stick, the heels bailed out and got powder thrown in their faces by Trace Haven, except most of the powder ended up on Trace with a small amount sprinkled on Adams and Garret like fairy dust.
This was ambitiously unhinged and pretty terrible. I previously wrote that Keast would never be cast in a musical so what does he do? Casts himself in another musical number to prove the point. I'll give Keast credit for being able to laugh at himself. The heels selling the blown powder spot was an embarrassing moment for pro wrestling.
Not a traditional chain match by any stretch. They were never chained together. The chain was used as the primary weapon It was essentially a handicap match. Adams was involved the entire time. Keast tossed Adams into the Christmas tree and whacked Garrett with the candy-striped Singapore cane. Garrett and Adams used the chain to beat Keast to a pulp. Keast snapped his own fingers to summon Psycho Cam. He attacked Garrett and Adams with the chain and gave Garrett Bloody Tears on a steel chair with the chan wrapped around Garrett's neck. Keast pulled a Kids of Keast mask out of a bag. The mask was broken. Keast blasted Garrett in the head with the title belt with no blood drawn. The crowd was chanting "Let's get weird." While Keast was beating on Adams, Garrett put on a mask. Keast snapped Adams' fingers and tried to pull the mask off of Garrett. Adams subdued Keast by wrapping the chain around his throat. Garrett sliced Cam's forehead and T-Bird called for the bell.
Sacrilege as far as being an All-Out title match goes. I have to give it an A+ for the elements Keast incorporated into the story he was telling and the genius of using a mask to keep Garrett from bleeding.
A video package of the highlights of the Caeden Ooten/Christian Pierce feud was shown before the match.
(3) Caeden Ooten (with Harley Haven) defeated Christian Pierce (with Grim) in 11:33. Harley was teathered to Grim. As Pierce entered, Harley clipped Grim's knee (or so Wick told us, missed camera cut here). Pierce handcuffed Harley to Grim on the outside. Sleazy C speared Pierce out of nowhere, rolled him in and covered for the win. Pierce kicked out. Ooten kept the pressure on. Pierce fired back with strikes and activated the Bunsault (a double jump Lionsault) from a previous persona. The midportion of this match was a dogfight. Ooten's fierce right in full effect, Pierce not giving a inch. Ooten with a pop up punch and a gordbuster variation for an almost three count. Both men rolled to the floor after a double clothesline. Grim maneuvered Harley away from Pierce. Back inside the ring, they traded near falls Ooten stomped Pierce. Pierce delivered a flying knee. Referee Void got knocked down. Harley decked Grim and was freed to get in the ring. Pierce went for Once Bitten on Harley but didn't quite get it before Ooten saved her. Now Grim was in the ring. Pierce laid him out but good. Pierce caught Ooten with Once Bitten as he came off the ropes. He got a visual three count because of course Void was looking in the other direction.
Harley punched Pierce with a foreign object. Ooten hit Loaded Gun Complex and Void was Johnny-on-the-spot with the three count.
This was war. They brought the intensity and in-ring authenticity. A starker contract to what had gone before would difficult to imagine. Pierce is a bonafide maniac. Ooten was a force of nature. Harley has gotten so much better at all the physical parts of the game. The Ayden Andrews tribute spots was icing on the cake. Grim's identity remained a mystery.
(4) Justin McKenzie defeated AJ Black and DRP in 8:32. McKenzie and AJ team up to rid the ring of the Panama City Prick and the babyfaces went at it. DRP got back in the back in the mix in a big way with a double stunner. DRP hit the Waverider (running DVD) on AJ and McKenzie simultaneously hit a swanton on AJ for a double stack pin attempt. DRP had AJ in the electric chair and McKenzie came off the top with a blockbuster on AJ. DRP hit a diving clothesline on McKenzie and all three were down. The transitioned to three way action on the apron. McKenzie hit a double spanish fly to the floor. All three in agony as they slowly got to their feet. Back inside, a three-way hockey fight ensued. DRP posted AJ's shoulder and McKenzie surprised DRP with a sliced bread for the win.
They crushed it. The shortest match on the show was one of the best match of the show. The match was built around a few key spots, no excess complication and they took it home at just the right time. Nothing was going to top that psychotic Spanish fly off the ring apron.
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Spade announced his retirement with the farewell speech quoted at the top of this report. Addressing the crowd as he unlaced his boots with equal parts humility, gratitude and pride, this moment is etched in my brain.
(6) All Sins Legal: Leon Ruffin defeated Ravana Xin in 12:52. Ruffin had a skateboard with him. They got right to the nitty gritty. Ruffin came off the apron with a cannonball on Xin, who he had seated in a chair at ringside. Xin gave Ruffin a gutwrench onto the chair. Ruffin came off the apron with a skateboard double stomp on Xin's back. Back inside, Ruffin rolled marble under Xin's feet to knock her on her ass and came off the ropes with a flying crossbody. Xin gave Ruffin a standing gordbuster onto a chair. To the kiddie pool Xin had previously placed in the ring, she now added a bag of ground glass to Ruffin's leftover marbles. Xin laid Ruffin across the middle rope in the corner and gave him a running hip drop of doom through plywood planks. Xin brought a plunger from the back and plunged Ruffin's face. To the mix in the kiddie pool, Xin added tacks and a box of salt. Ruffin delivered plunger shots to Xin's face, capped off with a plunger clothesline. Midas sprayed Ruffin in the face with his aerosol whatever. Midas put a pie in Xin's face and scored a bulleye. Xin was wearing the whip cream mask. Ruffin clotheslined Xin into the kiddie pool.
Postmatch, Ruffin got in the face of Midas whose eyes were bulging out of his head in shock. Xin was in the ring, clutching her back, her face covered in whip cream. Midas motioned to Xin to call him.
If this was the final chapter of Ravana Xin's story at ProSouth, she went out with at the her peak in the ring. Ruffin may not be a miracle worker but he is the next best thing. Kudos to whoever laid this match out, long on lust and gluttony, loaded with great choice of when and how to incorporate the elements.
(7) Joe Black defeated Champion Brother Azriel and The Mongrel (with The Windigo) to win the ProSouth Championship in 11:16. Commissioner Amy said Ayden Andrews was not there but a triple threat title match been promised and that's what it would be. Joe came out as Andrews' replacement. Neither Joe or Az could make much of dent in Mongrel. Windigo was a different story. Joe bowled her over with tope A tower of doom powerbomb by Mongrel took out referee Void. Mongrel got a long visual fall on Joe before T-Bird arrived to start counting. Az also kicked out Mongrel's cover. Mongrel took his frusration out on T-Bird with a claw slam. Joe speared Mongrel. Amy returned to the ring wearing a ref shirt to make the count. One shriek from Windigo sent Mongrel into action. He obliterated Joe's ropes walker cutter attempt. Az dragged Windigo to the stage and put her lights out. Mongrel went for Az. He planted Mongrel on the stage with a Woodgrain. Az and Joe locked eyes. Az laid Joe out with a Woodgrain inside the ring. Joe kicked out at 2 and 9/10. Joe hit the ropes walk cutter and Az kicked out. Joe speared Az. Still not good enough for a three count. Az ducked Joe's kill shot and gave him a torture rack GTS. Joe was done. Amy counted two and simply stopped counting. Amy gave Az a low blow and Joe delivered the kill shot to the base of the brain to become the new ProSouth champion.
The 2025 season ended with Amy defiantly raising Joe's hand.
The match was all story and they did not take 20 minutes to tell it when 10-12 would do just as well. Injecting Joe into the match struck me as a great way to make up for Andrews absence and cement Az's position as champion. That Joe went on to win the title blew my mind. Joe had just mended fences with Ace. Shapeshifter Amy turning heel was not remotely on the radar. Joe and Amy have got a lot of splainin' to do.
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