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From Larry Goodman:
I have been courting what we warriors call a beautiful death for 18 years and nobody walking this earth's surface has been worthy enough to take the sword and plunge it into my black heart and finish me.
-Joe Black
The annual Valentines' Day Massacre event is the next major show on the ProSouth calendar and it was time to get down to the business of revealing the major matches.
The rematch between Brother Azriel and Mongrel that has been teased for weeks, a Kill Field fight to the finish, will come to fruition at Valentine's Day Massacre.
ProSouth Champion Joe Black challenged Ace Haven to a Buried Alive match that presumably will also take place on February 13.
The Process debuted. Cameron Keast was reborn as Tragic. His twisted soul belongs to Amy Haven and Joe Black and Chosen Ones are his intended target.
Wicked Nemesis and Mathias Darkthorne manned the commentation station. Darkthorne was the ring announcer. Joseph Void was the ironman referee. Jessie was the videographer.
(1) Christian Pierce defeated KJ Valentine (with Steven Calozzi & Trey Jordan) in 11:03. Calozzi and Jordan took turns interfering until Void ejected the both of them. Calozzi said that was all part of of the plan. Valentine capitalized on the confusion with an heinous attack on Pierce's back. Pierce was in a bad way but nevertheless fired up a rack bomb for a two count. They went corner to corner trading blows until Pierce decapitated Valentine with a clothesline that left both men on the canvas. Pierce's back gave out on a powerbomb attempt. Valentine exploited the weakness. Pierce shook Valentine off and hit the cannonball which meant Once Bitten was next. Valentine slipped away and tried for the Blackout (his finisher). Pierce caught him with Once Bitten mid move but didn't get much of it.
They had a concept of a finish, otherwise this was a solid, hard-hitting match. Valentine had done mostly tags at ProSouth. This was a lot of exposure in a long singles match. He had a perfect opponent in Pierce. ProSouth is blessed with veteran wrestlers that can help make young talents shine. Pierce is one of the those people as he previously demonstrated with Calozzi and Balderas.
(2) Justin McKenzie defeated Vladimir Koloff in 7:32. Commentary noted Koloff had remolded his physique since his last ProSouth appearance. I soon had Koloff's pecs popping off my TV screen. McKenzie was on the receiving end of Koloff's power game for the lion's share of the match. McKenzie blasted Koloff with a pair of topes and reentered the ring with a slingshot DDT for a near fall. Koloff fought of sliced bread but his cannonball was a gutter ball and McKenzie picked up the win with Sliced Bread 69.
McKenzie's confidence and ease in the ring are appealing qualities. Koloff's offense was impressive but he got too much of it. The match did not sit well with me.
As McKenzie headed to the back, he was cut off by Cameron Keast in psycho mode. Keast laid McKenzie out with Bloody Tears.
So now that Cam has turned into a mad robot due to Amy's mind control, it's only fitting to sick him on McKenzie.
Backstage, Ace was talking about his main event YouTube title defense against Brandon Whatley when AJ Black entered from stage right. AJ was appreciative of the opportunity (to be part of Chosen Ones against Team Quackenbush) but Ace took it away by tapping out. AJ could not recall Ace winning a match since he beat Scott Spade for the title. AJ wanted a shot. Ace said sure and reminded AJ of his recent history (tapping out in a title match to Joe Black)
The camera swiveled to a shot down the hallway just in time to see Balderas spear Pierce through the drywall. The camera tracked Balderas through the backstage area as he made his way to the ring.
Promo segment was oddly wooden. I was intrigued by AJ's shade of grey. Balderas putting Pierce through the wall was fun and the tracking shot through backstage was something different..
(3) Julian Balderas & All-Out Champion Christian Garrett (with Scott Adams) defeated DRP & Bubba Cagle in 8:28. Garrett wanted nothing to do with former partner Cagle and let Balderas start the match. "The Tex Mex Terminator" punished Cagle with brute force. Balderas neutralized DRP's rapid fire attack with a full nelson slam. Garrett waited until Balderas has DRP softened up to tag in. Bubba cleaned house with a barrage of back elbows. Adams interfered right in front of the ref. Terrible look. DRP hit the Waverider on Garrett, but he made the most of the lucha tag rules by rolling to apron and Balderas mowed DRP down with a spear to pin him clean.
One of the things I love about ProSouth is their willingness to alter directions midstream and go with the hot hand. They've got something in Balderas and have strapped a rocket to his ass. Garrett was one shrewd character in this match. He and Balderas blended well as a team.
Backstage, Brandon Whatley brooded about the YouTube title match being changed to a triple threat and said somebody was going to get hurt as a result.
The Process (ProSouth Champion Joe Black, Amy Haven and Cameron Keast) appeared for the first time as a unit. Amy was about to explain her actions when Oliver Green's music hits. Black was incredulous. Green said he came this close to winnin the tag team championship last week and wanted another title shot. Amy said no. Joe said WE said no. Green slapped Joe across the face. Amy said Green could have his match.
(4) ProSouth Champion Joe Black (with Amy Haven) defeated Oliver Green in non-title match (1:56). Green unloaded the clip on Joe with little effect but did manage to headscissors Joe to the outside. Black walked halfway around the ring with Green positioned for a stalling vertical suplex. Back inside, Joe made short work of the rookie with a powerbomb and a german suplex into a ripcord forearm to the face, pinning Green with one foot on his chest.
Good segment. With a name like a character out of CHIKARA, Green has repeatedly shown he has more guts than sense. Green was not done for the night. He wrestled Steven Calozzi in a Members Only match that aroused my curiousity.
(5) Caeden Ooten (with Harley Haven) defeated Brother Azriel in 4:58. Az sensed the presence of Mongrel. He turned his back on Ooten and got clipped from behind. Harley choked Az over the middle rope. Ooten tried to wear the big man down but did not succeed. Az planted Ooten with a uranage and had Ooten positioned for the Wood Grain, but was overcome by his obsession with Mongrel. Ooten got away and speared Az for the three count.
Crowd wasn't feeling this match. Me neither. There was no issue. C was a placeholder for Mongrel and the finish was lame. Az fell victim to dumb babyface syndrome. The spear was a lousy choice on a guy Az's size especially after the Balderas spears.
Brother Azriel promo. Az said he was waiting for Mongrel to fight him like a man. He was ready for the Killing Field but it looked like Mongrel was more of coward than a monster. The lights went out, Mongrel's music played but no Mongrel. Az was hot. Kill or be killed? Az said he already died and didn't care about doing it again. Az was limping as he left the ring.
He's here! Mongrel attacked Az and beat him down. Windigo appeared and sat down on the ramp to address Az. He would get his rematch with Mongrel at Valentine's Day Massacre.
Az redeemed the match with the fire in his promo. The swerve of another Mongrel fake out and Az's selling made the real deal more impactful when it finally happened.
(6) Ace Haven defeated Brandon Whatley and AJ Black and Tragic (Cameron Keast) in a fatal four-way to retain the YouTube Championship in 7:37. Before the bell, Amy added her "own personal Psycho Cam" to the match. Tragic entered to new music with the building illuminated only by the green light on the contraption around his neck.
Tragic went straight at Ace and was impervious to his blows. The middle rope broke a minute into the match. Dueling submission ensued: Ace with a modifed Octopus on Keast while AJ had Whatley locked in a straight jacket choke. Tragic powered out and used Ace as weapon to break up AJ's submission. Tragic attempted to twist AJ's neck off his torso. AJ's rolling neck snap was the first move to do damage to Tragic. Tragic withstood a triple team attack without going down. Tragic was looking to give Ace Blood Tears on the floor when McKenzie clocked Tragic from behind. Tragic and McKenzie battled in the seating area and out the front exit. As Whatley was going for the Bottomless Pit on AJ, Ace caught Whatley with a cutter and pinned him
The objective was to get Cam's new persona across. Tragic displayed amazing power and toughness for such a skinny character. The action was what it was with a broken rope. The finish looked good.
Joe and Amy returned with a proposal for Ace. Joe said he had been seeking vindication through burial. Ace was the Last Hero. Show me a hero and we will write you a tragedy. Joe said he liked gangster movies. Al Capone was once responsible for a massacre called the Valentine's Day Massacre and in the spirit of those gangster tropes, Joe wanted a match not for any titles, but for vindication: a buried alive match. "I am truly hoping, and I'm not being facetious, that you win. Because if you don't I will bury you and kill you."
Amy told Ace if he wanted answers, accept the match.
Joe's incredible delivery of the material sold the premise. Ace has lost his wife and his best friend. With Ace's tortured mental state being what what it is, of course he's going to accept the match. The devil is in the handling of the stipulation but I'm getting ahead of the story.
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