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| Photos by Peter Sigmund |
From Larry Goodman:
Southern Honor Wrestling returned to action with their first show of 202, their second at Reformation Brewing. Make no mistake, SHW 79 was a great show. Gary Lamb or not, this company is not missing a beat with the demise of the Action Building and they are cultivating new fans in the process.
History was made. The main event was the first ever three-team Iron Man match in pro wrestling history won by The Skulk. Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray defeated the The Infantry and Wonder Boyz to capture the SHW Tag Team Championship. AEW/ROH stars Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean had ruled the SHW tag team division for 486 days.
The Skulk arrived in SHW one year ago. The Iron Man was the culmination of their feud with The Infantry with Wonder Boyz forcing their way into the picture.
Aside from its historic nature, the Iron Man was a fantastic match with a dream of a finish.
The early forecast for an outdoor event in February looked grim. Booker Dylan Frymyer planed a compact show - six matches, two hours. That decision could not have played out any better. The worst fears about the weather were not realized. With portable kerosene heaters in place and the temperatures around 50, the seating area felt toasty.
The patio was packed.
The official crowd number was 329 but there were a lot more people there than that. Every seat was full, standing room was at a premium and this crowd was white hot. It was a great show no matter what. The crowd took it to a whole 'nother level.
There's a special spice about this space that amplifies the larger-than-life quality in the performers.
Cue up the entance of the new SHW Champion Alexander Lev.
The pop was deafening. Lev gave Griffin props for showing up without Gunner Miller. Lev got the easiest pop of the night by anointing Griffin as a "bald bitch".
This was Lev fully unleashed as a babyface. He was battling a revered figure in Joe Black so there was alway a split on the crowd's allegiance. The limelight was all his.
Lev was about to murder Griffin when Bryce Cannon's music hit, allowing Griffin to flee the ring to color commentary.
(1) Alexander Lev defeated Bryce Cannon to retain the SHW Championship in 13:16. Lev bounced Cannon around with the crowd loving it. Cannon pulled hair in desperation and got a two count with a Famouser. Lev was getting the better of a chop exchange so Cannon cut him off with an enzuigiri. Nice. Both were down after Lev's missile dropkick. Lev messed with The Tip. Cannon was on a roll until Lev dodged his encore cannonball.
Lev tried for the O1C. Referee Zander Whoric got knocked down in the process. Cannon picked up his frat paddle but had an unexpected crisis of conscience. Cannon instead used a disaster kick. Hunter James hit the ring and laid Cannon out with a belt shot. Lev chased James away and pinned Cannon with the O1C, his new finisher which is a variation on the Clash.
Cannon ripped the title belt out of the ref's hand, placed it on Lev's shoulder and shook his hand.
The match was excellent. The atmosphere was to die for. Lev is in a different place physically and technically than he was six or eight month ago. Mediocre performances are not part of Cannon's vocabulary. James' attack on Cannon made sense based on their rivalry for the JTS title. Cannon show of sportsmanship was a surprise. One thing SHW's 2025 taught me was trust Dylan Frymyer's long term booking.
"Marvelous" Michael Stevens entered the ring boldly adorned in butterfly wings.
(2) Herculon Rage defeated Michael Stevens via submission in 6:56. Rage got fed up with Stevens' clowning around and doled out the brutality. Stevens targeted Rage's shoulder. He posted the shoulder and played for a count out. Rage speared Stevens out of a three point stance, then ragdolled Marv with a choke until he tapped.
Best Rage match I've seen, qualitatively different than the type of matches he's being doing at RIPW and DWA, less bumping and a better showcase of his physicality. Stevens did a marvelous job of putting Rage over and helping to make him shine.
(3) Remi Reade defeated Anjelica Risk to retain the 1FW Women's Championship in 9:50. Tit-for-tat action in the early going with neither woman able to obtain a significant advantage. Risk invited Reade to chop her. Reade did and got pounded by Risk as the physicality escalated. Risk broked out a tornillo crossbody for a near fall. They did a sequence of simultaneous headbutts, big boots and lariats that left both women on the canvas. They swapped near falls: Reade with a spinning neckbreaker, Risk with a headscissors driver. Risk went for an O'Connor Roll and Reade rolled through to secure the pin.
1FW is as good as it gets in Georgia for women's wrestling. Everything about Risk screams major league. the polish of her in-ring execution, that muscular physique, her knock out looks and that bad ass attitude. Reade is amazing for age and experience level.
(4) Sal Rinauro defeated Christian Taylor in 6:19. Taylor has literally added another layer to his psycho character. He entered with his head wrapped in plastic. Sal's antics neutralized Taylor size and strength in the early going. Once Taylor got a hold of him, it looked like curtains for Rinauro. Taylor was viciously dishing out punishment. Taylor kept trying to choke Sal out but went for it one too many times. Sal flipped over and pinned Taylor's shoulders to the mat.
A nice short story: Sal's mind game prevailed over the twisted mind of Taylor. The finish caught the crowd by surprise. Taylor has a bright future. He's got the physical tools and continues to flesh out a unique character.
(5) Hunter James defeated Kyle Matthews to retain the JTS Legacy Championship in 10:36. Matthews was one of the competitors James defeated in a four way ladder match to win the title at Still Here 7. James still got a mixed reaction, his heinous attack in Cannon notwithstanding. Matthews came in hot and almost scored a three count with a frog splash in the opening minute. James made Matthews miss off the top and hit a flying polish hammer to turn the momentum. James was cruising. Matthews' cut off dropkick was the move the match. Matthews hit the Jimmy Rave Dusk Til Dawn (satellite headscissors transitioned to a crossface) but James made it to the ropes. But James seized on an opening and hit the brainbuster to retain.
A solid title defense for James, as it was destined to be with the former GTS Champion and the man the GWH Best Technician award is named for. James just regained the title. They made the close calls compelling but hardcore SHW fans had to know James was not going to lose the title here.
Cannon pounced on James after the match. The refs hit the ring to break it up. Cannon punch Zander Whoric in the face and laid Clark DeBenedetto out with a Keg Stand on the floor as James made his escape.
(6) The Skulk (Adrian Alanis & Liam Gray) defeated The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) (c) and Wonder Boyz (Aaron & Ethan Dallas) to win the SHW Tag Team Championship in a 30 minute Tag Team Ironman Match. Wonder Boys were super over. The SHW fans love chanting "A A-Ron". As as much they also love The Infantry it was a no contest as to who got the louder reactions. They had no use for Skulk's arrogance and their history of despicable behavior. Griffin was emulating Gray's signature walk on commentary.
Six way chaos from the jump. The Skulk was getting their asses handed to them. Ethan's corkscrew Orihara moonsault got a "holy shit" chant and absolutely deserved it. Bravo lawndarted Alanis into Gray's nutsack. Dean had Aaron pinned with a slingshot spear but Gray broke it up and pinned Dean for the first pinfall of the match.
Skulk was all over Bravo. Carlie was in peril forever but was continually being saved by one competitor or another. While Aaron kept Skulk at bay, Ethan made three pin attempts on a worn out Carlie and the fourth time did the trick. To repeat: Ethan Dallas pinned Carlie Bravo. At 13:50, Wonder Boys and Skulk were tied at one fall apiece.
Skulk tried to destroy Wonder Boyz but the brother kept saving each other. Wonder Boyz hit a double team on Alanis to go up 2-1-0. Gray dove over the top rope with a crossbody as Alanis had Ethan in a vertical suplex position outside the ring (Skulk's signature finisher). The spot was insane and all six men got obliterated. Skulk hit their finisher inside the ring to pin Ethan. With less than 12 minutes to go, the champions were down 0-2-2.
Gray's attempt to brain Infantry with one their title belts backfired and he was pinned by an Infantry combo move. Infantry used a double curbstomp to in Gray AGAIN. With ninve minutes to go, the score was knotted up 2-2-2.
Infantry hit another double curbstomp on Gray and everybody else jumped in the pool to break up the pin. Infantry hit the Boot Camp on Ethan and that pin was broken up. Dean got Aaron in the figure four. Aaron had no way out but Gray attacked Dean.
Five minutes to go. Dean hit his top rope splash on Gray. Aaron broke that up. AD set up for his finisher and had the crowd chanting "Steel Toe" but was foiled in hitting the move.
Ring announcer Diana Michel made the two minutes to go call. Dean again got the figure four on Aaron in the center of the ring. Aaron was hanging on by a thread and looked like he was going tough it out as the final seconds ticked down. We were heading for a three way tie. But Gray scrambled into the ring and covered Aaron to score the deciding fall with two seconds left. People (including this writer) were reacting like they could not believe what they had just witnessed.
The intensity and sense of urgency for the entire 30 minutes made this match really special. It had the sense of performers constantly pushing each other to be at their absolute best. Ethan's corkscrew Orihara moonsault was perfection, the best dive of his career. The layout of the match was magic - a roller coaster ride of emotions for the viewing audience and the finish was unreal. Michel's time calls were spot on. The match was 30 minutes to the second.
A wild scene ensued. Part of the crowd was hating on Skulk for beating their heroes. Another part was cheering them in recognition of the genius move they had just seen them pull off. Either way, Skulk milked it for all they were wort and in so doing, elevated themselves and the SHW Tag Team Championship to new heights.
This was the best celebration of a title win I have seen in a very long time. The Skulk looked like stars. They have been underappreciated and underbooked in Georgia for years. Alanis is getting a singles push at ACTION. I am excited to see in what direction they go at SHW and hopefully elsewhere as a team.
NOTES: Brandon Benefield and Matt Griffin were the announce team...Diana Michel was the ring announcer...The referees where Zander Whoric, Paul Santa Clark DeBenedetto. DJ Tonnek was on sound...The most nimble cameraman around, Impak Palmer and Chianne Michaels were the ringside videographers...GWH Rookie of the Year nominee JT Paradox, six-time GWH referee of the year Daryl Hall and The Tapped Out podcast duo of Nick McDaniel and Myron Fancher were among those in the house.
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