From Jeff Richards: Apple City Championship Wrestling (ACCW) Unofficial Head Count: 188 Despite the recent death of trainee Darron Aitken...
From Jeff Richards:
Apple City Championship Wrestling (ACCW)
Unofficial Head Count: 188
Despite the recent death of trainee Darron Aitken, ACCW Live went ahead with its March show @ Brookford Town Hall. At times, there was not a dry eye in the place.
Aitken, 20, passed away while training in the very same ring that hosted Saturday night's activities. Lots of performers paid respect & tribute to the fun-loving teen who lived to wrestle.
Owner Blake Coffey has received an outpouring of support from the community and especially Aitken's family. The show must go on, and so it did with a few bumps and bruises. But for the most part, an ecstatic crowd of paid and non-paid fans went home late but extremely happy.
Landon Hale, an original trainee of Robert Gibson, survived Catawba Valley Champion Alexander Moss' shenanigans and captured his first championship in ACCW. The big man/small man tandem of BoDash lifted the tag-team straps from "D*** Extreme" in an entertaining mishmash of styles. Sometimes you did not know which team to root for, as individuals traversed back & forth between heel and face. All in all, a spirit of "family," "unity" and togetherness has helped the promotion survive what could have been a fatal death blow to its existence.
(1) Co-wrestling school trainer Jonny Baker outlasted "Masked Man" Don Furio, Justin Kindred Allen and popular Jake Parker in 10:16. A four corners match is not the worst way a pro wrestling show can start nowadays. Furio, a student of Seth "Freakin" Rollins' academy, went from main event to curtain-jerker in two months. Baker and Allen started in-ring, while Parker and Furio brawled toward the merch tables. Whenever Furio and Allen would "team up," fans could be heard chanting "You both suck." Allen saved Furio from Parker's Black Hole slam. When not showboating, Furio has the look of a homegrown star. In the end, Baker went over on Allen, and Parker shook hands with the ACCW mainstay to really cement his popularity. RATING: 3.25 stars
(2) Brittany Jade retained her Apple City Women's Championship with an unpopular win over Joiya Blake in 7:46. The ladies brawled around ringside to start the match. Blake, a PCW (Palmetto Championship Wrestling) product, could work heel if she wanted to do so. Her autograph line at intermission was long. Jade kicked out of a fireman's carry ace crusher and retained her belt with a Kenny Omega-like knee in the corner. RATING: 1.75 stars
(3) "The Infinite Man" (T.I.M.) pinned "The Necessary Evil" Drew Hood in 13:05. TIM was accompanied by a Prince Nana wannabe, Aloysius Skipper Jenkins III, a charismatic liasion @ ringside. Hood's heel heat included grabbing Timmy's hair extensions. TIM scored with a Helluva kick and pumphandle slam, but Hood kicked out. Hood retaliated with a sick kick but nooo. He also channeled his inner MJF with a heatseeker, but TIM rallied again. TIM hit a Canadian Destroyer, but Hood increduously no-sold it. After a flurry of moves sent Hood to the floor, TIM soared through the fans, spilling drinks everywhere. A sensational aerial move akin to Kevin Knight's UFO splash ended Hood's night. TIM offered a handshake, and Hood eventually returned for the mid-ring embrace. RATING: 3 stars
(4) "The Underground King" James Johnson upended Chip Day in 13:18. There was a huge "Augusta wrestling" feel to this show. Fans did not know what to make of Day's technical excellence. However, Johnson stood toe-to-toe with the Georgia standout. Johnson's sweet-sounding knife edge chops reminded me of Day's. A standing superplex by Day hurt the audience's ears. Day's legbar was quite impressive. A variation of the "Go to Sleep" did not keep CD down for long. If not for a leg on the ropes, Day's disaster kick would have netted Chip a win. Johnson's pop-up forearm blow finished Day off for good. RATING: 3.5 stars
(5) Tristan Moody (subbing for Terry Sequoyah) bested BK Westbrook in a lengthy 15:49. This match should have taken place after intermission. Westbrook, a former partner of Arik Royal, reminds some of Johnny TV. Moody showed a lot of babyface fire. Westbrook played or toyed with the PCW youngster. Westbrook flapjacked Moody and locked on the camel clutch. A 619 to Westbrook's arse was amusing. Moody's flying forearm shiver would have retired AJ. A Lethal Injection did not keep Westbrook down either. But it was not long after that Westbrook stayed down. RATING: 2.75 stars (even 13 minutes would have been too long)
Raffling off a replica IWGP World title belt, worn-gear by several athletes, and a $500 tattoo gift certificate = 45 minute intermission
(6) BoJack & Morgan Dash lifted the Apple City Tag Team Titles from Buggy Wright & Thomas Extreme in 15:59. Wright rode Dash around the ring like a donkey on Palm Sunday. Both teams were popular to fans. "BoDash" uses quite creative teaming maneuvers. Extreme, the other head trainer at ACCW's school, cooled down Wright's hot tag for a test of strength with the immovable object. Team Extreme's only recourse was to double up on Dash. Thomas rolled out of Boj's spinebuster. Wright's Lethal Injection was the second time we had seen that move. Morgan's Canadian (Brookford?) Destroyer was also a déjà vu moment. An agent to go over moves is desperately needed here. In a holy crap moment, Dash moonsaulted off Bo's shoulders to the floor and was caught by the champions. Kevin Steen's package piledriver was noteworthy. Wright was "right on" with a Claymore kick. To end things, Dash pinned Buggy for the belts. Wright was in the rafters (way above Bojack's head), and Dash came off the top turnbuckle with a knee. There was a great crowd reaction for the title change. RATING: 3.75 stars
(7) In an impromptu "street fight," Apple City Champion Cam Jackson received help to defeat Billy Brash in 15:53. Brash took a seat in the audience to slow down his beating. Later he knocked over the ticket taker table. What was he thinking suggesting a street fight? It must have been Falls Count Anywhere because the referee was slapping the gym floor. Brash fell on a seated Furio (should have been backstage), but then he sent Jackson packing out the door! Brash brought back a wooden door but alas no security to keep fans away. Heck, they might have been out at the food truck (who knows?). The Weaver sleeper was reintroduced to this younger audience, but Cam deposited the Brash one on a steel chair. CJ signaled for the elbow drop but got a chair thrown in his face. Jackson stood on the elevated door and tried to suplex Brash back into the ring. His attempt was broken up by Brash springboarding into the ring and giving Jackson an ace crusher through the door. Following two groin shots, Brash tried a Boston crab. The Masked Man suddenly appeared. Oops, this time it was TNA's Brad Attitude, who broke up the Boston crab with a DDP BANG. One elbow drop later and Jackson is still the champ. A standing ovation ensued post-match when Jackson presented Darron Aitken's mom with his championship belt. RATING: 2.75 stars
(8) Hale won his first title, the secondary belt, in ACCW after pinning Moss in 15:28. It was a little sloppy to begin, but the nearfalls started immediately due to the late hour. Moss' back seemed to be hurting after a mule dropkick, and Hale's codebreaker didn't help either. More missed moves hampered this match's momentum. Hale's variation of a Styles Clash was good for a two count. Moss responded with a pop-up powerbomb after Hale missed a 450 splash. When Moss started to leave, Rob Killjoy scootered down to accost the Catawba Valley Champion. Killjoy had been hanging at his merchandise table all evening. Hale caught up with Moss, diving through the ropes. Following a standing superplex, we almost beheld a rather unique double pin draw. A Spanish Fly by Hale kept both competitors down momentarily. The ref was bumped, Hale hit a Falcon Arrow, but there was no official to count. Killjoy returned to assist the downed referee. There was a third Lethal Injection on the night, but Hale's moonsault caught Moss' feet instead. A brainbuster by Moss bought the ring announcer time to come down and gift the champion with his belt during the match! Before Moss could strike his challenger with it, Killjoy snatched the belt away. The Ugly Duckling took a bump off his scooter (cast and all) thanks to Mr. Moss. Succeeding a springboard RKO and a 630 splash, Hale pinned Moss. "New Champ" chants ensued. RATING: 2.5 stars (slow down, guys!)
News and notes: The card changed slightly since it was oringinally announced... ACCW does a fantastic job of introducing the not-so-smart mark audience to a lot of diverse Southeastern stars. The rotating of talent is key too, and ACCW's roster looks a lot different from my first visit... The show started 10 minutes late (7 pm bell time), and our first bout began at 7:29... An unidentified team came out to challenge (gesture for) the new tag champs... In attendance but not working were Airica Demia, Amanda Kiss, Ella Envy and Wil Demented. Demia said her WWE ID showcase match was a "very cool" experience. She received some good feedback from WWE personnel. Demia hopes to appear for ACCW again in May... Killjoy is hopeful for a July/August return. Right now, he is unable to run or jump, and it may be best for a September return (one year recovery).... My favorite memory of pro wrestling in Brookford was at a RAW (Renegade American Wrestling) show in the late nineties. The female ring announcer was headed toward the edge of the stage to announce "Our opening contest is scheduled for one fallll....." Yep, she fell off the stage.
.JPG)
