ProSouth Trinity Challenge Cup: Draw 2 Brawl Week Two -- April 17

"You have can either get down and trust The Process, or you can get laid down and be processed. What say you?" From Larry Goodman:...

"You have can either get down and trust The Process, or you can get laid down and be processed. What say you?"

From Larry Goodman:

In the face of hard times, the Haven family is betting on themselves and their inner circle.

The in-ring meeting between Harley Haven, Amy Haven, Joe Black and Caeden Ooten resulted in a split between Harley and Caeden. Ooten joined the Process. By the end of the night, Harley was supporting her father Ace. 

The closing segment featured the most compelling presentation of Ace Haven's new persona to date and set the stage for a Joe Black/Ace Haven fight.

Trinity Challenge Cup 2026 plodded towards  its merciful conclusion next week. 

I did not have high hopes for a a tournament field that looked less than distinguished on paper and contained a security guard, a competitor that didn't show up because he went to Vegas and another that wasn't there because he's allegedly still in jail. The opening round matches were no great shakes but did produce a plethora of  perversely entertaining moments.

Christian Pierce, Julian Balderas and Ryan Wyndell advanced along with Julius Pryor, Jon Averson & a now brain damaged Alexandra Quinn, joining Security Guy Jamie & Brother Azriel & Sean Nelson and Justin McKenzie & Oliver Green & Damon Thomas in the semifinal round.

This was a 90 minute version of ProSouth and had a double long 30 minute intermission. The crowd was a little more enthusiastic than the last few weeks. 

Wicked Nemesis concocted some real gems on commentary alongside the more measured Mathias Darkthorne, who doubled as ring announcer. Becca was back for first time since the Pierce/Garrett blowoff, and share the officiating with Joseph Void.

(1) Brother Azriel defeated Brandon Whatley (with Joe Black) in 6:04. A  meeting  of former ProSouth champions. Joe sat in Whatley's corner and never moved a muscle. Az gave Whatley a trio of body slams. Whatley necked Az to take over and launched a strike attack. Az launched Whatley with a release german. In the end, Az beat Whatley squeaky clean with a uranage, superkick and the Woodgrain piledriver.

Az pointed at Joe after the match. Joe ignored him. 

Solid match. A decisive win for Az over Joe's lieutenant keeps Az in the title conversation.

(2) Trinity Challenge Cup Opening Round: "The Loyalist" Ryan Wyndell & Julian Balderas & Christian Pierce defeated "The Beauty Standard" Vougan & "American Firecracker" Nick Cicero & "Mr. Rockstar" Donovan Thomas to advance to the semifinals (5:27). Wicked noted the Revolutionary War flavor of Wyndell vs. Cicero. Pierce tripped Cicero (after admonishing Wyndell for cheating last week). Balderas and Pierce teamed up on a nice combo move. Balderas then inadvertently put Pierce down with a friendly fire lariat. Wicked said Thomas had a killer instinct. What? Thomas took his shirt off to pounce Wyndell. WHY? 

Pierce gave Thomas a draping DDT while Balderas speared Vougan. Pierce and Balderas bumped into each other. Pierce shoved Balderas out of the path of a charging Cicero. Pierce laid Cicero out with Once Bitten and dragged Wyndell on top of Cicero for the three count.

Vougan threw a tantrum after the match.

The match was chock full of comedic value, some intentional, some not and did highlight the peculiar dynamic among Pierce, Balderas and Wyndell, who are my odds on favorite to win the tournament.

Justin McKenzie and Oliver Green had a heart-to-heart in the backstage interview area. No sound. Never heard a word they said. 

(3) Von LaFlare (with Donovan Thomas) defeated Sean Nelson in 7:28.  Nelson came out with fire in his eyes and thoroughly beat LaFlare's ass in the opening minutes. LaFlare begged for mercy to lure Nelson into dropping his guard. LaFlare went on offense. Wicked said Pop Rock Connection (LaFlare & Thomas) had to be in contention for the tag team championship. Darkthorne noted they won a Members Only match last week. Nelson absolutely leveled LaFlare  with a shadow lariat. LaFlare kicked out on instinct. While Thomas distracted the ref, LaFlare shook the ropes to crotch Nelson, then pinned him with a running knee. Pop Rock Connection put the boots to Nelson after the match.

Nelson deserves a medal. He is a very good worker and milked everything humanly possible out of LaFlare. The finish was strange. Why bother with the ref distraction if LaFlare was going to stay within the rules? If Pop Rock Connection is in title contention, the tag team division is in dire straits. 

Joe Hendry's music played with the lyric changed to  "I Believe in Jamie". Security Guy Jamie came to ringside walking tall in his Crocs. That's what Wicked said any way but he was wearing tennis shoes. Brother Azriel appeared at the top of the ramp to back Jamie up. Nelson put Pop Rock Connection down. They bailed. Az and Jamie raised Nelson's hands.

Leaning into the perversity. of it all. The conquering heroes have a semifinal match in the Trinity Challenge Cup next week.

Darkthorne said Chris Crunk was in Las Vegas so Bubba Cagle and Wyn Brantley were left without a partner. 

(4) Trinity Challenge Cup Opening Round Match: "Hollywood" Julius Pryor & "Crash Out Cutie" Alexandra Quinn & "President" Jon Averson defeated Bubba Cagle & Wyn Brantley in 9:34. Pryor was a primadonna, not wanting to get his hands dirty and cherry picking his spots. Cagle had the pleasure of going one-on-one with Averson.  Wicked referred to President Averson as a ProSouth legend and wondered about his thoughts on trans rights.  Quinn walloped Brantley. Pryor slid out of the ring to take a phone call from his agent again. The guy is desperate. Pryor called for a crash pad. Averson frogsplashed the crash pad. Brantley gave Averson a DDT on the crash pad and I swear to God tried to pin him. Quinn nailed Brantley right on the button with a running knee. Pryor pulled Quinn out and hogged the spotlight for the 1-2-3.

A certified ProSouth perverse wrestling entertainment classic. The DDT on the crash pad made my night. He needs new music to go with the Hollywood gimmick. Vegas or no Vegas, I suspected Crunk would be a no show.

The Process (Whatley & Tragick) jumped Quinn and prepared to give her a conchairto. McKenzie and Green saved Quinn and battled to the back with the Process. KJ Valentine came to the ring to check on Quinn. Valentine raised Quinn's hand...and bashed her in the back of the head with a chair. Valentine bashed Quinn's brains in with not one but two conchairtos. Quinn was laying motionless. Void came into the ring to check on Quinn and rolled her to the ropes. 

The conchairtos looked devastating. Brain damage for sure. But the devil is in the details. No squad of ProSouth personnel came rushing to the ring to check on Quinn and production failed to cut to the intermission graphic soon enough. The sight of the ref rolling her to the ropes trivialized a serious angle. I hate the fucking conchairto spot in the first place. It is simply not believable unless the victim is going to be away for a long, long time. The silver lining is Quinn gets moved to greener pastures with Valentine and away from the tag team quicksand she is drowning in.

The in-ring meeting. Amy accepted a fans' suggestion and decided not to talk. Joe called Ooten to the ring for his decision. Harley was not happy with C and entered the ring from the opposite corner as Ooten. 

Joe said pro wrestling was his dream when he got started eighteen years ago. Now it was excuse to beat the hell out of people. He didn't want to do that to Ooten because he saw something in him he did not see in Justin McKenzie and DRP that had nothing to do with wrestling acumen. Ooten was willing to get his hands dirty and do unsavory things. The Process was not just a catch phrase with him. Je'Von Evans, Jackson Drake and some 6-5 Nigerian dude who wears his beads and was about to beat up Brock Lesnar all trusted the process. Ooten could be where they are instead of languishing in the ProSouth Palace. Their match next week did not need to happen. He didn't give a damn about Caeden or Harley but Amy did. Joe presented the two options quoted at the top of his report and handed the mic to Harley. 

Harley said Caeden was not going to lay down. Caeden grabbed the mic. He admitted that what Joe said resonated with him. He told Harley to take a minute and process the information. Where had being a three-time ProSouth Champion gotten him? Wrestling in Piedmont every Friday beating the same old people. If wrestling was his dream, maybe he did need to trust The Process.  He didn't take the easy way out and he saw the Process as an opportunity. Harley and her pea brain could say whatever she wanted to say but it was all him. Maybe Harley helped a little bit but he was the one doing all the work in the ring. What gave Harley the right to tell him not to lay down for Joe?

Harley said if Ooten's biggest accomplishment in wrestling was laying down for the Process, that was pathetic. Harley shoved the mic in Ooten's chest and walked out. 

Joe said Ooten had just done something Ace Haven never had the balls to do: Stand up and be a man BUT Joe needed a sure favor. He needed Ooten to team  up with Tragick tonight to prove he was ready for The Process. 

Joe was at his most diabolical. They did a good job with the staging of a complex segment.  Harley and Caeden have developed a highly nuanced act and play off each other really well. I should have known: they're going to make us wait for Harley and Amy going at each other on the mic.

Segue to the match...

Caeden Ooten & Tragick (with Amy Haven & Joe Black & Brandon Whatley) defeated Justin McKenzie & Oliver Green in 11:28.  The Process observed while standing against the wall on the far side of the ring. A four way brawl morphed into a tower of doom with Ooten providing the power. Tragick's collar was glowing bright green so nothing seemed to faze him much. The Process beat the living hell out of Oliver. Green leapfrogged Tragick to make the hot tag. McKenzie showed fire as he cleaned like his former self. The announce team talked of McKenzie regaining his confidence. After hitting his signature slingshot DDT, McKenzie tagged Green back in. A sequence of wild and crazy chain reaction combos left all four men down. A four way strike battle ensued. Ooten and Tragick used a Tragic Iron Knee/Loaded Gun Complex 

Good match. Primo Caeden Ooten. Sleazy C let his vicious streak out to play.  He was letting it rip with those right hands. Probably the best match of Green's rookie season. Tower of doom spots usually looked too choreographed. The one in this match flowed from the action. Void called for the bell at precisely the right moment. 

The Process killed Green with their finishers. Joe raised C's hand with his fingers crossed. Scott Adams materialized onstage with the Haven Shield. Black KOed Adams in no time flat. Amy went over and stood on Adams' head. Harley came onstage with the Shield. The lights went out. The Majora's Magic graphic appeared.  

Next thing the viewers knew, Ace was in Ooten's face then went to his knees, giving C his back. Joe and Amy were gone. Harley came to ringside: Ace told C If you won't fight Joe Black, Ace Haven will. Fade to the Majora's Mask graphic. 

Something about the way the character was presented made Ace believable and credible in way that had not come across in the previous Majora's mask  segments. Coming on the heels of a solid wrestling match helped.