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From Jeff Richards:
Chesnee -- A concurrent organization named Foothills Pro Wrestling (FPW) debuted Saturday (5/23) in the historic town of Chesnee, SC. Building off past traditions and plotting for the future with future generation superstars is definitely the way to go. Phillip "Bam" Rollins has enlisted some heavyweights such as booker Ben Wright and social media consultant Shane Austin. These gentlemen, along with Robert "Big Country" Ordway and Cruizer Lewis, have formed an unbeatable team to proceed into the future.
The result over Memorial Day weekend netted an audience of no less than 126 paying spectators to an unique building. On the campus of Gethsemane Baptist Church, the C.E. McDowell Family Life Center hosted this past Saturday's festivities.
Another show has been announced in advance. On Saturday June 27, FPW will return with the finals of a championship tournament. Building off that momentum with a heavy social media influence and word-of-mouth should produce more benefits.
With the smell of fried fish in the air, FPW staged four qualifying matches for the Foothills Pro Wrestling Championship. No heavyweight, midweight, etc. classification... just everyone fighting for one common goal. It was very comforting to attend a debut show which was this organized. Austin remarked the show ran just 10:00 longer than what he had envisioned. Again this goes to show when you bring together years of promoting, running events, etc., it pays off.
Thankfully the show was moved up from an announced 7:30 pm to a 7 pm start. At 7:13 pm, a pre-show bout featuring Chase Lovelace and Commodore Legion (fka Damien Legion) commenced.
(A) Lovelace cheated past "The Don" in 5:01. Trained originally by Chris Hamrick, Lovelace had a long night ahead of him. Both grapplers brawled around ringside during the opening contest (?). Lovelace almost bumped the referee (during the opening contest?), connected on a back leg groin shot, and a DDT to win. RATING: 1/4 of a star
Jake Painter and "Spotlight" Scotty Brooks did some mic work to set up the main event later in the evening. Painter let out a swear word, but maybe the kitchen staff was too busy pulling pork to notice. Painter told TNA's Brooks (maybe he works the merch table) he was undefeated against him, which ended up being a nice segue.
(1) Luke Fury outlasted "Highflying Hillbilly" Dusty Money in 8:58 of tournament action. Fury, son of APW legend Nick Fury, connected firstly with a springboard RKO. Money went to the top rope for a spinebusting legdrop. The Hillbilly worked what you might call "comedy heel." He does the hind leg pissing maneuver. Money rattled Fury with a Blue Thunder powerbomb. The ref counted one, and then he re-started his count. This was the first of many "rookie" mistakes that the taller referee committed "tonight." Fury advanced after a springboard ace crusher. RATING: 1.75 stars Post-match: Fury gave a report on his father Nick, who was injured three months ago while competing. Luke mentioned he had to make another shot but quickly accepted an award on behalf of his ailing dad.
(2) Bubba Joe (accompanied by Bobby Joe and Bootleg Tiny) won a second qualifying match in 9:06. His opponents were Lovelace, who argued his way into the action, and Chris Stallings. Originally announced inadvertently as a fatal four-way, Lovelace worked his second match by having words with Commissioner Ordway. Jim Gordon must not have been available. Both heels hip-attacked Joe in the corner. Bubba rallied with an elbowdrop on both foes simultaneously. Lovelace was accidentally superkicked by Stallings, who was taken out by Joe. Bubba Joe advances to the finals on 6/27 versus Fury, ? and ?. RATING: 2.25 stars Coming back from an intermission, Austin, Lewis, Ordway, Chief Jay Eagle and Deon Johnson received recognition plaques for industry achievements.
(3) Johnson & Asher Reign were victorious over "Expensive Attraction" (Collin Casanova & Conner Drake) following a re-start. The taller referee's ineptitude showed throughout this 9:22 bout. A hand mirror was used to strike Reign (referee looking right at it) during a cradle attempt, and "Expensive Attraction" looked like the winners. Not so fast, ordered Ordway who announced he would not allow these trespasses to occur in FPW. Uhhh, you did in the first match. The match was re-started without the bell re-ringing or the referee signalling for a restart. Double schoolboy and everyone returned to the dressing room. RATING: 1 star
(4) Veteran Vinnie Valentine used scrupulous tactics to advance past OVW's Brian Hitt in 9:42. This was the third qualifying contest. Hitt kept trying for the "Unprettier," finally hit it, but VV powered out. Valentine flashed Eddie Gilbert's brilliance with a "Hot Shot" and short arm DDT, but Hitt kicked out. At one point, the Facebook videographer suggested that the shorter referee slow down his counting cadence. Valentine ultimately got the drop on Hitt and put both feet on the ropes for a leverage pinfall. Valentine will next meet Bubba Joe, Luke Fury and one other competitor on 6/27. RATING: 1.5 stars
(5) Brooks won FPW's first main event, pinning nemesis Painter and advancing to the finals in 11:52. Painter also spit gum on a young fan while traversing around ringside. Brooks was jumped before the bell officially rang. When he regrouped, Brooks had trouble depositing his jacket out of the ring. Painter proceeded to verbally abuse an older fan on the front row (definitely not me). The taller referee was pulled by Painter in front of a Brooks superkick attempt, but "Spotlight" Scotty unfortunately held up. Painter used a backstabber and dragged a chair into the ring. The referee attempted to wrestle said chair away, but Painter (in the struggle) conked himself on the head. Following a superkick and a top rope Randy Savage elbowdrop, Brooks sent the fans home happy with a win. He, Fury, Joe and Valentine are destined to meet for the newly commissioned belt on 6/27. RATING: 2.75 stars
NEWS & NOTES: Tickets were priced at $15 ringside, $10 general admission, and kids under 5 were admitted for free.... Kid Chaos, Tristen Williams and Joey Rhymer were all originally pictured on various event posters. Chase Emery was also available to work the show if needed/booked... Valentine has surpassed the 40 year milestone in age. One night following a 3Count show in upstate SC, the late Dan Parris and I were walking into a Waffle House when Valentine was preparing to leave. We both theorized how much better the 3Count show would have been with Valentine appearing on it. Valentine took some time off from wrestling and fortunately for fans/promoters, he has returned with a vengeance... Not all front row ringside was filled, but it was announced in advance that front row had "sold out."
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