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| Photos by Mason Stewart |
From Larry Goodman:
Escalation for Spring Spectacular no doubt, also some revisions.
The date has been moved up a week to May 22. Although the Caged Warfare main event was presented as a straightforward four vs. four last week with all the participants on camera, this week things got murkier and swervier as they most often do at ProSouth.
KJ Valentine and Steven Calozzi told a sordid and fantastical tale of betrayals, deceit and cigarette schemes that was best midcard angle ProSouth has done in a long time.
Christian Garrett joined Brother Azriel as a Gold Rush Ladder Match qualifier with two more competitors to be determined.
I keep forgetting to say this: ProSouth does an astounding job of coming up with original intro music to fit the characters.
With Wicked Nemesis away this week, Mathias Darkthorne was a workhorse, handling the lead commentator and ring announcing duties. Harley Haven and her pure Alabamian accent was on color. Becca and the returning Matthew Gibson officiated. Emma was the ringside videographer.
(1) Gauntlet Match: Brother Azriel defeated Wyn Brantley and LJ Borne and Brandon Whatley in succession (10:59). Brantley threw a penalty flag. That's no more allowed than the crash pad Brantley used a couple of weeks ago. Az wins beat him with a choke slam. AZ KOed the debuting Borne with a one punch. Joe Wood was a decoy. Borne and Wood got involved. Az got the jabrones outta there and made Whatley tap to the Kata Ha Jime.
Az ran the table with ease and beat each opponent with a different finish. Nice. He' has to be considered the favorite to win the Gold Rush match no matter who else qualifies. Darkthorne later suggested Whatley was not originally scheduled to be in this match. I strongly suspect somebody did not show up and Whatley took one for the team. Brantley is embracing his role.
(2) Von LaFlare (with Donovan Thomas) defeated Ryan Wyndell (with Christian Pierce & Julian Balderas) in 6:16. LaFlare caught Wyndell flatfooted at the opening bell and dominated. Darkthorne informed viewers that Alexandra Quinn was in concussion protocol. I should hope so. Thomas interfered and dropped Pierce. Balderas got into it with Thomas. LaFlare slammed Wyndell off the top ala Flair and pinned him with a leaping double stomp to the back.
Wyndell did well as the physically overmatched babyface but the gold to be mined in him lies in his heel persona. LaFlare is showing improvement.
PopRock Connection leveled Wyndell with a high low before Pierce and Balderas could get a hand on them. Pierce reminded Thomas his match was next.
PopRock Connection did the world's worst Hindu Squats on the stage before Thomas launched into battle.
(3) Julian Balderas (with Christian Pierce) defeated Donovan Thomas (with Von LaFlare) in 7:47. Balderas bull rushed Thomas as the opening bell. Balderas was all business - flying shoulder blocks, T-bone suplex, spinebuster slam. LaFlare distracted Balderas. Thomas slipped off the ropes on a superplex. Somebody could have died but Thomas saved disaster by turning the move into a standing suplex. Thomas insisted on taking his shirt off. LaFlare handed one of True Grit's title belts to LaFlare. The ref removed Pierce ran distraction, Wyndell ran in and hotshotted Thomas and he got speared by Balderas.
This was Balderas unleashed, his strength and explosiveness in full effect. The match had its reckless and off kilter moments. I loved this.
(4) Gold Rush Ladder Match Qualifier: Christian Garrett defeated Bubba Cagle in 9:53. Darkthorne spied Brantley in the crowd. Garrett repeatedly went to the outside to slow things down where Brantley drew Cagle's attention. Garrett seized on the opening. Cagle launched his signature variety pack of back elbows. Brantley jumped on the apron and dropped the wrench he used as weapon last week. Cagle picked up the wrench and got rolled up by Cagle.
Not much substance. This match made it three straight outside interference finishes. Garrett will be a severe longshot in the Gold Rush match.
Police sirens signaled the entrance of "Caesar of the South" Steven Colazzi, who said he going spill the beans about why he was gone for so long and clear up the confusion about his actions last week. Valentine interrupted wearing an outrageous gold (yellow?) suit and wanting to know one thing: why did Calozzi attack him? Calozzi said he had been in a federal penitentiary for two months where he was endlessly interrogated about social security numbers, tax evasion, that cigarette scheme in New Jersey, and the name the feds kept bringing up was KJ. That's when he knew KJ stabbed him in the back.
Valentine laughed uncontrollably. If snitching on Calozzi got him the All-Out Championship maybe he made the right decision. KJ hired Calozzi to help him win the Young Lion's Cup. Calozzi promised Trey Jordan to make him a star and look where that got both of them. After all the lies Calozzi told him and "redacted" why was it a problem that he made sure his success was granted?
Calozzi said Valentine was AR Fox's least talented, least favorite student and he only made it at ProSouth because of Calozzi, while Calozzi became the top dog at the 4 (Fox's training school) in four months.
Valentine said MPR's tag team championship was the only glory Calozzi ever had in his stupid, pathetic life. He never needed Calozzi and after Calozzi left, he became the star Calozzi promised him he would be. Calozzi admitted he'd made mistakes and the biggest mistake was trusting Valentine. He was going to take Valentine's All-Out Championshp and send Valentine back to waiting tables at IHOP where he belonged.
Valentine pressed Calozzi to explain what happened to Jordan. Calozzi said the feds needed a name and he gave them Jordan to get out of the pen. But it was all part of the plan and he was always one step ahead. Valentine said he all he wanted was his mentor, the guy that promised him everything. Calozzi could have the title.
Valentine handed the title to Calozzi...and kicked him in the balls. He hoped Calozzi liked the look of the title because he would never see it again. The only people that take Caesar down were those closest to him.
(5) The Process (Tragick & Brandon Whatley & Joe Wood with Joe Black) defeated Team Haven (Justin McKenzie & Oliver Green & Caeden Ooten with Harley Haven) in 13:08 to secure the advantage in Caged Warfare. Black took a seat on the stage to watch. "Lucha Oliver" took a page out of Cameron Keast's book and got dumped by Wood. The Process cut the ring in half on Green. McKenzie fared no better than Green. It was up to Ooten to make something for his team.
Ooten hit Loaded Gun Complex on Whatley. Tragick saved Wood with a running knee to the face of Ooten. Harley came face-to-face with Tragick. He faltered and the lights on his collar went haywire. Ooten harpooned Tragick on the entrance ramp. They fought to the back. Whatley planted Green with the Bottomless Pit. McKenzie's swanton on Whatley was a crash and burn. While Wood distracted the ref, Amy Haven came out with a masked man, who hit the ring and laid McKenzie out with a pumphandle driver. All Whatley had to do was cover him.
Black joined the Process in the ring and immediately knocked Gibson out. Scott Adams appeared on stage with the Haven shield. As soon as Ace Haven came out, Joe Black retreated and sent Whatley back to the ring to take Ace out. Ace instead laid Whatley out with the Endgame while staring a hole through Black.
Christian Pierce lead True Grit parted the Process and was making their way to the ring as the screen went to black.
The Pro South special: A segment that raises more questions than it answers. Who is the masked man now in the camp of the Process? Harley hinted that Cameron Keast would soon be freed. Could that happen before or at Spring Spectacular? McKenzie's story arc has taken an unexpected turn this year. He's lost confidence ever since Amy Haven removed his face paint McKenzie has not won a ProSouth match by pinfal since February 20.
