1FW Summerstage 2 -- Atlanta on July 17

Photos by Peter Sigmund From Larry Goodman: 1FW did it again. For the second year in a row, they put on an extraordinary event at the histor...

Photos by Peter Sigmund

From Larry Goodman:

1FW did it again. For the second year in a row, they put on an extraordinary event at the historic Centerstage Theater -- 10 matches in front of  a super appreciative crowd in a building that was close to a sold out (699 paid out of a possible 749). Kudos to QT Marshall, Scott Barnett,  Dylan Frymyer and the entire 1FW crew.

This crowd was something else. The show ran over three and half hours long without an intermission and they were there for all of it. The match order helped huge. There's nothing like the acoustics, lighting and sight lines of Centerstage. It is a special venue for pro wrestling.

Carlie Bravo is the new 1FW Champion. Good to great matches all night long. The dramatic, blood-drenched no DQ match between Darby Allin and Kiran Grey will be etched in peoples memories. 

Angelica Risk retained the 1FW Women's Championship in an outstanding triple threat. Tyler Shoop dethroned Vary Morales to become the new Outbreak Champion. 

New Age Outlaws opened the show.  Huge pop. Road Dogg did the iconic New Age Outlaws crowd participation intro. Billy Gunn did the two words for ya. Crowd lapped it up with a spoon. Dogg joined Brandon Benefield and Conrad Thompson on commentary.

(1) Tyler Shoop defeated Champion Vary Morales and Satnam Singh and Adam Priest and Chad Sky Walker and Parker LI  and Shawn Dean in a ladder match to win the 1FW Outbreak Championship in 10:53. Morales entrance got the loudest reaction a respect pop. Li's stripper gimmick with the tearaway pant is any easy pop. 

Singh dominated early. He crushed a ladder and teased reaching the belt without climbing. Everyone did dives on Singh capped off by Morales launching an incredible dive from the top rung of an eight foot ladder to the outside for the first "this is awesome" chant of the night.

Skywalker, Li and Shoop did an invisible gun routine 

Brutality involving a ladder ensued. Crowd loved the sight of Priest setting a table up at ringside. Morales brought Li off the top rung of the ladder with a huracanrana for a well deserved "holy shit" chant. Singh choke slammed Morales through the table from inside the ring. Everyone else ganged up on Singh and had him pinned underneath the ladder. Sky Walker climbed and had the best within his grasp but Shoop powerbombed him off the ladder. Shoop then had clear sailing to unhook the belt. 

Pyrotechics on display, the most spectacular match of the night. Shoop twice stopped Skywalker when he had the belt within his reach so I wonder if Sky Walker has next.

(2) The Wreckoning (Nick Comoroto & Brick Aldridge) defeated Trevor Blackwell & Holden Glass and Warden & Mark Davidson and Big Stoke & Lee Johnson to become the number one contender for the 1FW Tag Team Championship in 10:15. Stokely did mic work and introduced Big Shotty to establish they were not likeable people. 

Glass got brutalized for an extended period of time. Wreckoning and Warden did big man stuff. Brick's Angle Slam got a reaction.  Comoroto press-tossed the hapless glass over the top rope. Stokely tried in vain to roll up up Comoroto. You get the picture. Comoroto choke bombed Stokely into oblivion. 

(3) Amira Soul & Joiya Blake & Robyn Renegade (with Charlette Renegade) defeated Trish Adora & Remi Reade & Ezebella Wilder in 11:31. Reade was the standout here, both for the crowd response to her intro and her ringwork. At the age of 18, she has a bright future ahead of her. Robyn was also very good. She and Reade had the best sequence of the match. 

Nice fight out of the heel corner by Reade to make the hot tag. Adora went at it with Soul ( Australian-born former WWE developmental talent Tatyanna Dumas). Soul is a powerhouse. 

Match got off tempo leading into the finish. Soul gave Wilder a spinning faceplant slam for the win.

(4) Angelica Risk defeated Shotzi Blackheart and Hyena Hera to retain the 1FW Women's Championship in 13:38. Shotzi received a crowd response befitting a superstar and brought her A game. All three women worked incredibly hard and gave tremendous performances.

Bell-to-bell one big move after another, too much to describe in detail. 

They got into a wild battle on the apron with an air of danger. Risk tried to use Hera's back to springboard onto Shotzi, but Blackheart dropped Risk to the floor with a cutter.  The all took big bumps on the ring steps, then fought on the stage. They did a sequence of low blows that left all three feeling very uncomfortable. A double clothesline by Risk left all three down again. Shotzi broke out a Koppu kick. Risk decided to go for a belt shot. Shotzi and Hera double superkick the belt into Risk's face. Hera hit the Feral Bomb. I thought it was her night but Shotzi kicked out at the last microsecond. Blackheart hit her signature diving senton on Hera. Risk swooped in to steal the pin. 

(5) Darby Allin defeated Kiran Grey via submission in a no DQ match (12:21). High drama. Grey led to the ring by a woman with a basket of rose petals, his face hidden under a hood. Allin's entrance got the superstar pop of the night. Grey was a maniac. Equaled and maybe exceeded Darby's intensity.

Grey's sneak attack had Allin bleeding and writhing in agony before the opening bell. Grey went to the outside to set up a table. Allin slammed into Grey with a suicide dive that sent the back of his head into the guardrail. Blood started pouring  from the back of Grey's head. The gash had to be stapled shut after the match. Not typical pro wrestling blood, this was scary. Allin whipped Grey with his belt and hit a Scropion Death Drop. Grey got a foot on the ropes. Grey kicked Darby low and bound his hand together. Allin did a rana with hands tied behind his back, then drove Grey through a table with a shotgun dropkick.

A tool box had been brought into play. Allin stomped the tool box shut on Grey's hand and got a "you sick fuck" chant.

Allin did a Coffin Drop to the outside. Back inside, Darby tried for a Scopion Death Drop while standing on a chair but Grey swept the chair out from underneath him. Grey set up a steel coffin of chairs. Grey crashed and burned on a frogsplash attempt into the steel coffin. Darby delived a Code Red. Grey's head hit the edge of chair, reopening the wound on his head (video courtesy of Evan Blasingame).

Centerstage had been whipped into a frenzy. Grey tried to choke Allin out. Allin bit the hand he had damaged with the tool box sickness. Allin applied the Scorpion Deathlock ring center. Grey had nowhere to go and tapped.

Crowd exploded for Darby's win. Officials rushed to apply towels to Grey's head. Grey left ringside under his own power and sat down on the stage. The crowd gave him a standing ovation.

No match was going to be able to follow that. Next up was something else.

Tony Schiavone introduced "Big Show" Paul Wight.  Schiavone's opening remarks were interrupted by "Big Stepper" Cordell and Diamond Sheik representing Luxe Jewelers. Cordell got mouthy. Enter Paul Wight to a pop that rivaled the one Allin received. Everyone knew what was coming and Wight delivered it  -- chokeslam for Cordell and a one punch knockout for Sheik. 

Heart warming moment of the night -- Wight wound up in possession of a set of diamond earrings for a lucky fan and chose an 11 year old girl, who was called into the ring thrilled out of her mind to accept the earings from the gentle giant.

(6) Elijah Drago & Brady Booker defeated The Aura (Corey Hollis & Josie Quinn (with James Bradley) to become the inaugural 1FW Tag Team Champions in 58 seconds. Drago and Booker are bonafide homegrown stars with major league bodies. Hollis belt-shotted Booker before the bell and that was about it for Aura. Booker with and End of Days for Quinn. Drago with the F5 to pin Hollis. Just what it needed to be. Sets up Comoroto & Aldridge as a stiff test for the inaugural champions.

(7) Jay Lethal (with Hyena Hera) defeated Jonathan Gresham via submission in 14:40. Match was slower paced match than the rest of the show but it did not feel long because Lethal and Gresham did an awesome job of engaging the crowd in everything they were doing. Handshake at the bell. Gresham falsely accused Hera of interfering and she got the boot from referee Jesse B. Lethal did the Flair strut. Gresham walked the crowd through it as he stretched Lethal step-by-step. Gresham had answers for all of Lethal's signature moves. A highlight was Gresham's suplex counter to the Lethal Injection. Lethal got rolling with a Lethal Injection and a top rope elbow drop transitioned to the figure four. Lethal cinched it in deep and Gresham tapped. 

Gresham wanted to end with another handshake. Lethal said, "I already beat you, punk" and walked away.

(8) Frat House (Jacked Jameson & Preston Vance & Glacier (with Bear) defeated Il Cartello Grillo (Rosario Grillo & KJ Impala & Hayden Seal) in the Last Call Brawl (9:07). A mock frat party was set up on the stage with the pre-show talent as attendees. Match started as a chaotic innocuous comedic weapons brawl. Seal spread a bag of pasta on the floor. That exasperated Grillo. The match took a more serious direction as the action moved the stage. One of the party goers got put through a table by Impala and Seal. Vance got color after Grillo sliced his head with a pizza cutter. Vance got revenge by spearing Impala off the apron and through a table. Great spot.

The stuffed bear whacked Glacier with a chair and removed his costume to reveal Il Cartello member J-Sun Esquire. As Grillo was about to ice Glacier with the Bob de Napoli, Ernest Miller hit the ring. Miller and Glacier cleaned house with martial arts voodoo Frat House murdered Grillo and left him to Glacier to pin. Highly entertaining.

(9) The Gunn Club (Billy, Austin & Colton Gunn) defeated Supastarz (Tommy Mars & Nikki Eight & Jimmy Wild) in 10:01. The sons lead the crowd in a "Gunns Up". Dad went old school with the "two words for ya". The pop was no contest in favor of Billy.

Smooth match. These teams know each so well. Gunns massively frustrated Supastarz. Mars sprayed Austin in the face behind the ref's back to start the heat. Austin made a diving tag to nobody as Supastarz pulled the other Gunns off the apron. Billy got the tag and was setting up the Famouser but Eight grabbed his leg. A train of big moves left all six down with the crowd chanting "Gunn Club". A six way fight ensued. Finish was Famousers by Billy and Austin and the 3-10 to Yuma, Colton pinning Wild.

The main event was preceded by a video package that explained how the 1FW title match morphed into triple threat (TV episodes that have not yet aired): Co-battle royal winners Bravo and Marshall squared off to determine which one would get the title match. Bravo was the winner. Marshall then defeated Champion Brady Pierce in an eliminator match. Matchmaker Dalton inserted Marshall in the title match: student vs. teacher vs. a heel champion at a disadvantage.

(10) Carlie Bravo defeated Champion Brady Pierce (with "Showcase" James Bradley) and QT Marshall in a triple threat match to win the 1FW Championship (14:03). Crowd was split between Bravo and Marshall and had no use for Pierce. Carlie and QT took turns teeing off on Pierce then tried pinning each other. Bravo took his first shot at the scissors kick and missed. Pierce capitalized on the situation by depositing Marshall on the ring steps and taking over on Carlie. Bravo tried for the scissors kick on Pierce and again came up empty. Marshall got rolling and was picking up a head of steam.

That brought Bradley onto the apron to protest and inadvertently get booted in the face by Pierce.  Marshall laid Pierce out with the diamond cutter but Bravo foiled his pin atttempt with a frog splash. Crowd was getting behind Bravo now.

Marshall hit another diamond cutter on Pierce. Bradley pulled Marshall out  of the ring. Bravo hit Gangstas Paradise on Pierce. Marshall slid back in to break up the pin. They did a tower of doom that left Marshall and Bravo in a heap. Pierce spinebustered Marshall and choke slammed Bravo but could pin neither one, so he resorted to a belt shot and wiffed. Bravo finally scored with the scissors kick on Marshall. Pierce's stablemates Hollis and Quinn attacked Bravo. Infantry (Shawn Dean & Adora) ran them off with steel chairs. Pierce kicked Bravo in the jewels and hit the Final Cut. Bravo kicked out. Handwriting was beginning to appear on the wall. Bravo locked Pierce in a crossface. Marshall broke that up with an elbow drop off the top. Diamond Cutter for the win? Not to be. Bravo superkicked Marshall to the floor and pinned Pierce with the scissors kick.

The teacher gave his student his blessing after the match by raising the new champion's hand. Dean and Adora joined Bravo in the ring to celebrate.

For a triple threat title match, this was laid out really great. It had the student/teacher back story and the internal story of Bravo and Marshall being unable to hit their finisher multiple times. Crowd was past peak so it did not have the heat of some of the earlier matches but momentum for a title change was palpable in the closing minutes.

NOTES: Ring announcer Diana Michel introduced 1FW matchmaker JR Dalton prior to the New Age Outlaws opening. Road Dogg said he had two words for Dalton...Schiavone reminisced about the WCW tapings at Centerstage and how fortunate he was to be part of a wrestling broadcast on TBS 30 years later..Clark DeBenedetto, Lewis Santiago, Paul Santa, Jesse B and Slim were the offical and there was not one ref bump all night long...The pre-show match was an eight man tag won by Trailer Park Dynasty. Wonderboyz hit dives and their finisher. Dallas pinned CJ Montana...Demariae Drew Dicins9n, Roberson-Nettles, Mike Fullilove, DJ Tonnek, Nathan Mowery, Jimmy Daryn, Michael Solar, Terry Lawler, Tapped Out's Nick McDaniel were amonght those in the house in a variety of capacities.