By Ross Blair:
Passion of Wrestling drew 80-ish fans on 7/11 to the Jeff Davis Youth Center in Hazlehurst, Georgia — a rare show outside of their Swainsboro base. The show stood out & became a destination to me for two reasons: "The Flying Fro" Michael Walker's second to last match ever & POW ace Cody Berringer battling the Atrocity Krule in the confines of a steel cage. Both matches strongly delivered, with a fun undercard to boot. The attendance, according to some, was hampered by a stacked Lariato Pro show simultaneously taking place an hour down the road in Dublin.
1.) The popular Don Haylo pinned the masked heel Leto Dark in a decent opener. The crowd was a bit quiet for the first few matches...or perhaps I'm just spoiled with the boisterous Savannah VFW crowd noise that I've grown accustomed to as of late. Haylo, who I recognized from Kraken Pro, has undeniable charisma and I believe was making his POW debut here. Leto collected himself & decided he wasn't happy leaving the building 0-1, so he grabbed the mic and issued an open challenge.
2.) The bulky wrestler known as "Big Meat" answered Leto Dark's challenge & pinned Leto after bursting into the ring with a Claymore Kick. Leto had to be carried out after this seconds-long match. The ring announcer said this was Big Meat's POW debut. POW owner Shawn Hunter told me he is excited about the hefty newcomer, who has shown him a lot of potential.
3.) Dirty Dawg defeated James Hall (with manager Dr. Joseph Brock) in a match to decide the number one contender for the POW heavyweight title. Dr. Brock was funny at ringside, while he creatively mocked the crowd. Hall got a near fall after a hard hitting perfectplex. Dawg moved as Hall came off the top for a flying leg drop. Dawg, with the fans behind him, came back strong & spun Hall around into a power bomb for the pin. An enraged, sore losing Hall blindsided & speared Dawg...then speared him again. Dawg may have won the match, but he needed assistance to get to the back.
4.) Will Huckaby & Nick Quick successfully defended their POW tag titles against the Black Card Mafia (James Swat & Connor McKay). All four men impressed here. Huckaby & Nick have a fun team chemistry with Nick the energetic high flyer & Huck the burly power move guy. At one point, Huck threw Nick over the top rope onto Swat, who was on the floor. The crowd got charged up during the forever buildup of Nick getting beat down, leading to the Huck hot tag. The finish came when Nick climbed to the top, Huck held his arm up, Nick wrapped himself around Huck's arm, and Huck slammed that arm (with Nick on it) onto the prone Swat for the 1-2-3 like he was squashing him with Thor's hammer. Loved this finish! Excellent match. Post match: Brandon Cage (one half of the POW tag team Kaged Outlaws) confronted Huck & Nick to challenge them for an upcoming title shot.
5.) David Raines (with manager Dr. Joseph Brock) beat his son "The Flying Fro" Michael Walker by illegally holding onto the ropes during the pin. This was advertised as Walker's last match in Passion of Wrestling, where he has wrestled since the very beginning of his career. Raines is a fantastic heel, between his rapport with the crowd & hard hitting/no nonsense style. Raines dominated the beginning of the match, beating down his boy. Dr. Brock got in a shot on Fro whenever the referee was distracted. Fro started a comeback, which included giving Dr. Brock a wedgie, but was put down with an eye rake. Fro finally came back strong & hit a flying dropkick...and a Fronado DDT shortly after. Fro went for his froggy bow finisher, but Dr. Brock got in the way. Raines delivered a superplex & a near fall. Fro jumped over Raines from the ring apron & tried to flip Raines over for a pinfall attempt, but Raines sat down on Fro's chest while holding onto the ropes (and while Dr. Brock was even gripping Raines' hands to the ropes for added leverage) to get the 1-2-3. A disappointed Fro grabbed the mic & fought back tears while saying, "In two weeks in Savannah, Georgia at Coastal Empire Wrestling's Legends of the Lowcountry 3, I will have one final shot at the one thing that's eluded me my entire wrestling career: I have a shot to earn the respect of my father! One last chance!" He also thanked the POW fanbase, who have supported him his entire career. A really good match & a surprise ending to raise the stakes for the big retirement match.
6.) Jerry Nelms successfully defended his POW Heavyweight title against the new number one contender, Dirty Dawg. Dawg's midsection was taped up, due to the multiple after-match spears from James Hall earlier in the evening. Nelms targeted the injury & ripped the tape off. Dawg was able to get some offense in, but got pinned after an impressive swanton bomb off the top from Nelms. Solid match. After Dawg was assisted to the back for the second time this evening, Choptop (who has been absent from the promotion for some time), entered the ring and gave the too-sweet hand gesture to Nelms, who reciprocated. The friendliness didn't last long, as Choptop proceeded to attack Nelms & challenge him for the belt. It was announced that this match would take place at the next POW show on August 8th in Swainsboro.
Passion of Wrestling has been running shows since 2000. Originally based in Dublin, they've been based in Swainsboro over the last several years. Many stars on the national & state level have started their careers by spending time in POW — including Krule, Jordynne Grace, Fred Yehi, Michael Walker, Hunter James, and a laundry list of others. Owner Shawn Hunter says POW plans to branch out to more new cities in the near future. The next Passion of Wrestling event takes place on August 8th at the usual spot -- the Jaycees Fairgrounds in Swainsboro, Georgia.
