From Lawrence Goodman:
ProSouth is notorious for not cancelling come hell or high water. The Havens were not about to let an impending hurricane stop them. Recharged Ep 6 took place as scheduled, albeit with a skeleton crew. One wrestler was a literal skeleton before the night was over.
Lose Brantley and ProSouth creative unleashed their darkest, most outlandish political satire to date. President Jon Averson was blown up in the parking lot of the ProSouth Palace.
Cameron Keast will be Joe Black's opponent in the ProSouth Championship match at Wicked Havoc (October 30) with a secret weapon in tow.
The main event featured a return to form by Ace Haven from the injuries he suffered two months ago and the best performance Donnie Primetime has turned in since his return to ProSouth.
AJ Black made a surprise return as an ally of The Process.
Wicked Nemesis and Mathias Darkthorne in the commentary booth (unofficially sponsored by 7 Brew) with Darkthorne doing double duty as the ring announcer, Joseph Void was the ironman referee, Jeremy Allen was the ringside videographer, GWH's Rob Brodhecker kibitzing in the chat.
Cameron Keast Issues a Challenge: Keast said for the past few years, he had tried to be the pavement on the broken road that was and is the Haven family, thinking the problem was between Ace and Harley. Ace is a hothead. Harley is Harley, not knowing that Amy Haven was the problem, waiting like a serpent to strike. Amy told him he was family, only to have Amy brainwash him and collar him like a dog.
While he was TragiCK, Amy took everything away from what he wanted Cameron Keast to be and now he was back in charge. A good man said on the internet that it was a forgone conclusion Joe Black would make to it to the anniversary show as champion. What happens when that dog that had been collared finally breaks free? Maybe the dog is unchained? TragiCK earned a future ProSouth title match by winning Unchained (*a registered trademark of Donn Kester Jr and GIPW*). Since TragiCK wasn't there to claim said title shot, Keast was going to take it at Wicked Havoc.
Keast was going to prove himself at Wicked Havoc by becoming a three-time champion and the only three-time grand slam champion in ProSouth history. The viewers may think he was going to get shredded by Joe Black but maybe he had a secret weapon. Keast pulled the mind control collar out of his jacket pocket. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and he'd been a desperate man all year.
Harley appeared onstage (without a mic) to say they just got Cam out of the collar. Why would he want to put it back on? Keast silently and walked to the back staring at the collar.
ProSouth lost their best babyface mic worker when Keast went silent as TragiCK. This was a great promo, filled with metaphorical language and evocative imagery. Keast knew he had to fight fire with fire against Joe. I loved the choice of Harley being off mic, as if she had been spontaneously moved to speak her mind.
(1) Caeden Ooten (with Harley Haven) defeated Sean Nelson in 4:20. Nelson got his licks in. Ooten pinned him with Loaded Gun Complex.
Ooten over in short order as a number one contender should.
(2) Joe Wood defeated James Hardy via referee stoppage at 1:55. Wood dropped Hardy X 3 with short arm clotheslines, pulled Hardy up and put him down again with a running clothesline. Wood reversed Hardy's finisher with a standing full nelson and Hardy went out like a light.
Wood finally got the message and took Joe Black's words to heart. He was the vicious killer Joe has been demanding.
Jasper Reid won a game of musical chairs in celebration of "Prince" Trey Haven's 12th birthday. Trey came out of the crowd to join in. The other participants in order of elimination: President Jon Averson, Oliver Green, Effin JACS, Production Assistant Bethany, Trey and VP Lose Brantley. Brantley cheated at will to stay in the game. He knocked Trey down before the music stopped and stole a seat. As Reid and Brantley argued about who would be the victor, Trey pantsed Brantley and Reid won.
President Averson announced he made a deal for a handicap match.
(3) Oliver Green & JACS & President Jon Averson defeated The Over Office ( VP Lose Brantley & Jasper Reid) in a handicap match (5:21). Averson was in Reid and Brantley's corner but never tagged in. JACS beat Brantley's Effin ass. Reid broke out an honest-to-God impressive spinning powerslam. Green pantsed Brantley. In what Wicked called a display of solidarity, Reid pulled his own pants down. Wicked blurted out "show hole". Darkthorne said not for free. Averson switched sides and pinned Brantley with his vaunted finishing move.
ProSouth is where performance artists come to play. The political satire underneath the hood is fierce. The VP has has suffered the humiliation of having his pants pulled down four times. JD Vance should be so lucky.
Jasper Reid's Gift for Lose Brantley. The dialogue was closed captioned due to "technical difficulties". Reid apologized for pulling Brantley's pants down and said he had a gift to make up for it. They ushered Averson out to the parking lot and into a chauffeured Mercedes. Brantley was skeptical about how a gift was going to help unless it was a belt and suspenders. Reid said to trust him. They watched on a video screen as the car exploded in flames. Brantley looked horrified for a beat, then smiled with glee and told Reid to get him sworn in as President.
"Not since LBJ have we seen an exchange of power like that," Wicked said.
I'll admit there have been times during this story when I wished for Averson to be gone by any means necessary but never considered assassination as one of the options.
Commissioner Amy Haven entered the ring with her muscle, Joe Wood. Amy said making ProSouth's heroes wrestle each other sounded like fun and she could guarantee that in the end, somebody would "Trust the Process". On behalf of Joe Joe, Amy accepted Keast's challenge. "Of all the ways to choose to die...At the hands of Joe Black? Good luck, kid."
(4) Ace Haven defeated Donnie Primetime to retain the YouTube Championship in 19:28. Darkthorne referenced Ace and Donnie's complicated history. The palpable tension between them built to a handshake. They grappled, exchanging holds and takedowns. Donnie initiated a trade of stiff chops. Primetime knocked Ace down with a shadow spinning back elbow. Primetime targeted Ace's back inside and outside the ring. Ace reversed a whip sending Primetime's back into the barricade. In the first big move of the match, Ace reversed Primetime's stalling suplex on the stage with a snap-suplex onto the ramp that left both men down and hurting. Ace tried to springboard back into the ring and got cut down by a superkick from Primetime. On the outside, Primetime catapulted Ace into the barricade. Primetime back suplexed Ace onto the stage. Primetime gave a birthday shout out to Trey. Ace fired back with chops. Primetime shoulder blocked Ace in the breadbasket. Ace evaded Primetime's splash off the top and launched a full-fledged comeback, capped off by a shining wizard for a near fall. Primetime had the Windwaker scouted and reversed it with a sharpshooter. Ace made it to the ropes. Primetime reapplied the hold. Ace reversed it with a sharpshooter of his own but his back gave out as the accumulated damage had taken its toll. Ace fended off an avalanche package piledriver, Donnie did likewise on Ace's Endgame. Donnie went for a diving headbutt and got caught by Ace's cutter for a two and 15/16 near fall. Donnie hit the package piledriver and was at the end of his rope when Ace kicked out. Ace rolled Donnie up after a series of reversals.
The embraced. Ace raised Donnie's hand and was attacked by AJ Black. Before AJ coud do more damage, Keast arrived on the scene.
Ace and Donnie have wrestled each other a zillion times, and in this case the match brought out the best in both of them. The match had flow and psychology and they gave the big spot time to register. Primetime was on his game in a way he has not been until now. Ace was in his comfort zone.
Hopefully, AJ is back in as regular. He would inject a different energy into The Process and provide a much needed boost to the roster that lost one of its best workers in Christian Pierce.
