Premiere Wrestling Xperience returned to the North Davidson area of Charlotte, NC on August 18 for it’s second show at Neighborhood Theatre ‘There Goes The Neighborhood’. “The Southern Savior” John Skyler battled Former WCW Superstar and Raven’s Flock Memer Lodi in, ROH Star “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett w/ Maria Kanellis battled newly crowned PWX Champion “The Midnight Son” Caleb Konley and ROH Heavyweight Champion Kevin Steen defended the ROH title for the first time in PWX against hometown favorite Cedric Alexander. In all 7 huge matches for another successful PWX show in NoDa. The following is…..
Chiva Kid vs Adam Page
Normally two crowd favorites, on this night the crowd was overwhelmingly on the side of Chiva whom they affectionately refer to as “Goat Boy”. Chiva tried to use his speed for an early advantage but Page matched him and countered with a power game. Chiva however would not go away fighting back with kicks and reversals. Page again took over with the power game hitting an “Alabama Slam” for a nearfall. A chop battle then took place as Chiva took his shirt off and both he & Page took turns lighting up one anothers chest. Page finished the chop battle hitting a powerslam that nearly got him the win. The match then moved to Chiva’s specialty on the top rope and Chiva was able to hit a hurracanrana and follow up with his amazing 720 splash for a big victory over Adam Page.
#1MansOpinion: Very good opener with two incredibly athletic and talented guys. Interesting dynamic at first with both being babyfaces but Page slid into a bit of a heel role well without tarnishing any chance of once again being a crowd favorite in the future. Chiva continues a big win streak as PWX continues to deliver solid opening matches, which is important to any show. *** 1/2
Steve Corino comes to the ring escorted by Thomas “Boom Boom” Simpson. Corino says he always hears that North Carolina has the best wrestling fans and he’s here to tell you the people who say that are wrong! Corino goes on to discuss Ric Flair, Gay Rights, Audience members wardrobes, and the fact that his opponent tonight was “crapping in his diaper” when Corino was taking bumps in 1994. This was one of the best live promos I’ve ever heard at an Indy show. When it comes to drawing heat, few can match up to Steve Corino.
“The King of Old School” Steve Corino vs Alex Avgerinos
The 18 year old Avgerinos came to the ring to a big pop after Corino had fired the crowd up. Slow start to the match with Corino toying with the youngster and in turn being caught with arm drags and hip tosses. Corino then hit a dropkick and hilariously commented “I bet you didn’t think I could do that!” and went for a second, which he missed. Corino’s manager for the night Thomas Simpson hit Avgerinos with a kendo stick which allowed Corino to stay in control and work the young kid over. There was no quit in Alex Avgerinos and he fought back but was caught with an STO by Corino for a nearfall. Corino hit a couple of stiff looking lariats and A2 answered with a running lariat of his own but neither man could score the pinfall. Avgerinos made one last effort at getting a huge victory but was hit with two Saito Suplexes and on the second Corino bridged beautifully to get the win.
#1MansOpinion: STEVE CORINO WAS WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION!!! The promo as I mentioned above is one of the greatest I’ve heard in over 25 years as a wrestling fan and the in ring style of Corino plays so well in the Mid-Atlantic it was a joy to have him back in Charlotte. I won’t sell Alex Avgerinos short either though, he’s young, still learning and has a passion that shows through in his matches. Very good job matching up with an ultra talented, world traveled and experienced Steve Corino. ***
Zane Riley, Ernesto Osiris, & Will “The Hammer” Roberts vs Jimmy Jack Funk Jr, Ric Converse & “Mr. Elite” Drew Meyers
This was a six man tag team match consisting of both guys who have been feuding with one another over the last several months as well as a couple of new additions to the PWX roster. Osiris, Riley, & Roberts started off taking the action right to their opponents and getting a triple school boy roll up that nearly ended the match before it started. Ernesto Osiris started for his team and was quickly outmatched as the heel team of Converse, JJF, & Mr Elite tagged in and out and isolated Osiris. Mr. Elite was involved in a lot of the offense during this time, utilizing his amateur style and throws to wear down Osiris. Ric Converse then came in and added some power, which was followed up by the old school, roughneck style of Jimmy Jack Funk Jr. Each time Osiris battled out his opponents would get the referee’s attention and pull him back to their corner until finally Osiris finally made the tag to Zane Riley with a very nice carthwheel on the top rope. Riley came in and cleared the ring of all three men, Osiris got himself back in it taking to the air and jumping to the outside onto Converse. Will Roberts then tagged in and he & Zane set up JJF for a “Hart Attack” maneuver but Riley was pulled to the outside and JJF locked a choke hold on Roberts for the submission victory.
#1MansOpinion: Most of the “Usual Suspects” were in this match and I don’t want to downplay any of their importance to PWX. As I’ve stated before Zane Riley & Jimmy Jack Funk Jr are always entertaining and provide an old school feel that I enjoy each time I’m able to see them. Ernie Osiris continues to break out of the “lackey” role he protrays on ROH TV and showcase his skills in PWX and “Mr. Elite” continues to improve in the ring each time I see him and could be a big Indy talent in the future. This was my first time seeing Ric Converse live and I enjoyed his in ring work, having heard of him for quite some time and I believe he makes a nice addition to the PWX roster as well. ** 3/4
PWX Championship Match
“The Midnight Son” Caleb Konley (c) vs “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett w/ Maria Kanellis
Bennett continues the list of ROH stars who are showcasing their talents in PWX and he had all he could ask for on Saturday August 18 with PWX Champ Caleb Konley. The 1st lady of ROH intervened early in this one after Konley delivered a devestating backdrop out to the ramp on Bennett. Maria pulled Konley’s foot allowing for just the distraction “The Prodigy” needed to take over on the champ. Bennett wore Konley down and worked over his back as Maria continued to interject herself until finally Konley’s girlfriend came down to even the odds and try to keep Maria out of the match. Bennett came very close on several occasions to becoming the new PWX champion but Konley fought back and hit running leg kick and went for his “Oh Face!” submission, before the girls could be held back no more and we had a catfight in the middle of the ring. Bennett tried to seperate the girls but focused back on Konley and went for some type of Urinagi but Konley countered into a victory roll and retained his PWX Championship.
#1MansOpinion: Very good match here. The PWX title continues to gain merit and prestige with many ROH superstars either holding or competing for the title and continuing to make the competition better and better. Bennett & Konley are obviously both athletically gifted with big upsides and put on another in a long line of very good PWX Championship matches. *** 1/4
PWX Returns to Neighborhood Theatre on October 5, 2012!!!
“The Southern Savior” John Skyler w/ D’arcy Dixon vs Lodi
This was a continuation of a fire that was lit by John Skyler at June’s PWX show. Lodi had just defeated Reid Flair and Skyler interjected himself attacking Lodi with a ladder and drawing blood on the former Raven’s Flock Member. On this night, Skyler again drew blood but a game Lodi showed he will not quit and if you come at him face to face he will bring the fight right back to you. Lodi unloaded early on Skyler and hit a brutal backdrop over the top rope to the ramp but Skyler used his valet D’arcy Dixon to get the advantage and open Lodi up. The Southern Savior relentlessly pounded away on the WCW Sign Guy while jawing back and forth with the crowd in the end Dixon again came in and got caught by Lodi, this provided the Southern Savior’s new running buddies Chip Day & Corey Hollis to come out. As Day distracted the referee, Hollis threw Skyler a chain which he used the to get the victory over Lodi. This would not be the last we heard from John Skyler on this night.
#1MansOpinion: Lodi energizes a crowd like no one else on the independent scene. When Guns N Roses hits and he comes out hoisting his signs, the crowd knows they’re in for a party and that’s why Lodi remains one of the more entertaining babyfaces in the NC indies. John Skyler is one of the best heels I’ve seen watching Indy wrestling and draws tremendous heat with any crowd. Skyler’s in ring skills are matched by few and he’s still learning more and more. Skyler and Lodi had a seamless, yet brutal match that entertained from start to finish and you can’t ask for more than that. *** 1/2
PWX Tag Team Championship
The Great Outdoors(“Manscout” Jake Manning & Grizzly Redwood) (c) vs Corey Hollis & Chase Dakota(replacement for Chip Day)
Generation Kill(Hollis & Day) made their way to the ring without their PWX titles which they lost the previous night in York, SC and began to address Day’s injured knee. Hollis told us Day “Just can’t go” and then turned the mic over to a new spokesperson for the group, I missed the name. This person said he was the brains of the operation and he brought Dakota in for ONE shot to be part of something great but if he swings and misses he won’t get another shot. The Great Outdoors hit the ring WITH their brand new PWX tag titles and were even more of a hit with the crowd. The Veterans, Manning & Redwood started in on Dakota and controlled the opening tempo as Corey Hollis allowed Dakota to be “baptized by fire”. Hollis took any opening he saw to tag in when Dakota got an advantage and worked over Grizzly as Chip Day kept a close eye on things from the outside. Finally Hollis & Dakota developed a bit of a repoire isolating Redwood and taking turns on offense. Hollis nearly got the championships back for Generation Kill on several occasions but if you’ve ever seen Grizzly you know there is no quit in the ROH lumberjack. Redwood finally got a tag to the Manscout who took out both Dakota & Hollis and things really broke down into a brawl at this point. Dakota & Hollis were both thrown to the outside where Redwood regained his composure and went sailing over the bottom rope with a dive taking out both. Back in the ring Dakota fell victim to the Manscout and indeed “swung and missed” being pinned as The Great Outdoors successfully defended their new tag titles.
Post match: John Skyler hit the ring and joined Generation Kill in a post match beatdown of the champions. Which Lodi quickly interjected himself in as he and Skyler are not done by a longshot. In the end, the young hotshots stood tall and The Southern Savior grabbed a microphone and reminded us that a change is here, a symbol of excellence and He, Hollis, & Day displayed a sign very familiar to Charlotte, NC wrestling fans the 4 fingers.
#1MansOpinion: This was a good match, however Generation Kill has much better chemistry than Dakota & Hollis. Dakota was good here and held his own but Hollis is a technically gifted athlete with an innovative offensive style which matches well with Day’s brute force kicks. The Great Outdoors were bound to have tag team gold in PWX as easily two of the most popular talents in PWX and they work very well together. Redwood gives 110% each time out and I believe Manning is one of the more underrated talents(in the ring) in the Mid-Atlantic today. ** 3/4
ROH World Championship Match
Kevin Steen (c) vs Cedric Alexander
There is no way I could recap all the action that took place in this one so I’ll try to capture just a bit of the entertainment and unmatched athleticism that these two showed in the main event. Steen was “on” from the opening bell, jawing with ringside fans(mainly Alexander’s family) at one point telling Cedric’s dad “Be My Dad, I’m better” all the while brutalizing the local favorite with clotheslines, kicks, and generally throwing him around the ring. A common theme I’ve been throwing around(and I don’t do it loosely) is PWX having the best talent around and Alexander is at the top of that list. Cedric consistently puts on MOTN performances and with Steen as an opponent it was no different, as he played catch up the entire match and went toe to toe with the best in ROH. This one spilled outside as Alexander was beaten directly in front of his closest family, friends, and hometown fans. In the end Alexander utilized his brutal kicks in the corner and fought back to nearly win the ROH championship. Steen hit an F-5 but still couldn’t put Alexander away until he added one more for the exclamation point and retained the ROH championship.
Post Match: Matt Hardy appeared in a video on the big screen and mentioned Steen always says “Kill Steen Kill” but he is the man who is “Stronger than Death” and October 5th he is challenging Steen. Steen’s response here was classic, again I can’t do it justice but Steen mentioned Hardy must be stronger than death because with the choices he’s made over the last few years he should’ve been dead several times. Steen accepted the challenge and said he’d gladly come back to Charlotte to see if Hardy is Stronger than death on October 5.
#1MansOpinion: Fantastic close to another excellent PWX show. Steen was every bit as entertaining as he is each week on ROH TV and Alexander showed that is indeed ready to take a step up in ROH(or any promotion) if needed. Steen’s interactions with the fans and Alexander kept major heat on this matchup and Alexander whom I expected to be a formidable challenger for Steen had to have impressed anyone watching this match. ****
#1MansFINALOpinion: Steen & Alexander were worth the price of admission alone but as you can see there was plenty of bright spots on this show and PWX in general. John Skyler, Chip Day, & Corey Hollis are one of the most technically gifted factions I’ve ever seen and really capture the classic “Old School” faction with a new school twist. I really like the meshing of Generation Kill vs The Great Outdoors and John Skyler vs Lodi as that could provide a potential Six Man MOTN in the future. The young talents of PWX continue to grow with Mr. Elite, Chiva Kid, Adam Page, Jimmy Jack Funk Jr & Zane Riley always entertaining no matter where they are on the card. The addition of Ric Converse was a welcomed addition and he could make a big impact in the company. There is a tremendous upside to PWX which is already one of the hottest tickets in the Mid-Atlantic.
Overall: 7.5/10
This show was available live on HighspotsTV at www.highspots.com and is STILL available. I highly recommend you check it & previous events on DVD out and as always check www.pwxperience.com for details on the Oct. 5 show featuring ROH Champion Kevin Steen defending against Matt Hardy plus more from John Skyler, Generation Kill, The Great Outdoors and all the great talent of Premiere Wrestling Xperience. You can also follow PWX @PWXWrestling1 on Twitter to keep up with all the developments to the next show.
Follow me on Twitter @The1andonlyJer
