On a cool April evening wrestling fans convened to the Civic Center in Corbin, KY to witness an upstart promotion crown their first champion. For many, it’s a payoff for welcoming a band of indie workers into their collective consciousness. For others, it’s their first time; so I guess you can say that they’re getting deflowered. Needless to say, expectations were high.
Many people think that the show begins when you hear the ring bell, or the announcer introducing anyone, the theme music for the show to begin, or the Star Spangled Banner. Those people are incorrect; the show begins once you walk towards the entrance into the arena. There you get a feel for how the crowd will be that evening. And despite what anyone says, whether they’re in the business & putting on the show, a sponsor, a fan, or some self-righteous reviewer on the Internet; the crowd determines how good the show will be. Today, I could feel what I would describe as a buzz when I walked into the Civic Center. I would equate it to what they describe in physics as potential energy.
As more & more attendees pay their way & come into the fold, the buzz becomes louder, becomes stronger. The people are coming not to experience what they can get in the comfort of their own homes or at house shows or pay-per-views which are overpriced & usually disappointing, they are coming to be a part of a living, breathing entity. They didn’t come to watch a show; they came to be a part of a show.
They came to watch 8 men, many of whom the fans are extremely familiar with, compete in an elimination tournament to be not only the benchmark of the promotion, but the focal point of the people. Men such as Ryan Dookie, Menace, Nasty Russ, Shane Mercer, Kyle Matthews, Dustin Rayz, Jordan Kage, & Jamie Northstar would be in the ring to compete for the prize. They didn’t come to see who would become the PWF champion; they came to see who would be their champion. They came to see who they will either root for come May 4, or who they hope will have a short reign.
Before the show, those who were there early enough got to see a match between 2 men that the PWF faithful were not familiar with, Chris Rose & Johnny D. The match was rather quick so not much to really say about it. It wasn’t horrible, the crowd just wasn’t into it despite the fact that Johnny D worked the crowd like a veteran heel.
Shortly after that match, the familiar music of Volbeat’s Warrior’s Call gets played over the PA as John Bullard, PWF’s owner, & the commentary team of Aaron Rose & Russell Ridenour make their way to the ring to do 1 of 2 things they do well: hype the crowd up for the card, & to introduce the fans to one of the most over guys in the PWF collective: the ring announcer, The Bowtie Bandit (yes, he wears a bowtie, & pulls it off rather well) himself, local radio personality Brian Sizemore.
Before Mr. Sizemore can fully perform his duties, he is interrupted by the unit led by the legendary old school badass, Lone Wolf Bobby Blade. With Blade usurping Sizemore’s microphone, he proceeds to introduce his team much to the ire of the crowd which has now been stirred into a frenzy much like if that team had taken a hornet’s nest, put it in a burlap sack, then beat it with a stick to stir up the fury inside it. Once allowed to return to his task, Brian proceeds to introduce the opposing team who immediately exit the dressing room area which causes the crowd to pop & the heels to leave the ring. The crowd is now as hot as the surface of the sun & the match hasn’t even started.
Cash Flo, Scotty Vicious, Sweet & Juicy, & Maxx Mysery vs Kerry Awful, Mickie Knuckles, John Noble, Miguel Sanchez, & Alex Zayne. The match was kinetic, it was a great opener for a stacked card because it really got the crowd involved from the moment the first team entered to when the last team left. Ranging from high spots by both Sanchez & Zayne to Kerry Awful tripping 4 out of his 5 opponents then proceeding to dry hump in one big pile reminiscent of the pile in that episode of South Park where union workers used a similar tactic to curtail future illegal immigration from the future Kerry being dragged to the back by Kole Layton King to a dwarf getting involved in the match to Cash Flo showing the crowd what it takes to be a great heel. Winner: Cash, Vicious, Sweet & Juicy, & Myzery. Post-match, John Noble is visibly upset over the outcome & was very vocal about the performance of his teammates, namely Zayne & Sanchez which could lead to a potential turn.
Round 1, Match 1: Menace vs Jamie Northstar. This match didn’t have all the flare & the heat that the first one did. But that doesn’t mean it was a bad match. There were some in the crowd who thought it was boring because there weren’t as many spots as 1 would expect from these 2. In reality, they resorted to chain wrestling which they were both pretty good at. The match was a definite throwback. It was a shame that most of the fans in attendance probably started watching wrestling around 1998 to be able to witness what wrestling was like before being filled with spots immediately became a criteria for what was a good match. Also, both wrestlers being faces, it was hard for the crowd to get involved. Winner: Menace.
Round 1, Match 2: Nasty Russ vs Shane Mercer. PWF’s sleazebag meets the Iron Demon, you would think that it would be a squash like those they used to show from the Techwood Drive studio. Yes, Shane showed his power, but Russ demonstrated that he was resilient & that his placing in the tournament was no fluke. After a series of very even exchanges & near falls from both wrestlers, the match ended due to some unexpected interference from another competitor, Jordan Kage. Winner: Nasty Russ. Post-match we see Mercer chasing Kage into the locker room area.
Round 1, Match 3: Dustin Rayz vs PWF Tag Team Champion Ryan Dookie. When you have a matchup of the most popular guy facing the most hated/feared guy on the roster, you can expect the crowd to have some vested interest. Especially since the winner advances to the semifinals. Also, because Rayz’s manager, Father Fear, is at ringside which can cause trouble for not only the opponent, but for the fans because Fear loves to not only get involved in the match, but also to incite the crowd. Which is bold since Dookie is the hometown hero. In the end, he turned out to be just another casualty for the guy billed as the Human Devastation Device. Winner: Dustin Rayz. Post-match, Father Fear takes the mic & announce to the audience that Rayz will now destroy Dookie while everyone watches. That prompts Dookie’s partner, Mickie Knuckles, to immediately come to his aid & for Rayz to make an immediate retreat which could lead to a potential matchup between Rayz & Knuckles. & before anyone says “but Mickie’s a woman”, remember: she’s been an entrant in Tournament of Death.
Round 1, Match 4: Jordan Kage vs Kyle Matthews. Without a doubt, one of the best matches of the year & one of the best booked by PWF to date. This match was extremely physical & at times couldn’t be confined to the ring. There was also interference by Bobby Blade on who had returned to his original post of commentator, Kage’s behalf, which led to his public exile by Bullard. With a match that could have gone either way many times, it ended with Shane Mercer walking out to the ringside area which distracted Kage to the point that Matthews could take advantage & lock in the Texas Cloverleaf causing Kage to tap out. Winner: Kyle Matthews.
Round 2, Match 1: Dustin Rayz vs Menace. This match had a few exchanges, but The Blackanese Assassin just couldn’t stop him. This match epitomizes what Dustin Rayz is in PWF: an unstoppable machine who is as cold & unfeeling as that metal rod is in his left leg. It wasn’t a squash, but you just knew that Rayz was going through Menace & Menace is no pushover. Winner: Dustin Rayz.
Round 2, Match 2: Kyle Matthews vs Nasty Russ. The match was definitely more exciting & entertaining than many had thought it would have been with Russ showing that he can work both inside as well as outside the ring by getting heat from the best wrestling fan to get riled up: the old grandmother. Russ definitely stepped his game up with Matthews & has shown why he is a welcome addition to the PWF roster. Nonetheless, he, like Kage earlier, tapped to the Cloverleaf. Winner: Kyle Matthews.
Chuck Taylor vs Jason Kincaid. This has to be one of the very few instances that Chuck Taylor worked as a face. Because seriously, how can you be a heel against a guy who claims to be 100% Rudos? But on the other side, how can Chuck be a face after all those years of scaring children (admit it, you laughed when you saw those videos on YouTube)? But even without his gimmick, Chuck Taylor is one of the best wrestlers around. The proof? He’s one of the top draws in DGUSA, Evolve, Chikara, & PWG, which are 4 of the top independent promotions in the US. Even though Jason Kincaid may not be as well known as Chuckie T, he’s one of the best all around performers, so don’t let his unusual look or speech make you think he’s some deranged hack; Jason Kincaid is as good as he says he is. All around great match, a lot of back & forth with Kincaid showing off his rather unusual battery of offense with Chuck showing why he’s so in demand. But on that night, Kincaid proved to be the victor. Winner: Jason Kincaid.
Round 3, Match 1: Dustin Rayz vs Kyle Matthews. This match definitely had a “big fight” feel to it. You have Kyle Matthews who has turned so many heads with his work that former ROH champion Davey Richards said Matthews deserved a shot at being on the ROH roster. On the other side you have Dustin Rayz who has destroyed virtually every opponent who has been put in his path including Kyle Matthews at Matthews’s PWF debut last November. You remember that buzz I mentioned earlier? You could definitely sense it now. It was like you could feel when everyone held their breath in anticipation & when the crowd cheered & jeered. Especially when it looked like Rayz was going to hit Matthews with his double underhook piledriver, the crowd could just see in less than 1 minute that the PWF belt would be handed to Dustin Rayz to when Matthews had Rayz in the Texas Cloverleaf & the crowd was on their feet cheering on Matthews & hoping to see Rayz tap out. One point in the match, the referee is rendered unconscious which leads to the return of Bobby Blade leading his Flawless faction comprising of Cash Flo, Scotty Vicious, & Jordan Kage. In an attempt of retribution for his earlier loss, Kage has the Cash & Vicious hit Matthews with a spike piledriver which was what put Matthews out of comission in January & Kage holding the belt in the middle of the ring. Then the unimaginable happens: Cash Flo & Scotty Vicious clothesline Kage then Bobby Blade hits him with a cutter before Bullard brings out the locker room to clear the ring of all those uninvolved in the match. Now with Rayz closing in for the kill, Matthews side steps him & rolls him into a small package for the win & hands Dustin Rayz his first loss in a PWF ring. Winner and first PWF champion Kyle Matthews. In a scene that reminds you of the end of Rocky 2 & when Ricky Steamboat beat Ric Flair for in 1989, the locker room clears to celebrate with Matthews & he’s hoisted on the shoulders of Ryan Dookie & Menace. Matthews then takes the mic & openly acknowledges that he doesn’t have the best personality, but appreciates the PWF fans for accepting him & will defend the championship proudly for the faithful.
Final thoughts? PWF has only been running shows since Oct 6, 2012 & has seen their fanbase grow & their talent roster get deeper. To date, there hasn’t been a bad PWF show & their bad matches, with the exception of the main event from the first show, have still been pretty good. In fact, the shows get better as the product grows. If I were to rate it, I would say it was definitely worth the $10 for the ticket & worth both DVD & On Demand releases. That & it makes you want to watch the next show. Which in my opinion trumps any star rating.
On a side note, my friend has an 8 year old daughter who loves wrestling. She thinks WWE & TNA are boring & loves ROH, DGUSA, CZW, Chikara, & Shimmer. When she asks if she can watch wrestling, she simply asks if she can watch wrestling. When she asks about PWF? She ask about watching our wrestling. And that’s how you feel when you watch PWF, you actually feel like you are part of a family. So anyone reading this, if you have a local promotion that you never saw give them a chance. You may lose the common cynicism that surrounds modern marks & smarks & become a fan again.
You’re not Larry Goodman. Stop writing like him.