A few weeks ago, 2CW presented their first ever iPPV. Essentially the Wrestlemania of their calendar year, this was 2CW’s chance to prove themselves as a major player on the independent scene. Given their incredible seven year history and ability to bring in bigger names, 2CW seems on the brink of something really special this year. There is a changing landscape within independent wrestling. With wrestlers being signed every seemingly, there is a need for smart promoters to channel their energy toward not only creating new stars, but putting on a quality product for wrestling fans to enjoy. These two are not necessarily the same thing as this show proved in some ways.
My overall thoughts on the technical aspects, moreso the non in-ring parts, are extremely positive. The stream was clean on-demand, and I was able to see everything. The quality probably could be upgraded for future paid shows, but I’m sure this is something that can be worked on. Also, it appeared 2CW went back to the 1980s for whomever they chose as their play-by-play voice. He was as smooth and outstanding as anyone I’ve heard call an independent wrestling show. The fact that he was able to call the first few matches by himself was a tremendous effort. Whenever I hear Lenny Leonard call the action by himself, there are always some awkward moment and dead air where there probably shouldn’t be any. Colin Delaney joined in for the second half and added some life to the show. In addition to the fantastic announcing and good stream quality, I give 2CW credit for some well crafted video packages that aired before and during the show. They really made this company seem big time and whenever you put wrestling action to song, it always adds something. I give 2CW a ton of credit for hitting on some underrated aspects of independent wrestling production.
In the ring, I wasn’t as impressed. I did enjoy the two matches involving current independent stars taking on former WWE names. Kevin Steen and John Hennigan had a great main event to cap off the show. Morrison has done anything but half ass any indy date he’s on, and this was no exception. Steen adjusted well and got play heel in a company where the dynamics mean something. The best example of this is Steen walking out and doing the slow mo entrance ala his opponent. Hilarious. Sami Callihan also wrestled Matt Hardy. I am as much of a Hardy hater as anyone, but he brought his working boots on in the ring with Callihan. The dynamic seems to work so much better with Hardy as a babyface. Something about Callihan working with ex-WWE also works out very well as I believe he’s had Hardy’s best independent match as well as Finlay’s. They actually told a story where they tried to win using count-outs but ultimately Hardy won using his own boot, which Callihan ripped off. Not sure how to feel about the ending of the match, but the action was solid, and they delivered in the way they needed to given their position on the card.
Speaking of delivering, Colt Cabana started the show off wrestling Slyck Wagner Brown. Brown has been floating around the independent wrestling scene for years, including the early days of Ring of Honor, but this was one of his first major chances on any sort of iPPV. Because Brown is a regular, 2CW smartly put him over. Nonetheless, they got a solid effort from Cabana and got the crowd into the show right from the start. Nothing was all that special about the match, but the crowd enjoyed it, and I think for a casual audience watching a free iPPV, Cabana is a great person to start with. The crowd in Watertown in New York was a bit more markish than the typical indy crowd. I think it’s to their benefit.
For two people like Pepper Parks and Cherry Bomb, they got to play the babyface roll mostly based on their looks than anything. When wrestling Jimmy Jacobs and Christina Von Eerie, a more markish crowd will likely react more positively to the aesthetics Cherry Bomb and Parks present moreso than the emo stylings of their opponents. The mixed tag was fine but again nothing too special. A lot of the matches on this card seemed to get around 10 minutes and fall between the two to three star range.
My two major complaints have to do with the championship matches. The 2CW tag team champions of : Kevin Graham and Punisher Van Slyke actually defended against a number of other local teams in a battle royal. This was not a great use of two guys who 2CW should have showcased. They should be aware of Graham and Van Slyke not being as well known and done their best to present them in a positive light by either bringing in a big name team or picking one of the teams in the battle royal to have a dynamic tag team contest. Isyx Ephex retained his title over Jason Axe in a ladder match that went about 13 minutes. He’s the local guy done good because he defeated Kevin Steen, a fact showcased in a great video package during a break in the action. This was a typical hardcore match, but not enough time was given to really tell a full story. Of course, a couple of monumentally reckless bumps were taken, but there wasn’t a cohesive match to bring it altogether.
Masada defeated Spike Dudley in a very ECW like match. If this was 1999 Spike Dudley, he would have killed himself trying to get the monster Masada over. Unfortunately, its’ 2013, and Spike Dudley has done all the killing of himself he can. Colin Delaney looked solid in victory over Dalton Castle. Castle is someone I would love to see get more chances in the northeast. No real story other than just being a solid wrestling match. The less said about the handicap match between Bin Hamin and Milan X against Zachery Springate, the better. This was bottom of the barrel heel work and contained the one major technical gaffe of the whole show as cameras missed a fireball spot.
I can’t see this show made me want to run out and watch the 2CW product, but I wasn’t personally affronted either. I think 2CW’s product certainly has a place as evidenced by the over 1,000 fans they had in attendance for this show. Clearly, there is some magic in the air concerning this promotion, and I can only hope they continue to see a lot of success. I guess a greater emphasis on the locals would get more invested in the actual company, but there is also a place for the former WWE names and current indy superstars. If nothing else, this free show will allow them some goodwill regardless of match quality. A fascinating little experiment. This was certainly a mixed bag of a show but one with potential and a direction going forward.
Grade: C
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-Taped from Watertown, New York
Quick results, match times, and star ratings
-Slyck Wagner Brown(w/Big Business) defeats Colt Cabana by pinfall after the leg lariat/9:48/**1/2
-Milan X and Bin Hamin defeat Zaquary Springate by pinfall after X hits the X Cutter /7:51/*
-Colin Delaney defeats Dalton Castle by pinfall after a pull-up slingshot elbow drop/9:53/**1/2
-Masada defeats Spike Dudley/12:11/**1/4
-Battle Royal- 2CW Tag Team Championship: Kevin Graham and Punisher Van Slyke (champions) retain over Electric Dream Machine, Dick Justice and Pete and Eric Simmons, Planet Fitness (Muscle Marcos and Cheech, and Carr and Kage/13:44/N/R
-Sami Callihan defeats Matt Hardy with a roll-up pin/18:09/***1/4
-Jimmy Jacobs and Christina Von Eerie vs. Pepper Parks and Cherry Bomb by pinfall after Parks hits a rolling fishermen’s suplex/8:01/**3/4
-Stairway to Hell-2CW Heavyweight Championship: Isyx Ephex retains over Jason Axe (Jay Freddie is the special referee)/12:34/**
-John Hennigan defeats Kevin Steen by pinfall after Starship Pain/19:52/***1/2