PWF: Out With the Old, September 14, 2013
The week before the beginning of Autumn brought Pro Wrestling Freedom to their 12th event. It’s also their 3rd event at the National Guard Armory in London, KY. With a stacked card leading to the Anniversary, many came to see how these events will affect the upcoming October show.
First, PWF promoter John Bullard comes out to greet the fans as he had done in past months which leads to Scottie Viciouse & Father Fear come to the ringside area to face Bullard over some topics that were touched on at Lethal Lottery. Once again, Scottie questions Bullard over the fact there were 2 benefit shows for injured roster members, one was hurt at another promotion’s show, while he suffered a life-threatening setback with no fanfare as Fear continued to prod him. During this tirade, Viciouse made a reference to an infamous person who has made many boasts on Facebook. Once he made that reference, the promoter demanded security have them escorted to the back.
Aiden Blackheart vs. Eddie Young. In recent tradition, there was a pre-match. This one was went back & forth, had some good spots, but you can tell both men are still green. If you ever watch any of these matches, don’t blast them because they aren’t executing like your favorite star in ROH can, everyone has to start somewhere. So yelling “you suck!” doesn’t help, experience does. Remember that when you see someone make it big. Winner: Eddie Young.
Alex Angel vs. Nasty Russ. This matchup featured the rising star in Angel meeting the breakout star in Russ. While this match had some notable spots, namely Russ’s moonsault that turned into a double stomp. While I am a fan of both guys, this match was disappointing because it seemed like they just couldn’t get it. Sorry guys, better luck next time. Winner: Nasty Russ.
Derek Neal vs. Justin Storm. Neal’s long anticipated rematch against Ryan Dookie would have to be delayed because of Dookie’s prior commitments. His opponent was a young man with a lot of potential: Justin Storm making his début on the main card. Unfortunately, the young man was the victim of an unhinged psychopath. Winner: Derek Neal. Post match featured Neal taking a leather strap & beat Storm so hard he probably had flashbacks from childhood. Thus prompted Feltcher to come out, fine Neal $500, & had security escort Neal to the back.
Brian Beech vs. Zodiak. This match was probably the most anticipated matchup on the bill, & it did not disappoint. This wasn’t a match where you saw headlocks, shooting star presses, & burning hammers, this was the kind of match where 2 guys beat each other senseless. Not too much to say here, but it was one of the most physical matchups PWF has put out. Winner: Brian Beech. Post match had Beech demanding to replace an absent Chris Hall in the upcoming 4-way later in the evening. Which the commissioner agreed.
Jacob Black vs. Nick Iggy. Last month, the man formerly known as Shinigami injured a 10-going-on-23-year-old’s man dog’s arm/paw (work with me here). In other words, Iggy came to whip some ass. For those who watched the match saw that despite his gimmick, Iggy’s pretty tough in the ring even though he’s still, well, him. During an exchange between the referee and Father Fear, Iggy reached in his backpack, got Buzz Lightyear (that wasn’t a typo), threw it at Black, stuck his tongue out at him, then fell to the mat as the referee turning around to see a fallen Iggy, & Black holding a foreign object. Winner: Nick Iggy. Post match featured Black, with his newfound aggression after aligning himself with Fear, became enraged & attacked Iggy, resulting in him taking one of his favorite possessions not to infinity and beyond, but to Fearville.
Brian Beech vs. Mickie Knuckles vs. T Money vs. Kaden Sade. We see the return of Money, the first non-tag team match in PWF for Mickie, a newcomer in Sade, & Beech who demanded to be entered after defeating Zodiak. The 3 things to really notice about this match was that the highly touted high flyer Kaden Sade was noticeably grounded & Beech & Knuckles were never in the ring together. After a hard fought match, the lady gets the nod. Winner: Mickie Knuckles.
Kyle Matthews vs Shawn Shultz (C)- PWF Championship- 2 out of 3 falls. The opening had Shultz hit Matthews in the head with the belt which led to quite possibly the fastest 2 out of 3 fall match in wrestling history. Why is that you ask? Look up the Kentucky Boxing & Wrestling Authority’s Laws & Regulations, Section 8, Part 1. It’s on page 24. Winner & Once Again PWF Champion: Kyle Matthews.
After intermission Matthews came out, head heavily bandaged, to greet the fans. Kage makes his appearance the cash in his title shot, Flawless intervenes & proceeds to give Kage a beatdown. During this series of events, Matthews was offered a spot in Flawless, which he quietly declined. After everything cleared, the main event began.
Flawless (C) vs. Jordan Kage & Sean “Virus” Harddrive- PWF Tag Team Championship. A very physical contest ensued where you can sense this was a grudge match, mainly between Cash Flo & Jordan Kage. At one point, Virus aimed his mist towards Cash but his the referee instead, which put him out of commission. After the second referee came to ringside it looked like the champions had fallen, but as the original referee recovered, he reversed the decision. Winners: Flawless. Post match featured Bobby Blade’s protégé, Russell Ryan, getting a face full of Kabuki spit & hit by the Fuzzy 8×10.
PWF: Battle of the ‘Burg, September 21, 2013
The first show PWF offered to the fans of Williamsburg, KY may have had the lightest card, but the biggest match to date. Once the doors opened, many of the familiar faces presented themselves, including the famous Wrasslegranny, now simply Granny, making her way to ringside wearing a bonnet. Yes, I said a bonnet. As well as the Picture Perfect fan club out in full regalia sitting together like always. Due to the size of the card, there was no pre-show, just went into action.
Shane Andrews vs. Ryan Dookie. At a glance, when you look at Andrews, he puts you in mind of Gran Akuma. At a glance, when you look at Dookie, you think of Grand China Buffet. This match had a lot of comedy, both the guys had fun in the ring & the fans enjoyed watching them. Don’t think this was purely slapstick, this match had a lot of good wrestling in there with both guys showing why they were booked to go first (if you didn’t know or forgot, the first match on a PWF show is one of the more entertaining matches of the night), and despite coming up short, hopefully we’ll see young Mr. Andrews again. Winner: Ryan Dookie.
Kerry Awful vs. Jacob Black. After the poor pooch was released from the vet (why is it I keep thinking of him as a dog? Oh wait, he acts like one!), he had to come back to face Team IOU’s new bully: Jacob Black. Black, since joining Father Fear, has become a very noticeable presence in recent months with his alliance with the Dark Lord of Fearville. Kerry, paw still bandaged, faced a formerly Sweet man in a match where both men tore into each other like they were at a private party at the Vick house. In the end, it looked like one dog had his day. Winner: Kerry Awful. Post match featured Black assaulting Awful & Fear pulling out pliers in trying to do amateur veterinary dentistry. This turn of events led to Iggy coming to the aid of his friend & Fear, Black, & Lightyear (oh yeah, he still has the toy) to retreat.
Brian Beech vs. Kaden Sade. Is this a rematch of sorts from the show a week before? Not really considering that match was rather quick. But in one corner you have a young man who reminds you of a young Ricochet, & in the other you have a guy who looks like he trains bouncers. While Sade tried to mount what had the potential to some outstanding offense, Beech would pluck him out of the air. And what is a review of a Brian Beech match without the phrase “hard-hitting” thrown in? It was, I’m amazed Sade survived & did well. Even though he came up short, Kaden Sade has a bright future in PWF. Winner: Brian Beech.
Nick Iggy vs. Jeremiah Plunkett. When you see Nick Iggy, you see a guy who is rather fun-loving & witty. Case in point: he told the crowd that even though he no longer has Buzz, he has a Woody (then proceeds to pull Woody out of his backpack). Jeremiah Plunkett you have a guy who looks like he walked out of 1970s Mid-South. The match was entertaining, Plunkett showed why he was booked & Iggy showing that he’s more than Kerry’s tag team partner. During the match, Jacob Black ran into the ring & attacked Iggy. Winner: Nick Iggy. Post match had Kerry run to his friend’s rescue & Commissioner Feltcher making his presence known & doing was some guy on Smackdown has made famous: booked a tag match!
Jacob Black & Jeremiah Plunkett vs. Team IOU. The fans get treated to an impromptu match on what was a light card. This match showed teamwork on both sides & they went back & forth rather well. However, the match was won by the seasoned team. Winner: Team IOU. Post match more chaos ensued where the Fear & Co. made their presence felt once again which led to events that set up a tag team match at the upcoming anniversary show.
Jordan Kage vs. Jason Kincaid. In a match months in the making, Kincaid first enters ringside wearing his spoils around his neck: The National Wrestling Alliance Smoky Mountain Championship, the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (which he won the night he was originally slated to face Kage but had to withdraw due to commitments to the NWA), & the Traditional Championship Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Championship. Kage enters the ring with his Road to Freedom title shot, in the briefcase he won by defeating hired gun Brian Beech, who was Kincaid’s substitute. Once the bell rang, a matchup of 2 very evenly matched competitors commenced. Both men wrestled each other in a game of human chess where both men tried to gain an advantage but tried to not expose themselves to their opponent. The match was originally slated for a 45 minute time limit, something people seldom see since the glory days of the NWA & Jim Crockett Productions, & that time felt like it flew by. Very seldom do you hear the crowd as for 5 more minutes after a match that long, but they demanded it, & received 5 more minutes. It’s clear that 50 minutes isn’t enough for these 2 as neither one of them were exhausted, nor the fans, who were left breathless. Winner: Time limit draw. Post match featured Kincaid offering his hand to Kage, only to show him no respect. During this time, it was announced that they will have a rematch in November.
How was PWF in September? It did seem like many of the matches & the crowds had hit a low point. Does that mean that the promotion is finished? Not I doubt that, every promotion, even those on TV, have low points. It’s what you do when you’re down determines how successful you can become. I have nothing but complete faith in the Boys of PWF (& Mickie). In fact, I think their best days are ahead of them.