Gordo, the wizard of id, Reviews:
PURE WRESTLING
ASSOCIATION
The PWA/GLCW War April 30/06
J’s Place – 7 Erie Ave Brantford, Ontario
2 pm Tickets: $10 adv $12 at the door
The Advertised Card:
2 out of 3 Falls Title
Unification Match
GLCW Canadian Champion Ruffy Silverstein vs PWA Pure Wrestling Champion
“Big Ticket" Reggie Marley
GLCW Ontario
Championship
“Outlaw" Scott Chase (C) vs Lars Phoenix
PWA Internet Title – 6 Man
Scramble
Hayden Avery(C) vs “Suicide" Sean Ball vs Hornet vs “Impact" Eddie
Osbourne vs Elian Habanaro vs ?
No Time Limit
Sean Spears vs Flexx Falcone
PWA Pure Violence Title
Warhed (C) vs Geza Kalman
PWA Elite Women’s Championship
21st Century Fox (C) vs Misty Haven
L’Artiste vs Quinson Valentino w/Mike Flash
MVP Challenge
The Venue: J’s Place is a good sized nightclub/bar
in a semi-industrial/commercial neighborhood. The day of the show there was a
traveling carnival set up across the street. (Kind of ironic considering
pro-wrestling’s early beginnings.) A large hall on the 2nd floor
served as the arena for the PWA/GLCW showdown. Mrs Id and I arrived early and quickly took advantage of the hot
pizza service and beverage bar. With the ring set up in the center of the room,
there was plenty of room for seating, allowing a good 5 to 6 feet of open space
at ringside. A small elevated stage held the sound system and static camera and
it was from that perch that PWA DVD
commentators Joe Dawg and Paul Wright called the live action for
future release. Merchandise tables were set up along one wall, as was a table
from event sponsor, XS Power Drink.
(Available from Sports Nutrition Products: sosttara@sympatico.ca ) The locker room
area was located on the first floor and wrestlers entered via a staircase to
the right of the stage, with a screened off “Gorilla Position" hiding the
entrance from view of the fans.
Pre Show: As is
my usual habit, I mingled with the assorted stars, crew and visiting guests
before the show. I had a job to do which involved spending a few moments with Misty Haven and 21st Century Fox (separately) and they were both nice
enough to pose for some promo shots for Mrs Id. Ontario Indy wrestlers Rip Impact and Jay Phoenix, who had both worked the LLWA show in Hamilton the
night before, were there to lend a hand during set up and take in the action as
fans. Speaking of fans… Ontario Indy wrestling fan extraordinaire, Red Sweater Guy, was there also and
indicated that he “wants to be over." He was frantically looking for a PWA
banner to compete with the GLCW fans that had come well prepared. “The" Ring
Girl for PWA, Amy Victoria wasn’t
parting with hers however and R.S.G. was out of luck. I spent some time talking
with Amy (Who wouldn’t?) and she is truly a delightful young woman. Another PWA
Ring Girl, Addy, was there too but,
since she’s recently become a local media celebrity of sorts, thanks to a huge
front page photo of her in an article about PWA in the Guelph Mercury
newspaper, she has apparently retired from Ring Girl duties. I also spent a few
minutes gas-bagging about the old days with referee, Old School, while he did some light warm ups before the show. I saw
PD Flex there too which raised my
hopes that he would either answer the MVP Challenge or be the sixth man in the
Internet Title scramble. Also in attendance were Ontario Wrestling Radio hosts,
Missy M and The Malone. (OWR, The Voice of Ontario Indy Wrestling: http://ontariowrestlingrecap.ftcwf.ca/main.htm
) As always, the management, stars and crew of PWA were awesome people and generous
hosts. The Ring Announcer: Gentleman
Geoff. The Referees: AJ Parr
& Old School.
The show began with Gentleman Geoff ignoring the chants of
“Bowtie" to welcome the fans to the show. No sooner had he begun than PWA owner
Joe Hallem and PWA Brantford
Commissioner Juan Ortiz entered the
ring. Hallem mentioned the automobile accident that he and ring crew member Brodie somehow walked away from (but
destroyed the ring truck and ring) and thanked fans for their support. (For
details of the crash check out: http://www.declarationofindependents.net/doi/pages/pwaca.html
) Juan Ortiz then got on the stick and declared that Outlaw Scott Chase had
sabotaged the truck and caused the crash. He demanded Chase come out to the
ring. In short order, Chase arrived, along with GLCW Commissioner Mike Flash.
Once they entered the ring Flash called Hallem “one tough son-of-a-bitch" for
surviving the accident and denied any involvement in it. While the Chant
Monkeys delivered a resounding “Great Lakes" chorus,
Lars Phoenix suddenly slid into the ring and blindsided Chase, driving him to
the mat. Juan Ortiz got a few kicks in on him too before everyone fled the ring
but Chase and Flash who obviously have some scores to settle.
MVP Challenge: Michael Von Payton vs Dark Sith Lord –
MVP entered the ring and issued his customary challenge to face anyone at all
in the locker room. (Many of the fans suggested he challenge “Bowtie" instead.)
Payton called out GLCW and PWA until finally Dark Sith Lord answered the
challenge. He’s a tall rangy fellow who comes to the ring in a chainmail vest
and carrying a “light saber" type stick. As the bell rang and they locked up in
a basic collar and elbow, fans chanted “use the force." MVP was cocky to start
as he worked through a nice clean opening sequence of various armlocks but Sith
Lord turned things around, forcing Payton to the ropes to break the hold. Sith
Lord delivered a stiff knee off the ropes but Payton quickly responded with a
little sweet chin music for the first 2 count. An over the top legdrop earned
MVP another near fall but he missed his next one, giving Sith Lord a chance to
recover. Dark Sith Lord pressed the attack with a stiff kick to the gut
followed by a DDT but MVP kicked out of the attempted pin twice. Sith Lord
tried a suplex and bridge but that too, failed to secure the victory. A whip
into the corner set MVP up for a running butt to chest slam from the GLCW Jedi
but on the next attempt, Payton dodged and Sith Lord took a turnbuckle right up
his Death Star! One mindbender slam later and Payton had successfully extended
his streak of MVP Challenge victories. Before leaving the ring, Payton mocked
the fallen Dark Sith Lord and the GLCW fans by posing with the light saber. A
very decent opener, that quickly went from a ground game to a high impact
contest. I really enjoy Payton’s cocky demeanor and look forward to the next
MVP Challenge.
L’Artiste vs
Quinson Valentino – There’s a history between these two competitors.
L’Artiste is “the brother from another mother" of the recently retired Phil Latio. That retirement stems from
a tag match involving Phil Latio and Pantalone against Cody Deaner and
Valentino in which the man who was pinned would have to retire. Skullduggery
saw Phil Latio take the final pin and because of that, he was forced to hang up
his overtly gay trunks. Suddenly, L’Artiste appeared on the Ontario Indy
circuit and he looks exactly like the former Phil Latio. Naturally, Valentino
and GLCW Commissioner Mike Flash are incensed that such an obvious sham is
being allowed to occur. They’re out for L’Artiste’s blood and won’t be
satisfied until they get it. I’m not sure what Valentino’s original beef with
Phil Latio was about… his ring attire is far gayer than Phil Latio’s ever was,
so it must be something other than that. Anyway, Valentino came to the ring and
announced that he had brought a special guest manager for the match. As the
opening strains of “American Dream" blasted into the hall, he introduced former
WWE/NWA legend “Stardust" Dusty Rhodes. It was of course, Mike Flash with a
pillow stuffed under his shirt and a blond wig. Flash cut a hilarious promo in
a not too bad Dusty voice, before ripping off his wig and declaring that nobody
was buying him as Rhodes just like nobody was buying L’Artiste wasn’t Phil
Latio. L’Artiste hit the ring and was immediately jumped by Valentino before
the formal introductions had ended. L’Artiste gained control quickly with a headscissor
takedown and a lariat that knocked his taller opponent from the ring. L’Artiste
nailed a diving splash over the top rope to the floor and rolled the groggy
Valentino back inside. After delivering a punch countdown in the corner he hit
the sprawled Valentino with a bronco buster. As the fans cheered him on,
L’Artiste then pulled down his trunks to reveal his bright orange thong
underwear and called for a stinkface. Valentino delivered a shot to the nutsack
to block the move. Three quick standing elbow drops all failed to find their
target as L’Artiste rolled around with his ass still hanging out of his trunks.
(You know, this is starting to sound more like a night at PD Flex’s house than
a wrestling match!) L’Artiste tried for the pin with a sunset flip but
Valentino regained the edge with a poke to the eye. After a Russian leg sweep
failed to get a 3 count he resorted to choking L’Artiste on the ropes, which
gave Flash a chance to get in a few cheap shots as well. Valentino shrugged off
a minor rally by L’Artiste (who still had his orange thong on display) and beat
him down to the mat with big stomps and a blatant choke. Ignoring the steady
taunts of the fans, Valentino scaled the corner and delivered a big splash but
L’Artiste got his knees up just in time. He delivered 2 solid atomic drops and
then applied double purple hermies to Valentino’s nipples. With his opponent
clutching his abused mammary papilla, L’Artiste rocked him with a running punch
and came off the top with a frog splash. Fans were incensed that the ref was
slow with the count and L’Artiste once again climbed to the top. Valentino fell
against the ropes and L’Artiste rammed his thong even further up his butt by
straddling the turnbuckle support. Valentino tried to mount the ropes as well
but the ensuing struggle saw L’Artiste ride his shoulders and tuck under for a
quick roll-up to get the pinfall. A fuming Mike Flash could only watch as
L’Artiste pointed at him and said “You’re no Dusty and I’m not Phil Latio."
This was a very entertaining match. Not for the “purists" but certainly served
to further the storyline and give the fans plenty to cheer about. Lots of good
comedy throughout.
<img src=“http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/2908/artiste0430067rx.jpg"
width=“450">
The “Homo’s" Promo:
Former GLCW Tag Champ and recent WWE hire, Sean Spears, entered the ring and
was immediately subjected to an “Uncle Vince" chant from the fans. Spears
responded with “at least he signs the checks." He launched into a promo
outlining the crash and burn of his tag partnership with Flexx Falcone, pausing
often to call the fans “homo’s." He talked about costing his former partner a
title match and declared that his match against Flexx had ended in a draw and
no one saw him tap out. (He tapped about 1/10 of a second after the bell rang.)
Naturally, the fans responded with a “You tapped out" chant that raised the
roof in J’s Place. Spears: “You will never see me tap out; I’m a WWE
Superstar... homo’s" When Flexx Falcone showed up he told Spears that 200
people saw him tap out and how could he call himself a WWE Superstar; “You’re
still here." Spears responded by offering Flexx the chance to apologize for his
actions and offered his hand. Of course, it was just a ruse to try a sucker
punch but Flexx blocked it and landed a punch of his own that dropped Spears to
the mat. Flexx tried to lock on a submission but Spears bailed from the ring.
This was a great segment that laid out the history behind their No Time Limit
match later on the card.
PWA Women’s Elite Title: 21st Century Fox (C) vs Misty
Haven – This is a feud that has been going on for years. It has spanned
Provinces and countless federations. Now with both women competing in PWA, it
has centered on the title. Misty Haven won an 8 woman tournament for the
Women’s Elite Trophy last year but was unable to make the match for the Women’s
Title in January of this year; a match Fox won by defeating Cherry Bomb. She
dropped the title to Cheerleader Melissa but won it back in a 3-way against
Melissa and Haven in March. This match was the first time since October 15th
that these two women would face each other one on one in a PWA ring. Fox was
first out to the ring and although she was cheered by many in the crowd, she
exhibited a very heelish attitude. Impatiently pacing in the ring she yelled
“Bring that wench out!" Misty was greeted with a resounding cheer from the PWA
faithful which only further served to enrage the Champ and she traded insults
with the fans at ringside. At the bell they started off with an exchange of
holds and counters that saw Misty grinding in hard with a headlock. Fox managed
to escape that and grounded Misty with a headscissors. When Misty slipped the
hold and they regained their feet, the fans applauded both women for their
efforts and Misty offered a handshake, which Fox answered with a stinging slap
to the face. They locked up in a test of strength and Fox found herself monkey-flipped
across the ring. Misty tossed Fox around with sweeping armdrags and laid in
some heavy elbow strikes before trying for a pin. The Champ wasn’t going down
that easy though and fought back with a wicked backbreaker and some stiff kicks
before locking in a camel clutch. Misty wouldn’t submit so Fox released the
hold and they started trading punches while the crowd accompanied the action
with dueling chants for both grapplers. Every time Misty gained an advantage,
Fox played dirty with eye gouges and chokes on the ropes. By the time they
entered into an exchange of chops (“Whooooo") the crowd was solidly behind the
challenger. Pin attempts started to come fast and furious. Fox with a whip and
a side slam for 2. Misty with a quick roll-up for 2. Fox hit a double chop to
the throat, a quick submission attempt and another 2. Misty with a kick to the
gut and a headscissor takedown for another 2. Both women exploded into an
exchange of big forearm strikes to the throat and head that Misty ended with an
enzeguri and a backslide for another 2 count. Fox came right back with a kick
to the gut and a DDT for yet another near fall. Frustrated, the Champ grabbed
her title belt from ringside and rushed at Misty, only to be hit with a drop
toe hold. Misty was the slower to rise however and Fox blasted her in the head
with the belt forcing the official to disqualify her. Fox kept up the attack
and pounded fists into Misty’s head and face as she lay prone on the mat.
Finally, the ref was able to pull her off and she left brandishing her title
and smirking at the incensed fans. Misty was slow to rise and got a big cheer
for her efforts but seemed to be in distress and was slow to exit the ring. I
found out later that she had suffered a stomach muscle strain during the later
stages of the match. This was an awesome encounter that more than lived up to
the hype. Obviously, this feud is far from over and nothing was settled in Brantford
on this day except that Fox will do anything to keep her title. No surprise
that this was my personal pick for
match of the day.
<img src=“http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/7541/21stcenturyfoxvsmistyhaven6hi.jpg"
width=“450">
PWA Pure Violence Title: Warhed (C) vs Geza Kalman – Geza
had his game face on when he made his way to the ring and his fists were
heavily taped. Most of the taunts directed at him came from fans in the back
rows as he is one very intimidating dude. Billed as “Canada’s
meanest wrestler" Geza’s background in the UFC and Brazilian full contact
fighting kept most fans within his reach silent. Before the Champ even arrived
the place erupted in a “Warhed" chant. When he did make his entrance,
accompanied by his ringside partner of 3 years, Mr Floppy, (a stuffed pink
bunny with a large stick up his butt) he was carrying a steel chair wrapped in
barbed-wire. Warhed set Mr Floppy in the corner and tossed the gimmicked chair
into the ring, as well as a few ringside seats. Geza, hearing the “Mr Floppy"
chants, walked over and ground the plush toy into the mat with his foot. Yea,
he’s that mean of a guy! The match started on a cautious note as Geza worked a
side headlock. Warhed responded with a chair and beat the challenger to the mat
with it before trying a quick pin. Geza easily kicked out so Warhed bodyslammed
him on the chair. Geza rolled outside to regroup and Warhed followed to press
his advantage. Geza reversed a whip into the post and Warhed bounced off the
steel while the crowd continued to scream support. Geza rolled the groggy
champion back into the ring and hit him with a snap-mare before grinding
Warhed’s skull into the barbed-wire wrapped chair. When Warhed got up he was
bleeding a gusher. And I mean a gusher.
Within seconds, he was covered in blood and it continued to pour from him as
Geza pounded away at the cut in the corner. Warhed tried to fight back but
Geza, he too now covered in Warhed’s blood, punched him down to the canvas.
Warhed struggled to his feet before the 10 count but was frantically trying to
clear the blood from his eyes. Geza moved in and kicked Warhed in the gut
before nailing the Geza-bomb and delivering a brutal ground and pound attack.
Finally, Geza backed off the bloodied Warhed and the ref counted him down,
awarding the match and the title to Geza. Raising his arms in victory, Geza
made a leisurely exit with the belt as PD Flex ran to ringside with a towel to
aid the fallen Warhed who was still pouring buckets of blood. This was one of
the most brutal matches I’ve seen in a long time. Geza absolutely destroyed
Warhed. It was a bloodbath of epic proportions and the mat was covered in pools
of blood. Even Mr Floppy was drenched and by the time Warhed was helped to the
back, the ringside area and entrance stairwell were covered too. Pure Violence
matches are just that, violent, but this encounter served notice that Geza
Kalman’s presence in the division raised things to a whole new level of
brutality and destruction and it’s going to take one very tough challenger to
take the belt from Canada’s
meanest wrestler.
<img src=“http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/6882/gezachamp043006pwaphotocredit1.jpg"
width=“450">
Intermission: By
necessity, intermission came early as there was too much blood on the mat and
floor to expect anyone else to wrestle in it. A team of PWA staff mopped up
Warhed’s spillage while various wrestlers mingled with fans for autographs and
pictures. The merchandise tables were doing a brisk business and Mrs Id and I
took the opportunity to check out a little more of J’s Place. A pleasant
surprise was running into Wayne Allen
Cudney, who informed me that he and his band Soulchamp had recently recorded a live performance in Cambridge
for future release. (Soulchamp is a great band! Contact soulchamp@hotmail.com for more info on
getting their stuff.) We stepped outside to discover Warhed was wandering
around with an equally bloody Mr Floppy. He assured us he was okay but would
need stitches. He seemed a little out of it and was soon corralled by PWA staff
and taken back inside the building before someone called the cops to report
that a murder had taken place and the corpse was up walking around.
No Time Limit Match: Flexx Falcone vs Sean Spears –
Spears attacked Falcone outside the ring before the bell and they quickly began
trading chops and eye pokes. Once inside, the bell rang and Spears immediately
tried stalling. Falcone delivered another poke to the eye and a legdrop before
trying to lock in a leg submission but Spears reached the ropes to break the
hold. The fans were all over Spears when he bailed to the outside and Falcone
pressed the attack with a dive over the top rope. During the brawl at ringside,
Spears missed a chop and slammed his hand into the post. The action returned to
the ring and Falcone missed a lariat, sending himself tumbling outside again.
Spears delivered an elbow to the throat while Falcone was on the apron then set
his opponents head against the ring post and hit a wicked kick which had
Falcone writhing in pain. The fans started a “Triple H" chant and Spears spit a
spray of water into the front row. Falcone tried a slam but Spears countered with
a neckbreaker for a 2 count and then continued to work Falcone’s neck. Falcone
came back with some wicked knees to the head then hit a German suplex with a
bridge for a 2 count of his own. The fans were rallying behind Falcone as he
and Spears continued to trade the advantage and eye gouges. (In fact, they used
almost as many eye pokes and gouges in this match as punches Geza used in the
previous match.) Falcone gained a solid edge and nailed Spears with a fall-away
slam and a snap suplex with a 2 count after each move. Spears landed a double
chop to the throat which stunned Falcone and began jawing with fans. The crowd
exploded when Falcone used the distraction to grab Spears from behind and
delivered FIVE German suplexes in a row but
somehow, Spears kicked out of the pin. Spears blocked a slam attempt and nailed
Falcone with a spinning neckbreaker for his own 2 count and both wrestlers were
slow to rise from the mat. Spears then hit Falcone with his own finisher, the Flexx
Drive, and got another near fall. They continued
to exchange blows and counters until Falcone locked in a leg submission in the
middle of the ring and Spears was forced to tap out. Needless to say that got a
huge pop from the PWA faithful and they continued to taunt and deride the “WWE
Superstar" as he left the ring area. Starting with a brawling comedy sequence
and building to an intense hard hitting battle and finally ending with the
cocky bad guy being forced to tap out, this match delivered on all counts. It’s
a shame that Spears is headed to the WWE because an extended feud between these
two would be a delight. Although Flexx won the match he suffered the worst of
the beating when it was discovered later that he had collapsed a lung during
the fight. He’s expected to be out of action for 3-4 weeks. Fans wishing to
convey their wishes for a speedy recovery can email him at: flex_falcone@hotmail.com
<img src=“http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8138/seanspearsvsflexxfalcone6av.jpg"
width=“450">
Multi-Man Scramble Internet Title Match: Hayden Avery (C) vs Elian
Habanaro vs Sean Ball vs Hornet vs Eddie Osbourne vs Pantalone vs Buck 10 vs Jessy
Jones – The original 6-way match was announced as a 7 man match by
Gentleman Geoff when he made the introductions and revealed Pantalone and Buck
10 were the unadvertised additions to the encounter. After all 7 guys had been
introduced, The “History Maker" and former Internet Champion, Jessy Jones,
entered the arena and announced that he was in the match and Elian Habanaro was
out. While fans blasted him with a “Mr Sub" chant, Jones argued with PWA owner
Joe Hallem that since he “owns" Habanaro, he can do whatever he wants with him.
Hallem declared that Habanaro was staying in the match and Jones could enter it
as well, making it an 8-man title match. Things didn’t look good for the
popular champion, Hayden Avery, at this point. The match started with two men
in the ring and the other 6 scattered on the apron awaiting a tag. Jones and
Osbourne were the first two in and quickly tried to pull a fast one on everyone
in attendance; Osbourne lay down on the mat and invited Jones to pin him! That
was quickly broken up by the others so they made a pretense of actually locking
up before once again, Osbourne invited the pin and again, it was quickly broken
up. Jones and Osbourne then locked up in a test of strength that Osbourne sold
like no tomorrow and for the third time, allowed himself to be covered by the
History Maker. Frustrated, Avery and Hornet tossed both guys from the ring and
began things in earnest with a blistering fast exchange of counters and
takedowns. From that point it was non stop action inside the ring as all the
competitors joined the action. Numerous high impact moves and dirty tricks were
the order of the day as any real hold attempts were impossible due to
interference from others. Sean Ball and Osbourne exchanged some solid chops and
Ball nailed a beautiful dropkick to Osbourne’s chin. Habanaro and Buck 10
squashed each other with a mid-air collision of tandem crossbody attempts and
Avery landed a sweet headscissors takedown on Osbourne during the chaos.
Multiple pin attempts were continually broken up as each man delivered stomps
and punches at every opportunity. Eventually, Pantalone was knocked from the
ring into second row. As the masked man got to his feet, Osbourne and Jones
grabbed Buck 10 inside the ring and launched him like a lawn dart over the ropes
onto Pantalone, causing both to crash into the seats. Moments later it was
Plancha-rama as bodies flew over the ropes onto the growing pile outside.
Somewhere under all of that was this reporter as my seat was too close to the
action and I pretty much got squashed. I managed to extricate myself in time to
see Ball drop from a ceiling girder onto Jones in the ring. In the mess of
bodies brawling at ringside, many fans missed seeing Flexx Falcone show up and
drive Avery headfirst into the ring post before handcuffing him to the
turnbuckle. As Avery struggled to free himself, Ball and Habanaro both spilled
over the top and Hornet dropped Buck 10 with a DDT. This left Osbourne and Jones alone in the
center of the ring and Osbourne quickly lay down and allowed Jones to pin him
for the victory and the title. This was an incredibly fast and exciting match
that had fans cheering throughout. The high flying and multi-man maneuvers saw
bodies falling in all directions. The Osbourne/Jones collaboration provided some
good comedy but no one was laughing when they pulled off the win with their
dirty tricks. Habanero suffered the only injury in the match when he fractured
his heel after being dumped over the top rope. Fans wishing to extend Elian best
wishes for a speedy recovery can write a note, put it in a bottle and toss it
in the Lake Ontario;
maybe it will wash up on the beach in Cuba.
(Or, you can email pwawrestling@hotmail.com
and they’ll pass it along.)
<img src=“http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/4283/buck100430066is.jpg"
width=“450">
GLCW Ontario Championship: “Outlaw" Scott Chase
(C) w/Mike Flash vs Lars Phoenix w/Juan Ortiz – The fans were all over
Ortiz for bringing in Phoenix as a
hired gun to take out the popular Champion. Phoenix
attacked Chase before the bell but the Outlaw quickly fought back and the two
traded punches. Chase landed three big clotheslines and Phoenix
bailed to the outside. Once back in the ring, Phoenix
slowed the pace with a test of strength that he dominated until Chase spun out
of it and applied an armbar. Phoenix
escaped with a poke to the eye and they exchanged holds until Chase locked in a
crossface. Phoenix managed to reach
the ropes to break the hold then suckered Chase when the Champ got into it with
some fans. Phoenix pounded on Chase
at ringside while the ref ordered Flash to the back. (I’m not sure why.) Back
inside, Phoenix concentrated his
attack on Chase’s arm before a whip into a big elbow gave him the only 2 count
of the match. Chase ducked the next whip attempt and landed a huge lariat that
dumped Phoenix to the mat. The
challenger headbutted Chase in the nuts but couldn’t hold the advantage and found
himself locked in a submission attempt. Ortiz quickly distracted the ref by
climbing on the apron and Chase released the hold to argue with the PWA
commissioner at the ropes. Phoenix
charged Chase but the Outlaw dodged it and Phoenix
blasted Ortiz, much to the delight of the fans. Chase quickly rolled up Phoenix
and got the win. Ortiz attacked Chase after the bell but Flash returned with a
chair and ran the bad guys off. This was a short match that did more to advance
the storyline between Ortiz and Chase than it did to provide a competitive
championship encounter. Phoenix,
who is usually great at working the crowd, kept it pretty quiet and brought a
one dimensional attack. I was a little confused by Mike Flash being cheered
against Ortiz since he played such a heel role earlier on the card in the
L’Artiste/Valentino match. Obviously, there is much more to come in this war
between GLCW Ontario Champ Scott Chase and PWA commissioner Juan Ortiz.
2 out of 3 Falls Title Unification Match: GLCW Canadian Champion Ruffy
Silverstein w/Hornet vs PWA Pure Wrestling Champion “Big Ticket" Reggie
Marley w/Eddie Osbourne – The last title unification match between these
two ended in a double pin and was ruled a draw so this one was booked as best 2
of three falls. Silverstein hasn’t lost since winning the GLCW title in October
of last year and Marley has been PWA Champion since January so they both had a
lot more than their titles on the line going into this match. At the start of
the match, Marley wiped his ass with a GLCW T-shirt and rubbed it in
Silverstein’s face. He held the advantage for the early moments but ran into a
big boot, giving Silverstein the opportunity to hit a suplex. Ruffy followed up
with a bodyslam and a thundering knee to Marley’s head and a near fall. The
pace slowed as the two Champions settled into trading holds and counters; each
obviously respecting the skills of the other. Silverstein began targeting
Marley’s arm which gained him a slight edge. He snapmared the larger Marley and
called out to the fans “Machine gun!" signaling his intent to use that feared
hold. Marley quickly bailed to the outside and began stalling. When Marley
re-entered the ring, Ruffy went right back to work on the arm. Marley kicked
out of another pin attempt but found himself locked in an armlock submission
and quickly tapped, giving Silverstein the first fall. At the bell to start the
second fall, Marley charged out blazing but Silverstein avoided him and trapped
the PWA Champ in the corner where he delivered punches the fans loudly counted
down. It was apparent that the fans of Brantford
were siding with the GLCW in this battle over turf. With Marley down on the
ropes, Silverstein applied the dreaded machine gun by grabbing his opponent’s
ears and tearing them back and forth while supplying the appropriate gun sound
effects. Marley was dragged to each side of the ring and subjected to the
machine gun each time, much to the fans amusement. Marley’s second, Eddie
Osbourne fumed at ringside over the humiliation of the PWA champ. After again
working the arm, Silverstein whipped Marley into the ropes but received a big
boot to his gut for his efforts. Marley hit a huge lariat and grabbed Ruffy in
a blatant choke that he released only on threat of disqualification from the
official. He continued to choke Silverstein in the ropes then gave him a
bodyslam and a big legdrop. Dropping on Silverstein for the pin forced the GLCW
Champ to kick out twice. Silverstein was in obvious trouble and tried to punch
his way out, but Marley gave him an eye gouge and started biting at his head.
Seconds later, Marley nailed his “Greetings from Jamaica"
finisher and covered Silverstein for the 3 count to even the match up at one
fall apiece. The crowd was solidly
behind Silverstein at the start of the third and final fall. Both guys traded
quick pin attempts and the action started heating up. Silverstein trapped
Marley in a crossface but he managed to make the ropes so Ruffy began hammering
him with big forearm blows. They spilled outside the ring and began brawling
through the crowd. After pounding Ruffy’s head into the counter of the snack
bar, Marley whipped him into the wall, which broke under the impact. Marley
then smashed Silverstein over the head with a garbage can. Dragging the stunned
Silverstein back into the ring, Marley got another near fall. Thinking he was
in solid control, the “Big Ticket" began jawing at the pro-GLCW fans.
Silverstein quickly surprised Marley with the Ruff End TKO and the ref counted
the 3, awarding the match and both titles to Ruffy. Fans erupted in cheers and
GLCW wrestlers began climbing into the ring to celebrate the new unified title holder’s
victory. Eddie Osbourne, furious at the outcome, jumped into the ring but
quickly found himself subjected to a machine gun at the hands of Silverstein. (Considering
the size of Eddie’s ears, I’d say it was a heavy caliber gun.) As Eddie and
Marley made their exit, Ruffy and the GLCW contingent celebrated with the fans.
With all that was riding on this match and the excitement and drama inherent
with three falls, there was no question most fans considered this the match of the day. Lots of great mat
action, hard hitting and a wild brawl made it very entertaining from the
opening seconds to the final bell. And watching Silverstein deliver his machine
gun hold is priceless by itself!
<img src=“http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/5863/ruffysilversteinvsreggiemarley.jpg"
width=“450">
Wizard Wrap-Up:
Once again, without a lot of overblown production, PWA delivered an exciting
card of wrestling action. Top to bottom the show was solid with a little
something to satisfy anyone. The intensity of the battle for Brantford
between PWA and GLCW added immensely to the tension and drama of the afternoon.
Add in the incredible feud between Fox and Haven, the Pure Violence bloodbath
and the absolute insane action of the Internet Title scramble and together, it
all added up to one of the best shows of the year. I’ve got to hand it to PWA
officials; these guys know what their fans want and they deliver every time.
Photo Credits: Geza
Kalman photo: PWA Media
All Other Photos: Mrs
Id
Visit the PWA website: http://www.purewrestling.cjb.net/
Contact the wizard of id: zapflash@sympatico.ca
