Gordo, the wizard of id, Reviews

ALL STAR WRESTLING

April 18/06 Ukrainian Hall, London, Ontario

 

The Advertised Card:

All-Star Wrestling, Rising Stars Match

1) Andrew Davis vs. Phil Atlas 

First Round of ASW Canadian Title Tournament

2) "Dangerboy" Derek Wylde vs. TJ Harley 

3) "Textbook" Tyson Dux vs. Hayden Avery

Special Challenge Match

4) The Blue Chip Prospects (Ruffy Silverstein and Flexx Falcone) W/ Dane Jarris

Vs.

ASW's Rising Stars: Hornet and CrAzZy St3vE 

Grudge Match

5) "Unreal" Michael Elgin vs. "Fighting Irish" Jake O'Reilly 

3 Way Dance for the #1 Contender!

6) Kris Chambers vs. WWE's Shawn Spears vs. TNA's Johnny Devine 

Finals for the GOLD!!!

Winner of Match 2 vs. Winner of Match 3

 

For the first time in 6 years, Indy Wrestling returned to London, Ontario. Promoter Stefan Kolanko brought together some of the top stars of the hot Ontario Indy scene for an exciting show, highlighted by a tournament to crown the first ever ASW Canadian Champion! 200 fans, numerous stars and personalities from the Ontario Indy scene, and the beautiful Mrs. Id, joined me at the Ukrainian Hall Tuesday night to watch the show and enjoy the action. None of us were disappointed as the stars of ASW delivered 2 ½ hours of solid kick-butt entertainment.

 

The Venue: London’s Ukrainian Hall is an attractive building, with a well stocked bar and enough room to easily fit in twice as many fans as there were in attendance. Once word of this show gets around, I have little doubt they will fill it for their next show. The washrooms were easily accessible and clean (always a consideration when Mrs. Id is attending) and a curtained stage area, complete with snazzy entrance way, served as an adequate dressing room area for the wrestlers. The ring was set up just offset from a giant glass chandelier which thankfully remained in one piece during the show. Throughout the evening, ASW offered fans cold refreshments and a steady supply of hot pizza. Ticket prices were certainly reasonable: $5 for kids 12 and under, $10 advance and $12 at the door. An 8 page show program stacked with photos and information about the ASW stars was free for advance ticket holders and available to everyone else for a small fee. Seeing the programs harkened me back to days of my youth when a program was a valued prize, especially when filled with autographs from the featured performers. Seeing delighted kids leave the ASW show clutching their souvenirs of the evening, instilled in me a warm nostalgia for the grand old days of my youth that made the 2 hour trip back home a ride filled with pleasant memories of the past and promise for the future. Indy wrestling truly is magical and I don’t doubt that many youngsters in London, Ontario fell asleep that night dreaming of the day they too, would be wrestling stars. No doubt also that many older fans woke up the next morning with sore heads and throats from too many trips to the beverage counter and screaming their heads off for 2 ½ hours! And so it goes…

 

Pre Show: Mrs. Id and I spent time before the show mingling with the ASW stars and visiting Ontario Indy personalities. Some of the stars who turned out as fans to witness this historic event included Geza Kalman, Jeff Black, Joe Dawg, P.D. Flex and Cody Deaner, who, as it turns out, didn’t plan on staying a fan for the entire night. I learned from perusing the program that recent WWE hire, Shawn Spears, would not be attending the show due to medical issues (a fact also reported in advance on the ASW website.) Although this news was certainly a disappointment for Mrs Id, neither she nor anyone else was looking for a refund. Especially when it was learned that PWA star Eddie Osbourne was taking his place in the 3-way match to determine the #1 contender. Dane Jarris, manager of the Blue Chip Prospects, informed me that Ruffy Silverstein was unable to attend and that he was being forced to wrestle in his place by ASW’s CEO, The Hacker. Like any heel manger in wrestling, Jarris is a verbose fellow and listening to him pretty much took up whatever time I had left before the show began. Scheduled for a 7 pm bell time, the show started at 7:20. Ring announcer: Stevie Reeves. Referees: JC3, AJ Parr and Robb the Ref.

 

ASW Rising Stars Match: Andrew Davis vs Phil Atlas – Davis, the larger of the two combatants, was immediately targeted for verbal abuse by the fans who favored the more streamlined and enthusiastic Atlas. At the bell, Atlas quickly took the offensive, tossing Davis around the ring with armdrags before nailing a very sweet dropkick. Davis bailed to the outside but a running dive over the top rope by Atlas found its mark. Back inside, Davis gained the advantage with a power based attack and slowed the pace with headlocks. Despite the crowd being solidly behind him, Atlas had to escape numerous pin attempts. After Davis intensified the heat by standing on Atlas’ head to choke him on the ropes and delivered a big elbow drop, Atlas was the one to flee the ring to regroup. Davis stayed on him however, working him over in the front row of fans. Back in the ring, Atlas escaped another 2 count and mounted a rally with a headscissor takedown and blistering kick to his opponents face. Davis countered an attempted takedown by Atlas by holding the ropes and slammed his smaller foe to the canvas. Placing Atlas on the corner turnbuckles, he attempted a suplex which was blocked. Atlas came off the top, catching Davis in a twisting neckbreaker followed by pin for the victory. After the match, Atlas convinced Davis to shake hands, calling it “a fair match” and the fans responded with a round of applause for both grapplers. This 10 minute opener was a fast back and forth affair that served notice that the stars of ASW were there to deliver.

 

First Round, ASW Canadian Title Tournament Match: T.J. Harvey vs ‘Dangerboy’ Derek Wylde w/Jennifer Blake – Prior to this match, ASW General Manager, The Hacker, entered the ring carrying the ASW Canadian title belt. He announced that he had “scoured Ontario to find the best bunch of wrestlers I could find (and Tyson Dux) and brought them here to London!” Displaying the strap to the fans, he formally announced the start of the tournament to crown the first ever ASW Canadian Champ. T.J. Harvey was first in the ring and if his pigtails didn’t turn the fans against him, his demeanor certainly did. He began a back and forth battle of insults and taunts with the fans that continued throughout the match. Derek Wylde was greeted with a thundering ovation, and was accompanied to ringside by Jennifer Blake, a blonde scorchcake who was immediately hit-on by Harvey. Harvey’s attempt at a kiss was met with a slap to the face and Wylde seized control to start the bout. The early minutes saw some very quick action and Harvey took every chance to stall and slow the action. The night’s first “Holy Shit” chant came after Wylde flipped the cocky TJ over the top and followed up with a suicidal dive after him. During the brawl outside, Harvey began to gain control with a concerted attack on his opponents back. Wylde managed a brief rally but Harvey used a series of blatant chokes to keep him on the mat, all the while hurling invectives at the fans. Finally, Wylde came back strong and an attempted roll-up saw Harvey almost lose his trunks. Indifferent to his exposed ass, TJ fought back, clubbing his opponent back down. His interplay with the fans cost him though because Wylde surprised him with an enzeguri. An exchange of chops (accompanied by the obligatory ‘Whooo’ from the fans) led to Wylde delivering an over the top double stomp to Harvey’s chest which saw them both down on the outside. When they returned to the ring, Wylde missed a springboard ‘rana attempt and Harvey turned up the heat. Two big suplexes and a third that sent Wylde into the turnbuckles had Blake urging the fans to cheer her man on. Wylde made the comeback and although Harvey managed to block the first two tries, Wylde connected with the ‘Danger Destroyer’ on the third attempt to score the win and advance to the finals. This match was 18 minutes of explosive action and high impact moves. Harvey’s exchanges with the fans were priceless and they gave him a huge ovation after the match despite his exclamation that he didn’t need their cheers.

TJ Harvey Slams Derek Wylde Photo credit: Mrs Id

First Round, ASW Canadian Title Tournament Match: Hayden Avery vs Tyson Dux w/Krystal Banks – Dux, sporting a knee brace, was slow to lock up after Avery initiated a “Dux sucks” chant. When things got underway in earnest, they worked through an awesome sequence of mat wrestling. Avery pressed the attack but Dux displayed his awesome counters at every turn. The crowd was solidly behind Avery and he began to dominate by targeting Dux’ arm until a rake of the eyes gave the bad guy a chance to slow things down with a retreat outside the ring. Upon his return, Dux swiftly took control and took the fight to the floor. It proved to be a mistake as Avery dominated the brawl around the ring, even enlisting the help of ringside fans to use their feet as weapons against Dux. This put the already excitable Krystal Banks over the edge. She and the fans screamed insults back and forth as the action returned to the ring. Dux went for the eyes again and pounded Avery to the mat, pausing to give me shit (What’d I do? He’s the one who ran into my foot) while Banks choked Avery on the ropes. Dux applied a sleeper and the fans went nuts when Avery finally countered with a jawbreaker. The action exploded after that as Avery connected with a springboard dropkick off the top rope. Dux was in survival mode as Avery went for the pin at every opportunity, hitting him with high impact moves like a spinning kick and a tilt-a-whirl slam in between roll-ups and an inside package. Finally Banks was able to distract Avery enough that he missed a move from the top and Dux quickly locked on his ‘Tys-mission’ (camel clutch) Avery struggled to escape but finally tapped out, giving Dux the win and the advance in the tournament. An absolutely awesome match that built from the slow, but intense, mat wrestling at the start to blistering fast action at the finish with a good old fashioned punch-up in the middle. Lots of near falls, drama, brawling, a clearly defined heel and face… this match had it all. The crowd was as hot as any I’ve seen of late for the entire match and Krystal Banks is a veritable heat-seeking missile at ringside. This was my favorite match of the night - 20 minutes of pure entertainment and excitement, provided by two very talented stars and one very hot babe. A tip of the wizard hat to all 3 performers! (And Robb the Ref’s interaction with the fans was great too!)

 

Dane Jarris & Flexx Falcone vs Hornet & CrAzZy St3vE – This match was supposed to be The Blue Chip Prospects (Falcone & Ruffy Silverstein) facing ASW’s rising stars but, according to Jarris’ pre-match rant, Ruffy was working for the WWE in St. Louis against Scott Steiner and couldn’t make it. He went on to say that ASW’s CEO, The Hacker, had forced him to take Ruffy’s place or the Blue Chip Prospects would be fined, suspended indefinitely or even have their license revoked by the OAC. As Jarris hasn’t wrestled in 4 years due to a “debilitating back injury” it was only by “the grace of God” and his “will power” that he was able to compete. He also said that if he got injured in the match he would “hold everybody responsible” and sue everyone in the ASW, the building, the city of London and so on. Needless to say, this tirade immediately made all the fans hate him and Flexx even more than they did already. The catcalls and jeers only stopped when Hornet and CrAzZy St3vE made their entrance. To deafening cheers, St3vE demonstrated that he is worthy of his name, running around like a nut and chewing on the ring ropes. I can remember a time when ‘insane’ wrestlers were hated. Times have changed; the fans in ASW love this guy. As one can imagine, there was a lot of comedy in this match. Jarris and Falcone fled the ring when St3vE & Hornet entered and at the bell, Jarris faked sliding into the ring, leaving Falcone to face the double team attack by himself. Falcone managed to exit the ring again and after a brief strategy session outside, the bad guys targeted Hornet and began working some old-school heel tag team magic. Falcone handled the big job of keeping Hornet isolated and Jarris added cheap shots at every opportunity. Only when Hornet was sufficiently beaten down did Jarris legally enter the match. Despite his kicks, punches and stomps, Jarris was unable to stop Hornet from coming back with his own kick to the gut and a neckbreaker. Falcone was quick to make the save and continued the abuse. With the crowd chanting “we want Steve” throughout the extended beatdown, Falcone taunted them and planted Hornet with a spinning neckbreaker before once again tagging in Jarris. Jarris opted to come off the top with a senton but missed and the fans went wild as both men struggled to their corners for the double tag. As Hornet slipped exhausted to the floor, CrAzZy St3vE delivered a lariat that sent Jarris flying to the outside. Falcone nailed a sidewalk slam but St3vE came right back, biting his opponents head. A running double knee to Falcone’s chest rocked him and St3vE followed with a sunset flip, but Jarris grabbed hold of Falcone’s hands from outside the ring and St3vE was trapped for the 3 count. As the heels celebrated their successful skullduggery outside the ring, St3vE attacked the official as the fans chanted his name. A very entertaining match that had vocal fan participation throughout. Falcone and Jarris did a great job with their heel antics and Hornet, who carried the bulk of the match for his team, handled his end well. St3ve is… well, very popular and certainly generates a lot of laughs.

Flexx Falcone Chokes Hornet Photo credit: Mrs Id

 

Intermission: I took the opportunity to stretch my legs and pick up the buzz from the fans. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and there was a huge crowd of fans seeking autographs from the very approachable ASW stars. I spotted a particularly nice tattoo on a guy and, since I’ve been searching for a new artist to work on my full body job, I introduced myself. Turns out I was talking to Jay Teale of Mirage Tanning & Day Spa, a guy who played a huge role in bringing ASW and Indy wrestling back to London. He’s a great guy and I’m going to plug his shop again at the end of this review so keep reading.

 

Grudge Match: ‘Unreal’ Michael Elgin vs ‘Fighting Irish’ Jake O’Reilly – Elgin is a natural powerhouse and one of Mrs Id’s favorites but it’s likely she was the only one cheering for him. O’Reilly was clearly the favorite and took time to greet the fans (and chug a beer) before entering the ring. Calling Elgin a “fat Matt Hardy” he took the fight to the larger Elgin and one punch later, Elgin was outside looking for a chair which the ref prevented him from using. It settled into a contest of power verses speed and striking ability as O’Reilly kept scoring with punches. Each time Elgin gained an edge, he was frustrated by the quicker Irishman’s ability to counter. Even when the action spilled outside after an O’Reilly lariat sent both over the top, it was Elgin on the defensive. Back inside Elgin’s power started to shift the advantage and O’Reilly switched tactics, concentrating on trying to lock in an armlock submission. Elgin pressed the attack but kept having to work his arm free of O’Reilly’s grasp. Eventually, Elgin was able to squash O’Reilly with a sideslam and mounted the corner ropes. O’Reilly was quick to follow and a belly to back suplex off the top knocked both men silly. O’Reilly was up first but Elgin hit him with a spiked DDT and again mounted the ropes. Pausing up top to jaw at the pro-Irish crowd proved to be a mistake as O’Reilly caught him in an armlock when he jumped to the mat. With O’Reilly locked tighter on his arm than Red Sweater Guy on a free buffet, Elgin tried rolling through it but there was no escaping the hold and he finally tapped out. Although the crowd was ecstatic, Mrs Id was pissed and I was shocked, as I thought Elgin would take this one in a walk. Elgin’s size and power couldn’t keep O’Reilly down and he seemed unable to counter the smaller man’s striking attack. The attack on the arm was well played, but even then, the tapout was unexpected. A good 12 minute match-up of contrasting styles that served to re-energize the crowd after the break. The next match would raise the roof!

 

#1 Contenders match: Kris Chambers vs Eddie Osbourne vs ‘Hotshot’ Johnny Devine vs Cody Deaner – The scheduled 3-way became a 4-way elimination with the interjection of Cody Deaner and the fans couldn’t have been happier to see their hometown hero. This is the type of match that makes a blow by blow description impossible; there was just too much going on to get it all straight. It started as a 4-way single tag with two men on the apron and two battling it out but that soon broke down as constant run-ins and double teams had the ref spinning and the crowd on the edge of their seats. Osbourne, probably the most miserable in-ring personality in Ontario, and Chambers worked as a tandem for most of the match and they did it well. The crowd dubbed them “Bert & Ernie” and they played that up by arguing about which of them was Bert. Comedy both physical and verbal was interspersed throughout the match as were numerous multi-man spots. The action wasn’t light though and many very stiff blows and slams punctuated the action. Devine was the first eliminated after Osbourne kicked him in the nuts and pinned him at about the 20 minute mark. This left Deaner to go it alone against the other two and he handled himself well but eventually they beat him down. With Deaner in trouble, Osbourne brought in a chair but Devine returned to interfere just in time and it was the bad guy who tasted his own weapon. As the ref argued with Devine, Osbourne and Chambers went for a double suplex but Deaner countered it by running up the turnbuckles and reversing it into a double neckbreaker! The ref counted pins on Osbourne and Chambers simultaneously and Cody Deaner stole the win and the #1 contenders spot! As one would expect, the place went nuts. 25 minutes of non-stop action from 4 incredible performers gave the fans everything they could ask for and this was the undisputed match of the night for most of the audience.

Cody Gets Clubbered Photo credit: Mrs Id

 

ASW Canadian Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final: Tyson Dux w/Krystal Banks vs ‘Dangerboy’ Derek Wylde w/Jennifer Blake – CEO The Hacker delivered a short promo and did the introductions for the main event of the evening. The fans were all over Dux and Banks as soon as they came through the curtain. While the bombshell argued with the crowd, Dux berated Mrs Id for taking pictures during the show. She, in return, questioned his penis dimension and I stayed out of it and concentrated on trying to catch up on my notes. Derek Wylde came out favoring his back and the appearance of Jennifer Blake sent Banks even further off the deep end. When Blake laughed after Banks broke the heel of her stiletto in mid-tantrum, the catfight was on. Seeing two beautiful young women in mini skirts rolling around the ring had me wishing I was the one taking pictures, especially when they spilled out of the ring at my feet. With the women still brawling at ringside the match started with Wylde and Dux trading some smooth mat wrestling. The women finally separated as Dux gained dominance and began working Wylde’s leg. Suddenly, the women were back at it, fighting in the ring and out as the match continued. Both guys tumbled through the ropes and traded chops on the outside and the women once again retreated to their respective sides of the ring. Wylde tossed Dux inside and got a 2 count but Dux fired back with some big elbows and headbutts for a 2 of his own. A lariat from Wylde sent both men over the top and once again they brawled on the floor. Wylde went for a piledriver but Dux countered and delivered a crunching suplex. Back inside, Wylde fought out of a pin attempt but moments later found himself crotched on the top rope. A Dux superplex off the corner laid both guys out and the women again entered the ring to fight. This time the men separated them – Dux grabbing Blake and Wylde corralling Banks. This led to a ‘chickenfight’ as the women traded blows from the backs of the men. Finally, Dux slammed Blake to the mat which effectively took her out of the equation. Wylde, who had deposited Banks in the corner, caught Dux in a small package but the ref was checking on Blake. Banks took the opportunity to roll the men over and the ref turned, saw Dux on top and counted the pin. Your winner and new ASW Canadian Champion… Tyson Dux. To say this didn’t sit well with the fans would qualify as the understatement of the year. Wylde and Blake helped each other out of the ring as Dux and Banks stood tall, indifferent to the deafening “bullshit” chant raining down on them. The Hacker entered the ring and awarded the belt to Dux and then seemingly channeled the spirit of Ric Flair as he Whooo’d and strutted while screaming something about a rematch in July. While certainly exciting and filled with action, this match suffered a bit from the constant fighting between the women. Hopefully, they will be better restrained if a rematch does occur. Personally, I’d like to see the two of them in a match of their own since they seem to hate each other so much. On the next show maybe?

Tyson Dux – ASW Canadian Heavyweight Champion Photo Credit: mike@shawnspears.com

 

Final Thoughts: This was a great show! ASW delivered a special night of wrestling that is sure to generate a buzz among local fans. I think there will be many more to follow. It was one of those nights where the fans and the wrestlers combined to elevate a good show to a great show, a great show to an awesome show. Some people might think no wrestling card is complete without a hardcore match but when you can provide a night of action like ASW did, you don’t need one. The only thing people were complaining about when they were leaving the show was that a smug bastard like Tyson Dux won the title instead of the favored Derek Wylde. “But he’ll get it next time!” and ain’t that the point?

 

Cheap Plugs: As I mentioned before, Jay Teale played a huge part in helping this show happen. Too often the support and sponsorship of guys like Jay go unrecognized, so I tip my wizard hat to him. That’s Jay Teale, of Mirage Tanning and Day Spa, located in the Premier Fitness Plaza. 1295 Highbury Ave London Ontario. Ph: 519-453-4973 Check out the ASW website: http://www.asw-canada.com/

 

Note: On the way back to Cambridge, after helping with the show, members of the PWA were involved in a highway accident that saw their ring truck and ring destroyed. Thankfully, the two guys in the truck weren’t seriously hurt but it’s a setback for PWA. Check out the PWA website for details of the crash and other information on the story http://www.purewrestling.cjb.net/

 

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