Sorry for the belated review here, but I have been in Florida all week for UXW's preshow & postshow activities, which consisted mostly of drinking beer and viewing the Masked Maniac's palatial estate, which includes a full bbq and a ton of salt to put out all the fires that the Masked Maniac causes.

As many know, I work for UXW, so I'm not going to interject too much opinion here, as most of my opinions were made before the show started. Here's the quick run-down, and I'll have tons of UXW news & notes at the end of this review.

UXW 9/23 Results From Orlando, FL:
Refs: Brian "The TNA Squirter" Wittenstein & Josh R.
Ring Announcer: The Masked Maniac
Attendance: 250

Before the show started, it was made clear that the DJ Frank Goodman hired to do the music was incompetent. As a result, UXW had no ring music/PA system. I thought UXW would stop having these problems when UXW debuted in Florida, but I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. Unlike the last time this happened, UXW was able to salvage the situation in a positive manner, as Frank Goodman became the ring announcer, announcing/yelling the matches and winners.

Another major note here was that Frank Goodman was super over here at the Orlando Recreational Center. The reason for that is mostly because he presold at least 200 tickets personally so everyone in the building knew he was, as he was the guy who sold the tickets and the guy you could call up to ask about about the show. In a very rare occurrence, Frank Goodman's personal cell phone number was on the flyers handed out, which is why he was able to talk to most fans directly. (It's probably also why Frank changes his phone number every 2 days too.) Anyway, the point of all this was that whenever Frank was in the ring, the crowd was loud and he was arguably one of the top babyfaces on the show when he came out as "The Masked Maniac."

Jerrelle Clark d. Chasyn Rance
UXW opened up their Florida debut show with two of the hottest talents in Florida. Clark is obviously the bigger name here, but Rance held his own too. This match was what UXW exactly needed- a hot opening match to let the fans know what UXW was all about. These guys set the pace for the rest of the show, as they had a 15 minute match with tons of false finishes. Clark worked Rance's left arm over for most of the match, but Rance was able to get off some offensive flurries, before being put away with a piledriver off the ropes. I know Clark has a name for that move, but I can't think of it as I'm rushing to get this review done. Regardless, a great opening match, and if Florida had more homegrown indy guys like this, Florida, and not the Northeast region, would be the hottest place for indy wrestling today.

After the match, the Circle of Disrespect (COD) came out. The COD members in Florida were UXW Triple Crown Champion Trent Acid, "The Raw Superstar" Nick Berk & UXW NY Champion, Bison Bravado. The COD came out to berate UXW promoter Frank Goodman, and due to the crowd knowing Frank, the crowd gave the COD an insane amount of heat. This was an awesome promo as the crowd wouldn't shut up whenever COD talked. Trent told Goodman that he refused to wrestle twice on every show anymore. Trent said he was sick of having to defend all his belts for one payday for Frank Goodberg. Frank said that the titles must be defended, and told Trent that when he won those titles, Trent agreed to defend them. Trent said he would defend them in front of his Philadelphia fans, but not in a shithole called Orlando, Florida. Of course that comment didn't sit well with the crowd.

From there, Trent Acid said if he was forced to defend every title, then he'd give his United States Championship to COD Member Nick Berk. Berk celebrated around the ring like he just won the Superbowl. Crowd wasn't fond of that either. Goodman said that Orlando is his hometown and he's not going to get disrespected by the COD like that. Goodman said if Trent didn't want to defend the title and was just going to hand it over to Berk, then he was going to take control of the situation. Goodman said that later tonight, the United States Championship will be up for grabs between Nick Berk and Billy Kidman. Berk wasn't pleased about that. Frank also announced that Trent would be defending his Heavyweight title against a former 3 time UXW champion, Raven. COD complained in the ring as the crowd popped huge. This promo, despite having a lack of a PA system, got over big time, as whenever any COD member came out for the rest of the night, the crowd booed the hell out of them.

For the UXW NY Championship
Bison Bravado w/Trent Acid d. Nightmare
After the promo, Bison said he wanted a piece of Florida talent to kick the shit out of. Out came Nightmare, wearing a USA jacket, which illicited chants of U-S-A! from the crowd. Since the promo before this was so hot, Bison was booed out of the building, while Nightmare, who practically has no wrestling experience or skill at all, was practically Hulk Hogan in Orlando. The match started off fine, with Bison dominating Nightmare, but when Nightmare went on offense, the match went downhill. Nightmare couldn't hit the ropes right, as he hit the ropes with two hands and was a complete mess out there. Bison tried taking some of his offense, but the moves were so weak that it didn't look real in the ring. Bison from there took control of the match, driving vicious elbows and victim kicks all over Nightmare's body. Bison then hit his cannonball, which actually popped the crowd, as the crowd turned on Nightmare when his lack of wrestling ability was apparent. Bison then finished off Nightmare with "The Bisonriver" (Owendriver/sitout tombstone), for the clean 1-2-3 win.
POSTMATCH: After the COD left, Kevin Sullivan, looking fucking creepy as ever, came out and abducted Nightmare.
The match itself wasn't all that, but once Bison took control of the untrained/inexperienced Nightmare, the crowd got into it because it was rough. Everything seemed to get over well with the crowd, as when Sullivan came out to take Nightmare to the back, the crowd was standing on its feet to see what Sullivan would do next.

Mike Tobin d. Little Greatness
A longtime UXW stalwart, and the man with the most years in UXW outside of The Masked Maniac, Mike Tobin, looked impressive in this match, as he and Greatness had a fun big man vs small man match. Greatness is improving his wrestling ability, as he slowed things down and actually worked over body parts, rather than doing a thousand flips all over the place. You gotta give credit to Mike Tobin for slowing the wild Greatness down and putting on a good match here. The crowd popped for all of Greatness's high spots and booed whenever the man from the "Boogie Down Bronx" was on attack. Greatness was the underdog going into this match, and this was no Rudy, as Tobin defeated Greatness with a dominator.
Fun little match here, which introduced both wrestlers to the Florida fans.

Kevin Sullivan w/(The now possessed) Nightmare d. Dagon Briggs
Kevin Sullivan was a man of all action & no bullshit, as he marched straight to the ring to brutalize the soul of Dagon Briggs. Sullivan came out violently, as he threw chairs at Briggs and beat up Briggs up and down the building. Briggs tried fending off the attack by Sullivan, but Kevin was able to dominate Briggs by throwing him into bleachers, hitting him with chairs, and just flat out pummeling him. Eventually, the match did get in the ring, where Briggs showed signs of life. However, when Briggs finally got things going and was about to show Sullivan up, Sullivan gave Briggs an "evil-eye". Sullivan just down right stared at Briggs and Briggs seemed to be possessed and have no control over his facilities. This might sound corny and cartoonish when reading this on a piece of paper/computer screen, but if you were there or saw the DVD, you can feel what was going on. As a result of Sullivan's mind control, Briggs fell down and Sullivan pinned him.
POSTMATCH: Sullivan introduced his group, "The Devils Rejects" and made it clear he was gunning for Raven and to be the top guy in UXW. Sullivan also ordered Briggs to attack Nightmare, presumably to give Nightmare some tough love for the match he had two matches ago.
This was a good match physically, and the finish, while it might sound corny when you're reading this, was executed perfectly. The crowd was into it, and it made Sullivan an instant player in UXW. You can tell that Sullivan will not take UXW lightly, as he really had the crowd in the palm of his hand, and the whole "Devils Rejects" group was set-up nicely and it should be interesting to see where it goes from here.
Also of note, UXW filmed a MUST-SEE promo with Kevin Sullivan for the DVD of this event, which will be available through DOIWrestling.com. For any indy wrestler anywhere, this is something you should see, as the promo was just incredible. There was no screaming, no yelling, no cursing, just a crazy man telling his story which had you hooked as he crafted his every move and turn. Not alot of guys can get over by just talking in a normal voice, but I guess this is what seperates the pros from the joes.

The Grim Reefer d. Petey Williams
This was the match right before intermission, and it was well placed on the show, as it was going to be hard to top this battle of cruiserweights. The crowd was behind Reefer, as Petey was doing the Canadian gimmick. These two had a real good match, with great in-ring wrestling. During the match, Reefer took Petey to the outside and held his arms behind his back. From there, Reefer told the fans to chop Petey and fans in the front row took turns turning Petey's chest red. Petey later on tried returning the favor, but no fans would chop Reefer. A really cool moment to witness live. In the later stages of the match, Reefer kept going for his chronic crossface submission, but Petey was able to wiggle to the ropes everytime. Petey then went on the attack, and seemingly had Reefer out of the match, but Reefer was able to reverse a Canadian Destroyer, and hook Petey down for the three.
Great match here that not only was great in the ring, but told a great story with tons of fan interaction. With Reefer being in Florida, he really needed to have a good showing in front of these fans, and he did just that.

INTERMISSION
With UXW marathon shows a thing of the past, UXW took its second straight intermission, something that never has happened in the old days. When you tell a 2 1/2 hour story instead of a 6 hour story, things always flow better and is easily able to be grasped.

The Masked Maniac d. The New Dynamite Kid
The Masked Maniac took on his arch-rival here, The New Dynamite Kid (NDK). NDK didn't have a chance straight from the gate, literally, as Maniac waited for NDK to come out by the entrance way. As NDK came out, Maniac waffled NDK with a chair, sending him back in the lockerroom. As a result, NDK started this match with a bloody head.
This match was your typical Maniac fanfare, with Maniac tossing NDK all over the building and chopping him with no remorse. At one point, Maniac brought NDK into the crowd and let everyone chop NDK's chest. The crowd, as I said before, were really digging Maniac, and Maniac got one of the biggest pops of the night as he allowed NDK to get beat up by fans.
One funny moment of this match is when The Maniac took good old Mr. TNA himself, Brian Wittenstein, who happened to be reffing and tried chopping him. Brian ran away and hopped over the guardrail. No word if he squirted when he ran away.
After the hoopla and ballyhoo, The Maniac put away NDK with an assbomb/earthquake.
Maybe Maniac's matches should be put on second to last, as after the match, some of the crowd left. After 20 or so years in the business, The Maniac has become a top draw. Florida is officially bizarro land.

Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart w/Mr. Big d. Norman Smiley
Both these former WCW wrestlers looked to be in great shape and don't look to have aged a year since they were last on TV. Anvil has added a little weight, but with a name like "The Anvil", what do you expect?
This was a good back and forth match, with the "The Sure Thing" Mr. Big making his prescence known. Eventually, his prescence is what swayed the match in Jim's favor, as he whacked Jim with a megaphone, allowing Jim to put an unconcious Norman Smiley into a camel clutch. Norman couldn't get his hand up and after the third drop, Jim was awarded the match.
Good match here which told a story. Mr. Big has also improved tremendously from the Elks Lodge days. His promos on this DVD, and his recent feud with Johnny Diamond have really elevated his stock as he's become a better manager. The veterans in this match did a great job connecting with the crowd.

For the vacant UXW United States Championship
Nick Berk w/Ron Neimi d. Billy Kidman
This match was set-up as a result of the promo earlier on in the show. Berk had one of the best matches of his career, as he took on the accomplished Billy Kidman. Kidman was donning Tajri-esque tights in this match, but it didn't hinder his style of wrestling. These two had a great back and forth match, which had the crowd rising on their feet as the match went on and on. For some reason Ron Neimi was thrown as Berk's manager... I guess he did Frank a favor and this was the only spot he had for him. Berk doesn't need a manager, and Neimi didn't really do anything positive for Berk. The one problem I had with this match was that the finish was similar to the match previous, which is why I don't think Neimi was needed at all. Berk won this match after Neimi slipped Berk a chair, which Berk used, by face-bustering Kidman on it for the 1-2-3. Berk is now the UXW US Champion as a result.
Good match up until the finish, which I thought was repetitive since Big/Neidhart had a similar one. Lack of communication here, as Neimi and Big should've made sure not to do the same things in their matches.

Raven d. (c) Trent Acid to win the UXW Heavyweight Championship
This was a classic UXW main event, as we got 30 minutes of brawling, fighting, wrestling, mind games & more all in one match. Both these guys fought tooth and nail, as Raven and Trent fought all over the building. Raven took Trent twice to the top of the bleachers, and twice threw him down the bleachers. Ouch. Trent mimmicked Raven alot in this match, doing Raven's pose and aping alot of Raven's mannerisms. This match told a complete story, as one of the best indy wrestlers in America today, Trent Acid, collided with one of the best ring pyschologists of all time, Raven.
After about 30 minutes or so, with tons of false finishes, Raven was able to put Trent away with an evenflow DDT, to the delight of the Florida crowd.
POSTMATCH: Kevin Sullivan & his Devil's Rejects, attacked Raven. Sullivan ade it clear that Jake "The Snake" would take on Raven for the World Title at the next show, but no one knows where Jake's allegiance lies- to the Taskmaster himself, or to his student. Good build-up and ending to set-up the next event.

Final McWord
I thought this was a great way for UXW to kick things off in the Sunshine State. Obviously only 250 people is a disappointment for UXW, but the show was great and it still was able to make money, due to the lower costs of doing things in Florida as opposed to running in NYC.

The roster was a very unique one, and was a complete mix of talent. The fans really seemed to enjoy the show, which is all that really matters.

I thought Raven/Trent was Match of the Night. Petey/Reefer, Rance/Clark and Kidman/Berk were also very good matches.

Overall
A great showing for UXW in Florida, as there wasn't any bad matches, lots of guys got over, and the crowd left home happy.

Quick News:

Kevin Sullivan seemed to have a good time at the show and shared his knowledge with alot of the up and coming wrestlers. He should be a big asset to UXW as he is a Florida legend and knows the area better than UXW knows the area.

One thing that Kevin told UXW was that there was a murder in the area a week before the show took place. That was probably one of the reasons for a shitty walk-up, as UXW pre-sold a ton of tickets. The venue was excellent, and was bigger and similiar to JAPW's Rahway building, only that this building had bigger bleachers, and on both sides. The one problem was that this building was located in the ghetto, which is something UXW is going to have to look into before running future shows at that venue.

The show was one of the cheapest shows to run in UXW's history, which allowed UXW to make a profit, although the money generated at this show wasn't nearly as much as UXW makes in NY. On the bright side, there weren't that many ticket sellers, and the guys who sold tickets were put in spots that wouldn't ruin the show, with the exception of Nightmare, whose match was changed in the ring when it was shown that he couldn't really wrestle.

UXW is currently looking into venues for their 11/25 show, before committing to the Orlando Ghetto Rec Center. As of now, the only match announced is Jake "The Snake" challenging Raven for the UXW World Heavyweight title. More NY/UXW regulars are expected to be part of UXW's future shows, as UXW likes the mix of NY talent, Florida Talent, Florida legends and name guys.

Call the Masked Maniac Hotline at 516-214-8333 for more information, as the Masked Maniac did a complete rundown of the event.

The DOI will also be selling this DVD. This DVD includes 9 big matches, plus 45 minutes of backstage promos and scenes!

To preorder, paypal $15 to BULLSMC@aol.com

DVD's will also be released through USAProwrestling.net & RFVideo.com but DOIWrestling.com will have these DVD's available first!!!

Don't miss out on this exclusive DVD with tons of backstage promos and 9 huge matches!

Stay tuned to the DOI for more UXW news & notes

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com