What's up everyone and welcome to another review here on the DOI. After writing and spending alot of time on the WSU 12/15 review, I am a bit pressed for time, so this review may land on the short side.

For those who don't know about WUW, let me refresh you by reprinting what I originally wrote about them on 10/27/06:

WUW is the promotion founded by ex-WWE wrestler, Johnny Rodz. WUW is a promotion which showcases Rodz's students, who train at Gleasons Gym in Brooklyn. Once a month, similiar to NYWC and other student promotions, WUW holds live events, mostly for the friends & families of the wrestlers. Sometimes, like other student promotions, indy guys from other organizations show up to work off ring-rust.

WUW is not a promotion looking to shake up the indy scene, as it is only a promotion to give the students experience in front of a live crowd. As a result, these shows are more like boxing exhibitions, which is fitting, as WUW shows are held in the famous Gleason's Gym, which has produced some famous boxers. I wouldn't even call WUW a true indy promotion as WUW is designed only to better their students, unlike other student promotions which try to be competitive in the indy market.

Accordingly, since these are student shows that are designed to give wrestlers experience, these shows aren't held like your normal indy events. There were no promos on these shows at all, as the students are forced to do all the talking in the ring & tell a story with their facial expressions. Also, to truly understand every facet of the business, the wrestlers rotate as referee, which means one minute you're watching a guy pound or get pounded, and the next, he's wearing the zebra shirt. That was the only thing that threw me off, but I understand why it was done. However, it also shows that there is a referee spot open in WUW, and there are not alot of up-and-comers who are applying to be referees. Refereeing is a thankless job, but it's also a job that can turn into a career, as good referees, especially on the indy scene, are hard to come by.

Lastly, with so many students under Rodz's program, there were alot of matches. The show didn't necessarily flow so well, as there were alot of stipulation bouts, but at least every one of the students got a shot to showcase what they've learned. However, like Little League, everyone gets a chance to play, and I knew that going in. Pretty much, if you're looking to see some raw, untapped talent, these shows are entertaining. For fans looking for a tightly run promotion, this probably isn't up for your liking. This is more of a wrestling club than a promotion. For indy promoters, Gleasons also has several guys who are under the radar.

WUW
12/16
Attendance: 140+

The show opened up with a speech made by Johnny Rodz of WUW in memory to Jimmy Hustler. A plaque was presented to Jimmy's family. After a 10 bell salute the show officially started with a match that Jimmy would've probably expected to be in if it was USA Pro.
I do want to say that WUW did a good job and put effort into showing respect to Jimmy & his family. Jimmy's family was in attendance for this show. Also making a heartfelt speech was one of Jimmy's closest friends, "Bad" Billy Walker.

In a "Capture The Flag" One vs One Battle Royal, Money on a Pole Match
Brooklyn Jeff & Louie Torres were co-winners in a match that contained about 18 wrestlers
This match was as bad as it sounds. Somewhere, Vince Russo said he didn't even understand the rules of this match. Several crowd chants during this match included "Take It Home" and "This is Pointless". I was suprised to hear those chants, as I didn't think smart marks came to this show, but then again with a match like this, you really didn't have to be a smart to say "what the hell is going on?"
90% of the wrestlers could be seen laughing out loud during this match. This is something that would truly make it on one of those "Worst of the Indies" tapes. When the wrestlers don't even know the rules and laughing as the match is going along, it's hard for any fan to take it seriously.
In an attempt to explain this match, as I still have a headache trying to figure it out, there were two teams, a red & a blue team. On opposite ends of the ring, there was a pole. Hanging on each pole was a money bag and a flag, similiar to a flag you'd use playing flag football. On each side of the ring there were the two teams. Instead of wrestling, the guys would have to run to the other end of the ring and grab the flag. Once you grabbed the flag, someone from your team could enter. Once every wrestler was in the match, the match then had normal battle royal rules. Once we got down to 2 guys, we went back to capturing the item on the pole gimmick, with this time the wrestlers going for the money. However, since there were two bags of money, after Brooklyn Jeff got the first bag of money, we had another quick match, with Torres getting the second bag of money. The match mercifully ended after that.
This match made the TNA 3 stages reverse battle royal seem like a bright idea. Another thing that made this match legendary was the fact that Britney Spears "Hit Me Baby One More Time" kept playing throughout the match. I know this is a student show, but I'm still baffled why this match took place.

Gorilla Dezues d. The Musketeer in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
PREMATCH: Musketeer cut a corny (in a good way) heel promo, as he had a handicapped parking sign. He said Gorilla was gonna need it when he was thru with him. Gorilla would bark pack with a few choice words of his own.

One thing I've learned in my brief time watching WUW shows is that Booking 101 doesn't apply. These shows are full of stipulation matches and every match seems like it's for some sort of title. I guess with one show a month, everything is jammed together for the sake of fun and wrestling. If you can get past what isn't normal booking and can relax, you can enjoy these shows. I know some people would watch these shows and take a hot dump on the booking and question stuff, and I'd understand that, but if you're going to WUW you know what you're getting yourself into. If you can just have fun, these shows can be great for a variety of reasons, such as Rocksha & The Voice matches.

As far as this match, I thought it was pretty entertaining. The crowd was into it. Gorilla Dezues is a man beast and has been around for a long time. He definitely has raw power and is intimidating in the ring. Someone on the indy scene can make money with him. The Musketeer is the same guy from ECW's later days.

This match started in the ring, but quickly went to the floor, where both men brawled. These guys brawled all over the building, and Gorilla dominated, slamming Musketeer to the concrete floor. Gorilla also rammed Musketeers back into a solid concrete pole. These guys would then brawl into another ring, a boxing ring, as Gleasons Gym has several boxing rings around the venue. These two would then make their way back to the original ring, where Gorilla ate a very vicious Garbage Can Lid shot, as he was hit lid side up. Ouch. However, Gorilla was able to recuperate, and finished Musketeer off by jamming Musketeer in a garbage can then Vader-Bombing him for the three.
I'm not going to mention any booking nuances for the rest of this review, as I hope I got my point across about these shows, as I know some will question a Last Man Standing Match as the second match on a show. I enjoyed this match, the crowd had fun, and both wrestlers worked hard. It was good to see the Musketeer in a non-comedy role, and I also thought Gorilla was a convincing monster-type.

The TNT Kids d. (c) Heaven & Hell (Pastor George & Jason Cross) w/The Voice & Rocksha to win the WUW Jr. Tag Team Titles
This match was ok, but you could tell these guys were students. Heaven & Hell do a satanic-goth type thing, with George wearing an outfit similiar to Christopher Daniels. It's a gimmick done before, but a gimmick that works for WUW. The TNT kids have connected with WUW crowds. At one point in this match, the guys did an Eddie Guerrero spot, where George mocked Eddie, only for one of the TNT kids to knock George down and do some Eddie moves himself for a good pop. I'm not really a fan of that crap when they do it on WWE since it's been a year since he died, so I wasn't really into that here either. The crowd liked it though. The finish of this match saw George accidentally hit his partner, which led to the TNT Kids capitalizing, by rolling up both Heaven & Hell members for the double pin.
The finish of this match went over well with the crowd.

Minyon d. Jorge Santes in a 2/3 Falls Match to retain the WUW Middleweight Title
This was one of the better matches on the show. Both these wrestlers have tons of potential. Minyon has a good little gimmick & good size for his frame. Santes is very charismatic and would fit in well on B & C level indy shows. I think these guys can take this match on the road (not a 2/3 falls match, just a straight up one-on-one match) and get the attention of alot of fans & promoters.
In true WUW fashion, it wasn't announced a 2/3 falls match until after the first fall. Here is how the falls went:
Jorge pinned Minyon with a victory roll in the first fall.
Minyon won the second fall when Jorge was disqualified for DDTing Minyon on a chair that Minyon brought into the ring.
The third & decisive fall was won by Minyon when he pulled the tights on a school boy pinning combination.

This was a fun match. I know Jorge has been training for three years, and I'm not too sure about Minyon, but these guys looked better than most of the veterans on the show. They had some cool spots and had good ring psychology. Alot of matches on this show saw boom-boom-boom then both guys up 2 seconds later to do it again. This match didn't have that and I think this match stood out more because of that. You bought the offense both guys delivered. Good job by both guys here.

The Smooth Operator w/Slim Jenkins d. Kevin Matthews to win the vacant WUW Heavyweight Title
Before this match, Kevin Matthews verbally abused and shot any credibility the Smooth Operator might've had to shit. Smooth Operator, who does a Ric Flair biter gimmick, cut a Heel 101 promo. Kevin Matthews then came out, and I don't know if Smooth Operator killed Kevin's dog or what, but Kevin proceeded to take a nice warm shit all over The Smooth Operator. Kevin made fun of Smooth for still doing student shows for 7 years, while Kevin is all over the indies & had a WWE deal. Kevin also made fun of the fact that Smooth's biggest claim to fame was "wrestling in front of 20 people at Damian Dragon Championship Wrestling." Kevin then went for personal points by telling Smooth Operator to "pull up your tights and cover up your fat." The crowd lost any credibility in the Smooth Operator after that promo and was laughing at Smooth.
In the two shows I've seen Kevin at since his northeast return, he's been nothing but a ray of sunshine.

Kevin Matthews must've been studying his Rob Eckos tapes, because he only bumped once in this match. For someone who was introduced from "Japan", Kevin sure didn't wrestle that puroresu style. Most of this match consisted of Kevin throwing Smooth Operator around with a bunch of arm drags. This short match ended when Slim Jenkins distracted Kevin, allowing Smooth Operator to hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Kevin for Kevin's 1 bump of the match and for the pinfall victory. However, it was a nicely executed suplex, and Kevin laid there after the match like he was stunned by a caddle prod.
This match wasn't really all that, but Kevin's antics were pretty entertaining. Kevin's promo also made it hard to take Smooth Operator seriously, but Smooth Operator showed he was capable of having a solid old school match, which fits his gimmick. I also just realized that The Smooth Operator is now the Heavyweight champion of this place due to Joe So Delicious forcing to give up his title due to injury.

For the NYWC Tag Team Titles
(c) The Dead Presidents d. Danny Demanto/Shawn Taylor w/Tina Marina & Jai Kronik/Bad Billy Walker w/Texas Rose
I don't know what it is about WUW but whenever Danny Demanto is in a WUW ring he's always laughing. He did it in the battle royal and he did it here. The Dead Presidents are sporting new light blue/white gear and didn't do the face paint stuff. The Dead Presidents talk about why they are doing that in their DOI Shoot Interview, which you can order today! (Cheap plug)
Jai Kronik got mad fat from the last time I seen him. I remember Kronik looking good and losing a bunch of weight, but he blew up big time. Kronik was always one of those guys who worked hard and did his thing, but could never really find the right gimmick that suited him. It's a shame, because he did work hard & I personally know he paid his dues and all, but by the looks of him, it looks like he's given up on having any type of real wrestling career.

This was a back and forth match, with all three teams getting a chance to showcase their stuff. Low Ryda hit all his big spots in this match. Boogalou wailed away at Danny, but it would've been better if he had a chair in his hand like the old days. (Well maybe not for Danny.) The finish of this match was entertaining- Low Ryda chokeslammed Demanto while Boogalou hit a Stunner on another opponent for the double 1-2-3 & to retain the NYWC tag belts.
Decent match here, considering the fact that two teams were thrown together & teaming for the first time.

El Dante d. Rocksha w/Heaven & Hell
This was personally my favorite match of the night, although I could see why others would disagree. Rocksha is an Elks Lodge legend. If you don't know who Rocksha is, he's the world famous former USA Pro Ticket Seller Champion. (Yes that was a real title for a period of time.) It was a shame for Rocksha that he had to carry the heavier El Dante in this match, but Rocksha did his best, by hitting ace crushers, diamond cutters, low blows, DDT's, Hogan Leg Drops, & sentons in the first 3 minutes of this match. However, El Dante was able to kick out of these finishing-type moves and just rolled on Rocksha for the 3 count. Hopefully Rocksha gets a rematch in the future.
This wasn't one of Rocksha's better efforts and I'm sure his next match will be better. Like Rocksha told me later on, he needs better opponents so he can have better technical & high workrate type matches.
For those wondering, Rocksha had his UCCW World Heavyweight Title belt with him but this was a non-sanctioned UCCW World Title match.

Don Tito w/Slim Jenkins d. The Voice w/Heaven & Hell in a Last Man Standing Match
The Voice is a wrestler who has told me that every match he has is an "instant classic." I hope WWE or TNA take notice in that case. He lived up to the bill this time, as the skinny black guy doing an Undertaker gimmick while wearing a Kane mask and called "The Niggataker" by his peers hit most of his trademark moves.

Tito did his best here in this match, using power moves to ground The Voice. Bobby G was the referee here and had the hard and stiff task of enforcing the rules of this Last Man Standing match. The Voice hit the Tombstone in this match, but Tito was able to rise up. Tito eventually won this match with a huge spear.
Another entertaining match. Tito has a great gimmick & ability. The Voice has all the makings of being an indy legend.
For the record, I was told after the show by a wrestler on the show that The Voice is also wrestling under the "Angel of Death" name these days. So there you have it.

El Shoes d. Chris Romano
PREMATCH: Shoes cut a funny promo, getting the crowd to sing along to a version of Queen's "Shoes Will Rock You."
Shoes has charisma, and that's a huge thing that's hard to come by these days for alot of indy guys. Shoes hit a powerbomb & a "Shoe-ton" bomb for the pin.
A comedy match here, just because Shoes connects with the crowd so well & gets them going.

At this point in the show, I was burnt out. This show was near 4 hours long and had no intermission. I went outside for a break and to get fresh air. I didn't see the following two matches, so I can't comment on them:

Jimmy Cruise d. Jake Gomez

Wifebeaters d. Inferno & Pete Fisk to retain the WUW Tag Titles
I came in at the end of this one. I know Joey B of the Wifebeaters told me before the match he was going to get cheap heat. While cheap heat is ok, I don't think any fan cared from what I was told afterwards. Plus if you need to stuff like that to make a name for yourself, maybe it's time to explore other avenues of promoting yourself & ability. Good attempt at least, but fans don't care about that.

In What Really Was Match of the Night
In a TLC Match for a Contract At A Shot at the WUW Tag Team Titles
The Sunset Saints d. Mack Daddy Flexxx/Juan Jeremy/DreamCaster
This match had a 4 or 5 page script full of fucking spots, and somehow it all worked. The Sunset Saints are lucky that nothing went wrong here, and I wonder how they will do without a script. They were lucky here, and more power to them for rising to the occassion.

This match was easily the best match on the show, even if I did have a personal preference for Rocksha's match. There was three tables broken, tons of sick ladder & chair spots, and huge ass bumps. I will say one thing- this match really had no pyschology at all but these matches aren't designed to do that. However the Sunset Saints will be lucky to walk in 5 years if they keep up the pace they had in this match. Outside of Flex & Jeremy everyone would be up 2 seconds after eating a sick move. Holding your stomach and rolling around for one second, just to throw a ladder the next second isn't stuff you see on TV, and there is a reason for it.

HOWEVER, with that said, this was very entertaining and these guys killed each other. I would not want to be in the ring during this. Chairs were flying, bodies were flying, ladders were bashing in skulls and bodies were crashing through tables. The Sunset Saints whether they realize it or not, do an SAT & Red type gimmick & dress like how SAT & Red did when they first started. These guys are spot machines much like SAT & Red in the early days too. Flexx & Jeremey kept good pace in this match and their veteran status really boosted this match from getting sloppy.

There were too many crazy spots to recall, and this is a match that the majority of the people reading this would enjoy live. I'm sure this is an even a Match of the Year candidate for WUW as well. The Saints won this when Dagger grabbed the contract to get a shot at the Wifebeaters tag team titles.

Final McWord
Like I said above, you know what you're getting when you walk into a WUW show. These shows are fun to watch as it is a break from the over-analyzing of the other "promotions" around. There's tons of raw talent here and there are some guys who are "kabuki" but in the end you always wind up having a good time.

Student shows are a great place to find new guys and to see new things. I can't imagine the first match of this show being done anywhere else and I would've loved to see online fan reaction to that match, if it took place in an ROH or a JAPW. However, here it's something you laugh at and when the wrestlers are laughing it puts everyone in a good mood.

Aside from fun & games, you had some good stuff here. Musketeer/Gorilla put on a good show. Santes/Minyon continue to have good matches together. Rocksha hasn't missed a step since his USA Pro days. The TLC match was very entertaining. The outside indy talent like The Dead Presidents, Kevin Matthews (who all made their first steps in wrestling under WUW/Gleasons) & Danny Demanto helped boost up the show as well.

The casual indy fan might not be into this, but I for one had a good time. There is good stuff going down at WUW and everyone works hard. Can't ask for anything else at a student show, and WUW delivers there.

Overall
A fun night out and it's great to see a show where all the wrestlers give it their all.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com