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.

Brooklyn Jeff d. Mighty Mike Quinn
This was a quick 3 minute match, that saw Jeff hit a people's elbow in it. Quinn received a bloody nose in this match. Jeff won this match after a SlyckSlam.
Not really the best match in the world, although I admire Jeff for getting in there, considering that he's deaf. If you've never seen a deaf wrestler, they wrestle differently when calling spots and sometimes they have that "voice modulation" problem, where you can openly hear them calling out stuff. But, gotta give the guy props for going with his dream. Quinn didn't get much off in this short match.

Slick Rick/El Shoes d. Bad Boy/El Romeo
PREMATCH: Shoes told us that he hated all our local sport teams and heroes. He also said he hated our local politicians, but in case we dis-liked our local politicians, he loved them. Funny & silly promo here.
Shoes & Rick wore suits in this match, and were the comic relief of this event. One funny spot saw Shoes tease a dive to the outside, only to walk through the ropes, then jump. Slick Rick showed off his brute power, slamming his opponents and hitting a stiff-ass sloppy top rope leg drop on Romeo for the 1-2-3.
Shoes was pretty funny here, but his partner seemed out of place and was doing moves that he didn't look like he was ready to do.

Special Guest Referee Match
Referee: Rocksha 337
Jake "Slick" Gomez d. The Voice
Rocksha was your special ref here, and seemed to be calling the match down the middle until towards the end. The Voice, who is an indy legend to many people, did alot of Undertaker & Kane moves. The Voice also showed that he's been watching his Edge tapes, as he hit an Edge spear, and even did the pre-move tease and post-move sell after hitting it.

However, with Voice having the match seemingly over, Rocksha stopped counting at 2. "Heaven & Hell" (Pastor George & Jason Cross) then interfered and attacked their former stablemate, as they put the boots to the Voice. Rocksha, realizing the intensity of the situation, dragged Gomez to The Voice's lifeless body and quickly counted three, giving Jake a questionable pinfall victory.
The Voice continues his rise to indy fame. This Rocksha/Voice feud has now hit a new level and the heat that Rocksha got when he fucked the Voice over was like when Shawn Michaels threw Marty Jannety through the Barber Shop window.

Jorge Santi/Gorilla Dezues d. The Muskateer/Brian Anthony w/Liz Savage
PREMATCH: Muskateer cut a heel promo, establishing the beauty of his hair.
This was a fun little tag team match that got a pretty good crowd reaction. This was my first time seeing Brian Anthony and I thought he had a good look for a smaller guy. Gorilla lives up to his name and used his strength over the The Muskateer & Anthony. When times were tough for the heels, Liz Savage interfered, prolonging the inevitable for her tag team. Santi ate the Hart Attack in this match at one point. However, it wasn't enough as Santi & Gorilla were able to win this match via pinfall.
Nice old school tag team match here.

Kid Beltran/Wendell/Nasty Kaplan d. Rocksha 337/Pastor George/Jason Kross
This was an odd 6-man tag team match, as one team was thrown together against the formidable Heaven & Hell/Rocksha stable. Rocksha did his best to pull a 5 star classic match here, but wasn't that successful. Pastor George, while doing a gimmick that has been done before, seems to do a good job of it here in WUW. Ref Flexxx missed Rocksha use a chair in this match, which led to Team Rocksha's victory.
POSTMATCH: The Voice entered the ring and stared down Rocksha. All of a sudden instead of going after Rocksha he grabbed Flexx by the neck. Rocksha joined The Voice, and both guys double chokeslammed Flexx right to the depths of the pits of hell! The Voice & Rocksha then went at it, and The Voice told everyone in the crowd that he will take on Rocksha in a bodybag match.
While alot of people reading this might not know the players in these matches, you won't want to miss this bodybag match. There are few matches in history that are remembered with fondness, such as Hart/HBK, Benoit/Guerrero, Flair/Steamboat etc. However, this won't be one of them, but it will be remembered very well anyway. When WUW announces their next show, you won't want to miss this epic encounter.

Della Morte d. Liz Savage
I've seen better women matches before. This was tough to watch at some points, as their seemed to be a communication problem. Morte kind of squashed Liz here, and polished her off with a Samoan Slam.
POSTMATCH: Tina Marina challenged Della Morte for a match at the next show.
The crowd seemed to be into Tina's challenge than into Liz Savage, as Tina showed more character in her promo than Liz did her in the match. This match is a reminder that there is always room for improvement.

TNT & Jimmy Cruise d. The RIP 37 Squad (Mack Daddy Flexxx/"Corner Man" Juan Jeremy/Dreamcaster)
This was a long match, as this was the 2nd six-man tag team match on this event. This match went to the floor several times as well. The finish of this match saw Cruise pin Juan after Dreamcaster accidentally laid Juan out.
This was a long back forth match, and the crowd was into it.

In A Taped Fists Match
NON TITLE MATCH
(c) The Smooth Operator w/Slim Jenkins d. "Ultra-Sexy" Joe So Delicious
This was a weird match, as Joe kinda squashed the Smooth Operator in this match. Joe hit everything in the book but Smooth kept coming back for more. Maybe that's because both men were legit knocked out and loopy during this match. Both even needed medical attention after the match. After being concussed with a belt shot from Pistol Pete, a loopy Smooth Operator pinned Joe for the win.
Odd match, probably due to both guys having concussions.

The Sunset Saints d. The Wifebeaters
The Sunset Saints picked up the clean pinfall here in a 6-man tag. These teams continue to go at it show after show. It's funny watching the crowd explode everytime The Saints win, because you know why they are popping.

All Star Lou d. Prince Atiba
At this point in the show, Emergency Vehicles came to the building, as someone called 911 about the concussions/injuries in the Joe/Smooth match. I don't know if that was the reason why this match was short, as it seemed cut short. Lots of highspots in this match and Lou picks up the clean pinfall victory.

Mike Inferno d. Pistol Pete w/Slim Jenkins
This was a built up match here, as these two used to team. The finish of this match saw Pete hit Mike with a title belt, giving Mike a cheap DQ victory. It seems like these guys will be going at it again at a future show.

Final McWord
Another fun show from the WUW crew. While the wrestling isn't perfect and alot of matches are similiar, everyone does work hard and there are some good moments on these shows. I'm really looking forward to seeing where The Voice & Rocksha feud goes.

Overall
A fun night out.
Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com