Gordo, the wizard of id, reviews:

UWA Hardcore 3/24/06

St Johns Hall, Mississauga, Ontario

Ticket price $10 at the door.

The Advertised Card:

Main Event: Josh Prohibition vs Jerry Lynn

UWA Canadian Championship: M-Dogg 20 ( C ) vs ?

UWA Light Heavyweight Championship: Alex Shelly ( C ) vs Lionel Knight

Sonjay Dutt vs Claudio Castagnoli

Loser Leaves Town: Osiris vs Chris Bishop

Sabian vs Ruckus

Street Fight: Asylum vs Sexxxy Eddy

Nick Watts & Jeff Flury vs Brad Martin & Phil Atlas

Beef Wellington vs Rip Impact vs Amazing Darkstone vs Dan Paysan

 

The Venue: St Johns Hall is a great wrestling building. Intimate with the ring in a central area surrounded on 3 sides by balcony seating. I sat in a raised seating area opposite the wrestlers entrance ramp which gives general admission holders a great view of the in ring action but the ringside crowd obscures much of the action out on the floor, especially when they stand on their chairs! UWA has a nice little production set-up. Wrestlers enter the arena from the main stage through a chain-link entrance tunnel flanked by large PWA banners. Which is a bit confusing because they're UWA Hardcore wrestling. Spending that kind of money on a storyline angle is not something a lot of Indy feds are willing to do, even if they are capable of handling the expense. Four towers and rigging support a decent lighting system and strobes and other on stage lights jazz up wrestler entrances. The show was filmed with 2 handhelds and one static camera. I'd estimate attendance at about 350 - 400 but was given a quote of "almost 500" by a UWA worker. That could be right. I have no idea how many were in the balconies. Scheduled bell time was 7 pm - the show started at 8. This meant an hour long wait outside in a line up which was brightened, in part, by listening to some guy tell a story about waking up in the middle of the night to eat a tuna sandwich, only to find out the next morning that he had eaten cat food. Indy wrestling fans – ya gotta love ‘em. (Well, most of them anyway.)

 

Show opening:

Fans were greeted by the arrival of the PWA gang of four, led by Josh Prohibition, who delivered a scathing promo about the recent take-over of UWA by his faction. The fans in house were so raucous during this that I had a hard time making out what he said. I concentrated instead on figuring out just who I was looking at, using what little information about the fed I had gleaned from random sources. I think the other 3 were Lionel Knight, Jeff Flury and Nick Watts. Some chant about “small balls” started, directed at Knight, which had Josh steaming. His rant was completely drowned out by a roof-lifting chant of “Shut the FUCK up!” Soon, 4 or 5 guys rushed the ring and to chants of “UWA,” brawled the PWA faction from the ring. I recognized Sonjay Dutt and Alex Shelley but couldn't figure out the other 2 or 3. In a classy move, Sonjay retrieved a sign he had taken from a fan to display in the ring that had been discarded during the melee and returned it to it's rightful owner.

Thoughts: Apparently, UWA Hardcore has been "taken over" by rebel faction PWA. (This explains the banners.) Definitely a hot angle with the UWA fans. I admit that I thought I was in for an NWO style of takeover that stains everything in sight. No real indication from this opening sequence that wasn't going to happen (Thankfully, it didn't) but at least Prohibition didn't start his promo with "Hey... Yo."

 

Beef Wellington vs Rip Impact vs Amazing Darkstone vs Dan Paysan

This opening match was a blend of comedy, highspots and creative multi-man holds. Darkstone's magician gimmick provided the weirdest spot as he appeared to conjure up an invisible wall that the others couldn't break through. All 4 guys had opportunity to hit big high risk moves and these generated a few half-assed "Holy Shit" chants. The crowd was pumped throughout the match and the humor spots were well received. A vertical 69er in the corner and Darkstone pinning the ref while Wellington counted the 3 got the biggest pops but I thought Beef's "shrug/stupid grin/fingerpoke to the eye" move was the funniest of the bunch. Dan Paysan really stood out from the rest as entertaining to watch. Rip Impact the least. There were a couple of notable spots - a stiff running knee by Paysan, Paysan trapped in a sharpshooter by Darkstone while Beef and Impact applied arm holds and Darkstone receiving a Wellington Ass Punch from the top rope while he was carrying both Paysan and Impact on his shoulders. Darkstone got the win with a version of the Canadian Destroyer on Wellington.

Thoughts: It was what it was - an opener full of action and comedy. Quite enjoyable actually. It was nice to see that they all at least tried to remember to sell the big impact moves. Paysan & Wellington in particular. There was enough comedy that it didn't come across as just a random spotfest but with all 4 guys in the ring for the duration it did seem a little cluttered in there at times.

 

Nick Watts & Jeff Flury vs Brad Martin & Phil Atlas

This was a match up of UWA guys (Martin & Atlas) against the rebel PWA team. A straight up old school tag team affair replete with double teams, ref distractions, teased tags and pinfall saves. Very enjoyable to watch and my wife and I immediately split our allegiances - me rooting for the UWA - she the PWA tandem of Flury & Watts. The crowd was equally split and dueling chants broke out throughout the match. The early going saw the UWA guys dominate the extended chain wrestling sequences but Flury eventually suckered Atlas and the bad guys took control. Things heated up after that as the PWA boys laid an extended beatdown on Atlas before he was finally able to tag in Brad Martin after landing a surprise enzeguri. Lots of 2 counts and fast tags at the end of the match and two awesome tilt-a-whirl stunners by Atlas saw the UWA guys look like they had it in the bag but a couple of miscues later and the PWA faction walked out the winners after Watts pinned Martin using the ropes for leverage. After the match Atlas demonstrated some animosity toward Martin, blaming him for the loss. Nick Watts showed his appreciation to the front row fans by pouring and spitting water on them. Class acts these PWA guys.

Thoughts: A very good match. Good enough in fact, to be near the top of many an Indy card. Jeff Flury is a hoot. He doesn't have much meat on him but he makes up for that with his over the top facial expressions and bumping ability. Again the crowd was pumped and vocal throughout the match.

 

Street Fight: Asylum vs Sexxxy Eddy

This match exploded into the arena through a side door and the combatants were immediately lost to my view because of the swarming crowd. When they brawled up onto the stage it appeared that Sexxxy Eddie was busted open and Asylum was in solid control. After face-washing Eddy on the chain-link entrance tunnel he dragged him into the ring. Eddy had the crowd solidly behind him as he fought back to gain the advantage. It never became more than what it promised - a street fight - as the two traded punches and kicks throughout. At one point Asylum put a supine Eddy's head into a folding chair, threatening to break his teeth but a raucous "Fuck You" chant distracted him long enough for Eddy to rally. The fight spilled into the ringside area and again I lost visual contact with the fighters for a while but did see Asylum launch his smaller opponent head first into a light tower. An Asylum move from the ring apron drove Eddy through a table for a 3 count.

Thoughts: I was really looking forward to seeing Sexxxy Eddy live in person for the first time and enjoyed every second of it, even if I didn't see the whole match from my vantage point. I saw the reaction the packed St Johns Hall gave this Canadian superstar and that was special indeed. I've never seen Asylum before and was shocked at how much he looked liked Bill Chemezsko. No, Bill Chemezsko isn't connected in any way to the wrestling business - he's a guy I used to work with. Bill liked really bad porn. Anyway... Asylum might as well be his twin brother 20 years younger because he's a spitting image of Bill. I don't know if Asylum likes really bad porn or not but he knows how to beat up a guy with a porn star gimmick.

 

Loser Leaves Town: Osiris vs Chris Bishop

Osiris was announced as the founding father of UWA and is very over with the UWA faithful. Bishop apparently, is the reigning UWA Grand Prix Champion. This went nowhere fast as the PWA contingent made an appearance and squashed the match before it started by attacking Osiris. Bishop looked like he was going to save Osiris from the beatdown but clocked him with a great chairshot instead. To chants of "You sold out" he left with the PWA. The match was declared a no contest.

Thoughts: I don't know either of these guys so I have no "stake" in the feud that brought them to a loser leaves town match. Chris Bishop selling out to join the PWA group bothered me not at all. In fact, I'd like to commend him for that chair shot. This was all over in less than 3 minutes and time will tell if it served any real purpose in future storyline development. Btw... this was the only match I heard fans in the line up talking about and at least one of them had to be pissed it went the way it did - she said the only reason she was there was for the loser leaves town match. Come to think of it... I have a message just for her: Next time stay at home and teach your kid some fucking manners! That disgusting little spawn of yours put me off hamburgers for good with his eating habits. No one and I mean NO ONE wants to see a skinny little zit-faced prepubescent mullet head eat a grease burger without once closing his mouth while he delivers a rambling speech on the merits of WWE Superstar Kane. Hmph! And you had the nerve to give me a toothless sneer for firing up a bowl in an effort to find a happy place where kids like that stay locked up in the basement forever, fake-posting their life away.

 

Sabian vs "Sweet & Sour" Larry Sweeney

This was supposed to be Sabian against Ruckus but Ruckus was a no show, so the advertised "Black on Black" became Black on Fag. The fans were vocal in their displeasure at being denied Ruckus but soon settled into some very creative chants during the match. Sweeney looks like a cross between Michelle Starr and Bobby Eaton and plays the fag gimmick very well. Introducing himself as the IWC/IWCA/Texarcana Champion or some damn thing, he said the title belt wasn't on the line because of lent. The match-up was a contrast in styles as Sweeten used a methodical wear down approach while Sabian countered with quick bursts of high flying offense. It was a back and forth affair with Sweeney holding the advantage for the bulk of the match. Sabian got the win by pinfall after a double stomp from the top rope.

Thoughts: A very enjoyable match but probably not to everyone's taste. A lot of the crowd was indifferent to Sweeney's antics but a small, but very vocal group, were as entertaining as the match itself. Hearing a bunch of inebriated fans chanting "Elton John" as a white guy in pink and cream tights delivered a Garvin Stomp to a smaller black guy just cracked me up! I like Sweeney. He's no Michelle Starr, or even an Adrian Street, but he does handle the fag character well. Sabian is very fluid and smooth. His top rope double stomp finisher looked really cool and if he weighed over 100lbs he might have killed Sweeney. This was the last match before intermission and I had to admit I was having a great time. In fact, if the card had ended right there it would have been worth every cent of the ten dollar admission price. In 15 minutes, it would get even better.

 

Sonjay Dutt vs Claudio Castagnoli

This was the match of the night! From the opening bell these two guys put on a display that had the crowd on their feet and going nuts. A bit of chain wrestling to start before Sonjay suckered Claudio into a posedown contest which was just a ruse to lay in a dropkick. A monkeyflip sent Castagnoli over the top and Sonjay followed with a lightning quick move off the apron. Back inside Dutt got a few 2 counts before Claudio planted him with a big slam and started working on his gut. Dueling chants accompanied Claudio's offense before Dutt landed a missile dropkick to take him down. 3 more picture perfect dropkicks followed. In an amazing sequence, Sonjay busted out a Wow-WTF-was-that and a Holy-shit-How'd-he-do-that before his attempt at a top rope 'rana was blocked by Castagnoli for a near fall. The action got even hotter and the crowd followed suit when Dutt did an awesome backflip off of a standing Claudio's chest to avoid a slam and then dropped him with a dropkick to the knee. The advantage switched back and forth as both men traded chops, kicks and big time slams. In one sick spot Castagnoli launched Dutt straight up and just rocked him with a European Uppercut on the way down! Claudio was showing signs of frustration after that failed to put away the Bollywood Superstar and they battled to the top of the corner ropes. Dutt blocked a fall away slam attempt and with Castagnoli prone on the mat, Sonjay delivered a 450 splash for the pin and the win.

Thoughts: I came about as close as I ever have to joining a "Holy Shit" chant during this match. A great display of effort and talent from both men. The place was rocking throughout the match and I'm surprised they didn't bust out a Match of the year chant because this match certainly deserved it. Sonjay was fucking incredible and if this comes out on DVD anywhere I'm going to buy it just to see his indescribable moves again! And again , and again, and again.

 

UWA Light Heavyweight Championship: Alex Shelly ( C ) vs Lionel Knight

PWA representative Lionel Knight entered the ring to chants of "Small balls." Reigning Champ Shelley got a resounding ovation and even a puff of smoke for his entrance. After a short feeling out process they got down to business. A lot of good mat wrestling from Shelley as he worked through numerous submission attempts. He tied Knight up in some very innovative holds but could gain neither a submission nor pinfall as Knight provided some great counter wrestling. I took a washroom break in the middle of this match and when I returned Knight was in control. Shelley got his knees up to block a top rope dive and delivered a wicked looking brainbuster. Shelley also delivered the hardest chops of the night during this match. Knight took two stiff kicks to the face and didn't go down. Shelley finally came off the top with a frog splash to gain the pinfall.

Thoughts: I killed my feel for the pacing of this match by taking a break in the middle of it but it still delivered the goods. It seemed a bit slow to start but considering the match that preceded it that's not surprising. Very solid showing from Shelley and Knight was right there with him except I didn't get the no-sell on the two big kicks to the face. A decent well structured match that saw Shelley land some of the loudest chops I've ever heard. Knight had no problem selling those, that's for sure!

 

UWA Canadian Championship: M-Dogg 20 ( C ) vs Kevin Steen

Reigning CZW Ironman Champ Steen absolutely dwarfs UWA Canadian Champ M-Dogg 20 and I was interested to see how this match would play out. For a mystery opponent, Steen was a pleasant surprise for me but a large percentage of the UWA faithful seemed less than enthused. They were slow to lock up and when they did M-Dogg found himself tossed unceremoniously over the top rope. Lots of stalling and jawing with the crowd from Steen. The match spilled outside the ropes and Steen dominated the action. Back in the ring M-Dogg's superior speed gained him the advantage and a top rope double stomp to Steen's back put the bigger man on the defensive. Steen's power soon put him back in charge but M-Dogg kept fighting back. A lot of M-Dogg's attacks came from the ropes as Steen seemed weakest defending against an aerial assault. Eventually M-Dogg landed a hurracanrana and scored the pin to retain his title. A frustrated Steen delivered an underhook piledriver to the ref before leaving the ring.

Thoughts: I'm not a big fan of M-Dogg 20 but he put in a good effort. He spent less time on the mat than he did in the air and often shrugged off the effects of Steen's power attack a little too easy for my liking. A large portion of the crowd just sat and watched this match but the fans Steen was jawing with were rabid, much to the discomfort of those around them. I think the antics of the Chant Monkeys were getting on people's nerves by this time.

 

Main Event: Josh Prohibition vs Jerry Lynn

The leader of rebel faction PWA Josh Prohibition had no friends for this match. Jerry Lynn is about as over as a guy can get. Nice touch during the introduction with an fusillade of colored streamers thrown from the crowd when Lynn's name was announced - even if it was an obvious pre-arranged set-up. The two each had some mic time before locking up. Lynn dominated the early moments hitting a springboard dropkick while the UWA faithful chanted "E-C-Dub" They fought on the outside and the action was fast and furious. Prohibition caught Lynn on his way back into the ring and gained control, immediately slowing the pace of the match. Lynn was playing possum and countered a bulldog attempt with a near fall. The entire building was solidly behind Lynn but Prohibition gained a decisive advantage. His STF failed to get the submission and Lynn soon dumped Prohibition into the crowd then delivered a splash from the ropes to the floor. Back in the ring Lynn nailed a top rope dropkick and a brutal running lariat but Josh avoided the piledriver attempt. A struggle on the ropes led to a double stomp to the head and a lariat before JL was able to lock in the cradle piledriver for the win.

Thoughts: Good solid main event to head the card. Prohibition plays a great heel and the PWA takeover angle is certainly hot among regular fans of the UWA. What can I say about Jerry Lynn? He never mails it in that's for sure. I don't think he's ever disappointed me with a match. Crowd reaction was off the charts for this match even though many had left before the M-Dogg 20/Kevin Steen match even started. Prohibition lost but didn't appear to lose any momentum with the PWA angle because of it - he was just as cocky going out as he was going in.

 

Final Brawl: Osiris and M-Dogg came out onto the stage, climbed the scaffolding and attempted to hang a spray painted UWA banner over one of the PWA banners. Members of the PWA faction attacked Osiris and M-Dogg eventually launched him self into the fray from atop the scaffolding. Jerry Lynn also joined the UWA side but a piledriver from Prohibition drove M-Dogg into the stage and the PWA combined to beat down Osiris and Lynn. After a few arrogant poses they left and JL recovered enough to grab the mic and promise "This old bastard will be back!"

 

Final Thoughts: Very impressive show. For an Indy fed, UWA has some very big things going on. A great venue, very loud devoted fans and a fast paced show full of clean finishes made for a great evening. The extended wait for the doors to open and a very limited concession selection were the only downers. I'm sure some fans thought the drunken chant monkeys were a downer too but they didn't bother me. Of course, they weren't right beside me either. And to be honest, aside from the cold (and the disgusting display of hamburger consumption I mentioned earlier) the wait in the line-up really wasn't that bad. So what they started an hour late? UWA delivered 3 1/2 hours of quality wrestling and I'd recommend their shows to anybody. To quote Jerry Lynn... this old bastard will be back!

Direct your comments to the wizard of id to: zapflash@sympatico.ca