Indy News Update #2 for September 22, 2010
Submit your Indy news and results to: AdamMartin@wrestleview.com
Larry Goodman sent this report in:
Here’s what went down at the September 18 Rampage Pro Wrestling television taping in Warner Robins, Ga at Johnny G’s.
RPW television debuts on Macon’s MY 41.2 on Saturday, October 2 at 9am, replacing Smackdown as MY 41’s pro wrestling offering. The show is currently airing on the Cox cable Media Marketplace (cable access) channel, after a lengthy run on FOX affiliate where it did strong ratings (see news & notes). RPW has also added a 30 minute show, RPW Rewind, which will air on MY 41 and along with multiple weekly airings on Cox cable (see news & notes). RPW has also added a 30 minute show, RPW Rewind, which will air on MY 41 and along with multiple weekly airings on Cox cable.
The company was coming off their strongest television taping since the new booking team led by Jimmy Rave took over in June, and Saturday night was further indication that they are really hitting their stride.
Comparing Georgia’s top tier indie promotions, I would say RPW is bit more ROHish in its approach with a generally stronger wrestling base to their matches. Anarchy has more violence. They also have more true heavyweights on their roster, while RPW is primarily a junior heavyweight league.
Attendance was 135. The crowd was clearly more into the product than they were on may last trip here in early July.
For RPW Rewind:
(1) Pain beat Anthony Andrews in 2:04. JT Smooth was out scouting the talent. Two green guys. There’s no delicate way to put this. Anthony is one ugly dude, and he’s got a bad body to boot. Pain (masked guy with Mohawk) was billed as being from “The Psych Ward at Milledgeville”. I’m thinking fans in this area would know the proper name is Central State Hospital. At one time, it was the largest psychiatric institution in the US, housing 12,000 patients. But I digress. Pain’s top rope splash finisher looked good.
(2) Sugar Dunkerton beat Bobby Moore in 8:08. Dunkerton entertains first and foremost. It’s fun gimmick with the basketball and the Harlem Crush jersey. They did a lot of talking that helped to establish their characters, and the comedy spot worked. Crowd was Dunkerton’s hope spots. He scores a lot of style points with his moves. I liked the Afro headbutts. Moore was good here as well. Nice bumps. He thought he was too smart for Dunkerton. You know how that goes. Dunkerton won it with the Monster Jam. The kids in the crowd especially enjoyed this match.
Taped for episode 107 airing on September 25:
(3) Jimmy Rave (with Chip Day) beat Drew Adler via submission in 4:26. This was the kind of squash where the arrogant heel know he’s a better wrestler than his hapless rookie opponent and just put the kid in the torture chamber. Rave turned on his protégé, Kyle Matthews at the last taping and replaced him with Day. Rave used a shadow STO to set up the Anaconda Vise.
Rave refused to release the hold. Day jumped in to egg him on. That brought GM Sal Rinauro out with a cease and desist order. He hoped Rave had more fight in him, because he was making a tag match. That led to…
(4) Jimmy Rave & Chip Day beat Marvelous Michael Stevens & Drew Adler in 8:44. Stevens was doing a number on Day’s arm with fans chanting for him to break it. Rave intervened with a lariat from the outside. The heels gave Stevens a beating with Day landing some wicked stiff shots. Rave took his signature bump over the top. Stevens and Adler started to capitalize on Day, but Rave (the legal man) cut off Adler’s dive attempt and speared his ass for a near fall. Rave then pinned Stevens with The Move That Rocked the World.
Rave called out Kyle Matthews, who sneaked in to the ring from the fan entrance. Matthews chopped Day and Rave bailed out untouched. Hot stuff.
(5) “The All-Star” Cru Jones (with Coach Shaun Banks) beat Notorious R Dog in 4:51. Banks’ coaching get up was hilarious – megaphone, fake mustache and short shorts. Jones threw a flag on a fan for a personal foul. “Your breath is so funky, when you burp your teeth duck” He’s now claiming to be the best football player ever in Middle Georgia. Hmm. R Dog was a JYD clone except for his tights read “Mr. Hollywood”. As Ross Perot once said, the devil is in the details. Perot wasn’t half bad compared to some of the imbeciles running for office these days. Of Washington, he once said, “This city has become a town filled with sound bites, shell games, handlers, media stuntmen who posture, create images, talk, shoot off Roman candles, but don’t ever accomplish anything. We need deeds, not words, in this city.” But I digress again. R Dog was representative of RPW’s weak point – undercard talent with upside. He did the JYD headbutts on his hands and knees and that was about it. The guy I saw do that spot the best was Ronnie Etchison in Central States. Now there’s some ancient history. Anyway, thanks to Dog’s ineptitude, Jones’ Monster Blitz finisher fell apart midstream, so he got the pin with a generic elbow drop. Match was lousy, but Jones and Banks salvaged it for me with the All-Star schtick.
(6) Jeremy Vain beat J-Rod to win the RPW TV Title in 9:16. A simple story beautifully told. The people are developing a spirited hate for Vain. J-Rod came out flying around doing flashy moves. But his bad knee gave out on a leapfrog. Vain zeroed right in, opening with a stunner type maneuver on the knee. Vain pulled the brace off and really did a number on it. J-Rod was screaming and writhing and it came across pretty sadistic. J-Rod finally mustered a bulldog off the ropes but it wasn’t up to snuff, and Vain pinned him with a DDT. Matthews came out to help carry J-Rod to the back.
(7) Shaun Banks (with Cru Jones) beat Mister Jones to retain the RPW Heavyweight Championship in 9:04. Banks humiliated Mister with a “surf’s up” on his back. Mr. said Banks’ mouth was going to catch up with him. It did with a power slam from Mister. Banks evaded a corner splash and took out Mister’s knee. Logical but it unfortunately led the same body part being worked two matches in a row. Banks missed a top rope elbow. Mister scored with the freight train corner splash. Mister missed with a middle rope splash. It looked bad because the 400 pounder absorbed the bump completely with his knees. Probably didn’t feel too hot either. Banks pinned Mister with his feet on the ropes and an assist from Jones. Not one of RPW’s better main events.
Taped for episode 108 airing October 2:
Sal Rinauro came out with assistant GM Stevens and assistant-to-the assistant Adler to do a special opening for the first episode on MY 41. To the extent new viewers are getting their first exposure the product on MY 41, I wouldn’t Stevens and Adler to be the first thing they see. Their presence requires some explanation.
(8) Rymer Twins beat Killer Instinct (Mike Stratus & Jake Slater) in 6:25. Rymers are fraternal twins, but I’ll be damned if I can tell them apart. One Rymer took bigtime heat. Tag was made and the twins hit a nice flatliner/missile dropkick combo for a near fall. Rymer won it after a KI screw up in which Slater supekicked Stratus. Afterwards, KI had a spat. Fans were disappointed when they made up. Made sense for Rymers to go over. RPW is going to be a little light on the babyface side in the short run.
(9) Marvelous Michael Stevens (with Drew Adler) beat Bobby Moore in 6:29. There was a comical spot where Stevens tied Moore up with his feather boa. Moore worked over Stevens’ back. On the comeback, Stevens got two with a crossbody style leg lariat. The back punishment had taken a toll; however, as he was unable to execute a fireman’s carry. Moore immediately went to a back breaker for a near fall, but his flying leg drop turned into a butt buster. Stevens capitalized on the mistake with a split legged moonsault for the pin. A perfectly acceptable match. Moore is a much improved wrestler.
Next was the sport vs. sport push up contest between Dunkerton and Jones (with Coach Banks). Dunkerton’s antics made Jones hot under his redneck collar. He stared with inverted ups from a bridge position, then did “girl” push ups. He also concerned that Jones didn’t have the proper pre-contest breakfast. “Somebody get this man a pop tart.” Jones showed him how it was done. He reeled off like 70 push ups before he hit the wall. Banks was exhorting “The All-Star” to give him five more good ones. Jones ended up with around 80 before collapsing face first on the mat. Dunkerton did one push, said “you win”, and walked away grinning. The segment probably would have worked better with an emcee to structure it, but the point was made. The babyface outwitted the heel and made him look like a fool, which is the story of this feud.
(10) Kyle Matthews beat Chip Day in 14:32. Matthews is way more over than he was a few months ago. In the meantime, of course, he got the prime spot in the match with Bryan Danielson and had Rave turn against him. He’s also added 10 pounds of muscle. Matthews double-legged Day and pounded his face. Day bailed. They traded chops with Matthews getting way the better of it. He must have been warming up for the Japan tour. Day started working on Matthews’ knee. Matthews caught Day with a german suplex and followed with a superkick, but Rave showed up to pull ref Dustin Robinson out of the ring. Matthews hit a tope on Rave. That got the crowd going with an “RPW” chant. Matthews tried to reenter off the top and ate a dropkick from Day. They battled outside teasing a count out. Day busted out the leg submissions – an Indian deathlock, a single leg crab and the figure four. Matthews would fire back with these hellacious chops. One particular open hand (fired from his knees) was so stiff that it looked like Day’s eyeballs were going to pop out of his skull. Day got two big near falls, the first with flying double knees and feet on the ropes, the second with a tornado kick. Matthews nailed Day with an enzuigiri that was like lightning and finished with the Slurpee Kick. Excellent match. Matthews doesn’t have anything but good matches these days, and Day brought his A game.
(11) Exotic Ones (Simon Sermon & Tommy Too Much) & Big Bank Barfield beat Usual Supects (Murder One & AJ Steele) & Dr. Johnny Gayton in 9:06. This was heated. It marked RPW owner Gayton’s return from suspension to seek further retribution against Barfield and Exotic Ones for breaking his finger. Sermon wasted no time taking shortcuts against Steele. He wound up on the receiving end of a powerslam and a hanging vertical suplex for his efforts. Gayton briefly got a hold of Sermon’s arm, before yielding to Murder. Chicanery by the Exotics turned the tide. Barfield tagged in just long enough to do one fist drop on Murder. A true hot tag led to Gayton getting his hands on Barfield. Exotics jumped in. Usual Suspects followed suit and they brawled on the outside. Gayton had Barfield up for his signature Samoan drop when Sermon hit him with a foreign object. Problem being this heinous act appeared to take place right in front of referee Brent Wiley. Barfield pinned Gayton. Exotics celebrated, while Gayton sold it like a knockout blow.
NOTES: The episodes from the previous taping are available online. The one with Rave’s heel turn is 105 and can be viewed here…106 is the episode currently in rotation at rampageprowrestling.net. RPW uploads the most recent episode on the same day it airs in Macon…RPW is looking a the possibility of bringing in a tag team from ROH…Matthews is headed to Japan for a month of touring and training with Zero One…Dunkerton is scheduled for a tour of Ireland with Irish Whip in October…RPW was the top rated syndicated program in Saturday lineup and second overall in the key male demographics, but the station wanted to move the time slot and charge a higher rate, prompting RPW to look elsewhere…I had the pleasure of speaking with Ted Allen’s fiancée, Kayron at the show. As you can imagine. she has many wonderful stories to tell about Ted. Matthews refers to Ted and Kayron as his wrestling parents. She’s been traveling with Matthews to some of his bookings since Ted died…Murder One will be co-hosting an internet radio show with Trent Van Drisse and myself. “Phoning It In” is scheduled for Monday nights at 8pm as a part of GWH Radio lineup.
Comments welcomed – larry@georgiawrestlinghistory.com
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