Larry Goodman sent this in:
It was a bone chilling Saturday night in Cornelia for NWA Anarchy’s annual holiday spectacular, Seasons Beatings.
It was a well balanced show ? a little bit of everything and not overly much of anything, and probably as good as anyone could have hoped for under the less-than-ideal circumstances with only three taping to set it up and the change in creative department (Dan Wilson out and Todd Sexton in). It didn?t have any spectacle type matches. The timing would have been all wrong. Doing it correctly would take more building, and it was heartening to see no premature hotshotting. For in ring quality, Season’s Beating was more than solid across the board, far better than Fright Night and as good as any of Anarchy’s major shows this year. The first half was more athletic. The second half was more story. Nothing dragged and the crowd responded well to all of it.
The only disappointment was the attendance – 125, the lowest attendance of any major event in the 10+ year history of wrestling at the NWA Arena in Cornelia, and possibly the lowest gate for a big show as well. It was a bitterly cold night, well, at least by Georgia standards. The NWA Arena has no heating system, just a portable blower, and with the temperature at 20 degrees outside, it was far from comfortable in there. The weather could have been a factor in the low attendance, but I?m of the opinion that if a wrestling product is cold, there are a zillion reasons why fans aren?t showing up and when it’s hot, nothing can keep them away.
(1) Adrian Hawkins defeated Skirra Corvus to become the new Young Lion’s Champion in 9:13. Fast paced action befitting the Lion’s Division with Hawkins working the arm. Corvus took over with a forward rolling facebuster as a counter to a wheelbarrow, the first of several new wrinkles in his offense. Corvus also used a trailer hitch leglock that displayed his freaky flexibility. Corvus focused his attack on the knee. On the comeback, Hawkins hit a series of high impact moves to set up Extreme Makeover. Corvus fought that off and got a near fall with a powerbomb. Corvus tried for the curbstomp, and Hawkins neatly countered with a drop toehold and hit Extreme Makeover (Unprettier) for the pin. Strong pop for the title change. With Hawkins, the ringwork is there, the question mark is his staying power as a babyface. There was a funny moment where the championship medallion came apart as Hawkins he went to hold it up.
(2) Ace Rockwell & Truitt Fields defeated the NWA Anarchy Tag Team Champions Talent & Money (JT Talent & Drew Pendleton III) via an intentional DQ by Pendleton to save the titles (12:50). ?Ace? chants right off. The champions launched an all out attack on Fields, in an attempt to wear down the larger man. The isolated him in the corner and used quick tags to keep fresh man in. In turn, Rockwell and Fields isolated Pendleton. He cheated his way to a tag, but Rockwell greeted Talent with an arm drag and cut the ring in half again. The babyface duo continued to dominate. Rockwell hit Aces High on Pendleton, and Talent saved with a double ax off the top. The tide turned when Rockwell took a bump from the top turnbuckle to the floor and got the beatdown from Pendleton. Pendleton ripped off one of Rockwell’s signature combos ? the Stinger splash into a bulldog. Rockwell made a diving tag after hitting a one-armed uranage slam ala Samoa Joe.
Talent blocked the Killing Fields and T&M smoked him with the Double Goozle high low for a near fall. Fields hit the Killing Fields and Pendleton broke up the pin. Fields and Rockwell teamed up for a wheelbarrow Aces High on Talent. He was dead meat, so Pendleton pulled ref Brent Wiley out and decked him for the DQ. Excellent match. It had the feel of a real fight, where the object was to trap one guy and beat his ass. It had none of the usual holes where it’s obvious the guy taking the beating can make a tag and doesn?t go for it.
(3) Caprice Coleman defeated Shaun Tempers to win the NWA Anarchy Television Championship in 12:40. Tempers attacked Coleman as he was admiring the title belt. Tempers tried to beat in that pretty face. The action spilled to ringside. Coleman rallied. Tempers had Coleman’s baseball slide around the ringpost scouted, so Coleman kicked Tempers in the back of the head. Coleman hit a picture perfect springboard missile dropkick, and the crowd picked up the chant – ?Ice, Ice, Ice?. Tempers almost landed on his head on a hiptoss. Wow. When Coleman went for one too many springboard moves, Tempers planted him with a belly to belly suplex. Tempers zeroed in on Coleman’s back, continued the trend of sound strategy displayed on all the matches thus far. Coleman dropped behind Tempers to grab a sleeper, but Tempers ran him into the turnbuckles for a two count. An elbow shot left Coleman tangled upside down in the ropes. Tempers kicked Coleman to the
floor. Tempers stayed on his man with a kneelift for another two. Coleman made an aerial comeback, and got cut off with a german suplex. They traded near falls ? Tempers with a punt to the stomach and Coleman with a corner dropkick. Tempers blocked Coleman’s finisher and hit the Tiger Driver for a near fall. Tempers tried for the hangman neckbreaker, and it turned into a double neckbreaker that left both men badly damaged. Great spot. Tempers covered but Coleman was in the ropes. Coleman picked Tempers off the top turnbuckle with a huracanrana. Some serious athleticism there. He followed with a frogsplash. Out came the other Rejects. Coleman had something for Corvus and Azrael.Tank also came out, but he suddenly had to take a call on his cell. Coleman blocked Tempers? neckbreaker and hit That’s Life to win the title. Great stuff all the way through. My favorite match of the night.
Postmatch, Tempers slapped Tank in the face and slapped the phone out his hand. The other Rejects separate them. Just when it looked like cooler heads would prevail?Tank turned a Tempers? handshake into a chokebreaker to leave him laying and complete the turn.
(4) Mikal Judas & Slim J & Bo Newsome beat Brodie Chase & Seth Delay & Mike Posey in an elimination match (17:55). Early in the match, there was cool spot where Newsome leapfrogged Delay and J met Delay on the other side with a huracanrana. The four small guys tagged in and out. The heels got heat on Newsome and when Chase took over on him, the fans started chanting for Judas, who was pacing on the apron. Chase eliminated Newsome at around 9 minutes with the pumphandle neckbreaker. J was on fire with a satellite headscissors on Chase and Screwdriver on the Rocks on Delay for a near fall. Delay shut J down with the Kool Krusher for a near fall. The heels beat on J, until he blocked a double superplex by Posey and Delay and took them both down with the flying reverse DDT. Huge Slim J chant at that point. J fell victim to heel chicanery, as Delay clocked him with the knucks for the umpteenth time in their feud. Posey hit his long distance guillotine
legdrop and eliminated J via submission at 14:25. That left Judas one-against-three. They jumped him. Delay used the knucks and Posey followed with the guillotine legdrop, but Judas powered out of Posey? pin attempt, and scored simultaneous pins on Posey and Delay with a double choke slam at 16:12. Pretty spectacular. Chase immediately blindsided Judas with the knucks, but Judas kicked out of the pin. In desperation, Chase went for the belt of referee Ken Wallace’s belt, but Wallace wouldn?t let him have it. Meanwhile, Judas picked up Posey and launched him at Chase with El Crucifijo (crucifix powerbomb). Judas then pinned Chase with the chokeslam. It looke great because Chase got way up for it.
(5) New Wave (Steven Walters & Derrick Driver) & J-Rod & Aden Chambers beat Entourage (Andrew Alexander & Mike Mosley & Mr. Black & Jay Clinton) in 12:29. Chambers executed something like a flying bodyscissors on Clinton early. Entourage trapped J-Rod and worked him over, until he made Alexander miss with an elbow drop. Driver tagged in with a flurry, before being cut off by Mr. Black’s hotshot. Black got to show his stuff against Driver. They?re wisely picking their spots with Black and not overexposing him. They set up a hot tag that was truly hot with the crowd going nuts for Driver. New Wave hit the Double Vision on Clinton and had Alexander positioned for that insane tandem Spanish Fly, but Black broke that up. New Wave clotheslined Black over the top and hiptossed Mosley on top of him. Match was out of control with guys fighting all over the place. Clinton’s top rope elbow was crash and burn deluxe. New Wave hit the Unskinny Bop and
Driver pinned Clinton. My least favorite match and it wasn?t bad at all. I liked the way the finish gave New Wave a chance to shine.
(6) Jeremy Vain defeated the retiring Todd Sexton in 13:27. Vain did mic work talking about Sexton training at Shawn Michaels? school. ?Your career is going to end the same way it started ? with a heartbreak.? Sexton received a long and respectful ovation. His parents were in attendance. They worked a slower pace than the previous matches. Sexton got all technician like on Vain’s arm. Sexton tried for the Sharpshooter but couldn?t get it, which was the theme of the match ? each guy being too well acquainted with the other’s guys trademark moves. The action moved outside the ring, where Sexton delivered a lariat sending Vain down on the hardwood floor. That prompted a ?Todd? chant. On the re-entry, Sexton got knocked off the apron into the rail, and Vain took advantage on the outside. Back inside the ring, Vain went to the eyes to block a sharpshooter and hit a high knee lift for a near fall. Vain grounded Sexton, drawing heat
by scowling at the crowd. Sexton surprised Vain by rolling through on his German suplex. Sexton hit a thrust kick off the ropes for two. Vain tried for the VKO. Sexton blocked, tried for the sharpshooter and got an ankle lock. I think Vain made the ropes here. Orion Bishop came out to provide distraction, allowing Vain time to clip Sexton’s knee. Vain got the figure four applied. Sexton was in deep trouble and teased tapping before making the ropes. Vain set up for Sexton’s pet move, the superkick, only to get nailed with his own specialty, the DDT. Sexton sold the leg before hitting the running knee for a super close near fall. Vain hit the DDT out of nowhere, but was slow to cover and Sexton kicked out. Sexton connected with the superkick and Vain kicked out. They traded blows from their knees. As both men came to their feet, Vain kicked Sexton low and pinned him with the DDT. Good match. Sexton went out on a high note.
Aftewards, the fans chanted ?Thank You, Todd?. Sexton made a goodbye speech that was both humble and sentimental. Sexton joked about not having the best tan (they don?t call him Casper for nothing) or being in the best shape. He thanked Bill Behrens and Jerry Palmer, talked about how much wrestling in Cornelia meant to him, and how it was through Cornelia wrestling that he had a son and met his wife, Kelly.
(7) Kimo & NWA Anarchy owner Jerry Palmer beat NWA National Champion Phil Shatter & Attorney/Agent Jeff G. Bailey via DQ in 9:49. Bailey was dressed in an oversized warm up suit with the top pulled down over his ass. Quite hilarious. Bailey ran his mouth and ducked under the ropes, not wanting any part of Palmer. Shatter tagged in and quickly softened Palmer up. Bailey was more than happy to tag in. He kicked Palmer in the ribs and choked him, but Palmer grabbed his ankle and Bailey scrambled for a tag. Palmer channeled Dick the Bruiser here, showing no fear and inviting Shatter to punch his face. Kimo and Shatter squared off for the first time. Without the facepaint, Kimo looked more babyface than ever. He used some American style moves before breaking out the Asian martial arts stuff. At one point, Kimo whomped the crap out of Shatter to where his eyes crossed. Shatter fought off a nerve hold and took out Kimo’s knee. Bailey unzipped his warm
up to reveal a 666 t-shirt. Kimo was fighting his heart out. Palmer wanted the tag and Kimo wouldn?t give it to him. Shatter hit a powerdrive side suplex and let Bailey make the cover. Kimo kicked out. Bailey begged and prayed as the fans chanted Kimo’s name. Kimo tagged Palmer. The place came unglued. Palmer got Bailey up for a powerslam, and Shatter speared the bejeezus out of him. Shatter then took a chair to Kimo for the DQ ? three loud but safe shots to the back, then a spinebuster slam, then the PTSD onto the chair. Bailey clocked Palmer with the title belt. Palmer bled. Judas made the ring clearing save. A highly entertaining match.
Normally, it’s not a good idea for the babyface to make promises they don?t keep (Palmer had vowed to make Bailey bleed), but it was absolutely the right thing to do in this case.
(8) Shadow Jackson beat Orion Bishop to retain the NWA Anarchy Heavyweight Title in 10:48. Huge pop for Jackson’s intro. Bishop gored Jackson at the bell and beat him down outside the ring. He slung Jackson into the ringsteps and rammed his back into the post. The destruction of Jackson? back continued inside the ring. The crowd never wavered. Jackson was the only babyface to get sustained chants throughout the match. Bishop catapulted Jackson face first into the turnbuckles and applied a bear hug. Jackson bit his way free. Bishop blocked an attempt at the stunner, but Jackson got it the second time around. Bishop caught Jackson coming off the ropes and hit that mind boggling fallaway slam of his. Bishop hit a Vader Bomb but went to the well once too often, and Jackson got his knees up. Jackson hit the 1031, but Bishop was in the ropes. Bishop tried for the F-5. Jackson escaped. Bishop charged like a mad bull. Jackson sidestepped and rolled
him up. Live by the gore, die by the gore. The previous match was the top attraction, but they went with the idea that the title match goes on last, and it held up quite well.
Postmatch, Vain came out to join Bishop for a beatdown on Jackson. Judas made another save. Judas picked up the title belt, and there a moment of doubt about his intentions, before he placed it on Jackson’s shoulder and raised the champion’s hand.
NOTES: Phil Shatter is set to defend the NWA National Title against Adam Pearce on February 14 on Greg Price’s first show in Charlotte. NWA Champion Blue Demon will also be on that card?Many members of the NWA Anarchy roster are booked the for the NWA in Charlotte event on January 23 at the Metrolina Expo Center including Shatter vs. Coleman for the NWA National Title with Posey as referee, Judas vs. Chase, Team Macktion vs. New Wave, Jeff Lewis vs. J-Rod, Posey defends the NWA Tennessee Junior Title against Corey Hollis along with Jimmy Rave vs. Sal Rinauro…NWA Anarchy returns to the NWA Arena on January 16.
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