Larry Goodman sent this report in:
NWA Main Event TV Review
Airing August 29, 2009 at nwame.com
Taped August 20, 2009 at the NWA Studios in Nashville
Jason James and Scott Barry opened the show backstage discussing the important matters at hand – delusional mind of Teddy Tender, the heinous actions of Project Prominence, and the upcoming blockbuster announcement by Bill Behrens concerning Shawn Shultz. They moved on to hype that whoever ?he? is, he was coming in 7 days. Barry called it ?the hugest mystery to be solved.? James promised he was coming to NWA ME, not some promotion across town.
Cut to footage of Steve-O foaming at the mouth at the hands of the maniacal Shultz. Compelling stuff. Well worth the replay.
Cut to James in the home of the NWA Mid-America Champion. O was wearing a neckbrace. O corrected James ? it was 2 DDTs on the chair. O said he had suffered a ?musculus abrasion?, a tearing of the esophagus, and he was looking at 2-4 weeks of recovery time, on top of the minor concussion he suffered the week before. O said he couldn?t provide for family while having to sit on the couch, and now it was personal. O said the birdies had told him Behrens? announcement would be do or die for Shultz.
(1) Mike Posey beat Victor Kosmo in 5:20. Kosmo is green but athletic. He hit a standing moonsault for a near fall. Posey used a hotshot to the belly to take over. Posey has a cocky attitude, but he’s a workrate guy, who uses a lot of cool moves that make a better fit for a babyface in Nashville. Kosmo looked fresh as a daisy on the comeback. Barry got the northern lights suplex right this week. Posey won it with a move that looked like a lot like Andy Douglas? Natural Selection.
White Tiger issued a challenge to Shawn Shultz. They spliced in a tiger roar at the end. I?ve grown fond of Tiger’s gimmick. What’s not to like about ?Mr. Paw and Claws? coming at you from the Nashville Zoo at Windmere with moves like the Tiger’s Pounce and the Tiger’s Claw?
(2) Shawn Shultz (with Tony Lucassio) beat White Tiger in 8:02. Barry said he didn?t know Tiger had that much bass in him. He entertained the idea that ?he? could be the next member of Project Prominence. Tiger was more than holding his own, until Lucassio interfered, leading to a reverse DDT by Shultz. Punishment to the back. Sleeper hold. Good grief, is that the only submission allowed in Nashville? Spinning neckbreaker by Tiger for the double down. Tiger with La Magistral cradle (called an Oklahoma roll), a backslide and the Tiger’s Claw~! Shultz shoved the ref into Tiger and hit the DDT. Last couple minutes were good, but this wasn?t the right way or the right time to beat Tiger.
?Sweet? Teddy Tender claimed he was the Bahamas. The had a chroma key of a swank hotel surrounded by palm trees in the background. Tenders said he was doing a concert for 27,000 screaming Sweet Teddy fans. His version of ?Love Boat? was worse than anything Jillian has ever done.
Posey said he was coming after Matt Boyce, the NWA Mid-America TV Champion. Posey said he already beat one goofball and now he wanted Kialoha.
(3) Lani Kialoha beat Mike Posey in 9 minutes. James said Sawyer called in sick and requsted Posey to take his place. They got over how Posey was doing the dirty work for Project Prominence. Slow match. They weren?t clicking and it wasn?t good at all. James and Barry kept talking about Behrens? big announcement. They ridiculed Tender. Posey worked on Lani’s neck. James said Baronas brothers were on a ?temporary hiatus? according to Lani. Kialoha comeback capped with the BIG Samoan drop for two. Rudy Charles caught Posey using the ropes for extra leverage. Posey shoved Charles. Charles shoved him into a roll up by Kialoha. I guess the ref rivalry is on.
(4) Matt Boyce beat ?Demented? Devin Greene in 7 minutes. JIP. If it was title match, they never said so. Greene was a masked guy making his NWA ME debut. His wrestling was bad, but not nearly as bad as his gear, which was seven levels of horribleness. Boyce got crotched on the top rope, and Greene picked him off with a shoulder block. James said Boyce might be infertile now. Barry got off one of his best lines ever regarding the demented one’s gimmick – ?What kind of man spends his free time in a straight jacket?? They continued to build up the suspense for Behrens? announcement. Boyce won it with a frogsplash crossbody. Terrible match for a main event and did Boyce no favors whatsoever.
Direct from his home office in Atlanta, Behrens made the announcement regarding Shultz on behalf of the NWA Board of Directors. Behrens said their first inclination was to suspend Shultz, but Mike Porter didn?t want to deprive the fan. Therefore, Shultz was going to get what he wanted ? the title match against O, BUT should he lose, Shultz would be fired from NWA Main Event FOREVER. Behrens warned Shultz to keep his ?unindicted co-conspirators? away from the ring.
CLOSING THOUGHTS: This episode dissipated some of the momentum they had built up over the previous three weeks. The wrestling was, more the most part, downright dull, and the crowd wasn?t feeling it this week. The announce team tried to cover by focusing the commentary on the storylines, which they did ad nauseum regarding Behrens? announcement. The segment with Behrens? was fine. He makes a credible authority figure, but there was no way poor Bill could live up to the hype. If Behrens had announced that the NWA was going to execute Shultz on live TV if he lost the match, then maybe?This week’s Teddy Tender vignette made me want to turn the channel, or in this case, turn off my computer. Campy humor is one thing, but this was in no way entertaining. I?m thinking the Tender/Bully character is better when he’s playing off others versus talking to the camera. Tiger’s character, on the other hand, works for me because it’s whimsical. Writing that, makes me think how there’s just no accounting for taste?Another match with the babyface TV champion not defending the title on TV. I just don?t get it?I can understand not wanting to overexpose Shultz, given how much he and Project Prominence have been featured of late, but without them, there was a noticeable drop off in entertainment value. The segment with O was one of the best things about the show. I loved him correcting James about the two DDTs, and also using the technical medical term for his injury to give it the air of authenticity.
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