Larry Goodman sent this report in:
Showtime All-Star Wrestling
Airing on April 25, 2009 on Comcast 74 in Nashville & WKRP in Lebanon, Tn
Taped on March 13, 2009 at the SAW Mill in Millersville, Tn
Episode 86 is now online at www.sawonline.tv.
Opening with highlight clips from last week – A-Team being upset by LT Falk & Drew Haskins when Flash Flanagan distracted Rick Santel?SAW International Champion Kid Kash coming out on the short end of a skirmish with Arrick ?The Dragon? Andrews.
1 ? FLASH FLANAGAN vs. TONY SCARPONE
As Flanagan prepared to come through the ropes, Scarpone greeted him with a lariat. It’s awfully foggy in the SAW Mill again tonight. The Italian bruiser from Chicago beat on Flanagan for the first 3 minutes including an impressive spinning side slam (called a carousel slam by Reno). We learned that today’s main event would be Andrews challenging Kash for the title. But Scarpone was done by overconfidence. A flying shoulder block off the top by Flanagan was the beginning of the end. Flanagan won it with a so so version of his springboard leg drop.
WINNER: Flanagan in four minutes. Hard to make sense out of Scarpone so much offense after Kash made a fool out of him being a nobody last week. A backdrop for the postmatch?
A-Team (Rick Santel & Andy Douglas) attacked Flanagan but Chase Stevens made the save before any serious damage was done.
2 ? SAW Tag Team Championship Tournament Final: LT FALK & DREW HASKINS vs. DERRICK KING ENTERPRISE (Derrick King & J. T. Stahr with Sister O?Feelyah)
Riggins got across how DKE lead a charmed life on their way to the finals. Graham said the pressure was off of Falk & Haskins because nobody expected them to be there. Haskins and Falk worked on the arm of Stahr. King took a high back body drop from Falk. DKE and Falk executed an intricate collision-of-heels spot. King gave Falk a lariat from the apron to start the heat. The story here was DKE taking advantage of Haskins? overzealous rookie mistakes.
That is a pain that lingers, certainly, when you crush the esophagus of another human being.
King delivered a series of jabs ala Lawler. Reno said King was a multimillionaire and had been on the cover of Fortune magazine (then what the hell is he doing wrestling in SAW?) JT cracked Falk with a climbing knee for a near fall. O?Feelya got involved. King superkicked Falk, who sold it great. King took forever to make the cover and Falk reversed it for a two count. The spot to set up the hot tag was pretty cool. Falk caused another collision, then positioned DKE so his neckbreaker on Stahr caused a chain reaction DDT on King. Hot tag to Haskins. Stahr hit a variation of the GTS on Haskins and Falk saved. Haskins came back with a dropkick and weak punches. Reno said Haskins was a wrestler not a striker. Stahr made the catch on a crossbody by Haskins. Falk then dropkicked Haskins? back and he landed on top of Stahr for the pin.
WINNERS Falk & Haskins in 10:26 to become the new SAW Tag Team Champions. Some innovative spots. Falk looked good. Finish was ehh.
Falk and Haskins were in the dressing room preparing to celebrate. Hammerjack came in to congratulate them on winning the title and offered up a Keystone Light. Haskins said he bought something special for the celebration, two bottles of Martinelli’s Apple Raspberry non-alcoholic. ?Beer, Bacardi, liquor, alcohol, the ladies,? said Falk. Haskins said the Martinelli’s tasted better. ?I promise.? Falk poured some on Haskins, tasted it and made a face like it sucked.
?Boogie Woogie Boy? Gary Valiant was interviewed at ringside by Dan Masters. Boogie said he and Barbie, his barbed wire bat, had been looking for a fight for three weeks. ?Wait just a minute.? Cut to the ramp where Marc Anthony was kneeling in a crucifix position wearing a barbed wire crown. His face was a crimson mask. Dead silence except for Anthony’s barking.
Falk came into the locker room area with a plastic bag. He told Haskins they needed something to spice up the moment. He handed Haskins a Coke. Haskins looked at the label.
There’s caffeine in it. My mom says no caffeine after 10 in the morning.
Falk looked at Haskins in disbelief. ?I don?t see your mom in here. Tag Team Champions! You don?t want to get drunk. You don?t want this (a beer) except for that nasty non-alcoholic stuff. Let’s pop open one of these. Like men.? Haskins popped open the Coke and drowned himself in the stuff. ?Whoo! I?m so excited.?
3 ? DAVID YOUNG (with Paul Adams) vs. HAMMERJACK
Hammerjack hit the ring in attack mode. He pounded Young. Young pounded Hammerjack. Hammer leveled Young with a big boot and Young took a powder. Hammer chased Adams (still wearing the neckbrace) up the ramp. Young clubbed Hammer from behind. Back to the ring. Wash, rinse, repeat. The announce team talked about Anthony and Boogie. Hammer backdropped Young over the top and went after Adams again. Young speared Hammer on the ramp. Hammer posted Young. Herron counted them out. There were four refs out there to separate them. Huge Hammerjack chant from the crowd.
WINNER: A double count out at 3:24. This was ugly. Not that it mattered much because the crowd was so hot. Hammerjack is way over.
Cut to Haskins still taking a Coke bath and being VERY excited.
4 ? SAW International Title Match: SAW International Champion KID KASH vs. ARRICK ?The Dragon? ANDREWS
Andrews showed little patience with Kash’s stalling tactics and took it to the champion on the outside. Kash thumbed Andrews in the eye as they spilled back into the ring. Kash was all over Andrews. A thunder clap of a chop had Andrews reeling. Kash raked his chest for good measure. Andrews fought back with a springboard crossbody and a pair of arm drags. They traded shots with Andrews maintaining an armbar. Kash bit Andrews on the thigh. Andrews cranked on the arm bar. Kash landed a forearm to break the hold. They traded forearms. Kash went to the eyes again. Andrews scored with a corner lariat. Andrews whipped Kash in and tried to follow up, but Kash gave him a hotshot onto the top turnbuckle. Both down and selling. Kash on the attack with a series of knee drops to the base of the neck. Kash taunted the fans. Graham said he had never met anyone Kash cared for. Kash bit Andrews on the eye. Kash continued his assault on the head and neck of Andrews and was being a complete dick about it. Kash got perturbed by the crowd chanting for Andrews. Kash stomped Andrews in the groin. Kash applied a leglock around the bottom rope and kicked Andrews low again. Coming out a commercial break, Andrews was fighting his way out of a grounded full nelson. Andrews with a sunset flip for a close near fall. Kash exploded with a lariat that turned Andrews inside out. Kash fired a snot rocket at Andrews and taunted the announce team. Graham blatantly rooted for Andrews to kick out of Kash’s pin attempt. Graham admitted his loss of objectivity. Kash started dropping elbows to the back of Andrews? neck. Two landed. Andrews rolled away from a third and a fourth. Andrews struggled to his feet and narrowly avoided Kash’s charge. Andrews on jelly legs firing big right hands and the champion went down. 1..2..Kash rolled a shoulder. Andrews with high impact moves and another cover, but Kash with a shoulder up at 2 and ?. Andrews hit a DDT. ?Get the cover, Arrick!? screamed Graham. Andrews managed to hook a leg but still no three count. Andrews looked totally exhausted. Kash with a rake of the eyes and a backslide, but Andrews rolled through and planted Kash with a standing bulldog. Andrews crawled for the cover and Kash rolled a shoulder at the last split second. Kash whipped Andrews into Herron. Roll up by Kash but Herron in no condition to count. Kash grabbed the belt. Swing and a miss. Andrews with the belt. Bullseye. 1..2..Big pop. Andrews raised his hand. But Herron never counted three. He picked up the belt, pulled Andrews hand down and placed the belt across Kash’s chest. Herron raised the hand of the champion, who was still flat on his back in the middle of the ring.
WINNER: Kash via DQ in 13:30 to retain the SAW International Title. Faster paced and much less stalling than most of Kash’s matches in SAW. Herron must have X-ray vision, because the belt wasn?t in his line of sight when he stopped the count, and why DQ Andrews?
CLOSING THOUGHTS: The title match did everything possible to get Andrews over as the most formidable challenger of Kash’s title run. Match would have benefited from more fire and crispness in the challenger’s attack. Selling the grueling nature of the match is all well and good, but Andrews looked flat out blown up at points. Anthony with the crown of barbed wire was edgy stuff. True, this show is primarily for done for international distribution. Nevertheless, it may very well have aired in Nashville at midnight on Easter Sunday had SAW held to original schedule (minus one repeat episode and the Steven Doll tribute). Anthony appeared to be completely out of his mind. Crowd reacted with stunned silence?The tag title match worked OK. It didn?t make we want to see Haskins and Falk get a long run with the titles or anything. But the backstage vignettes with Haskins being the All-American mama’s boy was unexpected and totally hilarious. They?re not great actors by any means but the idea was tremendous. Haskins is so pure and innocent, you just know Falk is going to have to turn on his dorky ass?Judging from the reaction on TV, the fans are taking to Hammerjack’s turn big time?I don?t know what’s with that fog machine, but the last couple of episodes have looked awfully hazy?I?ve really been digging Graham’s work on play-by-play lately.