| NEWS AND NOTES |
05/03/2012 – Superstar Wars Report from Lincolnton on 4/28
From Jeff Richards:
Searching for one's identity among the masses of used-up organizational names haunts Roman Michaels and John Collins. After running shows in Lincolnton, NC as
Southern Heritage Championship Wrestling, the two frontiersmen set out to operate a finely tuned show on April 28th as "Superstar Wars 2012."
Finding the right name for a wrestling show is one thing. However, when your group/organization does not have a moniker, that is another thing altogether. So for brevity,
let us call this entity SSW until a proper name is picked and a good booker is selected. Oops, that almost spoils the report right there!
In association with the Gaston County Sheriff's Department Explorer's Group, SSW ran its inaugural show in Gastonia, NC this past Saturday night in front of 285 paid
impassioned fans. Not all of them were still there for the end of the main event at 11:11 pm, but they were lively throughout the evening.
Forestview High School has had an interesting pro wrestling background. The school is still younger than 15 years; yet it has hosted NWA Mid-Atlantic, Southern
Heritage and now SSW. Lying less than a mile from the Gastonia Airport (air strip), the school has been referred to as being "out in the boonies." So over 300 in
attendance (counting all the deputies) was a monumental feat. On with the show......
1. George South as an unorthodox babyface pinned Baron Bullard in 13:37. Both gentlemen took their ring jackets off in less than 5:00 which was a promising start.
South Sr. channeled all the Mid-Atlantic greats such as Wahoo, Steamboat, Mulligan, etc. before finishing (no Sheik tonight) Bullard with the tomahawk chop.
2. In a falls count anywhere hardcore match: Sixx pinned Wikkid (w/Alexis Perish) in 13:07. Wikkid wrestles mostly out of Forest City and Hickory; Perish is his wife who
just debuted for Milestone Wrestling on 3/31/12. This was the first time I had seen Lodi's favorite opponent Sixx (or so it seems). The two brawled into vacant seats and
plundered each other with plastic chair shots. Perish took a nice bump off a chokeslam from Sixx toward the finish, which saw Sixx punch Wikkid in the throat and
capture the pinfall.
3. Lady Tapia upset Jayme Jameson in 6:06 with her feet on the ropes. Not defending her NWA MACW Ladies title on this night, Jameson sold most of the way for the
Barbarian's niece. Both ladies wore their Berzerker-type boots to the ring. Tapia still looks nervous and is much taller than Jameson. They did produce a lot of nearfalls
before Tapia won her first ever match of which I am aware.
4. Derek Ryze pinned Kid Chaos (w/Scotty Black) in 8:41. Chaos works out of Rex Rumble's entourage. Either guy could pass for a student at Forestview HS. Early on, a
tope con hilo by Ryze wiped out Black. Chaos asked the fans to be quiet so he could deliver a couple of chest slaps. Chris Hamrick's are much better, by the way. Black's
interference, while amusing, backfired at the end, as Ryze hit a springboard ace crusher for the pin.
Then it was time for a 23 minute intermission followed by a presentation of a giant posterboard $500 check by the Gaston Co. Sheriff. We're back and running now.....
5. The Powers of Pain (w/Michaels), who still look the same, defeated the Rock 'n' Roll Express in 14:47. This was the right result and built for an announced rematch
down the road. R&R were announced as the eight-time World Tag Team Champions. Gibson took the hot tag on this evening after Morton was beaten up unmercifully by
Barbarian and Warlord. The duo did hit a double dropkick on Warlord, but the wily Michaels pulled the referee out of the ring, negating the pin attempt by Morton.
Meanwhile, a chairshot by Barbarian stunned Morton, and Warlord was placed on top for the victory.
6. Mikal Judas vs. Jay Batista went to a no contest after 6:03. The two have feuded previously in Columbia, SC, so there is some history. It started as a grudge match and
ended that way as well. Judas originally was scheduled to work with iMPACT TV Champion Devon which would have been a tremendous match. Here he was stuck with
the Batista clone, and previously worked wrestlers and deputies hit the ring to attempt to restore order.
7. In the best match of the night, Steven Walters teamed with Chris Hamrick to put away unlikely mates Chase Owens and Sigmon in 15:21. An originally announced tag
match with Team Macktion never occurred. Sigmon and Owens traded the NWA MACW Jr. Heavyweight strap in 2011, and both work in TN religiously. Walters was
returning to tag action after having spent a lot of time the last couple of years as a member of "New Wave" with Derrick Driver. Local referee Charles Culler finally
officiated a match in his home area. Another huge brawl broke out around ringside, even though there should have not been any "heat" between these two makeshift
teams. A sweet double dropkick sent the heels scurrying. In a finish seen many times in R 'n' R Express matches, Walters pinned Sigmon, as Owens was attempting to
hold onto his partner-for-one-night, and Hamrick broke that up with a superkick. Sigmon seemingly turned on Owens after the match only to reconcile to the fans'
disgust. A break-up pairing the two solid workers against each other would make more sense.
8. Not having appeared in NC for several years, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake returned for a special challenge match against Captain Chris Wesgolden of the Gaston
County Sheriff's Dept. Before I go any further, this was the longest and most agonizing 7:09 of my life! There is no promoter on "God's green earth" that should have let
this farce go on! Wesgolden was in no way prepared for a wrestling match, let alone an exhibition. I know that Michaels had relatively no choice in this matter, as this was
a political favor to the sponsor but still....
Jim Ross would have been kind to declare this disaster as "bowling shoe ugly." Beefcake is still quite tanned but suspiciously looks like my grandfather. His bringing a
chair into the ring did not get him disqualified. The only hope spot in this match was the worst DDT (by Wesgolden) he possibly could have delivered. Finally Beefcake
wrapped up this inane contest with a sleeperhold and pitifully buzzed two stripes across the captain's head. His buddies in uniform laughed a lot at his inepitude;
wrestling fans left in droves during and afterward.
9. In a non-title match, Devon (announced as Devon Dudley) pinned "The Feature Presentation" Jeff Lewis in 10:12. This match started after 11 p.m. It speaks volumes
of Lewis' ability and opportunities lately, as the Greenville native has worked Scott Steiner and Devon in consecutive weekends. More brawling outside the ring saw
Devon connect with a water bottle and a cane. A desparation spear, while Lewis was gathering heat, looked nice, and it was a sidewalk slam by Devon which garnered
the win and sent the remaining fans home happy.
NOTES: Fairview HS is home to the 2009-2010 NCHSSA 3A state basketball champions (girls)...Concerning Beefcake's $750 appearance, what I heard was going to
transpire sounded something like this: Beefcake would host an Barbershop interview segment. The officer would come to the ring as "Mr. Florida" accompanied by
South. The bell would ring after a sneak attack, and 50 seconds later Beefcake would unmask him and cut off his hair. And it was going to be the opening attraction....
Ring anouncer Bill Hazelwood is HORRIBLE. If I could put that in bold italics, I would....Friends in attendance included Ralph Harkey, who should have handled the ring
announcing chores, and Dick Bourne from www.midatlanticgateway.com... A dvd of the show was recorded by Dan Parris with color commentary by yours truly...Parris
was especially critical of Chaos' appearance on the show and promptly chided Michaels afterward for booking him...Next show was announced for June 29th in Shelby,
NC, home of the infamous R&R Express victory over the Russians. Do not be surprised if this nameless group tries to come back to Gastonia before that date.
From Jeff Richards:
Searching for one's identity among the masses of used-up organizational names haunts Roman Michaels and John Collins. After running shows in Lincolnton, NC as
Southern Heritage Championship Wrestling, the two frontiersmen set out to operate a finely tuned show on April 28th as "Superstar Wars 2012."
Finding the right name for a wrestling show is one thing. However, when your group/organization does not have a moniker, that is another thing altogether. So for brevity,
let us call this entity SSW until a proper name is picked and a good booker is selected. Oops, that almost spoils the report right there!
In association with the Gaston County Sheriff's Department Explorer's Group, SSW ran its inaugural show in Gastonia, NC this past Saturday night in front of 285 paid
impassioned fans. Not all of them were still there for the end of the main event at 11:11 pm, but they were lively throughout the evening.
Forestview High School has had an interesting pro wrestling background. The school is still younger than 15 years; yet it has hosted NWA Mid-Atlantic, Southern
Heritage and now SSW. Lying less than a mile from the Gastonia Airport (air strip), the school has been referred to as being "out in the boonies." So over 300 in
attendance (counting all the deputies) was a monumental feat. On with the show......
1. George South as an unorthodox babyface pinned Baron Bullard in 13:37. Both gentlemen took their ring jackets off in less than 5:00 which was a promising start.
South Sr. channeled all the Mid-Atlantic greats such as Wahoo, Steamboat, Mulligan, etc. before finishing (no Sheik tonight) Bullard with the tomahawk chop.
2. In a falls count anywhere hardcore match: Sixx pinned Wikkid (w/Alexis Perish) in 13:07. Wikkid wrestles mostly out of Forest City and Hickory; Perish is his wife who
just debuted for Milestone Wrestling on 3/31/12. This was the first time I had seen Lodi's favorite opponent Sixx (or so it seems). The two brawled into vacant seats and
plundered each other with plastic chair shots. Perish took a nice bump off a chokeslam from Sixx toward the finish, which saw Sixx punch Wikkid in the throat and
capture the pinfall.
3. Lady Tapia upset Jayme Jameson in 6:06 with her feet on the ropes. Not defending her NWA MACW Ladies title on this night, Jameson sold most of the way for the
Barbarian's niece. Both ladies wore their Berzerker-type boots to the ring. Tapia still looks nervous and is much taller than Jameson. They did produce a lot of nearfalls
before Tapia won her first ever match of which I am aware.
4. Derek Ryze pinned Kid Chaos (w/Scotty Black) in 8:41. Chaos works out of Rex Rumble's entourage. Either guy could pass for a student at Forestview HS. Early on, a
tope con hilo by Ryze wiped out Black. Chaos asked the fans to be quiet so he could deliver a couple of chest slaps. Chris Hamrick's are much better, by the way. Black's
interference, while amusing, backfired at the end, as Ryze hit a springboard ace crusher for the pin.
Then it was time for a 23 minute intermission followed by a presentation of a giant posterboard $500 check by the Gaston Co. Sheriff. We're back and running now.....
5. The Powers of Pain (w/Michaels), who still look the same, defeated the Rock 'n' Roll Express in 14:47. This was the right result and built for an announced rematch
down the road. R&R were announced as the eight-time World Tag Team Champions. Gibson took the hot tag on this evening after Morton was beaten up unmercifully by
Barbarian and Warlord. The duo did hit a double dropkick on Warlord, but the wily Michaels pulled the referee out of the ring, negating the pin attempt by Morton.
Meanwhile, a chairshot by Barbarian stunned Morton, and Warlord was placed on top for the victory.
6. Mikal Judas vs. Jay Batista went to a no contest after 6:03. The two have feuded previously in Columbia, SC, so there is some history. It started as a grudge match and
ended that way as well. Judas originally was scheduled to work with iMPACT TV Champion Devon which would have been a tremendous match. Here he was stuck with
the Batista clone, and previously worked wrestlers and deputies hit the ring to attempt to restore order.
7. In the best match of the night, Steven Walters teamed with Chris Hamrick to put away unlikely mates Chase Owens and Sigmon in 15:21. An originally announced tag
match with Team Macktion never occurred. Sigmon and Owens traded the NWA MACW Jr. Heavyweight strap in 2011, and both work in TN religiously. Walters was
returning to tag action after having spent a lot of time the last couple of years as a member of "New Wave" with Derrick Driver. Local referee Charles Culler finally
officiated a match in his home area. Another huge brawl broke out around ringside, even though there should have not been any "heat" between these two makeshift
teams. A sweet double dropkick sent the heels scurrying. In a finish seen many times in R 'n' R Express matches, Walters pinned Sigmon, as Owens was attempting to
hold onto his partner-for-one-night, and Hamrick broke that up with a superkick. Sigmon seemingly turned on Owens after the match only to reconcile to the fans'
disgust. A break-up pairing the two solid workers against each other would make more sense.
8. Not having appeared in NC for several years, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake returned for a special challenge match against Captain Chris Wesgolden of the Gaston
County Sheriff's Dept. Before I go any further, this was the longest and most agonizing 7:09 of my life! There is no promoter on "God's green earth" that should have let
this farce go on! Wesgolden was in no way prepared for a wrestling match, let alone an exhibition. I know that Michaels had relatively no choice in this matter, as this was
a political favor to the sponsor but still....
Jim Ross would have been kind to declare this disaster as "bowling shoe ugly." Beefcake is still quite tanned but suspiciously looks like my grandfather. His bringing a
chair into the ring did not get him disqualified. The only hope spot in this match was the worst DDT (by Wesgolden) he possibly could have delivered. Finally Beefcake
wrapped up this inane contest with a sleeperhold and pitifully buzzed two stripes across the captain's head. His buddies in uniform laughed a lot at his inepitude;
wrestling fans left in droves during and afterward.
9. In a non-title match, Devon (announced as Devon Dudley) pinned "The Feature Presentation" Jeff Lewis in 10:12. This match started after 11 p.m. It speaks volumes
of Lewis' ability and opportunities lately, as the Greenville native has worked Scott Steiner and Devon in consecutive weekends. More brawling outside the ring saw
Devon connect with a water bottle and a cane. A desparation spear, while Lewis was gathering heat, looked nice, and it was a sidewalk slam by Devon which garnered
the win and sent the remaining fans home happy.
NOTES: Fairview HS is home to the 2009-2010 NCHSSA 3A state basketball champions (girls)...Concerning Beefcake's $750 appearance, what I heard was going to
transpire sounded something like this: Beefcake would host an Barbershop interview segment. The officer would come to the ring as "Mr. Florida" accompanied by
South. The bell would ring after a sneak attack, and 50 seconds later Beefcake would unmask him and cut off his hair. And it was going to be the opening attraction....
Ring anouncer Bill Hazelwood is HORRIBLE. If I could put that in bold italics, I would....Friends in attendance included Ralph Harkey, who should have handled the ring
announcing chores, and Dick Bourne from www.midatlanticgateway.com... A dvd of the show was recorded by Dan Parris with color commentary by yours truly...Parris
was especially critical of Chaos' appearance on the show and promptly chided Michaels afterward for booking him...Next show was announced for June 29th in Shelby,
NC, home of the infamous R&R Express victory over the Russians. Do not be surprised if this nameless group tries to come back to Gastonia before that date.