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SHOW REPORTS

2008 SHOW REPORTS

March 15, 2008

NWA Anarchy made the last stop on the road to Hardcore Hell ’08 a damn good one. You couldn’t ask much more out of a set up show.

Attendance was 160 at the Paul C. Parker Arena. The drop was expected on the heels of the tornados that had ripped through Georgia in the previous. Two people died in the storms, which at times produced golf ball size hail. The damage estimate was 200 million for downtown Atlanta alone.

With the annual spring spectacular just seven days away, last night was a lesson how to set up a big show. It’s something they’ve gotten down to fine science in Cornelia after all these years. Lots of story and just enough wrestling. Like 2 weeks ago, it was pure television style with all matches under 10 minutes.

NWA Anarchy owner Jerry Palmer opened the show by introducing the Top Rope Kids Club. Prior to each show, kids under twelve will be allowed to come inside the barricade for 10 minutes or so of quality time with one of the babyface wrestlers. The catch is the kids have to well at school and behave at home.

(1) Adrian Hawkins beat Todd Sexton (with Bobby Hill & Tyler Smith) via DQ in 8:48. Hill and Smith came out in black hoodies to match their new mentor. Sexton said the name Regular Guys wrongly implied they were like the fans, so they would now be known as the Technicians. Whatever the name, they’re better off as heels. Heat a plenty. Hawkins offense was looking crisp. But could he prevail against the well-oiled chicanery of Team Tech? While Hill distracted the ref, Smith leveled Hawkins with a lariat on the outside. Sexton dished out punishment. Hawkins hit a diamond cutter off the top that left both men down. Interference by Smith left Hawkins straddling the top rope, a sitting duck for Sexton’s lefty lariat. Hawkins kicked out. Hawkins nailed his springboard back elbow with Sexton in perfect position to eat it bigtime. But Hill distracted Hawkins, who walked into Sexton’s jumping big boot. Hawkins kicked out again. Hawkins then took out Team Todd with a tope. A shaky sequence lead to Hawkins being caught in the single leg crab. Hawkins made the ropes, but Sexton refused to break the hold, so Brent Wiley called for the bell.

Sexton and his minions gave Hawkins the beatdown until Chip Day and Wes Grissom made the save with twin enzuigiris on Team Todd. This sets up a trios match for the big show.

Salvatore Rinauro and Seth Delay officially reunited, for the night at least, as G-Rated. This was done via a backstage segment on the WrestleVision in which Rinauro and Delay playfully ripped several members of the Anarchy crew, just like they did back in the day. Good times. “You can call us G-Rated. You can call us two of the Three Guys That Totally Rule. But whatever you call us, when all is said and done, you’re going to call us the champions.”

(2) Devil’s Rejects (Azrael & Shaun Tempers with Reverend Dan Wilson) beat G-Rated (Sal Rinauro & Seth Delay) to retain the NWA Anarchy Tag Team Titles in 9:10. Huge pop for G-Rated. Fans started a “sexy dance” chant and refused to quit until Rinauro did the swivel hips. They really need to redo the Rejects entrance video to delete Dominous. Rejects immediately started beating on Delay. Delay got a Kool comeback with a shoulder mounted sunset flip, a garden variety sunset flip and stiff kick to the face. Some great looking strikes by the Rejects. Rinauro got the hot tag and hit a springboard crossbody on Azrael. 4 way action. Rejects collided. G-Rated hit huracanranas in stereo for double near falls. Tempers went for the Tiger Driver on Rinauro. No go. Delay got the tag. Missile dropkick on Azrael. Tempers tried to use the Staff of Righteousness. Referee Ken Wallace cut that off, but in the confusion, Azrael gave Delay a low blow. Tempers pinned Delay after the Hellhammer.

Wilson said Awesome Attraction already lost their title rematch, so if they were going to be the Rejects challengers at Hardcore Hell, something had to be at stake. Wilson said if Attraction lost they had to split up for good. Attraction came out to an even huger pop than G-Rated. Young asked the fans if they wanted to see the match. Hell yeah. Creed said why wait? Let’s do it now. Attraction cleared the ring with a double clothesline. The lights went out. When they came back on, Judas was at ringside. He destroyed Azrael and Tempers. The lights went off for a few seconds. Enough time for Judas to do his disappearing act.

Greg Hunter introduced the no touch or else showdown between Nemesis and Slim J. The crowd chanted “Nemesissy” but no Nemesis. Hunter said the Arena waits. Nemesis appeared at the fron door and sauntered down the ring with fans heaping verbal abuse on him. The pop for J blew the roof off as usual. Nemesis tortured J with his taunts. Said the ring was his freaking jungle and the people were going to be begging for him to “please stop killin’ our white boy” at Hardcore Hell. Heat off the hook. Hunter kept trying to give the mic to J, and Nemesis kept pulling it away to talk more trash. Nemesis pleaded with J to touch him. Nemesis said J had nuthin to say. J’s answer was to spit a mouthful of water into Nemesis’ face. “In seven days, I will touch you, Buhhhster.” Crowd went nuts and so did Nemesis. He roughed Hunter up and got his usual security escort out of the building. An awesome segment. Great performances by both men.

(3) Iceberg (with The Rev) beat Mikal Judas in 3:04 to earn a heavyweight title shot against Shatter at Hardcore Hell. They brawled outside the ring for like five minutes. Great stuff. Judas took command. He turned attention to the Wilson, who cowered on the ramp. Wilson panicked when Judas took away his staff, but Iceberg cut Judas off in the knick of time. The bump of the night saw Iceberg going for a Ground Zero splash with Judas laid out on the ringsteps. Judas moved and Iceberg did a 400 pound belly flop on the ringsteps. Amazing. Judas missed a Mafia Kick and got hung up on the ringpost. The action finally moved inside the ring with Iceberg in control. A running knee clipped referee Brent Wiley, sending him tumbling to the floor. The crowd always pops when Wiley gets clocked. Judas tried to goozle Iceberg for the chokeslam. Berg countered with a belly to belly suplex. Judas goozled Iceberg again, and this time he had Berg firmly in his grasp. IT’S TANK!!!!!! Tank gave Judas the chokebreaker. Iceberg hit the Ground Zero. Referee Harold James slid in to make the three count.

A great first hour. Beautifully constructed. The second hour was fine, but this one was stacked with starpower.

(4) Truitt Fields beat Don Matthews (with Melissa Coates & Brodie Chase) to retain the NWA Anarchy TV Title in 9:30. Matthews came out arm in arm with Coates. Fields jumped out on top. Chase and Coates started to argue. Chase grabbed Fields by the leg. Fields popped Chase with a forearm, but the distraction enabled Matthews to knock Fields off the apron with a running knee. Chase did a number on Fields and rolled him back inside. Chase started sneaking peeks at Melissa’s booty. Matthews hit the BFK and was less than a second away from becoming the Anarchy Television Champion. They traded stiff chops. The crowd got behind Fields. Fields went for a high crossbody and Matthews converted it into a fallaway slam for a near fall. Chase kissed Coates. Matthews was beside himself. Fields capitalized on Matthews’ emotional state with the Killing Fields for the 1-2-3. Matthews was upset. Chase was upset. Coates walked out on both of them.

Jeff Lewis appeared on the WrestleVision. He was smoking a big cigar. Lewis said his third reign as television champion was going to begin at Hardcore Hell. “Your Feature Presentation has left the building.” We saw Lewis walking out the back door. Fields ran up the ramp. Meanwhile, Chase and Matthews continued to argue. Chase told Matthews he was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

(5) Hollywood Brunettes (Andrew Alexander & Kyle Matthews) vs. Talent & Money (J. T. Talent & Andrew Pendleton III) ended as a no contest when New Wave and Buck & King hit the ring (4:34). Heel vs. heel so not much heat. T & M got heat on Matthews. Talent did a downward spiral and Alexander saved. Crowd started to take sides. Matthews spoiled Pendleton’s top rope leg drop attempt. Brunettes wanted to set up the Sheeney Curse but the babyface contingent cleared the ring. King even tossed ref Jacob Ashworth out. They set up an eight foot ladder. Buck launched a plancha to the floor off the second rung from the top and bowled over all four heels.

Hunter announced that the number one contendership would be decided in a four-way dance ladder match at Hardcore Hell.

On the WrestleVision, the problems between Chase and Matthews continued backstage. Matthews said Coates was his woman, his Baby Doll. “I’m smitten like a kitten.” Chase said Coates had Matthews wrapped around her little finger. Coates showed up. She told Matthews and Chase to fight it out at Hardcore Hell to get it out of their systems. There was something about Coates making the match that didn’t work for me. In any case, the crowd popped when Coates said she would be the special referee.

(6) Jerry Palmer beat Rob Adonis (with Jeremy Vain) in 15 seconds, so Palmer gets Vain in a bunkhouse match at Hardcore Hell. Monster pop for the surprise of Palmer representing himself as the mystery opponent to determine the stipulation. Palmer was true to his word about not being a wrestler. He clocked Adonis with a gimmick and covered him. The ref was fooling with Vain and never saw a thing. Adonis was out cold. Palmer threatened to bust Adonis open with the cow bell, but decided to reserve that pleasure for Vain at Hardcore Hell.

(7) Shatter (with Attorney Jeff G. Bailey) destroyed a green jobber guy named T. K. Kross in 2:48. Bailey was salivating over Shatter physique. I suspect WWE will be doing likewise Monday night. Bums were chanting “Shatter’s gonna kill you” at Kross. Shatter squashed him like a bug, drilling him with a spinebuster then planting the gibroni for good with the PTSD powerbomb. Bailey grabbed the mic and announced Shatter as the winner.

Bailey proceeded to cut a great promo. Bailey called Kross boring and booted him out of the ring (there were a few catcalls of “boring” during the match). Bailey gave Iceberg props for winning the title shot. He referred to Wilson as “God’s consolation prize,” and made fun of Wilson’ mystical rants. “You drank the urine of the platypus…” He said Iceberg was a loser. Bailey narrated footage from the War Games at Hostile Environment where Shatter made Iceberg tap out, the first man ever to accomplish that feat. The video showed Shatter jamming a broken section of table into Iceberg’s throat to get the job done. Bailey said he would have separated Iceberg’s head from his body if his teammates hadn’t pulled him off.

The Rejects came out and attacked Shatter. Lights out….

Lights on and Judas was in the ring. Shatter and Iceberg battled to the back. Judas was going one against three until he was joined by Awesome Attraction. Judas leveled Tank with the Mafia Kick. The Rejects retreated. Attraction celebrated with Judas. Cya next week.

The entire card for Hardcore Hell reads: Shatter (c) vs. Iceberg for the NWA Anarchy Heavyweight Title with no DQ, Devil’s Rejects (c) vs. Awesome Attraction for the NWA Anarchy tag titles. If the Attraction loses they must split up, Fields (c) vs. Lewis for the NWA Anarchy TV Title, Palmer vs. Vain in a Bunkhouse Match, Slim J vs. Nemesis grudge match, New Wave vs. Buck & King vs. Hollywood Brunettes vs. Talent & Money in four way ladder match, Chase vs. Matthews with Melissa Coates as the special ref, Tank vs. Judas, and Hawkins & Day & Grissom vs. Sexton & Technicians.

NOTES: Shatter, Judas and Lewis are booked for the 3/17 RAW in Columbia, SC and 3/18 Smackdown in Fayetteville, NC…Shatter will be joined by Bailey as the featured guests on Peach State Pandemonium next Saturday, the morning of Hardcore Hell at 11am…Alternative Pro Wrestling has a major show titled “Spring Break Bash” scheduled for April 18. Attendance has been on the rise since the emergence of Bo Newsome as a top babyface. They drew 88 Friday night, their best house since October…Palmer asked fans to wear red and black next Saturday night in honor of Paul C. Parker. The arena will revert back to being called the NWA Arena after Hardcore Hell.