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SHOW REPORTS

2008 SHOW REPORTS

June 28, 2008

Prime Time Pro Wrestling from the Manchester Community Building was good times.

It’s an old school show with a light-hearted, whimsical quality to it and not a whole lot of brutality. PTPW has much the same talent base that Independent Wrestling Network used during their recent ill-fated run in Columbus. Owners Billy Roper and Eddie Phillips and booker Randy Harris were all working with IWN until that situation quickly soured.

The Community Building rocks. The auditorium is all hard surfaces, so a naturally loud space, but it also has great acoustics. The heat was good with a relatively mellow crowd of 100. I can only imagine what that place could sound like packed out with 250 or so for a super hot show. Lighting was OK. No AC. At least it had high ceilings.

During the meet & greet before the show, the participants in the title qualifier matches – babyfaces Chris Stevens and Rob Adonis, and bad guys Mr. Hughes and Colt Dillinger - got into a verbal confrontation that verged on getting physical.

Promoter/ring announcer Billy Roper opened the show with a major announcement - PTPW was in the process of finalizing a debut date at the old GCW Arena for July 18. That would make for a double shot weekend, as the return date in Manchester is July 19.

(1) Rod Simmons pinned Adrian Hawkins in 8:10. Good opener. They walked the line of doing enough without doing too much. Rod has more than enough size to emulate Ron, whose hometown is only 75 miles away, but the dude needs to drop weight. Hawkins did a lengthy stall. Like a dick, Hawkins faked a lock up and kicked Simmons in the knee. Simmons came back with a soup bone lariat. At 3:30, Hawkins gave Simmons a running hotshot and worked over the knee. Simmons hit a spinebuster. In a slickly executed spot, Hawkins escaped a choke slam and chop blocked the knee. Moments later, Simmons prevailed with a huge sitout choke slam. Simmons’ power moves had that explosive quality you want to see.

As a result of loss they suffered last week, Southside Trash were required to wrestle in diapers this week. Roper announced that the SST would be out to do autographed photos of them in their diaper get ups during the first intermission.

(2) Southside Trash (Rowdy & Raunchy) beat Jon Davis & El Loco Jr. in 5:39. Highly entertaining. Whoever was behind the SST’s costumes is a wardrobe genius. The diapers were draped over hoops concealed by yellow baby pajamas. They had bibs and bonnets to complete the ensemble. They looked utterly ridiculous and the outfits were lightweight enough that they could wrestle in them. Roper laughed his way through the introductions. They were facing PWTP’s minis. Neither Davis or Loco are over 5-5. Not much to the match, but that wasn’t the point. SST got heat on Loco. Rowdy choked him with his baby bonnet. Finish was Rowdy clubbing the unsuspecting Loco from behind, and Raunchy rolled him up using the ropes. Referee Steve Miller has a nasty habit of making quick counts and he did so here.

(3) Salvatore Rinauro beat Ace Rockwell in 16:28. Rinauro did a more sophisticated version of the stall than Hawkins did in the opener. Rockwell got a pop by using a headstand to pop out of a headscissors. They did a criss-cross comedy routine Rockwell completely outsmarted the hapless Rinauro. That got over with the kids in the crowd. Things got serious when Rinauro suckered Rockwell with a handshake and dropkicked his head into the turnbuckle. Rinauro put on his mean face and worked over Rockwell’s back and neck. He even busted out a bearhug. They did a collision of lariats for the double down, but set it up by running the ropes so it wasn’t the usual run of the mill spot. It was back and forth with big near falls down the stretch. Rockwell did a 100% top rope superplex- the kind with both guys standing on the top rope. Rinauro hit his Pele kick. Rockwell hit his spinebuster, but Rinauro blocked Rockwell’s Ace’s High finisher. Rinauro won it with his corkscrew springboard spin kick, which was known as Pass the Courvoisier back in the day. Excellent match, but laid out as a flashy, show stealer, which made it a tough act for the main events to follow.

(4) Simon Sermon & Thomas Britain beat Ron Stalker & Dustin Powers in 11:20. Match had heat a plenty. Powers’ look is too heelish, but the people are into Stalker and love to hate the limeys, so not a problem. Sermon was the focal point. That was a good thing, because the babyface team is pretty green. Sermon got a major “Simon sucks” chant. Stalker and Powers controlled until Sermon hit a back suplex on Stalker. Sermon choked Stalker with the British flag. Stalker got hung in the tree of woe and Sermon stomped on his man region. Sermon hit a guillotine legdrop for a near fall. DDT by Stalker. Hot tag to Powers for a series of horrible looking lariats. Britain made a save after Powers nailed Sermon with a high boot. Stalker dumped Britain and they started fighting at ringside. Finish saw Powers try to suplex Sermon from the apron to the inside. Meanwhile, Britain posted Stalker, grabbed Powers’ by the leg and held on for dear life. Sermon landed on top of Powers for the pin.

Sermon said they had a Fourth of July present for the fans. Britain brought a trash barrel into the ring. They pulled a bunch of trash out of the barrel, including an SST t-shirt. Finally, they fished out an American flag. Sermon squirted lighter fluid all over the flag and the SST t-shirt. Just as Sermon was about to light up the contents of the barrel, SST hit the ring. Rowdy said that ain’t happening and threatened to kick the Britisher’s tails all the way to England. Raunchy put the t-shirt on, and it appeared that SST was content to leave it at that. But before Sermon could set the flag on fire, Raunchy said, “you sure won’t burn this” and rescued it as well. The Britons jumped SST and beat them to a pulp. Sermon squirted lighter fluid on them. Miller ran out to help. The fans popped when Sermon chased him away. That was weird. The heels choked out SST with the American flag and left them laying. The crowd chanted “Southside Trash” as SST was helped to the back. Strong angle. They did everything possible to conjure up the image of the flag burning without actually burning it.

(5) Hayden Young beat Truitt Fields in 13:39. Fields worked heel. He used his ripped physique to good advantage doing an arrogant Rick Rude style deal with lots of posing. Young got more of a pop with his outrageous Mohawk than Rockwell did earlier with a more traditional babyface look. That was interesting because the crowd didn’t know either one of them. Fields was being real mouthy, and it worked quite well for him. There was an exchange where Fields kept pulling Young down by his Mohawk, and each time, Young would nip up. Young had Fields reeling with a series of high impact moves, but Fields pulled the ropes down on him. Some really nice hope spots in this match – when Young went for his corner leg lariat, Fields countered by suplexing him on his head. Young tried to come off the top, and Fields caught him with an overhead belly to belly suplex, then used a squatting cover. Young laced Fields with spinwheel kick to start his comeback. Fields blocked a huracanrana and tried for a powerbomb, but Young escaped and hit a spinning enzuigiri. Fields answered with a dragon suplex for a near fall. Fields perched Young up top. Young fought him off and hit an awesome Flying Squirrel for the pin. Another tough act to follow.

SST came out before the second intermission. Raunchy demanded a match with Sermon & Britian for July 19. Roper and Commissioner Eddie Phillips gave it their seal of approval. Roper said the intermission would be only 8 minutes because they were running long, and they actually held to it.

(6) Chris Stevens beat Mr. Hughes with an impromptu no DQ stip to advance to the PWTP Championship match (11:56). Stevens didn’t the kind of pop he gets in Columbus. He could be heard saying the fans were tired. Hughes is in phenomenal shape. He’s keeping his weight way down and moving well. Hughes asked for a no DQ match. Stevens said fine with him. Hughes took a bump to the floor after absorbing a back elbow. His fiendish plan unfolded as he flashed a chain. Hughes cheated on the break and hit a backbreaker. He used the chain on Stevens’ back. They jabbed each other with a chair at ringside. Hughes also used a bearhug. Stevens started the turnaround with a skin-the-cat. He softened Hughes up and came off the top with a sunset flip. Hughes tried to punch Stevens with the chain. He missed. Stevens used a low blow to separate Hughes from the chain. Stevens clocked Hughes with the chain. Hughes was out on his feet. Stevens blew on him. Hughes toppled over and Stevens covered. Ridiculous finish but what the hell, we already had guys wrestling in diapers so why not?

Hughes complained that it was no DQ but “I didn’t say nuthin’ about cheatin’.” Hughes promised to beat the stinking white off of Stevens the next time.

(7) Colt Derringer beat Rob Adonis in 9:20 to advance to the PWTP Championship match. Derringer does the rough-and-tumble Texan gimmick with the bullrope. He was billed at 350 and looked every bit of it. He called the fans redneck idiots. The crowd popped as Adonis came out to “The Final Countdown.” Great entrance music but I only want to hear it for Danielson. Derringer called the fans redneck idiots. A bad case of pot calling kettle black there. Two big men so this was slower-paced. Early on, all that bad karma came home to roost, as Derringer ended up collapsing in a heap at ringside. Adonis suplexed him back to the inside, but Derringer took over with a spinning neckbreaker from a DDT position. Adonis, all 290 of him, went for a high crossbody, and got planted with a front slam. Derringer hit a huge pumphandle powerbomb and went for the heart punch. Adonis blocked it. Adonis with an enzuigiri. Rob is Mr. Agile tonight. Adonis hit a spinebuster slam and went to the top. Rinauro ran down and tried to dump Adonis. Adonis fought him off, but the interference gave Derringer a chance to recover, and he was waiting with the heart punch.

Here’s a link to Terry Hallman’s photos of last night’s show.

NOTES: PTPW returns on July 19 with Stevens vs. Derringer to crown the first PTPW Champion and Southside Trash vs. Sermon & Britain…Manchester is located in one of the more picturesque area of the state, just a few miles down the road from an underappreciated piece of Georgia’s cultural heritage, FDR’s Little White House and the Rehabilitation Institute that bears his name… The old gas station kitty corner to the venue still had a sign advertising premium at $1.94.