There were nine matches, of which there were several screwy finishes. AWE are going to have to be careful not to put off fans with this booking tactic. The wrestlers are world-class, they just need to make sure there is a conclusion more often.
It was great to see some new champions crowned, as it will to see how the story lines progress on Tuesday Nights on RiOT! AWE remains, for us, to be an intriguing storyteller. Roll on Tuesday Nights!
Saturday April 25th 2020: Supreme Championship Wrestling returned to our screens, with its first Pay-per-view (PPV) in nine years. A packed Chamberlain Hall crowd witnessed the rebirth of the promotion and what a show they got. There were eight matches in total.
Opening Match: CHRISTIAN BENNETT vs EVAN LeBODY
The opening match was a homecoming for SCW original Christian Bennett. A partisan crowd sang along to his theme tune and oléyed him when he hit multiple suplexes or clotheslines. Evan LeBody was incensed by the crowd not giving him the same adulation, taking time out twice to walk around the ring and berate fans. Bennett is all business though, and pummelled LeBody with lariats and slams, setting him up for a ‘Drive-By DDT’ and the pinfall. Winner: Christian Bennett (Rating : 3 out of 5)
Match 2: BALTHAZAR vs MATT BLACK
GPPW regular Balthazar took on Eborian journeyman Matt Black in the second bout. Black started off by taking veteran shortcuts to slow things down and put Balthazar off his game. The Réishan is no novice, though, returning the favour by matching thumbs to the eyes and taunting, before picking up the tempo with a barrage of offence.
Black stuttered and tried to take another time out, but was caught and suplexed back into the ring. Balthazar then hit a Death-Driver for a near fall. Black almost stole it with a role up, but walked into one himself and lost the match. Winner: Balthazar (Rating: 3.5)
Balthazar rolls up Black
Balthazar celebrates!
Match 3: Three-Way RYAN FURY vs HIRO vs LEO HUSTLE
In an unannounced match, a three-way matchup was next. Ryan Fury and Leo Hustle provided many high spots and brutal kicks. Hiro, though, on this night, was a cut above them, pinning Fury after Hustle had been thrown outside and attacked.
Hiro pins Fury
Match 4: PAULA LAWLESS vs VANESSA BROOKS
In the first women’s match of the restart, Paul Lawless took on the spiteful and arrogant Vanessa Brooks. Lawless was the clear babyface in this encounter and was cheered on by the SCW faithful. Brooks tried to sneak out the wins by pulling tights and using the ropes, but could not get one over on Lawless. Lawless rolled up Brooks for the win. Winner Paula Lawless (Rating: 3)
Match 5; METAMANIACS vs ZARTHAN & HATHEON DROSA
Mike and Jeff, the Metamaniacs, took on the Réishan stars of Zarthan and Hatheon Drosa- former GPPW Tag Team Champions in the initial tag match.
This was a short match, which the official had difficulty maintaining order. Both teams frequently double-teamed their opponents and it was at times akin to a tornado match. The Meta men won by pinfall, following their ‘Meta-four’ manoeuvre. Winners: The MetaManiacs (Rating: 4)
Match 6: STREETFIGHT- TAMU vs KRYTUS
A wild brawl from the get-go, this one! Tamu and Krytus battered each other for nearly twenty minutes in a hard-hitting streetfight.
Tamu DDTs Krytus
Tamu about to dive
Krytus locks up Tamu
Tamu thought he’d got the win following a vicious DDT on the mats outside, but Krytus was not done. The hard-headed Réishan came back with a superplex and a powerslam for near falls, before the weapons came out. Both men used Kendo sticks and chairs and tables. Krytus finally got the pinfall, when he smacked Tamu with a chair and then executed a face-buster onto the chair for the fall. Winner: Krytus (Rating: 4)
Match 7: BENJAMIN WAUGH vs ‘THE ACE’ DANNY AUSTEN
The up and coming superstar against the flashy established performer. This match started off with Waugh taking an initial advantage and wearing down Austen with shoulder takedowns and armlocks. Waugh also worked on Austen’s back for a few minutes before Austen could make a comeback.
Waugh readys a piledriver
Austen gets a neckbreaker
The Ace, is so-called because he excels at the art of wrestling. He put the match right back into his favour with well-timed knee strikes, a toss out and dive to the outside. From there, The Ace looked to wear down the youngster with backbreakers and stretches. When Waugh looked tired, The Ace went for the kill. Climbing the top turnbuckle, Austen went for a spinning moonsault, but met Benjamin’s knees to the face instead. Waugh then hit a ton of suplexes and other power moves. Going for a big power slam, Waugh got caught with the amazing spinning cutter from Austen. That was it.
Austen pins Waugh following the spinning cutter.
Winner: ‘The Ace’ Danny Austen (Rating 4.5)
Main Event: DRAKE ALPHA vs CESAR MORGAN
The main event was a matchup between the shoot wrestler and the roughneck villain, with the two putting on a 33 minute classic. Cesar Morgan has impressed in his time in Eboria and Réisha, the Texas native has made himself very much at home. With his methodical pace, he took the lead in this encounter. Alpha, akin to a young Kurt Angle, is a wrestling machine. The two went back and forth, taking turns with holds and moves to break each other down. Morgan came close with two counts following a superplex and falcon arrow combo, a modified RKO and small package. Alpha came close from multiple German suplexes, Judo throws and legsweeps and backbreakers.
Drake Alpha enters
Morgan strikes Drake
Morgan goes to Suplexvillle
The two were tiring, as the pace slowed down at the 25 minute mark. Both men missed dives from the top rope as they appeared to be faltering. After Alpha escaped a neckbreaker attempt from Morgan, he hit a devilish piledriver for near fall. With Morgan in rubber-leg city, Alpha hit a spinebuster and set up for the Alpha-lock (STF). The Texan would not quit, finally managing to escape and hit a cutter for a near fall. Drake Alpha wouldn’t give up either and went back to the Alpha-lock. Morgan couldn’t escape this time and eventually tapped out. A tremendous match.
Alpha stretches our Cesar, for the submission win.
Winner: Drake Alpha (Rating 4.75)
Alpha celebrates his great victory.
It was a great night of action, but with these ‘cold’ pairings, it’s not clear at this stage what kind of feuds or rivalries will be forming (other than in the spirit of competition). We will have to wait and see!
AWE’s MuscleMania show headlined the festival of the same name, to much acclaim yesterday. (full story here https://wp.me/p6Tbil-4K)
Here’s the rundown of the top two matches:
8 Main
Event #1 AWE Championship- Chris
Cruz beat Koji Takada (C) and Ryan Sherlock
The first headline match was for the AWE Championship. Champions Koji Takada, who had beaten Sherlock for the title with Cruz’s help, was now defending his belt against both men at the same time. Cruz had gotten his opportunity by winning the Smashmouth Scrumble match in March.
The match was an intriguing encounter, as Sherlock has a beef with
both men, whilst the infighting in the Suplex N’ Chill camp, brought
on by Cruz helping Koji for the win and Koji stating that he didn’t
need the help and that he was the MVP of the group. Cruz has never
pinned Sherlock in a one-on-one bout.
A back-and-forth encounter between the three supreme athletes
featured an exhibition, almost an encyclopedia of wrestling moves and
counters. In particular, there were some downright evil looking
suplexex by all three participants. Sherlock got three very, very
near falls but got interrupted at the last split-second. Koji also
was close several times.
The conclusion to the bout came when Sherlock had just superplexed
Takada. Cruz, quickly rolled Takada out of the ring and applied the
Cruz Control facebuster for the decisive count. Cruz took Takada’s
belt and the bragginf rights for his stable. Will Koji Takada be
happy to play second fiddle again? What does this mean for Ryan
Sherlock? This story looks like it still has a lot of legs to it.
In the second main event of the show, the AWE legend Doc Donnelly
returned against the veteran headliner from the Southern Atlantic
island of Réisha- Mayas Shakona. It was announced that this match
was to be contested under the old ‘RiOT! Rules’ of the RiOT! TV show
from 2004-2007 (basically- no dq, no count out.).
The two stared down one another at the start, following up with an
old fashioned approach of some test-of strength challenges. Both men
matched each other, until Donnelly broke out of a hold and started
laetting his fists do his talking. Both men rallied against each
other with punches, kicks, stops and chops – much to the delight of
the fans. They rolled out to the floor and also then in amongst the
fans, with Donnelly reversing a piledriver attempt into a back drop.
This bout had emotion, with the fans clearly, very vocally siding
with Donnelly. Shakona was incensed by this and played up to the
crowd every opportunity that he got. This didn’t help the Réishan
though, as twice this led to Doc making a comeback.
After both had gone close with near falls, the action spilled once
more to the floor, where Shakona hit Donnelly with the timekeeper’s
bell and a couple of chair shots to the back. Donnelly squirmed
around on the floor as Shakona set up the announcer’s table. Doc
managed to reverse a powerbomb attempt into a ‘Doc Dropper’ (a DDP
style cutter) through the table. The crowd loved it.
Eventually, the two made it back to the ring, with Shakona holding a
chair. Shakona had a swing and a miss as Donnelly ducked and turned
his foe round to walk in another Doc Dropper for the pinfall victory.
A loud crowd clearly enjoyed the evening’s finale.
AWE’s annual show at the MuscleMania festival extravaganza, , begins on Sunday 2nd June 2019. Headed by a double-main event and backed by some intriguing matchups.
DOUBLE MAIN EVENT: Part One
AWE Championship: Koji Takada (C) v Chris Cruz v Ryan Sherlock
In the first main event matchup , Koji Takada defends against Ryan Sherlock, whom he defeated for the title last July, and against the leader of his faction, Chris Cruz. Cruz won the Scrumble in Match to book his place here.
Sherlock is now healthy and will be a favourite, as the in-fighting amongst the Suplex N’ Chill stablemates is sure to slow them down. Takada has even hinted at a power play to take control of the group. Sherlock hold great credentials to become a two-time champion, Takada has shown mettle since holding the strap. So, it is on Cruz that the mystery lies. Which version will turn up on Sunday? The aloof, passive-aggressive – whatever figure, or the focused and sometimes downright evil schemer? We will have to wait and see!
MAIN EVENT Part two: Legends Return!
DOC DONNELY vs MAYAS SHAKONA
AWE Legend takes on international legend Mayas Shakona in a feud that came out of nowhere! Three weeks ago, Donnelly was present at RiOT! on tv, when he got up to leave his seat at the booth, he was blindsided by Shakona. Shakona, went on a rampage, letting a sea of rage unfurl on the Doc.
The following week, Shakona explained his actions, stating that Donnelly likes to think he’s a legend, but having never faced me, he is a fraud, a phoney, an imposter. On he ranted, before Donnelly came down to ringside and proceeded to battle with the Réishan legend. The two had to be separated by a team of wrestlers and security. The next week the challenge was made and accepted. One more time, Doc returns to the ring.
TKO CHAMPIONSHIP: KYMU (C) v Ed Wolfe
Kymu and Ed Wolfe will square off for the AWE TKO Championship, the MMA style title, where pin falls do no count and the match ends on submission or a TKO only.
Kymu is a four time champion and has one of the biggest resumés of TKO matches- whilst Wolfe is no slouch either. This is going to be one for the heavy hitters! Neither man is prone to submitting, so it is going to be a painful stretch-off.
LAST MAN STANDING: Phoenix Rysing v Rogue Soldier
FOr six years, the former Pyramid members have battled for and against each other (with Sirius Payne). When Phoenix was laid out cold following the Scrumble elimination, Rogue Soldier placed Phoenix on a gurney and smashed hime into an ambulance door, before locking him in the back and driving off. His aim was to end the Rysing then and there. The Phoenix however, resurrects and renews, and Phoenix did just that. Having got his revenge on successive editions of RiOT! the Commissioner decided the onyl route to go was a last man standing match at MuscleMania.
OTHER MATCHES:
Tag Team Championship: The Disorder-Obsidion & Noah Mercy (C) v The Steampunks
XL Championship: Joey Dizzle (C) v TBC
Shot in the Dark Challenge: Deon Dynamite, Justin Zayne, KENSO, Connor Dickey Junior, Dragan Mirkovic, Zack Shadow
AWE Women’s Championship Three-Way Dance: Jess Devine (C) v Bella Donna Pasquale (BDP) v Lisa-Jay Loco
Women’s Free for All (Six-way)- TBC
8-Man Tag Match: Buck Naylor, Christian Bennett, TBC v Adam Bong & Codie Stoner, Christopher Douglas, Theos Varasa
USN ~ The Ultimate Sports Network 