----As I arrived at Ripley Park, one of the strangest things I ever seen was on a stage performing. Dustin Starr was performing without his shirt on with a band the song “Higher” by Creed. Starr is suppose to be posting this on his site and will post it here also. [BTW, go to Starr’s site – the two latest BLOG entries are worth a read.] And, as I got out of the car I was informed that the show was outside at the park!! WTF!! I didn’t even realize that and I did two weeks of TV with them. I knew it was going to be at the park, but outside?? GAWD!! I hate the outside!! LOL
----It was a nice set up, but it was hot as hell for the first few bouts until the sun went down. The ring was set up in the middle of a softball field with bleachers and chairs. I only stood in the ring at the front of the show and threw out three free DVDs, but got yelled at during the National Anthem for not removing my cap – “Hey fat boy – take off your cap!!”
----“Rhythm & Blues” [Ike Tucker/Brian Steele] beat Tommy Redneck/J.Weezy with Richard Marx. Heat was on Steele – hot tag to Tucker. They ended with their finisher “chartbuster” on Weezy for the pin. Nothing wrong with the bout – fans were not into much it yet, because it was so hot outside. [*1/2]
----Rude pinned Shawn Williams using a TKO to win a 5-Way Match involving Gaylon Ray, Shannon Lee and Precious. This was a total clusterfuck. This was easily the worst match I have ever seen Rude in. I would have taken a tag match with Rude/Lee vs Shawn/Ray over this any day of the week. None of the guys really looked bad – the match was just bad. [1/2*]
----“Genocide” [Albino Rhino/Maxx Corbin] with Richard Marx beat Dell Tucker/Chris Lexx to become the new TLCW Tag Team Champions. Great psychology. Heat was on Tucker [who had new tights made by Tatt2]. Hot tag to Lexx. Lexx did a dropkick from the top rope during the comeback. Geno ended it with the H-Bomb on Lexx for win and titles. They kept beating up Lexx/Tucker when R&B come out to make the save. Steele did a guitar shot on Corbin. [**1/2]
----“Cruzin 4 Pain” [187/Motley Cruz] with Tasha Simone beat “East Coast Bad Boys” [Serpent/C-Money]. Good psychology with heat on 187. Not the level of the bout I seen earlier this year at NBW between the two teams. This was much shorter and a little cluster after the hot tag to Cruz. C4P did a double team finisher on ECBB for the win. After the match Tasha was in the ring holding up C4Ps’ hands, when she gave both of them a nut shot turning on them and leaving with ECBB. 187 did a mic spill. Cruz said nothing. [**1/2]
----“Extreme Title” Match [Cruiserweight Title/Hardcore Title] Match: Rockin’ Randy beat Seth Knight. Not at the level I have seen either of these guys. They used the ladder in the ring for a couple of nasty bumps, but seem to not have the “zest” that they could have had just as a normal title match. Randy pinned him using the ropes, which in a bout like this you need a clean finish. [**]
----“The Savior” Jon Michael’s debut was here after the bout doing a big mic spill and destroying Seth Knight. He didn’t have much of a different look, which would have helped, but did real good on the interview. He did a Razor’s Edge on Knight – think about it – it goes with the new gimmick. Michael got lots of cheers, but more boos as he left. He said on the mic that in TLCW, “I am God!!!” Great skit – look forward to seeing what they do with the new gimmick.
----TLCW Title Match: “The Golden Boy” Greg Anthony beat Jerry “The King” Lawler by DQ to retain the belt. This was a real good bout with old time psychology and Lawler bumping real good for TGB. Shine spots with Lawler getting the best of TGB with a series of punches here and there and everywhere. Heat started with TGB using a chain on Lawler and Lawler taking a big bump out of it. Hope spot had Lawler coming out of heat, but TGB hit again with the chain for another big bump. Finish had Lawler pull do his strap, a ref bump with TGB going to hit Lawler with the chain again and Lawler grabbing the chain and slugging TGB. Lawler put the chain under his arm with ref Bill Rush getting up just in time for Lawler to pin TGB. When Rush raised Lawler’s arm, then the chain fell out and Lawler got the DQ. Isn’t that a heel finish?? [*** 1/2]
----Dustin Starr beat Tim Grind by DQ. A good bout and the crowd were into it. Tim Grind is over – he got a huge pop. Starr came out wearing a white batting glove on his right hand and doing the “5-starr” hand motion. Nice touch. Everything looked real solid, but at times looked too planned. It was a real good match though with the heat up, but a shitty finish with Grind using a chair and getting DQ’ed. Both guys are WWE development material and both have the “look” and have “it”. [***1/2]
----Ripley Street Fight: “Hot Topic” [Derrick King/Stan Lee] vs “The Posse” [Simon Reed/Lil Chris] ended in a double DQ. Ok, aside from the shitty finish, this was probably the best bout I have seen live this year. It would be hard to explain everything that happened in the bout, but it featured the following and more: Lee did at least three dives, DK took a trashcan lid baseball bat shot to the nuts from Chris, Chris took a brainbuster to a chair from Lee bending the chair, Simon was “on” doing a few variations of powerbombs that I thought had killed the other guys, fighting all the way to fence where DK took a crazy bump into the fence, a double superkick on Chris that popped his head, everything was SO STIFF and much more. Crowd was so into the bout it was scary. They had sat there for almost 3 hours and this was the match they wanted to see. There were babies in the crowd crying when the Posse was getting beat up. The crowd was at one time chanting back and forth – “Hot Topic!! Posse!!” And, Stan Lee did a beautiful SHOOTING STAR PRESS!!! Ref Tavian Hart ruled DDQ because both teams had hit him. [****1/4]
----Notes: I would guess 210 in the crowd with a gate close to $2310…R&B are totally over with the crowd…Albino Rhino looked more impressive this time than Maxx Corbin and I usually say the opposite. If done right down the line, these guys are going to do good in a feud vs each other and then as a babyface team. Rhino should be the baby…Crowd was in total silence after the Simone turn on C4P…”Rockin Randy had new gear and it looked good on him. He looks like a legit wrestler now. He is also home grown TLCW talent that has been MADE by great booking and total improvement in the ring. They need to combo those belts and just let him carry one belt out…Before Lawler went to wrestle TGB, I said “Just think you are at MSG Monday night.” Lawler looked at me and said, “What do you mean?” and then he started laughing and said, “Yea Ripley, TN to MSG.” When he walked around the ring before the bout, he shook a lot of hands and the final person he walked over to he said, “I will be at MSG Monday night!” LOL…The guys that were yelling at me about my cap tried to fight me during intermission. I was going to take on all three of them, until J.Weey grabbed my arm and I cooled off. Yea, I could just see me getting pulled off the field into a cop car for fighting with marks…SEW promoter and TLCW referee Lammarus Brooks really needs training to be a ref!!! …Starr announced before their bout that he had got rid of Chris O’Neal…The last three bout would have been maybe a ½ star better if they would have had clean finishes. Lawler bout probably couldn’t have had a clean finish. Grind/Starr I was told it was because was the just the start of their feud. And, the Posse/Hot Topic bout was to set up a “Ripley Death Match” for this Saturday night, even though all four guys and the ref didn’t have a finish going into the bout…Thanks to cast and crew of TLCW. I had a great time and they put on a good show. Special thanks to guys around me Mark, Dustin [not Starr], “Koko” and SEW announcer – we all had a great time.
