Saturday, March 01, 2008

Arena Report: LAW "Leap of Faith" Rector, AR 2.29.08

----Flash Flanagan beat Mark Sterling in a good solid bout. This was probably the best “wrestling” match on the show, but not the best bout. Some blotched spots, but nothing major. Sterling has improved tons since the last time I seen him – which was his rookie year. Sterling looked great coming out of heat with a monkey flip and suplex. He went for what looked like a moonsault with Flash cutting him off and him landing in the “tree of woe”. Flash finished him off with the stomp to the face from the top rope. Flash used the ropes for the pin. [**3/4]

----The announcer Koko brought me into the ring to talk about the “Yearbook 2007”. So, can you smell an angle?? LOL Jeff O’Dell/Idol Bane [pictured] walked out. O’Dell mentioned how he was upset his pic was not in the book and that Brian Thompson’s pic was in it. [for shoot] He then grabbed the book and gave it to Bane. Bane looked at it a bit and then tore it up into pieces. I went to grab O’Dell, and then Bane pulled me around to put the “Ghost of Andy Kaufman” [GOAK] on me, when Derrick King ran in for the save with a superkick. I even bumped and was told I bumped right. LOL

----Rebecca Raze beat Angelina. Not good. Angelina’s first match, so I will not spend time going over how bad it was. Raze is better and showed a few good moves, but didn’t have much to work with. Angelina has a long way to go, but seem to have a good attitude. She knew it was bad. [DUD]

----Sergeant Savage beat AJ Williams. Not good. Heel was AJ and he got babyface shine at the start. Savage seems to be learning a little. AJ took a backdrop bump and he landed on his neck on the ropes. I thought he had broken his neck. Psychology was ok when AJ started the heat, but gave Savage nothing after that until the finish. Finish had AJ miss a 450 splash and Savage pin him. [*] – for splash.

----“The Aslyum” [Pappy/Psycho] beat The King Brothers. Solid bout with good psychology. King Brothers looked like the Samoa Joe brothers. LOL They need a lot of work and need to use their size even in matches with a big guy like Psycho. They did a double team move as the heat start [heat spot took three tries] that looked really good with one doing a step over ankle with the other one doing a senton. Asylum got a HUGE pop. Heat on Pappy with hot tag to Psycho. Finish had Asylum use a new finisher with Pappy doing a Samoan drop and Psycho doing a flying headbutt at the same time, then they both grabbed a leg for the pin. [**1/2]

----Derrick King beat Idol Bane in a “Last Standing” Match. This was Bane’s biggest profile bout of his career and he shined. Just a crazy brawl with DK taking him slamming him all over the place and throwing a trash can hitting him in the head. Crowd was into it. Rules had after pinned, the guy pinned had to the 10 count to get up. DK took the first pin after the “Ghost of Andy Kaufman”. They went back and forth with everything. DK hit three superkicks before putting Bane down for the count. After the bout Bane did three more GOAKs on DK leaving him lying. Bane loses, but leaves with heat and easily the top heel here from crowd reaction. [***3/4]

----“The Golden Boy” Greg Anthony beat Brandon Espinosa in a Ladder Match. Good match. TGB made it clear that he had never lost a ladder match and he was “King of the Ladder Match”, which in normal world of wrestling booking means he is going to lose. Some really crazy spots with Espinosa taking the first one doing a frog splash from a 20 foot ladder missing hitting all ladder into the ring. Crowd was chanting “No Fear!!” This bout, even though a ladder match, had perfect psychology with TGB getting heat and Espinosa fighting back. Espinosa was put between two ladders and TGB did a splash on him. They also did a double “wham” spot where both got hit with two different ends of the ladder which looked good. O’Dell tried to interfere, but DK ran him off. O’Dell looks scared to death. [a shoot]. Bane came out and did a GOAK on Brandon, but it did not put him out. Finish had two ladders set up and both going up for the belt. Punches looked real weak here. TGB fell off the ladder, Brandon did a frog splash on TGB, instead of just reaching for the belt and wining the bout. Another GOAK from Bane and then Bane put TGB on his shoulders pushing him up the ladder to get the belt for the win. [***1/2]

NOTES

----60 to 70 in the crowd – a very loud hot crowd…Flash/Mark did a lot of stalling psychology at the start to get the fans into it, but not my “cup of tea” – nothing wrong, but I just wanted to see these guys work!! They hate Flash here…I told O’Dell to tell the crowd who got him in the business. Trivia – Brian Thompson sent him to me to do ring announcing one night for CCW and he has been a part of wrestling ever since. Sorry folks…The book that Bane ripped up was a “proof” that the publishers sent to me to correct the mistakes…AJ was talking about how horrible a worker John Cena was backstage. LOL Someone give this guy a mirror… King Brothers worked in the early stages of LAW as Knox Brothers. I did not remember them….They did an angle after DK got laid out where all the fans get in for $2 next week and if they draw 100 “DK fans”, then they will let everyone in for $2 next week…Should have been some blood in the last two matches… The ladder match was not as good as expected – should have been a title change to put Brandon over…Even though they are over with me, too many GOAKs!!...Thanks to cast and crew for their help with the book sales and just a good time backstage.

Photo by KC