Wednesday, December 29, 2010

SAW TV Review - 153 by Larry Goodman

----SAW TV report from Larry Goodman.

Showtime All-Star Wrestling
Airing December 17, 2010 on The America One Network
Taped November 13, 2010 at Morton’s Auction House in Columbia, TN


Last Week on SAW…Ryan Genesis defeated Jesse Emerson when the ref caught him delivering a low blow…Tracy Taylor rolled up Nikkii Diamond to retain the SAW Women’s Championship…Derrick King Enterprises retained the SAW Tag Team Championship over Picture Perfect via a title belt to the head of Jon Michael Worthington from King.

Michael Graham opened with the heavy push for “The Fight Before Christmas” featuring Phil Shatter vs. Chase Stevens for the SAW Title. (A DVD release is in the works which will include the title match and footage of Tommy Mercer that cannot be aired on SAW TV.)

Good pop for Black Jack Brown, said to be a big man in these parts. When Brown “fired” his six shooters, Bandana scattered towards the exit.

1 – BLACK JACK BROWN vs. JOHNNY BANDANNA (with Sista O’Feelyah)

Brown overpowered Bandanna. Graham pawned off Brown’s ability to do so, given his seedy physique, to being “country strong”. Brown shrugged off Bandana’s blow, delivered a body slam and pinned him with a lariat.

WINNER: Brown in 2:15.

[Commercial break]

“Your not steppin’ in the ring with some schmo pretending to be a wrestler” “said Shane Williams as he pulled up the strap. “Pal, you’re stepping into the ring with ‘The King. I don’t share the ring with just anybody, Lookie here, Bruiser Brody!” (Brody look alike Jocephus). The camera panned over to a perplexed Derrick King  “Koko B. Ware! The Birdman!’ said Williams.  

You think you’re somebody special. Whoopity Do, You’re nobody. You’re a nothin’. And after I get done with ya, you’ll find out exactly why…I’m the King.” (shot widens to show Williams holding his crown).

Dyanna Dawnn – Up Close and Personal – Dawnn said her first memory of singing as a small child was in church. She reminisced about listening to the Grand Ole Opry every Saturday night with her dad on a battery powered radio. Dawnn talked about going down to the Holiday Inn Express and winning a singing audition with Jimmy Fallon that put her in the semifinals in Branson, Missouri. To be continued next week.  

[Commercial break]

Williams made his regal entrance. Graham said he was a believer that there was a legit mental disturbance in Williamsville. They cut to a replay of the awesome fireball Williams into the face of Arrick Andrews. I can’t recall the last time I saw a fireball that looked this good. Out came Chase Stevens looking like a star. Cut to footage of Tommy Mercer DDTing Stevens into the concrete floor of the Stadium Inn 7 weeks ago. Graham said Tommy Mercer was taking credit for Phil Shatter later beating Stevens for the title. Graham admitted that Mercer had gotten the better of Stevens on several occasions.

[Commercial break]

2 – SHANE WILLIAMS vs. CHASE STEVENS

Monkey business at the start with Stevens trying Shane’s crown on for size. Graham plugged several activities talking place on the SAW website (www.sawonline.tv) -- “The Next Star of SAW” contest, SAW Bikini Team 2011 casting and the Miss SAW contest with the winner to appear in “Standing Down” with Chase Stevens. The extent of the wrestling was a series of reversals on the mat. Williams was having a good old time using the hit and run tactics. 

[Commercial break]

The more Williams stalled and ran his mouth, the more the crowd got behind Stevens. Stevens blasted Williams with a forearm, connected with a high dropkick and applied a nasty armbar. Williams went to the ropes. Williams adopted a boxing stance. Stevens made him into a human punching bag. Williams was lights on and nobody home. Stevens caught Williams with a backcracker. Williams sold for a moment, then scampered over and locked his arms around the legs of referee Kurt Herron. Williams fished around for something in his tights. Stevens clamped on a top wristlock. Williams reversed into a standing armbar. Stevens used a cartwheel to reverse it. Williams neatly reversed into a grounded headscissors.

[Commercial break]

Williams applied the pressure with the headscissors for a full two minutes. Stevens arm dropped once before he summoned a burst of energy to break the hold with a nip up. Stevens took Williams down with arm drag, barred the arm and delivered a short arm clothesline for a two count. Williams used the tights to toss Stevens out to the floor and buy time. As Stevens labored to get back inside the ring, Williams clocked him with the alleged foreign object (Graham was certain he had a chain) and ran his head into the post. Stevens took a Nestea plunge on the concrete.

[Commercial break]

Williams threw Stevens back into the ring and immediately went for the pin. Williams got agitated when Stevens kicked out. Stevens was on jelly legs. Williams pummeled him and pulled the strap up. Out of the blue, Stevens stunned Williams with a dropkick. Wiliams cut off Stevens’ offensive surge with a DDT.
  
[Commercial break]

Williams went up top. Stevens jarred the ropes to crotch Williams on the turnbuckle. Stevens unloaded on Williams with big right hands. Stevens looking for the superplex. Williams shoved him off. Williams kissed his fist before diving off and eating a double boot – a perfectly timed spot. Both men down for a count of nine. Stevens blocked Williams’ punches and took target practice on his face, then a wind up right for the knockdown. Stevens hit the scissors kick for a two count. Williams instinctively fired back with short rights. Stevens used Williams’ momentum against him with a snap powerslam for a near fall. Williams hit a tornado DDT and Stevens grabbed the ropes at two. William momentarily thought it was over. Williams balled up his fist with the (cough) foreign object. Swing and a miss and Stevens with Death From Above (reverse DVD) for the pin.

WINNER: Stevens in 25:30 with Death From Above.

Tommy Mercer hit the ring to brawl with Stevens. The geek squad hit the ring to pull them apart.  Picture Perfect and Derrick King Enterprises got involved and it turned into a three ring circus.  Picture Perfect and DKE battled to the back. Mercer and Stevens repeatedly skirmished as the show ended with Graham plugging “Fight Before Christmas” in 7 days.

Afterthoughts: Viewers that managed to hang in there for the first 45 minutes were richly rewarded, because the last quarter hour was gangbusters. The closing minutes of the main event and that wild and crazy postmatch were just what they needed to be as the go home segment for “Fight Before Christmas”. About time Stevens’ finisher got a name. It was a match that came across much better live. A lot of the little things they did were more suited for the live environment. One glaring flaw -  the fake foreign object was way too obvious. But the big problem was the commercial breaks, which totally destroyed the way the match built and flowed. It now holds the record for most commercial breaks for any match in SAW history, with the obvious exception of the Kash/Lynn match that took up the entire hour. It was 25 minutes of TV time from the start of the introductions to the point where the action picked up. If SAW is going to air a main event of this length, perhaps they can place more of the commercial load in the first half…Well, if somebody on the SAW roster had to be sacrificed at the RTW altar, Bandanna was by far the best man for the job. His selling is so amazing that the match was actually quite tolerable. Graham’s description of Brown as “country strong” was awesome. Who says you can’t polish a turd?…Williams’ promo was a stroke of comic genius. Such a perfect fit for outrageously delusional (or is he?) “King”…The Dyanna Dawnn segment wasn’t nearly as brutal as the first one that aired. She didn’t perform and her singing was a lot more tolerable as background.   


Feedback welcomed – larry@georgiawrestlinghistory.com