Great Championship Wrestling returned to action in Phoenix City, Alabama at the Gr8 Sk8 Plex.
It was a good show, and a vast improvement over the debacle I saw seven weeks ago after GCW first made the switch back to Saturdays. Only five matches, but they can get away with it so long as they have sufficient content, and there was more than enough last night.
Attendance was 100 with tickets priced at $12 and $15. They’ve been averaging a little better than that, maybe 125. The crowd was on the dead side with a few exceptions. As heavyweight champion, Scotty Beach was the only babyface that got a significant entrance pop. Quentin Michaels gets mega heat as the leader of Michaels Inc, the top heel group that has fallen on hard times.
Ring announcer Billy Roper reminded fans that Deathrow was barred from the building.
(1) Frankie Valentine & Jonathan Davis beat Reuben James & Randall Johnson in 8:51. Cruiserweight action. Johnson is no giant and he was the biggest guy in there. It’s the norm for Valentine to get a nose bleed, but it didn’t happen here. It was mostly Davis and James. Davis was tenacious with the armbar in the early going. The action picked up with Davis pulling out a sit spin huracanrana, and James coming right back with a fireman’s carry gutbuster followed up with a lariat for a two count. Davis took the heat. Johnson used a swank modified Gori Special. James used a springboard back elbow and a northern lights suplex for near falls. Davis scored with a tornado DDT to set up the hot tag. Valentine pinned James with a step up leg drop. There were a few spots that didn’t look very convincing, but overall a pretty good opener.
After the match, Deathrow made a trance-like entrance and left all four of them laying in his wake. The sheriff arrested Deathrow and he was escorted up the ramp by the intern. Either I was hallucinating or the intern had him in a hammerlock. I think the AMA would disapprove.
Quentin Michaels Esquire came out to address the crowd. They didn't want to hear from the man they call "weasel." Michaels told Roper he was wearing the ugliest bowling shoes ever. “Burn them.” Michaels said that as the leader and CEO of Michaels Inc., he was putting an end to the bitching and moaning by Johnny Swinger and Bull Buchanan. That brought Swinger out. Swinger got in Michaels’ face and accused him of poisoning Buchanan’s “pea brain." Swinger blamed Michaels for costing him the GCW Heavyweight Title. Michaels said it wasn’t his fault. Swinger said he didn’t need Michaels and could make better use of the 15% he was paying him. Swinger told Michaels to get out of the ring or he would drop him with his finisher. “And your shoes stink, too…Bull Buchanan, you’re going to be a casualty of the pathetic group known as Michaels Incorporated.” Both were really strong here. An excellent segment.
(2) Thug Row beat Amien Rios in 4:07. Thug is a Shad Gaspard (Cryme Tyme) knockoff. Horrible name. Thug has the size and the physique. Question is: can he wrestle? Thug ordered Rios to kiss his boot and then sucker punched him. The top turnbuckle came apart when Thug whipped Rios in, which certainly didn’t hurt the intended image of a thug to be reckoned with. Thug refused to allow the pin after a big bodyslam. Rios came to life with a lucha style sit spin on the ropes and got a two count with a springboard roundhouse. Rios ducked a high boot, but Thug caught him with a modified uranage for the pin.
A promo by A. J. Steele was shown on the video screen. The former GCW Tag Team and Heavyweight Champion said he was coming after Deathrow. “I’m the monster.”
Next up was a video promo by Luke Robinson Michaels, the alleged son of Quentin Michaels. Younger brother would be more like it. Michaels said that unlike Scotty Beach, the last seven months in the life of LRM had been no paradise. LRM said he was going to take Beach’s title and was willing to do anything to regain his father’s good graces.
(3) David Young beat Johnny Swinger in 13:50. Almost no pop at all for Young, a two-time GCW Heavyweight Champion and five time tag team champion. What’s up with that? They did a comedy bit where Swinger hit referee Jeff McGowan on the sly and blamed Young. Young then tricked Swinger into blatantly hitting McGowan, who really shows authority for such a young ref. His dad taught him well. With Swinger in control, Michaels sauntered down to ringside. Swinger was not happy to see him. Swinger kept cutting off Young’s comebacks. There was a mild “David” chant. Young took a flying crotch bump on the middle turnbuckle. Swinger went for a pin with his feet all over the ropes, but McGowan was wise to it. Young fired back with chops and hit a back suplex for a double down spot. They collided midring. Swinger came off the top and did a flip bump when Young socked him in the gut. Young gave Swinger the 10 punches. Seeing Swinger in trouble, Michaels tried to hand him his shoe. The distraction allowed Young roll Swinger up for the three count. Swinger got in a heated argument with Michaels.
The perverse comedy moment of the evening occurred during the previous match when a ringside fan did a spastic dance for Chuck, who is the official ring inspector and also has a developmental disabilty. You’re not going to see stuff like that except at a pro wrestling show.
A promo by Scotty Beach was shown on the video screen. “Everything’s beachy in paradise,” said Beach, who comes across about as babyface as the Miz. The slacker beachboy thing comes across more arrogant than cool, and that annoying laugh only makes matters worse.
(4) Chris Stevens beat Bull Buchanan in 13:02. This was the best match I saw this weekend. Both men had their works shoes on. You had two big guys that can really go and like it stiff. Just a modest respect pop for Stevens. Hot start. They traded blows with Stevens seated on the top turnbuckle until Stevens took a bump over the top. Stevens got on the mic and told Buchanan to bring it. They brawled on the floor. Buchanan posted Stevens. Once inside the ring, it was all Buchanan. Michaels showed up at ringside again. Buchanan said he didn’t want him either. Buchanan hit a big running powerslam. But Stevens kicked out and Buchanan was getting frustrated. Stevens countered another powerslam attempt with a roll up. Buchanan locked in a claw hold. Stevens’ arm dropped twice. Then, he brought it up for a low blow. Stevens dazed Buchanan with a shoulder block. A springboard shoulder block put Buchanan down for a two count. Buchanan tried for his finisher, the claw slam, but couldn’t get it. Buchanan leveled Stevens with a high boot. The presence of Swinger at ringside distracted Buchanan. Swinger snapped Buchanan’s neck off the top rope and Stevens hit a flying neckbreaker for the pin. Great execution on the finish.
Michaels yelled at Swinger. Buchanan told Swinger that when he comes at him, he comes hard and fast and in his face. He challenged Swinger to a match next week. Buchanan turned his attention to Michaels. He said Michaels had been straddling the fence and it was time to make up your mind. Buchanan said Michaels would be the special ref and if he balked, there was a lady (owner Diane Hewes) who would gladly to sign it. Michaels said Buchanan wouldn’t be happy until it all crumbled. Michaels said OK, but he was calling it right down the middle, so it would be all Bull’s fault if he lost. They’ve done a nice job with the storyline around the dissension within Michaels Inc. This would have made a sweet television segment with close up shots of Stevens, Buchanan, Swinger and Michaels. It cried for a commissioner (what happened to Bo Oates?) or if not, then Hewes to order the special ref stipulation rather than Buchanan.
On the video screen, we saw the intern laid out in the back.
(5) In a fatal four-way for the GCW Heavyweight Title, Luke Robinson Michaels beat Scotty Beach and Shaun Banks and A. J. Steele in a fatal four way via DQ. Beach retained the title. (18:35) Good match, especially the closing minutes. It was only match that had sustained heat. The kids are into Beach. Worked mostly as a tag match with Steele joining forces with Beach, and Banks and LRM on the heel side. It was my first chance to see LRM in action. He did a lot of comedy stuff. I couldn’t tell a whole lot about his wrestling. Banks, the Columbus Champion, is small but cut like a human action figure and a very good worker. Steele got to show is stuff. He’s got power to burn, but his offense looked sloppy in spots. LRM tried for a pin and went flying when Steele powered out. Steele started clubbering away on LRM. Steele hit an overhead belly to belly suplex on LRM and Banks had to make the save. Unable to cope with Steele’s power, the heels took out Steele’s knee and worked it over for a very long time. Steele was doing a lot of screaming. Banks went for a pin after a spinwheel kick and LRM broke it up. They argued. Then they stereo punched Steele and laughed. Then Steele shut them up with a double lariat. Nice. Steele’s knee gave out on a press slam attempt. Moments later, Steele managed to back bodydrop LRM and make the tag. Referee Randy Ray got bumped. The big spot was a four-way tower of doom that saw Beach do a double superplex on Banks and LRM, while Steele gave Beach an electric chair drop. Dangerous as hell with that low ceiling. Beach wanted LRM (in storyline, LRM started out as Beach’s biggest fan and then turned on him the first time he got in the ring). Deathrow came to ringside and grabbed Steele. He slammed Steele on the carpet and bounced a section of the guardrail off his body to leave him laying. Pretty brutal stuff. Meanwhile, LRM brought a chair in. Beach ended up using the chair on LRM, and Ray saw it for the DQ. LRM ran off with the title belt. Steele was down for a long time.
NOTES: GCW returns to the Gr8 Sk8 Plex on 8/4 with Deathrow vs. Steele, Stevens & Young vs. Luke Robinson Michaels & Banks for the tag titles and Swinger vs. Buchanan with Quentin Michaels as the special referee…GCW is in serious discussions involving the launch of a 30 minute television show on East Alabama cable…John Bogie has been out of action for about 3 weeks due to injury. They’re doing an angle where Bogie has heat with Davis for being a Gary Coleman look-alike and infringing on his 80s gimmick…GCW is running their first double shot on 8/18 with an afternoon show in Roanoke, Al with The Naturals on the card along with their regular evening show in Phenix City. ..CWA Championship Wrestling presents"Summer Bash Blowout" at the Fairgrounds Building in Selmer,TN on 8/4. It's a fundraiser/benefit for the victims and families of the terrible dragcar accident on June 16 in Selmer that was reported on in the national media. Many wrestlers are coming in to help on this, including The Posse, Don Bass, Fire & Flame, K-9 Kohl, Just Gordon, The Bounty Hunters, "Nightmare" Ken Wayne, Eric Wayne, and many more.
