Southern All-Star Wrestling drew an SRO crowd of 200 ($1600 gate) to The Bakery in Millersville Friday night for “New Year’s Brawl 2000 & Hate,” billed as the biggest show in SAW’s 11 month history.
They taped two weeks of SAW television with the returning Michael St. John replacing Hot Rod Biggs on commentary with Jack Johnson.
(1) “Boogie Woogie Boy” Gary Valiant (with Miss Boogie) defeated Chris Cane in 3:53 with the Boogie Blaster. Crowd was hot for Boogie. Not the random screaming that was so annoying the first time I came to the Bakery. This crowd was popping strong. They did some comedy stuff. Cane is tremendous as enhancement talent because he can work and he makes the stars look like giants.
Hammerjack attacked Valiant after the match and was doing a number on his knee until Rick Santel pulled him to safety. Valiant was in agony as he was helped to the back with the fans chanting “Boogie! Boogie!”
(2) Arrick Andrews pinned Lawrence the “Sharped Dressed Man” at 6:10 with a frogsplash. Crowd even hotter for Andrews. Lawrence looks like an ex-con. He jumped Andrews to take control of the match and cut off an Andrews comeback with a mule kick to the groin. Andrews spin-around bulldog was way sloppy. The finish saw Lawrence tease a middle rope superplex and get shoved off by Andrews, who did the frogsplash ala RVD, selling the impact before making the cover.
Valiant came back out with Miss Boogie and cut a ringside promo for a Last Standing Match vs. Hammerjack when SAW returns to Columbia on 2/2. It wasn’t miked for the live crowd, but for those within hearing distance, it gave away that the feud wasn’t ending in the cage tonight.
(3) Hammerjack beat Tatsu in 3:45. The masked man shrouded in streamers showed some spunk, but Hammerjack manhandled him. Valiant came toward the ring and was restrained by Reno Riggins and Santel. Hammerjack used a power drive elbow drop to score the pin. I failed to find out what he calls it.
Fans chanted “let him go” but there was no physical contact. Hammerjack stopped by the desk to intimidate the announcers and said he wasn’t scared of Valiant.
(4) “Ugene” Nick Dinsmore beat Big Rig Bully in 10:44. Entertaining comedy. Ugene was fine but Bully made the match. His talking and facial expressions were terrific. The guy is a breath of fresh air. I was told Bully doesn’t have all that much experience, but he totally gets it, a complete natural for pro wrestling. Bully got flustrated and said he was out of there. Ugene gave him a 15 count. Ugene took a chunk out of Bully’s ass and then bit Ricky Bell’s butt as well. Bully got serious with a DDT for a near fall. Bully said Ugene was misfit for society. Ugene hulked up and hit the Hogan legdrop. St. John rang the bell at two but Bully kicked out. Ugene did the Five Knuckle Shuffle before pinning Bully with a Stone Cold Stunner.
Intermission. Mike Sircy did a plug for the NWA Top Rope show tonight in Lebanon at the Wilson County Fairgrounds. The main event has been switched to Hammerjack vs. Ugene. Kid Kash will now be Valiant’s opponent.
St. John and Johnson were at ringside for the opening of hour number two.
(5) Rick Santel beat Chris Cane in 3:24. Cane got some offense here and looked good doing so. He came across like a Middle Tennessee version of Arik Cannon. Santel hit a T-bone suplex for a near fall. I liked the finisher – starts like an exploder suplex into a TKO.
(6) Ugene beat Vic the Bruiser (with Kory Williams) in 7:41. This was listed as Homicidal Tendencies vs. Indian Nation. I’m assuming the change was made because of folks not being there (see notes). Homicidal Tendencies came out wearing Indian headdresses. When Ugene made a move for them, Williams warned him that they were sacred. Ugene put the headdress on referee Kurt Herron. But Vic jumped Ugene and set out to “punish the retard.” Ugene applied the head squeeze, but got distracted by Williams playing with his cape. Ugene’s cavalcade of famous finishers continued with a chokeslam and a People’s Elbow for the 1-2-3. Tendencies started beating on Ugene, but he had his dim wits about him and managed to escape. Vic was upset about Ugene making a fool out of him.
(7) Chris Bomb beat Big Rig Bully in 4:56. Bully took a sky high backdrop right out of the box. When Bully took over, he said the Bomb Squad just got defused and blew snot on Bomb. At another point, Bully said, “Oh, he dead,” and made a kneeling double biceps pose pin attempt. Finish saw Bully charge across the ring like an 18 wheeler and bash his head on the turnbuckle when Bomb stepped aside. Bomb rolled Bully up for the pin. Much to his dismay, Bully’s winless record stays in tact.
(8) Indian Nation (Indian Outlaw & Lennox Lightfoot) beat Law & Order (Jason James & Lawrence) via DQ in 8:13. Nation is improving by leaps and bounds. Lots of stiff chops in this match. Outlaw no sold Lawrence’s chops, but he had a beet red outline of Lawrence’s hand on his chest to show for it. James sold his arm like it was being ripped out of the socket. Crowd was doing the Indian war whoops. Homicidal Tendencies came out to the desk and started running their mouths. Williams said, “The only good Indian is a dead Indian, unless he’s serving me a Slurpee.” Lightfoot made it rain with a double tomahawk chop off the top rope. Nation hit the Rock & Roll double dropkick and Tendencies hit the ring for the DQ.
Indian Nation made their own ring clearing save and ended up with weapons in their hands. Outlaw was holding a push broom, not a good image for a babyface. Vic was irate. Said he was sick of the politics. He advised Nation to go back to the 7-11 or wherever before they got hurt.
(9) Gary Valiant pinned Hammerjack with an inside cradle to win the steel cage match at 23:34. It was a 6 foot cage and pretty rickety. Sircy spent a long time checking it out before the match got underway. Riggins announced that the match could end by pinfall, submission, or escape through the door. Valiant was limping and wincing in pain as he came to the ring, but the knee seemed fine once the bell rang. This was an old style cage match, a grueling brawl with a bazillion face and head shots into the fence. Valiant missed a dive off the top of the cage. Hammerjack worked him over with the cage and Boogie bled. Hammerjack choked Valiant with his own bandana. Boogie started sending Hammerjack’s head into the cage. It turned into a battle of attrition. Hammerjack tried to crawl out the door, but Valiant caught him and used the door as vice on Jack’s head. They battled standing on the middle rope. Valiant took the bump, but got his boot up when Hammerjack came off the ropes. Almost a three count for Valiant. Hammerjack used Cima’s Iconoclasm for a near fall. Hammerjack blocked the Boogie Blaster, hurled Valiant into the cage, and headed for the exit, but Valiant nailed him with a superkick. Both down in states in total exhaustion. Hammerjack got a burst of energy and bounced Boogie’s head off the cage again, but Valiant kicked out. Hammerjack was kicking and pounding but couldn’t put Valiant away. Hammerjack outmuscled Valiant to hit a suplex for another near fall. Valiant got the pin out of nowhere.
Hammerjack attacked Valiant. Santel got in the cage and picked up Hammerjack’s sledge. Hammerjack backed away in fear. Santel wheeled around and attacked Valiant. Nice. He told Hammerjack to lock the cage. They handcuffed Valiant to the ropes and continued to beat on him until Riggins, Biggs and Ugene got in the cage to restore order. Valiant was carried out. Santel got the last words. “Oh my God, it’s Rick Santel.”
NOTES: Neither Nore Havoc or Sean Casey were at the show, so two of the matches advertised on the SAW website (Casey vs. Andrews, Havoc vs, luck of the draw for the TV title) did not take place…Austin Creed from the TNA’s Bound for Glory and NWA Anarchy is booked for the Visionaries of Wrestling show at SAW Arena on 1/12. Also listed for that show are Adrian Hawkins and Kyle Matthews from NWA Anarchy, Jason Static and Arrick Andrews…Ugene cut a promo after the show in the direction that he was coming back to SAW…Mikey Dunn of ASW is doing a benefit for Gypsy Joe in Tullahoma on 1/26. Reverend Dan Wilson from NWA Anarchy will be working that show. Joe is Wilson’s uncle.
