---- Book Tour 2009 stopped in Tuckerman, AR with RRO Promotion of the Year 2008 ASWF. The show can best described by looking at it in two parts. The first part of the show was bad, but mainly it featured green horns. The last two bouts were good and the fans seem to really enjoy them. Let’s take a look at the show…
----Terrance Ward was nice enough to introduce me to the crowd. ASWF brought out all the heels and babys to surround the ring as I presented the “Promotion of the Year” award to them. It was actually presented to “Earl” the door guy. Next music hit with Cody Only walking out with….Idol Bane. Bane got a big pop and probably the best one until the second half of the show. Bane was presented with his “Most Improved” award and it seemed to get over with the crowd.
----Opening bout was Dre vs Mark Wolfe to just set up the “Mexicanos” [Johnny Harper/Johnny Hawk] jumping them. [1/2*]
----Second bout started as Mexicanos vs John Ellison, because Ellison’s tag partner Dave Cox was not there. Demon X ran out and joined the match as it progressed. Psychology was there for them to put heat on Ellison and hot tag to Demon, but it seemed to fall apart. Hawk was feeding X for the hot tag, but Harper had no clue. Hawk used a blackjack on Ellison to pin him. After the match, Hawk punched Terrance Ward and Ward dropped hard behind the announcer’s desk and was replaced by Ricky Roland. [*]
----Regulator beat Kaliki. This match was quick with Regulator doing all high spots in those few minutes. He is a rookie and needs some more training, but his spots were real smooth. He set Kaliki up almost like one would be waiting on the Booker T kick, but then he did a complete flip with his legs landing in a legdrop. Hard to explain, but it looked good. He also did a running standing shooting star press ala Stan Lee. Kaliki missed a dive into the turnbuckle with his shoulder going into ringpost and Regulator sunset flipping him to win. [*] – just for the Regulator spots.
----“Midnight Express” music started playing and out walked “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and Brian Thompson. Thompson has tremendous heat for the cake angle from last time. This was a real good promo with Thompson putting over the fact that he was embarrassed about a photo of him having cake on his face taken by Ricky Rowland being published in a local newspaper. [shoot – it was published] Thompson also had a contact to sign for a match with “Midnight Gold” to wrestle on April 11. Rowland got in the ring and explained the reason he posted that photo was because that in the past in Clover Bend, AR, Thompson had hit him with a shoe. [nice touch to show real heat] Thompson and Eaton ended up jumping Rowland and with Thompson whipping Rowland on the back with his belt until “Team Entertainment” [Tim Hansen/Casino Kid] made the save. Casino was really good here on the mic. X-Kalibur/Ray Ray ended up jumping TE to set up later in the night. Match was signed for April 11th with TE vs “Midnight Gold”. Good stuff here.
----Cody Only beat Kaleb King . [*] just for Cody Only. I was told that Caleb was trained by Mike Cook – do I need to say anything else??
----Christopher Lee/Tommy Wayne beat Cody Murdoch/Cason McClain in the best bout on the card. They opened with babyface shine with Lee and Wayne doing dives outside the ring. Lots of spots in the start from the faces. Have no problem with spots like this. Lee/Wayne were working real hard here. Heat was on Lee with McClain/Murdoch keeping Wayne from tagging. Good basic psychology and the fans were into it. Hot tag to Wayne. The match fell apart right here with Cody/Lee outside the ring and Wayne/McClain inside. They did what they could do to save it with Wayne getting the pin on McClain after a missle dropkick to a huge pop from the fans. [*** 1/4]
----ASWF Tag Team Champs: Tim Hansen/Casino Kid with the Magic Man beat X-Kalibur/Ray Ray with Bobby Eaton, Brian Thompson and Athena Eclipse. Good solid bout. Heat was real good. Bout was just a bit below last bout in quality, but the heat was just a little more. Hansen/Casino did a double baseball slide during the shine. X looks like a wrestler – good attire. Ray Ray is so small, but works really hard and good at what he does. Hansen is still solid. Casino is not a great worker, but he is a hard worker. He is real good on the mic, so it is understandable why he gets pushed. Ray Ray hit a sweet elbow from the top rope along and a perfect frog splash across the ring. Bobby Eaton hit Ray on mistake during one spot and Casino got a punch in on Eaton. You could hear Eaton say “What the hell?” LOL After a hot tag and miscommunication on X/Ray’s part [as part of the match], they both get pinned. After the match they end up pushing each other and fighting. Neither one of them turned as they are building towards a Four-Way. [***]
NOTES
----120 to 140 in the building…This is easily the BEST arena in the area…Bane said he was getting the “Most Improved” next year also. LOL Is that really a “repeat” award?? Bane starts doing moonsaults and shoot moves to just win the award. LOL…Demon X [David Walls] actually did look better in his match than last year’s stuff. And he was in the second match on the show, which is probably where a promoter/wrestler does the best…Someone told me after the show, “Harper has been working 40 years and still don’t know how to feed for a hot tag.” LOL…I think the punch from Hawk was to suspend the Mexicanos. Ward came back too quick from the punch and didn’t show any effects of it. Ward is real good on the mic and does a good job putting over even some of the bad stuff…Regulator has a unique look and at first does not look like a wrestler backstage. If he is put with the right person to help him slow down things and learn psychology he might turn into a good worker…ASWF will be presenting “Hollywood” Jimmy Blaylock his “Manager of the Year” award and the “Site of the Year” award next week…Cody Only is one of those guys that looks like a wrestler, has decent talent and could really get better if he went to other groups working different guys. He could do what Bane did last year and win the “Most Improved” award!! LOL He also comes off totally professional and as a wrestler backstage…Great to see RIOTer Steve Crawford all the way from Texas. He drove in to see the show. Crawford and I both attended ASU Business School in the early 90s…Athena Eclipse, who usually manages Morgan Williams, did a good job at ringside. She has a “different” look also and is not your typical “eye candy” at ringside. She seem to get good heat and was into everything her wrestlers were doing – key to being a good manager is putting over EVERYTHING that is going on inside the ring to your guys – good or bad….Christopher Lee has improved tons from the first time I seen him…McClain is apparently from Texas. Good look and decent worker…It looks like the ASWF booking committee features Casino, X, Wayne and Walls now. X was real frustrated at the front of the show due to some noshows…”Magic Man” is apparently a real magic guy and is the mayor of Augusta, GA. He looked lost during the whole bout…Thanks to all cast and crew at ASWF – especially Ricky Rowland and David Walls. I was treated great by the fans and crew. Thanks again to everyone!!!
Photo collage:
Left side top to bottom: Cody Only, Athena Eclipse, Ricky Roland
Right side: Tommy Wayne – Ray Ray – Brian Tramel with his favorite wrestler Demon X
Middle – X-Kalibur
All photos by Brian Tramel except X-Kalibur [Karly Tramel] and Demon X/Tramel [Idol Bane]
