----I have written many features of "Arena Report" and "Coach’s Corner" on the state of wrestling in this area. The “doom and gloom” of the business. This year’s Book Tour 2009 has made me hold my head up high, because wrestling in this area is still alive. It is still ticking away as the world crumples around all around us, we still go on any given Friday night to Osceola, AR and watch MCW. The arena has an “old school” feel to it from the two finger handshake to walls plaster with photos to “East Coast Bad Boys’” mom yelling and screaming in the front row. Grab a chair, sit down and let’s enjoy at night of “rasslin” and if you are hungry – grab an order of those chili cheese French fries, because they damn sure looked good.
----AC Styles/Big Jim Wade beat El Luchadore/Hamhock with Rashard Devon. Not much of a match. Luchadore [C-Money under a hood] was having a good time and made it watchable. Heat was on Wade [who hasn’t improved very much] – hot tag to Styles. Styles hit a TKO on Luchadore for the win. [*]
----Buster Johnson/Ron McClarity beat “The Hambones” [Pedro/Leory] and Ray Leigh/War Machine in a triple threat match. Not good, not bad. Johnson/McClarity are babys, but work as total heels. It works for the crowd because they are over. Johnson is huge!! Leroy still bumps on his knee [BT Express style]. Pedro bumped on his back and did an ok job. All the heels ended up beating up Buster/Ron – “ECBB” [C-Money/Serpent] make the save – DK/PKO run out. Good heat. [*1/2]
----Serpent retained his MCW Middleweight Title by beating Wild Bill by DQ. This was the best bout I have seen WB in. Serpent worked real hard and made it easy for him. Finish had DK & PKO with Rashard jumping in to cause the DQ. They were beating up Wild Bill actually turned baby to help them. [**]
----MCW Title Match: Brian Knight beat by DQ Frankie Tucker. As I always say about Frankie – solid worker. He works a methodical slow pace of putting all the right moves in for the heat and letting the babyface in with a hope spot from time to time. Tucker may be a bit “unsung” or underrated, because it is mostly all the RRO Top 10 workers that I talk about that can WORK like this. Fans were into every move as he slowly beat Brian Knight. Knight tried a couple of comebacks, but at one point in the match I realized that the fans really didn’t think Knight could beat Tucker. Comeback was weak as Knights’ punches were not that good and he seem blown up. A little variation of a finish as after a ref bump, Rashard was ready to hit Knight with his laptop when Spiro the ref turned around to DQ him. [**1/2]
----“East Coast Bad Boys” [Serpent/C-Money] beat Pokerface/Derrick King with Rashard Devon. A real good crazy bout. They started it out as a brawl at the front with ECBB not even waiting for the music. It was top notch with stiff shots and DK bleeding all over the place. They finally ringed the bell after 10 minutes of brawling. Rashard had hit Money HARD with a laptop and Money was bleeding. The heat on C-Money here was nuts!! They beat on him for close to 20 minutes and at no time did they lose the crowd. Poker as a heel here is working a much stiffer strong shoot style. He is not as polished in this style as his regular style, but it looks just as good. Get it?? If you worker a more real style, he does not have to be as polished because a real fight is not polished. Finish had DK hit the superkick and then Poker hit his “ghetto blaster”. They taunted the crowd and then went over to pin them – ECBB rolled both of them up for the win. After the match heels kept beating on them until Sam Dollar and Big Daddy LaFonce made the save. Tremendous heat for the bout. [***3/4]
NOTES
----120 to 140 in the building…Not impressed much with Styles. He landed on his ass doing an armdrag. His TKO looked good though…Luchadore was getting in the ring and slipped for shoot – he land in the front row hitting his head on the bleachers. He then got up on the apron and almost fell off. He did a good job keeping that bout going though…Hambones came out to “Bad To Bone”… Maybe this is the “Year of the PKO”. After getting two matches with over [***] in three weeks in a single and tag, he is positioning himself in a lead contention for “MVP Performer of the Year.”…It looks like Sam Dollar, BD LaFonce and Tucker are doing most of the booking here…Take a look at the card as the match ratings progressed with each match…I can not say enough about how OVER the ECBBs are here. Bout was top notch with the workers having the crowd in the palm of their hands. After the match DK/PKO got on top of the announcer’s desk and taunted everyone. They set up for a six man with Spiro/Money/Serpent vs DK/PKO/Rashard. Don’t look for Spiro to do much, because he had to retire from a legit neck injury…I would like to thank MCW – LaFonce and all the cast & crew for having me. I had a good time and was treated great.
Photos by Brian Tramel
Top from left to right – Hamhock/Pedro/Leroy, Poker/Rashard/DK and Bloody DK
Middle – C-Money/Serpent and Frankie Tucker
Bottom – Spiro, Sam Dollar and Ron McClarity/Buster Johnson
