Showtime All-Star Wrestling

[nWoHulkster]

Jerry Jarrett се завръща в кеча?

Версия #1:

Jerry Jarrett is getting back into the wrestling business. Jarrett, who ran the Memphis territory for decades and helped to found TNA, has gotten on board with Reno Riggin's Showtime All-Star Wrestling, which has been running regularly in the Tennessee area. In recent weeks, Jarrett has been a presence with the word being that he was working on a deal to get the company a syndicated TV deal. The promotion has a pilot HD TV taping set for 10/10 at the Nashville Fairgrounds aka the old TNA Asylum. Kid Kash, Chase Stevens, Andy Douglas, Flash Flanagan and former WWE developmental talents Tracy Taylor and Cassidy Riley/James are among those working regularly here. I haven't personally seen the product but Larry Goodman, who sends in TV reports for PWInsiderXTRA.com on SAW has been really high on the old school way they build TV and storylines.

Версия #2:

Jerry Jarrett, who with his son Jeff and various investors launched TNA in 2002, is taking a shot at getting back into the wrestling business. He plans to shoot a pilot in Nashville,TN at the Fairgrounds, the old TNA Asylum, on October 10. The pilot will be shot in High Definition using mostly wrestlers who can easily get to Nashville to hold down initial expenses like former TNA star David Young who is confirmed. Others likely to be used are area stars like Chase Stevens, Andy Douglas, Wolfie D, Kid Kash and various wrestlers Jarrett is aware from visits to a local Nashville promotion, SAW (Showtime All-Star Wrestling).

Jarrett hopes to obtain some millions in international investor money should the pilot be well received, and has been telling folk he has TV interest from networks in the US, and several pending International deals.

I understand Coleman Productions in Nashville, who have been involved with various Nashville area television shows including those Bert Prentice & I produced in the late 1990's for Music City Wrestling & NWA Worldwide are involved in the pilot.

Since leaving TNA Jarrett has been spending most of his time in his successful Development & Cionstruction business.

Интересно развитие на нещата. Държа SAW под око от извесно време насам и се радвам, че Jarrett ще се пробва точно там. Ще видим какво ще излезе от това.

[nWoHulkster]

Федерацията нашумя напоследък, така че нека да има тема.

Кратко обяснение за незапознатите: SAW е indy федерация от щата Tennessee. Като презентация и стил SAW е по-old school тип федерация и общо взето имат добър продукт. Използват основно местни кечисти, но измежду тях има и по-познати имена като например Kid Kash, Chase Stevens, Andy Douglas, Cassidy Riley и т.н., а до преди няколко месеца във федерацията се биеха и хора като Raven & Jerry Lynn. Имат тв шоу, което по принцип всяка седмица се постваше в сайта им ( http://www.sawonline.tv ), но откакто федерацията сключи прайм тайм тв сделка с местна телевизия шоутата спряха да се постват в сайта. SAW нашумя наскоро след като се разбра, че Jerry Jarrett (един от най-иновативните и успешни кеч booker-и в историята на кеча, бивш главен booker на WWF и съосновател на TNA) ще се занимава с кеч за първи път от няколко години насам. Jerry ще помага на SAW и първото му по-значимо шоу ще бъде следното шоу:

Promotion: Showtime All-Star Wrestling

Show: The Next Level

Date: October 10th, 2009

Place: Nashville, TN

Arena: The Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena (a.k.a. "The TNA Asylum")

--------------------------------------------------------------

SAW International Heavyweight Title Match

Kid Kash © vs. "Hardcore" Bob Holly

Table Match

Chase Stevens vs. Andy Douglas

Cassidy Riley vs. Rick Santel

^ Това са обявените мачове засега. Въпросното шоу е пилотен епизод, който после ще бъде предложен на най-различни телевизии с надеждата SAW да си осигурят по-добри тв сделки (местни и интернационални).

[nWoHulkster]

SAW: The Next Level Live Report

“SAW: The Next Level” was by far, the largest scale event in the history of Showtime All-Star Wrestling. As such, it was a major success, drawing the largest crowd (700) the Tennessee State Fairgrounds Sports Arena for a wrestling since TNA abandoned the venue 5 years ago.

The talk of this event being shot as a pilot for Jerry Jarrett’s attempt to get a national television syndication deal did not become a reality. It was taped and Jarrett was in attendance, but the footage will be converted into three episode of SAW TV.

A terrific tables match between former Naturals partners, Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas.was unquestionably the match of the night. Their feud has been building throughout the year and based on last night’s outcome, it ain’t over by a longshot. The main event was changed because Bob Holly, Kid Kash’s scheduled opponent in the SAW Title match, wasn’t there. Al Snow subbed and nobody seemed to mind. There wasn't one bad match on the show.

The building had a buzz and a big time feeling. The pacing was tons better than the typical TV taping at the SAW Mill. Crowd was electric during the first half. Not so much for the second half, but not bad. The tables match lead into the first intermission. Nothing could follow it, and the second half matches were wisely kept short to keep the crowd fresh for the main event, which was in the ring a little after 10pm.

It should make for great looking TV. The crowd was hot, especially the folks on the hard camera side, which was packed out up into the balcony.

They had the place looking pretty good. A new set was constructed – a fake brick similar to what ECW used when they toured the South. New lighting was added for the ring, so they didn’t have keep those horrible house lights on. The northwest corner was walled off to enlarge the ridiculously cramped dressing room.

As is always the case, some things could stand improvement. It seemed to work out OK, but I didn’t care for ref bumps figuring so strongly in both of the big matches. Casey Smith’s ring announcing was a weak point. The value of a great ring announcer was driven home to me at a recent TNA show where I marveled at the job Jeremy Borash did. Smith wasn’t horrible, but he looks uncomfortable and doesn’t exactly have a gift for gab in the ring. The TV show, the TV tapings in Millersville, and the website were never plugged. The possibility of a return date was never mentioned. The weird thing was SAW had a seasoned ring announcer there (former Deep South ring announcer Dan Masters, who handled the ring announcing for the Lawler 35 at the same venue last November), but his duties were limited to the doing post-show interviews.

(1) Wolfie D (a.k.a. Slash) beat Sean Casey (with Freak Squad) in 7:14. Big pop for Wolfie, who is remembered fondly in these parts. He hit a pescado early. Lead freak Tiana, looking quite stunning and far more poised at ringside, grabbed Wolfie’s leg to set up the heat. Casey used a a slingshot suplex and his middle rope diamond cutter for near falls. Wolfie’s made this fantastic comeback, capped by a killer DDT. Tiana tried to interfere and got spanked by Wolfie. Casey connected with his superkick finisher, and you knew he wasn’t going over when Wolfie got a foot on the ropes. Wolfie won it with a flying elbow drop from a reverse DDT position. A strong opener.

(2) Rick Santel (with Paul Adams) beat Mike Taylor in 9:40 after interference by “Problem Solver” David Young. Another good match. I’m always struck by how smooth Taylor is, and Santel hung right with him. Santel was attired in a very swank “Nature’s Greatest Miracle” ring robe. Santel knocked Taylor out of the ring with an elbow to take over. When Santel later tried for a repeat, Taylor’s tenacity got the better of him. Santel took a back bodydrop into the heavens. They traded near falls. Referee distraction by Adams allowed Young’s interference to go undetected, and it was the Santel Slam for the 1-2-3.

(3) “Teen Excitement” Drew Haskins (with Derrick King Enterprises) beat Hammerjack via count out at 5:55. Hammerjack got the loudest babyface intro pop of the night. Hammer decked King but Haskins used the opening to gain a short lived advantage. After Haskins did a crash ‘n burn flying body press, Hammer had him set up for his finisher, when a small child (Hammer’s daughter) wandered down the ramp holding Marc Anthony’s army helmet. It came out of nowhere and the visual carried an emotional wallop. Hammer was counted out as he carried his daughter to safety. Hammer was then jumped and destroyed by “Maniac” Marc Anthony. He finished the job with a Bombs Away knee drop and was holding four refs, Commissioner Freddie Morton and Hot Rod Biggs at bay before exiting out the back door. Great angle.

(4) Andy Douglas (with Paul Adams) beat Chase Stevens in a table match (21:13). Clearly, this was the match people came to see. It was one of the best tables matches I’ve ever seen live, because there wasn’t a lot of extraneous BS. The focus was on putting the other guy through the table. After the obligatory stalling by Douglas, Stevens set a table up at ringside, but it was his’ head that got slammed it. Douglas then suplexed Stevens on the floor. A second table was brought into the ring. Douglas went into it head first, and the impact sounded like an explosion. They did this great chase sequence where Stevens almost got his hand on Adams. Stevens tried to whip Douglas into a table propped up in the corner, but Douglas did a baseball slide out of the ring and headed up the ramp. Stevens cut off his exit. Back inside, Stevens took a shot into the table and came up bleeding from the forehead. Stevens took an awesome face first bump to the mat here. Douglas rubbed Stevens’ blood on his chest. With the crowd behind him bigtime, Stevens made the comeback. Stevens went for a missile dropkick and took out ref Mark Owen. Young interfered. Stevens backdropped Young over the top rope to put him through a table. Douglas hit a Harley Race knee and it was both men down. Stevens reversed a shot into the table with a superkick and it was both men down again. Santel interfered. Douglas inadvertently backdropped Santel over the top rope onto a table. A collision of lariats left both men down yet again. Morton and other refs came out to survey the carnage. Owen was still down in the ring. Santel and Young were down on the floor. Meanwhile, Douglas and Stevens were fighting all over the building. This part of the match felt contrived because it had nothing to do with tables, but it was a necessary evil to set up the spot that Stevens teased in his go home promo – throwing Douglas off the balcony. They worked there way up to the balcony. Stevens had the advantage until Adams threw powder in face. Douglas got Stevens over the rail, and he took a Nestea plunge off the 12 foot balcony. Total nuts but it was a bullseye with no splinters into his body. Stevens never moved. He was carried out of the building using a table as a stretcher. What a match.

(5) Derrick King Enterprises (Derrick King & JT Stahr with Drew Haskins & Sista O’Feelyah) beat Vordell Walker & LT Falk to retain the SAW Tag Team Titles in 9:57. Walker planted a lingering kiss on O’Feelyah in the early going. It didn’t do much for the match, but I suspect Walker enjoyed the hell out of it. Walker’s explosive offensive attack with King on the receiving end got over great. They did a spot where Falk hit a neckbreaker on Stahr causing him to DDT his own partner. Falk’s bandaged shoulder got posted and DKE worked over the injury. Haskins was getting off on taunting Falk with one of the title belts. Walker made a blind tag and cleaned house and scored big near falls with the STO and a german suplex where Stahr took a full rotation bump. Finish saw Haskins draw Walker’s attention, while DKE hit Blood Money on Falk.

(6) Jon Michael Worthington beat Jesse Emerson in 5:21. A brawl mostly. Nothing wrong with the match but not much for crowd reaction. Either the crowd isn’t watching the TV show or they’re not into this story nearly as much as I am. Emerson took a backdrop the floor and got caught with a powerslam as he came off the top. They teased repeats of the finishes of two of Worthington’s previous cheap wins. Worthington blocked the Alabama Slam. Emerson blocked the Brentwood Breaker. Worthington rolled Emerson up with a fistful of tights, and there was a full moon over Nashville.

(7) Michael Shane (a.k.a. Matt Bentley) beat David Young in 3:20. Shane has short hair now. He didn’t look as bulked up as I remembered him. This was rushed. Young opened up fast. Crowd got behind Shane, who capped off a comeback with a downward spiral. Adams tried to interfere, but Taylor came out to check him. Young was too busy worrying about the boss and got nailed with a superkick.

(8) Rob Roy McCoy beat TJ Harley via submission in 2:10. Great to see McCoy back and this was the right way to reintroduce him. He did the deal where he locked Harley in the chickenwing and refused to break the hold, despite the protestations of SAW officials.

Head honcho Reno Riggins explained that Holly wasn’t there because he had suffered an injury. “Everybody knows Reno Riggins is not going to let his hometown down.” Snow came out doing the head gimmick and got a decent enough pop.

(9) Kid Kash beat Al Snow to retain the SAW International Title in 26:13. Crowd hung in there really well for such a long match with no back story. Snow can still go. They developed a good story, though, as the psych master, Kash, was getting outpsyched by Snow’s psychotic unpredictability. A nice back and forth exchange built to a lariat by Kash. He kept cutting off Snow’s comeback, and took it to the ground to slow things down. Kash tried to choke Snow out. That wasn’t happening. Kash brought the moonsault out of mothballs. It missed. Snow wanted to use Head, but Senior Official Mark Herron took it away. Kash caught Snow with a Russian legsweep and tried to kick a field goal with Head, but Snow speared him in the nick of time. Snow pulled the straps down and pounded Kash’s face. Herron got bumped. As usual, it did not look convincing. Snow hit the Northern Lights Bomb for a visual fall. Eventually, a second ref came out to make the count, and Kash kicked out. The second ref got bumped. Kash slapped the mat with a chair, tossed it to Snow, and went down like somebody shot him. Snow smacked the mat with the chair and likewise, went flat on his back. Clever stuff. Herron came around to find both men down and the chair lying in the ring. He asked the crowd who done it? While Herron’s back was turned, Snow gave Kash a shot in the nuts and went back to playing possum. That was funny, Herron called for the restart. Snow charged, Head in hand, and Kash rolled him up using the tights.

NOTES: Along with Jarrett, Corsica Joe, Paul Neighbors, Bully Douglas and Timmy Thompson were up in the VIP balcony. SAW’s next TV taping is October 30 in Millersvill. Stevens came through the crazy table bump relatively unscathed. It brought to mind the serious injury Rick Michaels received 8 years ago taking a bump from the balcony in almost the identical spot. SAW’s new sponsor, Grumpy’s Bail Bonds, had a big display set up. Owner Leah Hulan was there in all her bodacious glory.

[nWoHulkster]

Dutch Mantell was offered and accepted the position as head booker for Showtime All-Star Wrestling earlier this week. Paul Adams, who had handled the booking duties for the last two years, will remain as an assistant. Dutch brings decades of valuable experience to the table, and SAW is excited to have him on board as the company continues to grow.

The latest episode of Showtime All-Star Wrestling, featuring a tables match between Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas is available free online at www.ChampionshipWrestling.tv/saw112.wmv.

Mantell е най-подходящ за booker на по-old school тип федерации и SAW & IWA(PR) са точно такива. Доволно!

[nWoHulkster]

Nov 21 SAW Nashville Fairgrounds Live Report

I think we’re onto something.

Credit Reno Riggins with that understatement. Showtime All-Star Wrestling outdid themselves last night. The sequel to “SAW: The Next Level” succeeded beyond the company’s wildest expectations, drawing over 1000 fans to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds Sports Arena.

Beginning to end, it was as good as any event I’ve attended over a 14 year span at the Fairgrounds (that excludes the TNA era. I somehow never made it to the Nashville for one of their PPVs). None of them had a crowd as large or as hot. I thought the NWA Charlotte debut was damn impressive, but last night blew that show off the map.

It was fairly astonishing that SAW was able to draw a substantially larger house than their first event, and do so on the solely on the strength of their talent roster. They’re building their own stars. Fans are coming out to see the SAW product. They’ve got prime time Saturday night TV (on CW58), but very little TV time was spent specifically on building up this show. Only the Last Man Standing between Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas and the Hammerjack/Anthony angle got any TV time at all.

Who would have thought it possible? It’s 2009. The economy still stinks. The Fairgrounds Arena is a building burned out and killed dead beyond all hope. Pro wrestling is getting pounded by MMA. And yet, a local product gets hot, and for two months running, the Nashville fans have turned out in droves. You know you’ve got something special when a packed house is chanting “S-A-W” (just like the TV show) in anticipation of the opening match.

Ring announcer Dan Masters opened by introducing WSMW sports reporter Brad Hopkins (a former pro bowl tackle for the Tennessee Titans) and smoking hot Natalie Van Eron (who worked briefly for SAW as a ringside interviewer). They were pumping up the Make-A-Wish fund raising aspect of the event. Couldn’t understand a word they were saying. The sound system sucked. It was the weak link of the evening. Masters was struggling to make himself heard all night long, and it rendered the mic work by the talent pretty useless.

(1) Arrick Andrews beat Chris Michaels in 8:55. Great pop for Andrews. And he’s barely been on TV lately. Crowd was unbelievably hot. A flurry of offense by Andrews built to a clothesline over the top. Michaels gave Andews a hotshot and took over with a power drive side slam. Andrews did a nice up and over reverse roll up, but Michaels cut him off. Michaels worked on Arrick’s back. There was a weird looking spot where Andrews had problems with his footing on a plancha. Michaels hit the double shot for a close near fall. Andrews nailed him with the Dragon’s Curse (tornado kick) for the pin. Good opener.

(2) Rick Santel (with Paul Adams) beat Jamie Dundee in 3:46. Adams got a ton of heat on the mic, but again, it was impossible to make out what he was saying. Reno Riggins came to the ring to explain that Dundee was subbing for Wolfie D, and TV footage would be forthcoming to explain this. Santel was bumping lie mad for Dundee, who looked a might rusty. Santel got sent into the rail right in front of the Make-A-Wish kids. Dundee started after Adams, and Santel got him from behind. Dundee made Santel miss with his Nature’s Greatest Elbow. As Dundee was making his comeback, Kurt Herron stepped in to block him from using a closed fist. Adams tossed a stick to Santel, and he popped Dundee with it for the three.

Crowd popped when Dundee said he was coming back to SAW. Could a PG13 reunion be in the offing?

(3) Drew Haskins (with Derrick King & JT Stahr & Sista O’Feelyah) beat “Boogie Woogie Boy” Gary Valiant (with Miss Boogie) in 4:41. Haskins has quite the commanding presence for such a tender age. You would think he’d been working in front of crowds like this for years. The pop for Valiant was mind blowing. He boogied it up with the crowd before entering ring. Haskins jumped him for an instant “Go, Boogie, Go” chant. Boogie rallied with Haskins taking major bumps. While Stahr distracted the ref, King pulled the ropes down to dump Boogie. Miss Boogie got upset. O’Feelyah got physically involved, and for the first time showed a streak of viciousness. Boogie hit a nasty looking neckbreaker. One by one, DKE got up on the apron to cause trouble. Boogie decked Stahr and King. Miss Boogie pulled Sista down. But Haskins capitalized on the shenanigans with a jumping DDT, and pinned Boogie as King held his feet over the rope. Finish was well executed. Match was just what it needed to be. Boogie clocked ref Joe Williams in frustration.

(4) Kevin White (with Su Yung) beat Jesse Emerson in 6:30. White was playing total chickenshit heel. He cowered behind Yung. Emerson got a good pop for smacked the crap out of his face. Emerson hit a spinning slam for a near fall. Yung distracted the ref, allowing White to gain the upper hand. That made three consecutive matches with ref distraction from ringside. White missed a swanton bomb. Emerson started blocking White’s punches and tagging him with big right hands. Emerson powerbombed White but crashed and burned on a top rope elbow. White hit a high knee and pinned Emerson clean with a folding press. I couldn’t fathom Emerson losing here. On TV, Emerson has been involved in a long running program with Jon Michael Worthington, who beat him at the Fairgrounds the last time. White hasn’t been on TV at all. Presumably, there will be something on TV to explain this.

(5) “Maniac” Marc Anthony vs. Hammerjack was ruled a no contest at 8:09. A super heated brawl. Best stuff I’ve seen from either one of these guys in SAW. Hammerjack caught Anthony by surprise, and the action spilled out of the ring with Hammer in charge. They briefly brawled out of view into the dressing room. Anthony was channeling Bruiser Brody. Hammer was pounding him. Anthony bled but it didn’t faze him. He dumped Hammer and hit a psychotic suicide dive ala Hotstuff Hernandez. Anthony fired Hammer into the rail. Kid were shrieking. The whole thing had that wild, out of control feeling like back in the day. Anthony took a backdrop on the concrete floor. Hammerjack was beating the hell out of Anthony. Just drilling his forehead with punch after punch. Hammer decked the ref, and Senior Official Mark Herron waved off the match.

What followed was the best pull apart brawl I’ve seen in years. Like a real freaking fight. It took six guys to separate them the first time. Anthony staggered to the back with the crowd chanting like crazy for Hammerjack. Just when things were settling down, Anthony came back out. They went at it again. Various SAW wrestlers and such entered the fray. This got wilder than the first time. Hammerjack was pushed back into the dressing room. Meanwhile, Anthony was living up to his name. He proceeded to decimate three guys. Hammerjack came back out and they went at it AGAIN. More security came out. It was hotter than ever – the peak heat of the show. Huge chants of “let them fight”. This segment ruled.

(6) Derrick King Enterprises (Derrick King & JT Stahr with Sista O’Feelyah) defeated Scarboni Brothers (Handsome Vinny & Southpaw Sonny) to retain the SAW Tag Team Championship in 9:18. Scarbonis don’t do much for me. They look green compared to most of the SAW roster. If DKE coudn’t quite make them look like gold, it wasn’t for lack of trying. I’m thinking DKE can get an entertaining match out of just about anybody at this point. It was comedy of errors for DKE in the early going. There was one mishap where King gave Stahr a diving headbutt to the baby factory. Stahr’s nursing of his “wound” was hilarious. Stahr started kicking the bejeezus out of Sonny. He cut off a tag with a spear to the back, and King followed with a superplex. Off the hot tag, Scarbonis got DKE in stereo figure four leglocks. O’Feelyah jumped up. Scarbonis confronted her. In the ensuing confusion, King superkicked Sonny, who was pinned by Stahr. I don't think Sonny was the legal man.

People started leaving at this point (2 hours), so neither of the last two matches had the benefit of the insane heat like the rest of the card.

(7) Kid Kash (with Melody) beat Vordell Walker to retain the SAW International Championship in 14:52. Kash did long mic work insulting the crowd. Up in the balcony where I was sitting, it was unintelligible. They went nose to nose. Crowd broke out the “Kash sucks” chant. Lots of Kash’s usual stalling tactics. In the only MMAish sequence of the match, Kash shot for a single leg. Walker fought it and tried for a submission. Kash reversed and pounded Walker from the mount. I expected them to do more MMA style, because if Kash wanted to push the shootfighting gimmick, there was no better opponent to do it with than Walker. When Walker took over, Kash bumped bigger than he has for any of his previous SAW opponents. Kash bailed. Walker followed and took a flip bump into the rail for his troubles. Back inside, Kash used a standing suplex and a series of kneedrops for a near fall. Walker hit a back suplex and it was both men down. Walker tried to climb. Kash kicked the ropes to crotch him, but Walker recovered to hit a superplex. Walker blitzed Kash with high impact offense. An STO got messed up, but the crowd reacted because it looked painful for Kash. Kash busted out the double jump moonsault for the first time in SAW, but Walker kicked out of it. Kash tried to pull something out of Melody’s purse. She wasn’t down with it. Walker got suckered into the mess, and. Kash rolled him up using the tights while fully exposing the crack of his ass (same as he did to Snow last month).

(8) Chase Stevens beat Andy Douglas (with Paul Adams & Rick Santel) in a Last Man Standing Match (27:49). I thought this was every bit as good and dramatic as the table match, but it didn’t feel like it because the crowd was past peak. And of course, there was no way top that finish. Stevens had done a great promo on the go home TV show (episode 114) that tied directly into the match story – he was still suffering from the bump off the balcony and could barely stand to begin with, but he was going to keep standing up no matter what Douglas did. In turn, Douglas and Adams did a classic gloating heel deal, where they dropped a watermelon off an overpass and watched it splat on the parking lot below. Douglas jumped Stevens and destroyed his injured back. Stevens rallied but his back was killing him. Santel tossed a chain to Douglas, who clocked Stevens for the first pinfall of the match. Referee Marcus Pastorious caught Santel red handed and banished him to the dressing room. Masters had announced the rules as a 15 second rest period before a 10 count, but Marcus Pastorious started to count immediately. No worries. Few heard what Masters said anyway. Stevens was bleeding from the forehead. Stevens took a sick thudding bump to the floor. Douglas slammed Stevens on the concrete. Back in the ring, ate a kick to the face and collapsed. Stevens caught Douglas flush with a wild lucky punch. Douglas got major color. Blood was streaming down his face. Douglas hit the Harley Race knee but was in no shape to follow up. He was covered in blood down to his belly. Douglas pinned Stevens with a bulldog. Stevens got up. Douglas leveled Stevens with a lariat, then accidentally leveled Pastorious. Stevens hit the fisherman suplex. Adams entered the ring and stomped him. Stevens punched Adams. Santel tried to interfere and got speared by Stevens. Douglas capitalized with the Natural Selection for the three count. Stevens got up. Douglas gave Stevens a DDT onto a chair. Stevens was up at the count of 13. Douglas blasted Stevens with an unprotected chair shot. The crowd went silent. Stevens again got up at 13. Douglas wedged a chair in between the turnbuckles. Stevens reversed and Douglas went in head first. Stevens pinned Douglas with the TKO. Stevens got to his feet just before the 15 count, and Douglas couldn’t make it. Another epic match in this epic feud.

Santel came back out and attacked Stevens until the Scarbonis made the save.

Masters announced a return date at the Fairgrounds for February 13.

NOTES: Jerry Jarrett was not in attendance and reportedly was out of town for the weekend…Dutch Mantell made his presence felt. Among other things, Mantell directed the pretaped segments and was heavily involved in the staging of the Hammerjack/Anthony brawl. Michael Shane was backstage…Among the random SAW officials were Jason James and Hot Rod Biggs,…NWA Main Event TV editor Andrew Becker was among those sent out to break up the fight between Hammerjack and Anthony…Brian Tramel reported on rronews.com concerning Wolfie D’s relapse (as posted by Wolfie’s girlfriend, Lizzie). Wolfie is not in rehab, but he is on hiatus from SAW…Mike Porter’s NWA Main Event ran a free show just 3 miles away from the Fairgrounds. That show reportedly drew 200 with Matt Boyce vs. the returning Shawn Shultz in the main event. Mike Posey vs. Steve-O opened as Posey had to make the second half of his double shot for the NWA Top Rope show in Lebanon

Палци горе! :cool:

[nWoHulkster]

Showtime All-Star Wrestling: Unfinished Business

February 13th, 2010

Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena

_______________________________________________

SAW International Title

Kid Kash © vs. Arrick Andrews

SAW #1 Contenders Match

Andy Douglas (with Paul Adams) vs. Chase Stevens

Grudge Match

Hammerjack vs. "Maniac" Marc Anthony

SAW Tag Team Title Match

Derrick King Enterprises (Derrick King & JT Stahr with Sista O’Feelyah) © vs. PG-13 (Wolfie D & Jamie Dundee)

Hardcore Match

Flash Flanagan vs. Rick Santel (with Paul Adams)

SAW Women's Title Match

Tracy Taylor © vs. Su Yung

Plus:

"Teen Excitement" Drew Haskins

Vordell Walker

Leah the "Bond Girl"

the SAW Bikini Team

and more

[nWoHulkster]

Showtime All-Star Wrestling: Unfinished Business

February 13th, 2010

Nashville, TN

Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena (a.k.a. the TNA Asylum)

While Showtime All-Star Wrestling’s “Unfinished Business” wasn’t bad by any standard, it lacked the magic of their first two events at the Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena.

Once again, SAW put close to 1000 people in the building, but the heat never quite reached the the fever pitch of the key moments on the previous shows. My belief is that the construction of the card took the edge off them.

SAW's first Fairgrounds event in October came across far better live than it did on television. The November event struck a balance between the two. Last night, it felt like SAW sacrificed the live experience for the sake of television. Hopefully, that doesn’t come back to bite them at the box office when they return on March 13 - their shortest turnaround time between Fairgrounds dates.

It opened strong and closed even stronger, and there was an entertaining tag title switch in between, but the midcard became a blur of pure TV matches that partially burned out the crowd. And they did way too much of a good thing with the pull aparts. Hammerjack and Marc Anthony had a classic pull apart last time. This show had three of them. The pacing was better than the previous shows. They taped enough material for three television episodes in two and 1/2 hours. But 12 matches is too much, especially doing nine before intermission.

In a dose of high drama, Chase Stevens emerged as the new SAW International Champion, ending the year long reign of Kid Kash in a match he wasn't supposed to have any part in....or so we had been lead to believe.

Ring announcer Dan Masters opened the evening’s festivities by directing the crowd’s attention to the big screen for a warm welcome by Leah of Grumpy’s Bail Bonds fame.

Two dark matches took place prior to the advertised bell time.

(1) Ryan Genesis beat Big Bully Douglas in 3:53. Not to jinx the guy as a worker, but Genesis strongly resembled Van Hammer only not as tall. Bully controlled the match with semi-ruthless aggression. Genesis hit a loose approximation of a DDT for a double down. Finish saw Genesis counter Bully’s TKO with one of his own. Nothing to write home about.

(2) Kevin White (with Su Yung) beat Cody Melton in 5 minutes. White played cowardly heel and let Yung do his dirty work for him, a role she performs in stellar fashion. Melton blocked a superkick to spark a comeback. No water in the pool for his frogsplash. White pinned Melton with an RKO.

The television taping started right on the dot at 8.

Reno Riggins and Dutch Mantell (complete with 10 gallon hat and serape) did a stand up in the interview area for one of the TV episodes. They started to interview Arrick Andrews about his upcoming title match, but they immediately interrupted by rude-to-the-bone SAW International Champion Kid Kash. He told Reno to buzz off because he wanted to talk to the boy. Kash told Andrews he wasn’t man enough to face a champion that had taken the title around the globe and beaten them all. Kash said he had one word of advice, which turned out to be a punch in the face. Five refs came running out. It turned into a massive pull apart. It took two more waves of SAW personnel (including Hot Rod Biggs and Commissioner Freddie Morton) to finally get them separated. Kash was like a mad dog. A very heated segment.

(3) "Grandmasta" Brian Christopher beat Sigmon in 4:15. Solid pop for Christopher but nothing off the charts. Sigmon jumped him to gain a short lived advantage. Sigmon got a near fall off a standing dropkick. Christopher roared back with big Lawler style punches and an enzuigiri. Sigmon tried to bring Chistopher off the ropes and you just knew that wasn’t happening. Christopher donned the googles to pin Sigmon with the Hip Hop Drop.

(4) Chase Stevens beat David Young (with Paul Adams) in 3:30. Stevens hit a shadow lariat early. Young took over after distraction by Adams. Crowd chanted for a Stevens comeback. They got it and a great finisher, as Stevens busted out a Canadian (Natural?) Destroyer.

Natalie Van Eron attempted to interview Andrews a second time. That brought Kash out. He told Van Eron she was a credit to her profession, but he couldn’t stand women in a man’s sport. Kash attacked Andrews. Security pulled them apart. Fans chanted “let them fight”. It got pretty hot but not like the first time.

(5) PG-13 (Wolfie D & J.C. Ice) defeated Derrick King Enterprises (Derrick King & JT Stahr with Sista O”Feelyah & Drew Haskins to win the SAW Tag Team Championship in 14:27. Fun match. Wolfie stayed a step ahead of JT. Ice tagged in and it built to a major DKE collision followed by a meeting of the heel minds. Ice cleared the ring of everyone including Wolfie with his Kung Fu fighting stance. Crowd popped huge for it. DKE got heat on Ice. He hit a jumping DDT and went through King’s legs to make the hot tag. Stahr took a sky high back drop from Wolfie. One by one, all four crashed and burned on top rope moves. PG-13 did the combo move they used to beat the champions at Buffalo Billiards, but King kicked out. PG-13 stacked up DKE with double bulldogs, but Haskins pulled the ref out. While PG-13 was busy with Haskins and O’Feelyah, DKE grabbed the hubcaps. PG-13 saw them coming and capped their domes for the three count. Crowd loved the finish.

(6) Tracy Taylor pinned Sue Yung in 3:58 to retain the SAW Women’s Championship. Taylor worked on Yung’s arm. Yung smacked her on the break. Taylor issued a receipt. Yung used the tights to send Taylor head first into the turnbuckles and unleashed her wildcat offense. Taylor pretty much hit her finisher out of nowhere. It was OK, just not much to it.

(7) Hammerjack vs. Marc Anthony ended as a no contest in around 4 minutes. After the awesome affair they had the last time and the great build up on TV, this was disappointing to say the least. Hammer met Anthony in the aisle and they brawled at ringside. Anthony gave Hammer a wicked looking shot into the rail. They went inside the ring, and Hammer was beating him to death. Anthony took a nose dive. Back on the outside, Anthony tossed the ringsteps at Hammer. He skedaddled and the steps came apart on impact. Nice visual. Anthony left ref Jess Fields in a crumpled heap. Hammer took out ref number two, and that was all she wrote.

They had another wild pull apart brawl. Crowd did the “let them fight” chant. Anthony ran back out and dove on top of Hammer. He also decked a security guard, who sold it like he was knocked out cold. It was a powerful stuff as a stand alone segment, but three pull aparts in one night?? There was no way the crowd could be up for it like they should have.

(8) Andy Douglas beat Jesse Emerson in 4:56. The advertised match with Stevens didn’t take place for reasons that would become obvious. Paul Adams was conspicuous by his absence at ringside. Douglas dominated in all his arrogant glory, using his signature moves like the guillotine leg drop and the Harley Race high knee. Emerson sparked a comeback with a swinging neckbreaker, but the crowd wasn’t buying him as a threat.. Emerson got a near fall with a side Russian legsweep before Douglas finished him with the Natural Disaster.

(9) Vordell Walker beat Drew Haskins (with Sista O’Feelyah) via DQ in 10:32. Try as they might, these guys couldn’t get on the same page. Walker wasn’t giving much credence to Haskins’ offense. Walker took a bump over the top on an Irish whip - tough to suspend disbelief on that one given the power disparity. Back inside, Walker popped up after taking a German suplex and hit an overhead belly to belly suplex. Walker hit a Michinoku driver. Walker fell for O’Feelyah’s feminine wiles. Haskins capitalized with a low blow and a roll up but Walker kicked out. Moments later, Walker hit the wind up uranage. DKE attacked Walker. PG-13 hit the ring with their hubcaps to make the save. Worst match either one has had in SAW in forever.

Intermission with Dutch Mantell, Flash Flanagan and Tracy Taylor at the gimmick tables.

(10) Micah Taylor beat Sigmon in 6:37. Taylor’s hairdo is split down the middle - half bleached blonde and half brunette. Match was fine. Crowd could not have cared less as in utterly lifeless. Taylor won it with a top rope leg lariat.

(11) Flash Flanagan beat “OMG” Rick Santel via DQ in 5:49. The advertised hardcore stipulation was mysteriously dropped. Flanagan had the kendo stick but never used it. The shaved head has been replaced by a buzz cut. Santel exudes star presence, mixing element of Flair and Rude into something all his own. Really good match while it lasted. Crowd reaction was less than ideal, probably the by product of too many matches. As the ref was taking the kendo stick from Flanagan, Santel pulled him out of the ring. Flanagan rallied, hitting a top rope shoulder block and pounding Santel from the mount. Flanagan used an airplane spin that left both men woozy. Santel took over with a hammerlock divorce court. Santel worked the shoulder, then used Nature’s Greatest Elbow for a near fall. Santel tried to go up top, but Flanagan cut him off and hit a superplex. Both men down with Flanagan selling the shoulder. Flanagan made the one armed comeback and hit the springboard legdrop. Young interfered just before the three count. Flat finish. Crowd wasn’t primed for it. In any case, Young left Flanagan laying with one hell of a spinebuster.

The main event was gold. Kash came out first. Does that guy ever get heat. Riggins came out and said the match wasn’t happening and Kash knew why. Kash freely admitted that he beat the hell out Andrews 15 minutes ago. Riggins said he was going to break his promise and get in the ring (a moment in making for over a year on SAW TV). Reno reminded Kash that he and Steven Dunn ran roughshod in this building. Reno said somebody wanted a piece of Kash’s ass. Stevens appeared at ringside. Reno took off his shirt revealing a ref shirt underneath.

(12) Chase Stevens beat Kid Kash to win the SAW International Championship in 14:33 with Reno Riggins as special referee. This was great stuff. Two guys with big league star quality going at it with intensity. Stevens opened with a gorilla press. Kash ate a dropkick and bailed. Crowd was into this. Stevens suplexed Kash back inside and worked an armbar. There was a great moment when Kash and Reno were nose-to-nose on their knees. Stevens used an elevated armbar. But Stevens ankle gave way on an up and over. Smelling blood in the water, Kash swarmed all over it. Kash applied the figure four, and the crowd really came alive. Kash cheated. Reno kicked Kash’s hands to break his grip on the ropes. Stevens was in agony. He unlaced his boot to relieve the pressure. Kash jumped out of the ring and leaned over the rail to get in the face of a female fan that had been giving him hell all night long. Kash did moonsaults to Stevens’ leg. Kash pulled the boot off and wanted to use it on Stevens, but Reno took it away. Kash made the big mistake and got in Reno’s face. Reno shoved him and Stevens rolled him for the three count.

Post-match scene was beautifully done. Kash was crazy with rage. Stevens was toast. He couldn’t stand up. Never got to put the belt on or anything. Security had to carry him to the back.

NOTES: Jerry Jarrett was present for the first half of the show. Pro Wrestling Illustrated flew in a photographer to cover the event...Michael Graham and Dutch Mantell did live commentary for some of the matches. I’m guessing an hour’s worth…Mantell conducted a wrestling seminar in the afternoon. He also worked a show in Ripley, Ms Friday night promoted by Rodney Grimes that drew 1000...The SAW episode that aired last night in Nashville contained old matches taped at the SAW Mill…Neither Walker or Masters will be at the Fairgrounds on March 13. Both are booked for the Oates family retirement match in Ellaville, Ga…A petition was being circulated to prevent Mayor Karl Dean from closing the Fairgrounds at the end of the year. The leader of the petition drive said a lawsuit had been filed to block the closure…”Unfinished Business” was a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. Fans were encouraged to text donations throughout the evening.

Brian Christopher & Kevin White~! Двама мои любимци от Memphis Wrestling сега в SAW. Доволно! Поздравления на PG-13 & Chase Stevens (други мои любимци от кеч сцената в щата TN).

[nWoHulkster]

Showtime All-Star Wrestling

March 13th, 2010

Nashville, TN

Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena (a.k.a. the TNA Asylum)

Andy Douglas announced his retirement at the Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena last night.

In a fitting conclusion to his eleven year career, Douglas made the surprise announcement after losing a steel cage match to his former partner of seven years, Chase Stevens, who was making his first defense of the SAW International Championship. The emotions inside that ring where as real as it gets.

Combine that with one of the best weapons brawls you would ever want to see, and I’m thinking it was SAW’s best show ever.

For length and pacing, they nailed it right on the head. It started early (7pm – an idea that worked for making it kid friendly) and finished in under 2:30.

Although not quite as large in numbers (800), it was the hottest crowd, start to finish, for any of the four SAW events at the Fairgrounds. It was getting rowdy. Security had to ask the people to move back because they kept crowding up near the ring barrier, just like back in the day. Clearly, SAW has established an passionate core fanbase that knows the characters and follows the product on TV.

(1) Drew Haskins (with Sista O’Feelyah) submitted Cody Melton with a figure four leglock. I only saw the finish. Haskins’ gear wasn’t as…um…flamboyant as it was later in the evening.

Downtown Bruno was interviewed Natalie Van Eron. A fair percentage of the crowd seemed to remember him. Bruno took us down Fairgrounds memory lane, pointing out the spot where he met his fiancé, and listing some of the great ones he had the opportunity to work with. Good segment. Bruno has lost the scruffiness he had back in the day and was quite well spoken.

(2) Jesse Emerson pinned Big Bully Douglas in 4:51. A somewhat mixed reaction for Emerson. He’s apparently too clean cut for a certain segment of this crowd. Back when there were territories, Douglas would have earned a living as a pro wrestler. Emerson took control. Douglas said enough with this clean wrestling BS, and leveled Emerson with a lariat. Douglas followed with a lariat off the ropes and a fallaway slam. Crisp finish- Emerson got the drop on Douglas and tried for an O’Connor Roll. Douglas blocked it and Emerson pinned him with a backslide.

(3) Brian Christopher beat Lani Kealoha in 3:08. Christopher got a longer, louder pop than he did for his return to the Fairgrounds last month. Kealoha was in the best cosmetic shape of any of his SAW appearances. He attacked before the bell. Christopher dropped Kealoha in his tracks with a superkick, hit a missile dropkick and deposited him outside the ring. Christopher danced and got tripped up by Kealoha. A nifty ropes-mounted spinning back elbow by Lani connected, but no such luck on the diving headbutt. Christopher capped his comeback with the top rope leg drop. No goggles this time. Hmm.

Stevens came into the ring with the SAW International Title for the first time and did an interview with Van Eron. He’s way over but not to the degree Hammerjack is. Stevens was elated about having the prize coveted by every wrestler in the locker room, and said he was no paperweight champion. Adams appeared in the entrance way, and wow, did he ever get heat. He complained about biased officiating (by Reno) and pointed out that while Stevens won the match, he was yet to walk out of the ring with the title. Rick Santel blindsided Stevens. Stevens cut that off with a high backdrop but got nailed by Andy Douglas. Adams joined in to make it a three on one beatdown, until Christopher made the save.

(4) PG-13 (Wolfie D & JC Ice) retained the SAW Tag Team Championship vs. Derrick King Enterprises (Derrick King & Drew Haskins with Sista O’Feelyah) in a double count out in just 4:04. The first of four advertised matches saw DKE invoke the Freebird rule with Haskins subbing for JT Stahr. Haskins’ gear was hilarious. He wrestled in tiny blue tights while wearing socks and loafers. It was so gay. I’m not sure who exactly “Teen Excitement” was trying to excite. Wolfie was handing Haskins his ass. Bad image, sorry. Haskins ended up wearing only one loafer. King interfered and DKE briefly got heat on Wolfie. He used a Morton roll for the hot tag. Wolfie’s timing on what to do and when to do it is so spot on. Ice got a pair of near falls on Haskins. The match broke down with all four on the floor. Half Dolla came out with a broom, and King broke it across Wolfie’s back. Hopefully, this program is just getting off the ground.

(5) “Maniac” Marc Anthony beat Hammerjack in a Tennessee Streetfight in 14:53. Match of the night and my favorite live match so far for 2010. For a weapons brawl, it don’t get no better. Anthony’s promo work has been phenomenal. Last night, he brought his A game in the ring. He deserves a shot on larger stage. Kudos to Hammerjack on a remarkable piece of work. He was sick as dog, to the point he had no business doing the match, much less putting on a stellar performance. Hammer received an explosive pop coming out, and the heat never let up from there. The brawled outside the barricade, and Anthony fell back over the rail wearing one of those giant trash barrels. Anthony took over and delivered a Dick Murdoch elbow with Hammer lying defenseless on the apron. Anthony bashed Hammer with this giant metal roasting pan, and the impact created one of the best weapons sound effects ever. Hammer crowned Anthony with a trio of metal trash can lid shots. Anthony keeled over onto the concrete floor. Crowd was going nuts for Hammer’s comeback. Anthony drove a chair edge into Hammer’s throat over by the announcer’s desk. Finally inside the ring, Anthony whipped Hammer head first into a chair wedged between the turnbuckles. Within moments, Hammer’s face was covered with blood. Anthony charged and took a backdrop to the floor. Hammer tried to follow up, but Anthony started beating on him with a tennis racket. A can lid shot to Hammer’s head sounded like an explosion. Hammer suplexed Anthony into a coffin of chairs at ringside, busting up the chairs for a great carnage visual. Another huge “Hammerjack” chant here. Anthony fired one of the chairs at Hammer’s head to cut him off. Anthony delivered a low blow that Hammer sold like the mother of all nut shots. Anthony crashed and burned on a top rope headbutt. Just when Hammer had Anthony where he wanted him, a video played on the big screen. It was an endless loop of Hammer’s daughter running towards the camera with a present in her hand shouting “Happy Birthday, daddy!” It’s usually so lame when a wrestlers stops a match to look at something on screen, but this was disturbing enough to allow for suspension of disbelief. Anthony capitalized with one chair shot to the back and a sick one to the head for the pin.

The postmatch was like a psychotic nightmare. Anthony set Hammer’s throat on the edge of a chair and waffled his back with another chair shot. Hammer was still bleeding profusely. Hot Rod Biggs hit the ring. Anthony whacked him in the head with the chair and a second shot put him down for good. Biggs bled all over his white shirt and looked like a zombie mess. At one point, Anthony was holding ten guys at at bay, before they were able to pull Hammerjack out of the ring. As Hammer was being carried out, Anthony put his helmet on and barked to the heavens. This match that will be etched in my brain for a very long time.

(6) Brian Christopher beat Rick Santel (with Paul Adams) via DQ in 2:33. The pop for Christopher was amplified the second time around. Santel was talking smack. Christopher shut his mouth with a quick burst of offense. Adams jumped up to provide distraction, and Santel jumped Christopher from behind, injuring his shoulder. Christopher fired back, but the shoulder was giving him fits, and Santel hit a back suplex. Nature’s Greatest Elbow hit nothing but canvas. After laying Santel out with a neckbreaker, Christopher went up top and Douglas dumped him for the DQ. A Team doubled up on Santel until Stevens made the save. The point was to get Christopher over more as a babyface and it worked.

(7) Jon Michael Worthington defeated Cody Melton in 4:37. This was the only match the crowd wasn’t up for. Melton came off the ropes and tasted Worthington’s boot bigtime. Worthington made three consecutive covers but no dice, so he beat the hell out of Melton in the corner. Melton escaped from a power slam position and downed Worthington with a back stabber. Melton’s big near fall came off a flying body press. Finish saw Melton attempt to suplex Worthington out of the ring. Not gonna happen. Worthington countered with the Brentwood Breaker (jackhammer).

(8) Chase Stevens pinned Andy Douglas at 13:42 to retain the SAW International Championship inside a steel cage. It wasn’t the best match they’ve had during this incredible run. But it added a final piece to the impressive body of work these men compiled over the last 16 months. Their epic series of matches set the standard by which to judge great matches in SAW. They took SAW from a company that had a rep for not being able to deliver the goods in big matches, to one where it is now the norm. This was an old-fashioned cage match. Nobody was getting in and nobody was escaping. Stevens was all over Douglas at the start, flinging him into the cage. Stevens took a chest bump into the buckles, and Douglas returned the favor with shots into the cage. The third one was a classic face first shot. Stevens bled. Douglas kept the pressure on the blood was really starting to flow. The crowd got behind Stevens, and they let the heat build before Douglas let the air out of them with a high knee for a near fall. Stevens hit a top rope superplex that left both men down. At the count of six, Stevens scrambled for a cover and Douglas kicked out. Douglas begged for mercy. Stevens gave him the one finger salute in stereo. Stevens hit a codebreaker for a near fall. Douglas snapped off a Jake Roberts style DDT for a near fall. Stevens made Douglas miss with a guillotine leg drop. Stevens then missed with a moonsault from the top of the 12 foot cage. Completely insane, but what the hell, the guy had survived a fall from the balcony in one of their previous matches. Douglas covered and Stevens kicked out. Douglas used a Frankensteiner for a near fall, and then hit the Natural Selection. Stevens kicked out of it just before the three count. Douglas went for it again, and Stevens countered, dropping him on his neck with a variation on the Attitude Adjustment.

Douglas embraced Stevens after the match. This was far from an ordinary hug. Douglas was choked up bad. He asked for the mic. What an awful time for the sound system to konk out. They waited and waited and with no working mic forthcoming, Douglas went without, which in a way, made it even more special. Few could hear what Douglas was saying, but the raw gut churning emotion made it unforgettable. Here he was, retiring in the building where he made his name, a building where countless legends had preceded him, after putting over his long time partner. Douglas started weeping and it became difficult to find the words. Only after they left the ring and people were starting to leave, was a working microphone brought out. Douglas said wrestling meant the world to him, and he always gave 100% for the fans. He ran down a list of people he owed thanks to. Douglas started weeping and it became difficult to get the words out. Stevens took the mic and said, “You are my best friend, and I love you very much. Thank you for the seven years you gave me.”

NOTES: SAW returns to the Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena on May 8. There will be a television taping in the interim at a location to be announced… In the absence of Dan Masters, ring announcing duties were handled by Aaron Camaro and Dan “The Danonator” Davidson...Vordell Walker, David Young and Masters were all booked for the Oates family retirement event in Ellaville, Ga…Dutch Mantell was not in attendance, as he was booked for the Legendsmania fanfest in Atlanta…SAW regulars, Micah and Tracy Taylor are headed into Roger Gleaton’s CWA promotion in South Carolina…To read what Douglas posted within hours of his retirement click here.