This is a Draven UnScripted as I recap the WCA’s “Race For The Ring Tournament” in Gardena, Ca on June 29th 2013.
The show kicked off with the talent who were competing this evening making their way to the ring as we pay tribute by ringing the bell ten times to the late 
Matt Bourne who most fans knew him as the original Doink the Clown from the WWF. As soon as the ring cleared, Angelo Trinadad welcomed everyone to the show & went over the point system to the crowd.
The point system goes as follows:
10-minute regulation matches, Ironman style
1 point awarded for a pinfall, submission, or countout
1 point deducted if you’re DQ’d
3-min. sudden death overtime if tied at the end of regulation. If still tied after 3 mins., the match is declared a draw, & both wrestlers are eliminated from the tournament.
And now onto the action:
1. Timothy Thatcher def “Old School” Oliver John in Sudden Death 2-1
5:00 – Oliver John pinned Thatcher
0:58 – Thatcher taps out John via submission
SD 1:50 – Thatcher taps out John via leg lock submission
2. Willie Mack def Brandon Gatson 2-1
7:11 – Mack pins Gatson with Chocolate Thunder Bomb
4:17 – Gatson pins Mack after delivering Gatitude
1:50 – Mack pins Gatson with Chocolate Thunder Bomb
3. “The Psycho Shooter” Drake Younger def “The Lariat” DJ Hyde 1-0
7:02 – Hyde pins Younger after hitting a Lariat Clothesline
3:43 – Younger pins Hyde after hitting a Vertebraker
2:02 – Hyde is DQ’d for shoving Referee Jay Stone
4. “The Promise” Antonio Thomas def Alex Reynolds 3-2 in Sudden death
6:46 – Reynolds pins Thomas w/roll up
2:30 & 3:14 – Thomas submits Reynolds w/double arm submission
0:46 – Reynolds pins Thomas after hitting a Codebreaker
SD 0:42 – Thomas submits Reynolds w/double arm submission
As we returned from intermission, WCA committee of David Jackson, Les Thatcher, Nigel McGuinness along with Maria Kanellis presented a $500.00 check to the boys & girls club of Simi Valley which MPW’s Lethal Logan X & J.J. Steele accepted on their behalf.
5. Inter Promotion Tag Team Match
The Fallen Empire (Ryan Taylor & Mondo Vega) def J.J. Steele & “Lethal” Logan X when Fallen Empire deliver a Bonsiar on Logan X
6. “The Buzzsaw” BJ Whitmer def Shaun Tempers 2-1
8:00 – Whitmer submits Tempers
4:30 – Tempers pins Whitmer via Tigerbomb
1:45 – Whitmer pins Tempers via T-Bone suplex
7. “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce def Adam Page by TKO
9:05 – Page pins Pearce w/roll up
8:36 – Page pins Pearce w/reverse roll up after Pearce was arguing with referee
Jay Stone
0:56 – Pearce pins Page after hitting The Last Ride Lariat
Referee Jay Stone stops the match & announces that Adam Page can not continue & Adam Pearce wins via TKO
Main Event
8. Johnny Gargano def “The Natural” Chase Stevens 4-3
9:49 – Gargano pins Stevens after hitting a Tornado DDT
9:21 – Stevens pins Gargano after hitting a Alabama Jam
6:06 – Gargano pins Stevens after hitting a Superkick
4:38 – Gargano pins Stevens after a Full Nelson Facebuster
3:33 – Stevens pins Gargano after a Reverse Fireman Carry Slam
2:45 – Stevens pins Gargano after hitting a Brain Buster
0:04 – Gargano pins Stevens w/a Small Package
This was my first time seeing the Wrestling Cares show & I must say I enjoyed this style of a show. Every match a time limit Ironman match & having the chance to see our So Cal talent compete as well as those talents I’ve only heard of but yet never been able to see in person were a real treat. But like always I try to name my Match of the Night & these matches I felt really stood out on this show:
Timothy Thatcher vs Oliver John
Chase Stevens vs Johnny Gargano
Thatcher/John match started the show off right because this match was your classic, old school, shoot match were both men were trading hold for hold, submission for submission, catch us can style match that made everyone in the VFW just glued to this match. Both men trading hard shots, had great ring presence & at the end of the match, gave the fans a very memorable match with the fans cheering for both men as they showed respect to one another as they bow to each other in the ring.
Stevens/Gargano was a hard hitting, stiff match where both men pulled everything out of their repertoire to gain the pinfalls. This match had more high spots, high flying & risk taking but more importantly had the most pinfalls than the rest of the match this evening. Both men had a spark between them & it showed in this match, very good chemistry between them. The fans were split down the middle in cheering for both competitors & in the end it was a match that made the fans leaving happy & satisfied.
It was announced that August 17th would be the Semi-finals round of the WCA Race for the Ring Tournament & some of the matches have been announced as Willie Mac vs. Adam Pearce, B-Boy vs Kyle Matthews, Timothy Thatcher vs Pepper Parks. Also a special appearance by former WWE/TNA stars Shaun Davari, Winter & Matt Hardy w/Reby Sky will be here as well. So until next time, this is Mike Draven…signing off.
