This Chaos Column is a recap of Wrestling Cares Association “Race for the Ring Wrestling Tournament” Charity Event at the Alexandria Ballrooms, Downtown Los Angeles , April 27th 2013.
The crowd wasn’t very large to fill the vast ballroom, but it was a lively one nonetheless. Out of all the ticket sales, merchandise & raffle sales, & other donations, WCA raised $1,000 for the Scott L. Schwartz Children’s Foundation, which was announced at the end of intermission.
Before I recap the matches, let’s go over the tournament’s match rules, because it is pretty unique:
* 10-minute regulation matches, held Ironman style
* 1 point awarded for a pinfall, submission, or countout
* 1 point deducted from a DQ’d wrestler
* 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 tourney.
Given match times are approximate.
1 – Kyle Matthews def. Colt Cabana 2 – 1 in OT
* 1:15 – Colt scored a submission, using his signature submission move
* 9:15 – Kyle scored a pinfall
* 0:43 into OT – Kyle got the final pin w/ the 3rd Superkick
Kyle looked really well working the comedy/serious wrestling match w/ Colt, and really got rolling late to help him advance.
2 – Drew Gulak def. Bobby Sharp 2-1
* 4:20 – Bobby scored by pinfall w/ what looked like a F5
* 8:40 & 9:30 – Drew scored w/ Sleeper Hold submissions
I liked Drew Gulak’s tenacity & ability to withstand plenty of hard hits. Both men put up quite a clinic on technical wrestling, and that was some good thinking by Drew in the end to wait for Bobby to get up after the 1st submission score to put up the same submission hold for the winner.
3 – Jamin Olivencia def. Ryan Taylor (who subbed for Sami Callihan) 3-1
* 2:55 – Ryan scored w/ a rollup pin
* 5:40 – Jamin scored w/ a wicked Implant DDT
* 6:25 – Jamin scored w/ a Backslide pin
* 9:40 – Jamin scored a pinfall w/ a Top Rope Splash
Ryan Taylor held his own pretty well against the OVW Heavyweight Champion, but it looked like that Implant DDT he took, going completely vertical from the bump, took alot out of him.
4 – Kyle O’Reilly v. Davey Richards ended in a 1-1 Draw
* :20 – Kyle scored w/ an armbar submission
* 7:50 – Davey scored w/ an Ankle Lock submission
ROH/PWG – caliber match that ended w/ both Kyle & Davey locking in their respective signature submission holds. The fans wanted more even after the end of OT, but to no avail. On the 6/29 show, two more wrestlers will open the card in their quest to earn the right to advance in the tournament.
5 – Pepper Parks def. Vordell Walker 2-1
* 3:10 – Vordell scored w/ what looked like some sort of Leglock submission
* 5:20 – Pepper scored a pin w/ a Fisherman’s Corkscrew Neckbreaker
* 8:10 – Pepper scored a pin w/ a Top Rope move into a Spinning Neckbreaker
Both big men did some pretty good stuff here.
6 – B-Boy def. Jeff McAllister 2-1
* 1:40 – B-Boy scored a pin w/ the Shining Wizard
* 5:00 – Jeff scored w/ what looked like an Indian Deathlock/Boston Crab submission
* 9:15 – B-Boy scored a pin w/ NAP Time
This one was probably the most one-sided match in terms of fan support. Jeff gave it all he could w/ the local star, who was representing AWS Promotions, but came up short. B-Boy gave his next opponent, Kyle Matthews, a word of warning…”This is my turf!”
SM – Steve Anthony def. Caprice Coleman 1-0 (Pinfall w/ the 450 Splash at 5:25)
Great action in this one, but the freakiest thing happened midway through the match. Caprice went for a Slingshot Senton, but as he executed it, his feet hit the chandeliers that were hanging overhead, sending some of the glass decorations all over the place. Steve Anthony’s win capped a really bad night for the guys that were representing ROH.
M – Adam Cole def. Anthony Nese 2-1 in OT
* 4:25 – Adam scored a pin w/ the Florida Keys
* 9:10 – Anthony scored a pin w/ a Tombstone Piledriver
* 2:30 into OT – Adam got the final pin w/ a reverse cover to win the cover battle
Shot of the Night: Wrestling Cares 04/27/2013
Unlike Davey Richards, Kyle O’Reilly, & Caprice Coleman, the former ROH TV Champion was representing PWG, as their World Heavyweight Champion. Both men left everything in the ring, w/ Adam hitting a Superkick on the outside to counter a Slingshot move, which led to his first score w/ the Florida Keys pinfall. The finish was fast & furious, and that was enough to make this match my match of the night.
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