Final “Chaos Column” Recap of 2016
Knokx Pro “Jingle Bell Knokx 2016” at the Knokx Pro Domain, Sun Valley
The last time I was at a Knokx Pro event, they were at their old stomping grounds in Burbank, across the I-5 from the city’s big shopping center. At that time, WWE Superstar Rusev was still honing his skills as Miroslav, and there was no female trainee named Holidead. This was my first time checking out their Sun Valley venue, and the latest line of talents that are honing their skills, hoping to follow in Rusev & Holidead’s footsteps, and be the school’s next breakout star. A big special thanks to Mike Draven & Steve for helping me ID everyone that was on the card.
1 – Sycho Stu v. Dragon
Sycho Stu came out in U.S. military fatigues, making the crowd chant “Stu.S.A!”. Pretty even match that Stu ended with a Spear, for the pin.
2 – Jezette Marie & Big Rhed (w/ Bennett) v. Paco Suarez & Nate McCross
In terms of size, Big Rhed cancelled out Nate (& then some), while Jezette cancelled out Paco. In all, it was a very good tag team match, where Bennett made sure Nate wouldn’t interfere, while Jezette locked in a LeBell Lock on Paco for tapout submission win.
3 – “Slicked Back Heart Attack” Pedro v. Bison Beltran
One of those big, strong-style wrestler v. a smaller, speedy wrestler type, with the bigger Bison bring in control of most of the match. However, he got too focused on beating down Pedro in the corner, pushing the ref. away multiple times, resulting in a DQ win for Pedro. That didn’t stop Bison from completing his beatdown on Pedro, complete with a powerbomb.
4 – Non-title match. European Cruiserweight Champion Snypes v. Eyez in Disguise
A very even match between the champion, who current catchphrase is “What’s my name?!”, and the colorful masked wrestler. Snypes was able to dodge a Corner Splash by Eyez, then rolled him up with a Cradle/Crucifix cover, and was able to not get caught with his feet on the ropes, while scoring the pinfall.
SM – Urban Empire Championship: Prince Shergill (c) v. El Presidente
Even, medium-paced match. There were a few miscues in the match, but that’s pretty much par for a battle between trainees. Shergill hit a glorified Russian Leg Sweep for the successful title defense.
M – Maverick, Otto Von Clutch, & Devious Bear (w/ Tuna) v. The Samoan Dynasty (Rikishi, Black Pearl, & VIP)
The Samoan trio came out to one of the musicals from the new Disney/Pixar movie, “Moana”, drawing the ire of the opposing trio. The match was really good, and well-paced, with every wrestler getting their fair share of ring time. Rikishi did his signature sit-down drop onto Otto for the pin. Tuna, then one other person–who I believe was Oddball–tried to ambush the Samoans from behind, but got thrown into a corner, where they collapsed in a sitting heap. Of course, that led to Rikishi’s signature Stinkface to help close out the show.
Overall, a very good Knoxk Pro show. Black Pearl hit it on the spot, when he claimed that everyone on the card work their butts off. Although the crowd may be different from what I normally see at other promotions, they certainly had a good time. Out of all of the trainees that worked the final card of the year, a few of them stood out in my books:
Jezette
She’s probably one of the most polished talents at Knoxk Pro today, showing some great moves, and an ability to take a good number of bumps. I would like to see her work on cutting promos somewhere down the road. If she can do that, and continue to hone her in-ring abilities, then I think she’ll be the next female talent to break out, much like Holidead.
Otto Von Clutch
His in-ring skills right now may not be at the caliber that allowed Miroslav to later become Rusev, but he does have some strong mic skills.
Maverick
He looks bigger than when I last saw him a few years ago, “trading in” his “air force fatigues” for conventional wrestling gear. Out of all of the male trainees I saw on the card, he may be the closest to breaking out into other promotions.
Prince Shergill
Similar to Maverick, in that with some continued training and in-ring work, he could have that complete package that could propel him to the next level. His “Indian Party Boy Royalty” gimmick will definitely give him a good base to work on playing out the role.
MOTN
1 – Trios match.
2 – Snypes v. Eyez
3 – Jezette & Big Rhed v. Paco & Nate
And with that, that wraps up my 2016 wrestling season. I’ll be doing my “Year in Review” over the holidays on social media, so keep an eye out for it. Although the 1/6 NWA Vendetta Pro show is still up in the air, and the same goes for the 1/20 PCW show, I will definitely be at the RISE/AWS Double-Feature on the final weekend of January. Until 2017 rolls in, have a safe and happy holidays!