4/29/17 AWS/QPW Joint Show #2
American Legion Post #335, South Gate
Another large crowd was on hand for the 10-match, 4-hour show, and it wasn’t easy to stay alert through the last quarter of the card, given that I spent most of the afternoon at TitanCon, over at Cal State Fullerton.
1 – Women’s Rumble Match, to determine an opponent for Hudson Envy & the QPW Women’s title
It started with Heather Monroe & Christina Von Eerie, but CVE eliminated herself for one reason, and that was to set up an impromptu rematch with B-Boy, after their last battle at Sabotage. I didn’t clearly hear the name of the 3rd wrestler in the match–I think it was Chloe [Editor’s note: It was Sloan], but she looked pretty decent in the ring. Sage Sin Supreme was next, followed by Laura James, then Shayna Baszler. Shayna cleaned house, eliminating all the other women, then dueled with Buggy, eventually throwing her out to earn her title shot.
Rumble Summary
1) Heather Monroe (Eliminated 2nd or 3rd by Shayna)
2) Christina Von Eerie (Elimnated 1st)
3) Sloan (Eliminated 4th by Shayna)
4) Sage Sin Supreme (Eliminated 5th by Shayna)
5) Laura James (Eliminated 2nd or 3rd by Shayna)
6) Shayna Baszler (Winner)
7) Buggy Nova (Eliminated last by Shayna)
2 – Brody King v. J.R. Kratos
Great battle between two of the biggest men in California ended with Kratos rolling a Standing Bicycle Knee Strike into a huge Headbutt for the pin.
3 – Sage Sin Supreme v. Hania
Strong women’s match, where Sage was a suitable replacement for Phoenix of RISE (& now Gold Rush Pro Lady Luck) Champion Shotzi Blackheart. Sage stunned Hania with a kick to the gut, then hit the Code Red for the pin.
4 – AWS Tag Team Championship: B-Boy & Lil Cholo (c) v. AWS Lightweight Champion SoCal Crazy & Mariachi Loco
This is where the action really heated up, with all four men exchanging signature moves. There was a time where B-Boy & Cholo got fed up with Referee Rick Knox’s ruling, and tried to knock him down. Of course, anyone that knows what Rick Knox can do, saw what he can do, when he dodged a right hand strike, and hit a Double-Stunner on the champs. B-Boy & Cholo went for a Doomsday Device on Loco, but SoCal Crazy prevented that from happening, hitting a Huracanrana on Cholo, and allowed Loco to do a Victory Roll on B-Boy, getting some assistance from SoCal Crazy for the pin.
NEW AWS TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: SOCAL CRAZY & MARIACHI LOCO
5 – Ray Rosas (w/ Damien Arsenik) v. Davey Boy Smith
Another strong singles match, where Davey made the most out of his big body, and Ray did all he could to cut him down, by picking on the right knee. Davey eventually rolled a Piledriver into a Crossface submission for the tapout win.
6 – AWS Heavyweight Championship: Tyler Bateman (c) v. Bad Dude Tito (w/ Damien Arsenik)
Very even match, right up to the ending. The increasing frustration that H.A.T.E. felt with Tito’s inability to put away Bateman prompted Mondo Vega to go from the commentary table, to ringside. An attempt to distract Referee Rick Knox backfired, when he saw Tito smash the title belt across Bateman’s head, resulting in a DQ. The three members of H.A.T.E. did a beatdown on Bateman, complete with a F5, before being run off by Brody King, then J.R. Kratos.
7 – QPW Women’s Championship: Hudson Envy (c) v. Shayna Baszler
A very decent title match, coming off of intermission. Shayna did all she could to pick apart Hudson’s right arm and shoulder–a body part where “The Tattooed Metal Head Pitbull” has a history of medical ailments, but couldn’t put her away with a submission. The match started to go South, when Referee Justin Borden took a bump, and couldn’t recover to see neither Hudson’s cover off an Air Raid Crash, or Shayna’s submission hold on Hudson, as CVE ran into the ring to try and save her BFF. Justin later overruled the initial ruling of a submission win by Shayna, which was called by Referee Jeremy Marcus, ruling it a DQ for the interference by CVE.
8 – Leva Bates (Blue Pants) v. Thunder Rosa
Given that Leva came to the ring looking like an Ewok, and Thunder Rosa sporting face paint, robes, & a toy lightsaber staff that made her look like a “Female Darth Maul”, they could’ve easily spent the early part of the day at the TitanCon free event at Cal State Fullerton. The match itself was a mix of “Star Wars Gimmick”, with some very serious wrestling. Thunder Rosa capped the match with a Michinoku Driver for the pin, then made a beeline for Ed, “beating the crap out of him”.
SM – B-Boy v. Christina Von Eerie
Essentially, these two picked up where they left from the Sabotage event Last February. Although B-Boy couldn’t put away CVE with a reversal rollup, he did floor her with a Piledriver for the pin.
M – Jeff Cobb v. Josh Barnett
Although noone got to see Adam Thornstowe “travel from the home of the Anthem Owl” to defend the QPW Heavyweight title, due to his torn bicep, the fans did get a very suitable replacement in a former UFC champion, turned pro wrestling star. The match itself turned out to be a great display of technical mat wrestling, with a handful of MMA-inspired strikes, and a good number of slams. Josh capped it with an apparent Double-Heel Hook or Ankle Locks, scoring a tapout submssion win.
Very strong card overall. The fans really got their money’s worth, and plenty of fans (other than “The Hammer Guy”) won raffle prizes, including a big poster signed by the wrestlers on the card. The feud between Bateman & H.A.T.E. could heat up, while it’ll be interesting to see if a feud brews between Hudson & CVE, and Trifecta. CVE continues to prove just how tough of a woman she is, as she really made B-Boy earn the win…again. Finally, as we look ahead to next month’s Women’s Tournament card, it’ll be interesting to see who the last member of the women’s team is, especially since Mondo’s team in the “5 Men v. 5 Women” match comprises of his old buddies in the K.O.S., especially Terex.
MOTN
1) Jeff Cobb / Josh Barnett
2) Tag Team Championship
3) B-Boy / CVE
4) Brody / Kratos
Best Women’s Match: Leva / Rosa
