Connecticut Championship Wrestling 6/27 review

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Should be up on DeclarationOfIndependents.net/DOIWrestling.com later tonight, but here's a preview for you TSM posters...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connecticut Championship Wrestling “REVOLUTION” (June 27, 2004; Knights of Columbus Hall in Fairfield, CT)

 

 

Review by LucharesuFan619 on Tuesday, June 29, 2004

 

 

I’ve been to quite a few indy wrestling shows before, but this was definitely the smallest venue I’ve experienced one in. The room that the show occurred in was a square shape that equated to about the size of half a pro basketball court. Obviously, shows have occurred in much smaller venues, but I’m just saying that for me, I’ve never seen one live in this tight an atmosphere. The stationary camera that was taping the show was on the far side of the entryway (very few fans were on this side of the ring), and there was also tons of merchandise (t-shirts, toy figures, and of course tapes) and some refreshments. The red entrance curtain and the refreshments were both situated to the left of the doorway through which the fans entered.

 

 

DAVE WILCOX vs. TEXAS OUTLAW (w/ Shanna and a cowbell)

 

 

Since the 400 lb. Molsonn didn’t make an appearance (as was advertised to happen), these two guys were – save maybe for Mana (if you count semi-fatness as largeness) – the biggest guys on the show, as far as height is concerned. Wilcox was definitely the tallest guy on the show and kind of resembled Giant Gonzalez, only he actually had some stamina, unlike Gonzalez. Outlaw, meanwhile, was a hoss in every sense of the word. His gimmick is that of an arrogant, rough and tough cowboy, and he both looked and played the part perfectly. So, he wasn’t just big, he was also Texan. Remind you of any current WWE champions? It should.

 

Anyway, there were three fifteen or so year olds who were annoying as can be for the first three-fourths of the show, before they finally left. They were constantly shouting nonsensical “jokes” that 90% of the time weren’t even remotely funny. Outlaw got a lot of heat, especially from them. They called him Bradshaw at one point, and he did sort of resemble JBL, although that was one of the few things the kids said all night that actually made sense.

 

As for the match – early in, Outlaw is sent into the ropes and Wilcox tries to catch him with a Double-Handed ChokeBomb while he’s running (well, jogging, since he’s a huge dude), but they sort of mistimed it and make it come off looking awkward. Shanna – basically your typical cowgirl, complete with a big, white cowboy hat – interfered throughout the match and used the ropes to choke Wilcox, behind the referee’s back. Her man, Outlaw, got a near fall with a spinebuster, before taking it home with a Fireman’s Carry Stunner (T.K.O.), but he held the ropes for leverage, so as to get some heat.

 

Outlaw and Shanna leave the ring to jeers, and the colossal Wilcox eventually follows, as a hilarious “Sweep!” chant begins for the young janitor who begins cleaning the ring. He doesn’t really know what to make of it, but after all, who would?

 

 

WINNER: Texas Outlaw

 

 

- CCW Owner Joe LaChance came out to the ring next and hyped the night’s action, along with also adding into his spiel the obligatory “get your raffle tickets” shill that no indy shows go without these days. American Idol then makes his entrance, while LaChance is still in the ring. Idol is an American Idol spoof, just as you’d imagine, judging by his alias. Besides having a spinny, 18-or-so year old disposition that makes him sort of resemble Clay Aikan, his gimmick is supposed to be that he’s a singing sensation.

 

However, in reality, I’ve never heard him sing in the two times I’ve seen him wrestle. It’s like The Messiah ever since he came to CZW. He’s no Messiah anymore. At least when he worked in California for XPW, he played up the religious gimmick and had the “My kingdom come. My will be done. The Messiah has returned.” catchphrase. Idol’s gimmick (definitely not his wrestling ability, which isn’t too impressive) has some potential, but I’d like to see him put some more enthusiasm in to his act, regardless of how bad a singer he may actually be.

 

Anyway, though, I digress – Idol apologizes for attacking CCW commentator and backstage producer Jeff “The Hungry Man” Harris on the last show, saying that he should’ve done it sooner than he did. That brings out “The Hungryman” himself, and he confronts Idol. LaChance gets involved to make sure that Idol doesn’t attack probably the only guy in the building that he’d actually be able to put up a legit fight against. He says that he’ll settle this by letting Harris pick whomever he wants to wrestle Idol right now.

 

With that, Harris goes back to the locker room and a few seconds later, out charges Bad Leroy Brown, who ironically very much resembles D’Lo Brown (the last name of whom he shares). Dave Meltzer indicated to me that the name Bad Leroy Brown actually was used by a wrestler in the 1980’s who died several years ago, but my spiel is becoming more long-winded than LaChance’s aforementioned one, so onto the match (or lack thereof, as you’ll soon find out)…

 

 

AMERICAN IDOL vs. BAD LEROY BROWN

 

 

Brown immediately attacks A.I. and makes quick work of him within about a minute and a half, taking the victory following a Rock Bottom. Idol stumbles back to the lockerroom after the match.

 

 

WINNER: Bad Leroy Brown

 

 

- Next, The Untouchables (Anthony Michaels & Mark Gore) come out to the ring, along with their newest ally, J-Busta. To say that J-Busta gets a lot of heat at this show is an understatement, although the boos mainly come from the three kids I mentioned before. They really get on his case big time. The Untouchables criticize Los Lunatics, but scurry out of the ring quick as can be when the Lunatics (Eddie Guapo, Low Ryda, & Boogalu) charge the ring. Boogalu challenges the Untouchables to a six-man, title vs. title match tonight, but before he gets an answer, American Idol – who still hasn’t left the ringside area after getting beaten by Brown – asks The Untouchables if he can join their stable, and promises to do whatever’s necessary to gain their respect. Michaels, Gore, and J-Busta agree to give him a chance. They assign him his first mission: to take out Los Lunatics.

 

So, they send him to the dogs, and being the stupid ass that his character is, he obliges without hesitation. After getting slapped and laughing off the fact that A.I. had the balls to touch him, Boogalu kicks his ass like there’s no tomorrow and then leaves him for Guapo and Ryda to stomp on. One of the Lunatics – I’m not sure which – executes a sweet Inverted Suplex Lift into a Michinoku Driver II (the same thing as Brian XL’s X-Clamation Point) on A.I., before all three chase The Untouchables and J-Busta to the back. It’s announced that the two trios will settle their differences later tonight in a six-man tag team match.

 

 

NIKKI ROXX vs. CINDY ROGERS

 

 

Nikki – who was playing the heel here – has worked in CZW before, while I’ve never heard of Cindy until now. Considering both participants were women, this was a decent enough match, featuring some surprisingly solid matwork, although nothing too incredible. Cindy did a Russian Leg Sweep and an X-Factor, and then Nikki came back with a Cradle Fisherman’s Suplex and a Northern Lights Suplex., but she began acting too arrogant, allowing Cindy to surprise her from behind with a schoolboy rollup for a 2 count. Cindy takes the win soon thereafter by forcing Nikki to tap to a grounded bodyscissors/dragon sleeper combo.

 

 

WINNER: Cindy Rogers

 

 

- Next, Holyoke Joe – a regular referee for a number of promotions here in the Connecticut area – comes to the ring to referee the next match.

 

 

CCW Tag Team Titles #1 Contendership Match: The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz (EC NEGRO & KC BLADE) vs. All Money Is Legal (K-Murda & K-Pusha)

 

 

These two duos have wrestled each other many, many times on the indy circuit in promotions ranging from WXW to CZW to PWA, and others, so both are very knowledgeable in the offensive techniques of the opposing team. The D.R.S. play the arrogant heel role better than just about any other duo I’ve seen, but at the same time they’re able to make you absolutely crack up with their hilarious mannerisms. This time, they kept the sparks of hilarity for the match and were full-fledged nasty – getting in the faces of the ringside fans and even knocking the hat off of one guy.

 

The chorus of boos quickly turned to cheers, as rap music hit and A.M.I.L. made their entrance. I was cheering my ass off because lately I’m infatuated with these two guys. When it comes strictly to their wresting ability, they’re not excessively polished, but when it comes to making up uniquely innovative double-team spots in the blink of an eye, look no further. I’ve seen these guys do multiple moves that I had previously never seen before, and I’ve heard tons of hype about them from the boys over at DeclarationOfIndependents.net, but this was my first opportunity to see them in action live, so I was really pumped.

 

You may remember A.M.I.L. from working the debut LXW show in Queens, NY. Both they and The D.R.S. made their CZW debuts several months ago in a match against one another, and A.M.I.L. just recently worked their first JAPW show, and are scheduled to return on the promotion’s next event, so their exposure is constantly growing.

 

The D.R.S. attack A.M.I.L. before the bell rings, starting the match early. A.M.I.L. fights back, though, and knocks both D.R.S. members out to ringside when one member vaults off of the other’s back and dropkicks an opponent with each of his legs. The D.R.S. pretend as if they’re just going to leave the match and head backstage, but change their minds and start heading back towards the squared circle, to my delight, although it takes quite awhile for them to actually re-enter the ring, as they spend quite a bit of time jawing with ringside fans.

 

Eventually, K-Pusha and Blade start off, but they eventually tag out to their partners following a brief, high-paced roperun sequence (as they’ve done so many times with one another). Negro counters K-Murda’s attempted tilt-a-whirl headscissors attack by just planting him face-first into the mat with an inverted powerbomb-style facebuster. Blade then enters and executes a delayed Vertical Suplex, but ref Joe stops the count upon realizing that he’s cheating by putting his feet on the ropes for leverage.

 

Following a Northern Lights Suplex, Blade tags in Negro, who loses his team’s advantage for a moment when K-Murda starts making a comeback with his signature non-running Scissors Kick, but Negro regains control and tags Negro back in.Negro enters by doing a double axehandle smash off of the top to K-Murda., and then uses some cheating methods before sending K-Murda into the ropes and pushing him into the air for a back body drop, but instead finishing by simply slamming him face-first into the mat. K-Murda finds an opening with what was basically an INVERTED SLICED BREAD #2!

 

Yes, you read right. It’s hard to describe. He started out the move as a Run-the-Ropes Tornado DDT, where he had a front facelock on and ran up the ring ropes, as if he was about to swing 360° around into a DDT. Instead, though, once he had his legs up on the turnbuckle, he switched his grip from a front facelock to a neckbreaker hold, and did a backflip into a DDT on Negro!

 

After taking a breather, he’s able to make the dramatic tag to K-Pusha, who enters and immediately hits a fucking Double-Shining Blockbuster. Blade (who had been tagged in) and Negro were both kneeling next to each other near the center of the ring, and he charged at them, stepped up so that one foot was on Blade’s leg and the other on Negro’s leg, and did a front flip, in the process grabbing each guy’s head and executing a Blockbuster! These guys are like the fucking S.A.T. were back in 2001. Sure, in a few years, they’ll probably be considered pure spot wrestlers (and no doubt, that’s what they are, but I still like them) like The S.A.T. are considered now, but for now – until wrestlers start copying their double-team moves like so many did with The S.A.T. – they’re just plain innovative as can be.

 

Anyway, though, I digress – the match continues, as K-Pusha stands on the middle buckle and delivers punches to Blade in the corner. One of the A.M.I.L. guys (I couldn’t tell which) hit a Slingshot Kick in the corner, and then K-Pusha executes his signature Swanton Bomb off of the top turnbuckle while his opponent is sitting in the corner (like Raven does), so his head ends up landing on his opponent’s crotch!

 

Soon thereafter, K-Pusha escapes a Superplex attempt by the D.R.S. and hits another move I’ve never seen before – a Diving Swinging DDT on two opponents at one time! He leaped off of the turnbuckles and landed in a position where, if they wanted to, the D.R.S. could’ve just executed a double-team Spinebuster (he ended up on both of their shoulders with a front facelock applied on both guys), but instead, K-Pusha rotates his body upon landing and turns it into a Swinging DDT, in which he drives both opponents’ heads into the mat! Talk about innovative…K-Murda then flies off of the top rope with a PHOENIX SPLASH~! onto one of the D.R.S.!

 

However, just when it looks like A.M.I.L. have a distinct advantage, K-Pusha has his dive off of the top turnbuckle countered into a Spinebuster by one of his opponents, and he’s then put away with one of the D.R.S.’s many double-team moves – a Tornado DDT/rotating Death Valley Driver combo. One of the D.R.S. members lift the victim onto their shoulders, go into the corner, and stand so that the opponent’s head is facing the turnbuckle. The other member, meanwhile, is standing on the middle buckle, and he grabs a hold of the victim’s head and applies a front facelock. He then executes a Swinging DDT, which – believe it or not – coincides perfectly with the timing of the other member spinning 180° and then executing a Death Valley Driver at the same time that the first member completes the DDT.

 

 

WINNERS and NEW #1 Contenders to the CCW Tag Team Titles: The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz (EC Negro & KC Blade)

 

 

- Lou Bundles comes to the ring to serve as the referee for our next match.

 

 

Four Corners Elimination CCW Northeast Title #1 Contendership Match: WIQUED vs. ABUNAI vs. DAVE COLE vs. SPIDER

 

 

Wiqued runs out at full-speed like Spanky used to do and immediately starts checking the ring announcer and referee for foreign objects, practically groping each one. Classic. Next out is Abunai, then Dave Cole, and finally – perhaps the most popular man…actually, kid…in the building – Spider. He’s about 18 years old and doesn’t look like much of a wrestler, but he’s really damn talented. He can do a 450° and a Moonsault, and I slightly recollect reading about a show on which he did a Shooting Star Press, although I may be mistaken there. Anyway, though, he’s popular as can be and got tons of cheers, especially from one approximately 35 year old woman who liked him so much, she was wearing a t-shirt advertising his official web site, WrestlingSpider.com. I talked to her briefly before the show, and considering that she was a woman, she knew a load about indy wrestling.

 

So, anyway, Abunai and Spider started it off, before Wiqued came in and duked it out with Spider (whose name the fans started chanting a few minutes in). Cole makes his presence felt and delivers a Northern Lights Suplex, a Sitdown Inverted Powerbomb counter to a bodyscissors attack, and then a Surfboard Stretch, all onto Spider. Eventually, some of the guys ended up at ringside and Abunai took them out with a Running Catapult Tumbleweed. Cole followed with a Springboard Crossbody, after which Spider hit an Asai Moonsault, and finally, Wiqued wrapped up the suicida-style attacks with a pescada.

 

Back in the ring, Abunai hits a Tilt-a-Whirl Swinging DDT to eliminate Wiqued, but within a few seconds, is sent packing himself when Cole nails a Fireman’s Carry Michinoku Driver II. With that, it was down to Spider and Cole to determine the number one contender to the CCW Northeast Title, which is held by Los Lunatics member Boogalu. Spider dove off of the top turnbuckle with a Huracanrana attempt, but Cole caught him in a powerbomb position and maneuvered him into a Fireman’s Carry, which he again turned into a Michinoku Driver II, but Spider was able to kick out. Cole fell victim to an Angle Slam, and ended up trying a Gory Guerrero Special, but Spider dropped out and tried his Arachnophobia finisher (which is the same as Spanky’s Sliced Bread #2). Cole escaped that maneuver, only to fall victim to an Oklahoma Roll into a sensational backwards bridging pin to give Spider the win.

 

 

WINNER and NEW #1 Contender to the CCW Northeast Title: Spider; Order of eliminations – 1. Wiqued, 2. Abunai, and 3. Dave Cole.

 

 

- At this point, it’s time for an approximately 30 minute intermission. I buy a TON of tapes…13 in all, because all but one were just $5 and the other one was $10. I got myself tons of ECW shows, the 1997 “WrestleFest” Terry Funk Retirement Show, a bunch of MLW TV episodes from earlier this year, a mega-rare documentary with personal footage Rey Mysterio Jr. got on his camcorder during his 1995 tour of Japan (the tape also includes a bunch of his matches with Psychosis, Ultimo Dragon, La Parka, Damien 666, and others from Japan), and – finally – the infamous Mass Transit incident. I can finally now say I saw that match – and even scarier, its aftermath with the EMTs mobbing the ring – in full.

 

Anyway, though, intermission ends with a raffle, featuring a bunch of wrestling figures as prizes. I didn’t win anything, but I didn’t expect to, since I never have. There was also a birthday celebration in the ring for twins Zach and Garrett Gadow, who were celebrating their 10th birthday.

 

- As the second half of the show begins, the newest addition to the CCW family, backstage interviewer Chris DeJoseph, comes out to the ring to conduct an interview with former-CCW Heavyweight champion Ron Zombie. Matt Striker (formerly Matt Martel/Rite in MLW) won the title from Zombie a few months ago, and then on CCW’s most recent show, Zombie got a rematch against Striker, but went to a Draw, so he didn’t regain his title. Zombie – surprisingly playing a face role, considering that he looks just like a motorcycle punk – said that he should still be the champion, a statement that CCW owner Joe LaChance took offense to.

 

LaChance – who was busy entire night (both before this segment and after it) shouting cues and directions to the sound/lighting crew and the wrestlers – entered the ring and said that he was sick and tired of Zombie saying that he still deserves to be the CCW Champion. LaChance rambled on about how this is the new CCW and whether he liked it or not, he isn’t the champion anymore, like he once was. From now on – according to LaChance – Zombie is going to have to work his way back up from the bottom of the card, and he’s going to start by taking on two guys from his past.

 

With that, out come Curtis Slamdawg and The Mercenary, who – according to Adam Dolan of DeclarationOfIndependents.net – broke into the business with Zombie about nine years ago. Mercenary is donning white facepaint and some nifty sweatpants, while Curtis is dressed in all red. They attack Zombie and start double-teaming him until Dylan Kage – who would show with his performance that he’s extremely athletic – hit the ring, accompanied by Mike E. Milano. Kage is well-known in Connecticut for his work in Assault Championship Wrestling, which is ran by former-ECW managerial star Jason Knight. I’m pretty sure Ron Zombie also did a lot of main event work for ACW, as I seem to remember his name on a bunch of their cards not too long ago.

 

 

CURTIS SLAMDAWG & The MERCENARY vs. RON ZOMBIE & DYLAN KAGE (w/ Mike E. Milano)

 

 

Anyway, Kage hit a Running Catapult Tumbleweed out of the ring and onto the heels, followed by an Apron-Dive Spinning Plancha by Zombie (I was surprised he took to the air, since he’s pretty darn big). Back in the ring, Zombie executed a Front Suplex and a Bulldog on Mercenary, before Curtis entered and did two consecutive backbreakers. Mercenary followed with a Frog Splash before Zombie was able to start making a comeback. He delivered a Powerbomb before both he and Mercenary tagged out. The fresh Kage entered and cleaned house. He hit a Slingshot Crossbody Block out of the corner, then a Lou Thesz Press with several punches included, and then a second Slingshot Crossbody out of the corner, identical to the one he did a few minutes earlier.

 

Mercenary acts absolutely hilarious throughout the match because he’s yelling at the three loudmouthed jackasses who were sitting in front of me, all while he’s putting submissions on and taking the fight to his opponents. One of the three kids shouts, “Your skin is coming off!” and that’s one of the few funny things any of them said all night because he did have a point – Mercenary’s white face paint was like half off by the last few minutes of the match, so he looked liked the boogey man, with part of his face natural and the other smudged white.

 

Anyway, though, Zombie reacquires the upperhand and delivers his second front suplex of the match before tagging in Kage, who ends up losing the advantage for his team, as he finds quickly finds himself in a Texas Cloverleaf by Mercenary. More hilarity from Mercenary ensues, as – after releasing the hold – he shouts to the referee, “He quit!” After the heels execute a double suplex for a 2 count, Kage starts mounting a comeback, only to execute the worst-looking excuse for a Code Red (Seesaw Sunset Flip Powerbomb) that I’ve ever seen.

 

First of all, both he and his opponent simply walked into position for the move. There was no sequence preceding it, like you see when Red or Deranged does it. Kage casually just walked up behind Mercenary, stuck one of his legs under Mercenary’s armpit, and then jumped up and tried to catch the other leg under his other’s armpit, but failed miserably and just fell face-first. The move (or lack thereof, rather) didn’t just look bad…the buildup to it did, too. Mercenary came back with a Super Huracanrana, and a few moments later his partner, Curtis, entered and executed a Powerbomb. A few minutes later, Mercenary executed a Frog Splash and then Kid Pain missed a Swanton Bomb, before Zombie took it home for his team with a DDT on Slam Dawg.

 

 

WINNERS: Ron Zombie & Dylan Kage

 

 

- Although they had won the match in the ring, Zombie & Kage found themselves on the receiving end of a heinous post-match beating. Curtis & Mercenary initially began their attack with simple chairshots, but then attached chains to the necks of Zombie & Kage. Then, the two heels hung each of their adversaries outside of the ring, so that their legs were dangling in midair and their heads were being pulled backwards by the chains that Curtis & Mercenary were holding back in the ring’s center. Even though they had technically emerged on the losing side, Curtis & Mercenary had gotten far more revenge on Zombie & Kage than the fans ever would’ve imagined.

 

- Supreme Lee Great comes to the ring and cuts a great heel promo, calling the fans “damn losers.” This was the first time that a wrestler really started cursing on the show, and there were still quite a few young kids at in the crowd, at this time. The Gadow brothers were still there, along with a few others. The three idiot teenagers were giving S.L.G. tons of heat to the point that at some points it was sort of difficult to hear what the guy was saying over the mic, and that says something because he was absolutely SHOUTING.

 

Now, let me get this straight – I understand booing a guy or catcalling to a degree. Hell, I’ve done it myself. However, these guys were trying to make themselves into the stars of the show, and that’s when the line between enthusiastic fan and spiteful outcast gets crossed. Anyway, S.L.G. was booked vs. the colossal Samoan Mana, who you may remember from MLW. I believe that he’s distantly related to Rikishi. Mana and S.L.G. have fought before in Pennsylvania’s WXW (which is owned and operated by Afa the Wild Samoan), and in fact this match was promoted as a “Battle of WXW.”

 

 

Battle of WXW: SUPREME LEE GREAT vs. MANA (w/ valet)

 

 

S.L.G. goes to the entrance way and attacks Mana as he walks through the curtain, absolutely DECIMATING him with stiff-ass chairshots. I was only a few feet away from the first few minutes of this brawl, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that considerably less than a minute in, Mana’s forehead was busted open legitimately and there were blood stains on the chair that S.L.G. was using. After just three shots, the chair had been slightly bent. Seeing that her man was in trouble, Mana’s valet got in front of him and tried to stop S.L.G. from unloading with further chairshots, but being the badass that he’s supposed to be, S.L.G. just hit her with a lariat and went back to work on his opponent, only to find a rejuvenated Mana.

 

At this point, the Samoan monster changed the tone of the match and started beating the ever-loving shit out of S.L.G. Again, this was about five feet away from my seats and Mana was fucking PUMMELING S.L.G. The guy was trying to get his arms up over his face to protect himself, but it had little effect because Mana instead just started targeting his arms and body with a high-paced flurry of severely devastating punches. By this point (only a few minutes into the match), the blood from Mana’s forehead had dripped over to the back of his head and had mixed with his dark-colored hair.

 

Mana drags S.L.G. to the ring and takes a page out of Vic Grimes’ book by charging into the corner and ramming his BUTT into the face of S.L.G. (who was sitting in the corner). S.L.G. tries to come back with a Flying Elbow Drop to the back of Mana’s head, but his comeback is quickly ended with an Inverted Gutwrench Suplex (Mana uses a Sideslam lift-style setup, anotherwards). Mana then starts annihilating S.L.G. with vicious headbutts, headbutt drops (à la The Barbarian), and leg drops, before S.L.G. comes back with a German Suplex, to the response of “Pansy!” chants. He follows with a Swinging Hangman’s Neckbreaker, but Mana returns the favor with a Fireman’s Carry into a Front Slam, directly followed by a Running Leaping (non-Somersault) Senton Splash.

 

After S.L.G. absorbs a running spear in the corner from Mana, the referee gets knocked out, allowing Mana’s valet to enter and deliver a Super Huracanrana to her man’s opponent. Mana follows up with a Samoan Drop and a Polynesian Plunge (Double Underhook Piledriver a.k.a. The Jay Driller/Money-Maker), just as the ref comes back to life to count the pinfall. After the match, Mana added the exclamation point by nailing a second Polynesian Plunge, before going back through the curtain, alongside his valet.

 

 

WINNER: Mana

 

 

It was at this point in the show that these stupid teens started crossing the realm of acceptability and just started revealing the business for nothing more than building their own selfish egos. I mean, as S.L.G. is being helped to the back by a bunch of officials, they start shouting crap like “It’s all fake!” and “He’s really fine!” at the top of their lungs. The officials and S.L.G. passed right by them and I could see one of the officials just looking straight ahead, with an expression that seemed to say, “I can’t believe what they’re saying…” It was really over the top at this point, and thankfully, the other fans would only have to deal with them for one more match before they left, but still – that match was a living hell because of them.

 

- The Untouchables came out to the ring and one of them said that “behind every great man…in this case, men…is another great woman,” and with that being said, out came the vivacious Talia. If there was ever a wrestling valet who looked like a porn star, this is her. I saw her outside the building, smoking before the show began. She played her role to perfection, from the swagger she walked with to the seductive grin she put on once in the ring. At this point, the games were over and she hustled out of the ring as Los Lunatics charged out, beginning an insane six-man brawl.

 

 

Title vs. Title: J-BUSTA & CCW Tag Team Champions The Untouchables (ADAM GORE & ANTHONY MICHAELS) (w/ American Idol) vs. Los Lunatics (EDDIE GUAPO, LOW RYDA, & CCW Northeast Champion BOOGALU)

 

 

As I mentioned, the three jackass kids sitting in front me made this match a living hell with their incessant catcalls, especially towards J-Busta. It’s one thing to give a guy heat, but every single time The Untouchables got an offensive move, they’d start shouting idiotic “jokes.” It wasn’t difficult to tell that a lot of people were furious at them, but since they had paid to get in, there was nothing that the promotion’s management could do in the form of throwing them out. So, we had to listen to them throughout this match.

 

As I mentioned, the bout started as an absolutely all-out brawl at ringside, with fists flying and bodies getting beaten senseless with stiff strikes. The action eventually re-re-entered the ring, where the heels tried to isolate Boogalu. Either Gore or Michaels (I’m not sure who is who) hit a missile dropkick before ending an attempted comeback by Boogalu with a suplex. J-Busta enters and hits a cool-looking Sitout Hiptoss off of an Irish whip and then follows with a sweet Butterfly Suplex.

 

Either Gore or Michaels re-enters and hits another cool move, best described as a Sitdown Double-Underhook Facelock Buster, followed by tagging their partner back in (one of the guys who I’m unable to differentiate between his partner), whipping Boogalu into the ropes, and executing a double-team Flapjack. However, instead of dropping Boogalu face-first, they folded him in midair so that he ended up landing on the back of his head. A Northern Lights Flapjack sounds like a good description. Boogalu found a brief opening and got in one of his few offensive moves so far, that being an Over-the-Shoulder Powerslam, but quickly found himself on the receiving end of a double-team suplex.

 

Boogalu is then locked in an STF by either Gore or Michaels and receives a Superplex a few minutes later, but by this point he’s had enough of the Untouchables’ arrogance and starts decimating his opponents with his trademark stiff offense – chops, kicks, punches, elbows, and forearms. He gets his feet up into either Gore or Michaels’ gut when they attempt a Moonsault off of the top buckle, finally allowing to tag out to one of his Los Lunatics teammates. At the same time, J-Busta finally enters the match, after having been occupied for most of the match with trying to keep his composure and not go into the crowd and physically rip the three dumbass catcallers new asses.

 

J-Busta receives a suplex from the fresh Lunatic member (not sure which), and then a Bryan Danielson-style Super Backdrop Suplex. About a minute later, though, either Mark or Gore bashes Boogalu across the forehead with some brass knuckles (behind the referee’s back, of course), which allows J-Busta to make the pin on the Northeast champ and thereby capture the belt for himself.

 

 

WINNERS: The Untouchables & J-Busta; J-Busta is the new CCW Northeast Champion, while the Untouchables retain their titles.

 

 

- Post-match, the heat between these two trios continues to be displayed. Boogalu cuts a really intense promo, saying that if The Untouchables and J-Busta still have something to settle, they have no problem giving them another shot at them in a six-man, “any place, any time.” J-Busta – whose lately been really branching out on the indy circuit, even traveling to Pennsylvania and working for Afa’s aforementioned WXW promotion – grabs a mic and says that he and The Untouchables are willing to have a second six-man match, right there and then.

 

As expected, though Gore and Michaels pull him back as he’s starting to rush toward the ring and start lambasting him. Since I was so close to them, it was easy to hear most of the conversation – i.e. “What are you? Stupid?!” Eventually they convince him that another battle can wait, but before they can inform the Lunatics of their decision, Boogalu, Guapo, and Low Ryda charge out of the ring towards them, scaring them backstage to close out the segment.

 

- Nocturne – a gothic guy who dons white and black face paint to make himself look like a vampire of sorts – comes out and cuts a promo. He won a battle royal on the last CCW show to capture a shot at whatever CCW title he desires, and he’s out here to let the fans know his decision. He says he’s weighed his options and has looked at it from the perspective of whether he wants at the technical expertise of Matt Striker and his Heavyweight Title or the no holds barred, street-style brawling tactics of Northeast Champion Boogalu. This confuses me, though, as I thought J-Busta just won the Northeast Title a few minutes earlier. Talk about confusing. Anyway, though, none of those titles, Nocturne says, will do for him.

 

Instead, he wants at The Untouchables’ Tag Team Titles, and with that, introduces the partner who will help him win those belts – Hallowicked. A graduate of Mike Quackenbush’s Chikara Pro wrestling school, Hallowicked comes out wearing a black mask with a blue spike at the top, and he sort of resembles a much larger version of Shark Boy. Out come their opponents – Bad Leroy Brown (who has already wrestled once earlier in the show, demolishing American Idol in a matter of minutes) & The Iron Eagle.

 

 

NOCTURNE & HALLOWICKED vs. BAD LEROY BROWN & The IRON EAGLE

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, Leroy looks a lot like D’Lo Brown and is in his late 20’s or early 30’s, while The Iron Eagle is a short, stubby guy who appears to be around 35. Leroy looks exactly like what a wrestler should be, while Eagle couldn’t be farther away from that typical stereotype. This is basically your normal, formulaic, heel vs. face tag team match, with Nocturne & Hallowicked trying to isolate Eagle and destroy him with double-team work, before Eagle able to tag in Leroy, who cleans house with bodyslams.

 

I remember Eagle pulling out a plancha and even more surprisingly a picture-perfect rocker dropper catapult backflip (the move that random cruiserweights, especially Billy Kidman, love to do), but besides that, they were basically just preparing us for the main event. The heels did some cool maneuvers off of the top rope – including a Moonsault and Swanton Bomb – and Leroy hit a Catatonic (Fallaway Slam setup into a Rock Bottom-style Backbreaker) before Eagle got pinned with a really nifty Flapjack/Flatliner (Inverted Russian Leg Sweep) combo (one guy flapjacked him and the other caught him coming down with a Flatliner).

 

From what I gather, Nocturne & Hallowicked will get a shot at The Untouchables’ Tag Team Titles at the next show, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the six-man rematch between Tthe Untouchables and Los Lunatics that seemed to have been set up.

 

 

WINNERS: Nocturne & Hallowicked

 

 

- And now, it’s finally time for the really good stuff…

 

 

Main Event: CCW Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership 30 Minute Ironman Match: “Latin Fury” LUIS ORTIZ vs. “Hurricane” JOHN WALTERS

 

 

Like is the case with A.M.I.L. vs. The D.R.S., these two have worked with each other tons of times in the Chaotic Wrestling organization. In fact, it was to a large degree through his matches with Ortiz and a few other Chaotic standouts that Walters’ gigs with ROH and eventually his WWE dark matches came to be. Ortiz, meanwhile, is one of the most intimidating guys you’ll find on the East Coast indy circuit. He’s shaved himself so that he looks like a cross between Tony DeVito and NWA-TNA’s Slash (of the New Church stable), and he’s able to do this thing with his eyes that’s quite creepy looking.

 

The two long-time rivals start with a sensational mat wrestling sequence, which lasts a few minutes. Walters initially gets the best of the exchange, which sparks Ortiz to walk out and head back towards the lockerroom, before changing his mind and returning. A Greco-Roman knucklelock tieup leads into a submission-oriented battle that lasts for most of the match. Ortiz utilized a Texas Cloverleaf before having Walters roll over and counter the Pendulum-style Rocking Horse submission that Ortiz loves to use into his own version of the hold. One of the guys did a Surfboard Stretch somewhere around this time, before they started brawling at ringside and really stiffing each other with nasty chops.

 

Back in the ring, Ortiz escaped a Gory Special attempt, but soon fell victim to a Widow’s Peak for the first fall, about 15 minutes in (give or take). With Walters up by one fall, he immediately went for another cover to further his advantage, but Ortiz was able to kick out. Ortiz regained the advantage and went for a running Death Valley Driver (his finishing move). Walters dropped out and tried another Gory Special, only to have that escaped and Ortiz apply a hold that resembled B-Boy’s Orange County Stretch. A few minutes later (around the 20 minute mark), Ortiz delivered a lariat followed by the Death Valley Driver to get the pin.

 

With the falls evened up at one apiece, some SICK chops were traded before Walters executed a Goku-Raku-Gatame-style Lung Blower (He applied a standing Camel Clutch in which he crossed Ortiz’ own arms around his neck, and then fell backwards in a motion where he drove his knees into Ortiz’ back.). After that, Walters ended up at ringside and Ortiz showed some considerable hang time for a big man by taking his opponent out with a Running Catapult Tumbleweed. Some ringside brawling led to Walters applying a Sharpshooter on the ringside concrete, but the ref made him break it a few seconds in.

 

Back in the ring, Ortiz gave Walters a bloody nose with a Flying Leg Drop, and soon thereafter, finisher mania got off and running, as Ortiz hit his Death Valley Driver for the 1…2…NO! Then, Walters came back with another Widow’s Peak, but that got the same result, as the near falls started piling up and the drama of the match began getting off the hook. Too bad a fair amount of the crowd had already left, by this point. With the seconds winding down, Walters applied the Sharpshooter, but Ortiz was able to hold out until the bell rang, even while many of the fans were repeatedly yelling, “TAP!”

 

It was announced that the match had ended in a one fall Draw, so neither guy had won the number one contendership to Striker’s Heavyweight Title. It’s too bad that the bout ended with the non-decision result that it did, but it was stellar otherwise. I really liked the way that they built up the credibility of their finishers. Each guy had to try their signature moves a few times before finally being able to connect with them, and as a result, the two falls that did occur came after really heated sequences. They also traded submissions on the mat for a fair amount of the bout, so the mat-oriented training that each got at the Chaotic Wrestling school was definitely displayed quite a bit.

 

 

RESULT: 1-1 Draw; Neither wrestler acquires the number one contendership to the CCW Heavyweight Title.

 

 

OVERALL: This was the first CCW show I’ve seen live and it I definitely digged it. Joe LaChance did a great job of giving the fans a little bit of each style. I knew there would be some insane high-flying with A.M.I.L. and the four-way dance, and also that the Ironman match would provide sensational scientific action. However, the last thing I expected was for Mana and Supreme Lee Great to turn into such a stiff affair, and I mean that in a good way. That was a very pleasant surprise that was very entertaining live. Due to the relatively small attendance, the wrestlers were able to really interact with each of the fans.

 

I also should praise the excellent acoustics, which played an active role in the clearness of the promos and also of the theme songs that were played. On so many indy shows, it seems like it’s so difficult to hear what the wrestlers are saying during promos, but all of their words were very comprehensible on this show. I guess one could argue that that may’ve been because of the compacted atmosphere that the show was taking place in (so, from that point of view, the sounds would have to bounce off of the walls and wouldn’t have much space to spread out into) or the relatively small attendance (and therefore, not as much shouting by the fans as there would be at a more populated show).

 

However, I’ve attended shows with venues and attendance counts that were right on par with this one and the sound system was horrible. So, whatever they’re doing, Joe LaChance and the rest of the CCW management should keep up the great job they’re putting forth as far as acoustics. As far as the qualities of the matches, I don’t remember any one that was straight out boring to watch. Each match had its fair share of moments where there were near falls, creative spots or sequences, nasty-looking bumps, or funny mannerisms (::cough:: The Mercenary:: cough).

 

The order of the bouts was set up pretty smartly. The four-way dance – which had a little bit of everything – was a very appropriate way to end the first half of the show, and the Nocturne/Hallowicked vs. Leroy Brown/Iron Eagle tag team match was a good way to transition between the chaotic six-man brawl and the far more psychologically-based and slower-paced Ironman match. Overall, the best match of the night would have to be the main event. However, the four corners contest, the six-man, and the Ron Zombie tag team match all had a little bit of everything and from that perspective, definitely gave it a run for its money.

 

If you’re relative nearby to the location of one of its events and are looking for a family-based environment that offers a taste of a variety of different styles, Connecticut Championship Wrestling is certainly a company to check out sometime. Matches from this show will air in selected Connecticut outlets on Saturday morning’s New England Pro Wrestling TV. For listings of that show, head over to CTChampionshipWrestling.com and click on “tv.” The next CCW show in Fairfield will occur on September 26 and will mark the promotion’s One-Year Anniversary Show.”

 

 

 

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