Pristine_Condition
Member
Just finished watching the GWF. Holy crap that was entertaining.
...
In real wrestling news, I went to Anarchy Championship Wrestling's Seventh Annual Lone Star Classic tournament this weekend, live from the Mohawk in Austin, TX. Awesome...AWESOME show.
I've kinda been soft-selling ACW for a while here. Even though I'm very enthusiastic about the product, I haven't told you guys you MUST get a DVD of download when one comes out yet... That changes today. This one is one you'll want to look for at Smartmark Video when it comes out. It was damn good.
Don't think I'll do a full review, since Brandon Stroud already beat me to it, here:
http://wallsofjerichoholic.blogspot.com/2012/11/guest-review-acws-lone-star-classic.html
...but I will add these thoughts, as he glossed over some things that occurred.
The main thing to get out of this is that you REALLY REALLY want to see this show, especially the A.C.H. v. Barrett Brown v. JoJo Bravo three-way, the Hardcore Title Match between "The Centerfold" Matthew Palmer and Jason Silver, and the tournament final that led to the crowning of Rachel Summerlyn as the Heavyweight Champion of ACW.
The first match I mentioned featured just amazing work by three young guys that everybody who follows indy wrestling should get to know NOW, (so you can out-cred your buddies) as well as one of the craziest bumps I've ever seen anyone do when A.C.H. did a TOP-SPEED suicide dive through the ropes only to crash and burn into the solid steel staircase that goes to the balcony of the Mohawk. When I say "top-speed," I mean crazy speed--he had to fly about six feet from the ring just to make it to the stairs he crashed into.
"The Centerfold" Matthew Palmer v. Jason Silver Hardcore Championship match was another excellent match by these two guys who have an absolutely uncanny ability not to be able to just kill themselves. Since I've been watching ACW, I've never seen Matthew Palmer have a bad match. Last show's match between him and A.C.H. was awe-inspiring. Similarly, last show, Jason Silver was hung by his neck from the balcony of the Mohawk in a dog collar match, only to climb the wall using the chain wrapped around his neck to beat on his opponent some more.
This time...both guys said "Fuck it...let's REALLY do some crazy spots tonight." Seriously. They did three great hardcore spots that must be seen to be believed. The one Stroud sorta mentions in his review (a slingshot senton over-the-top rope by Silver onto Palmer who was layed out on the concrete floor with a chair laying on top of him) wasn't even the craziest one. And using an old Vizio HDTV as a weapon wasn't even Top Five in this match. And somehow, it wasn't just a spotfest. These guys told a good story.
By the end of the match, the tournament final featuring Rachel Summerlyn v. Evan Gelistico featured the hottest crowd I've personally been part of since I saw Samoa Joe v. Kenta Kobashi in NYC in 2005. The difference between that crowd and this one being that the ROH crowd in New York was already frothing at the mouth to see Joe v. Kobashi. Both guys just needed to just do what they do to murder that crowd. So they went out and had a great match and the crowd went nuts. This match, on the other hand, nobody saw it coming, and quite frankly, nobody really wanted it.
I'm pretty sure everyone wanted to see A.C.H. win the tourney. So him not even being in the Final, after being eliminated in a great storytelling match with Rachel Summerlyn in a match she was not even supposed to be in, in a tournament she wasn't even an entrant in...well, this crowd was not sold on this final as the match started. It was pretty dead at the start, even though Rachel entered the ring with a ladder right off the bat. By the end, though, if there had been a roof on the Mohawk, it would have flown off, the crowd was so hot.
Really, I can't speak highly enough of Rachel's performance all night. I'm now firmly convinced that she's EASILY one of the best female wrestlers on the planet. Yeah, I know... I'm not entirely comfortable saying she's better than Sara Del Rey, but really, I'm not sure if Sara Del Rey could have done what Rachel Summerlyn did here. Consider the following:
Now surely it wasn't all Rachel Summerlyn's doing. There was really fine booking and really good work by everyone else she worked those matches with, but in the end, there has to be that someone who can take all the ball, run with it, and score, and that's exactly what she did. She clocked three matches in one night, and hit every narrative point, and made every opponent look stronger by having fought her, and made everyone in the crowd go home elated.
If you are familiar with Rachel's past work in Shimmer and are confused as to how I can heap all this praise...I get it. I watched those matches too. I wasn't a fan. Now I've seen her work. I suspected it after her awesome match with Jazz at the Queen of Queens tourney and now I'm convinced--her talent was absolutely wasted in Shimmer. Shimmer had no idea what they had, and fucked it up.
I'll reiterate. I've been hesitant to hard-sell ACW videos in the past, because I don't want to be that guy, but I'm saying this now--if you like indy wrestling, absolutely get this as soon as Smart Mark Video puts it up. Just do it. Some of you have expressed interest in checking out ACW, but don't know where to start. This is where you want to start, even without a few ACW regulars on the card like Portia Perez, and even with one of the first-round three-ways being screwed up by Jerry Lynn's unfortunate injury. It really was quite a night.
...
In real wrestling news, I went to Anarchy Championship Wrestling's Seventh Annual Lone Star Classic tournament this weekend, live from the Mohawk in Austin, TX. Awesome...AWESOME show.
I've kinda been soft-selling ACW for a while here. Even though I'm very enthusiastic about the product, I haven't told you guys you MUST get a DVD of download when one comes out yet... That changes today. This one is one you'll want to look for at Smartmark Video when it comes out. It was damn good.
Don't think I'll do a full review, since Brandon Stroud already beat me to it, here:
http://wallsofjerichoholic.blogspot.com/2012/11/guest-review-acws-lone-star-classic.html
...but I will add these thoughts, as he glossed over some things that occurred.
The main thing to get out of this is that you REALLY REALLY want to see this show, especially the A.C.H. v. Barrett Brown v. JoJo Bravo three-way, the Hardcore Title Match between "The Centerfold" Matthew Palmer and Jason Silver, and the tournament final that led to the crowning of Rachel Summerlyn as the Heavyweight Champion of ACW.
The first match I mentioned featured just amazing work by three young guys that everybody who follows indy wrestling should get to know NOW, (so you can out-cred your buddies) as well as one of the craziest bumps I've ever seen anyone do when A.C.H. did a TOP-SPEED suicide dive through the ropes only to crash and burn into the solid steel staircase that goes to the balcony of the Mohawk. When I say "top-speed," I mean crazy speed--he had to fly about six feet from the ring just to make it to the stairs he crashed into.
"The Centerfold" Matthew Palmer v. Jason Silver Hardcore Championship match was another excellent match by these two guys who have an absolutely uncanny ability not to be able to just kill themselves. Since I've been watching ACW, I've never seen Matthew Palmer have a bad match. Last show's match between him and A.C.H. was awe-inspiring. Similarly, last show, Jason Silver was hung by his neck from the balcony of the Mohawk in a dog collar match, only to climb the wall using the chain wrapped around his neck to beat on his opponent some more.
This time...both guys said "Fuck it...let's REALLY do some crazy spots tonight." Seriously. They did three great hardcore spots that must be seen to be believed. The one Stroud sorta mentions in his review (a slingshot senton over-the-top rope by Silver onto Palmer who was layed out on the concrete floor with a chair laying on top of him) wasn't even the craziest one. And using an old Vizio HDTV as a weapon wasn't even Top Five in this match. And somehow, it wasn't just a spotfest. These guys told a good story.
By the end of the match, the tournament final featuring Rachel Summerlyn v. Evan Gelistico featured the hottest crowd I've personally been part of since I saw Samoa Joe v. Kenta Kobashi in NYC in 2005. The difference between that crowd and this one being that the ROH crowd in New York was already frothing at the mouth to see Joe v. Kobashi. Both guys just needed to just do what they do to murder that crowd. So they went out and had a great match and the crowd went nuts. This match, on the other hand, nobody saw it coming, and quite frankly, nobody really wanted it.
I'm pretty sure everyone wanted to see A.C.H. win the tourney. So him not even being in the Final, after being eliminated in a great storytelling match with Rachel Summerlyn in a match she was not even supposed to be in, in a tournament she wasn't even an entrant in...well, this crowd was not sold on this final as the match started. It was pretty dead at the start, even though Rachel entered the ring with a ladder right off the bat. By the end, though, if there had been a roof on the Mohawk, it would have flown off, the crowd was so hot.
Really, I can't speak highly enough of Rachel's performance all night. I'm now firmly convinced that she's EASILY one of the best female wrestlers on the planet. Yeah, I know... I'm not entirely comfortable saying she's better than Sara Del Rey, but really, I'm not sure if Sara Del Rey could have done what Rachel Summerlyn did here. Consider the following:
*First, she had a three-way Joshi match where she helped elevate Barbi Hayden (the American Joshi champ) to an entirely new level. Also, in this same match, she helped continue an ongoing saga with Jessica James that has been running for about three years now in ACW and is somehow still fresh feeling.
**Then, she replaced crowd-favorite Jerry Lynn in the tourney (as he was injured) going on to have a great storytelling match with another crowd-favorite, A.C.H. only to beat him, and it was credible. A.C.H. didn't look weak losing either. He looked awesome and didn't take a step back in anyone's eyes due to the loss.
***Then she went on to turn the skeptical crowd around in the final and win the Heavyweight Championship, and nobody in the crowd left the building questioning the fact that a woman is holding the top belt in the company, they were just completely happy. Also, she helped really get Evan Gelistico over as a true heel, whereas before I kinda had him slotted as a guy who does pretty good "Jake the Snake" style promos and had a dastardly move set, but that was about it.
**Then, she replaced crowd-favorite Jerry Lynn in the tourney (as he was injured) going on to have a great storytelling match with another crowd-favorite, A.C.H. only to beat him, and it was credible. A.C.H. didn't look weak losing either. He looked awesome and didn't take a step back in anyone's eyes due to the loss.
***Then she went on to turn the skeptical crowd around in the final and win the Heavyweight Championship, and nobody in the crowd left the building questioning the fact that a woman is holding the top belt in the company, they were just completely happy. Also, she helped really get Evan Gelistico over as a true heel, whereas before I kinda had him slotted as a guy who does pretty good "Jake the Snake" style promos and had a dastardly move set, but that was about it.
Now surely it wasn't all Rachel Summerlyn's doing. There was really fine booking and really good work by everyone else she worked those matches with, but in the end, there has to be that someone who can take all the ball, run with it, and score, and that's exactly what she did. She clocked three matches in one night, and hit every narrative point, and made every opponent look stronger by having fought her, and made everyone in the crowd go home elated.
If you are familiar with Rachel's past work in Shimmer and are confused as to how I can heap all this praise...I get it. I watched those matches too. I wasn't a fan. Now I've seen her work. I suspected it after her awesome match with Jazz at the Queen of Queens tourney and now I'm convinced--her talent was absolutely wasted in Shimmer. Shimmer had no idea what they had, and fucked it up.
I'll reiterate. I've been hesitant to hard-sell ACW videos in the past, because I don't want to be that guy, but I'm saying this now--if you like indy wrestling, absolutely get this as soon as Smart Mark Video puts it up. Just do it. Some of you have expressed interest in checking out ACW, but don't know where to start. This is where you want to start, even without a few ACW regulars on the card like Portia Perez, and even with one of the first-round three-ways being screwed up by Jerry Lynn's unfortunate injury. It really was quite a night.
