Riot City Wrestling – Rites Of Passage [plus Transgression] 2011

Houseshows, Reviews, Shows

 Last month there was no RCW report. Why? Because they held their show on the Wrestlemania weekend, and let’s be serious, who cared about an indy Australian promotion after Wrestlemania had been and gone? So I thought it only fair to let it slide for a month. Oh, and it was a very mediocre show.

So what I’ll do is give results and brief overview of last month, then a report for this month.

Riot City Wrestling presents:

TRANSGRESSION – APRIL, 2011
Disappointing crowd numbers.

1. GD Grimm v Damo
Just a long, drawn-out squash. Okay, joke’s wearing thin. The crowd even started to turn on it. Grimm gets the pin after a kick to the head.

Grimm then grabs a mic and makes noises about rookies and how easy it is being at the bottom of the pole. Commissioner Jack decides to make a second match for him.

2. GD Grimm v Shannon Mac Jarvis
Starts off well, then becomes a squash, but Grimm takes time out to mouth off at Freddy Fuzion in the audience. This actually fits in with the arrogant character well. Shannon makes a comeback and gets the pin with a roll-up. Thank God there was a pay-off for this series of matches. Although whatever came of the challenge to Kurt Murphy, the commentator?

3. Marvel v BeBop
Crowd were so not into this one. Maybe there was a little clash of styles, and maybe it went about 2 minutes or so too long. Inverted suplex to a dragon sleeper for the Marvel win.

4. Voodoo v Matt Silva
Not a bad match. Seemed an even match-up with some good power from both, but Voodoo’s agility gives him the edge. Also, it must be said, Voodoo hits his moves so much cleaner than Silva. Voodoo wins.

5. AAW Women’s Title: Savannah Summers (with Melody) v Sway (with Miami)
Good match from both women. Savannah is clearly one of the top 3 female wrestlers I have seen this year. Match ended with Miami taking out Melody on the outside and Savannah hotting a high kick on Sway, then using the ropes to get the pin.

6. 6-man elimination tag match
Brad Smyth, Elliot Sexton & Del Taurino v Jacko Lantern, Mimic & Rocky Menero
The crowd heat for this one is off the charts. You’d think there were eight hundred people in there. Fast and furious start leads to a heel beatdown on Mimic.
            8 min: Rocky pinned after a shot to the head with the scales by Brad, then Sexton placed on top by Del Taurino.
            9 min: Jacko pins Sexton. More fast and furious action leads to a heel beatdown on Jacko.
            18 min: Brad pins Mimic after a stroke, with Del Taurino assistance. Now 2-on-1.
            20 min: Jacko pins Del Taurino after a high kick.
            22 min: Brad hits Jacko with the Strength Cup trophy and gets the pin.
            Sole survivor: Brad Smyth; Winners: the team of Brad Smyth, Elliot Sexton & Del Taurino.

The show was okay, but only okay. It lacked a certain spark from the athletes, and the whole atmosphere of the show felt tired and uninspired. Match of the night: 6-man (but the women were a close second). Disappointing show more than anything.

RITES OF PASSAGE – May, 2011
In direct contrast to last month, capacity crowd, and they were hot most of the night.

1. Marvel v Mimic
Fast opening, and then Marvel goes to work on the arm. Mimic sold it well, not even being able to hit some moves because of it (though he punched with it a few times). Some nice reversals, and some awkward looking spots. A series of reversals at the end leads to a Mimic pin and win. Good opening match, and these two could not have a bad match together if they tried.

Rocky comes out and he wants Sexton for their grudge match right now! Sexton comes out with a cervical collar on, claiming serious injury. However, Matt Silva and Adam Brooks attack Rocky from behind and the three beat him down, then the referees help Rocky out of the ring.

2. The Summers Sisters (Savannah & Melody) v Miami & Sway
Tell you what – the Summers sisters have the identical moves/mannerisms down pat. Superb. Sway dominates the sisters to start. Miami comes in and continues to kill Melody, until Savannah interferes. They take over on Miami and a long beat down ensues. Finally a double clothesline lets Miami hot tag Sway. Tide turned quickly and now they beat down on Sway. Sway and Savannah fight in the ring while Miami kills Melody outside the ring, until Savannah makes the save. Sway then dumps Savannah on Miami. Sway climbs to the top turnbuckle and hits a somersault dive onto the other three. She throws Savannah into the ring, but a poke to her eye stops her momentum. Summers sisters take over. A modified Canadian destroyer type move gets 2.9 for the sisters. Savannah attacks Miami outside, throwing her into the ring post. Codebreaker by Savannah on Sway’s face gets the three count and the win. They then beat up Sway and Miami afterwards just for the hell of it.

Can of worms to be opened about… here. This was the best women’s match I have seen all year. It must be said, though, that I have only seen complete 13 women’s matches this year. I have seen a bunch of highlights of Shimmer, and the matches on the highlight shows on TV here in Australia rarely show the whole matches. But here is the ranking order of those matches I’ve seen complete:

 

1. Savannah & Melody Summers d Miami & Eliza Sway; RCW, Rites Of Passage (May 7)

2. Savannah Summers d Sway; RCW, Transgression (Apr 2)

3. Miami & Eliza Sway d Savannah Summers & Melody; RCW, Megaslam (Feb 26)

4. Layla d Michelle McCool; WWE, Extreme Rules (May 1)

5. Madison Rayne d Mickie James; TNA, Against All Odds (Feb 13)

6. Savannah Summers d Eliza Sway; RCW, Megaslam (Feb 25)

7. Shazza McKenzie d Miami, Savannah Summers; RCW, Reanimated (Jan 29)

8. Madison Rayne d Mickie James; TNA, Genesis (Jan 9)

9. Eve d Michelle McCool, Layla, Natalya; WWE, Royal Rumble (Jan 30)

10. Madison Rayne d ODB; TNA Impact (Feb 24)

11. Velvet Sky d Sarita; TNA Impact (Mar 3)

=12. Sarita & Rosita d Angelina Love & Winter; TNA, Victory Road (Mar 13)

=12. Mickie James d Madison Rayne; TNA, Lockdown (Apr 17)

I deliberately did not put in the ranking score I gave. And mixed tag matches (see Wrestlemania 27) don’t count for this.

3. Shannon Jarvis v Del Taurino
Sorry, but this is one time when following a women’s match is not a good thing. More or less a squash, including a few offensive moves from Jarvis, including a Rick Steiner bulldog, but Del Taurino hit a fireman’s carry into diamond cutter (Tauro bomb) for the three count and the win.

4. GD Grimm v Voodoo v Adam Brooks
So the whole “bottom of the pile” thing is over for Grimm, even though he lost last month? Okay… Started off as a genuine 3-way, then became a Voodoo v Brooks match up. 3-way again, then Brooks and Grimm decide on some sort of alliance. Voodoo takes on both for a while. Some arguing on the pin between Brooks and Grimm until Grimm dumps Brooks. More fighting, Grimm ends up outside and Voodoo hits a stalling elbow on Brooks for the pin and the win. Brooks looked outclassed in there. The other two, however, are looking as impressive as ever and another series of matches between them like we had a few years ago would be better than it was back then which would make it awesome.

Matt Silva is out with the injured Elliot Sexton, apparently to replace Sexton. So the advertised “grudge match” (that’s what it said in the programme) is delayed yet again. Bait and switch is not done often in RCW, so it adds something new to their feud.

5. Matt Silva (with Elliot Sexton & Adam Brooks) v Rocky Menero
Silva attacks before the bell. Back and forth to start with Silva on generic offence and Rocky doing as much as possible. Then Rocky is thrown to Brooks and Sexton, and Silva hits a somersault plancha, but Rocky moves and avoids it. Rocky’s offence is much crisper, smoother and faster than Silva’s. Silva takes over again. When Rocky goes for a pin Brooks pulls the ref out, so the ref sends him to the back, but Silva uses the distraction and hits a brain-buster for the pin. Rocky beats down Sexton after the match and then the locker room clears out and we have a huge pull-apart brawl. Commissioner Jack decides Sexton has dodged Rocky for long enough and makes the match between them next month a lumberjack match.

6. RCW Title match: Jacko Lantern (c) v Brad Smyth
2 out of 3 falls.
            This is the Strength Cup guaranteed title match. Fast start until Brad leaves through the audience at one stage. Then Jacko gurt his leg and Brad worked on it, but the selling was dodgy (especially after watching Mimic’s selling earlier on). The scales came out (as usual), but the ref got them and threw them to a corner. Brad uses the distraction to hit a low blow for pin #1.
            The fights goes on and eventually after a pretty even back and forth series, Jacko hits a big boot and gets pin #2.
            Jacko quickly finds himself on the top rope, but manages to red mist Brad and then hits a jumping code breaker, but only for 2! More back and forth until there is a ref bump and Jacko is therefore denied a pin. Brad with the scales across Jacko’s head (sick, sick unprotected shot). The ref comes to, slow and long count… for 2! More back and forth until, finally, another big boot by Jacko, for pin #3 and Jacko wins, retaining the title. Great match, for what it was worth, and Brad looked hurt afterwards.

The Rude Ones (Marvel and Del Taurino with El Presidente) come out and lay into Jacko. Del Taurino then cashes in the key to the city!

7. RCW Title match: Jacko Lantern (c) v Del Taurino
Jacko manages to kick out of an early onslaught, but Del Taurino is relentless. Some outside interference and eventually Del Taurino hits a huge spinebuster and gets the three-count and the title!
            New RCW Champion: Del Taurino!

The crowd is stunned into, quite literally, silence! And then, as the Rude Ones celebrate, they are livid and they explode with anger. This is awesome to watch. The crowd wants to kill them. People are standing to abuse them. Absolutely awesome.

Interesting little side story – the friend of a few wrestlers apparently posted the result of the show with the new champion online before the event. So even indy promotions have an issue with spoilers!

Much better show than last month, and a good show top to bottom. Match of the Night: the women’s match. And that’s saying something because this was a very good wrestling show, and a great way to spend a few hours. Get the DVD when it comes out! 

Next Show: June 11, 2011.

Australian. Father. Perpetual student. Started watching wrestling before Wrestlemania 1. Has delusions of grandeur and was known to regularly get the snot beaten out of him in a wrestling ring. Also writes occasionally in other Pulse sections.Thinks Iron Mike Sharpe is underrated. http://stevengepp.wordpress.com