Riot City Wrestling – Dark Days 2011 (July 16)

Houseshows, Reviews, Shows

Not a sell-out crowd, but still big. And they are a little quiet, but that may have something to do with the fact it is like 4 degrees outside!

 

The first two matches are 3-way ‘wildcards’, with the two winners meeting next month. There is also an intergender match that sort of combines two feuds, a title rematch and another 1-on-1 match.

 

Match 1: Wildcard #1 – Bebop v GD Grimm v Voodoo
Bebop has dancers! Two rather good dancers came out with the young man and they danced, then Bebop joined them and the crowd went wild. Something new for RCW and a nice touch. A few slips at the start of this one, but it quickly becomes a fast match. Unfortunately some spots look a little choreographed. Despite that, the match kept the crowd entertained. Nice spot where Grimm keeps throwing the two of them out one at a time. They finally come in at the same time from opposite sides. The end comes when Voodoo hits Bebop with Canadian Destroyer, but Grimm throws him outside the ring and steals the pin. Good opener, if with a strange ‘feel’ about it. Hard to put my finger on it. Look, it was a good match, and Grimm is still doing something very few heels can do – get over as a heel by his personality. He does not cheat, he really does outmuscle and outwrestle his opponents. Voodoo is also some one I think deserves a run at the top. The crowd loves him, but I’m thinking a heel turn could give his character a few new dimensions. Bebop is there for comedy relief, but shows enough skill to indicate he could one day be the RCW version of Sin Cara.

 

Match 2: Wildcard #2 – Marvel v Mimic v J-Rock
J-Rock is making his RCW debut from a different SA fed, and he is a big Samoan man, looking mean and accompanied by Elliot Sexton, an old tag team partner (Sexton has his arm in a sling, a legitimate injury). Good power match. J-Rock’s power is awesome and the way he chops and hits his opponents is great to see. Marvel and Mimic are as good as ever. There are false finishes a-plenty at the end. Eventually Mimic uses Marvel to knock J-Rock to the floor and then rolls him up for the 3-count. Really good match.

 

Afterwards Grimm comes out and he and Mimic have the epic staredown to continue their essentially unresolved feud from a year ago. And a nice set up for the next show. Simple, yet effective, and the crowd are ready for it.

 

Match 3: Brad Smyth v Rocky Menero
Brad starts with a few duck and weave moves, but Rocky hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam, then a roll the dice… and it’s over? WTF?
            Brad takes a mike and does a sit-down strike in the ring (claiming the sun was in his eyes), and demands a rematch. Rocky comes out and agrees. And so Brad hits him with the mike to start.

Match 3, take 2: Brad Smyth v Rocky Menero
Different match completely with Brad working the injured head which Rocky sold really well. Strong match-up. Even a sleeper hold by Smyth was made interesting with some nicely placed knees and grapevining. Brad hits a nice Frankensteiner, but a second is blocked by Rocky who hits him with a power bomb toss. He then locks Smyth in the Boston crab for the submission win.

 

Match 4: Melody Summers & Matt Silva v Eliza Sway & Adam Brooks
Lots of stalling to start, then the boys go at it. Melody tags in, hits Brooks a few times, but he reverses and tags in Sway. Girls do some nice moves, then a double cross body block with an awkward landing. Guys get back in, back and forth. Crowds pops for Brooks this time, but are dead for long patches. Nice bit with Sway powerbombing Silva for Brooks to hit a high senton on him. Girls in and this is becoming messy. Ref is pulled out. Why no DQ? This is getting messier. Silva hits Sway with an elbow so Melody pins her. Ending was bizarre. What was the ref doing?

Post-match, Brooks attacks Silva, Silva kills him, Miami comes out to check on Sway and Savannah takes Melody out the back. Silva hammers Brooks’ shoulder with a chair, then Pillmanizes his arm. Silva then attacks Miami and goes to Pillmanize Sway’s arm, but Jimmy Scarlett jumps in from the crowd (another wrestler from a different fed, coming back to RCW) to make the save. Why not some one from the back? Still confusing. Scarlett threatens Silva, and Commissioner Jack steps in and agrees, and “fires” Silva. Crowd gets on Silva’s case – “Silva’s a wanker!” – and this is going on for too long.

 

Match 5: RCW Title Match – Jacko Lantern v Del Taurino © (with El Presidente and Marvel)
Rocky comes out on commentary. Stalling a-go-go to start until Jacko drags Del Taurino in. Match spills outside quickly and they fight through the crowd. They reach the merchandise stand where a framed photo is shattered on Del Taurino’s head. Back into the ring and it’s back and forth. The crowd is hot! Match is quite good with Del Taurino working a leg well. Good psychology. He keeps going back to the leg. He does become frustrated with the ref, ref retaliates, and then we have a ref bump. Del Taurino manages to get El Presidente’s briefcase, but Jacko drops him for a DDT on it. But there’s no ref! Match continues, ref comes to. Back and forth again and the leg is forgotten briefly, then it is taken out again. El Presidente and Marvel run interference, distracting Jacko and the ref, so Del Taurino hits Jacko in the head with the belt for the pin. Apart from the leg not figuring in the ending (after the belt shot, lock him in a leg vice and say he passed out from the pain?…) this was another good match.

Rocky then comes down after the match to confront Del Taurino and let him know that in August they will meet for that title.

 

Not a bad show. Not as good as last month, but better than May. These new faces are helping keep this interesting and different, which is very good, and the professionalism of the crew – sound, lights, security, sales, everyone – is actually better than what we saw at the WWE show that hit us (July 4th… where CM Punk said some things that annoyed people).

 

Now, I know RCW is an independent promotion with no TV and only old DVDs to say what has happened before. There are two other promotions in Adelaide – an NWA affiliate whose main event matches are often some of the most highly skilled seen, and another which is very much a sports entertainment company – but I have chosen RCW as the promotion to watch and promote on Inside Pulse because it offers, to me, the best top-to-bottom action around.
            TNA programming frustrates me. When we see a PPV like Destination-X and yet know the regular shows feature overexposed undertalented guys, it gets beyond frustrating. WWE is cookie cutter. We know how every feud and match will end because the formula virtually never changes, and recently promos are getting more attention than the actual in-ring action. In Australia ROH is difficult to get. So those of us who actually like wrestling watch the local product. And RCW is, in my opinion, the best product in Australia. Like Kelly Floyd promotes EXW, I will continue, as long as the bosses let me, to let you know about this fed.
            And for everyone, this is also to let you know that there are other options out there. And if we all go out and support our local feds – the ones doing it right, not backyarders or insane asylum rejects – then maybe the so-called big two will take notice, or some one will take a risk with wrestling again.
            And if they don’t, who cares? We have our own wrestling secrets that still let us be fans and enjoy this pseudo-sport.

 

Riot City Wrestling is well worth your time.

 

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