Riot City Wrestling – Trial By Stone [Oct 8, 2011]

Houseshows, Reviews, Shows

Full house for this one. The “house full” signs were up five minutes before the show started. And they were loud. After the write up in our local newspaper (Murdoch-owned) last week (4 pages and photos) there were a lot of new ones as well. Punters were even turned away. And… we get straight into the matches.

 

Match 1: Brad Smyth v Steve Miller
            Basic match to start until Smyth takes over. Miller makes a few comebacks but is cut off. Smyth’s back flip off Miller’s shoulders when he was sitting in the corner was nice. But Miller keeps kicking out and then he makes a sudden, almost miraculous comeback, maybe too enthusiastic. A Smyth low blow turns the tide. Miller kicks out of a lot of pins. Then he hits a sudden killswitch for the three-count and a Miller win. Wow. Smyth’s been on quite the losing streak, and to lose to a rookie.
            Post-match a really big guy comes out from the back, “Hammer” on his pants but no one knows who he is. He destroys Miller, then helps Smyth to his feet before hitting Miller with the mother of all powerbombs. Miller needs help to the back. That’s how you debut a monster heel.

 

Rocky Menero, RCW champ, and Elliot Sexton come out to gloat and abuse the crowd. “Welcome to Rocky city Wrestling!” is still a great heel line. But they are quickly cut off by the brothers Mimic and GD Grimm… only now they’re going by their real names, the Basso Brothers. Their appearance makes the crowd go crazy. And loud! Mimic hypes the title match and really sells how big a deal this is. Really strong promo. And it did not go on forever. Take note, big promotions!

 

Match 2: Key to the City Series, first match – Jonah Rock (with Elliot Sexton) v Adam Brooks
            Rock attacks Brooks while he’s posing for the crowd. Brooks quickly turns the tide and hits a series of dropkicks to take control. But a crossbody from the top is turned into a powerbomb for Rock to come back on top. Sexton interferes and, again, if Rock is to look like a real threat then he can’t have the outside guy interfere so much. He loses credibility. And while I’m at it, he’s the Samoan Wrecking Machine, and plays the part well at the start, but once wrestling he loses the Samoan-ness for most of the match. Brooks goes for a slam, but Rock’s too big. Now here’s the Samoan wrestling stereotype – headbutts. Brooks goes through a long beatdown, including by Sexton. Again. Finally Sexton is sent to the back. However, despite this, Rock gets the win with the Samoan Squeeze submission hold. Match was okay, but felt off.

 

Match 3: Savannah Summers (with Melody Summers) v Miami
            This is the first one-on-one match between these two in a year or so. Back and forth chain to start, and it continues back and forth until Summers takes over and there proceeds a beatdown. Miami comeback stopped by a sit-out Bossman slam. A Melody distraction enables Summers to use a hair-pull submission. Top rope leg drop misses and Miami comes back. Cartwheel splash gets 2. Slingshot to the corner see Summers land on the second rope and then hit a leg drop from there. Double KO spot. And the crowd is hot! Miami’s bridged Samoan drop gets 2 thanks to Melody putting Summers’ foot on the bottom rope. Summers comes back and hits a lungblower for the three and the win. Really good match, maybe third best women’s match I’ve seen this year. Yes, out of 30 or so women’s matches, this ranked number 3. Why can’t TNA or WWE do this – have two good looking women actually wrestle? It IS possible for wrestling women to look good! Sorry. I’m ranting.

 

Match 4: 6-man Scramble Tag Match – Be-Bop v Matt Silva v Voodoo v Tim Burgundy v Jimmy Scarlett v Matt “Grimm” Basso
            Be-Bop’s dancing girls are back! The crowd loves it. To explain the rules, it’s like lucha libre rules, where a tag does not have to be made, a person just has to leave the ring for a new one to enter, though tags are allowed. And anyone can tag anyone else.
            Grimm against Silva to start. Silva tags in BeBop. BeBop rolls out, Burgundy in, Silva out, Scarlett in. This too fast. Tags and entries everywhere. Fast match. Finally things settle a little as Grimm and Silva exchange a few two counts. Suicide dives galore until Grimm gives BeBop a razor’s edge onto everyone outside. Then we get a Tower of Doom spot with Grimm, the biggest guy in the match, on the top. Holy cow! BeBop dances and goes for a few pins. Each time he pins some one he’s thrown off onto some one else who he tries to pin., Nice. Finally he is killed by a double team and Voodoo hits a cannibal (Canadian) destroyer on him. Pin broken by a Silva German suplex. And it gets too fast to call again. Crowd is stunned. Finally, when all is said and done, Grimm hits a cut throat driver and curb stomps Burgundy for the three-count and the win. Wow. Crowd is exhausted! But finally they pop huge. Okay, really, this was one of the best clusterf**k matches I’ve ever seen, and definitely the best one I’ve seen live.

 

Match 5: Jett & Nick Armstrong v The Rude Ones (Marvel and Del Taurino with El Presidente)
            This is the Armstrongs RCW debut. I missed the first five minutes of the match. By the time I came in the Rude Ones were dominating, which was a good thing. Some loose work from the Armstrongs. Mind you, the Rude Ones are so good at what they do that they had the crowd cheering for the Armstrongs anyway. In the end, the Armstrongs hit a double splash / leg drop from the top rope, opposite corners on Del Taurino for the pin. Not sure if that was the right result. The Armstrongs have the moves and the look, but some work is needed. Sorry. But the crowd really got into them and the cheer when they won was huge, so whatever.

 

Match 6: RCW Title Match – Rocky Menero (c) Chris “Mimic” Basso
            Oh, man, are the crowd hot for this one! After duelling chants, Mimic takes over quickly. This is a stiff match from the outset. And fast! They use the outside 20-count (in RCW Title matches, it’s a 20-count, not a 10). Rocky takes over after a side slam on the ring apron. Methodical beatdown on Mimic ensues. Rocky uses his wrist tape to choke out Mimic. The crowd are not letting up for this one. Yay-boo punches, and then yay-boo European uppercuts. Mimic coming back. Mimic hits a top rope moonsault for… 2? Superkick from Rocky gets… 2? Crowd is stunned both times. Sexton suddenly comes out and drops a wrench in the ring. Grimm comes out to stop Sexton while Mimic hits a crisp 450 splash. The ref is distracted by Sexton and Grimm, and Mimic gets a ten-plus count from the crowd. However, a sudden piledriver from Rocky gets the 3-count and the pin. Still champ – Rocky Menero.
            Post-match and Matt Silva runs in as well, so we have a 3-on-2 beatdown. Rocky gets hold of a mic and tells the brothers that next month it’s the two of them and a partner of their choice against Sexton, Silva and Rocky. If the Basso team wins, then Mimic gets another shot at the title. They leave and Mimic finally gets the mic. He is angry and he agrees. Good ending!

 And this show blew away everything I’ve seen on TV this week. Now, TNA, you’re wrong – THIS is wrestling.

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