Riot City Wrestling: Battle For Supremacy 2011 (Dec 10)
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 All photographs come courtesy of Riot City Wrestling. Thanks, guys!
LOTS of card changes tonight, but the main event is still the same and that’s all that matters. It is also a full house, with more than 300 loud people in attendance. (They really need a bigger hall.) The atmosphere is electric.
Onto commentary: Anderson’s heel persona was toned down a little tonight, while Armour did not react as much, making the commentary dynamic a little easier on the ear. A few more tweaks to make sure Anderson is unique and they’ll just about have it, I reckon.
Match 1: Voodoo v Marvel (with El Presidente and Del Taurino)
           Hot crowd and a superb choice for opener. Back and forth action with the rest of the Rude Ones supporting Marvel. The rope assisted dragon sleeper by Marvel looked seriously painful. Marvel with a series of two counts on Voodoo until Voodoo comes back with his own. Crowd is really into this. Voodoo wins with a Canadian destroyer on the second attempt to a HUGE pop. Great opening match.
Voodoo gets ready to hit the stalling elbow on Marvel.
Match 2: Brad Smyth (with Hammer) v Shannon Jarvis
           Apparently this is the start of the Brad Smyth Open Challenge to anyone out the back. Lots of Hammer interference, brief Jarvis comebacks, some comedy bits and this was essentially an extended squash (and rightfully so). Some of Jarvis’ selling needs work, though. Brad gets two off a top rope double stomp, then Jarvis with a DDT (sold superbly by Brad) for two, enziguri for two, springboard dropkick and Smyth “hurts†his shoulder. Hammer comes in and obliterates Jarvis, the shoulder miraculously heals and Smyth gets the three-count. After the match they kill Jarvis for fun. Good booking and the monster heel persona of Hammer continues to be well done.
Brad Smyth hits the double stomp on Shannon Jarvis.
Match 3: Steve Miller v Freddy Fuzion
           The return of Fuzion after almost a year. Last time we saw him, Fuzion was a face, and then he was attacked by GD Grimm and put out of commission (though the real reason is his arm was broken by a fat 40 year old in the ring who botched a move and poor Fuzion suffered for it). But now Fuzion is once more a heel, a role he excels at, and this was a good example of wily veteran against enthusiastic but impetuous rookie. Fuzion dominates for a while, Miller comeback, but he sells the shoulder well throughout the entire match. Fuzion hits his patented spine buster and sets up for the superkick, but Miller ducks it and gets the fluke roll-up pin for the three-count. Again, good booking, and Fuzion looks like he still has it.
           Well back, Fuzion; we missed you.
Fuziion hits the spinebuster on Miller.
Match 4: Sex Rock (Elliott Sexton and Jonah Rock) v The Armstrongs (Nick & Jett)
           Sexton’s in-ring taunt still makes me laugh. Stall-a-go-go to start, and then a slow feeling out process before they finally go at it. Suddenly it becomes too fast to call. SexRock work brilliantly as an arrogant heel tag team, and this is probably the best Armstrongs match I’ve seen (in any promotion). And they do Tag Team 101 wrestling, the old formula, and it works a treat, including the tag the ref does not see. Nick plays Ricky Morton as Jett gets increasingly desperate on the ring apron. Finally Jett gets the tag and he is a house of fire. Nick takes out Sexton on the outside, but a top rope moonsault on Rock only gets two. So we get the Armstrong double team top rope leg drop/splash combo on Rock, but Sexton comes in with a chair for the DQ win for the Armstrongs. Crowd is not happy with the ending. Heels then destroy the faces for a while. This is far from over.
Nick Armstrong and Elliot Sexton lock up.
Match 5: Del Taurino (with El Presidente & Marvel) v Matt “Grimm†Basso
           Stalling to start until Grimm gets sick of it and just kills Del Taurino. Del Taurino takes over, and then Grimm again. Back and forth power match and the crowd are a little restless (I’m guessing in anticipation of the main event, up next), until Grimm starts to beat up El Presidente. But this distraction allows Del Taurino to take over, including a nice Air Taurino flying headbutt. Grimm comes back and hits an airplane spin which leads to Del Taurino trying to pin the referee. Grimm uses this to set up and hit the curb stomp for the three count.
Grimm suplexes Del Taurino.
Match 6: RCW Title Match: Rocky Menero (c) v Chris “Mimic†Basso
           No DQ, No count-out, No time limit, Hardcore, Two referees, There will be a winner Match!
           Rocky comes out with Elliot Sexton and Jonah Rock, but he sends them to the back, saying he has this one. WTF? Rocky gets as many cheers as boos. And the crowd is hot! And loud! Wow! The feeling in the air is just unbelievable. Starts hard and goes outside fast with Mimic hitting a sweet moonsault press from the top turnbuckle to the floor! It stays outside, and this includes the Shawn Michaels arse shot from Rocky. Back and forth and fast and the crowd just does not let up. And then a trash can lid gets involved and into the audience we go. More weapons, slams on the floor and still the crowd does not let up.
           Back into the ring we go. Mimic hits a sidewalk slam on Rocky on a chair in the middle of the ring, which collapses with the impact. Mimic then just destroys Rocky with a garbage can, hangs him in a tree of woe and then drop kicks the garbage can into Rocky’s face, but only gets two. Crowd is on the edge. And now Mimic grabs a ladder, set its up in a corner, but gets reversed into it. Mimic is bleeding. So Rocky gets a table, and the crowd actually manages to get even louder. Table is set up on the floor, and Rocky hits a modified powerbomb on Mimic from the apron through the table. But because the referees won’t count Mimic out, one of them gets knocked out by Rocky. He drags Mimic up to the stage where he suplexes him, then finds a rope and drags him by the neck back to the ring and tries to choke him out.
           Mimic comes back with a vicious low blow, but the Sega Mega Driver only gets two. Roll of the dice then gets two for Rocky. More back and forth. Rocky hits a top rope suplex, back roll into a delayed vertical suplex on Mimic, but it only gets two. Yay-boo punches follow, but Mimic hiots his own roll the dice, then a 450 splash for two. Crowd thought that was it; everyone’s in shock. Mimic sets up a ladder and a second table in the ring. Rocky on the table, Mimic up the ladder, but Rocky now follows. The crowd is holding their breath. Some punching and then Mimic hits a sunset flip from the top of the ladder through the table. Both referees count the three at the same time in a cool visual.
           Winner and new Riot City Wrestling Champion and the loudest pop of the night as the crowd explodes: Chris “Mimic†Basso!
           Holy shit! What a match!
           Sex Rock then come out and attack Mimic, but Rocky tries to hold them back. So they attack him as well. Mimic makes the save and then he and Rocky make nice.
           Then Mimic announces that Rocky is being forced to retire through injury, and Rocky makes a great speech thanking everyone for their support. He says this could well not be a permanent retirement, but he will make that decision once his neck has healed.
           As a fan, I hope it is not his last match. I saw Rocky Menero’s first ever match, and now I’ve seen his last match. A great wrestler, and some one who could have made it in any overseas promotion. Thanks, Rocky, for everything.
Mimic about to hit the 450 splash on Rocky.
So what did we have tonight? No Commissioner Damon Matthews, no women’s match, no interstate wrestlers, but still the best RCW show of the year. Good to great matches from top to bottom, and not a dud in sight. What a fantastic way to end 2011; it’s been one hell of a year!
In a few weeks I’ll have my year in review. But I will say right now that my favourite match of 2011 was Mimic v Grimm from RCW, and the best 3 women’s matches have all also come from RCW. And this main event could well feature in any list of top matches I’ve seen in 2011.
           Riot City Wrestling has been the stand-out wrestling of the year for me. Best indy anywhere.
           And that’s all there is to it.
