…
And we’re back.
So, let’s see what 2012 has in store for us in the realms of RCW, shall we? Well, the year starts with a full house. People were turned away at the door. They really need to find a bigger venue. So we had more than 300 watching. And yet there were times when you would not have known it.
We start off with JT Anderson and Josh Armour, our commentators in the ring running down the show. But then JT apologises for being such a douche last year and they make up. WTF? I was getting into the heel character.
Match 1:
Voodoo v Josh Shooter
Shooter is from Melbourne in his RCW debut. Slow to start, but it sparks up soon enough, as though they had to work out what one another had first. Long heel beatdown on Voodoo. Some sloppy moves but the crowd gets into it. Some of Shooter’s heel mannerisms were quite well done, and there were some stiff shots. Voodoo finally wins with a Cannonball Destroyer in a good start to 2012.
RCW Commissioner Damon Matthews comes out. He first announces a women’s title tournament for the first ever RCW Women’s Title. Some phone calls and research tells me it’s the first women’s title based in South Australia ever, and is one of only 3 Women’s Titles in the country. Matthews then reveals the new RCW Title Belt for the guys and presents it to Chris “Mimic” Basso, the champion. Both belts look fantastic, by the way. Del Taurino and the Rude Ones then come out to hype the main event, they attack Mimic, Voodoo and GD Grimm come out, the commissioner separates them and the Rude Ones leave. That went on too long and a lot of what was said was hard to understand.
Match 2
Women’s Tournament, Bracket 1, Match 1
Melody Summers v KC Cassidy
This is Kassidy’s RCW debut, but she is a well-known wrestler across Australia, coming from Victoria. Melody tries and fails to get home town support. Chain wrestling to start, but one or two missed moves takes the crowd out of it. Melody takes over for a long heel beatdown. Crowd is dead. Melody tries abusing them to get them into it, KC tries to get them behind her, but they don’t care. Awkward cross-body by Cassidy gets 2. Melody locks in a nice dragon sleeper. Cassidy comes back to some cheers. Face slam from Melody slows her down, but Cassidy hits a nice spear for the pin and a pop.
Match 3
Women’s Tournament, Bracket 1, Match 2
Savannah Summers v Nikita Naridian
Naridian is from Victoria, and this is her RCW debut. Test of strength to start into a bad head scissor. It then picks up and the pace is much faster, so the crowd is more alive. However a long heel beatdown deflates them a bit. A Naridian comeback livens them up. Savannah with a Baldo bomb, Naridian with a northern lights suplex, Savannah with a DDT for the pin. Strangely subdued crowd, good match.
I think the problem with the two matches was that while hardcore fans knew who the opponents were (especially Cassidy), the RCW punters didn’t. So the heels who they knew were against faces they didn’t. The crowd were, essentially confused. Next month, I believe, will be bracket 2, with the RCW faces Miami and Sway against interstate heels. The crowd should be more alive for that bracket. The final of bracket one will be Savannah Summers v KC Cassidy, with the winner of that match going on to face the winner of bracket 2 for the title.
Match 4
Sexrock (Elliott Sexton & Jonah Rock) v The Armstrongs (Nick & Jett)
The pop for the Armstrongs is HUGE! However, Sexton cold-cocks Nick before the bell with some sort of foreign object. Jett takes on SexRock alone as refs and the commissioner get Nick out of the ring. The match, however, is official, and Jett does a great showing 1 on 2, getting in some fast offence. But the weight of numbers is too much and leads to a long heel beatdown. Some hope spots, but a beatdown. The crowd was confused as to why this match was allowed to continue. This went on probably 5 minutes too long. Of course, Nick comes out, fighting off the Commissioner as he does so. He tags himself in, but thirty seconds later has been knocked out again and the ref calls the match. Apparently SexRock wins. Nick is then tended in the ring during the first half of the intermission. But, really, SexRock couldn’t have taken Jett out in half that time? I know it makes the Armstrongs look strong and like fighters, and prolongs the feud, but with Rock and Sexton – both bigger than either Armstrong – unable to beat one of them easily, and Rock unable to win the Key to the City without Sexton’s help… they look weak.
After intermission JT and Armour work the crowd, asking who’ll win the title match. And then JT asks his girlfriend to marry him… and she says, “Yes.” Crowd pops huge. So that explains the face turn at the start of the show!
Match 5
Steve Miller v Marvel v Matt “GD Grimm” Basso
Marvel and Grimm play abuse-the-rookie until Miller fights back. Grimm and Miller double team Marvel until he rolls out of the ring and Grimm kills Miller for a while. The match breaks down into a series of quick-fire 1-on-1 encounters. Fast match. There are also no real alliances. It finally comes down to Marvel v Grimm and Marvel works Grimm’s leg. A top rope double shoulder block takes both men down. Grimm recovers and tries to curb stomp Miller, but the leg gives way. A second attempt succeeds, but Marvel pushes Grimm out of the ring to steal the pin and win the match. Good match!
Brad Smyth comes out with Hammer. He calls himself the greatest wrestler to come out of the RCW training academy and puts out an open challenge for anyone to come out and face him. No one responds immediately, they start to gloat, and then Luke Santamaria comes out after over a year away. There is a pop for him, but a year is a long time…
Match 6
Brad Smyth (with Hammer) v Luke Santamaria
Back and forth to start, with both men so evenly matched they go for the same moves at the same time. I like that spot. Crowd is dead again. Brad starts to leave, but while the ref is counting him out Hammer sneak attacks Luke. Brad runs back in for a two count. Heel beatdown ensues. Some small hope spots, but really a long beatdown. Luke comes back with a sick looking release German suplex that drops Smyth right on his head. Luke in control until a Hammer clothesline while the ref was again distracted knocks him out. Smyth hits his ‘sacrifice of the fallen’ (a modified version of Jarrett’s Stroke) for the three and the win. Another good match.
Rant 1: Apart from the 3-way, each match has been even start, long heel beatdown, sudden finish. There are other ways to book matches…
Rant 2: Now, here’s the thing. After my comments about Sexton and Rock, I then say Hammer and Smyth are doing it right. What’s the difference? Hammer and Smyth have a Diesel-Shawn Michaels vibe going (or Big Sal/Little Guido) – cocky little guy with a big enforcer not above getting involved. Rock and Sexton, on the other hand, are both big units, with Rock the heaviest guy on the roster, so why does he need an enforcer? Smyth can look weak, as it’s his small-guy character, especially with his facials. Rock is not that persona. He’s supposed to be a monster. Just saying.
Match 7
RCW Title match
Del Taurino (with the Rude Ones, Marvel & El Presidente) v Chris “Mimic” Basso (with Only The Strong, Voodoo & Matt “GD Grimm” Basso) (c)
I should point out that Grimm is still selling the leg injury. Rude Ones attack while Mimic is posing with the belt, Only The Strong get rid of them. This before the match officially starts. Slow start, with lots of Taurino’s trademark stalling, until Mimic takes over, hits a sit-out F5, but Marvel pulls out the ref. Meanwhile, Taurino takes over with a low blow and gutwrench suplex. Grimm pulls the ref out, but this time Grimm and Voodoo are sent to the back! Ref is distracted, Rude Ones work on Mimic outside. Taurino takes over, Mimic takes over. Back and forth. Taurino distracts ref, Rude Ones work over Mimic again, Taurino takes over. Mimic back with a victory roll for 2. Then a suicide dive onto Marvel and El Presidente outside the ring. They come in to beat on Mimic, but this time the ref sees them and they are also ejected. Mimic takes over. Taurino gets a sleeper. Yay-boo punches and Mimic takes control again. He even pulls out a Pele kick for 2. Taurino back with a spinebuster. This is a good match! Mimic with a superplex. He goes up for the 450, but the Rude Ones run in from the back. Grimm and Voodoo follow. Then Fuzion comes through the crowd to take out Grimm in retaliation for the attack eight months ago that put Fuzion on the shelf! Continuity! El Presidente is dead, Marvel and Voodoo disappear out through the crowd and then the front door, wailing on each other, Grimm and Fuzion go out through the crowd and the bar, and while all this is happening, in the ring, Mimic sets up Taurino and finally hits the 450 for the pin. Wow!
Hmmm… opening show. Not a blowaway show, but after last year’s final effort, this was going to be hard-pressed to match it. The match booking being very similar in 5 of the 7 matches made for a weird dynamic and the crowd dying at points gave an odd atmosphere, especially with a full house. So… let’s see what February brings, shall we?
