RCW: Battle For Supremacy 2012 [Dec 15]

Features, Reviews, Shows

Final show of what has been an interesting RCW year. We’ve seen some truly great matches, some well done turns (heel and face) and a year-long feud between Riot City Wrestling and Melbourne City Wrestling which has not been the blow-away feud I think everyone had hoped it would be. We have seen the first RCW Women’s champion crowned, and the dethroned in what has surely been the highlight of the year – a vibrant women’s division. We have seen debuts and we have seen retirements. We have seen angles go nowhere and angles scale some great heights. And we have the most over person on the promotion be a 5’4 guy who is yet to win a match.

 

Tonight is the blow-off of the MCW-RCW feud, so that at least will be put to bed and finish the year on a definite note.

 

Our two regular refs aren’t available tonight, so Luke Santamaria is donning the stripes and Johnny Beards is making his return after a few years. So Josh Armour and Todd Eastman are doing commentary with a returning Andy Cruze (also after 2 and a half years away).

 

Show starts with the highlights package from last month on the big screen. Then we have a taped segment where Todd is interviewing Savannah and Sway comes in and just destroys her. Voodoo and Sway then appear on the screen and gloat about holding the titles. The Rude Ones make their appearance on the screen and threaten Voodoo as well. Good way to establish the feuds. The whole thing went for 5 minutes, so it didn’t even come close to overstaying its welcome.

 

The commentators come out and Josh immediately turns heel, abusing the other commentators and the crowd, and then promoting a rookie wrestler. He then quits as commentator. So the other two run down the card. This includes a surprise replacement for Savannah Summers. Former Commissioner Jack is then brought to the ring, as it is Jack’s last show (he has been running the sound and helping make RCW look professional for years) and he is thanked. Very classy.

 

Match 1: we start by hearing guitar and Del Taurino comes out actually playing the guitar! Crowd really gets in to it. Very cool!
So… Del Taurino (with El Presidente) v Fuzion

Fuzion on a long losing streak. Slow feeling out to start. Taurino takes control until Fuzion forces him out of the ring. Fuzion follows and rams El Presidente’s head into the ring post. Fuzion works on him on the outside. Back in and Fuzion goes for the pin. Crowd is dead. Fuzion continues to work on him. Del Taurino tries to come back, big boot puts him down. Choking by Fuzion. In the corner. Sets Taurino up in the corner. He fights back, and then slips from the second rope in an awkward botch. Fuzion hits a spinebuster for 2. Taurino back, eventually into a bulldog. Taurino goes up top and hits the Randy Savage elbow for the pin.

  Winner: Del Taurino (pin)

 

Match 2: RCW Women’s Title: Kellie Ann v Eliza Sway ©

Kellie has recently trained with Lance Storm and is one of the better women wrestlers in Australia, so she is a great replacement for Summers in this match. Back and forth to start with some sharp chain wrestling. Still back and forth. Kellie is out-wrestling Sway. Sway uses the hair, but is constantly countered. Kellie works the arm really effectively. Sway tries to come back, but an awkward head scissors sends her out. Kellie then hits a cannonball off the apron onto Sway. Sway back in, and catches Kellie coming in after her. Sway in control. A Kellie comeback stopped by a side slam. Sway works the back. Kellie comeback stopped by a hair pull. Something weird with a back bump out of nowhere. His feels off. Kellie with a comeback into a crossbody off the second rope. A crash into the corner gets a pin attempt but Sway grabs the rope to stop the count at 2. A jump from the second rope by Kellie gets caught into a sit-out powerbomb. Kellie unloads the chops. Voodoo comes out to run distraction, enabling Sway to lock on a guillotine choke for the submission win. Awkward looking match; they did not mesh well.

     Winner: (still champion) Eliza Sway (submission)

 

Match 3: Mike Wheeler (with Josh Armour) v Big Brodie Marshall

Wheeler’s going into douche mode. Josh does the announcing of him while they come to the ring. Now Josh talks and talks on the mic about Wheeler. Marshall stops him, Wheeler attacks and it’s on. Marshall in control quickly, overpowering Wheeler. Wheeler back with an eye poke to take over. Referee distraction leads to Josh choking Brodie out as well. Wheeler with some slow offence to remain in control. He needs more impact with his strikes. Again Josh with the choke. Marshall back with punches, a Wheeler knee stops it, big boot from Marshall stops that, then a slam. Josh distracts Marshall again, and a low blow from Wheeler almost leads to a 3-count after a gourd buster. Goes for another, blocked by Marshall. He hits a sort of a Rock bottom. Then hits his Marshall Law finisher for 3. Okay for a rookie match.

     Winner: Big Brodie Marshall (pin)

 

Match 4: RCW Title Match: Marvel v Andy “Voodoo” Roy ©

As expected a fast and highly technical start. One or two moves look mis-timed, however. Odd for these two. Still, very fast, back and forth, counter for counter. Finally Marvel gains control and locks in a cross-face. Voodoo makes the ropes. Knee to the back of the head turns the tide for Voodoo. He works Marvel over in the corner. Crowd behind Marvel. Voodoo hits a double underhook suplex roll through into a guillotine choke. Marvel up and hits a crucifix. Back cracker from Voodoo. Voodoo works Marvel back into the corners. Marvel back with a nice crescent kick. Delayed slam for 2 to Marvel. Voodoo back with his knees. Marvel draped over the top rope for a hangman’s twist of fate by Voodoo. Double pumphandle powerbomb by Marvel. This is back and forth. Crowd is finally waking up. Marvel gets Voodoo on top. A Voodoo low blow drops him. He misses a top rope double stomp, and Marvel gets him up again. This time he hits a sit-out superplex. But Voodoo kicks out at 2! Marvel tries to lock in the dragon sleeper. Sway pulls the ref out of the ring. Voodoo goes for the destroyer, Marvel counters, Sway pulls the ref out again. She then hits Marvel with the women’s title belt, Voodoo hits the Cannonball destroyer, and gets the 3. Why wasn’t Voodoo disqualified after at least the second pull out by Sway? He’d still be champ. Ending made no sense.

     Winner: Andy ‘Voodoo’ Roy (still champ)

 

After the match Voodoo goes to hit Marvel with a chair, Mimic runs out to make the save. Voodoo again taunts him by saying Mimic can’t hit him, but this time Mimic takes the chair and does just that. The crowd explodes.

 

That’s the first half. Slightly underwhelming show so far.

 

We open the second half of the show with a training montage video featuring the 4 RCW guys in the main event, interspersed with a history of the MCW feud, all to suitably epic music. Nicely done.

 

We then go into a video of the Benchwarmers training, and being harassed by the Mean Street Wrecking Crew. Sound was garbled and hard to understand.

 

Match 5: Mean Street Wrecking Crew (Brad Smyth & Hammer) v The Benchwarmers (Shannon Jarvis & Damo Damo)

Yep, Damo’s still the most over guy on the roster. Argy-bargy to start. Jarvis and Hammer start the match proper. Jarvis tries, but Hammer outpowers him. Tag to Brad. Jarvis clotheslines him and takes him down. Brad wants Damo. Tag is made. Brad intimidates, Damo slaps then taste out of his mouth. Damo takes over briefly, but Hammer distraction lets Brad take over. Tag to Hammer. He proceeds to destroy Damo. Tag to Brad, who tries to pin, but gets 2. Brad in control. Damo comeback in a corner briefly. Another pin attempt for 2. Damo with a roll up for 2. He stun guns himself to give Brad a 2. Crowd is hot. Hammer in to overpower Damo. Damo escapes with some kicks, but a Hammer clothesline stops that. Brad in. He spends some time arguing with the crowd. Crowd is trying to rally Damo. Brad in control. Finally Damo back with a DDT on Brad, and he tags in Shannon. Shannon takes out Brad, and drops Hammer. Brad ends up suggestively on Hammer and Shannon dropkicks them together. The crowd wants Damo, so he’s tagged in. A double stomp and an elbow for 2.9 count. Shannon tries to take Hammer out on the outside, but is caught and rammed into the ring post. Damo tries to go after Brad, but a kick to the back of the head finishes it. Not a bad match, but my 7 yr old thought it was “a bit boring”.

     Winner: Mean Street Wrecking Crew (Brad Smyth pin Damo Damo)

 

Match 6: Team MCW (Adam Brooks, Ryan Rollins, Carlo Cannon & Josh Shooter) v Team RCW (Matt ‘GD Grimm’ Basso, Chris ‘Mimic’ Basso, Nick Armstrong & Jett Armstrong)

This is elimination tag rules, with 2 referees. Entrances kill a good 7 minutes. The “R-C-Dub” chant rises straight away. Then it takes another 5 minutes for the match to start. And still the crowd stays hot! Wow. It starts by spilling out of the ring straight away. No one is in the rung. They’ve paired off. Right in front of us Grimm and Shooter just chop the ever-loving crap out of one another. My 7 yr old was stunned by the sound and the hand-prints on bare flesh. The crowd is exploding. Finally we have Mimic and Rollins in the ring while the others are still outside. Rollins is dumped onto everyone outside. Mimic then follows this with a suicide dive onto them all. The Armstrongs then hit stereo somersault planchas onto everyone! Now Grimm goes to the top rope and hits a cross body on to all 7 of the others! That’s 6’10 flying! Oh. My. God. Grimm and Shooter in the ring now as the others make their way to their respective corners. Grimm finally gets the first pin attempt for 2. He tags in Mimic who takes over. Shooter goes for the eyes, leg lariat and a tag to Cannon. Tag to Jett, tag to Nick and they work Cannon over. Tag to Mimic who double stomps Cannon’s arm. Tag to Brooks. Forces Brooks’ attack to hit Cannon and he then drags Brooks to his corner where Jett tags in. Tag to Nick. Double teaming has RCW on top. Tag to Mimic, and Brooks takes over. Tag to Shooter, delayed vertical suplex for 2. Back and forth until Mimic hits the Sega Mega Driver.

     Mimic pins Shooter

The MCW crew try to gather themselves, the RCW crew go to confront them, but Mimic left alone in the ring is hit in the back by Voodoo with the title belt and knocked out. Rollins in quickly to take advantage.

     Rollins pins Mimic

3-on-3 now. Nick in. Nick works over Rollins with some nice high flying offence. Nick in the MCW corner and is worked over, ending in a triple dropkick to Nick’s head. They continue to triple team Nick until the ref restores order. Rollins and Nick in, with Rollins slow offence slowing the whole thing down. Tag to Cannon. Slows down even more. Cannon with a brainbuster for 2. The crowd is trying to stay in it, but Cannon and Rollins are so… slow. Nick back with a desperation move. Rollins tries to stop the tag, but it happens anyway. Jett with a rana taken oddly by Rollins. DDT by Jett for 2. Enziguri by Jett on Rollins.

     Jett pins Rollins

Brooks in and misses so Jett works him over. Back and forth until Brooks is on the apron. Jett tries to suplex him in, but Cannon grabs the legs and Brooks falls on top.

     Brooks pin Jett

Grimm in. Double team on Grimm. Cannon and Brooks with quick tags. They work Grimm over effectively,  if not slowly. Hot tag to Nick and he takes out both MCW guys. Superkick from Cannon leads to a pin.

     Brooks pins Nick

Now 2-on-1 handicap match. Lots of double-teaming. Some weak punches by Cannon leads to a nice drop kick for 2. Crowd chants for Grimm. A Grimm comeback  stopped by Brooks on the apron. He holds Grimm, but a Cannon crescent kick connects with Brooks, and a big boot by Grimm does the job.

     Grimm pins Cannon

1-on-1, the 2 team captains., Who’d-a thunked it? Cannon low blows Grimm as he leaves. Brooks hits the swanton for… 2! Brooks cannot believe it. The crowd is chanting R-C-Dub again. Yay-boo punches. Grimm hulks up. “You…!” Enziguri from Brooks stops him, back-breaker by Grimm stops that. Grimm now in full-on Grimm mode. He wraps Brooks up and curb stomps him.

     Grimm pins Brooks.

   WINNERS: Team RCW! (Matt ‘GD Grimm’ Basso your sole survivor)

 

Team RCW all come out to celebrate with the crowd. And they get the entire audience to do Grimm’s taunt along with the four of them in the ring.

 

And thus endeth 2012.

 

My personal opinion:

Wrestler of the Year – Marvel

Feud of the Year – Savannah Summers v Miami

Rookie of the Year – Hammer

Match of the Year – tie
Eliza Sway v Miami (Ascension, Oct 5) (female match of the year, any promotion)
& Marvel v Chris ‘Mimic’ Basso (Dark Days, July 21)

 

 

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