Deep South Wrestling TV Report for April 30, 2006

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Deep South Wrestling
April 30, 2006
Airing on Comcast Sports South
By Larry Goodman

Nigel Sherrod introduced the first episode of Deep South Wrestling on CSS. Sherrod said this show would detail the history of the DSW Heavyweight Title.

Cut to a closing minute of the battle royal to determine the pairings in the heavyweight title tournament. Sherrod and Bill DeMott were on the commentary. The winner would receive a first round bye. It was down to the final three with Team Elite (Derrick Neikirk and Mike Knox) double teaming Mike “The Miz” Mizanin. Elite eliminated Miz, or so they thought since Miz was hanging on to the top rope. Miz took Neikirk to the floor with headscissors. Miz was able to fight off Neikirk’s interference, but a bicycle kick from Knox sent Miz flying off the apron. Neikirk and Knox had a not too pleasant discussion in the postmatch.

(1) Mike “The Miz” Mizanin beat Mike Knox to become the first DSW Heavyweight Champion. Miz was shown entering the ring with a kneebrace courtesy of his match against Kid Kash. Match was joined in progress with Knox setting up for a superplex. Miz reversed it into a sunset powerbomb. Miz made a delayed cover and Knox kicked out. Miz fired a flurry of lefts and rights, capping it off with a discus punch. Miz hit a leg lariat but reinjured the knee. Knox was all over the injured knee with leg DDTs. DeMott said he knew a lot about blown knees from personal experience. Miz caught Knox with an inside cradle for a two count. Neikirk ran to ringside. He was grabbed by High Impact (Tony Santarelli and Mike Taylor). While this was going on, Kid Kash climbed to the top rope with a headscissors on Knox. Kash looked at Miz and started stomping on Knox. Kash took out the three guys at ringside with a flip dive. Knox glared at Kash. Miz capitalized with the Mizard of Oz to pin Knox. The babyface wrestlers filled the ring to celebrate with Miz.

Sherrod said the Mizfits were proud of their man. But then came Neikirk’s quest for the title.

Cut to Miz talking about how Neikirk finagled his way into the number one contender spot by injuring Mike Taylor.

Cut to Team Elite. Niekirk said that Miz was dealing with best athlete in wrestling and guaranteed victory. Knox corrected him. “We guarantee.”

(2) Derrick Niekirk (with Mike Knox) beat Miz to win the DSW Heavyweight Title (from 12/22/05) Miz was clearly very popular with the fans as he circled the ring prior to his first title defense. They wrestled to a stand off. DeMott said the longer the match went, the more Neikirk’s edge in experience would come into play. Miz used the ropes for a flippy reversal on the armbar. Neikirk went to the closed fist. Miz took control with a side headlock.

Commercial break.

Knox was shown at ringside talking to himself. In the ring, Miz got on the comeback trail with a flurry of offense. Miz hit the Yellow Brick Road (middle rope lariat). Miz ducked a punch and rolled Neikirk up for a two count. Miz used an O’Connor roll. Miz hit a leg lariat for a very near fall. Neikirk was reeling. Miz stomped a mudhole in him. Neikirk sagged to the mat. Knox slipped a foreign object into Neikirk’s hand. Niekirk clocked Miz with the object and covered to become the second DSW champion. Neikirk and Knox celebrated with Miz laid out in the center of the ring. DeMott said the All-American was the new champion (Neikirk was originally drafted for professional baseball by the Detroit Tigers).

Cut to footage of Miz paying a visit to the President of DSW, the Assassin. Miz asked for a rematch. Assassin was reading over Miz’s contract and pointed out the automatic rematch clause. Enter Team Elite. Neikirk got in Miz’s face and asked him if wanted to sweeten the pot by making it a loser leaves DSW match. Miz was up for it. Assassin told Neikirk to back off because he didn’t want any violence in the office. Assassin added a stipulation of his own. Noone would be allowed at ringside. Miz got all giddy. Neikirk said he needed his support system. Assassin said he ruling would stand.

(3) Derrick Neikirk beat “The Miz” Mike Mizanin to retain the DSW Heavyweight Title in a loser leaves town match (from 12/22/05). Joined in progress. Miz skinned the cat (Shawn Michaels he’s not) and hit a neckbreaker for a near fall. Neikirk retreated to ringside, but he was merely laying a trap for Miz. Neikirk rammed Miz’s back into every fixed object in the vicinity incuding the ringsteps. Neikirk ripped up the ringside mat and gave Miz a snap suplex on the concrete. Miz barely beat the 10 count. DeMott said Miz’s back was purple. Niekirk zeroed in on the lower back of the Miz. Neikirk applied single leg crab. Neikirk got in the ref’s face when Miz refused to submit. Miz came back with a climbing bulldog. Both men slow to rise. Miz was on fire. Miz hit a spinning sideslam for a long two count. Miz went for Yellow Brick Road, but Neikirk countered with an overhead suplex. Neikirk brought a chair in. Miz ducked the chairshot, snapped off a headscissors, and followed with a basement dropkick for another close two count. Neikirk has a great knack for kicking out at the last split second. Posey got bumped on a Miz’s flying bodypress. Miz hit the Mizard of Oz but there was no ref to count. While Miz was reviving Posey, Neikirk rolled to the floor and grabbed the chair. Miz reached for Neikirk, who swung for the fences and whacked Miz right in the skull. The crowd groaned on impact. Neikirk made a one arm cover for the 1-2-3.

DeMott caught up with Miz after the match. Miz said he was OK physically, but mentally, the loss was a big blow. DeMott asked Miz if he felt conned into the match. Miz made no excuses. He said the most difficult thing as leaving his fans. Miz closed with a motivational message for the Mizfits.

Sherrod said it would be a battle of partners in tonight’s main event.

Angel Williams stopped Niekirk backstage to ask him if the title match was still on. Neikirk told Williams that it was too bad about her knee, because he had seen Michelle McCool earlier and she was doing fine. Neikirk said nothing had changed. He was defending the title against his best friend.

Cut to Palmer Canon as he walked down the ramp to join Sherrod and Demott at the announcer’s table. Angel Williams hobbled down the ramp on crutches. DeMott said that Williams was claiming her injury occurred at the hands of Tracy Taylor and Michelle McCool. Palmer got his head out of the clouds long enough to offer Williams some assistance.

Dissolve to Matt Striker and Knox backstage. Knox agreed that nothing had been resolved, so he was going to have to go out and win the title. Knox said it would be better to have the belt on him anyway. “The belt’s changed him. I’m always me, plain old vanilla ice cream. I’m just Mike. I’m normal.” “Normal?” said Striker.

We saw Angel Williams losing the crutches and hopping into Canon’s lap.

Knox made his way into the ring. Knox was in the zone, but his zone was far, far, away, in another universe.

“Call it a heavyweight title match. Call it a meeting of two sick and twisted minds, but it’s brother versus brother here tonight,” said Sherrod.

As Neikirk approached the ring, DeMott said the champion was wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

(4) Derrick Neikirk and Mike Knox went to a 20 minute draw. Neikirk retained the DSW Heavyweight Title (from 2/2/06). Canon labeled the match as a product of Assassin’s manipulations. They locked up with neither man able to gain the advantage. Neikirk gradually maneuvered Knox into an armbar. Knox reversed. Neikirk swept a leg and grabbed a grounded top wristlock. Knox reversed into a standing hammerlock. Neikirk used a drop toe hold and floated over to a double wristlock submission. Knox made his way to the ropes and glared at Neikirk. Knox backed Neikirk into the corner. Posey called for a break. Neirirk ducked a sucker punch and gave Knox a lecture. Neikirk scored with a deep arm drag. Neirkirk applied a double wristlock/headscissors combo. Knox blocked the armlock and popped to a standing position, damn impressive for a man of his size. They traded blistering chops. Neikirk escaped from a stalling vertical suplex, but Knox then hit an STO backbreaker for the first big move of the match at the five minute mark. Neikirk rolled out to the floor with Knox in hot pursuit. DeMott explained that ringside was the place where Team Elite has historically done their dirty work. Knox rammed Neikirk’s back into the apron. Neikirk fired back with a chop, but Knox just escalated his attack. Knox rolled under the ropes to break the count before tossing Neikirk back in. A Knox elbow drop was only good for a one count. As Knox drove a series of knees into Neikirk’s back, DeMott said the Elite’s tag team bond was going out the window. Knox hit a backbreaker and Neikirk kicked out at two. Williams said she was loving the violence. Knox was all over Neikirk’s lower back. DeMott said nobody but Knox would have knowledge of Neikirk’s back problems. Knox applied a rear chinlock that was no joke. Neirkirk stunned Knox with a jawbreaker. Knox applied a Boston crab. They cut to some nice, tight shots of Neikirk’s agony. Knox tortured Neikirk for a full minute before Neikirk made the ropes. Neikirk rolled out to the floor. Knox reached over the top rope, and Neikirk pumphandled the extended arm. Knox’s temper got the best of him as he stormed to the outside. Neikirk wrapped Knox’s arm around the rail and kicked it. Neikirk drove Knox’s arm into the floor. Neikirk clutched at his back before rolling under the ropes to break the count. Neikirk tossed Knox back inside the ring. Knox landed a pair of punches, but Neikirk wrenched the arm for a takedown. Neirkirk applied a hammerlock, driving knees into the arm for added punishment. Neikirk pounded and twisted on the arm. When Knox tried to fight up from the bottom, Neirkirk fired him shoulder-first into the ringpost. Knox rolled to the floor with pain etched on his face. Neikirk, meanwhile, was still in a world of hurt due to his back. As Knox rolled under the ropes, Neikirk did a series of kneedrops to the shoulder and then choked Knox with his boot. Neikirk pounded away. Knox went down from a haymaker. Neikirk covered. Knox kicked out at two, but Neikirk clung to the left arm with a double wristlock. Neirkirk drove his shin bone into Knox’s elbow and applied pressure with a new variation of the wristlock. Neikirk slowly climbed to the top rope. Knox made a desperation dive for the ropes to crotch Neikirk on the top. Knox pounded away on Neikirk, who was in no shape to defend himself. Knox set up for a superplex. Neikirk countered with an awesome sunset powerbomb. Both men on the deck hurting. Posey’s count reached nine as both men struggled to their feet. Neikirk staggered Knox with a right hand. Knox returned fire. Knox ducked a punch and hit a reverse atomic drop. Knox landed a standing dropkick right on the money. Helluva move for a 275 pounder. Knox hit a sliding lariat and covered. Neikirk was out at 2 and ¾. Knox used a scoop slam to set up a standing moonsault for another near fall. DeMott put over Knox’s agility. Knox ate an elbow charging in. But Knox caught Neikirk coming off the ropes with a Spinesplitta. Posey’s hand was inches away a three count when Neikirk kicked out. Both men collapsed onto their backs. Knox was first to rise. He put the boots to Neikirk’s back. Neikirk reversed an Irish whip. Knox leapfrogged a charging Neikirk, who ran face first into the turnbuckle. Knox went for the Whippit, but Neirkirk hooked the ropes to block. Niekirk hit a superkick. Both men down again with less than a minute to go. Neikirk threw an arm across Knox. He got a shoulder up before the three. They could barely stand. Knox summoned a burst of energy for a high crossbody. Neikirk kicked out. Knox went for an Oklahoma roll as the time expired. Fans chanted for five more minutes. Knox and Neikirk stared each other down. No handshake. DeMott wondered if Team Elite would be around next week for the tag team tournament.

THOUGHTS: Doing a recap episode focused on the heavyweight title was an excellent way to introduce the viewers to DSW. The highlight of the show was the grueling and dramatic title bout between Knox and Neikirk, a match that showcased two of DSW’s top talents. It was psychologically and technically sound without much flash, which is a characteristic of most Deep South matches. Knox’s character is interesting. Williams is hot even on crutches. The crowd was hot for everything. Sherrod and DeMott were fine on commentary. The DSW Arena photographed OK for television. I prefer more contrast in the lighting of the crowd and the ring.

Matthew Michaels is editor emeritus of Pulse Wrestling, and has been since the site launched.