– World Wrestling Network brings us this one, so check them out WWNDVD.com
____________________
The NeelDown: NWA-Florida Royal Beatdown
– From Tampa, Florida
– Hosts are Lenny Leonard and Shannon Rose
___________________
– We are outdoors, 5,000 or so strong at the St. Pete Times Forum, which I was fortunate enough to catch a Lightning hockey game in a couple years ago, and it is truly a great arena.
Mikey Batts v. Roderick Strong – NWA Florida X Division Championship
Batts goes after the arm to start, but Strong makes it to the ropes to break. Another lockup and now Strong goes after the arm, but Batts goes down and kips up then gets the arm wrench again. Strong does outside to break it, and comes back in and they tie-up. Again they do reversals with the arm wringer, then Strong grabs a headlock and shoulders him down. Batts comes back with a pair of arm drags and goes back to the arm, but Strong reverses it and takes him down to try a quick count, but Batts bridges out of it.
Strong lifts him up in that hold, but Batts turns it into a rana that sends him to the floor, where he follows with a plancha from the top. Back in Batts gets a headscissors and goes to work in the corner with the ten punches, but Strong wisely drops him into the snake eyes to break it, then follows with a big chop to send him down. Another chop and he chokes him in the ropes, some “old school craziness” as one of the announcers, I’m not familiar with them so I’m not sure which, describes it. Strong presses him down and dumps him to the floor where he adds more chops, as if he were giving a chop intuition to some kid or something.
Back inside Batts tries battling back but Strong gives him an underhook butterfly suplex, then goes up top, flips off the crowd which is CHEERING for him, and then drops an elbow on Batts for two. Batts slides under a kick attempt and tries a rana, but Strong catches him a powerbomb position, but Batts counters that to a sunset flip for two, however then gets his momentum stopped with a thud as he runs straight into a Yokunza kick. Strong misses a charge however and Batts jumps off the second rope with a leg lariat for two. Tilt-a-whirl tornado DDT by Batts, but he’s still dazed from the twirling and can’t amount anything else.
They get up into a slug fest and Batts gets a back drop then an inverted DDT. Strong goes for one of his many backbreakers, but Batts gets out in a wheelbarrow into a stunner and then gets a running enzigiri, then finishes with the Napoleon Complex, which is a running sunset flip powerbomb similar to the Canadian Destroyer, for the pin. Good hot back and fourth opener here, although the crowd really wanted Strong to go over and win the title. (***)
Winner: Mikey Batts
– Continuing from that, it’s a shame that Batts was released of his WWE contract a few months ago, but then again, maybe it was for the better. I was at the tapings where he got his one match on Velocity, and it was funny because he was going by his real name, Michael Altieri, despite still wearing the “MB” attire.
Erick Stevens v. Mikey Tenderfoot
This is a somewhat rematch from Rage in the Cage ’05 when one eliminated the other. The match starts as a brawl in the crowd, and progresses to ringside with Tenderfoot, who is sporting a TO jersey, in control. In the ring Tenderfoot counters a backdrop to a high dropkick and follows with a somersault plancha. Out there Steven feeds him to the guardrail where he takes a bump. Stevens stays in control in the ring and chops away, but has the favor returned by Mikey. Tenderfoot gets a tornado DDT, and is now resembling Justin Credible with the blue jean shorts and t-shirt. Missile dropkick gets two. Stevens, of course, sporting the black and red singlet with the mohawk.
Stevens drops him over a knee and gets the Fat Boy Senton for two. Stevens tries the southern lariat but Tenderfoot nails an Ace Crusher. Tenderfoot tries a rana from the top but Stevens catches him and slams him down into a powerbomb pin, and that’ll do it. A nice short little filler match here, with Tenderfoot getting all of his hot stuff in for the crowd but Stevens pulls out the win. ( * )
Winner: Erick Stevens
Double Deuce v. 911 Inc. – NWA Florida Tag Team Championship
The champions, Double Deuce, are Frankie Capone & Marcus Dillon, 911 being Rod Steel and Buck Quartermain, who has lately been all over the Indie circuit. They are accompanied by manager Ron Niemi. Dillon starts with Steel, who gets overpowered. Steel grabs a headlock but gets shoved off and meets shoulder, twice. Steel misses a clothesline and runs into yet another shoulder, and now Steel is forced to tag out to Quartermain, who doesn’t want to come in either, but does.
Quartermain grabs a headlock but Dillon gets a hip toss and scoop slam, then drops an elbow for two. Quartermain takes him to the corner for some double teaming as Billy Dalton is distracted. Darn those evil heel tactics. They continue that with a cocky slap and Quartermain clotheslines Dillon down for two then locks in a rear choke. Quartermain breaks it and then grounds him with a high knee, then knocks Capone off the apron for good measure. Back drop driver by Quartermain and an elbow, but Dillon fights back with punches. However, Quartermain rakes the eyes and tees off with jabs.
Steel comes back in and tries a suplex, but he can’t lift Dillon, so they do some more cheap double teaming. Boy, they’re sure making Steel look not so great in this one. Steel tries a suplex again, but that’s of course a bad deal and Dillon counters it into one of his own. As they get up we see Steel say something to Dillon. That’s just sloppy camera work now. Hot tag to Capone who slams both of the heels down, but he gets cheap shotted by Capone. Things turn ugly as everybody gets in to brawl, and Dillon Spears Capone for the pin and the successful tag straps defense. The finish came out of literally nowhere, and there wasn’t much to the match, which could have changed if it got more time. (**1/2)
Winners: Double Deuce
– Raven cuts a quick promo saying that the Raven Effect will be a short trip, bad landing. Quote the Raven, nevermore, of course. Weak.
– A quick little story about the current (at this time) reigning NWA FL Southern Heavyweight Champion, Lex Lovett. He won the Southern title in October of 2004, defeating Scoot Andrews, and held it until June of 2005, when he received at the NWA Heavyweight Championship in the main event at the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup. He of course lost that match, to then Champion AJ Styles, and then “retired,” thus vacating the Southern Heavyweight Championship. But, as we all know, retirement in the wacky world of professional wrestling means a big return in, oh, say a couple of months, and that’s what Lovett did, debuting in October of 2005 on the debut Spike TV episode of TNA episode … where he got squashed by Monty Brown. His stay in TNA was … not very eventful, for lack of a better, term, and now you might know him from the WWE development territory Deep South Wrestling, where he was the tag partner of Mike Shane, or Jake of The Gynmini, yes, THE Simon Dean managing mini-Goldberg jobber WWE tag team The Gymini. An interesting career turn, to say the least.
Lex Lovett v. Raven – NWA Florida Southern Championship
Lockup and Lovett takes him to the corner where he stomps a hole in him. Lovett continues working on him in the corner with some choking and such. Raven tries mounting a comeback by doing the exact same thing, stomping him to death in the corner, and it works, as Lovett has to go out and take a breath. It should be noted, that Lovett is usually the crowd favorite here in NWA FL, but with Raven here that’s not going to happen. Back inside Lovett appeared to be playing opossum, as he nails a nice big leg lariat.
Lovett tries the guillotine leg drop but Raven rolls out of the way and then follows him outside where he missed, giving him the side Russian leg sweep into the railing. Raven sends him to the post a couple of times to work on his back. Lovett hammers back but gets overzealous and runs straight into the steps. That gets two for Raven. I guess now this is Raven’s Rules, falls count anywhere. They could have advertised that for better sales on the release, but I don’t think it would have mattered much anyway.
Lovett goes downstairs to take over in control back in the ring, then gets the split-legged leg drop. Clothesline by Lovett gets two. Actually, Richie Rich has decided that this is Raven’s Rules as long as Raven is on the offense. Um, okay. Lovett sets up a chair in the corner and sends Raven into it. I guess that last rule theory is off. The ref takes the chair, and Raven gets a quick roll up for two. Lovett rakes the eyes to maintain control, then snapmares him into a rear chinlock. Raven fights out of it with elbows, but Lovett hairmares him back down. Raven kicks him on the head while he’s laying down, but he still gets stomped down, which gets two for Lex.
Lovett locks in the Figure Four right in the center, and since he can’t make the ropes, that can only mean a reversal — and Raven reverses it into his own. Lovett gets the ropes. Lovett sweeps him with a kick to the back of the knees and then comes off the ropes with a stomp to the knee. Lovett tries a senton bomb from the top but Raven rolls out of the way to evade it. Raven finally makes the comeback and gets a clothesline and knee lift. Running knee and a bulldog out of the corner for Raven, who now has a cut on his back from the railing shots. Raven tries the Evenflow but Lovett gets out and shoves him into the ref.
The ref bump allows Lovett to get the chair again, and he sets it up and tries Raven’s old drop toe hold into it, but Raven blocks it and grabs the chair then tosses it into Lovett’s face. Now he gets the DDT, but of course there’s your Raven finisher no ref sequence. While Raven’s trying to wake up the ref Lovett rolls him up for two, in what I thought for sure would be the finish. But even I’m wrong sometimes. Raven ducks a lariat and gets the superkick for a close two. Lovett is resting in the corner and when Raven goes to him Lovett clocks him with the title belt then gets the Lex Buster for the pin to retain the Southern title. In what surprised me A LOT, this was a REALLY solid match, if not a bit focused on keeping Raven down. There were some good spots through it, and I can forgive the ref bumpage due to the hot finish. (***1/4)
Winner: Lex Lovett
Steve Madison v. Vordell Walker
This is Madison’s 22nd birthday, congrats. Walker takes him to the corner as a gift, then spits in his face. Madison charges so Walker goes out to regroup, with valet So Cal Val at ringside. “Hot-ass” Amy Love is with Madison. Having a chick who openly calls herself that should be enough of a birthday present. She gives him a kiss to rejuvenate. Amy was a graduate at the Florida Wrestleplex, where she was trained by the likes of Roderick Strong, among others. She enjoys wearing AC/DC t-shirts. Madison takes him down with a side headlock and takes him down with a shoulder tackle. Walker tries a hip toss but Madison counters it to one of his own and then goes back to the grounded side headlock. Vordell gets out of it with a backdrop suplex, but Madison hangs onto the headlock! Sweet.
Walker reverses it and presses him down for a quick two count, then sends him to the corner for some chops. To the other corner for more chops. Vordell ducks a clothesline and gets an enzigiri. Walker goes to the apron to try to follow up but Madison sweets him off and then gets a tope onto the concrete. Back in Madison gets a flying shoulder forcing Vordell out to get more So Cal ‘lovin, but Madison breaks that up with a flipping senton from the apron. Madison goes to work with chops, but Walker whips him into the railing where he takes a big bump.
Walker goes to work and back in gets a snap standing moonsault for two. However, the BRUTE STRENGTH of Steve Madison proves positive and he sends Walker to the corner with an Irish whip which is topped off with a Shawn Michaels turnbuckle bump. Madison hauls him back in and gets an elbow out of the corner, but he runs into a snap powerslam by Vordell for a close two. Walker does some rope choking as the chicks draw nearer to going at it. Walker goes up top, Madison tries a superplex but Walker shoves him off and gets an elbow for two. Madison whiffs on a sunset flip so Walker rolls through with his own for two. Madison tries another, but Walker drops down and sits on him for two.
Madison rolls through with that with a Sharpshooter, which as Lenny reminds me, he learned in his recent trip to Japan. Madison charges straight into a STO for a close two. They exchange hammerlocks with Walker adding a low blow and getting a german bridge for two. SCV is on her cell phone, paying little attention. Vordell goes back up top, but Madison hits the ropes to crotch him and follows with his superplex, which should be it but he is too tired to make the cover and it results in a double-KO. They get up and it’s a slug fest, won out by Walker. Val gets on the apron and gets the PURSE SHOT OF DEATH on Walker. Vordell soon learns that you don’t mess with the birthday boy, as that allows Madison to get the brainbuster, and there’s the pin. This was just a solid old-school wrestling match, no big spots to note, just balls to the wall wrestling with a lot of time to do it, with two guys who you haven’t yet heard of. (***1/2)
Winner: Steve Madison
– Jerry Lawler, hot off the heels of WrestleMania 21, needs help remembering what the arena they’re at is called. He is here to take the title from Bruce Steele, because if there’s anything the King likes more than puppies, it’s taking titles. King says not to hold his breath waiting for the phone call the next morning from Vinny Mac offering him a contract. Fair enough.
Bruce Steele v. Jerry Lawler – NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
The crowd gets the token Springer chants to start. Lockup and Lawler gets shoved off with force. Steele gets a twisting scoop slam, but the MatWars King of Memphis has to have something up his sleeve, suggests Lenny. Steele gives him a dragon whip and they slowly tieup again, won by Steele who then gives him a back drop. Lawler is able to get a whip to the corner of his own and manages a slam and a back drop, forcing Steele to go out and get some comfort. He gets on the apron and Lawler pulls back the top rope to slingshot him back in. I always hate to see that stupid spot. Lawler humps him while he’s down on all fours, of course pissing off Steele.
So they tieup again and Steele takes him to the corner for some shots, but Steele gets cocky and taunts, so Lawler flips him the birds and then gives him a stunner. Steele decides to walk, going out through the crowd isle, as Lawler counts on with the fans. Of course, it would turn out to be a wide decision if he did, because he would retain the title. Seems like a win/win scenario to me, but Steele rushes back in, but then slides back out just to break the count. A weird sequence sees Steele hit the ref, barely on camera, with a fan’s thunderstuck before getting back in. Odd.
They continue stalling and standing around and Steele eventually slugs him down, and then does some stompy choky stuff. Steele gets a corner clothesline and slowly continues to work him over in the corner, then gets a suplex, which might be the only wrestling move done in the match thus far. Steele chokes Lawler while doing pushups. Smell the disrespect. That draws the water bottle treatment from a cocky fan, as the commentators remind us that they do not condone stuff thrown in the ring.
We hit the rear choke point, Lawler fights out but Steele sweeps him back down. He tries … jumping and landing on his feet, I guess … that’s all he did. That I guess misses, and Lawler slugs him down then snapmares him down into some mounted punches. Steele gets wobbly after the blows, so Lawler pulls out a dropkick (the last time you might have seen that was in 1985 against Austin Idol) and another scoop slam, which sets up the fist drop, but Rod Steel runs in and breaks up the count, and there’s a DQ. Lawler of course gets the token post-match babyface comeback beatdown afterwards, and piledrives Rod Steel. The match itself was a boring, slow, stall-fest leading to Lawler getting the hot comeback but the conglomerate of heels jumping in to cause the disqualification. And that sucks on many levels, most notably for leaving a solid card on a sour note, a shitty match with a shittier ending. (1/2*)
Winner: Jerry Lawler (DQ)
End of show.
