10 Thoughts on FSW Adrenaline Rush 1.13.12 — Tyson Tyler, Johnny Stamboli, Shaun Ricker

Houseshows, Reviews, Shows

Get ready for something different! It’s been about six months since the last time I brought my favorite Arizona promotion to the Pulse Realm. Many may have seen that EXW was an option for “Favorite Indie Promotion” on the Pulse Year-End Awards. Well, take the same awesomeness and repackage it under the name Future Stars of Wrestling, a partner to the incredibly elite Las Vegas promotion of the same name. Suddenly, the Southwest is looking pretty good!

1. I’ve always really liked Shadow Fox and Lucha Starr separately. They’re some of the most entertaining wrestlers on the roster with a quickness and fluidity that can’t be beat. But I’ve really, really been enjoying watching them work as a tag team. They almost stand out more sharing a corner than they did on their own.

2. This is my first time seeing Beast in Arizona, and I liked what I saw. He was somewhat of a big dude, but could still move with some ease in the ring. His opponent, however, was a forgettable. No, like seriously, I forgot his name. Had to look it up.

3. What prompted me to begin reviewing for FSW again was finding my old EXW reviews. While going through them all, one thing that stuck out was my complete disapproval of Moshpit Mike for the first few months. But here we are a year and a half later, and wow! He’s become so captivating, so entertaining. Easily one of my favorites to watch. Just a few months ago, people were shouting “You can’t wrestle!” Now, all the fans are chanting is his name. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

4. It’s still kind of crazy how much Rave really does look like Shawn Michaels. Anyway. Not sure why he was representing The New Kliq alone, but he did not disappoint me. Especially because his opponent was Shane Stratmore. Ridiculous chaps aside, Shane is one of my favorites. And these two really gave each other hell.

5. When Josh Carey was announced as Andrew Hellman’s opponent for the next match, I was a little…apprehensive. I like them both, don’t get me wrong. I mean, shit, I never shut up about how much I love Hellman. But they almost seemed too different to be able to square off comfortably. However, they made it work, even though it seemed to drag in spots.

6. Another combo I didn’t really expect to work was Mike Da-Lite against The Prophet. It seemed strange, but ended up being one of my favorite matches of the night. Prophet never seems to miss a step with his high-flying spots and Da-Lite strikes with a power you always forget he has. This is one match I look forward to watching again when it airs.

7. Everyone remembers my usual dislike for Fatal Fourways and Triple Threats, right? So I don’t have to explain that again? Okay, good. So, Ray Basura, Cutler Wright, Rexx Reed, and Shaun Ricker all wanted the opportunity to face Willie Mack for his Elite Title. Wright wowed the crowd once more with his stellar 450 Splash to eliminate Basura, despite being eliminated minutes later. Ricker’s pin on Rexx to win it by using the ropes as leverage was spectacular. I love when they get dirty! Even though Ricker sounds a little like Frito from “Idiocracy” when he talks, he’s been quite impressive in his two appearances in Arizona and I’m curious to see how he’ll fare when he faces Mack.

8. Ricker sat down in the crowd to watch Mack defend his title against Dexter Verity, which I thought was genius. However, the match itself didn’t quite pack the punch I would have liked for an Elite Title defense. Not sure if the match that preceded it was just a lot to follow or if the spice just wasn’t there. Neither really did anything wrong, I guess my expectations were just higher.

9. The whole “douchebag” thing fits Tyson Tyler like a glove, which is surprising. He was so obnoxious alongside Stamboli, that I was damn near booing him, which says a lot as I’ve always been a huge fan of his. It’s nice to see him thrive outside of his good-guy comfort zone. But I digress. Tyson and Stamboli facing Garland and Castellucci was an excellent way to close out the show. It was all over the place, in a good way, and at one point there was a broken and battered Garland at our feet. It’s also fun to see how involved the fans get, considering their complete adoration for Castellucci and hatred of Tyler and Stamboli. It also left quite a few doors open, which is always a solid way to end it.

10. Once the show was over, Kyle Hawk—a beloved cruiserweight since nearly the beginning—made an announcement in the ring. After his incredible, jaw-dropping match against Sergio Vega earlier in the evening, he declared it would be his last with FSW, as he is joining the military. I’ve never quite seen eye-to-eye with this guy, but it is truly a shame to lose such a talented and remarkable wrestler. FSW fans, as well as Inside Pulse fans, want to wish Hawk luck, thank him for all that he has done for us, and hope to see him again very soon.

Make sure you acquaint yourselves with these two elite companies, because they’re about to take over. If you live in Arizona, catch FSW Adrenaline Rush on AZTV Saturday nights at 11:00 pm. If you live in Nevada, catch FSW High Octane on the CW Saturday nights at 2:00 am. Or you can go to their websites, either for Arizona or Las Vegas.

But, if you’d rather watch Cena bounce around like a cartoon or watch Brodus Clay shake what his momma gave him, I’ll understand. Sort of.

Kelly has been with Inside Pulse since 6/2010, beginning with just her 10 Thoughts on WWE Superstars column. Now she brings you her 10 Thoughts on Smackdown weekly, and constructs the Rasslin' Roundtables for PPV's. In her spare time, she works with indy fed, Future Stars of Wrestling - AZ, wrangles children for her day job, and is generally and exceptionally awesome.