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“Another Level” was totally worth the drive from Atlanta as it turned out to be my favorite live event of 2016. Great matches, compelling stories and an electric packed house – I doubt it get any better than this for independent wrestling in the Southeast.
Anthony Henry upset Roderick Strong in a best technical match of the show. Emotions peaked for the main event that saw Jake Manning put his career on the line and defeat John Skyler to win the PWX World Championship. The sleeper was the match between David Starr and Corey Hollis, a classic example of telling a story in the ring. Seeing Cedric Alexander showered with love by his hometown Charlotte fans fresh off his performance at the Cruiserweight Classic was a real treat. He went on to have a thrilling match with Marty Scurll.
Attendance at Club Escapade VIP was 400+ standing room only. Crowd reactions were strong all afternoon long for a show that ran 3 hours and 15 minutes in sweltering heat. PWX has hit on winning formula that satisfies the NXT millennial crowd and families alike. Any wrestling promotion would kill for the type of fanbase PWX has cultivated – appreciative, respectful and willing to suspend disbelief.
PWX has had good success running Club Escapade. The lighting is kind of funky (no lighting directly over the ring) and the air conditioning definitely wasn’t up to snuff. Otherwise it’s a nice set up for wrestling.
Preshow: The Power (Ian Payne & Big Time Ya) defeated Rayo & Jimmy Lloyd and Tracer X pinned Tyler Gage with a 450 in 2:45.
(1)Ugly Ducklings (Rob Killjoy & Lance Lude & Colby Corino with Mikey Gulino) defeated Mason Maddox (with The Tommy Thomas) & Chip Day & Darius Lockhart in around 12 minutes. Fun match. Thomas talked Maddox up like he was the second coming (youngest iTV champion and number one contender for the PWX World Championship in company history). Ducklings were the faces but the crowd gave Day equal love. They worked a mad pace that was a mix of hits and misses. Corino was busted open the hardway around his eyebrow. Killjoy pinned Maddox after he was killed dead by a top rope double knee/electric chair combo.
Postmatch -- Thomas told Maddox that was the end of the losing and from now on they were doing it Tommy’s way.
(2) Gunner defeated James Drake to retain the PWX iTV Championship in 5:37. Gunner continues to generate mega heat in PWX. Drake got several near falls on the champion before Gunner capitalized on a missed moonsault and speared Drake to pick up the win.
Color commentator Ethan Case said commentary wasn’t his thing and headed for the ring. Case was pissed that he wasn’t on the card and directed his ire at owner Brian Kanabroski. Case called out former partner Elijah Evans, who came out with The Power. Case cracked Evans with a forearm to the face before his goons could cut Case off.
(3) The Revolt! (Caleb Konley & Zane Riley) defeated Scarlet and Graves (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz with JT Davidson) in 10:55. My first time seeing Konley and Riley in the military gear. Xavier is a hell of an athlete and Wentz is no slouch. Scarlet and Graves had things their way until they got outwitted by Revolt. Wentz took heat. Xavier got the tag and hit a picture perfect corkscrew standing moonsault. Riley stuck his thumbs up the collective asses of Xavier and Wentz. Hilarity ensued as did painful anal suplexes. The finish was a Riley cannonball followed by Konley’s double jump moonsault on Wentz. Good match.
(4) David Starr defeated Corey Hollis in 16:53. I loved this match. They had never wrestled before and were right in synch told a great story in the ring. The opening minutes were an exercise in frustration for Hollis. Finally, Hollis was able to post Starr’s shoulder and go to work. Starr got his knees up on a diving headbutt. Starr pasted Hollis with his good arm and hit three consecutive topes. Hollis fired Starr into the seats five rows deep and jumped down referee Charles Culler’s throat to him out. Starr barely beat the count. An enraged Hollis tore into Starr’s arm. Starr broke an armlock submission and hit a tombstone piledriver but Hollis kicked out of the pin. Back and forth pin attempts that looked like a legit struggle rather than choreography led to Starr catching Hollis in a predicament from which there was no escape.
Afterward, Hollis’ running buddy Gunner attacked Starr and left him laying with a powerbomb.
(5) Anthony Henry (with Amber Young) defeated Roderick Strong in overtime of a 20 minute time limit match (21:30). I’m used to seeing Henry on Georgia shows and was shocked by how over he is in PWX. Strong got the respect pop he deserved. Dueling chants early on. Henry got the better of the opening exchanges. Henry dared to trade chops with Strong and held his own. Henry seated Strong in a ringside chair and nailed him with a running kick to the face. Strong rudely dropped Henry on the ring frame out of a fireman’s carry to turn the tide. Strong sent Henry flying into a ringside barricade that had no give to it. Strong with backbreaker and a pair of Olympic Slams. An incredible barrage of blows by Strong led to the only “this is awesome” chant of the show. Henry hit a coast-to-coast dropkick with Strong in tree of woe. Strong escaped from Henry’s finisher (the Vertebreaker). Strong connected with the double knee gustbuster and the sick kick. Huge pop when Henry kicked out. Henry with a frogsplash and a huge pop when Strong kicked out. Owner Brian Kanabroski called for sudden death when the 20 minute time limit expired. Shortly thereafter, Henry caught Strong with a small package for a shocking three count. Simply tremendous. Henry was in one my favorite matches of 2015 (vs. Jimmy Rave). Same now holds true for 2016.
Strong took the mic and put Henry over bigtime.
(6) Bravado Brothers (Lancelot & Harlem) defeated Team IOU (Kerry Awful & Nick Iggy) to retain the PWX Tag Titles in 13:02. Bravados got a big pop for their intro but not that much heat once the bell rang. Match was perfectly fine. The work just wasn’t on the level of Strong/Henry or what was to come. That said, the match was effective in terms of advancing Bravado’s cause as the champions that conquer all comers. Harlem pinned Iggy after a Bravado combo move.
Bravados said they were 3-0 in open challenges so bring on the best.
(7) Cedric Alexander pinned Marty Scurll at 14:15. Hero’s welcome for Alexander and he was on fire early. Scurll couldn’t get anything going until he found the answer to a second handstand rana by Alexander. Scurll did all sorts of nasty things to Alexander’s joints. Alexander back with a springboard clothesline and a Michinoku Driver for near falls. Scurll got his knees up on Alexander’s frogsplash. Scurll hit a piledriver but Alexander kicked out. Alexander capped off a high impact exchange with a brainbuster that left both men down with the crowd chanting “This is wrestling!” They traded on their knees. Alexander fought off Scurll’s vaunted crossface chickenwing and hit the Lumbar Check. This would been the best match of the night on most indy shows.
Postmatch – Chants of “thank you both” and a handshake. Chants of “Please come back” for Scurll and “thank you, Cedric”. Alexander talked about the Cruiserweight Classic. Fans chanted “you deserve it’ (regarding a WWE contract). Alexander said he wanted to be a two-time PWX Champion before he left the company and said he was coming for the winner of the main event.
(8) Jake Manning defeated John Skyler to win the PWX World Championship in a no holds barred match with his career at stake (19:27). The action immediately spilled to the outside. They spent the early minutes beating on each other all over the building including a visit to the bar. Manning repeatedly slammed Skyler’s head into a chair. Skyler used the chair on Manning’s knee and applied a figure four leglock around the ring post. Skyler stipped the belt off of referee Kevin Pierce and whipped Manning with it. Manning refused to quit. Manning applied an Indian Deathlock. Gunner and Hollis attacked Manning. The crowd was livid. They were fixing to powerbomb Manning through a table but Revolt! attacked Gunner and Hollis. A wild melee ensued with Manning pulling off a plancha into the schmazz. Skyler kicked out of a piledriver. Skyler powerbombed Manning through a table covered in thumbtacks. The crowd about lost it when Manning kicked out. Seeing Skyler in deep trouble, Kanabroski jumped on the apron to protest and got clocked by George South for a massive pop. Manning pinned Skyler with a pedigree and the place went up for grabs. Match was everything it needed to be. Crowd was electric. The drama was thick. Crowd was going crazy for the false finishes and blew the roof off when Manning triumphed.
Postmatch – a “both these guys” chant…Skyler begrudgingly shook Manning’s hand…Manning thanked the fans sticking around in spite of the heat and supporting him despites all of his losses over the last two years. The fans responded with a “you got over” chant. “My name is the Man Scout Jake Manning and I’m over for life.”
NOTES: PWX returns to Club Escapade VIP on Sunday, August 21 with 4 pm bell time…Cricket Wireless is on board as a sponsor…The other referees with Mitch Blaylock and A. D. Brewer…The ring announcers were Jonathan Feltner and Corey Franks…Commentary for the DVD release was handled by Bret Wolverton with color commentary by Brad Stutts, Tommy Thomas and Ethan Case…Notable indy wrestlers in attendance included Joe Black, CB Suave and Gil Quest.
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