Larry Goodman sent this report in:
Showtime All-Star Wrestling
Airing on May 23, 2009 on Comcast 74 in Nashville & WKRP in Lebanon, Tn
Taped at the SAW Mill in Millersville, Tn
Opening with footage of Andy Douglas taking a baseball bat to the knee of Chase Stevens in broad daylight. The audio continued to play, but the action was stopped before the telling blows were struck.
Cut to a somber SAW announce team discussing the parking lot attack A-Team perpetrated on Stevens and Flash Flanagan. Reno Riggins said the authorities were called, but he doubted Flanagan and Stevens would file charges, as they preferred to get their revenge in the ring. Graham promised more footage later. Graham said Reno had his hands full and would not be joining him on commentary tonight. We learned that once again, the barbed wire match between Marc Anthony and Gary Valiant would not be taking place, this time due to legal wrangling on the part of Valiant. Reno said both men were coming into the match with a lot of pride on the line.
1 ? JON MICHAEL WORTHINGTON vs. BARON MALKVAIN
Baron came out showing vampire-like tendencies. Worthington didn?t wait for the bell to punch Baron the face. He gave Baron the pillar to post treatment and completely destroyed the guy including a bitch slap like the one he gave Jesse Emerson. But Baron escaped from the Brentwood Breaker (jackhammer) and launched an aerial comeback. Baron befuddled Worthington with a headstand on the top turnbuckle and hit a Thesz Press of the ropes for a near fall. Worthington cut Baron off with a thumb to the eye and jackhammered him for the three count.
WINNER: Worthington in 2:23. Match served its purpose, although a strangely heelish opponent for Worthington.
Cut to ringside where Dan Masters asked Worthington about the challenge issued last week by Emerson (after Worthington pinned him using the ropes). Worthington said a win was a win. He was done with Emerson and moving up the ladder with his sights set on Kash and the SAW International Title. ?I want it. It’s mine. I?m taking it.?
2 ? ARRICK ?The Dragon? ANDREWS vs. ?The Middle Eastern Mastermind? SIGMON
Graham said a win by Sigmon would throw the number one contendership for the SAW International Title up for grabs. Andrews entrance left no question that he is the most popular wrestler in SAW. Sigmon used the typical heel tactics ? going to the ropes, claiming hair pulling, refusing to break clean- but Andrews persevered with an armbar. Sigmon uncorked a right to the jaw that rocked Andrews? world. Sigmon started doing nasty things to Andrews? neck. Sigmon grounded Andrews with a rear chinlock. Andrews regained his vertical base, but Sigmon cut off blocked his sunset flip and hit a diving headbutt for a two count. Andrew fought his way out of another rear chinlock. Sigmon telegraphed a backdrop and got caught with a swinging neckbreaker. Both men struggled to their feet. Andrews with a pair of reverse atomic drops, a series or right hands and a high back drop. Not enough for the three. Sigmon with a jawbreaker and his signature dropkick for a near fall. Sigmon ascended the ropes for the top rope diving headbutt. Andrews made him miss. Andrews hit the Wham Bam Thank You Ma?am for the win.
WINNER: Andrews in 6:45. Solid, competitive tune up win for Andrews over a strong opponent.
It really helps Andrews cause that the crowd is so much into him.
Official SAW International Title Rankings
Champion ? Kid Kash
1. Arrick Andrews
2. Flash Flanagan
3. Andy Douglas
4. Chase Stevens
5. Chrisjen Hayme
6. Shane Smalls
7. Jon Michael Worthington
8. Rick Santel
9. David Young
10. Hammerjack
Riggins and Graham introduced the footage of A-Team’s parking lot attack on Stevens and Flanagan. Riggins warned parents to get small children out of the room due to brutal nature of the footage. He explained that the attack occurred after an autograph session for one of SAW’s sponsors (Fletcher’s Pizza). Riggins said the footage was shot by a loyal SAW fan, ?Big Phil,? using his cell phone. The footage showed Stevens and Flanagan getting ready to drive off, only to find they were blocked in by another car. As they got out to investigate, A-Team jumped out of a pick up truck and assaulted them with weapons. Douglas and Santel had baseball bats. Santel gave Flanagan two sick sounding whacks in the back. The highlight was David Young wailing on Stevens? knee with a grab bar he must have ripped out a shower stall. They aired the security camera tape SAW obtained from Fletcher’s. It showed the conclusion of the attack, but it wasn?t the same scene. Douglas? verbiage didn?t jibe with the first tape. Riggins noted that Paul Adams was nowhere to be found in the video. Riggins said SAW magnified the footage to get a close up of the license plate on the vehicle that was blocking them in. They cut to a still shot of a New York license plate. ?Who do you think would be involved that would have a New York license plate? Paul Adams,? said Riggins. Graham compared A-Team’s heinous actions to gang warfare. Riggins said he didn?t know if the careers of Flanagan and Stevens were over. The announce team talked about how A-Team didn?t seem to care about being caught on camera. Riggins called it brazen.
3 ? SHANE ?The Brain? SMALLS vs. CHRISJEN HAYME
The story early was tit for tat exchanges with Hayme always one step ahead of ?The Brain.? There was a cool spot where Smalls went for a leg sweep, and Hayme hopped over it and kicked Smalls in the forehead. Match did an about face when Smalls yanked Hayme’s feet off the middle rope, rudely dumping him on his neck. Smalls launched a frenzied attack on the neck. Smalls eventually went to headscissors that Hayme countered with an Electric Chair Drop. Both down for a four count. They came up trading forearms and chops with Hayme getting the better of it. Hayme nailed Smalls with a flash kick but no cover. Hayme went to the top. Graham said that might be mistake. Smalls charged but Hayme dove off and rolled through. Hayme blocked a suplex attempt, planted Smalls on the top turnbuckle, and nailed him with step up enzuigiri. Smalls was teetering on the brink. Hayme went for a top rope huracarana, and Smalls reversed it with a powerbomb and pinned him with his feet on the ropes.
WINNER: Smalls in 5:07. Fun match. Better than their first one. The finish was sweet, both the execution and the way it played off the finish from last week. Some of his stuff looks rough around the edges, but there’s something appealing about Smalls? frenetic intensity.
4 ? ?The Memphis Mogul? DERRICK KING (with Sista O?Feelyah) vs. VORDELL WALKER
Graham noted that O?Feelyah was back from whatever business she was working on in Memphis. Slow start with King not at all enthused about locking up with Walker. King took three big bumps all sold huge – a shoulder block, a sky high Biel throw and a clothesline over the top. King commiserated with O?Feelyah. Business picked up after the commercial break. King escaped from a press slam and hammered Walker’s low back. Walker hit a spinning heel kick to spark a big furry of offense. He went for the running STO, but O?Feelyah interfered, and Walker walked into a superkick. He went down like he had been shot dead, but rolled a shoulder at 2.9. King was all in now. He choked Walker with his wrist tape and then went after his eyes. Graham said it had turned into a mugging. Out of the blue, Walker launched King with an overhead suplex. Walker then had King pinned with a Tiger Driver when he was attacked by a fierce black man. The Mr. Hughes look alike left Walker laying with a full nelson slam. The show ended with DKE celebrating and King acting thrilled with his new acquisition.
WINNER: Walker in 7:35 due to outside interference by DKE’s unidentified accomplice (former WWE developmental talent Charles Evans). A very good story match. It clearly got across the point that despite King’s self-proclaimed ?physical prowess,? Walker would beat him like a drum on a level playing field.
CLOSING THOUGHTS: Paced by two big angles, they managed to advance five distinct storylines in one hour?The parking lot attack had great attention to detail and a total lack of it within the same segment. Kudos to SAW for providing a credible explanation for the camera presence. The added detective work with the security camera footage and license plate were above and beyond the norm. I?m sure there were technical reasons for this, but it was obvious the fan cam footage and the security camera stuff were not the same scene. And while they claimed the initial footage was shot by a fan, the shadow of a television camera was visible in one of the shots. In any case, they took great care to present it a serious situation. The part about authorities being called was a shoot, but it wasn?t Flanagan and Stevens that called them. A concerned citizen saw what was going on and called the police. Clearly, they?re cooking up something big between A-Team and Stevens & Flanagan?Young should win an award for creative weaponry?The stuff with DKE and Walker had developed into a good little story. Walker is getting one hell of a push. I was shocked he didn?t make the top 10 rankings?Derrick King is gold. He understands how to do less but make it all register. King took four bumps during the entire match, but they way he took them made Walker look like Superman?Hopefully, whatever they have in mind for Evans is more interesting than a Mr. Hughes rehash?Andrews needed to beat somebody clean and Sigmon was the right guy for the job?The Smalls/Hayme match made me want to see more of them?Worthington’s postmatch interview was his best mic work to date. He spoke with conviction ? you know, like he really believed what he was saying?All in all, this was a very satisfying episode as a set up for things to come.