Post by lgoodman on Oct 17, 2007 9:57:03 GMT -5
If you’re not into all the blah, blah, blah, the bottom line is this: If you can appreciate the brilliance of Anarchy’s storytelling and why they make you care about the character, you will want this DVD. For those looking for that one blowaway show in the ring, this isn’t it.
Please note that what follows is based solely from viewing a tape of the hard camera angle and not the DVD, which will be released shortly.
The crowd looked and sounded great. It was a full house of over 280.
Randy Hughes opened the show with a truly cringeworthy version of the National Anthem.
Jerry Palmer introduced Hall County firefighter Angie Roach to the crowd. Part of the proceeds went to a fund for Roach, who was injured in the line of duty.
(1) Urban Assault Squad defeated Hollywood Brunettes and Anger Alliance #1 (Matthews & Roberts) and Anger Assault #2 (Chase & Phoenix) in a four corners elimination match in 14:37 to win the Mysterious Benefactor Memorial Cup. Dissension was immediately apparent in the camp of Anger Alliance. The pop for Chase and Phoenix was a surprise. UAS got their usual monster response. Jackson dominated the chickennuts Brunettes early. On commentary, John Johnson claimed Terrrell Owens and Brunettes had a mutual admiration society going. Business picked up with a vicious exchange of chops between Matthews and Nemesis. Matthews hit the BFK and AA numero uno took over. When Roberts hit a big move, Chase tagged himself in to make the cover. Roberts returned the favor with an unsolicited tag. All the while, Nemesis was taking a beating. Roberts invited Chase to punch Nemesis. He ducked. Roberts took the blow and was rolled up to eliminate AA#1 at 8:12. Chase strutted. Hunter said he had seen that somewhere before. Johnson asked if he was referring to Jackie Fargo. Chase went for the figure four and Nemesis countered with an inside cradle to eliminate AA#2 at 8:54. Chase tried to play peacemaker, but Roberts walked away. Brunettes picked up where AA left off, as they set out to destroy the knee of Nemesis. Jackson cleaned house with the hot tag. Alexander tried a springboard maneuver off a blind tag, but Jackson caught him with the 1031 (spinebuster slam) for the pin. Nemesis sold the knee huge during the postmatch celebration.
Comments: Basic match, which was fine for the opener of a show with so many gimmicks. Everything made sense. The battle for control between Roberts and Chase had been building since the formation of the Alliance. Sound psychology with the opportunistic Brunettes following up on the job AA did on Nemesis’ knee. Jackson was booked like Superman. That was proper given the direction they were heading. This was a the first year that the MB Cup tournament was spread across several shows. It surely diminished the impact of ultimate triumph you get with a focused, one night tournament, although that may have been a necessary evil in the grand scheme of things.
Chad Parham announced his retirement. An emotional John Johnson presented the former two-time Anarchy Heavyweight Champion with a “certificate of awesomeness.” Parham congratulated HIMSELF on building Anarchy, putting all of those redneck asses in seats, and working through numerous injuries. Parham had a breakdown. Johnson consoled him. Parham invited the fans to chant “Chad’s a legend.” They had something else in mind.
Hunter said Parham a piece of work. “Nobody ever questioned the guy’s determination, his ability, his skill. After this display. I question the man’s sanity…”
(2) Tony Santorelli & Melissa Coates beat Todd Sexton & Wes Grissom when Santorelli submitted Grissom at 10:42. Coates was wearing one of those chaps type outfits that provides maximum ass exposure. They did comedy spots focused on the forbidden zones of Coates’ anatomy. Santorelli clubbed Grissom from behind to give Coates the advantage. Grissom took punishment from Coates’ power offense. At one point, Grissom knocked Santorelli into Sexton, so he wasn’t there to take Grissom’s tag. There was no heat for Sexton’s supposed hot tag. Santorelli clocked Coates when Sexton ducked. Sexton then nailed Santorelli with a dropkick. In a fit of youthful exuberance, Grissom made a blind tag and crash-landed on a Shooting Star Press. Santorelli forced Grissom to tap with a variant of the crossface.
Everything looked hunky dory on the babyface side until Sexton took Grissom’s face off with what amounted to a flying superkick to leave him laying.
Comments: Again, this was more for the story than the wrestling. Santorelli has dropped the excess poundage. Coates has comedic talent, and it’s workable because her strength and muscularity works against smaller guys. I love Grissom in this role, but the spot where he sent powered Santorelli off to make the hot tag was beyond the bounds of credibility. Sexton’s turn is a good thing. He damned sure wasn’t over as a babyface.
(3) Kory Chavis (with Attorney Jeff G. Bailey) beat Jeff Lewis in a First Blood match in 8:40. Hunter quoted Bailey on Chavis’ unique abiltity to “draw more blood than the Red Cross,” Ref Jacob Ashworth wiped Vaseline off of Chavi’s forehead. Johnson called it preventive maintenance. Lewis attacked Chavis and tried to bust him open. Bailley intervened with a great right hand. Johnson said Bailey’s ring cost in excess of $11 grand. Spinespitta by Chavis. He pounded Lewis with taped fists, Both down on a giant headbutt collision. Bailey swiped Chavis’ head. Lewis reversed a Spinesplitta with a DDT. Bailey passed a roll of nickels to Chavis and distracted Ashworth. Bullseye, Ashworth saw the blood. The Sout Assassin is your winner.
Lewis called Ashworth’s attention to the coins, but he blew it off.
Comments: Good back-and-forth brawl that wasn’t any longer than it needed to be, and was all about drawing blood. It was the kind of loss that helped Lewis get over as a gutsy, half-crazy babyface. Lewis cut a blood-drenched promo after the match that is probably on the DVD. He was literally covered in crimson from head to toe.
(4) Devil’s Rejects (Shaun Tempers & Azrael & Patrick Bentley with Reverend Dan Wilson) beat Slim J & Adrian Hawkins & Ace Rockwell in a Street Fight (14:45). Rich announced J and Hawkins didn’t have partner. They were game, but the number game got the best of them. J was busted open. Rejects used Wilson’s Staff of Righteousness to waste Hawkins. Wilson cackled with glee at the sight of Bentley smearing J’s blood across his chest. Rejects set J up for a triple team version of Bentley’s Dark Driver onto a steel chair. Even Johnson was skittish about that one. Rockwell showed up in street clothes. He wasted Bentley with a sick spinebuster onto the chair. Hawkins hit an Asai moonsault on Azrael. Tempers was bleeding. Slim nailed a double diving inverted DDT on Tempers and Bentley. Hawkins, Anarchy’s unofficial chair swinging freak, hit a pair of homeruns. Azrael kicked out of a Van Terminator by Hawkins. Rockwell brought a table in. Hunter called it a Home Depot special. Bentley escaped from the certain death of going through the table via Anger Management and gave J a low blow. Rockwell’s attempt to superplex Tempers through the table was foiled by Azrael, Tempers powerbombed Rockwell through ala Bubby Ray. Azrael and Tempers spiked Hawkins with the Hellhammer. The coup de grace was Bentley’s Dark Driver on J for the pin. The faces were destroyed to where none could make it to the back under their own power.
Comments: This match climaxed the opening half of the show going into the intermission, just the way you would want it. Wild action and awesome heat make an unbeatable combination. Rockwell’s appearance appeared to catch most of the crowd by surprise. They were on fire for the babyface comeback. I believe Hawkins’ Van Terminator was an Anarchy first. I liked the brutally decisive finish in favor of the Rejects. After coming out on the losing end of the War Games, anything else would have weakened them. They could beat J from now until doomsday in Cornelia and the fans would still go crazy for him. The carnage at the end made a dramatic closing image.
Ring announcer Eddie Rich drew the number of Mr. Adonis to be one of the lumberjacks for the fan participation strap match. Adonis said it was fair and square because he bought $200 worth of tickets. Palmer was furious. He let it stand but evened things out by appointing himself as one of the lumberjacks.
(5) Awesome Attraction (Austin Creed & Hayden Young) beat UAS to retain the NWA Anarchy Tag Team Titles in 10:30. Nemesis was still gimpy from the first match. Hunter said Attraction’s five month run with the belts made them the longest reigning tag champs in Anarchy history. Nemesis started s### with Attraction before the bell. Dueling chants erupted as Jackson and Creed wrestled clean. Nemesis brawled with Young. Body of the match was Jackson taking heat from the Attraction. Young taunted Nemesis into distracting the ref, so Attraction could hit combo move on Jackson. Jackson hit the 1013 to get the tag, and Nemesis came in firing lariats. He had Creed pinned with an Alabama Slam, but Young held the ref’s attention long enough for Creed to kick out. Nemesis attempted to whip Creed into his partner (same tactic UAS used to win their opening round match in tournament), but Creed reversed it and UAS collided. Young pinned Nemesis with the Flying Squirrel.
Nemesis laid his hands on Jackson. For the first time, Jackson responded with a temper flare up before cooler heads prevailed.
Comments: The match was OK for what it was, which was mostly about the disintegration of UAS. The screwed up finish cost UAS their fourth title reign, and they were close to the breaking point, which came one week later. They also did a nice job of building the grudge between Young and Nemesis. I see a singles match in their future. Jackson is incredibly over. It will be interesting to see how far he goes as a singles act.
Bill Behrens laid down the ground rules for the use of the straps: no buckles and no head shots.
(6) Truitt Fields beat Jeremy Vain to win the NWA Anarchy Television Title in a Fan Participation Strap match (14:03). Vain donned a hoodie to start the match. Fields showed little tolerance for that nonsense. He pulled the hoodie over Vain’s face and clotheslined him out, but Adonis protected Vain from the fan lumberjacks. Fields then backdropped Vain onto Adonis, and the lumberjacks got their monies’ worth as Vain circled the ring. Back inside the ring, Vain escaped the Fields’ finisher and superkicked him. Vain tossed Fields out, but a fan lumberjack shielded him and gave Adonis hell. Vain used a short hook and a gordbuster to cut off a Fields comeback. Vain threw Fields out near Palmer, who lightly tapped him with the strap. Vain used a camel clutch and Adonis was in Fields’ face, begging him to come outside. Hunter called it psychological warfare. Really nice punch exchange here. The key spot saw Vain block a rolling reverse, point at his brain, and get turned inside out by a Fields clothesline. The time was winding down. Adonis distracted, and Vain spiked Fields with a DDT. Referee Harold James signaled that Fields had kicked out by a fraction of an inch. Vain collared James. Adonis tried to interfere but Palmer cut him off with a stunner. The fans strapped Adonis all the way to the back with Palmer egging them on. Meanwhile, Vain got one of the straps and put the leather to Fields, who was impervious the pain. A shot to the face only intensified his rage. Vain blocked the Killing Fields and went for the VKO. Fields fought it off and planted Vain in the middle with the Killing Fields for the 1-2-3. The pin got the biggest pop of the night. As Palmer was putting the strap around Fields’ waist, Adonis was dragging Vain’s limp body to the back.
Comments: A great blow off match, This was do or die for Fields and everybody knew it. Vain had used every sleazy tactic in his vast arsenal to keep his title from Fields, with the hoodie being one last gasp, inspired piece of wackiness. The moment where Fields stood up to the strap shots was awesome. Vain was born to be a pro wrestler. He was the perfect opponent for a guy with all the potential in the world and limited big match experience. Fields has grown tremendously as a performer over the course of this program. With the chase now over, Fields has an even bigger challenge ahead of him.
(7) Phil Shatter (with Attorney Jeff G. Bailey) beat Mikal Judas to retain the NWA Anarchy Heavyweight Title in 14:14. Hunter pointed out that Bailey had managed three NWA World Heavyweight champions and four NWA Anarchy Heavyweight champions including Judas. Johnson said Judas was a changed man since going to Puerto Rico. I’ll say. Hunter explained that Bailey had snubbed Judas until he needed someone to face the Rejects. Now, Judas was back to take what was rightfully his. For his part, Shatter was a rookie heavyweight champion, who had backed down from no one until he cross paths with Judas. The monsters went toe-to-toe. Judas came out on top, so Shatter decided to take short cuts. Judas goozled him and Shatter bailed. Judas snatched Shatter by the throat and brought him back in the hardway. Judas leveled Shatter with a rabbit lariat and gazed to the heavens before climbing to the top rope. Shatter hit the rope to upend Judas. Shatter worked on the back of Judas. Hunter said he was softening Judas up for the PTSD, and weakening Judas’s ability to execute his own finisher. The momentum started to turn when Shatter accidentally hit the post and then got flattened by a shot into the post. Back inside the ring, Judas gave Shatter a ferocious beating in the corner, but he made the mistake of turning his attention to ref Brent Wiley. Shatter made the “rookie mistake” of abandoning his ground game for a top rope elbow. It missed huge, but Shatter got back on track with a spinebuster for a near fall. Shatter went for the PTSD (powerbomb) but Judas backdropped him. Both men crumbled after their heads collided. Shatter escaped from El Crucifijo (crucifix powerbomb) and bumped Wiley. Judas spit the red mist in Shatter’s eyes. Chokeslam! Visual fall with no ref to count, as Bailey frantically motioned to the back. Abomination jumped Judas from behind and gave him the Final Solution (tree slam). Shatter covered but Judas rolled a shoulder. Shatter sealed the deal with a pair of PTSDs. Dominous came through the front door. Abomination went after him. Judas sat up and stalked after A-bomb.
The lights went out. The arena stayed dark for over 2 minutes while a serial killer highlight reel played. The punchline was there was one sicko still at large, and he had purportedly sought refuge in the world of pro wrestling. When the lights came on, Iceberg was nose-to-nose with Shatter. The ring filled with Anarchy officials. The fans were on their feet, most of them in stunned silence. Bailey got Shatter out of the ring. Iceberg was hitting himself in the face and begging Shatter to get back in there.
Comments: Judas and Shatter are two big guys that can really go. This was a substitute main event due to Iceberg’s injury, and they produced a fine match for a first meeting. Hunter did a great job of providing the kind of analysis that gives a match a sports-like feeling. The crowd was behind Judas but not like they are for the top babyfaces. I think they’re still warming to the idea. They never liked him as Mikal Adryan, and the Judas character is not a babyface gimmick, then again, neither is Undertaker. It would have been nuts to beat Judas clean, so it had to be some type of screw job, and this choice set up issues between Judas and Abomination. At least they kept the ref bump and run-in down to this one instance. The Iceberg/Shatter showdown didn’t give me goose marks after a two static minutes of pitch black on the hard cam. I’m certain the DVD version is significantly better.
Closing Thoughts: Hunter said it best: “An incredible evening that has only raised more questions than it has answered.” They weren’t trying to top Hostile Environment. Under the circumstances, there was really no way they could have. It couldn’t be Fright Night without gimmicks and blood, but I’m glad they kept it down to a dull roar. There were no crazy acrobatic spotfests like the ladder match or violent blood baths like the War Games. The timing wasn’t right. You need time to develop compelling reason for stuff like that, and Anarchy was in a building phase. The TV title switch was the only program ripe for a conclusion. With that said, the six-man and the main event were both very strong matches, and Fields/Vain was a memorable match with terrific heat.
One of the more enjoyable aspects of this tape was the commentary by Hunter and Johnson. Hunter is as smooth and as easy to listen to as any play-by-play announcer around. It’s a recurring theme that Hunter doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and he’s got one as his color commentator. The thing about Johnson is that he comes from left field with zany heelish comments. You never know what’s going to come out his mouth, and it’s usually pretty funny.
Please note that what follows is based solely from viewing a tape of the hard camera angle and not the DVD, which will be released shortly.
The crowd looked and sounded great. It was a full house of over 280.
Randy Hughes opened the show with a truly cringeworthy version of the National Anthem.
Jerry Palmer introduced Hall County firefighter Angie Roach to the crowd. Part of the proceeds went to a fund for Roach, who was injured in the line of duty.
(1) Urban Assault Squad defeated Hollywood Brunettes and Anger Alliance #1 (Matthews & Roberts) and Anger Assault #2 (Chase & Phoenix) in a four corners elimination match in 14:37 to win the Mysterious Benefactor Memorial Cup. Dissension was immediately apparent in the camp of Anger Alliance. The pop for Chase and Phoenix was a surprise. UAS got their usual monster response. Jackson dominated the chickennuts Brunettes early. On commentary, John Johnson claimed Terrrell Owens and Brunettes had a mutual admiration society going. Business picked up with a vicious exchange of chops between Matthews and Nemesis. Matthews hit the BFK and AA numero uno took over. When Roberts hit a big move, Chase tagged himself in to make the cover. Roberts returned the favor with an unsolicited tag. All the while, Nemesis was taking a beating. Roberts invited Chase to punch Nemesis. He ducked. Roberts took the blow and was rolled up to eliminate AA#1 at 8:12. Chase strutted. Hunter said he had seen that somewhere before. Johnson asked if he was referring to Jackie Fargo. Chase went for the figure four and Nemesis countered with an inside cradle to eliminate AA#2 at 8:54. Chase tried to play peacemaker, but Roberts walked away. Brunettes picked up where AA left off, as they set out to destroy the knee of Nemesis. Jackson cleaned house with the hot tag. Alexander tried a springboard maneuver off a blind tag, but Jackson caught him with the 1031 (spinebuster slam) for the pin. Nemesis sold the knee huge during the postmatch celebration.
Comments: Basic match, which was fine for the opener of a show with so many gimmicks. Everything made sense. The battle for control between Roberts and Chase had been building since the formation of the Alliance. Sound psychology with the opportunistic Brunettes following up on the job AA did on Nemesis’ knee. Jackson was booked like Superman. That was proper given the direction they were heading. This was a the first year that the MB Cup tournament was spread across several shows. It surely diminished the impact of ultimate triumph you get with a focused, one night tournament, although that may have been a necessary evil in the grand scheme of things.
Chad Parham announced his retirement. An emotional John Johnson presented the former two-time Anarchy Heavyweight Champion with a “certificate of awesomeness.” Parham congratulated HIMSELF on building Anarchy, putting all of those redneck asses in seats, and working through numerous injuries. Parham had a breakdown. Johnson consoled him. Parham invited the fans to chant “Chad’s a legend.” They had something else in mind.
Hunter said Parham a piece of work. “Nobody ever questioned the guy’s determination, his ability, his skill. After this display. I question the man’s sanity…”
(2) Tony Santorelli & Melissa Coates beat Todd Sexton & Wes Grissom when Santorelli submitted Grissom at 10:42. Coates was wearing one of those chaps type outfits that provides maximum ass exposure. They did comedy spots focused on the forbidden zones of Coates’ anatomy. Santorelli clubbed Grissom from behind to give Coates the advantage. Grissom took punishment from Coates’ power offense. At one point, Grissom knocked Santorelli into Sexton, so he wasn’t there to take Grissom’s tag. There was no heat for Sexton’s supposed hot tag. Santorelli clocked Coates when Sexton ducked. Sexton then nailed Santorelli with a dropkick. In a fit of youthful exuberance, Grissom made a blind tag and crash-landed on a Shooting Star Press. Santorelli forced Grissom to tap with a variant of the crossface.
Everything looked hunky dory on the babyface side until Sexton took Grissom’s face off with what amounted to a flying superkick to leave him laying.
Comments: Again, this was more for the story than the wrestling. Santorelli has dropped the excess poundage. Coates has comedic talent, and it’s workable because her strength and muscularity works against smaller guys. I love Grissom in this role, but the spot where he sent powered Santorelli off to make the hot tag was beyond the bounds of credibility. Sexton’s turn is a good thing. He damned sure wasn’t over as a babyface.
(3) Kory Chavis (with Attorney Jeff G. Bailey) beat Jeff Lewis in a First Blood match in 8:40. Hunter quoted Bailey on Chavis’ unique abiltity to “draw more blood than the Red Cross,” Ref Jacob Ashworth wiped Vaseline off of Chavi’s forehead. Johnson called it preventive maintenance. Lewis attacked Chavis and tried to bust him open. Bailley intervened with a great right hand. Johnson said Bailey’s ring cost in excess of $11 grand. Spinespitta by Chavis. He pounded Lewis with taped fists, Both down on a giant headbutt collision. Bailey swiped Chavis’ head. Lewis reversed a Spinesplitta with a DDT. Bailey passed a roll of nickels to Chavis and distracted Ashworth. Bullseye, Ashworth saw the blood. The Sout Assassin is your winner.
Lewis called Ashworth’s attention to the coins, but he blew it off.
Comments: Good back-and-forth brawl that wasn’t any longer than it needed to be, and was all about drawing blood. It was the kind of loss that helped Lewis get over as a gutsy, half-crazy babyface. Lewis cut a blood-drenched promo after the match that is probably on the DVD. He was literally covered in crimson from head to toe.
(4) Devil’s Rejects (Shaun Tempers & Azrael & Patrick Bentley with Reverend Dan Wilson) beat Slim J & Adrian Hawkins & Ace Rockwell in a Street Fight (14:45). Rich announced J and Hawkins didn’t have partner. They were game, but the number game got the best of them. J was busted open. Rejects used Wilson’s Staff of Righteousness to waste Hawkins. Wilson cackled with glee at the sight of Bentley smearing J’s blood across his chest. Rejects set J up for a triple team version of Bentley’s Dark Driver onto a steel chair. Even Johnson was skittish about that one. Rockwell showed up in street clothes. He wasted Bentley with a sick spinebuster onto the chair. Hawkins hit an Asai moonsault on Azrael. Tempers was bleeding. Slim nailed a double diving inverted DDT on Tempers and Bentley. Hawkins, Anarchy’s unofficial chair swinging freak, hit a pair of homeruns. Azrael kicked out of a Van Terminator by Hawkins. Rockwell brought a table in. Hunter called it a Home Depot special. Bentley escaped from the certain death of going through the table via Anger Management and gave J a low blow. Rockwell’s attempt to superplex Tempers through the table was foiled by Azrael, Tempers powerbombed Rockwell through ala Bubby Ray. Azrael and Tempers spiked Hawkins with the Hellhammer. The coup de grace was Bentley’s Dark Driver on J for the pin. The faces were destroyed to where none could make it to the back under their own power.
Comments: This match climaxed the opening half of the show going into the intermission, just the way you would want it. Wild action and awesome heat make an unbeatable combination. Rockwell’s appearance appeared to catch most of the crowd by surprise. They were on fire for the babyface comeback. I believe Hawkins’ Van Terminator was an Anarchy first. I liked the brutally decisive finish in favor of the Rejects. After coming out on the losing end of the War Games, anything else would have weakened them. They could beat J from now until doomsday in Cornelia and the fans would still go crazy for him. The carnage at the end made a dramatic closing image.
Ring announcer Eddie Rich drew the number of Mr. Adonis to be one of the lumberjacks for the fan participation strap match. Adonis said it was fair and square because he bought $200 worth of tickets. Palmer was furious. He let it stand but evened things out by appointing himself as one of the lumberjacks.
(5) Awesome Attraction (Austin Creed & Hayden Young) beat UAS to retain the NWA Anarchy Tag Team Titles in 10:30. Nemesis was still gimpy from the first match. Hunter said Attraction’s five month run with the belts made them the longest reigning tag champs in Anarchy history. Nemesis started s### with Attraction before the bell. Dueling chants erupted as Jackson and Creed wrestled clean. Nemesis brawled with Young. Body of the match was Jackson taking heat from the Attraction. Young taunted Nemesis into distracting the ref, so Attraction could hit combo move on Jackson. Jackson hit the 1013 to get the tag, and Nemesis came in firing lariats. He had Creed pinned with an Alabama Slam, but Young held the ref’s attention long enough for Creed to kick out. Nemesis attempted to whip Creed into his partner (same tactic UAS used to win their opening round match in tournament), but Creed reversed it and UAS collided. Young pinned Nemesis with the Flying Squirrel.
Nemesis laid his hands on Jackson. For the first time, Jackson responded with a temper flare up before cooler heads prevailed.
Comments: The match was OK for what it was, which was mostly about the disintegration of UAS. The screwed up finish cost UAS their fourth title reign, and they were close to the breaking point, which came one week later. They also did a nice job of building the grudge between Young and Nemesis. I see a singles match in their future. Jackson is incredibly over. It will be interesting to see how far he goes as a singles act.
Bill Behrens laid down the ground rules for the use of the straps: no buckles and no head shots.
(6) Truitt Fields beat Jeremy Vain to win the NWA Anarchy Television Title in a Fan Participation Strap match (14:03). Vain donned a hoodie to start the match. Fields showed little tolerance for that nonsense. He pulled the hoodie over Vain’s face and clotheslined him out, but Adonis protected Vain from the fan lumberjacks. Fields then backdropped Vain onto Adonis, and the lumberjacks got their monies’ worth as Vain circled the ring. Back inside the ring, Vain escaped the Fields’ finisher and superkicked him. Vain tossed Fields out, but a fan lumberjack shielded him and gave Adonis hell. Vain used a short hook and a gordbuster to cut off a Fields comeback. Vain threw Fields out near Palmer, who lightly tapped him with the strap. Vain used a camel clutch and Adonis was in Fields’ face, begging him to come outside. Hunter called it psychological warfare. Really nice punch exchange here. The key spot saw Vain block a rolling reverse, point at his brain, and get turned inside out by a Fields clothesline. The time was winding down. Adonis distracted, and Vain spiked Fields with a DDT. Referee Harold James signaled that Fields had kicked out by a fraction of an inch. Vain collared James. Adonis tried to interfere but Palmer cut him off with a stunner. The fans strapped Adonis all the way to the back with Palmer egging them on. Meanwhile, Vain got one of the straps and put the leather to Fields, who was impervious the pain. A shot to the face only intensified his rage. Vain blocked the Killing Fields and went for the VKO. Fields fought it off and planted Vain in the middle with the Killing Fields for the 1-2-3. The pin got the biggest pop of the night. As Palmer was putting the strap around Fields’ waist, Adonis was dragging Vain’s limp body to the back.
Comments: A great blow off match, This was do or die for Fields and everybody knew it. Vain had used every sleazy tactic in his vast arsenal to keep his title from Fields, with the hoodie being one last gasp, inspired piece of wackiness. The moment where Fields stood up to the strap shots was awesome. Vain was born to be a pro wrestler. He was the perfect opponent for a guy with all the potential in the world and limited big match experience. Fields has grown tremendously as a performer over the course of this program. With the chase now over, Fields has an even bigger challenge ahead of him.
(7) Phil Shatter (with Attorney Jeff G. Bailey) beat Mikal Judas to retain the NWA Anarchy Heavyweight Title in 14:14. Hunter pointed out that Bailey had managed three NWA World Heavyweight champions and four NWA Anarchy Heavyweight champions including Judas. Johnson said Judas was a changed man since going to Puerto Rico. I’ll say. Hunter explained that Bailey had snubbed Judas until he needed someone to face the Rejects. Now, Judas was back to take what was rightfully his. For his part, Shatter was a rookie heavyweight champion, who had backed down from no one until he cross paths with Judas. The monsters went toe-to-toe. Judas came out on top, so Shatter decided to take short cuts. Judas goozled him and Shatter bailed. Judas snatched Shatter by the throat and brought him back in the hardway. Judas leveled Shatter with a rabbit lariat and gazed to the heavens before climbing to the top rope. Shatter hit the rope to upend Judas. Shatter worked on the back of Judas. Hunter said he was softening Judas up for the PTSD, and weakening Judas’s ability to execute his own finisher. The momentum started to turn when Shatter accidentally hit the post and then got flattened by a shot into the post. Back inside the ring, Judas gave Shatter a ferocious beating in the corner, but he made the mistake of turning his attention to ref Brent Wiley. Shatter made the “rookie mistake” of abandoning his ground game for a top rope elbow. It missed huge, but Shatter got back on track with a spinebuster for a near fall. Shatter went for the PTSD (powerbomb) but Judas backdropped him. Both men crumbled after their heads collided. Shatter escaped from El Crucifijo (crucifix powerbomb) and bumped Wiley. Judas spit the red mist in Shatter’s eyes. Chokeslam! Visual fall with no ref to count, as Bailey frantically motioned to the back. Abomination jumped Judas from behind and gave him the Final Solution (tree slam). Shatter covered but Judas rolled a shoulder. Shatter sealed the deal with a pair of PTSDs. Dominous came through the front door. Abomination went after him. Judas sat up and stalked after A-bomb.
The lights went out. The arena stayed dark for over 2 minutes while a serial killer highlight reel played. The punchline was there was one sicko still at large, and he had purportedly sought refuge in the world of pro wrestling. When the lights came on, Iceberg was nose-to-nose with Shatter. The ring filled with Anarchy officials. The fans were on their feet, most of them in stunned silence. Bailey got Shatter out of the ring. Iceberg was hitting himself in the face and begging Shatter to get back in there.
Comments: Judas and Shatter are two big guys that can really go. This was a substitute main event due to Iceberg’s injury, and they produced a fine match for a first meeting. Hunter did a great job of providing the kind of analysis that gives a match a sports-like feeling. The crowd was behind Judas but not like they are for the top babyfaces. I think they’re still warming to the idea. They never liked him as Mikal Adryan, and the Judas character is not a babyface gimmick, then again, neither is Undertaker. It would have been nuts to beat Judas clean, so it had to be some type of screw job, and this choice set up issues between Judas and Abomination. At least they kept the ref bump and run-in down to this one instance. The Iceberg/Shatter showdown didn’t give me goose marks after a two static minutes of pitch black on the hard cam. I’m certain the DVD version is significantly better.
Closing Thoughts: Hunter said it best: “An incredible evening that has only raised more questions than it has answered.” They weren’t trying to top Hostile Environment. Under the circumstances, there was really no way they could have. It couldn’t be Fright Night without gimmicks and blood, but I’m glad they kept it down to a dull roar. There were no crazy acrobatic spotfests like the ladder match or violent blood baths like the War Games. The timing wasn’t right. You need time to develop compelling reason for stuff like that, and Anarchy was in a building phase. The TV title switch was the only program ripe for a conclusion. With that said, the six-man and the main event were both very strong matches, and Fields/Vain was a memorable match with terrific heat.
One of the more enjoyable aspects of this tape was the commentary by Hunter and Johnson. Hunter is as smooth and as easy to listen to as any play-by-play announcer around. It’s a recurring theme that Hunter doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and he’s got one as his color commentator. The thing about Johnson is that he comes from left field with zany heelish comments. You never know what’s going to come out his mouth, and it’s usually pretty funny.