I initially was only going to do a mini review, just main points and it started that way but as the night got better I got more in detail.
Yes it was confirmed to me by a few people that the crowd was in fact, 389, just missing the 400 mark. Thinking about the seating arrangements, and they continued to pull out seats during the night, I can’t disagree with them. So a big thumbs up to SPW for getting a big crowd on Easter Saturday. I didn’t think it would be more than 200, I was happy that I underestimated the crowd.
We start off with a stand of sorts in the middle of the ring, with a black curtain hanging over it. I thought it was related to the Leukemia shave thing, but it wasn’t. I will mention what it is shortly.
Tommy J comes out to be MC/ring announcer for the evening. We get our first look at the Snake-o-tron in use with Cannonball giving us a promo for Snakepit TV on C31, and then he gets attacked by Rocky and Luke. Thrown into a rollerdoor I think it was and he was left with blood coming out of a wound. Therefore no Cannonball tonight.
Rocky comes out and introduces his new manager Luke Hazard. Good to see the belt buckle is back. Luke cuts a promo about looking after Menero Enterprises and that he is in fact the true voice of SA wrestling, and they want to take over Australian Wrestling. Rocky unveils what was in the middle of the ring and awards Luke with the coveted Golden Mic. Yes Luke now has a Golden Mic. Luke said he arranged for a match for Rocky with someone he’s never beaten before, that person was Captain Jacob.
1st impromptu match
(Not on the card)
Captain Jacob came up throwing away his gold treasure. This week it was small Easter eggs. Thrown a little too direct at the crowd getting hit on the head etc. Like I said earlier I didn’t take much of what happened in this match. Nothing much didn’t happen, but Rocky hit Captain Jacob with a Ho Train splash into the corner. Rocky was on the outside, and attempted to skin the cat to get back into the ring, but didn’t get the rotation needed, much to the jeers of the crowd. This one didn’t last very long and a Roll of the Dice later, and Rocky scored the pin.
2nd match
Blake comes out in street clothes and a suitcase. Blake begins to cut a promo and says it’s a coincidence that the biggest SPW crowd is there and he’s making his debut in SPW. Blake is unhappy that he’s a marquee performer but not recognized for it. Boring chants continues throughout his rant and his match too. Big Mike is introduced with a valet by the name of “Kelly Mckenzie” I thought it was. Big Mike did his entrance and then went to get into the ring and missed a step and fell hard into the ring. Unfortunately I missed the actually incident, but he was curled up in the fetal position for a little while. The match gets underway, with claps for Mike while the crowd is still chanting boring for Blake. Once again not much to write about in this one, Mike did a leapfrog over Blake, but when he went to do it a 2nd time Blake stopped himself and kicked him in the lower region. Ouch! While Mike was on the ground and a few shots later, Blake put Mike’s left foot under the stretched t-shirt. Mike looked like a seal or something flapping around unable to stand up. Mike got up and then Blake hit him with a superkick, and proceeded to choke him out on the 2nd rope. Ref had seen enough and called for the DQ. Blake wanted to inflict more punishment and got Mike on the outside and threw him over the crowd barricade. As Mike flipped his boot collected a girl sitting in the front row. Thankfully no injuries occurred from that. Blake gets a can of coke and pulls Mike back over the security railing and hits Mike in the head with the can. Thankfully not a full unopened can… Zak comes out and scares off Blake and helps his tag team partner to the back.
Next Tommy introduced the new Managing Director of SPW, Mr Don Damage. He proceeded to invite the Luscious One Lola who had clippers in her hand ready for Benjamin Stephens to be shaved. Don had a little mic rust, as he lost his spot a few times, but got the message across about the great shave. Benjamin Stephens came out and said he does nothing for charity, so he won’t be getting his head shaved and when he returns to the back his bodyguards the Icemen will be protecting him.
3rd match
WB was claimed to be from Alabama, and he downed a full bottle of Bud before the match.
After Damien proceeds to hit 3 atomic drops, WB reverses out and hangs his left arm over the top rope and jumps down the ground. WB gets in a low blow and Damien hits WB with an enzuigiri. After some distraction, WB gets the cow bell and clonks Damien with it. Its all over with a pin.
This whole first section up to this point to me felt slow and didn’t pick up any pace. Remember this is only my opinion of the night, but the crowd certainly didn’t get too involved in any of these matches.
4th match
Laser from Victoria, so I haven’t seen him too often and returning Tyler Daniels. Laser came out first and has obviously been training hard in the gym as he has a chiseled physique. The guys start it off and Tyler get Laser down and hits him with an elbow, Laser wants some time so rolls out. Laser gets back in and Tyler hits him with a reverse atomic drop and then clotheslines him to outside. They are back in the ring and hits Tyler with a spinning heel kick. Laser follows that up with either a dropkick or leg lariat I couldn’t really decide, but follows it up with a clothesline. Laser hits Tyler with a chop or two that wasn’t anything Wooo! worthy, but Tyler reverses it and hit a chop of his own. Laser gets up to the top rope and went to hit a moonsault, but landed on his feet. Tyler hits Laser with a sidewalk slam. Tyler then gets Laser and hits him with a standing delayed suplex, and a knee to the head while on the mat but only gets a 2 count. Tyler gets Laser on the top rope, and starts clubbing his back hard with forearm shots, but went to the well one too many times and Laser reversed in and got Tyler leaning over the top rope with his head facing into the ring. Laser gets up to the top rope again and connects with a leg drop from way up high. A leg drop and then Laser hits Tyler with a swinging RKO. He had him on his shoulders like a fireman’s carry and then swung him around and landed like an RKO. 2 count only, and then follows it up with a fameasser of Billy Gun fame. Laser goes up to the top rope and goes to hit a moonsault, but misses and landed flat on his stomach. Tyler slams him but only gets a 2 count, hits a neckbreaker and leg drop for another 2 count. Tyler is in the zone and running towards the finish line and lands a full nelson to face buster slam and gets the 3 count. Huge pop from the crowd and finally a match for the crowd to get into, but then straight into the intermission. So unfortunately the momentum these guys had started got abruptly stopped.
After intermission Tommy J says they want people to bring signs, so next show there will be a sign competition.
5th match
Ice Men have new costumes, which are LOD like with the big shoulders, but no spikes. Once again the Ice Men looks similar and its very difficult to say Ice Man Morris or Miller, so I tried to keep up with the tags to identify a switch of Ice Men. Just Josh starts its out with a neckbreaker and a low drop kick. Josh gets in a chop and Irish whip to the corner and hits the Ice Man with a stinger splash of sorts. Into the other corner and Ace has perched himself at the feet of the Ice Man in the corner, and we get to see Josh’s own poetry in motion. Ace Wilson is in and whips the Ice Man across the ring and hits him with a clothesline. He follows it up with a knee drop. Goes for the cover but only a 2 count. Ice Man to get the ascendency hits a low blow and follows it up with a back spinning elbow. At this point a woman along side me shouts out “You fight like a bunch of Fat Fairies”, not really appropriate, but we all had a nice chuckle. At this point the Ice Men double team Ace, one of them holding him in the corner, while the other delivers a splash and then into a running bulldog. The Ice man whips and hits a clothesline, and then Ice men tag. The new Ice man went to whip Ace across the ropes, but Ace reverses it and plants a spinebuster mid ring. Ace tags in Josh, but not before Ace gets the Ice Man in the side walk slam position while Josh delivers a neckbreaker at the same time. These two although not working together too much were working well. Josh hits the Ice Man with a clothesline. The penguin decides the waddle and get involved and with this distraction the Ice Man get Josh in a Camel Clutch. The Ice men take the offence with a big boot to the face and followed up with an elbow drop across the face. The Icemen just continue their double teaming offence and hit a reverse atomic drop and clothesline on Josh. Josh is put in the corner, but I think with a little outside interference from Ace is given enough time to get back into his corner for a tag. Ace delivers a bone-jarring Samoan drop and some sort of flapjack move. (Not sure if it has a definitive name) The Ice Men retreat to the outside, but Josh takes this as an opportunity to get more offence and flies from the top turn buckle onto the Ice Men. Crowd popped big time. Ace sees the carnage on the outside and decides maybe a La Plancha or suicide dive, goes for it, gets momentum off the rope but pulls up and walks thru the ropes. The men are back in the ring and Ace chokeslams the Ice Man, gets Josh standing on his shoulders and Josh splashes the Ice Man. They get the win. I enjoyed this match. Good to and fro of good V evil and this time for a change the good guys won it. This lead onto Ace and Josh tormenting Benjamin Stephens and eventually Ace slapping on a sleeper hold. The chair is faced into the entrance way so it was difficult to see what was going on. Lola came out with clippers, but the Ice Men were able to snatch it from her hand. Just when we thought nothing was going to happen, Josh goes under the ring and brings out another pair of clippers and the shearing begins. Ace put on Benjamin’s hat while Lola was shearing his hair. Benjamin Stephens eventually comes around and is completely shocked to have lost some of his hair. He hightails it around the ring and out.
It was confirmed at this point it was a crowd of 389, and thinking about I was about 4th or 5th row back and there was another row and ½ behind me it was very close to full house. Congrats on SPW on getting the largest crowd ever for a SPW event.
6th match
The 2 started off with a collar and elbow tie up, but Pitbull soon became the aggressor. However Joe was able to fight out of it and hit Pitbull with a Hogan style leg drop. There’s that well again, and went to it 1 too many times and Pitbull was able to get out of a 2nd legdrop. Pitbull quickly got on top with a rake to the eyes and raked Joe’s eyes across the top rope for good measure. Pitbull hit a surprisingly textbook snap suplex. The move went by very quickly, but looked good. Pitbull got Joe and hit him with a sidewalk slam and then threw him out of the ring. Pitbull picked up something and clocked Joe with it, but I was unable to determine what it was. Then Joe’s head greeted the ring post solidly and the ring apron by the aggressive Pitbull. Joe was able to fight out of it and get Pitbull’s face to meet the ring apron. This didn’t last long and Pitbull quickly got the upperhand. Pitbull set Joe near the corner, and got hit with a 2nd rope backward release splash. (Unsure whether this has a more defined name). Its all Pitbull, hitting a side Russian leg sweep. Pitbull either snaps or just wants to inflict more pain onto Joe, and goes under the ring for a steel chair. Pitbull goes to hit Joe across the head/back but Joe hits Pitbull with a drop toe hold and Pitbull gets a face full of chair on contact in the middle of the ring. Joe is starting to get on top with a spinning leg lariat and a drop kick which didn’t get too much height, and it looked like Joe didn’t have much left in the tank. The crowd cheering on their wrestler Joe, with “lets Go Mundie, Lets Go”, but Pitbull doesn’t care and gets the chair and hits Joe across the back of the head. The ref having no choice, as this wasn’t a no DQ match calls a DQ on pitbull. The match was a good solid match, with a slightly disappointing finish of DQ from my point of view.
Ace and Josh bring out Benjamin Stephens and it was clear the boys were finishing the hair shave that was started in the ring, so Stephens is out there with only a ¼ of his hair left. Right hand side behind the ear to half was back of his head was all that was left. Everyone laughed hard at Benjamin’s misfortune, but the ppl put $500 towards Leukemia, so a good night for that too.
7th match
As John E was coming out in his usual way, he stopped by the projector and his shadow/silhouette came onto the screen. Only John E can do it, but does it so well.
John E wanted Tony first off and as Zak turned his back John E attacked him. John E the wily veteran outsmarted Zak in the first seconds and quickly went on the offence. Got Fuzion in and hit a back elbow. The boys were on the outside, and this began the topes. DragonSpawn came off the ring apron onto the guys on the outside, followed by Zak with a step up on Tony’s back flipping over the top rope and then Tony from the top rope corner somersault onto the bodies on the outside. Crowd were going nuts. The action finally back into the ring and old school has returned with Tony getting an airplane spin on Rocky, and then Rocky getting an airplane spin John E. John E and Rocky are disorientated and John E falls down and Rocky is unable to steady himself and there is a malfunction at the junction and Rocky’s head lands on the lower anatomy of John E. Once the ring cleared Zak and Fuzion resumed the pleasantries and Fuzion hitting a suplex and irish whip to backbreaker on Zack. Fuzion tags in John E. While Zak was still down John E talking smack to Dragon with a mock Chinese accent and bow to him. John E returned his focus to Zak and gives him an elbow drop and chops. Zak is taking plenty of punishment and continues with a drop kick from John E. John E tags in Rocky and kicks Zak in the head. Rocky tags John E back in and John is still on the offensive. John E gets Zak pinned in the corner and takes his t-shirt off while telling the ref to check on Tony and Dragon. After some choking John E quickly gets his hands out of there and flings the t shirt around the ref and Rocky catches it. John E was going to whip Zak into his corner, but Zak is able to reverse it and John E is whipped into the wrong corner, getting hit by all three men. Tony is now in and hits a powerslam (no pun intended) on John E. Tags are nice and quick and Dragon takes the offence with an elbow, high face kick and side kick while he was in the corner. Dragon slows the pace slightly and has John E in a reverse chin lock with his knee firmly planted in the middle of John E’s back. Rocky has seen enough and with the ref being distracted Rocky gets in with a blind tag. Rocky hits Dragon with an elbow and attempts a cover, but only gets a 2 count. Rocky tags John E back in, but Dragon gets the offensive quickly and whips John E into the corner following up with a Monkey Flip. Dragon gets Tony in and John E has been perched between the 2nd and top rope and counter swings, Tony hits him and John E goes down and returns for another and another. Luke decides to get some interference and Fuzion and John E are beating up on Tony. Fuzion hits a splash in the corner on Tony, but misses on the 2nd go, and Tony comes out and spears Fuzion we have our first elimination. While Fuzion was getting out of the ring, John E sneaked up from behind with a high knee into Tony’s back. Sending Tony onto the ropes and John E hits a 6 1 10. Rocky replaces John E in the ring and is hitting Tony in the corner. Rocky goes to whip him into the other corner, Tony reverses it and follows it up with a tremendous shoulder deep into Rocky’s midsection. There was some sort of pinning predicament that arose, but the ref counted 3, but then said only 2, so we were all a little confused. Another whip, but Rocky is able to get underneath Tony and sends him over the top rope and onto the hard floor down below. Rocky went to outside and Zak met him with a hard clothesline that sent the champ to the floor. Back in the ring and Tony and Rocky come together with a double clothesline. John E and Dragon are now both tagged in and Drgaon hit a low knee and a swinging neck breaker. Dragon came all with all guns blazing, with a top rope superkick followed by a suplex, but only a 2 count because Rocky broke up the count. John E hits a double axe handle on Dragon. Dragon is quick enough to hit a small package going for the pin. While Rocky told the ref to check on Tony and Zak, Rocky rolled John E back onto Dragon and forcing Dragon to be eliminated with a 3 count. Zak comes in for the eliminated Dragon and quickly goes to work on John E with some chops and following up with a high knee. John E comes back with a reverse Atomic Drop and while he’s holding Zak down, Rocky gets some shots in. The crowd starts cheering “Rocky’s a wanker” . Rocky hits a side Russian leg sweep and says to the crowd to think of something more original. The cheer changes to “Rocky’s a homo”. Rocky smirks and drops his head into Zak’s lower anatomy. Zak is able to fight back though and is able to hit a standing enzuigiri. Rocky is whipped into the wrong corner, but Rocky is able to hit Tony. Rocky hits Zak with a fishermen’s suplex. I wrote perfect plex in my notes, in honor of the great man, and Rocky did it very well. John E and Rocky are now double teaming, twisting arms and double chops on Zak. John E is slapping Zak’s front and back. Zak slaps John E across the back, and Tony gets involved as well. Rocky takes Zak while John E takes the ref away. Zak is able to get on top of and goes to pull Rocky down for a pin after not being back body dropped and pulls Rocky’s tights down and although we were inside we had a full moon. The girls went crazy… Zak is able to hit a left foot enzuigiri. Tony is now in and takes out John E over the top rope, and hits Rocky with a slam. Tony brings John E in the hard way, but Rocky and John E are together but Tony is able to burst thru and a double spear. Rocky rolls out of the ring, but Tony was going to suplex John E, but Rocky holds down Tony’s foot and John E lands on top of Tony and gets the pin eventually after some confusion. Its now John E and Zak and John E wants to inflict some pain by hitting a superplex. Zak was set up and and John E on the 2nd rope. John E is pushed off the ropes and Zak hits a flying crossbody and gets a pin over John E. This leaves Rocky and Zak. Rocky hits a delayed suplex on Zak. Zak is able to get into the corner and hits a whisper of the wind from the top rope. Zak hits a running knee of sorts. The ref messes up the count again causing plenty of confusion… Zak climbs to the top and hits a flying crossbody for a 2 count. Rocky attempts to hit a delayed suplex, but Zak is able to fight out it and rolls Rocky up for the pin. Zak being the winner for his team.
Overall thoughts: The beginning of the night was slow and the crowd had trouble getting involved in it. Not until the Laser V Daniels match did the crowd start cheering. I even saw the camera man during the night say to the crowd to start cheering. The crowd will cheer when they think its deserved. The matches in the 2nd half picked it up and the last match was great. I didn’t time it but it was a long match but it was enthralling, so it didn’t feel like it went too long. Some confusing spots with the ref counting a 3 count and then saying it was 2. He’s learning his craft, and I’m sure he’ll get better at it, but its one of the quickest ways to lose a crowd. If I came in at intermission and saw the matches after intermission, it would have been a great night. Anyways the show finished well and continued to pick up throughout the night. Good to see use of the Snake-o-tron and hope it continues to get used more.
Mike74