From Larry Goodman: The math was simple at Crossroads -- epic storytelling and a quality in-ring product equaled a great night for...
From Larry Goodman:
The math was simple at Crossroads -- epic storytelling and a quality in-ring product equaled a great night for SFCW and their fans.
Attendance at the incredibly loud Felker Gym was 175. The crowd had a good time all night long. What’s not to like? Their babyface champion scored two huge wins. Drew Blood sort of won the battle with Todd Sexton but paid a brutally painful price. He surely didn’t win the war, and there’s big trouble on the horizon for Blood and Brock Enterprises. The fans also gave their seal of approval to a major shift in the Approved.
In the process, SFCW set up a host of big matches for their return to Covington on October 14.
One of the most heartening aspects of this show was the show of cooperation among Georgia’s top wrestling promotions. Rick Michaels drove from the Anarchy show in Cornelia to make a surprise appearance that was a key element of show. AWE’s Murder One was in the house for Chip Day’s match. Day stepped in when Martin Stone had to cancel due to an NXT booking.
(1) Ike Cross and Kenji Brea advanced to the number one contender’s match for the Phase One Trophy in 6:38. This was an all-action scramble where the first two competitors to win falls advanced. The other participants were “Death Proof” Aaron Epic, Slade Porter and Alan Angels. Ring announcer Rick Richards introduced Cross as Epic. Hard to mistake those two. Cross and Epic were the babyfaces. Cross was easily the most over guy in the match. Cross has some serious ups as he did a hilo dive that cleared the top rope by a yard. Epic stacked Cross and Porter in the corner and gave Angel a rolling fireman’s carry into the pile. Angels did a stranding Spanish fly. Man has Angels improved by leaps and bounds. Epic had Angels beaten when Brea gave him a top rope double stomp and stole the first pin at 3:24. Epic took the big bump on a tower of doom. Angels followed with a coast-to-coast dropkick. As Porter was preparing to hit his finisher on Epic, Cross came out of left field with a flying forearm. A high-energy spotfest that started the show off on the right foot.
Postmatch - Brea got smart with Cross and paid for it. They square off in Covington on October 14.
(2) Rave Approved (Adrian Hawkins & Bobby Moore with Kenji Brea)
defeated Hooligans (with Devin & Mason Cutter with Uncle Leo) to retain the
SFCW Tag Team Championship in 12:54. Crowd would not let up on the “Adriana” chant. Approved was pissed and threatened to walk out but security grabbed their titles. It was almost four minutes before they locked up. This was classic tag team wrestling with both teams cutting the ring in half and isolating one of their opponents. Hooligans broke out the tomahawk chops on Moore. Approved got heat on Mason. Brea interfered. They did ye olde distraction routine where the ref failed to see a legit tag. Mason’s stunner led to a tag the ref did see. Devin took Approved to hip toss city. Brea tried to get involved but Leo cut him off. While the ADD ref was distracted by the extracurricular activity, Hawkins tossed one of the belts to Devin and gave him a codebreaker. The heat for this match was crazy.
(3) Corey Hollis defeated Chip Day in 15:30. Story in the early going was that these guys knew each other inside and out. Loads of stiff strikes as expected. One of Day’s chops sounded like a gunshot. It was a see saw battle with both guys showing their best stuff. A great dropkick by Hollis left both men down. The crowd, which had been fairly quiet, got vocal with each man having their share of supporters. Day unleashed a barrage of offense and got a knee bar. Hollis came back with an ankle lock. Hollis ducked Day’s kick of death and turned him inside out with a clothesline. Day with a Black Mass but Hollis kicked out. Day went for a kneedrop. Hollis evaded and pinned Day with a short DDT. A fine babyface match all the way around.
Hollis put Day over after the match saying it was a shame he hadn’t gotten the opportunity he deserved.
Drew Blood was wheeled to the ring in a wheelchair by Phase One Champion Brian Kane. Blood’s left ankle was in a brace and he needed a crutch to stand up in the ring. Blood claimed he had injured his ankle in a game of tetherball at the JB Enterprises picnic but he was going to take 10% lemon juice, high fructose corn syrup and make the best of it. Blood said Todd Sexton could leave with his health, his dignity, his wife and his soul OR he could wrestle Kane, the man that ended Jagged Edge’s career and disgustingly mauled Rick Michaels.
Sexton attacked Kane. Meanwhile, Blood took off the brace and stripped down to his wrestling gear and said he was feeling much better. Blood walloped Sexton with the crutch and thought that was that. Wishful thinking. Sexton beat Blood’s ass unmercifully.Blood retreated to the balcony in a panic. The beating continued in the balcony. Blood pulled a security guy into the path of Sexton’s superkick and continued to run. Sexton was lying in wait as Blood came back into the gym and smashed him with a water bottle. Sexton told Blood he came in a wheelchair and he was leaving in one.
(4) Drew Blood (with Joseph Brock) defeated Todd Sexton via DQ in 3:18. Blood was begging for his life. Sexton stomped a mudhole in him but Blood cut off the attack with a DDT. Sexton rolled out and Brock bashed him in the head with his shoe. Kelly Sexton came to ringside. Blood started talking to Kelly and doing pelvic thrusts in Sexton’s face. Blood said no more punishment for Todd if Kelly would give him one more kiss. Kelly shot Blood the bird. Blood turned around and ate a superkick from Sexton. Kelly slid the crutch to Todd. Blood pulled out a chain. Sexton beat Blood to the punch and got DQed for using the crutch.
Kane attacked Sexton from behind. Kelly got in the ring. Blood cornered Kelly and was about to lay one on her when Rick Michaels hit the ring to a monster pop. Michaels clocked Kane and Blood. Brock tried to use his shoe and got kneed in the groin by Kelly for another monster pop. Sexton and Michaels whipped Kane and Blood into each other with Brock sandwiched in between.
Michaels then cut one of the best promos of the year. This was a money promo, filled with fire and brimstone. Sexton said how about a tag match on October 14 in Covington? Michaels said he could have been at home in Cornelia tonight but he decided to come to the neighbor’s were all the action was. Michael said he just turned 43 and was way out of shape. “I don’t wrestle. I fight!” And a fight it would be in Covington. Michaels said he and Sexton were at Landmark every Friday night and invited Blood and Kane to come up there to get their asses kicked. Sexton and Michaels did the Hogan muscle pose, the DX pose and put Kelly on their shoulders.
The segment was a home run from beginning to end. Crowd reaction was off the chain.
(5) Geter vs. Tetchi Makuji (with Joseph Brock) ended with both men counted out at 13:34. Makuji attacked Geter in the aisle. Crowd was chanting for Geter huge. Geter no sold Makuji’s offense. Makuji showed fear. Makuji’s flying shoulder block bounced off Geter. Makuji takes great bumps for a big man. Brock was not having a good night. He looked like hell. Makuji went with headbutts. A jumping headbutt by Makuji left them both addled. Makuji superkicked Geter and finally got him off his feet with a teardrop suplex. Wow. Shades of Shawn Michaels. Geter powered out of Makuji’s delayed cover. Brock ran distraction allowing Makuji to waffle Geter with a chair on the outside. Geter barely beat the 10 count. Makuji applied the Tongan Death Grip. Geter wouldn’t go out. Geter blocked a second teardrop suplex and gave Makuji a colossal belly to belly suplex. Makuji rolled out of the ring. Geter followed and they fought to the 10 count. Match was the monsters collide spectacle it was cracked up to be. The finish wasn’t as intense as the rest of the match. It would have helped if referee Slim had been more authoritative with his count.
Geter blasted Makuji with chairshots to the back after the match. One of them caught Makuji on the elbow and he was hurting bad.
(6) Jimmy Rave (with Bobby Moore & Adrian Hawkins & Kenji Brea) defeated Gladiator Jeremiah 3-2 in a 30 minute Ironman Match. Rave sent Approved to the back. Rave stalled forever and the crowd was giving him grief for it. They hardly touched for the first 10 minutes. A terrific fast-paced exchange ended in a stand off. Rave got the upper hand but not for long. Jeremiah pinned him after two hangman’s neckbreakers at 12:10. The action spilled to the ring apron. Rave blocked Jeremiah’s sliced bread gave him the STO on the ring frame. A baseball slide sealed the deal and Jeremiah was counted out at 13:45. Rave maintained control of the match. Rave dodged Jeremiah’s moonsault attempt and locked in the crossface to go up 2-1 at 20:12. Rave was really laying in his chops. No news there. Jeremiah started hitting one big move on top of another. Jeremiah had the inverted STF applied when Approved attacked him for a DQ to even the match with 5 minutes to go. Rave wasn’t happy with Approved and smacked Brea. They went back and forth with pin attempts until Rave got the three count with the smallest package in pro wrestling at 27:40. Jeremiah went for submission after submission but couldn’t get Rave to submit.
Approved confronted Jeremiah. Rave stepped in a shook Jeremiah’s hand. The Approved led by Hawkins did not approve. Rave said they didn’t know what it was like to come out every night and have the best match like he did but it wasn’t hard with opponents like Gladiator. Hawkins pressed the issue. Rave spit at Brea. Moore played peacemaker. Rave told Hawkins and Brea if they were feeling froggy they could leap against him and Moore. Moore blindsided Rave and Approved beat him down. Hawkins said they didn’t need Rave. He needed them. “I’ve got some bad news for you, Rave. You’re no longer Approved.”
Once Rave recovered, the fans stood and applauded him on his way out.
Early part of the match was like watching paint dry and I’m not a big fan of the Ironman gimmick as you pretty much know how it’s going to boil down to in the end. That said, they really picked it up in the last 10 minutes and the match played an integral part in Rave’s turn. He didn’t do any of his more outlandish heel tactics and beat Gladiator with wrestling.
(7) Odinson defeated Mikael Judas to retain the SFCW Heavyweight Championship in 5:11. Killer moves right from the opening bell. Odinson hit the Pounce and tried for the F10. Judas escaped and choke slammed Odinson. Judas had things his way until Odinson caught him with a European uppercut as he came off the top rope. Odinson started throwing Judas around. He was set to deliver the F10 but Judas grabbed the ref to block the full effect and was able to kick out. Judas went for an airplane spin. Odinson escaped and hit the F10 to decisively beat the former champion. Nothing could have been better for Odinson and the SFCW Championship. They weren’t going long in any case but took it home early because of a broken board.
Judas raised Odinson’s hand and departed. Kane came from behind Odinson with the title. Richards announced that Kane was cashing in his title shot.
(8) Odinson defeated Brian Kane to retain the SFCW Championship in 3:16. Odinson kicked out of everything Kane could throw at him. Kane was about to throw a fit. Crowd was chanting like mad for Odinson. Referee Radar Martin got bumped. Kane kicked Odinson in the nether region. A black man under a mask (obvious to everyone it was Jagged Edge) hit the ring. The masked man gave Kane a DDT, stripped the Jagged Edge tights off of Kane and left. Odinson then gave Kane the best F10 ever and picked Martin up by the seat of his pants to make the count. The finish got the biggest pop of the night and sent the fans home ecstatic.
Since Kane cashed in his shot, Cross vs. Brea on October 14 in Covington is now for the Phase One Trophy. Also announced: Geter vs. Makuji rematch and Beautiful Bald Besties vs. Rave Approved.
