After last week's six-hour one way trip, it was a great change of pace to travel thirty minutes to the show, although with me getting lost since I have the navigational ability of a blind Teddy Hart, it took about an hour. Anyway, it was a free show in the middle of Books-A-Million and as one guy already pointed out, "You can't critique a free show but so much." Well, I'm an asshole and I'm already late on this review. So at the risk of feeling one of the Heat-Miser's famous chops, here we go:
No. 1 Contendership For The NWA-VA Alpha Championship
Royal Rumble
Special Guest Ref: Chris Dramin
Order Of Entry: Big Tony, Pete Jannings, Sean Callaway, Maxx Dynamite, Scotty Blaze, Bad News Johnson, Tommy Smallz, Grail, Drake Tungsten, & Mike Vaughn
This was a pretty entertaining Rumble. It wasn't anything earth shattering, but was a great way to do a lot of things. First, it got over people very well. Heels and faces didn't have to work that much harder in their matches to prove who was who. I remember last week the crowd was virtually confused about people like Big Tony in terms of face or heel. This match was a good way of telling the pretty new NWA-VA crowd who was who. Second, it was chock full of chops, chops, and more chops. Seriously, this was definitely "ChopFest 2005." Rick O'Brien on the mike kept telling people a nickel per chop and one of the best parts of the night came via chop. Grail and Blaze were both eliminated and Blaze took Grail near O'Brien and the mike. O'Brien held the mike up and Blaze gave a pretty sweet chop to the delight of the crowd. One thing was for certain though in this match: it definitely sucked being Sean Callaway. Sure, he lasted till the end, but I think every last wrestler in the ring got a chop on him. Definitely gave the crowd more reason to jeer him though, so that was a plus. Despite all the great chops we got from Blaze, I definitely felt like he had no business being in this match. It's bad enough that the challengers in NWA-VA basically challenge every belt around, but for the champs themselves? Kind of unbelievable. The Alpha title is a step up to the NWA-VA belt, not the other way around. Kid Silver and Ice are easily two guys you could have substituted for the champ, especially Ice since he was making his debut as far as I know. All in all, very entertaining rumble and definitely a great way to start open the show. In the end, Smallz eliminated both Callaway and Vaughn to get the win and earn a shot at the end of the night.
Order Of Elimination: Pete Jannings, Maxx Dynamite, Bad News Johnson, Drake Tungsten, Scotty Blaze, Grail, Big Tony, Mike Vaughn, & Sean Callaway
Winner: Tommy Smallz
Star Wrestler: Scotty Blaze
He had no business being in this match, but his chops definitely made it seem worthwhile, especially that one by the mike. Plus, I'm a little scared about him chopping me if I didn't give him this. Scratch that; scared shitless.
After the match, Sean Callaway came back out and cut a decent promo about his recent loss and he challenged Chris Dramin to an impromptu match. Dramin came out and accepted his challenge naturally. Definitely a decent promo by Callaway, but last week's was miles better.
NWA-VA Alpha Championship
Falls Count Anywhere
Chris Dramin (c) Vs. Sean Callaway
In case you didn't know, the Alpha title is defended in a special way: challenger picks the stipulation. I kind of like that. It adds a bit more intrigue to title defenses. Title stipulations like this and ROH's pure title are always good for me. It's just something out of the norm. I also enjoy the stipulation with MECW's Omega belt only being defended in the Battle Royal match. Only problem is I don't think there is much continuity or intrigue to it. Maybe if they built up one guy for a couple shows as going over in the matches, it would. Oh well, back to the match. The stipulation should be good, but due to DPOR regulations, they can only fight in the areas inside the barricades. It sucks, but what are you going to do? This match started off with some basic mat working which I liked as it was a draw away from the stipulation. Kind of like making people wait for the main piece of the dinner. Give them a small appetizer. The action soon spilled to the outside and they started taking some hard bumps on the concrete parking lot ground! I actually can't believe they took bumps like that considering how other wrestlers had ice packs on the back of their head all night due to bumps on the ground. Overall, it was a pretty good match with a lot more than I expected from it. I would love to see these two in a 2/3 falls match or submission match. Finish came when Callaway missed a leg drop off the top rope. Dramin quickly got a roll up and picked up the win.
Winner: Chris Dramin
Star Wrestler: Sean Callaway
I don't think his promo was a good way to get over with the crowd, but he definitely was doing a good job of getting heat during this match. His offense, strategy, taunts, et cetera were all well placed. Dramin was also great in this match, but little by little, I'm becoming more and more impressed with Sean Callaway. I might have to do some things the "Callaway" soon. By the way, I'm about seventy-five percent sure Sean was doing that way before Rob Conway.
Mike Vaughn Vs. Kid Silver
Got to retract something before I start: Mike Vaughn smokes menthols, not Marlboro Reds. My bad. Please don't hurt me, Mr. Vaughn. Anyway, this match was great and definitely the sleeper match of the night. I didn't know too much about Kid Silver and was frankly on the wall with him. He was cruiser size, but didn't flip as much as other cruisers probably would have in the situation. In fact, I think he only did two high flying moves the whole match, and each were well placed, didn't expose the business, and weren't a desperate attempt to get over with a crowd who could care less. Excuse me, now is not the time for a spot monkey rant. I'll save that for a TNA review. I think this match cemented my belief that Mike Vaughn can carry anyone and is the freakin' man. Everything he did in this match was top notch. Honestly, I could see Vaughn in the main event on a lot of shows in the near future. I have no idea if it would happen, but Vaughn is probably one of the most solid talents NWA-VA has. Even though he's sometimes a face, having him heel is definitely the way to go. He's got that intense look in his eyes and demeanor and it's accentuated more as a heel. Overall, he's great and made this match truly a sight to see. He definitely gave me a scare though. He worked the neck the whole match and for the finish, he locked in the sharpshooter. I got scared cause just doing that would basically shit on everything he did in the whole match. Well, he didn't just do that, he grabbed Kid Silver's neck and pulled him up with the sharpshooter and cranked the neck forcing Kid Silver to tap.
Winner: Mike Vaughn
Star Wrestler: Mike Vaughn
Kid Silver did well and I'd like to see more from him. However, I'm convinced that Vaughn is the freakin' workhorse of the NWA-VA under card and I for one am pissed I am going to miss the 2/3 falls match he and Grail have on the 1st. That match has serious "NWA-VA Match of the Year contender" written all over it.
Big & Small Vs. United Nations Of Devastation
Big & Small is a new tag team comprised of Tommy Smallz & Big Tony while UNOD is a somewhat veteran team of Drake Tungsten and Bad News Johnson. I really like the idea of the Big & Small team. The only problem is that I want to see more of them, but I have a feeling Smallz is going somewhere due to the crowd reaction he got tonight. Tony is a new guy and definitely improving. Smallz is definitely the one who is going to help get him over with the crowd better and in a few months, Tony should be a great big guy. No doubt in my mind. Back on subject, the match itself was pretty good. I felt it was standard comedy match in the early goings though and the intensity turned up a bit towards the end. I enjoyed watching Johnson and Tony, the two big men, go at it at one point. Crowd was pretty into this spot too if I remember correctly. Honestly, I probably should have liked this match more, but it seemed a little standard to me. I enjoyed everyone's work in it, the crowd support, the face-in-peril spots, and so-on, but it just didn't do it for me. In case you didn't know, I'm not the biggest fan of tag team wrestling. It just doesn't do it for me. Finish came when UNOD did a reverse Doomsday Device that worked out like a suicide powerbomb that looked sick as hell. I think Smallz sold the shit out of that finish as well too.
Winners: United Nations Of Devastation
Star Wrestler: Tommy Smallz
I really debated giving this one to Tungsten or Tony. Tungsten was a solid worker in the match and Tony has stepped it up a lot since his debut, but Smallz was over with the crowd like you wouldn't believe. I'm dead serious. He was selling everything perfectly, helping to get the crowd into the match, et cetera. It's not like the crowd just makes Smallz either cause he's got the talent and the skills. He made this match a bit better for this tag team skeptic.
After the match, Dragan Frost came out reluctantly to talk with Rick O'Brien. He came out with a walker selling his injuries that Maxx Dynamite gave him in Orange, VA a while back. Dynamite came out and they both cut some somber promos before signing a contract for a weapons match in a future date. After they signed it, Frost went nuts and laid out Dynamite with the walker and wanted to start the match now.
Weapons Match
Maxx Dynamite Vs. Dragan Frost
Going along with the feel of this whole feud, this match was great. This and the Grail-Vaughn feud are what literally backs up anything NWA-VA will ever put in the main event. With an under card backed up with these feuds, they could have Blaze fighting a stick in the main event and people would still be happy probably. Frost kept the advantage most of the match like their other matches and was great in charge. His constant bickering with the ref added some nice comedy to a basically hardcore match. Frost used a mailbox, ironing board, and trash can in the match. There definitely wasn't as much weapon usage as you would think, but it was still a great match. After a lot of action, finish came when Frost jumped off the top with the trash can to nail Dynamite and Dynamite hit a dropkick to the trash can to Frost, knocking him out in a sick fashion.
Winner: Maxx Dynamite
Star Wrestler: Dragan Frost
I don't feel like Dynamite got over with the crowd as he has in the past. His face-in-peril didn't work as well and he didn't really try to do more for the crowd. Although, even if Dynamite was over to the level of Tommy Smallz, Frost would still get this accolade on account of his pure talent. Frost is an amazing worker and just a guarantee in NWA-VA. I think the best part about him is that he is literally a small man, but uses his small size to add more power to his repertoire. Instead of flipping all over the place, he uses leg strength for low blows and everything around that area. In all honesty, I think the crowd could buy it if Frost was pushed in the main event. It's kind of 50-50 though, but I for one seem him as a believable main event heel.
NWA-VA Junior Heavyweight Championship
Grail (c) Vs. Pete Jannings
This definitely wasn't a good of a match as I had thought, and it was weird seeing Jannings play heel in the Rumble and face now. The crowd didn't seem to get behind Jannings because of that and I think that hurt the match a bit. Match was all right with not as much offense as you would expect. It was just missing something to me. One good thing was that Grail focused on the legs the entire part, and just like the Vaughn-Silver match, I got a little scared. Grail mostly finishes people off with the Tombstone or Ripper Crossface, focusing on the neck, so I thought he would just use those again thus shitting on his entire offense and strategy. Nope, instead, he pulled out a Sharpshooter for the win. Grail is a living testament to the fact that you don't need to use your trademarks/finishers every single match. It gets predictable and if you try it the other way, it gets you over a lot better as a versatile wrestler. Like I said, finish came when Jannings tapped out to the Sharpshooter after a match of leg working.
Winner: Grail
Star Wrestler: Grail
He impresses me every match just like Frost and Vaughn. He's definitely a solid worker and I love how instead of the neck, he worked another body part too given the opportunity. Again, I'm real pissed I am going to miss his match with Vaughn. That seriously has classic written on it.
NWA-VA Alpha Championship
Chris Dramin (c) Vs. Tommy Smallz
For your second Alpha bout of the night, Dramin was forced to play heel due to the amazing reaction Smallz was getting. I think one good thing that actually got a mediocre reaction was the fact that Smallz chose to just have a straight up match, no stipulation at all. That was a pretty good way to get Smallz over as a face, as he doesn't need anything else to win, and also kind of sells the effects of the previous matches. I also enjoyed how Smallz basically wrestled three matches but was still top-notch in all three. One thing that didn't happen that surprised me in the match was that Smallz didn't sell the finisher from the tag bout earlier. It was actually really surprising, but nothing damaging. Dramin played an excellent heel in this match and helped prove why he was a great champ, heel or face. Match had lots of good moments like Tommy jumping off a light platform and Dramin catching him and slamming him into the steel post. They didn't work the back as much as I thought after this with the finish and all. Finish came when Smallz jumped off the top rope for I think a flip over senton, but Dramin caught him and gave him a sick powerbomb. They really should have ended the match here, but then Dramin locked in the Texas Cloverleaf and forced Smallz to tap out which was a bit of overkill.
Winner: Chris Dramin
Star Wrestler: Chris Dramin
Overall, it was a good match with some flaws here and there, but whatever flaws it had, the crowd participation made up for it. Dramin was definitely the star here though because he proved how versatile he is, face or heel. Some said that all that time building Dramin up as a champ was thrown away due to Smallz' reaction, but I think this match actually solidified how great of a champion Dramin is. Somebody run backstage and tell Dramin to challenge Scotty Blaze. He's definitely up for the task.
Kiley McLean Vs. Synn-D
Definitely was the worst match of the night, and I hate to do it, but I got to put the blame on Synn-D. I just did not enjoy her at all. She was pretty good at getting the crowd behind her and what-not, but she basically over-sold everything with her screams (which were out of place in a lot of spots) and her offense was really not believable. I really felt bad watching this match because I know how great of a worker Kiley is and this was just not the kind of match the two should have. Finish came when fellow Elements of Destruction members Grail and Dragan Frost came out and distracted the ref and Synn-D causing Kiley to get a quick roll-up.
Winner: Kiley McLean
Star Wrestler: Kiley McLean
This match definitely would have been better off as a squash to build Kiley better for her shot at the NWA Women's belt. To her credit though, Kiley was working her ass off in this match taking some sick bumps on the concrete (how many "divas" will do that?) and playing with the crowd some. It's definitely a no-brainer as to who was the star in this match, but Kiley was still a great worker here. I don't think many people could have salvaged this one.
NWA-VA Championship
Scotty Blaze (c) Vs. Ice
Main event was scheduled to be Blaze against Damien Wayne but Wayne couldn't make it due to some miscommunication and they played it off that Wayne was using Hurricane Rita as an excuse; got a pretty funny reaction too. Blaze cut a promo that said he was fighting champ so he was going to make an open challenge to anyone in the back. Ice, a guy I had never seen before, answered and cut a so-so promo talking about how he was the Iceman; it was an eternal battle between Blaze (heat) and Ice; blah, blah, blah. I wasn't that interested in the promo and the crowd wasn't either. However, Ice did manage to get some great heel heat in the match. He really impressed me in his debut. He seemed to handle the main event pretty well. I can't tell if Blaze was carrying him the whole way, but by the looks of some things, I would say no. For example, he worked the leg the whole time and then when he pinned Blaze, he hooked the leg and forced Blaze to use his injured leg to kick out. That was pretty good. He just did a lot of small things like that which added to the psychology of the match pretty well. He was also really great at getting the crowd to hate him. Overall, a definite solid match. Finish came when Blaze hit the Something Old, Something New for the win.
Winner: Scotty Blaze
Star Wrestler: Scotty Blaze
Ice was really good, don't get me wrong, but Blaze deserves a lot of credit. I really didn't think anyone was going to get over more than Tommy Smallz, but Blaze did. The crowd was pretty mixed on Blaze in the beginning but he definitely got them behind him amazingly. He even mixed in some good comedy here and there. For instance, while in a rest hold, the crowd started chanting, "Scott! Scott!" Scotty stopped and corrected them into saying, "Scotty! Scotty!" There weren't as many chops as you would think from a Blaze main event, but Blaze was definitely the star in this match. Plus, I'm afraid he would chop me like earlier so I can't say anything overly negative about the Heat-Miser.
Overall, it was a fantastic show and one of the better NWA-VA shows I've ever been to. There was only one truly bad match in the Ladies' match, but every other match was good, great, or fantastic. Match of the night is easily a tie between Vaughn-Silver and Blaze-Ice. The crowd was a decent size, not as much as you would expect for a free show, but definitely a good crowd. Crowd was really only silent during the Jr. title match, but only for a little bit. To sum it up, great match, great night, and I can't wait for Atkins with Hell in a Cell! That's it for this time, guys. 'Till next time, this is "Squared Circle Reviews" signing off and hoping you enjoy what you watch!
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