Written by: Bob Colling
Squared Circle Wrestling presents Nightmare Before Christmas
Date: 11/21/2014
From: Syracuse, NY
Opening Contest: Cheech vs. Pepper Parks: Cheech attacks from behind but Parks blocks a power bomb off the middle rope to hit a shoulder block. Parks nails Cheech with a forearm shot but Cheech backs off and wants a test of strength. Cheech staggers Parks with a knee lift but Parks hits a standing hurricanrana to send Cheech to the floor. Parks gets tripped on the apron and hits the apron face first. Cheech comes off the apron to take Parks down with a double knee strike. Cheech gets a near fall back in the ring and drives his shoulder into the midsection of Parks. Cheech hits a snap suplex but can’t get a three count on a cover. Cheech mounts Parks to deliver right hands. Parks fights back with a snap power slam for a near fall. Cheech drop toe holds Parks across the middle rope and follows up with a dropkick to his back for a near fall. Cheech goes to the top rope but misses a knee drop. Parks drops Cheech several times with right hands. Parks backdrops Cheech and hits a splash in the corner. Parks follows up with a snap suplex into the corner.
Parks plants Cheech with a swinging neck breaker but only gets a near fall on the cover. Cheech comes back with a snap suplex and goes to the top rope but is cut off by Parks. Cheech attempts a sunset flip power bomb and hits it for a near fall. Parks drops Cheech on his head with a dangerous buckle bomb. Parks finishes off Cheech with a top rope leaping neck breaker. (**. That buckle bomb was really dangerous. This was better than I remember it being since I was there live. This was a fine opening bout to a rather big show for 2CW.)
Second Contest: Isys Ephex vs. Guy Sunshine: Late in the match, Sunshine counters a Burning Hammer attempt and pins Ephex following a double stomp to the back.
Third Contest: Sean Carr vs. Jay Freddie: Early on, neither man gets a clear cut advantage and we get a standoff after Freddie missed a roaring forearm attempt. Carr nails Freddie with a leaping kick and chops Freddie to get the first control of the match. Carr kicks Freddie on the chest and hits a standing moonsault for a near fall. Freddie drops Carr throat first across the top rope and kicks Carr off the apron to the floor. Freddie takes Carr out with a suicide dive on the floor! Freddie sends Carr into the railing and plays to the crowd. Freddie sends Carr into the railing again but Carr comes back with chops. Jay goes to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick back in the ring. Carr backdrops Freddie to the apron and kicks Freddie to the floor. Freddie rolls back in to hit a tilt a whirl back breaker. Freddie tries a few pin attempts but Carr gets out at two each time.
Freddie nails Carr with a roaring forearm but Carr drops Freddie with a superkick. They begin to trade strikes with neither man budging after several of them. Carr staggers Freddie with a kick but Jay comes back with a forearm strike. Carr kicks Freddie through the middle rope to the floor. Carr takes Freddie out with a suicide dive to the floor! Carr kicks Freddie from the apron and hits a moonsault off the apron.
Carr only manages to get a near fall on the cover. Freddie fights Carr on the middle rope and goes to the top rope to hit a jumping DDT for a near fall!
Carr superkicks Freddie in midair as he came off the top rope but only gets a near fall on the cover attempt. Carr kicks Jay but Jay returns the favor quickly. Carr is able to get a rollup and pins Freddie out of nowhere. (***1/4. The finish was kind of out of nowhere and wasn’t all that “hot” but these two work very well and they’ll meet again in 2CW. Freddie has improved a lot since his title reign a few years ago and is becoming of the better 2CW in-ring talents the company has to offer. Carr is on the rise to becoming a top singles star in the company, as well.)
Fourth Contest: Dalton Castle vs. Johnny Gargano: Castle wants Gargano to kiss his hand but instead Johnny delivers a super kick and nearly wins the match. They go to the floor where Johnny hammers away on Dalton several times. Castle pulls down the top rope and Gargano goes over the top to the floor but Johnny pulls Castle to the floor and chops Castle several times. Castle takes Gargano over with a head scissors on the floor. Gargano backdrops Dalton on the floor! Johnny hits a suicide dive to take Dalton out on the outside. Johnny jumps from the apron into the ring and plants Castle with a DDT.
Castle sends Gargano shoulder first into the ring post and begins to work over the shoulder of Gargano. Castle works over Johnny in the corner delivering a knee strike to his back. Dalton sends Johnny to the floor and taunts the fans. Castle controls Gargano on the floor and returns to the ring to play to the crowd. Johnny gets back into the ring before the count of ten and Dalton gets a two count. They both attempt vertical suplexs with Johnny managing to get Dalton over eventually. Johnny head scissors Caslte over the top to the floor. Gargano hits a spear from the apron back into the ring but Dalton kicks out at two. Johnny misses a kick on the canvas and Dalton nearly wins with the dead lift German suplex.
Gargano nails Castle with a couple of kicks but Castle comes back to drive Johnny gut first to the canvas. Castle knee lifts Johnny while on the top but gets shoved off. Johnny gets dropkicked off the top and crashes to the floor. Johnny with a double knee strike in the corner and drives Dalton face first into the middle turnbuckle but only gets a near fall. Johnny gets the win following a kick to the head. (***. A solid match between two of the more underrated talents going on the independent scene. Castle held his own very well.)
Fifth Contest: The World’s Cutest Tag Team vs. Brute Van Slyke & Kevin Graham: Ryan and Graham kick off the match. Graham taunts the fans after shoulder blocking Ryan. Ryan dropkicks Graham and takes Kevin down with an arm drag. Candice gets the tag and comes off the middle rope Graham taunts Candice by doing a Rick Rude pose and is dropkicked for doing so. Graham bails to the floor to stall. Brute gets tagged in to try his luck with the much smaller Candice. Brute doesn’t want her but rather Ryan, so, Candice starts punching him. Candice ducks a clothesline and hits a jaw breaker before tagging in Ryan. Joey clotheslines Brute but he doesn’t budge so Brute runs over Joey. Graham comes off the middle rope to strike Joey in the ribs and hits a side Russian leg sweep.
Ryan continues to be double teamed in the corner. Brute drives Ryan down to the canvas with a vertical suplex. Graham hits a rolling neck snap but Ryan powers out at two. Brute works over Joey with several stomps and gets another near fall. Brute hip tosses Ryan out of the corner and the fans start to chant for Candice. Ryan dropkicks Brute into the ropes and hits a German suplex. Candice gets the tag and comes off the top hitting a head scissors on Graham and has a submission hold locked in. Graham knocks Brute to the floor on accident and Candice walks the ropes to hit a hurricanrana sending Graham onto Brute on the floor!
Candice nearly pins Graham following a tornado DDT and tags in Ryan. Graham stops Joey with a jaw breaker and tags in Brute. Brute nails Ryan with a bicycle kick but Joey comes back with a super kick and here comes Candice to jump on Joey’s shoulders and he hits Brute with Candice’s legs. Graham breaks up the cover to help his partner. Kevin plants Joey with a STO and is chopped by Candice several times in the corner. Brute hits Candice with a big boot while Kevin hit a chop block but they can’t put Candice away. Candice hits a ball suplex on Graham and avoids Brute in the corner. Candice leaps off the top but is caught by Brute. Brute hits a back breaker and Graham comes off the top to hit a leg drop to pin Candice. (***1/2. Yet another good match on the card with Candice and Joey really impressing the crowd and it’s a big win for Brute and Graham. It’s this kind of performance that shows me, and I’m sure others, that Brute and Graham are future top acts for 2CW.) After the match, Graham tells Candice to call him in true heel fashion. Candice and Joey get the “please come back” treatment.
Sixth Contest: 2CW Heavyweight Champion Nick Ando vs. Jason Axe vs. Gregory Irons: Irons is dressed up as Juggerdawg, which is the masked persona that is portrayed by Jason Axe. Axe sends Ando over the top to start and Irons chops Axe followed by arm drags. Axe knocks Ando off the apron. Irons gets a couple of near falls on Axe with rollups. Irons avoids Axe and he goes over the top to the floor. Ando hits a suicide dive to take Axe out on the floor, which is a favorite move of everyone tonight it feels like. Irons takes both Ando and Axe out with a suicide dive. Axe and Ando hit a double spine buster on Irons but neither man can agree on who covers Irons. Irons continues to kick out of each of the pin attempts. This match feels like it is dragging.
Axe has both Ando and Irons laid out when he goes to the floor looking for a chair, which he finds under the ring. Ando goes to the floor and grabs the championship to have a standoff with Axe. The referee was laid out so they are getting away with this. Zack Gowen enters the ring and attacks Axe and Ando. Ando hits Axe with the championship and Gowen hits a one legged missile dropkick. Irons hits a spinning STO and Gowen hits a top rope moonsault on Ando but Irons can’t get the win due to the referee being out. Graham and Pun come out to prevent the pin fall for Irons and they brawl with Gowens to the backstage area. Back in the ring, Ando counters a fisherman buster to hit a spear and pins Axe. (*1/2. There wasn’t much going on here and as I stated it felt like it was dragging along. Ando going over is the right call. It’s one of the weaker 2CW championship matches, but with a great card like this, it doesn’t hurt the show.)
Seventh Contest: Supercop Dick Justice & Jasper Whipple vs. Pete D. Order & EMT vs. Rob Cook & Kage vs. Guero Loco & Steve McKenzie: Whipple and Justice pin Kage following a sunset flip and leg drop to end the local talent match.
Eighth Contest: Colin Delaney vs. AR Fox: They start off with some basic mat wrestling with neither man getting the clear cut advantage. Fox takes Delaney down to the mat and nearly wins with a rollup but we get a standoff right after Delaney kicks out. They both kip up after countering some offense and shove each other. Fox kicks Delaney in the midsection but is sent over the top to the floor and Delaney hits a suicide dive sending Fox back first into the guard railing. Fox misses a moonsault off the apron and is arm dragged face first into the guard railing. Fox nails Delaney with a big boot and Colin crashes to the floor. Fox sends Colin into the railing and runs towards Colin to deliver another leaping boot. Fox leg drops Delaney on the apron!
Back in the ring, Delaney works over Fox with chops. Fox stops Delaney with a big boot and gets the crowd behind him. Fox big boots Delaney and hits a moonsault for a near fall. Fox slams Colin and hits a corkscrew splash. They begin to trade forearm shots with Delaney getting the better of it. Colin yanks Fox out of the corner but is soon met with a boot to the face. Delaney misses a running dropkick in the corner. Fox misses a running splash and falls over the top to the floor. Delaney boots Fox into the guard railing and delivers a few chops. Colin chops Fox several times against the ropes and they begin to trade rollup attempts. Fox kicks Colin but runs into a forearm and they are both down as the fans show appreciation for their efforts thus far in the match. Delaney big boots Fox in the corner but is shoved off the top to the floor. Fox hits an insane somersault dive over the ring post to take Delaney out!
Fox quickly rolls Delaney into the ring and hits a top rope swanton bomb but Colin somehow kicks out at two! Colin avoids a one man Spanish Fly and comes off the middle rope to hit a middle rope stunner for a near fall. Fox plants Delaney with a Death Valley Driver and hits the 450 splash only for a near fall! Colin avoids the one man Spanish Fly but is kicked off the middle rope. Delaney kicks Fox from the apron only to be met with a kick himself. Delaney lifts Fox up and hits a kick. Fox finally hits the one man Spanish Fly and wins the match. (****. That was a great match and full of action. AR Fox is an incredibly gifted talent and Colin Delaney is one of the best all around performers you’re going to find on the independents. Luckily, these two will meet several more times.)
Prior the main event, the Young Bucks talk about beating the Hardy Boys last weekend at House of Hardcore and how the disrespected the teams from the 90s. They offer an apology but they just end up hitting super kicks and the match starts.
Main Event: 2CW Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boys vs. The Young Bucks: Bubba is met with another super kick and the same to D-Von as they had gotten to their knees. Matt works over D-Von in the corner and plays to the crowd after delivering several shots. Nick tags in and works over the arm of D-Von. Matt comes off the top to hit a double axe handle. D-Von gets a few strikes in on Matt but his offense is short lived. Nick comes off the top to deliver a double stomp to D-Von’s arm. Matt taunts Bubba on the apron as he continues to work over D-Von. Nick tags in and works over D-Von with stomps and does the suck it taunt. Matt knocks Bubba off the apron and does a cartwheel just to rake the back of D-Von. Matt spits at Bubba and is power slammed by D-Von. Bubba is ready for a tag after that sign of disrespect.
Nick distracts the referee when D-Von makes the tag and D-Von gets worked over in the corner. D-Von hits a double flying clothesline to knock the Bucks down. Bubba gets the tag and cleans house on the bucks hitting clotheslines and backdrops. Bubba splashes them in the corner and power slams Nick. Bubba big boots Matt before going back to Nick with jabs and an elbow strike. They hit the What’s Up on Matt. Bucks recover and hit the Dudley’s with super kicks! Bucks nearly pin D-Von after a top rope frog splash/standing moonsault combo. Bubba splashes Nick in the corner and super kicks Matt. D-Von gets a near fall following a slam. Matt comes off the top to hit a missile dropkick on the Dudley Boys. Bucks hit a spike tombstone piledriver but D-Von kicks out at two! The Bucks try for the What’s Up but Bubba hits an ace crusher on Nick in midair. Nick is met with an elevated reverse neck breaker for a near fall. Matt accidentally super kicks Nick and is met with the 3D to give the Dudley Boys the win. (**. This is hardly a match of the year that the fans were chanting for prior to the bout. At one point it felt like the Bucks were local guys doing the job for the Dudley’s and not a dream match. It was an average match at best.) After the match, Nick hits the champs with one of the titles. Dudley’s fight back and they put Matt through a table with a middle rope power bomb.
Final Thoughts:
Aside from the lackluster main event, this show is one of the best 2CW shows I’ve seen to this date. Freddie/Carr, Fox/Delaney, Cutest Tag Team/Brute & Graham, and Castle/Gargano are all entertaining matches. It’s an easy watch as it really went by quick to me with all the exciting action. Highly Recommended show.
Thanks for reading.