3PW One Year Anniversary Show 2/15/2003

Written By: Bob Colling

Pro Pain Pro Wrestling presents One Year Anniversary Show
Date: 2/15/2003
From: Philadelphia, PA

Opening video

Opening Contest: Prince Nana defeated Jeff Rocker: They trade wrist locks with Nana knocking Rocker down with a shoulder block. Rocker with a hip toss and a couple of arm drags. Nana backs Rocker into the corner and chops away on him. Nana is turned around into the corner and chopped by Rocker. Rocker takes Nana down with a belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Nana drives Rocker down with a backbreaker but doesn’t go for the pin. Nana with several jabs in the corner and splashes Rocker in the corner. Nana with a running butt splash in the corner as well. Nana chokes Rocker on the bottom rope, and his manager Mr. Showtime chokes Rocker behind the referees back. Rocker with a t-bone suplex and several clotheslines. Rocker charges towards the corner but is dropped face first across the top turnbuckle. Nana distracts the referee and Mr. Showtime chokes Rocker. Rocker is able to plant Nana with a straight jacket brain buster of sorts and goes for the cover but the referee is distracted by Mr. Showtime. Seconds later Nana is able to plant Rocker with a jumping DDT for the win. **½

Before the next match, Raven has a microphone. Raven say that he doesn’t think the fans came here to him play in the under-card. Instead, he thinks the fans want to see him wrestle in the main event. Raven talks about creating Meanie’s character and tells Meanie that he doesn’t want to take advantage of him. Raven says that he isn’t going to leave the ring until he gets a title shot. 3PW Heavyweight Champion Gary Wolfe comes out to answer the challenge. Wolfe says welcome back to “job boy”. Wolfe tells Raven that on the indy circuit they earn the titles. Wolfe says that he will be adding Raven to the title match against Xavier. Raven jokes that Wolfe looks like Elton John’s life partner. Raven attacks Meanie.

Second Contest: Raven defeated Blue Meanie: Raven hits Meanie with the microphone and plants Meanie with the Evenflow DDT. NR

Before the next match, Rebel makes sure to insult the Philadelphia crowd. Rebel tries to talk to Jason Knight to not wrestle in the match. Rebel suggests that they go find some dudes girlfriend and sleep with her. Knight isn’t interested in it and clotheslines Rebel.

Third Contest: Rockin Rebel defeated Jason Knight in a no disqualification match: Knight with a few knee drops a back elbow as Rebel comes off the ropes. Knight with a few shoulder rams in the corner and a dropkick sends Rebel to the floor. Knight slams Rebel face first onto the announcers table. Rebel is able to send Knight shoulder first into the ring post and sends Knight into the ring. Rebel takes Knight down with a vertical suplex for a two count. Scoop slam by Rebel and he connects with a leg drop coming of the ropes for a near fall. Rebel drops Knight with a dropkick and drops a elbow. Jasmine St. Claire distracts the referee as Rebel went for the cover. Rebel spanks St. Clair and this allows Knight to plant Rebel with a sit out front suplex. Blue Meanie runs in and nails Knight with the Stunner. Rebel rolls Knight up to win the match. DUD

Fourth Contest: Kid Kash defeated Mike Kruel: Kruel with a wristlock early on but Kash reverses into a hammer lock. Kruel with a takedown and has a brief advantage. Kruel with a hip toss and a arm drag. Kash wit a hip toss of his own and they have a stand off. Kash with a wristlock but Kruel counters with one of his own. Kruel with a small package as Kash took him down for a near fall. They trade some more arm drags and have another stand off. Kruel with a shot to the midsection of Kash and chokes Kash across the middle rope. Kruel connects with a reverse back elbow and taunts the fans. Snap mare takedown and Kruel has a head scissors locked on. Kash gets out of it and backdrops Kruel to the apron. Kash knocks Kruel to the floor with a springboard dropkick. Kash takes Kruel out with a cross body off the top and that gets a ECW chant. Kash throws a chair at Kruel’s face, and that doesn’t get a ECW chant. Kash goes for the cover back in the ring but Kruel is able to kick out. Overhand chop by Kash and pokes Kruel in the eyes. Kash goes back to chopping away on Kruel. Kruel with a back elbow to a charging Kash. Kruel is able to deliver a super kick as well and gets a two count. Scoop slam by Kruel and leaps off the middle rope connecting with a elbow drop for another two count. Kash tries to battle back with right hands but Kruel delivers several overhand blows to stop the offensive attack. Kruel with a chin lock and delivers a few more overhand strikes. Kash kicks Kruel down after avoiding a clothesline. Kash with a springboard somersault dropkick! Kash goes for the cover but Kruel reaches the bottom rope. Kash chops away again on Kruel and goes for a backdrop. Kruel is able to block the backdrop with a vertical suplex. Kruel with a few right hands as Kash comes up on the apron. Kruel brings Kash in with a delayed vertical suplex and plays to the crowd. Kruel drops a leg and gets a two count, again. Kruel runs into a boot in the corner and Kash is able to clothesline Kruel coming off the middle rope! Kash covers but Kruel kicks out at two. Kruel plants Kash with a sit down power bomb but is only able to get a two count! Kruel locks in a arm breaker but lets go quickly. Kruel works on Kash in the corner with right hands and chokes him. Kash comes back with a double jump hurricanrana and a quick tornado DDT coming off the ropes but only gets a two count! Kruel with a sunset flip pin attempt for a two count. They trade a couple of pin attempts, but neither man gets the win. Kruel with a slightly botched spine buster for a near fall. Kash is able to plant Kruel with the Money Maker to win the match. ***

Fifth Contest: Balls Mahoney/Nosawa defeated Da Hit Squad: Hit Squad attack their opponents before the bell. Mack misses clothesline but is able to take Mahoney down with a overhead belly to belly suplex. Mafia is working on Nosawa on the floor. Mahoney with a sit out spine buster on Mack in the ring. Mahoney misses a top rope moonsault and is sent over the top to the floor by Mack. Mafia and Nosawa roll into the ring where Mafia chops away on Nosawa. Mack uses a ring bell to hit Mahoney on the floor. Nosawa with a sidekick on Mafia and right hands. Mahoney is using a microphone on Mack on the floor. Mafia with a low blow on Nosawa. Mahoney slides in and delivers several jabs to Mafia followed by a right hand. Mahoney with a clothesline on Mafia and heads to the top rope where he misses a leg drop. Clothesline/German suplex combo by the Hit Squad on Mahoney that gets a near fall. Mafia with a exploder suplex on Nosawa. Mack slides a table into the ring and it is placed right in front of Nosawa who is in the corner. Mafia connects with a cannonball splash through the table into Nosawa! Mack with a few head butts and a low blow to drop Nosawa. Mack scoop slams Nosawa and tags in Mafia who drops a elbow for a near fall. Mafia continues with a back elbow to the throat of Nosawa. Nosawa is worked on for a few moments, but manages to flip them off a few times. Mack charges towards the corner and is sent into the corner with a drop toe hold. Nosawa with a running face wash in the corner and comes back with a series of clotheslines and a shining wizard. Mahoney tags in and hits both Hit Squad members with right hands and clotheslines. Short arm clothesline by Mahoney on Mack for a near fall. Mahoney with a cradle Russian leg sweep on Mafia and comes off the top with a frog splash and only gets a two count! Mahoney has a chair and goes to hit Mafia but he moves and almost his Nosawa. Nosawa flips Mahoney off and shoves him. Mahoney is planted with a double team elevated neck breaker but Nosawa breaks up the count. Mahoney with a series of jabs on Mack but is planted with a sit down scoop slam by Mack. Mack misses a frog splash off the top and Nosawa accidentally hits Mahoney with a chair. Hit Squad with a double roll up but are unable to get a three count. Mahoney super kicks Mafia and smashes a chair over the head of Mafia. Mafia flips of Mahoney but crashes to the mat. Mahoney covers Mafia to win the match. **
After the match, Mahoney and Nosawa brawl with Mahoney getting the upper hand. Mahoney goes to hit Nosawa with a chair but Nosawa slides to the floor. Mahoney challenges Nosawa to a falls count anywhere match on March 29th. I guess Nosawa accepts the challenge.

Tod Gordon, Mini Meanie and Jasmine St. Claire come out to judge the wet t-shirt contest. The first contestant is Jersey Girl who gets water dumped on her by Annihilation who is standing in the crowd. I can’t hear what the judges are saying, but it appears they are saying she has a lot of promise in becoming something. The second contestant is named, Cyber Chick. Some 3PW fans dump water on her. Jasmine St. Clair pretty much says the same thing to second contestant that she said to the first one. Mini Meanie is just a moron who tries to be a funny goof and it just doesn’t work. Third contestant is named Brianna and the judges pretty much offer nothing. The fourth contestant is Missy Hyatt. The judges really put over Hyatt’s boobs as being the best of the bunch. The final contestant is… NICOLE BASS. Oh god. Bass slides onto the judges table and the judges try to bail! I guess Bass ends up winning and takes Mini Meanie to the backstage area. Missy Hyatt cuts a promo wondering why she isn’t more involved with 3PW. St. Claire ends up throwing water on Hyatt and they have a cat fight. The fight is broken up by security.

Matt Striker and Rob Eckos make their way down to the ring. Striker talks about getting fired up when the crowd claps for them, which they do not. Striker names a series of old school wrestlers and wants the fans to clap their hands, to no avail. Eckos tells Striker that they do not buy Striker as a baby face. Eckos reminds Striker it is 2003 and not 1983.

Sixth Contest: Matt Striker/Rob Eckos defeated Damien Adams/Josh Daniels: Adams and Daniels chase Eckos and Striker around the ring. They enter the ring where Daniels and Adams control the match with double elbow drops and hip tosses. Striker and Eckos roll to the floor. Eckos controls Adams with a few right hands but Adams is able to scoop slam Eckos down. Eckos with a knee lift and tags in Striker. Striker walks into a back elbow for a near fall. Daniels is tagged in and drives Striker down with a back suplex for a two count. Striker a tilt a whirl arm drag and a head scissors takedown. Nice dropkick by Striker as well and he walks the top rope chopping down across the arm of Daniels. Striker hits Daniels with the heart punch and a series of JYD like head butts! Eckos tags in and goes up top trying for a double axe handle but Daniels catches him with a overhead belly to belly suplex! Eckos with a side Russian leg sweep into a clothesline on Daniels. Strike tags back in and chops Daniels a few times. Striker with a polish hammer on Daniels for a near fall. Striker with a running forearm smash on Daniels for another two count. Striker drives a forearm across the back of Daniels and Eckos gets a two count. Daniels with a series of chops and a snap suplex, followed by a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Eckos is able to deliver a super kick to Daniels and hits Adams off the apron. Daniels is able to drive both Striker and Eckos down with a DDT and goes to tag Adams but Eckos knocks Adams off the apron. Striker with a chop on Daniels but Daniels comes back with a series of chops and rights but Striker goes on a War Path. Striker backs into a German suplex from Daniels. Striker and Daniels tag out and Adams cleans house with right hands. Adams with a Samoan Drop and a double leg slam on Eckos. Striker pulls Adams out of the ring breaking up the pin attempt. Striker crotches Adams on the top rope and Eckos goes up top trying for a Diamond Dust. Eckos is able to somehow hit a sit out front slam and gets the three count. *¾

Seventh Contest: Low Ki defeated Homicide: They shake hands before the match as they have a long history and respect for each other. They lock up and back each other into the corner. Neither man lets go as they drop down to the mat. Ki gets his legs in the ropes and they are forced to stand up. Mat wrestling seems to be the theme to start as Ki has Homicide in a triangle choke but Homicide picks him up with one arm. Homicide brings Ki to the ropes and Ki drops down across the ropes adding torque to the move. Ki lets go and slides back into the ring. Ki is on his back and they begin to go into a shoot wrestling style it seems. Homicide with a leg lock and delivers a couple right hands. Ki with a kick to the head and is able to break free of the move. Ki kicks Homicide on the knee and they trade a few head butts. Homicide dropkicks Ki’s knee twice and snap mares Ki down for a near fall. Ki kicks Homicide in the head to break free of a chin lock. Homicide rolls to the floor to grab a chair but drops it. Ki with a knee in the corner and several chops. Nice quick dropkick to the back of a seated Homicide. Ki continues with a series of uppercuts and chops. Homicide with a side headlock to stop the chopping of Ki. Shoulder block by Homicide off the ropes and they trade arm drags which leads to a stand off and a standing ovation. Ki uses Homicide’s own arm to choke himself in a modified camel clutch. Homicide gets out of a head scissors and has a camel clutch locked in. Bow and arrow by Homicide but Ki kicks Homicide a few times to break the hold. Homicide dropkicks the knee of Ki again and Homicide drops down across the knee of Ki. Ki slaps the knee of Homicide to get out of a leg lock. Homicide is able to drop a knee across the forehead of Ki for a near fall. Ki sends Homicide to the floor and goes for a slingshot cross body but Homicide rolls into the ring. Ki recovers and connects with a springboard clothesline from the apron for a near fall. Ki dropkicks Homicide’s knee and kicks Homicide a few times on the chest. Ki with a stiff kick to the head of Homicide and Homicide is knocked out! Ki covers but Homicide is able to pop his shoulder up at two! Ki misses a cartwheel kick in the corner and Homicide is able to drive Ki down with a back suplex. Homicide with a elbow drop off the middle rope for a near fall. Homicide works on Ki with a series of uppercuts and chops before looking in a double under hook headlock. Homicide comes off the middle rope but is met in midair with a rolling kick from Ki! Ki covers but Homicide is able to kick out again. Ki follows up with a quick elbow drop coming off the ropes for a two count. Ki with several more chops in the corner and a running yakuza kick in the corner, twice! Ki covers but Homicide kicks out! Homicide nails Ki with a forearm from the apron but Ki knocks Homicide to the floor with a cartwheel kick! Homicide avoids a tiger faint kick but can’t avoid a baseball slide. Ki punches Homicide onto a chair and delivers a running yakuza kick sending Homicide into the crowd! Ki covers Homicide in the ring but Homicide powers out at two. Homicide with a yakuza kick of his own in the corner. Ki knocks Homicide off the middle rope but Homicide comes back and connects with a hurricanrana but Ki rolls through for a cover but Homicide kicks out! Homicide is able to lock in the STF but Ki reaches the bottom rope. Overhead suplex by Homicide for another near fall. Homicide signals for the Cop Killa but Ki gets out of it and attempts a roll up but they botch it. Ki with the dragon clutch but Homicide gets up and drops Ki down with a sit down fireman’s carry slam and covers but Ki kicks out at two. Shining Wizard by Homicide but doesn’t follow up. Ki blocks another shining wizard and dropkicks Homicide. Ki with a hard kick to the back of Homicide’s head for a two count. Homicide fights out of the Ki Krusher once, but Ki goes for it again and hits it for the win. ***¼

Eighth Contest: 3PW Heavyweight Champion Gary Wolfe defeated Xavier and Raven in a elimination match to retain the title: They all lock up and push off of each other, doing nothing. Three way headlock and Raven is able to shoulder block Xavier down and takes Xavier down with a backdrop. Raven also takes Xavier over with a head scissors. Xavier drags Raven to the floor and sends Raven into the guard railing. Wolfe grabs Xavier back into the ring and just drops Xavier hard on his head. Wolfe works on Xavier in the corner briefly until Xavier comes back with a clothesline and a bad looking head scissors. Raven nails Xavier with a few right hands but is clotheslined by Xavier as he came out of the corner. Xavier with several right hands that drop Raven in the corner. Wolfe and Xavier double team Raven in the corner. Double clothesline knocks Raven to the floor. Xavier rolls Wolfe up from behind but only gets a two count. Xavier with a clothesline and northern lights suplex. Xavier again sends Raven over the top to the floor. Xavier with a series of kicks and right hands in the corner on Wolfe. Xavier baseball slides Raven into the guard railing. Xavier goes back to work on Wolfe with right hands. Raven enters the ring but is knocked down by Xavier with more right hands. Wolfe sends Xavier into the corner and delivers more right hands. Wolfe knocks Raven off the apron with a forearm shot, Wolfe splashes Xavier in the corner and takes Xavier over with a overhead belly to belly suplex. Wolfe power bombs Xavier and catapults Xavier into Raven in the corner. Wolfe lifts Xavier up and connects with the Burning Hammer! Wolfe covers but Raven breaks up the count. Raven delivers several right hands on Wolfe in the corner. Raven clotheslines Xavier out of the corner. Raven goes for the DDT on Xavier but Xavier counters into a attempted suplex but Raven is able to counter again with a DDT. Raven covers and Xavier is eliminated. Wolfe goes to the floor to get a chair and throws the chair into the face of Raven. Wolfe places the chair across Raven’s face and connects with a leg drop. Wolfe gets another chair and slides a table into the ring. Wolfe sets the table up in the corner and drop toe holds Raven into the chair. Wolfe grabs Raven and throws Raven through the table in the corner! Wolfe covers but Raven kicks out at two. Wolfe drops down across the back of Raven a few times. Wolfe proceeds to lock in a chin lock in the middle of the ring but Raven isn’t giving up. Raven prevents his arm from dropping three times and is able to get his knees up as Wolfe tried to jump down across Raven’s back. Raven with a clothesline and misses a running clothesline coming off the ropes Running knee lift by Raven and drives Wolfe down with a running bulldog following a clothesline in the corner. Raven goes for the cover but Wolfe kicks out at two. Raven goes for the DDT but Wolfe counters with the Death Valley Driver. Wolfe covers and picks up the win. **¼

Before the main event, Terry Funk grabs a microphone and says that the match is going to be a ECW style match.

Main Event: Terry Funk defeated Sabu: Funk throws a couple of chairs into the ring and throws a table into the ring. Sabu meets Funk with right hands as Funk is on the apron. Sabu goes to the floor and Funk delivers left hands. Funk nails Sabu with a chair shot and continues with more left hands. Funk rams Sabu head first into the announcers table. Funk and Sabu are standing on the apron and Sabu connects with a series of right hands that cause Funk to crash through the table. Funk tosses in a piece of the broken table into the ring. Sabu cuts Funk off with a chair shot as Funk tried to enter the ring. Sabu has a spike and tries to hi Funk but Funk appears to block it. That doesn’t last as Sabu is able to spike Funk a couple of times. Sabu jams the spike into the forehead of Funk and Funk is busted wide open! Sabu covers Funk in the ring but Funk kicks out at two. Sabu with a camel clutch in the middle of the ring but Funk doesn’t give up. Sabu goes back to using the spike on Funk. Funk with a low blow and a pile driver! Funk grabs Sabu and connects with a pile driver onto the steel chair! Funk sends Sabu through the middle rope to the floor. Funk grabs a section of guard railing and tosses it at Sabu! Funk goes back to work on Sabu with left hands on the floor. Funk bridges a chair in the corner and sends Sabu head first into the chair. Funk grabs a table but Sabu recovers and plants Funk with a DDT. Sabu sets up the table and places Funk on the table. The table kind of collapses but Sabu leaps off the top and misses a leg drop and crashes through the table. Funk is able to hit the DDT on the broken table to win the match. *½
After the match, Funk grabs a microphone. Funk says that he is a old SOB but says that it is the fans like the 3PW fans that make it possible for him to get in the ring, or something. The microphone is pretty bad.

End of show

My Take: This is the first show that 3PW held outside of the ECW Arena. The show took place at the Electric Factory. At the time, XPW signed a exclusive lease for the ECW Arena and that forced 3PW and several other independent groups to move their shows. The venue was more like a bar setting instead of a wrestling venue. I’m not that big of it, and not fan of the placement of the camera.

Nana/Rocker wasn’t a bad opener, actually. I have never heard of Rocker but he displayed some pretty good offense moves. Nana is a quality heel as you may know him from ROH. The fans seemingly were behind Rocker for the brief time he was competing. Also, Nana was some pretty sweet entrance music.

Not sure why Raven would be just added to the title match later on. It’s his first show and he is already calling the shots? I just find that odd. Anyway, the triple threat match is more appealing than a Wolfe/Xavier title match.

The whole feud between Knight/Meanie is just not interesting. So, Knight took Meanie’s whore of a girlfriend (I mean that in terms of storyline, kind of). That has been done to death. The match between Rebel/Knight was pretty bad, even with a No DQ stipulation.

Kruel/Kash was a good match. Kruel is clearly still green here as Kash was able to carry him to a respectable showing. The 3PW announcers try to sell this as a match of the year candidate. It isn’t even close to that level, so they over hyped in that sense. It is defiantly a top ten match in 3PW history, up to this point but that is about it.

Hit Squad/Mahoney & Nosawa match didn’t do much for me, really. It started off as a brawl, but then once it actually got down to a somewhat normal tag team match, it just got really repetitive and boring. Nosawa’s gimmick of saying “Fuck You” all the time is getting old as well. The fans seem to have lost a lot of interest in him.

The fact that Nicole Bass was involved in a wet t-shirt contest is disturbing. I advise anyone thinking of purchasing this DVD to avoid that at all costs. You may lose your lunch after seeing what happened there.

Another lame tag team match to follow the wet t-shirt contest. Striker is trying really hard to get the fans to start cheering him. He is the baby face, or the attempted baby face, of the group that consists of Eckos and Joey Matthews. Matthews wasn’t on the show because of the traveling issues. At least that is what one of the announcers had said.

Ki/Homicide wasn’t a epic encounter that you might think it would have been, It was a good match though, but it had its share of slow parts and that hurt the rating from me. Seemed like a lot of kicks and chops, and to me that isn’t overly entertaining.

The fans just aren’t into Gary Wolfe being the 3PW Heavyweight Champion. Who can really blame them? Considering all the names that have been working for 3PW on a regular basis, you have a glorified tag team wrestler as the heavyweight champion. Just doesn’t make the company look all that great. The match wasn’t all that great. Xavier getting eliminated first was expected, and when it came down to Raven/Wolfe they botched a few moves. Wolfe needs to drop the belt sooner rather than later. He isn’t a main event wrestler.

For nostalgia purposes, Funk/Sabu was enjoyable to watch. It was just a hardcore brawl with nothing too outlandish occurring. The finish wasn’t something I was a fan of, because it just seemed weak considering who was involved in the match.

Overall, the opener, Kash/Kruel and Homicide/Ki were the only matches that I found to be entertaining. 3PW tries to come across like a second rate version of ECW and they succeed to a point. The wet t-shirt portion of the show was just a waste of time and not needed.

Thanks for reading.