Written By: Bob Colling
Squared Circle Wrestling presents Living on the Edge III Night One
Date: 4/11/2008
From: Watertown, New York
A video highlighting various high spots that have taken place during 2CW’s existence is aired to open up the DVD.
Max Bauer comes out and cuts a promo saying that he is done playing games and is ready for some serious competition in Squared Circle Wrestling. Johnny Law comes out and impersonates Triple H, but instead of using water he uses donuts. That was kind of funny. Law just says that he was supposed to make an appearance and leave, so he does just that and leaves. That was completely pointless. Moments later, Nikki Roxx comes out to answer Bauer’s challenge. Bauer completely insults Roxx saying that because she is a woman, he will hurt her. Bauer cheap shots Roxx to open up the contest.
Opening Contest: Nikki Roxx defeated Max Bauer: Bauer catches Roxx on a top rope cross body attempt but Roxx gets out of the slam situation. Bauer manages to shove Roxx away on an attempted dropkick. Roxx avoids a big splash in the corner and attempts a sunset flip but Bauer is too strong and ends up tossing her across the ring. Bauer misses a running attack and falls over the top to the floor. Roxx leaps off the top rope to hit Bauer on the floor with a cross body! Roxx comes off the ropes but runs into Bauer who proceeds to mock her. Bauer scoop slams Roxx followed by a big splash in the corner! Bauer grabs Roxx on the floor ramming her face first into the apron. Bauer charges towards Roxx but misses a spear of sorts and hits the guard railing shoulder first. Roxx almost wins following a stunner and a running senton splash. Bauer blocks a big boot attempt and goes for a power bomb but Roxx punches out of it and lands on top of Bauer for a two count. Bauer stops Roxx’s comeback with a big boot for a near fall as Bauer lifts her shoulders up. Bauer delivers a big back breaker and taunts the fans. Cameraman Jay Freddie gets on the apron and distracts Bauer. This allows Roxx to bite Bauer and rolls Bauer up for the win! *
Before the match, Parks and Hellcat are greeted with the toilet paper treatment. Just like what would happen to Jimmy Rave in ROH for several years. Hellcat cuts a promo saying he is going to break everyone’s face once he gets done beating up Vida and Love.
Second Contest: JD Love/Loca Vida defeated Hellcat/Pepper Parks: Early on, Vida double knee lifts Parks and Hellcat in the corner leading to the doggy style position that doesn’t get much of a reaction. The referee is distracted by Love on the apron and that allows Hellcat and Parks to control Vida for several moments. Good lord Love isn’t even bothering to give an effort for this match. Love literally punches Hellcat with his man boobs but is attacked by Parks who dumped Vida to the floor. Hellcat accidentally hits Parks which leads to Love rolling Hellcat up for the win. DUD
Third Contest: All Money Is Legal/Ajax 820 defeated Wyld Stallyons/Gordy Wallace: I quite honestly have zero interest in what these six guys do in the ring. Thus, I completely fast forwarded through the match to save myself from jumping off a cliff. Late in the match, the Killer Steves came out to attack the Wyld Stayllons and Gordy Wallace. Ajax leaps off the top rope to splash onto both Stayllons to win the match for his team. It was even a waste of time watching this despite fast forwarding through it. NR
Fourth Contest: Human Tornado defeated Isys Ephex: Tornado ducks under a clothesline to arm drag Ephex after a few moments of stalling. Tornado switches into a head scissors but Ephex gets out of the hold pretty quickly. Ephex works on Tornado with a forearm shot before controlling Tornado with a sleeper hold. Ephex hits Tornado with a shoulder block but Tornado battles back with a spinning heel kick and several kicks in the corner. Tornado begins to dance to some music while kicking Ephex in the corner. Tornado finishes off with a split to kick Ephex in the groin for a two count. Tornado follows up with another near fall following a senton splash and standing moonsault. Ephex tries to do a split but isn’t able to succeed at pulling it off. Ephex kicks Tornado on the apron after back dropping Tornado over. Ephex grabs Tornado to connect with a sick slingshot suplex onto the apron! Tornado sends Ephex into the guard railing to regain the advantage. Ephex brings Tornado back into the ring but runs into a big boot. Ephex stops Tornado with a swinging neck breaker but only manages to get a two count. Ephex springboards off the middle rope to splash Tornado for another near fall. Tornado counters a cocky cover attempt with a crucifix but Ephex reaches the bottom rope. Tornado charges out of the corner with a running dropkick to send Ephex into a corner. Tornado bitch slaps Ephex causing Ephex to drop across the middle rope where Tornado leapfrogs over the top rope to double stomp Ephex before landing on the floor! Tornado nearly wins following a slingshot senton splash. Ephex tosses Tornado away on a tornado DDT attempt but Tornado connects with a cross body for a near fall. Ephex gets out of a t-bone suplex and puts Tornado in the Torture Rack until Tornado arm drags Ephex! Ephex comes out of the corner to hit Tornado with a rolling kick that hardly connected but still gets a two count. Ephex hits a sit out front slam of sorts for a near fall. Tornado gets out of a suplex attempt and takes Ephex over with a t-bone suplex for the win. **1/4
Fifth Contest: John Walters defeated 2CW Heavyweight Champion Dizzie and Brian Fury to win the title: Dizzie is double teamed early on after he refused to shake hands. Dizzie suffers a double hip toss and backdrop followed by a clothesline sending him to the floor. Fury almost gets a quick win over Walters with a rollup. Fury back elbows Walters for another two count. Fury shoves Walters to the apron and is met with a top rope cross body from Walters for a two count. Dizzie drags Fury to the floor and sends him into the guard railing chest first. Dizzie returns to the ring to get a near fall on Walters after dropping him throat first across the top rope from the apron. Dizzie scoop slams Walters three times before knocking Fury off the apron and gets a two count on Walters. Walters tries a power bomb on Dizzie but Fury leaps off the top to dropkick Walters to the floor and gets a two count on the champ. Fury continues his offense with a back suplex on Dizzie for a two count. Fury runs into a big boot in the corner from Dizzie, but crotches Dizzie on the top rope. Fury sets Dizzie up and connects with a superplex, though he missed a spot with Walters. Walters leaps off the middle rope to elbow drop Fury for a two count. Walters sets Fury on the top rope to hit a hurricanrana and follows up with a top rope knee drop for a near win! Walters misses a forearm shot and Fury slams Walters with a modified abdominal stretch slam for a two count. Walters gets a near fall on a roll up but ends up running into Dizzie who hits a Death Valley Driver for a two count. Fury nails Dizzie with the roll of the dice for a two count as well. Walters forearm shots Fury in the corner and delivers a double under hook power bomb for a near fall. Dizzie works on Walters with a few shots but runs into a big back elbow. Walters sends Dizzie into the corner shoulder first. Walters back suplexs Dizzie off the top while Fury grabs Walters to hit a pointless German suplex since Walters was going that way anyway. Fury gets a couple of near falls as a result. Fury plants Walters with a sit down power bomb for a two count. Fury and Dizzie knock each other out with discus punches. All three men begin to punch each other until Dizzie is knocked down. Walters rolls through a rollup and puts the Sharpshooter on Fury, but he reaches the bottom rope! Fury super kicks Walters on the apron but Dizzie hits a double knee strike on Fury. Walters returns to the ring and dropkicks Dizzie followed by a quick DDT to Fury to win the title! ***
After the match, Dizzie flips out about the loss while Walters celebrates his big title win.
Sixth Contest: Tony Atlas defeated Zaquary Springate III in a flag match: I’ll save myself from having to watch a match that is pretty much the same match from the Oncenter show two years ago. Atlas eventually sends Springate to the floor with a series of right hands and decides to not waste his time climbing to the middle rope to grab the flag. Instead, he just pulls the tape apart from the ring post to grab the flag and earn the win. DUD
After the match, Atlas notes that on the 23rd it his birthday, which the announcer decides to freak out about that fact. Atlas talks about the real heroes of the world like firefighters and policemen. Seemed like a really random thing to want to talk about.
Seventh Contest: Slyck Wagner Brown defeated Antonio Thomas to earn a 2CW Heavyweight Championship shot: Brown backs Thomas into a corner but the referee backs Brown away. Brown nearly gets a win by rolling Thomas over onto his back while having a head scissors locked in. Brown gets to his feet and arm drags Thomas leading to a standoff. Thomas back elbows Brown in the corner but misses a cross body attempt. Brown dropkicks Thomas into the ropes and both men crash to the floor after Brown hits Thomas with a cross body. On the floor, they exchange a series of chops with Brown getting the upper hand. Brown waits for Thomas to get up in the crowd and dives over the railing to take Thomas out with a dive! Brown chops Thomas before grabbing a trash can and tosses it at Thomas! Thomas crawls up the bleachers to try and get away from Brown. Brown teases tossing Thomas over the railing but Thomas is able to punch Brown away. Thomas works on Brown with a couple of trash can shots. Thomas puts the can over Brown’s body and kicks the can! Thomas insults Brown by dumping Coke on top of him. Thomas continues to chop Brown’s back on the floor for a few moments. Thomas heads to the top rope as Brown is rolled into the ring. Thomas leaps off and hits Brown with a nice missile dropkick but only manages to get a two count. Thomas attempts a suplex back into the ring while Brown is on the apron. Brown trades right hands with Thomas eventually getting the upper hand. Brown sunset flips back into the ring for a two count. Brown nails Thomas with a few clotheslines to keep the momentum. Brown plants Thomas with a neck breaker/hip toss combo for a two count. Thomas gets an elbow up in the corner to stop a charging Thomas. Brown spin kicks Thomas but is stopped with a snap scoop slam from Thomas for a two count! Brown stops Thomas on the top rope and begins to chop Thomas a few times. Thomas tries to block a superplex attempt and eventually hits a front suplex off the top rope! Thomas covers Brown but Brown rolls Thomas up for a near fall. Brown quickly hits a leg lariat but Thomas pops his shoulder up at two! Thomas gets out a suplex attempt but fails on a back suplex attempt. Brown rolls through a sunset flip and puts the Texas Cloverleaf on Thomas! Brown has it on right in the middle of the ring! Brown keeps the hold on for about a minute until Thomas is forced to tap out. **3/4
After the match, Brown plants Thomas with the Appreciation Bomb!
Main Event: Spike Dudley defeated Jason Axe in a Last Man Standing match: Axe dumps Dudley to the floor after a lengthy promo where Dudley called Axe a faggot about ten times. Axe slides to chairs into the ring and whacks Dudley across the back a few times. Axe chokes Dudley in the corner with the chair for a brief amount of time. Axe sets a chair up in the corner but Dudley atomic drops Axe. Axe stops Dudley with a knee lift to the gut and rams Dudley head first into a chair set up in the corner! Dudley has been busted open as Axe has grabbed a table under the ring. Dudley sends Axe into the guard railing chest first. They go into the crowd where Dudley hits Axe with a steel chair. They battle up the bleachers and Axe tosses Dudley down the steps. Axe sends a bloody Dudley over the railing and back to the ringside area. Axe continues to work on Dudley with several chair shots. Axe has three chairs in the ring on top of each other. Axe attempts a superplex but Dudley fights Axe off at first. Axe is able to connect on the second attempt and Dudley lands right on the three chairs. Dudley ducks under a clothesline to head butt Axe! Dudley attempts the Acid Drop but Axe blocks it by dumping Dudley over the top rope and through a table on the floor! Dudley sends Axe into the bleachers, that aren’t set up. Dudley has a ladder over Axe’s head and drives Axe head first into the bleachers! Dudley climbs up to the top of the bleachers and dives onto Axe! Dudley tosses a few chairs into the ring before rolling Axe back in. Axe blocks the Acid Drop by tossing Dudley onto five chairs. Axe dumps out a bag full of thumbtacks! Axe crotches Dudley on the top rope and looks for a superplex but Dudley blocks it. Dudley bites Axe’s face and shoves Axe off the middle rope onto the tacks! Dudley leaps off the top rope to hit Axe with a double stomp, and connects! Dudley manages to Acid Drop Axe on to the five chairs! The referee begins another count and Axe is unable to answer the ten count. **1/2
After the match, Max Bauer returns and scoop slams Dudley onto the chairs.
My Take: The show really started off slowly with three lackluster bouts. I’ve kind of liked Bauer’s work and ends up losing to his real life wife Nikki Roxx was just dumb. How can someone take that big man seriously when he is losing to women? I don’t see the point in that decision.
NWA Upstate were good at getting heat, but their opponents (namely Love), just didn’t seem to put forth the effort to make the match decent. I like Hellcat and the former cheerleader Parks and hope they are on future 2CW shows I review. If they are given the proper opponents they could put on good matches.
Tornado/Ephex had a few decent spots, but high spots don’t make for a good match. They didn’t seem to have good chemistry and the match just really average. I’m kind of disgusted that Human Tornado went over here as well. No one, at the time at least, knew who Tornado was and he goes over a 2CW regular? 2CW does that a lot and I don’t understand it.
The three way match for the 2CW Heavyweight Championship was a good bout and I love that Walters won the strap. Walters has been a great wrestler for several years but I have really been enjoying his work in 2CW. Dizzie’s reign wasn’t all that bad, as it could’ve been a lot worse.
Thomas/Brown was a another good little bout that featured some good wrestling and some brawling. The aftermath was kind of confusing with Brown attacking Thomas. That isn’t something a babyface typically does. If Brown is getting a title shot on Night Two, a Brown/Walters match could be a classic match for 2CW. We shall see on that.
The main event was actually pretty decent. Axe and Dudley seemed to have a difficult time putting on good bouts during their near two year feud but I thought their brawling for the match was done nicely and kind of entertaining. Solid bout for what it was and nice to see Spike finally pin Axe.
Overall, three way, Brown/Thomas and the main event were the only bouts that were good, really. For me, everything else was just really flat and lackluster. This show is sold with Night Two, so I will give my verdict on whether or not to buy the package deal when Night Two is reviewed.
Thanks for reading.