3PW A New Era 6/21/2003

Written by: Bob Colling

Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling presents A New Era
Date: 6/21/2003
From: Philadelphia, PA

Opening Contest: Kid Kruel vs. Josh Daniels: This is a battle between two Upstate New York guys. Kruel is from Cortland while Daniels is from Syracuse. They start off with some mat wrestling which saw both men get some offense in. Kruel is focusing on Josh’s arm looking for a submission. Kruel avoids a top rope dive and locks in an arm bar but Josh refuses to give in. Kruel continues to focus his offense on Daniels left arm. They did some solid chain wrestling as Mike is relentlessly going for the arm. Kruel leaps off the middle rope to hit an elbow drop for a two count. Daniels tosses Kruel with release German suplex. Josh with a flurry of offense but Kruel kicks out at two. Kruel tries for a few roll ups but goes right back to the left arm. Kruel hits a missile dropkick but only gets a near fall as he took a few moments to play to the crowd. Daniels counters a hurricanrana with a power bomb for the win. (**. A fine ten minute match to kick off the show. There was some good psychology with Kruel always going to the arm. The action was otherwise basic and kind of dull for my liking.)

Second Contest: Da Hit Squad vs. Roadkill & Blue Meanie: Mack and Roadkill kick off the match. Roadkill shoulder blocks Mack but Monsta attacks from behind to get a brief advantage. Side slam/leg drop from the middle rope combo by Roadkill and Meanie for a near fall on Mack. Maff gets tagged in and Meanie hits a reverse neck breaker. Maff bails to the floor so Mack and knock Roadkill to the floor. Roadkill is sent into the guard railing by Maff. Maff follows up with a suicide dive to the floor on Roadkill. Maff hits a cannonball splash in the corner on Roadkill moments later. Roadkill is dropped gut first across the guard railing. Roadkill fights back with a power slam on Maff in the ring. Meanie gets the hot tag and cleans house with right hands. Roadkill tags himself in, twice. They repeated that spot and the crowd was confused it seemed like. Maff low blows Roadkill from behind and grabs a chair. Maff wedges the chair in a corner but Meanie sends him head first into the chair. Meanie plants Maff with a DDT and Roadkill hits a top rope big splash for the win. (*. This match went on for a little too long. No need for this one to go thirteen and a half minutes. They messed up a few spots and I just couldn’t get into it. Cut the match in half and I’m sure it would’ve been better.) After the match, Maff is pissed at Mack for not being there when Roadkill splashed him. They shove each other and Maff walks out.

Third Contest: Damien Adams vs. Ricky Vega: Vega low blows Adams early into the contest. On the floor, Adams is sent into the guard railing but manages to flip Vega over the top to the floor from the apron. Adams follows up with a top rope cross body to the floor! Damien nearly wins with a top rope missile dropkick back in the ring. Vega regained control with a knee lift and a dropkick. A sit out spine buster by Vega for a near fall. Ricky hits a delayed vertical suplex and goes to the top rope. Adams avoids a diving head butt! Adams backdrops Vega for a near fall. Vega superkicks Adams but doesn’t go for the cover quickly. Vega argues with the referee about the count. Adams gets the victory after an Alabama Slam from out of the corner. (**. A fine fast pace match between these two guys. They put a lot into the match and I was impressed with what both men had to offer. Wouldn’t have minded a few more minutes to the match, but hey, Meanie needed to get over thirteen minutes of in-ring action.)

Tod Gordon and Jasmine St. Claire come out and read letters from people and are insulting them. First it was Missy Hyatt asking if she lost 150lbs if she could sleep with Gordon. The second being from Shane Douglas asking for a job, I think. They insult Bob Ortiz and then Francine. Blue Meanie gets made fun of when Meanie sidekick comes running down to stand up for him. It’s Minnie Meanie. He gets low blowed by St. Claire and beaten up by the duo. This has to be a first in professional wrestling. They have tow ladies come down and they show off their orgasm sounds. This is just incredibly bad on so many levels. One girl takes her top off and has pasties on and proceeds to flex her breasts. We get a catfight between the two ladies. They are rolling around in the 69 position. The one chick has her pasties fall off.

Fourth Contest: Rockin’ Rebel vs. Nick Berk: Berk hits a running knee lift and sends Rebel to a corner only to knock Rebel off the apron to the floor. Berk hits a somersault dive over the top rope to the floor. Rebel uses a chair on Berk whacking him over the back with it. Berk kicks the middle rope to low blow Rebel. Rebel hits a swinging neck breaker and follows up with a power slam. Rebel chops Berk a few times before low blowing Berk. Berk fights back with a running bulldog for a near win. Berk signals for a frog splash but gets crotched on the top when Rebel shoves the referee into the ropes. Rebel hits a superplex and wins the match. (*. Well, the finish was lame. Berk had a few bright spots so I’d like to think he could do some good work with a wrestler of better talent than Rebel. Rebel was boring in ’93 and continues to be boring in ’03.)

Fifth Contest: AJ Styles vs. Kid Kash: They trade arm drags early on and have a standoff. Kash avoids a spin kick and hits a clothesline on Styles. Styles hits a kip head scissors to send Kash to the floor. Styles misses a moonsault from the apron to the floor. AJ kicks Kash while in the crowd to regain control of the contest. Kash counters the Styles Clash with a hurricanrana for two count. Styles gets out of a fisherman suplex to hit a neck breaker for a near fall. Styles drives Kash down to the mat with a brain buster! Kash leaps off the ropes to clothesline Styles as AJ was rolling on the canvas. Kash has a surfboard locked in but Styles refuses to give in. Styles nails Kash with a spinning side kick but can’t get a three count. AJ hits a springboard reverse DDT but Kash kicks out on the cover. Styles hits a gut buster but Kash kicks out again. Kash nearly wins after a springboard moonsault from the top. Kash plants Styles with the Money Maker! Styles manages to kick out at two! Kash goes for a top rope hurricanrana but Styles counters and hits a middle rope Styles Clash! (***. A good match with the always impressive finish. These two work very well together and they would have a feud for TNA later in the year for some of ’04. Match of the night, which should come as no surprise.)

Matt Striker is acting like ‘Hot Stuff’ Eddie Gilbert. He as Rob Eckos, who is serious (but is Robbie E nowadays) and has the duo of Joey Matthews and Christian York with them. Matthews is back and is pissed off. Matthews is not happy with Striker and Eckos ditching him. Matthews reveals they will be wrestling a tag match.

Sixth Contest: Christian York & Joey Matthews vs. Matt Striker & Rob Eckos: Eckos and Matthews start the contest with Joey tossing Rob across the ring. Eckos fights back with a spinning back elbow and Striker tags in. York tags into the bout as well and chokes Striker over the top before stomping away on Matt in the corner. Striker shoulder blocks York and begins to shake the ropes like Warrior! Striker tries to bite the top turnbuckle like George Steele but fails at doing so. Striker sends York through the middle rope to the floor, where York accidentally takes Matthews out with a suicide dive. Eckos and Striker suplex York from the ring over the top onto Matthews on the floor. Striker wants to act like the Bushwhackers but Eckos wasn’t into it. York leg drops Striker over the middle rope to get control. Joey leaps off the apron to clothesline Striker on the floor. Striker tags in Eckos after a kick on Matthews. Eckos cleans house with kicks of his own. Striker had the claw on York, but gets slammed to the mat. Eckos gets slammed onto Striker and a chair is on both of them. York is shoved off the top rope by Matthews! Matthews sends York into the ring and wants York to be pinned. The Hart Attack on York! Eckos to the top and splashes York to win the match. (**. This went a little too long for my liking. Striker is very enjoyable in his comedy role and Matthews looks to be a big deal in 3PW as a heel shortly. The crowd wasn’t into the match, though. That hurt the match too in my eyes.) After the match, York gets attacked by the three men after spearing Matthews. Striker puts the sleeper on the referee, too. Striker has buzzers as if he is Brutus Beefcake! Striker shaves the referee’s hair!

Seventh Contest: Homicide vs. Justin Credible: We are nearly four minutes into the match and there is a bunch of stalling, mostly by Credible. Homicide low blows Credible as he comes out of the corner. Homicide clotheslines Justin to the floor and hits a sick suicide dive sending Credible hard back first into the guard railing. Homicide uses a chair on Credible and busts the former ECW World Champion wide open. Credible backdrops Homicide on the ramp. Homicide gets a near fall after an ace crusher in the ring. A running knee strike in the corner by Homicide. Credible low blows Homicide and hits a jumping DDT. Justin nearly wins with a power bomb out of the corner. Credible misses a baseball slide and hits the ring post groin first. Homicide with a series of suplexs. Credible super kicks Homicide for a near win. Homicide drives Credible down with a modified Snow Plow. Homicide misses a diving head butt and Credible hits the That’s Incredible but Homicide kicks out. Credible hits it a second time but can’t keep Homicide down. The fans are getting behind Homicide. Homicide goes for a sunset flip from the apron but Credible sits down and holds the ropes for the win. (*1/2. An awful finish here. It just kills the match for me. Homicide kicking out of the finish twice only to lose that way, is ridiculous. It’s also an effective way to kill Credible’s finisher.)

Sabu was supposed to be in the main event, but hadn’t arrived to the building. Apparently, Sabu’s family arrived to the arena but Sabu had not. That is hilarious to me. Gary Wolfe doesn’t care who the replacement is. The replacement is… the Sandman!

Main Event: 3PW Heavyweight Champion Gary Wolfe vs. Terry Funk vs. the Sandman: Funk attacks Sandman from behind with a beer can. Wolfe scoop slams Funk and is met with a beer can shot from Sandman. Funk brawls with Sandman on the floor briefly. Sandman gets a ladder and tosses it right on Funk in the ring! A table is set up in the corner but Funk is using the ladder on both men and the referee! Sandman is sitting in a chair in the ring. Wolfe works over Funk with a chair on the floor. Wolfe tosses Sandman onto the ladder in the corner. Wolfe sends Funk into a corner, which was weakly down, and Funk crashes through a table. That just looked awful. Sandman slams the ladder onto Funk. Wolfe gets a near win after a chair shot on Sandman. Sandman springboards off a chair to send Funk through a table in the corner. Gary nearly won but Sandman broke up the cover. Wolfe slams Sandman on the ladder. Wolfe tosses Sandman through a table on the floor. Funk hits a neck breaker on Wolfe for a near win. Wolfe hits the Death Valley Driver on Funk but Sandman uses his kendo stick on Wolfe to break the cover. Sandman pins Wolfe with a side Russian leg sweep. Wolfe is eliminated. Funk pins Sandman with the Stunner moments later to win the title. (*. What a mess of a main event. I had no idea this was an elimination match. The crowd didn’t even know it either. It’s your typical garbage wrestling with ladders, chairs and tables. Nothing memorable happening here as the work-rate is just sloppy.)

Final Thoughts:
Unlike the previous show, there was some decent action on the show, but for the most part 3PW continues to have a rough time putting good shows on. They do have a mix of everything, but usually it doesn’t deliver with entertainment. Styles/Kash is the best match, but they did better stuff in TNA later on. A thumbs down for this show.

Thanks for reading.