2CW #50 7/10/2010

Written by: Bob Colling

Squared Circle Wrestling presents #50
Date: 7/10/2010
From: Syracuse, NY

Prior to the show, the ring announcer tosses Axe body spray to the fans to help the body odor in at the venue since it’s rather hot in the Pastime Athletic Club. JD Love, Gordy Wallace and Steve King come to the ring for a promo. They quickly leave to end their brief cameo.

Opening Contest: Grand Prix Isys Ephex vs. Brodie Lee in a number one contenders match: Lee blocks a big boot attempt as soon as the bell rings. Ephex ducks a big boot attempt and they have a standoff. Ephex takes Lee over with a head scissors and hits a slingshot dive to the floor. Ephex delivers a couple of forearm shots in the corner and attempts a cross body off the top but Lee catches him with a slam for a near fall. Brodie works over Ephex in the corner with a chop and gets a two count after a snap mare. They begin to trade strikes with Brodie getting the better of the exchange dropping Ephex with a right hand. Lee drives Ephex to the canvas with a delayed vertical suplex but can’t keep him down long enough on the cover.

Lee hits a running chop in the corner to knock Ephex off his feet and proceeds to stand on Ephex. Isys big boots a charging Brodie in the corner and delivers a lariat but Lee doesn’t budge. Ephex attempts a back suplex but Lee counters only for Ephex to hit a kick and a German suplex for a two count. Ephex drives Brodie down with a Death Valley Driver for only a two count. Isys heads to the top but misses a double stomp and Lee attempts a power bomb but Ephex counters with a hurricanrana. Ephex locks in a leg lock in the middle of the ring, but Brodie reaches the bottom rope quickly. Ephex runs into a big boot and Lee gets the three count. (**1/2. A couple of decent moments during this one as it was a fine way to kick off the event. Lee is really over with the 2CW crowd at this point and was destined to get a title shot again. An enjoyable match between two fan favorites.)

Second Contest: Loca Vida vs. Colin Delaney: Early on, Colin takes Vida over with a hip toss and taunts the masked wrestler. They trade wrist locks and they continually counter each other. Vida sends Delaney to the floor with an arm drag. They go crashing to the floor following a running cross body by Vida. They begin to trade chops with both men getting their fair share of offense in. Vida knocks Colin off his feet with a leaping double chop. Loca drives Colin head first into the corner with a bulldog and hits a top rope overhand chop for a two count. Vida dropkicks Colin and connects with a side Russian leg sweep. Vida hits a sit down splash but Delaney kicks out at two. Colin head scissors Vida followed by a heel kick to gain control of the bout. Vida avoids Colin in the corner to hit a head scissors and a monkey flip out of the corner for a two count.

Vida and Delaney trade strikes until Delaney hits a tilt a whirl back breaker. Vida backdrops Delaney to the apron where Colin attempts a slingshot but is dropkicked in midair by Loca! Vida drops Colin with a few clotheslines and a high knee strike. Loca hits a springboard back elbow and gets the fans behind him for some momentum. Loca hammers away on Delaney in the corner with several right hands. Vida attempts a tornado DDT but Delaney counters and rams Vida into the corner. Loca dropkicks Delaney into the corner and plants Colin with the tornado DDT to get a near fall. Colin counters Loca’s flipping power bomb by sitting down and nearly wins. Colin drops Vida with a knee strike to the face but can’t get a three count. Loca avoids Colin in the corner to hit a top rope cross body and a head scissors. Colin falls across the middle rope and Vida attempts the 315 but Colin blocks it and hits the DDT for the win. (**1/4. Not a bad match between these two, though there were some dull moments during the match. Nonetheless, a fine match between these two.)

As Slyck makes his way to the ring for his match he bumps into Loca Vida as they have a brief confrontation.

Third Contest: Slyck Wagner Brown vs. Zaquary Springate III in a submission match: Brown works over Springate with a few strikes in the corner but Springate comes back with a clothesline and chops. Brown decides to bail to the floor to regroup. Slyck gains control with an arm lock looking for a submission but doesn’t manage to get one. Slyck gets out of a submission rather quickly and dropkicks Springate before playing to the crowd following a dropkick. Brown has Springate tied up in the ropes and tries to pull the arms back while Springate is under the top rope but doesn’t get a submission. Springate comes off the middle rope to hit a snap mare. Springate puts a STF on Brown but Slyck reaches the bottom rope. Springate takes Brown over with a double under hook suplex and locks in a head scissors. Springate is ramming Brown head first into the canvas, as well. Springate dropkicks Brown off the apron into the guard railing as they head to the floor.

Brown sends Springate back first into the railing and hits a suplex from the apron into the ring. Slyck has a head scissors on Springate looking for a submission but doesn’t manage to get one. Brown kicks Springate on the apron and leg sweeps Springate face first onto the apron. Brown follows up with a quick snap suplex and wrenches on the neck but can’t get a submission. Slyck puts the Texas Cloverleaf on Springate right in the middle of the ring. Springate almost got the ropes but was pulled back to the middle of the ring. Big Pun and Kevin Graham come to ringside and Pun throws a towel in to give Brown the victory. (*. The crowd came across rather dead for this and the action wasn’t good. The finish protects Springate as I’d imagine the issues between these two would continue at some point.) After the match, Springate shoves Pun and Graham away out of anger.

At this point, we were supposed to see a three match involving Necro Butcher, Sabu and Spike Dudley. Instead, the former 2CW Tag Team Champions Up In Smoke come out. Cloudy grabs a microphone while the fans chant that Cheech is a virgin. They are pissed that they were left off the show and take credit for building the company. However, they book Necro Butcher. Cloudy isn’t going to leave the ring until they get a guarantee rematch for the 2CW Tag Team Championships. They issue an open challenge for anyone to make them leave the ring. Necro Butcher comes out and wants a piece of Up In Smoke. Necro gets doubled teamed by Cheech and Cloudy. That is until Brodie Lee makes his way down and makes the save. Lee and Butcher had been teaming in JAPW at the time and the save got a big ovation. Lee has given Butcher a staple gun. Lee grabs a microphone and issues a challenge for a tag team match.

Fourth Contest: Up In Smoke vs. Brodie Lee & Necro Butcher in a hardcore match: Butcher and Lee leave the ring and grabs the former champions from the backstage area to start the contest. All four men are in the crowd with Butcher suffocating Cloudy with a plastic bag. Cloudy gets crotched on the guard railing and hit with a chair by Butcher. Necro is using the guard railing on both Cheech and Cloudy. Lee sends Cloudy flipping onto the railing in the corner. Cloudy climbs the railing in the corner and dives onto Lee on the floor! Butcher and Lee head butt Cloudy while wearing viking helmets and the crowd goes nuts for it. Butcher rams Cloudy groin first into the ring post and the same happens to Cheech. Necro has the staple gun and stalks towards Cloudy in the corner. Necro grabs Cloudy and uses the staple gun! Cheech avoids Butcher in the corner and gets some strikes in while hitting Lee with a boot in the corner. Cheech tosses a chair into the ring and it lands on Butcher’s leg. Cheech nails Brodie in the face with a chair as Butcher is laid out as well. Cheech grabs a steel chair from under the ring and Cloudy uses the chair on Butcher’s right leg. Cheech hits a senton splash onto Butcher’s leg which was laid across a chair.

Brodie yanks Cloudy to the floor and super kicks Cheech who had a leg lock on Butcher. Lee cleans house with strikes and tosses Cloudy into Cheech with a fallaway slam. Lee and Butcher hammer away on Cheech and Cloudy followed by double bulldogs. Necro hits a top rope hurricanrana on Cheech followed by a big splash from Lee for a near fall as Cloudy broke up the cover attempt. Butcher choke slams Cloudy twice and drops him with a clothesline for a two count. Lee big boots Cheech and grabs Butcher to hit a running somersault dive off the apron onto Cheech. Cloudy leaps off the middle rope but Lee catches him with a swinging side slam for the win. (**. There was some decent action, but it felt more like a squash match with Up In Smoke not really getting too much offense in. Being there live, I recall enjoying this far more than I did on DVD. The poor camera work probably had something to do with it, as well.) After the match, Cheech takes out Cloudy and that marks the end of Up In Smoke.

Fifth Contest: Pun Van Slyke vs. Kevin Graham vs. Steve McKenzie: Pun and Graham are students of the 2CW school and don’t have much experience in front of a live crowd. Pun and Graham displayed some fine wrestling moves throughout the match. Typically, matches involving students are matches I hate having to watch, but this one saw all three guys keep the action going and it was enjoyable for what they were trying to accomplish. Graham got the pin on Pun after countering a press slam with a rollup.

Prior to the next match, Jimmy Olsen cuts a promo about doing more than Jason Axe has ever done and has probably slept with his girl. There can only be one resident asshole.

Sixth Contest: 2CW Heavyweight Champion Jason Axe vs. Jimmy Olsen: Olsen delivers a chop in the corner and Axe rolls to the outside. Axe returns but Olsen continues to have control with a hip toss and dropkick to send the champ to the floor. Jimmy takes Axe out with a suicide dive! The crowd is on fire for Olsen tonight. Axe drives Olsen down with a tilt a whirl back breaker and another back breaker for a two count. Jason sends Jimmy to the floor and rams Olsen into the railing. Axe looks under the ring and finds a steel chair. Axe puts Olsen on the chair against the railing and misses a somersault dive off the apron hitting the chair. Jimmy hip tosses Axe back into the ring and comes back with a series of clotheslines and backdrop for a two count. Olsen drops Axe throat first across the top rope and hits a missile dropkick but doesn’t get a three count on the cover attempt.

Olsen gets another near fall following a standing shooting star press. Axe blocks a super kick and hits a jumping gut buster for a two count. They trade slaps while both on their knees and follow that up with head butts. Olsen drops Axe with a super kick and plants the champ with a piledriver but only gets a two count! Jimmy gets caught on the top and Axe hits the fisherman buster off the top but Olsen manages to kick out before three. Axe drives Olsen down with a spine buster but Jimmy kicks out at one and gets a second wind. Axe quickly stops him with a DDT but again only gets a two count. Axe hits another fisherman buster and that’s good enough for the win. (***. A solid title match between these two as the crowd was really into the match. It was weird seeing Olsen playing the face role considering how much heat he was getting on prior shows. This is one of Axe’s better matches and it flowed rather well.)

Seventh Contest: Spike Dudley vs. Sabu in a hardcore match: Spike is fired up as he has been a 2CW regular and always fights for the company. Spike takes Sabu down to the canvas with a leg lock but they get up. Spike complains about carrying Sabu’s bags for five years in ECW, so he sounds bitter for this match. Sabu leaps off the middle rope to clothesline Spike and stomps away on Dudley before putting a camel clutch on. Sabu tosses Spike to the floor and continues to work over Dudley with strikes. Sabu tosses a chair at Dudley and tosses Spike into the crowd. They brawl into the crowd, which is hard to see due to poor camera angles. Apparently, Spike hit Sabu with a beer and slams a table onto Sabu’s back. They return to the ring with Dudley getting a quick near fall on Sabu. Spike hammers away on Sabu with right hands in the corner and goes for the Acid Drop but Sabu blocks it by tossing Spike over the top to the floor through a table! Sabu whacks Dudley a few times with a broken piece of the table.

Sabu goes under the ring and places a ladder against the railing. Sabu places the ladder across the railing and apron. Spike charges towards Sabu and is backdropped over the top through the ladder which gets a huge reaction! Sabu tosses a chair at Spike on the floor and Spike is bleeding at this point. Sabu gets a near fall back in the ring. Sabu hits a standing Arabian face buster for a near fall. Spike is bleeding from his right arm as he tosses a chair at Sabu’s face. Spike hits a top rope senton splash for a two count. Sabu sends Spike head first into a chair that was bridged in the corner. Sabu sets up a table in the ring and springboards off a chair to stomp Spike in the corner. Sabu hits a springboard splash into the corner and the fans chant for the legend. Spike blocks the triple jump moonsault by tripping Sabu and sending him face first into the chair. Sabu is busted open as well. Spike comes off the top and drives a chair into the chest of Sabu. Sabu puts Spike onto the table and heads to the top to hit the Arabian Facebuster off the top through the table! Sabu covers Spike and gets the three count. (***1/2. In terms of a hardcore match, this was everything you wanted it to be and it delivered. I remember hoping Sabu would be on his A-game when I attended this live and luckily he was. The crowd ate everything up, myself included, as these two put their bodies through a lot in front of several hundred fans in a heated arena. For ECW fans, this would be a match you’d appreciate.) After the match, Spike puts over the fans before leaving the ring.

Main Event: 2CW Tag Team Champion Davey Richards vs. Jay Freddie: Richards takes Freddie to the canvas and tries to get submission but Freddie reaches the ropes to get out of a surfboard. Richards gets out of a wrist lock with a kick to the shoulder of Jay. They have a standoff after Jay gets out of a head scissors on the canvas. Freddie chops Davey but is met with a spinning kick to the guy and stiff kick to the chest. Davey follows up with a kick to the back and gets a near fall on Freddie. Davey chops Freddie a few times and comes off the ropes to be met with a standing dropkick. Freddie takes Davey out with a suicide dive on the floor! They begin to trade chops and strikes on the floor. Richards nails Freddie with a running yakuza kick to send Freddie over the railing into the crowd. Freddie decks Richards with a forearm on the floor and leaps off the top to hit a missile dropkick for a near fall. Freddie gets a two count following a dropkick to a seated Richards. Freddie works over Richards in the corner with more strikes but Richards comes back with punches until Jay sends Davey into the corner with a dropkick.

Davey runs into a big boot in the corner but yanks Freddie off the middle rope to deliver a kick to the chest. Richards hits a back suplex but can’t keep Freddie down long enough. Richards has an arm trapped modified Cloverleaf on Freddie for a few moments until Freddie reaches the ropes. Richards continues to work over the legs of Freddie to try and get a submission, which isn’t going to happen at this point. Freddie and Davey trade slaps until Richards drops Freddie. Richards goes back to work on Freddie with a series of kicks and puts a dragon sleeper on Jay. Davey nails Freddie with a series of forearm strikes and follows up with a scoop slam. Richards goes to the top but is stopped with a forearm strike. Freddie climbs to the middle rope but is shoved off but Freddie comes back again. Richards knocks Jay off with another strike but Jay hits an overhead belly to b:elly suplex from the top! Davey big boots Freddie but Jay plants Richards with a big DDT for a two count. Freddie clotheslines Richards in the corner and hits the Diamond Dust but can’t get a three count. Jay and Davey trade strikes again with both men delivering running forearm strikes. Richards nearly pins Freddie after a discus clothesline. Freddie manages to back suplex Davey over the top to the floor. Richards enters and lifts Freddie into the air to deliver a kick to the chest. Davey gets another two count with a German suplex. Richards drops Freddie with a kick to the head for a two count. Davey crotches Jay onto the top turnbuckle but is shoved off. Freddie knocks Richards off but they begin to trade head butts on the top turnbuckle. Richards hits a superplex but Freddie no sells the move. They trade kicks and Freddie hits a side suplex for a near fall.

They are trading kicks on the apron with Richards head butting Freddie towards the ring post. Richards misses a kick and hits the ring post. Freddie comes off the top to hit a head butt onto the injured leg and puts an ankle lock on Richards! Davey rolls out of it and rolls Freddie up for a near fall. Freddie plants Richards with a sit out slam and goes back to the ankle lock. Freddie switches and puts the Sharpshooter on Davey! Richards tries to reach the ropes but is pulled back to the middle. Davey is forced to tap out and Freddie gets the win. (***1/2. For entirely different reasons, this one is on par with the previous match. Plenty of hard hitting action and they worked very well with each other. The ring post spot was similar to the one Davey did with Eddie Edwards on ROH television, I believe rather close to this show, so when that I happened I figured a Freddie win may have been happening. Anyway, it’s a huge win for Freddie and it established him in my eyes. Davey looked huge in comparison to Freddie and Freddie was able to hang with one of the best wrestlers this decade. This main event delivered.) After the match, Davey Richards gives one of his trademark promos to put over the talent and the fans.

Final Thoughts:
All around this is a really good show for 2CW. This DVD was well worth the 9.95 I spent on the DVD during a holiday sale the company had going on. It was a great time live and it was a great time re-watching this. Plenty of good matches and a great crowd, as usual the case for the Syracuse market.

Thanks for reading.