Written by: Bob Colling
Squared Circle Wrestling presents Living On The Edge VIII Night One
Date: 4/19/2013
From: Rome, NY
Opening Contest: Loca Vida & Steve McKenzie vs. Kage & Sean Carr: Vida and Carr kick off the opener. Carr hip tosses Vida but is kicked away. They have a standoff after neither man hits on attempted dropkicks. Kage and McKenzie are tagged in with Kage nailing McKenzie with a big boot. Carr returns to the match and is met with a jaw breaker from Steve. Carr is hip tossed down and met with a double head butt. Vida comes off the top rope to hit Carr with an axe handle. Vida knee lifts Carr but Carr quickly hits a spinning heel kick before tagging in Kage. Kage hits a lariat on a seated Vida. Vida nearly pins Kage with a rollup but Kage press slams Vida to showoff his strength dropping Vida across the top rope. Kage shoulder blocks Vida to the floor. Carr gets a two count following a middle rope moonsault. They botch an arm drag, which Carr still sells despite having to toss himself to the canvas since Vida lost his arm.
Kage enters and works over Vida in the corner. Vida drops Kage with a middle rope dropkick. Steve tags in and drops Carr with several strikes. Steve backdrops Carr and Vida takes Carr over with a monkey flip. Kage gets involved to stop a pin attempt. Kage choke slams Vida and hits a full nelson slam on McKenzie. Carr comes off the top and pins Steve following a frog splash from the top. (*1/2. Not a hot opener to kick off the show and it doesn’t help that Vida and Steve hadn’t been competitive against many teams for a little while. Carr is clearly a breakout star in the company as his skill set is above the guys also involved in the match.)
Second Contest: Bin Hamin vs. Zaquary Springate III: I pretty much refuse to sit through Hamin matches and since it is the same routine there isn’t much to be missed, anyway. Springate uses Hamin’s flag to choke him while in a camel clutch and Springate gets the submission victory.
Third Contest: AR Fox vs. Dalton Castle: Fox sends Castle to the floor but gets dropkicked off the apron by Castle. Dalton takes Fox over with a head scissors after swinging his legs around on the apron. Fox kicks off the ring post and takes Castle out with a moonsault! Fox lays Castle across the apron and Fox leaps off the top rope hitting a leg drop onto Castle getting a near fall. Castle cheap shots Fox with the referee out of position. Dalton stomps away on Fox in the corner to maintain control of the match. Castle drives Fox down with a back breaker hitting a big splash. Castle catches Fox in midair hitting an overhead belly to belly suplex. Castle runs into big boot in the corner and misses a splash in the corner. Fox hits a missile dropkick to gain the advantage. Fox hits a few discus clotheslines and drops Castle with a kick to the head.
Fox hits Dalton with a clothesline in the corner and hits a dropkick on Castle in the corner followed by a somersault splash for a two count. Fox is dropped gut first across the top rope and Castle hits a spinning sit out slam but Fox kicks out at two. Castle dumps Fox to the floor. Castle kicks Fox off the apron a few times. Fox drags Castle to the floor and hits a suicide dive to the floor, twice! Fox takes Castle out with a somersault dive over the top to the floor! Fox sets Castle on the top turnbuckle and attempted a SpanishFly but Castle avoids it and hits a German suplex for a near fall. Dalton works over Fox with several strikes in the corner. Castle runs into a big boot and Fox leaps off the top to hit a Codebreaker. Fox hits a top rope 450 splash for the win. (***. Over the course of the next few years, Fox and Castle would become two of the best in 2CW. There is a styles clash here between the two, but it was a still a good match and the finish was a good way to end the bout.)
Fourth Contest: 2CW Heavyweight Champion Kevin Steen vs. Isys Ephex: Ephex wastes no time starting the match as he goes to the floor and attacks Steen with right hands. Steen gets distracted by some fans and Ephex continues his attack. Steen sends Ephex into the railing to gain control of the title match. Isys and Steen trade several strikes on the floor until Steen is sent into the railing back first. They enter the ring where Ephex drops Steen with a clothesline for a two count. Ephex works over Steen in the corner with uppercuts but runs into a big boot and Steen drops Ephex with a clothesline. Steen hits a standing senton splash. Steen stands on the middle rope and taunts the crowd before getting a two count. Steen sends Ephex to the floor where Steen taunts the fans while working over Ephex. Steen crotches Ephex into the ring post.
Ephex nearly pins Steen with a rollup back in the ring but Steen cuts Ephex off with a stomp to the head. Steen decides to taunt the fans for a few moments before returning his focus to Ephex. Ephex takes Steen down with a head scissors and a vertical suplex. Isys locks in an abdominal stretch but Steen refuses to give in. Steen rams Ephex back first into the apron and drops Isys across the apron with a power bomb. Steen rolls Isys into the ring and hits a swanton for a near fall. Steen hits a cannonball splash in the corner but Ephex kicks out at two. Steen drops Ephex across his knee but Ephex kicks out at two. Steen continues to yell at several fans before attempting a package piledriver. Ephex accidentally decks the referee and Steen low blows Ephex.
Steen goes to the floor and grabs a steel chair to whack Ephex over the back. Steen hits the F5 onto the steel chair but there is no referee. A second referee runs in but Ephex kicks out at two. Steen takes the referee out with the Package Piledriver. Steen attempts another F5 but Ephex counters with a tornado DDT onto the chair. Ephex drops Steen with an overhead suplex but only manages a near fall as a third referee comes out. Steen attempts the Package Piledriver but Ephex gets out and hits a TKO for the win and title. (**1/2. Ephex should have won the title probably four years prior to when he actually did here as that was the peak of his popularity. I suppose it is better late than never. It’s a fine match but didn’t feel like a big match between the two. Steen’s constant interaction with the crowd kind of took me out of the match and just came across as some stalling. One of the better Ephex matches post ’09.)
Fifth Contest: Slyck Wagner Brown vs. Colin Delaney: Brown knocks Delaney down with a shoulder block a chop but Delaney comes back with a dropkick to send Brown to the floor. Colin takes Brown down with an arm drag and controls the arm of Brown in the ring. Brown cuts Delaney off wit a knee lift and taunts the fans with their hero on the canvas. Colin is punched by Slyck’s manager Big Business on the outside. Brown drops Colin face first across the ring apron. Slyck continues to work over Delaney on the canvas. Brown sends Delaney to the apron with a dropkick but Delaney knocks Slyck down with a kick from the apron. Delaney battles back with a series of clotheslines a heel kick. They begin to trade forearm strikes with Slyck running into a big boot but Colin can’t get a three count.
Delaney leaps off the middle rope to hit an ace crusher but Brown kicks out at two. Delaney heads to the top rope but Brown crotches him. Brown hits a swinging Torture Rack neck breaker but Delaney kicks out at two. Brown drops Delaney gut first across the top rope and knocks Colin over the top to the floor with a running knee strike. Brown stomps the canvas but Delaney rolls in and big boots Brown sending Slyck to the floor. Colin runs into a clothesline from Slyck. Colin is able to take Slyck out with a suicide dive to the floor a second time. Colin tries to pull himself up from the apron but Big Business prevents that. Colin tries to take Big Business out with a suicide dive but hits the railing instead. Brown drops Delaney across the top turnbuckle but gets kicked by Delaney while on the middle rope. Delaney hits another kick and looks for a top rope hurricanrana but Brown counters to slam Delaney off the middle rope and hits a leaping leg lariat to get the win. (**1/4. I enjoy both men, but I think Delaney is much better working a guy similar to his size and style. Brown doesn’t fit that fast pace very well anymore. He didn’t really showcase much of his power advantage, either. An average match between two solid performers.)
Sixth Contest: Christina Von Eerie vs. EMT: This one is quick as Eerie wins following a DDT. She calls out for real competition, which brings out Jason Axe and eventually the man he was supposed to wrestle, Masada for a three way dance.
Seventh Contest: Masada vs. Jason Axe vs. Christina Von Eerie in a falls count anywhere match: Eerie takes Axe over with a spin kick but Axe stops Eerie and slaps her. Masada runs into the ring and hammers away on Axe. Masada clotheslines Axe over the top to the floor but quickly follows and dumps Axe into the crowd. Axe drives Masada head first into the hockey glass for a near fall. Axe is bleeding from the mouth as he is sent face first into the glass, as well. Axe sends Masada into a chair before hitting Masada with a big boot. Masada crotches Axe across the guard railing and big boots Axe into the crowd. Masada whacks Axe over the back with a steel chair back in the ring followed by an elbow drop for a tow count. Axe avoids being sent into a chair in the corner by sliding to the floor but Masada hits a suplex on the floor.
They are on the apron where Axe plants Masada with a DDT onto the apron. Eerie gets involved sending Axe into the ring post. Axe avoids a kick from Eerie and shakes the ropes to hurt her more, I guess. Axe tosses Eerie head first into the steel chair in the corner. Axe uses the chair on Masada before returning to the ring. Axe hits a fisherman buster onto the steel chair and pins Masada. (*1/2. That was quite boring and uneventful.)
Eighth Contest: 2CW Tag Team Champions Brute Van Slyke & Kevin Graham vs. Steve Corino & Jimmy Jacobs: Graham and Jacobs start the match with Jacobs taking Graham down to the canvas. Graham takes Jacobs over with an arm drag and they have a standoff. Jacobs decks Brute off the apron and bails to the floor where Brute happens to be there. Brute gets some revenge with a right hand before sending Jacobs into the ring. Corino gets the tag in and wants a piece of Brute. Corino tries to shoulder block Brute but no luck there. Brute manages to knock Corino down with a shoulder block. Graham enters and takes Corino down with a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Corino is sent into the ropes and Brute delivers a big boot to control Corino. Corino sends Brute face first into the middle turnbuckle. Brute is double teamed by the challengers for a moment.
Jacobs delivers a few head butts to Brute but that doesn’t work very well for him. Corino hits Brute with a forearm shot but Brute plants Corino with a power slam. Graham and Jacobs are tagged in with Graham hitting a clothesline and back suplex. Corino clotheslines Graham from the apron after Jacobs missed a splash in the corner. Corino and Jacobs continue to work over Graham but they can’t keep Graham down on the cover. Corino nails Graham with a dropkick and taunts the fans who are chanting he still has “it”. Graham avoids a dropkick causing Corino to crash to the canvas. Jacobs sends Graham into the railing to help his partner keep control. Jacobs runs into a few strikes from Graham. Kevin plants Jacobs with a sit out spine buster. Graham breaks free and tags in Brute, who cleans house on the challengers.
Brute hits a belly to belly suplex on Corino. Brute drops Jacobs with a gut wrench power bomb. Jacobs hits Graham with a spear while Corino clotheslines Brute. Jacobs plants Brute with a Slice Bread and a seated clothesline from Corino gets a two count. Corino and Jacobs hit a spike piledriver but Brute kicks out at two. Brute is up but Corino delivers an STO. Jacobs attempted a senton but Brute got his knees up. Brute and Graham take Corino out with a clothesline/leg sweep. Graham hits a middle rope leg drop on Jacobs across the knee of Brute to win the match. (***. I was surprised by the action as the final few minutes were fast paced and there were a few compelling near falls. It’s a good credible win for Brute and Graham over two veterans and winning clean without any kind of screwiness.)
Main Event: Sami Callihan vs. John Morrison in a no disqualification, no count-out, anything goes, falls count anywhere match: This is a rematch from last year where they had the match of the year as voted by PWInsider fans. Callihan hits a yakuza kick and an overhead suplex for a near fall to accept all the stipulations. Morrison stops Sami with a clothesline and a standing Spanish Fly for a two count. Morrison mounts Callihan with several right hands but Sami locks in the Stretch Muffler only for John to roll through for a near fall on a rollup. Callihan kicks Morrison on the apron followed by a springboard clothesline to knock Morrison to the floor. John stops Sami with a kick to the face on a suicide dive attempt for a two count on the floor.
Sami sends Morrison chest first into the guard railing. Callihan hits a side Russian leg sweep against the railing. Morrison drops Sami chest first across the dialing and delivers a few kicks to the face for a two count. Sami shoves the railing into the ribs of Morrison. Morrison slides under the railing to slide the railing into Callihan for a two count. Sami sends John back first into the hockey boards for a two count. Morrison jumps off the hockey boards to take Sami out with a moonsault for a near fall. Morrison tosses a traffic cone into the ring and has hockey gear tossed into the ring, as well. Sami misses a hockey stick shot breaking it over the railing. Morrison gets the hockey stick and whacks Sami over the back with it. Sami has a chair to combat Morrison with a broken hockey stick.
Callihan tosses the chair at Morrison’s knee and locks in the figure four. Morrison gets out and hits a shining wizard for a two count. Morrison puts a couple of chairs onto Sami but Callihan gets up and puts Morrison in the tree of woe. Sami rams the chair into the midsection of Morrison. Sami dropkicks a chair into another one as Morrison was upside down but Sami only manages to get a near fall. Sami plants Morrison with a Death Valley Driver but can’t put Morrison away on the cover. Sami nails John with a running big boot in the corner, twice. Sami puts the traffic cone onto Morrison’s chest but John gets up and hits Sami with it. Morrison atomic drops Sami onto the cone and hits a springboard kick for a near fall. Morrison puts the goalie pad on and begins to kick Sami with it on his leg. Morrison misses a springboard kick and Sami hits John on the ankle with a steel chair several times. Sami power bombs John onto the goalie pad for a near fall. Sami uses the chair on Morrison again but John hits a swinging neck breaker onto a chair. Morrison hits the Starship Pain but Sami kicks out at two. Morrison hits two shining wizards. Morrison knocks Sami out of the chair with a third shining wizard. Morrison hits an Arabian Press and wins the match. (***1/4. Their first encounter was a little bit better. I didn’t like the usage of weapons as some it just didn’t make sense to me. I’m don’t see a goalie pad hurting someone, but that’s just me. It felt a little long, but it was entertaining for what it was.)
Final Thoughts:
The following night 2CW has an iPPV show, but this show is a quality B-level show that didn’t get as much attention as the bigger event did. There is some quality wrestling here and an energetic crowd. I’d watch it again.
Thanks for reading.