2CW Comes Home 4/19/2014

Written by: Bob Colling

Squared Circle Wrestling presents 2CW Comes Home
Date: 4/19/2014
From: Syracuse, NY

Opening Contest: Gregory Iron vs. Dalton Castle: Castle takes Iron down to the canvas and taunts the fans declining to follow up with the advantage. Iron slaps Castle for disrespecting him and delivers several chops in the corner. Castle misses a splash in the corner and Iron delivers a quick dropkick. Iron punches Castle off the apron and goes for a suicide dive but Castle runs away back into the ring. Castle drops Iron throat first across the top rope and keeps control with a gut buster. Castle scoop slams Iron but misses a big splash after taking too much time playing to the fans. Castle hip tosses Iron out of the corner and gets a two count. Castle attempts a German but Iron quickly gets to the ropes to prevent that from happening. Castle hits several quick body splashes on the canvas. Castle takes Iron over with a slam but only manages a near fall. Castle dumps Iron to the floor. Dalton works over Iron some more after a count-out attempt wasn’t successful. Castle misses a spear in the corner and hits the ring post shoulder first. Iron kicks Castle several times followed by a clothesline. Iron hits his version of a Codebreaker and a leaping forearm shot for a two count. Castle runs into a big boot but catches Iron leaping off the middle rope only for Iron to counter with a tornado DDT. Iron goes to the top hitting a top rope cross body. Castle trips Iron and attempts a German but Iron hits a stunner. However, Castle will not be stopped and hits the German to win the match. (**1/4. Some decent action and Castle come across as a star to me. Iron’s offense was kept in a way that it seemed lucky but effective.)

Second Contest: Jake Crist vs. Dave Crist vs. Cheech vs. Alex Shelley: Gotta love when a guy comes out and nobody knows who he is and the crowd still pops for him after a five-second delay of knowing who he is, which happened to Jake Crist. Jake and Shelley kick off the contest with Shelley controlling the arm of Jake. They have a sequence where neither man gets control and they back off. Cheech tags in to try his luck against Dave. Cheech has a rollup on Dave but misses a double stomp attempt. Dave stops Cheech with a dropkick and a standing moonsault for a near fall. Shelley gets a tag and leaps off the top to arm drag Dave followed by a clothesline and plays to the crowd. Shelley attempts a suplex but Dave avoids it. Shelley drops Dave across the top rope but Jake yanks him off the apron. Cheech is double teamed by the Crist Brothers with stereo kicks and knee strikes. Shelley hits a top rope cross body on the Crist Brothers. Shelley works over Jake and avoids a splash. Dave tries his luck but they both get met with a bulldog/clothesline combo. Shelley gets a double spine buster and Jake hits a nice springboard moonsault allowing Dave to get a near fall. Shelley runs over both Crist Brothers with a clothesline. Cheech acts like he’ll take a tag but jumps off the apron and gets heat for that. Shelley continues to fight off the Crist Brothers rather well until he gets a spear/kick combo in the corner. Jake misses a middle rope moonsault. Shelley tags in Cheech when he wasn’t paying attention and Cheech still cleans house. Cheech hits a jumping combo DDT but only gets a two count. Cheech is stopped by a top rope double knee strike but Shelley breaks up the cover attempt. Shelley crotches Cheech on the top rope after tagging himself in. Shelley dropkicks Cheech in the tree of woe and tosses Jake over with an overhead belly to belly suplex into Cheech! Jake takes Shelley out with a suicide dive to the floor, but Cheech takes him out with a knee strike. Save takes both Cheech and Shelley out with a somersault dive to the floor! Crist Brothers attempt a spike tombstone on Shelley, but that doesn’t work out for them. Shelley knocks out Dave with a kick but Jake hits a missile dropkick. Cheech with a running STO on Jake but Dave hits a Death Valley Driver. Shelley finishes off Dave with the Slice Bread to win the match. (***1/4. Well, that was better than I remember it being live. Non-stop and the guys hit their spots. The fans ate up what Shelley was doing the most by far. A well done match here. It was a four way match but it felt more like a match where Shelley was partners with Cheech, who didn’t care. Regardless, this was fun.)

Third Contest: ZSIII vs. Isys Ephex: I’m hoping the fans are being sarcastic when there is a “this is wrestling” chant as they just do some basic holds to start the match. Ephex takes ZSIII over with a fireman’s carry and gets a couple of pin attempts. Ephex delivers a running knee strike for another two count. Springate dropkicks Ephex after several arm drags. Springate has a head scissors over the top rope but it is illegal and has to let go. Springate stops Ephex with a forearm strike to avoid a suicide dive to the floor. They brawl on the floor for a bit where Ephex sends Springate into the railing. Springate sends Ephex into the ring steps. They get on the apron trading shots until Springate hits a vertical suplex on the apron! There appears to be a cut in the editing as now they are on the middle rope and Springate hits a middle rope Pedigree. Ephex somehow recovers first to hit a side Russian leg sweep and a knee breaker. Ephex tries to get a submission with a spinning toe hold. Springate with a sloppy inside cradle to reverse and hits a claw hold slam, which gets a two count. Springate hits a top rope senton, but Ephex no-sells it. Ephex has a leg submission locked in and Springate submits. (*1/4. Aside from a couple of spots, this wasn’t that good. I’ll just leave it at that.) After the match, Ephex puts over Springate and they embrace.

Fourth Contest: Jay Freddie vs. Yusuke Kodama: Early on, Freddie takes Kodama down to the mat to work on the arm, but that doesn’t last and we have a standoff. Freddie gets a rollup but only manages a near fall. Freddie and Kodama trade arm drags and have another standoff after missed dropkicks. Kodama cheap shots Freddie with a boot to the midsection after shaking hands. Freddie head scissors Kodama followed by another dropkick. Freddie runs into a big boot and Kodama can’t hit a tornado DDT and is instead kicked off the apron. Freddie hits a suicide dive to the floor! Kodama sends Freddie into the railing back first. Kodama kicks the railing into Freddie’s knee. Kodama focuses his offense on the left knee of Freddie, which had been injured previously. Freddie chops Kodama several times but one kick to the knee and Freddie goes back down. Kodama puts Freddie in the tree of woe and dropkicks the knee of Freddie. Kodama locks in a leg lock but isn’t able to get a submission. Freddie clotheslines Kodama several times and hits a snap power slam for a two count. Freddie nails Kodama with a roaring elbow and a back suplex for a two count. Freddie misses a running strike in the corner and is nearly pinned. Kodama argues with the referee but is met with a leaping kick to the face. Kodama stops Freddie with a dragon screw leg whip. Freddie fights back with a snap suplex. Freddie and Kodama trade strikes until Kodama goes back to the knee. Freddie stops Kodama with a running boot strike. Kodama avoids a German suplex with a low blow. Kodama nearly wins following a super kick. Kodam misses a twisting splash off the top. Freddie hits a sit out suplex and wins the match. (***1/4. A good match, though it seemed like Freddie forgot to sell the knee in some instances. Kodama is a fantastic heel and knows how to tell a story in the ring focusing all his attack on the knee and doing so in a great entertaining manner. Seemed like the fans didn’t want to see Freddie win.)

Fifth Contest: 2CW Tag Team Champions Kevin Graham & Brute Van Slyke vs. Sean Carr, Kage & IB Green vs. Dick Justice, Guero Loco & Steve McKenzie vs. Bin Hamin, Pete Order & EMT: I’m not a fan of these kind of matches as it usually leads to being a cluster and the fact that my disc for this portion is acting all sorts of messed up, this has to get a long story short treatment. Don’t be too mad, okay? Late in the match, everyone is brawling where Justice takes them all out with a cross body off the apron to the floor. Brute press slams Green over the top onto everyone else on the floor. Kage drops Brute with a full nelson slam and gets the win. Thus, he gets to choose his partner. You’d think he’d pick his partner Sean Carr, but no that doesn’t happen. Instead, Kage turns heel and turns on Carr to associate himself with IB Green and now they are tag team champions. It was predictable live, I’ll tell ya that.

Sixth Contest: 2CW Heavyweight Champion Nick Ando vs. Colin Delaney: Delaney goes right after Ando before the bell and chops away on the champ. Delaney pummels Ando in the corner with a series of rights. Ando bails to the floor following a chop to regroup. Ando rams Delaney back first into the ring post from the apron. Ando continues to work on the taped ribs of Delaney on the outside ramming him into the railing. Ando hits a dangerous springboard moonsault hitting the railing, as well. Ando continues to stop Delaney’s momentum with shots to the ribs. Ando runs into an elbow shot in the corner but still hits a discus clothesline for a near fall. Ando locks in a body scissors on the mat trying for a submission but doesn’t get one. Ando takes Delaney over with a snap suplex for a near fall. Ando kicks Delaney from the apron but can’t get a three count. Ando sends Delaney hard back first into the corner. Ando can’t get a Boston Crab as Delaney spins him out but Ando still hits a gut buster. Delaney puts a charging Ando over the top rope and delivers a knee shot to the face. Delaney lifts Ando into the air to deliver another kick to the face but only manages a near fall on the cover. Colin heads to the top rope but has to leap over a charging Ando. Ando soon connects with a sit out spine buster and almost wins. Ando transitions into a Boston Crab but Delaney reaches the ropes quickly. Ando misses a shoulder strike in the corner and Delaney dropkicks Ando into the corner. Ando stops Delaney on the middle rope with a gut buster but Delaney still powers out. Ando hits a spear and wins the match. (***. A fine match though the finish felt a little flat and decisive to think this is over with between the two men. Ando showed off some impressive moves here and my appreciation for his ability continues to grow. Also, Delaney is good as always.)

Seventh Contest: Johnny Gargano vs. Jason Axe in a 60-minute IronMan match: Gargano works over the left arm of Axe early on to control the match. Gargano trees for a cross face but Axe reaches the ropes quickly. Axe takes Gargano to the mat and briefly had control of the arm and plays to the crowd. That leads to a slap from Johnny. Johnny delivers a flurry of left forearm shots. Gargano kicks Axe on the apron and takes Axe out with a somersault dive off the apron. Johnny viciously chops Axe on the floor and plays to the crowd. Axe gains control with a pump handle twisting slam and chokes Johnny over the middle rope. Axe sends Gargano flipping into the corner and Gargano falls over the top to the floor. Both men attempt suplexs but Johnny is the one able to take Axe over with the move. Axe delivers a running knee strike to Johnny in the corner two times knocking Gargano to the apron. Gargano hits a leaping spear from the apron into the ring to stop Axe. Johnny nails a super kick and a spinning clothesline. Gargano hits a running dropkick in the corner but Axe comes back with a spine buster.

Axe clubs away on Gargano with elbow strikes and a double knee gut buster for a near fall. Axe nails Johnny with a spinning forearm shot but Johnny comes back with a kick to the head. Axe stops Johnny ramming him into the corner but Gargano hits the lawn dart into the corner and drives Jason face first into the canvas to get the first fall. Gargano leads 1-0.

Johnny delivers a superkick to a kneeling Axe to go up 2-0. Johnny locks in a cross face and Axe taps making Johnny go up 3-0. Axe goes to the floor where he sends Gargano face first into the guard railing. Axe has a steel chair and whacks Gargano over the head and back. Each chair shot is disqualification so he’s down 7-0 by the time he decks the referee. Axe tosses Gargano into the chair setup in the corner. Axe has a cinderblock and plants Gargano with a DDT onto it! After the match, Axe says that Johnny won the battle but he won the war. (**1/2. Alright, so thankfully this didn’t go anywhere near an hour since I wouldn’t survive having to see Axe wrestle that long in one sitting. However, the angle is nicely done as Axe loses but gets major heat for the attack afterward.)

Eighth Contest: Rionne Fujiwara vs. Matt Hardy: Early on, Hardy takes Fujiwara down for a rollup but only gets a two count. Fujiwara takes Hardy down to the mat but that offense doesn’t last long. Fujiwara gets the back of Hardy, but Matt reaches the ropes quickly. Fujiwara keeps the basic feeling of the match with a side headlock. Hardy puts the headlock on Fujiwara and soon runs over Rionne with a shoulder block. Fujiwara attempts a leapfrog but gets a shoulder to the midsection. Rionne comes off the ropes to drop Hardy with a running clothesline. Hardy runs into a big boot in the corner but gets a few right hands on Rionne. Hardy stops Fujiwara with a sit down power bomb which gets a near fall. Hardy attempts the Twist of Fate, but Rionne gets out of it and delivers a knee to the midsection. Rionne avoids a suplex to the floor and drops Matt throat first across the top causing Hardy to hit the railing on his fall. Rionne delivers a kick to Hardy’s left arm and kicks the railing into his arm to add further punishment. Rionne slams Hardy’s arm across the apron, as well. Rionne drops Hardy with an arm breaker for a near fall.

Rionne misses a running knee in the corner but counters the Twist of Fate by taking Hardy down to the mat and tries to get a submission by working over the arm, but Hardy reaches the ropes. Hardy fights back with a clothesline coming off the ropes and gets the crowd behind him. They begin to trade strikes with Hardy getting the better of it after a kick to the head. Hardy clotheslines Rionne in the corner and hits a running bulldog for a two count. Hardy comes off the middle rope to deliver an elbow strike. Matt comes off the middle rope again to hit an elbow drop for a near fall. Hardy blocks a clothesline to hit the Side Effect for a near fall. Rionne counters another Side Effect and has an arm submission but Hardy doesn’t give in. Rione hits a running knee in the corner and a bulldog but only manages a near fall. Rionne counters the Twist of Fate with a backslide for a two count. Rionne goes for another arm submission but Hardy counters to finally hit the Twist of Fate for the win. (**1/4. Not a great showing, but the story that was told was fine and solid. The action wasn’t overly entertaining, though. There never was that feeling that Rionne was going to go over, but they worked hard.)

Main Event: Mikey Whipwreck & Tajiri vs. AR Fox & Rich Swann: Whipwreck and Swann kick off the contest as the fans are hyped for this one. Whiprweck takes Swann down to the mat to start the bout and works over the left knee. Whipwreck has a half Boston Crab locked in but Swann counters with an inside cradle but there’s no pin attempt. Whipwreck shoulder blocks Swann and eventually hits a tilt a whirl back breaker. Whipwreck gives Swann a creepy look and Fox gets tagged in as does Tajiri. Tajiri spits out some green mist and Fox looks a little scared in the corner. Tajiri takes Fox down to the mat and has a half Boston Crab arm trapped submission but lets go. Tajiri kicks Fox causing him to flip around in the air. Fox is put over the top rope and Mikey leaps over Tajiri to splash onto Fox. Whipwreck has Fox upside down to allow a kick from Tajiri. Swann is in and is met with a double gut buster and a double dropkick. Tajiri holds Swann over the bottom rope to allow a leg drop from Whipwreck. Tajiri kicks Swann and Whipwreck tosses Swann into the guard railing. Fox springboards off the top rope and hits an insane reverse shooting star dive to the floor! Fox covers Whipwreck but can’t get a three. Swann kicks Whipwreck on the arm a couple of times and Whipwreck crashes to the floor.

Swann works over the arm of Whipwreck but misses a forearm drop. Fox tags back in and stomps on Mikey. Fox leg drops the left arm of Mikey and continues to focus on the arm. Tajiri gets involved stomping Swann until Fox sends him to the floor. Swann keeps control over Whipwreck with a few strikes and stomps in the corner. Whipwreck big boots Swann in the corner and attempts a tornado DDT but Swann counters but misses a splash in the corner. Swann avoids a leg drop from Whipwreck and Fox gets tagged in. Fox hits a swanton off the top onto Whipwreck who was a good distance away. Tajiri gets tagged in and kicks Fox several times backing him against the ropes. Tajiri knocks Fox to the floor with a kick to the face. Swann misses a handspring elbow and is met with a kick from Tajiri. Tajiri baseball slides Fox in the corner and Whipwreck hits a top rope clothesline for a near fall. Fox stops Mikey with a boot and Swann hits a missile dropkick for a near fall. Fox puts Tajiri on the top but can’t hit a Spanish Fly and is met with green mist! Whipwreck nails Swann with the Whippersnapper and Tajiri delivers a kick to the head that gets a three count. (***1/4. A solid main event that showcased Swann and Fox very well, but it also showed how well Tajiri and Whipwreck still are in the ring. This exceeded expectations and was a lot of fun.)

Final Thoughts:
A strong show from 2CW with several entertaining matches. This was well worth the time to watch.

Thanks for reading.