2CW Then. Now. Forever. 9/27/2015

Written by: Bob Colling

Squared Circle Wrestling presents Then. Now. Forever.
Date: 9/27/2015
From: Syracuse, NY

Opening Contest: 2CW Heavyweight Champion Nick Ando vs. Michael Christopher: Remember, Christopher was the homosexual Guy Sunshine who has transformed to a pissed off MMA fighter. A 2CW student named Jeremy originally came out to answer an open challenge. Christopher tosses him to the floor after a left jab and wanted a real challenge. Nick Ando answers the challenge and gets a good pop from the crowd. As usual, Ando takes several minutes before even getting into the ring and the Gilligan Island theme song plays a few times. Christopher sends Ando into the ring post a few times managing to get a near fall. Christopher takes Ando to the canvas with a choke but Ando reaches the ropes. Ando is sent again into the ring post two more times. Christopher puts a choke hold on Ando but the champ is able to reach the ropes again. Ando stops Christopher with a big boot in the corner but Christopher puts an arm bar on Ando leading to a submission and we’ve got a new champion. (NR. Honestly, this is just bizarre. Christopher was a comedy act who wasn’t capable of a good match with mostly Isys Ephex and now wins the championship. As it turns out, Ando had an injury and the belt needed to come off of him. This wouldn’t be the last time the championship is defended on the show. The fans are surprised and make that clear with their chant of “what the fuck?”)

Second Contest: AR Fox vs. Colin Delaney in a 30 Minute IronMan match: They start early on with some mat wrestling but that just leads to the typical standoff. Fox gets a near fall with a rollup and they have a standoff, again. Five minutes has gone by in the match and they haven’t done much of anything. Fox chops Delaney and springboards off the ropes a few times but Delaney counters with a back suplex. Delaney gets a rollup on Fox and gets a quick three to get a 1-0 advantage.

They chop each other a few times until Fox hit a head scissors. Fox takes Delaney off the top with a split legged Spanish Fly and Delaney rolls to the floor to avoid a pin attempt. Fox baseball slides Delaney into the railing and hit a suicide dive and a springboard splash back into the ring for a near fall. Fox dumps Colin to the floor and again hits a suicide dive. Fox gets sent into the guard railing back first and his wife checks on him as Colin comes over to continue his offense. Fox sends Delaney to the floor and takes Delaney out with a somersault dive over the ring post to the floor! Fox goes to the top after bringing Colin back into the ring and lands on his feet on an attempted 450. Fox kicks Delaney to stop a slingshot attempt from the apron. Fox clotheslines Delaney in the corner and follows up with a dropkick. Fox jumps across the back of Delaney while across the middle rope and Fox dropkicks Delaney from the floor. Delaney gets kicked into the railing after missing a clothesline on the floor. Fox plays to the crowd with Delaney backed against the railing. Fox runs around ringside and delivers a kick to Colin’s face.

Fox performs the move a second time. Fox decides to do it one more time but Delaney moves and Fox lands across the railing groin first. Delaney takes the time to do the same move, but fell before he could make it and Fox rolls back into the ring. I think Fox’s wife may have done something but the cameraman missed it. Fox dropkicks Delaney back in the ring to keep the advantage in his favor. Delaney goes to the apron and is met with a knee lift causing him to dangle over the middle rope but misses a double stomp. Delaney hooks Fox for a suplex to the floor, but Fox blocks it. Fox gets kicked and Colin teases a DDT to the floor. Delaney stops Fox with a forearm after being shoved on the apron. Fox kicks Delaney and attempts a Slice Bread but is sent into the ring post. Delaney drives Fox down across the apron with a Death Valley Driver! They begin to trade shots on their knees until they battle to their feet continuing to trade shots. Fox stops Delaney with a big boot to the face and Delaney does the same. Delaney comes off the ropes and is met with a boot from Fox. Fox kicks Delaney and brings Colin over with a modified head scissors, but Delaney pulls himself up back into the ring hitting an elbow drop for a two count.

Fox punches Delaney off the top and avoids Colin in the corner managing to hit a springboard ace crusher for a two count. Delaney stops Fox with an ace crusher and several forearms. Fox kicks Delaney for a two count as five minutes remain in the match. Fox heads to the top rope and attempts a swanton but Delaney goes his feet up. Fox counters a kick to the face with one of his own to Delaney for a near fall. Delaney counters a Spanish Fly attempt and Fox lands on the apron. Fox attempts the move again and hits it for a three count and ties the match at 1-1.

AR heads to the top but misses a 450 splash and Delaney nearly wins with a rollup. Delaney sets Fox up and plants him with a tombstone for a two count. Delaney goes to the top rope and misses an elbow drop. Fox jumps off the top hitting a 450 splash but Delaney kicks out at two. Fox gets Delaney’s head trapped between his legs looking for a submission in the Koquina but Delaney refuses to give in. There’s one minute remaining in the match. Delaney takes Fox down with a modified STF it looks like or some kind of cross face but Fox counter with a rollup for a two count. Delaney hits Fox with a forearm in the corner and the match ends in a draw. (***1/4. It’s a decent match and there were several good spots throughout. The early moments were really slow and it didn’t feel like it ever got going to me. Again, don’t get me wrong it’s a solid match, but the stipulation here seemed to handcuff the guys.)

Third Contest: Pepper Parks & Veda Scott vs. Dick Justice & Jessica Havok: Justice and Parks start the match with Justice pulling his handgun out on Parks who backs off after posing. It’s literally Justice just making the signal of a gun with his finger and it’s comical when he does it and the heels back off. Veda tags in and tries to choke Justice but that doesn’t work very well. Havok gets tagged in and Veda bails quickly. Havok pie faces Parks and spits at him since Parks doesn’t seemingly want to fight her. That changes with a right hand to the face from Parks. Veda comes off the top and gets tossed away by Havok. Justice tags in to work over Pepper and double teams him with Havok. Parks ducks a clothesline and goes after the knee of Justice. Veda tags in and works over Justice in the corner. Veda tries a spear but literally just bounces off of Dick. Havok enters and takes out Parks with a big boot. Parks tries to tag in Veda, but she bails on him. Justice jabs Parks several times. Parks tries to tag in Veda, who doesn’t want to, but Parks still tags her in. Scott slaps Parks and is forced into the ring by Parks who essentially turns on Veda. Havok grabs Scott and along with Dick hit a double choke slam for the win. (1/2*. I didn’t care about this in the slightest, to be honest.)

Fourth Contest: Cheech vs. Mike Bailey: Early on, Bailey shows off his quick footwork hitting Cheech with quick kick strikes to the leg. Cheech shoves Bailey away after more quick kicks. Cheech misses a clothesline and gets met with a flurry of kicks and he rolls to the floor. Bailey delivers a few more strikes and they roll around the canvas until Cheech gets control and drives Bailey down to the canvas with a go-behind. Cheech low blows Bailey while the referee was out of position. Cheech puts Bailey in the tree of woe and take his boots off. The referee seems confused as to how to get Bailey freed. Cheech proceeds to hit a dropkick on the vulnerable Bailey. Cheech works over Bailey with strikes and they trade forearms. Cheech hits an overhead suplex to drive Mike down to the mat gut first for a two count. Cheech knee drops Bailey to keep him on the canvas for a few moments. Cheech hits a back senton but Bailey kicks out at two. Cheech keeps Bailey down with a chin lock but doesn’t get a submission. Cheech continues to work over Bailey with chops in the corner. Cheech spears Bailey in the corner but Bailey nearly wins with a rollup. Bailey drops Cheech with a kick to the head. Bailey kicks Cheech on the chest but misses a splash in the corner. Cheech charges but is also met with a kick to the chest. Bailey continues to beat on Cheech with kicks.

Cheech stops Bailey but Bailey nearly wins with a standing shooting star press slam. Bailey kicks Cheech off the apron and goes for ad I’ve to the floor but lands on his feet when Cheech moves. Bailey kicks Cheech a few more times followed by a standing hurricanrana. Bailey misses a baseball slide dropkick and is sent into the railing back first. Cheech comes off the apron to dropkick Bailey into the railing. Bailey super kicks Cheech and attempts a Slice Bread but Cheech counters with a tombstone for a two count. Bailey almost wins with a sunset flip and hits a standing shooting star knee splash but Cheech still kicks out. Bailey continues to work over Cheech with strikes. Cheech comes back with a dropkick. Bailey nails Cheech with a spinning kick in the corner. Bailey hits a twisting splash but Cheech still kicks out. Bailey jumps off the back of Cheech onto the middle rope and soon shoves Cheech off but gets crotched on the top rope. Cheech has Bailey on the top rope but Bailey again shoves Cheech off only to b meet with a forearm knocking him off the to the apron. Bailey knocks Cheech out with a kick from the apron and again goes to the middle rope managing to hit a shooting star knee splash but Cheech counters with a rollup and almost wins but the referee saw the handful of tights. The referee shoves Cheech into Bailey who gets the rollup for the win. (**. The actual finish with the referee was just stupid and didn’t flow with the match. I don’t see the problem here with just ending it with the shooting star press knee splash spot. The crowd dug the move and it would have concluded on the right note instead of the finish that happened. Bailey is alright, but his usage of kicks as his offense is similar to what Low Ki use to do and I’ve always saw Ki as a hit or miss guy for the most part.)

Fifth Contest: Brandon Webb vs. Jason Axe vs. Sean Carr vs. Ted Goodz vs. Slyck Wagner Brown vs. Isys Ephex vs. Benjamin Boone: I can’t recall another time where talents like Sean Carr, Slyck Wagner Brown and Ted Goodz were just tossed into a random scramble match just to get them on the show. Especially considering Carr was kind of a big deal for 2CW earlier in the year. Most times I don’t go in-depth for these matches since they are filler, and that’s what I’m going to do here. Ephex does this gimmick where he is only conscious if music is playing. Boone pulls the “I’m sorry, I love you.” to Ephex, which doesn’t get a reaction and wins following a suplex. Nobody cared and neither did I.

Sixth Contest: EMT & Pete D. Order vs. Guero Loco & Steve Mckenzie: In a very quick match, Mckenzie got the pin on EMT with a rollup after EMT tripped over Mckenzie when stumbling backwards.

Seventh Contest: Joe Gacy vs. Moose vs. Brute Van Slyke: It’s the first appearance for Moose in 2CW, which is a surprise since he is from the Syracuse area, or at least played football for the school. Fans are totally into him, and by fans I mean about fifteen of them. They trade blows with Brute and Joe trading right hands until Moose jabs both of them. Moose comes off the ropes and is backdropped by both opponents. Brute is met with an elbow from Gacy but comes back with an overhead suplex. Moose is back in and trades strikes with Gacy. Moose knocks Gacy to the floor with a big boot. Brute trips Moose and pulls him to the floor where they club each other until Gacy takes them out with a dive. Gacy forearms Brute in the corner a few times getting a two count. Brute goes for a choke slam but Gacy gets out of it and gets Brute on his shoulders to hit a Death Valley Driver but Moose breaks up the cover attempt. Moose uppercuts Gacy followed by a discus clothesline, but Brute breaks up the cover this time. Moose jabs Brute several times but misses a discus clothesline. Brute decks Moose into the corner and Moose dropkicks Gacy. Gacy takes Moose over with a German suplx and a handspring ace crusher. Brute power bombs Gacy but only gets a near fall. Brute gets a double under hook suplex with a bridge but Gacy powers out at two, again. Brute clotheslines Gacy from behind followed by a running clothesline for a two count. Brute boots Moose in the corner but Moose dropkicks Brute off the middle rope to the floor. Moose takes Gacy out with a spear and wins the match. (*1/2. I didn’t find this all that great and the pop of Moose being in Syracuse was quick to disappear. The best thing about Moose was the fans chanting his name to his theme song, but that was about it here.)

Eighth Contest: 2CW Heavyweight Champion Michael Christopher vs. Kevin Graham: Christopher goes for the arm bar submission quickly but Graham refuses to give in and reaches the ropes causing a rope break. Graham battles back with right hands but an eye rake stops him followed by a knee. Christopher dropkicks Graham for a two count. Graham kicks Christopher out of the corner but is met with a forearm shot to the head. Christopher comes off the ropes and hits a stupid looking face buster. Christopher beats on Graham on the canvas. Graham tosses Christopher away on a charging attempt and clotheslines Christopher a few times. Graham drops Christopher with a running forearm attack. Graham elbows out of a go behind and delivers a running knee strike but only gets a two count. Christopher almost wins with a rollup to counter a suplex attempt. Christopher has another rollup out of the corner for a near fall. Graham stops a charging Christopher twice and hits a DDT for the win. (1/2*. This didn’t feel like a heavyweight championship match and the fans totally crapped on Christopher as the champion. Graham winning the title is a good moment for the local guy, but the match was pretty damn bad and I’d put the blame on the inexperience of Christopher.) After the match, Graham celebrates his victory in the crowd.

Matt Jackson makes his way out on his own due to Nick Jackson being out due to his wife having a child causing a change to the main event since Nick doesn’t have a partner as a result. Matt tells the crowd that Nick’s wife is expecting a baby boy and the fans chant “young buck.” Anyway, Roderick Strong turns on Eddie Edwards, but Mike Bailey comes out to make the save delivering kicks to Matt and Strong.

Main Event: Eddie Edwards & Mike Bailey vs. Matt Jackson & Roderick Strong: Bailey avoids Matt in the corner and takes Strong out with a springboard moonsault to the floor. Bailey knee lifts Matt and hit a Slice Bread followed by a kick to the chest. Strong beats on Bailey with strikes and the fans let him know they hate his little boots. Edwards delivers a running boot to Strong in the corner and along with Bailey delivers chops and kicks in the corner to weaken Strong. Matt comes in and is dropped to the canvas followed by a double knee splash/moonsault by Bailey with help from Edwards. Matt super kicks Edwards off the apron and that leaves Bailey to be super kicked and met with a back breaker from Strong. Bailey is worked over in the corner by Matt and Roddy several times with chops. Roddy drops Bailey across the guard railing chest first followed by a kick to the face. Matt tries for a cocky cover on Bailey but only gets a two count. Roderick tosses Bailey with a double under hook suplex. Roderick keeps control of Bailey with a chin lock. Matt enters and eye pokes Bailey.

Roderick switches for a cover but Bailey kicks out. Bailey tries to fight out of the corner but Strong delivers a boot to stop his momentum. Matt keeps control stomping on Bailey and gets a near fall. Bailey is trapped in an abdominal stretch as Matt is giving Strong an illegal advantage. Bailey tries to fight back on Strong but is rammed into the corner and Strong chops on Bailey. Strong taunts Bailey before delivering a kick. Bailey delivers a flurry of kicks but Matt comes in from behind and super kicks Bailey to stop him. Strong takes Bailey over with an Angle Slam. Matt knocks Edwards off the apron and Bailey continues to be worked over. Matt power bombs Bailey in the corner. Strong with a running knee and Matt splashes Bailey for a near fall. Bailey kicks Matt and blocks a super kick before delivering another kick. Strong knocks Eddie off the apron but is slammed by Bailey. Bailey hits his moonsault double knee strike on Strong. Edwards finally gets the hot tag and cleans house on Strong and Matt hitting a suicide dive on Matt on the floor. Edwards comes off the top and stops Strong with a kick to the face. Edwards hits a backpack stunner and locks in a half Boston Crab but Matt enters and is dropped gut first to the canvas. Strong misses a clothesline and Edwards hits a sit out slam for a two count.

Edwards ducks a double clothesline and hit a double hurricanrana. Bailey kick Matt in the corner and ducks Strong’s offense. Bailey kicks Strong several times and does the same to Matt in the corner. Edwards chops Strong in the corner and Bailey is kicking Matt in the other corner. Edwards and Bailey continue to beat on the Matt and Strong. Strong is lifted into the air and kicked by Bailey. Bailey hits a twisting big splash but Strong kicks out at two. Edwards has Strong for a suplex but Matt comes in and makes the save. Matt and Bailey go for kicks but get tangled and are both nailed by Eddie and Strong with high knees knocking all four men out. Edwards and Matt trade shots in the middle of the ring. Edwards nails Matt with a clothesline but Roddy hit a high knee. Bailey takes Strong over with a reverse hurricanrana! Bailey heads to the middle rope and misses a shooting star press knee drop and Matt super kicks him. Strong nearly wins with the Sick Kick but Edwards made the save. Edwards battles back with strikes but Roddy delivers a big boot. Bailey runs into a super kick/Sick Kick combo. Matt with a package piledriver and Roddy finishes off Bailey with a back breaker for the win. (***1/2. Bailey took a damn beating here and it held my interest the entire time he was the focus of the segment. This was a really good way to end a rather underwhelming show.)

Final Thoughts:
The title change involving Michael Christopher should just not have had happened. I get the shock value, but I didn’t enjoy the segments involving him. Fox/Delaney, and the main event are really the only matches that had much entertainment value attached to it. That being said, I can’t give the show a recommendation. It’s a rather lackluster show for 2CW.

Thanks for reading.