Written by: Bob Colling
Squared Circle Wrestling presents Tag Team Tournament Night One
Date: 6/5/2009
From: Syracuse, NY
Opening Contest: the Best Around (Bruce Maxwell & TJ Cannon) vs. Delirious & Jigsaw in a 2CW Tag Team Title Tournament Match: Maxwell and Delirious kickoff the match with Maxwell getting wrist control before tagging in Cannon. Cannon keeps control on the mat but Delirious gets out and tags in Jigsaw. Jigsaw nearly wins with a rollup leading to a standoff. Maxwell works over Jigsaw with a knee strike and an overhand blow to the back. Jigsaw connects with a dropkick for a two count. Delirious tags in and Maxwell is hip tossed followed by a senton splash and leg drop combo for a two count. Cannon breaks up the cover attempt by Delirious. Delirious rubs his spit into Maxwell’s face. Cannon tags into the match and Delirious mocks Cannon for leaping into the ring. Cannon does a somersault into the ring and Jigsaw locks in a submission with Cannon on his back. Cannon doesn’t give up and Delirious tags into the match. Delirious delivers a headbutt and an arm drag.
Delirious tags in Jigsaw, who comes off the top with a boot to Cannon’s arm. Cannon sends Delirious into the corner and Maxwell delivers a slingshot boot to Jigsaw. Jigsaw gets out of a chin lock by Maxwell to deliver a few arm drags. Jigsaw nearly wins with a rollup. Cannon knee lifts Jigsaw from the apron and Cannan knocks Jigsaw through the ropes to the floor. Cannon nearly wins with a slingshot sunset flip from the apron. Cannon controls Jigsaw with a chin lock on the mat. Maxwell comes off the top to splash down onto Jigsaw for a two count. Jigsaw gets cutoff by a forearm strike. Cannon comes off the top to hit a crossbody as Maxwell hit a vertical suplex for a two count on Jigsaw. Cannon tags in Maxwell after a rolling neck snap and Maxwell hits a slingshot splash for a two count. Jigsaw counters a back suplex and dropkicks Maxwell into Delirious on the apron. Delirious tags in and cleans house with strikes and a clothesline on Maxwell for a two count. Delirious tries for a suplex, but Maxwell counters with strikes.
Cannon enters the ring and kicks Delirious followed by a forearm to the back. Delirious clotheslines both men and gets a second wind. Delirious plants Maxwell with a sit out package slam for a near fall. Delirious and Jigsaw nail Maxwell with kicks for a two count. Delirious sends Cannon to the floor. Jigsaw misses a double stomp on Maxwell and Maxwell gets the Sharpshooter locked in! Delirious enters to breakup the submission attempt. Cannon leg sweeps Jigsaw and locks in the Sharpshooter again, but Jigsaw doesn’t give up. Jigsaw drops Cannon with a modified brainbuster, but Maxwell breaks the cover to hit a reverse STO. Cannon misses a springboard senton and Delirious hit a frog splash to Maxwell’s back allowing Jigsaw to hit the double stomp for the win. (**3/4. A fine start to the show and tournament. They did some decent tag team double teams and the closing few moments were nicely done. Best Around are a team that don’t get a lot of attention, but they are a quality tag team.)
Second Contest: Loca Vida vs. Isys Ephex: They counter some basic wrist locks with cartwheels and flips. Vida hits a wheelbarrow arm drag and Ephex hit a standing hurricanrana. Vida monkey flips Ephex to the floor and fakes a dive. Ephex returns to the ring to superkick Vida to gain control of the match. Ephex tries to remove Vida’s mask, but isn’t able to do so. Ephex low blows Vida and acts like he can’t believe he did that. Vida arm drags Ephex after countering a kick attempt. Vida arm drags Ephex, but gets backdropped. Ephex comes off the ropes to hit a senton splash for a two count. Ephex tries for a vertical suplex but Vida punches his way out only for Ephex to hit a brainbuster anyway. Ephex comes off the ropes with a running knee strike. Ephex has an abdominal stretch briefly on and delivers a backbreaker. Ephex kicks Vida to keep control on the mat. Vida backdrops Ephex to the apron and hits a Code Red on the apron!
Vida leaps off the apron to elbow drop Ephex on the floor. Ephex fights back with a few chops. Vida heads to the top rope and hits a splash for a near fall. Vida hits a springboard back strike and nearly wins with a rollup. Vida nearly wins with an impressive bridge out of a backslide. Vida counters a tilt a whirl with a choke, but plants Ephex with a DDT. Ephex spikes Vida with a reverse piledriver for a near fall. Ephex has Vida on his shoulders for a Torture Rack, but Vida wiggles free and hits a top rope double stomp. Ephex catches Vida in the corner and goes to the middle rope to hit a Death Valley Driver for the win. (**1/2. I thought that was actually a really solid match. Vida had some good counters and they exchanged some good moves throughout. There were a few surprising high spots that I wasn’t expecting. Ephex had a strong finishing move here, as well. This is a good match to have on your undercard.)
Third Contest: All Money Is Legal (Murda & Pusha) vs. The Alumni Club (Alex Cypher & Tony Torres) in a 2CW Tag Team Title Tournament Match: Tony and Pusha start the match and line up like they are on the football field with Tony taking Pusha down to the mat. Pusha works over Tony with right hands in the corner. Pusha nearly wins following a head scissors in the corner. Murda enters and Tony is met with a double dropkick. Alex gets tagged in to try his luck with Murda. Murda arm drags Alex a few times followed by a dropkick. Alex knee lifts Murda, but Murda fights out of the corner only to run into a tilt a whirl backbreaker. Murda is met with a double back elbow strike. Pusha dropkicks the Alumni Club from behind to help Murda. Alumni’s manager gets on the apron and the Alumni hit their double team suplex, but the count is stopped by Pusha. Murda is sent into the guard railing on the floor but kicks out on the cover by Alex. Alumni hit a suplex combo on Pusha for a two count. Pusha continues to be worked over by Tony with a chin lock. Alex sits Pusha on the top turnbuckle looking for a suplex, but gets punched off. Pusha leaps off the top to plant Alex with a face buster. Tony enters to prevent the tag from being made and legally tags in. Pusha rolls Alex over and hits a hurricanrana.
Murda tags in and cleans house with clotheslines. Murda takes Alex out with a suicide dive and leaps off the top to nearly pin Tony with a crossbody. Murda hits Alex with a tornado DDT, but Tony stops Murda with a spear. Pusha clotheslines Tony a few times before Alex stops his momentum. Murda hits a double dropkick on the Club and they proceed to hit stereo splashes off the top rope. The referee gets pulled out of the ring by the manager. Murda is left in the ring and the Alumni Club hit an STO/neckbreaker combo for the win. (*1/2. That felt a little clunky and I really wouldn’t have put the Alumni Club over at all. I remember at the time they seemingly were getting a decent push in 2CW and then promptly fell off the face of the earth. AMIL were the better team and would have made a more entertaining choice for the remainder of the tournament.)
JD Love and 2CW Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Olsen come out to the ring with Olsen sporting crutches. Love says that John Walters will not be appearing tonight. Walters was suspended from 2CW and decided to not return. Olsen points out that he’s not ready to wrestle and thus the match he was scheduled to happen isn’t going to happen. CEO Matt Patterson comes out and confronts the duo. Patterson says the championship will be defended whether Olsen is wrestling in the match or not.
Fourth Contest: Jay Freddie vs. Colin Delaney: Freddie has his left arm in a sling and heavily bandaged. Delaney mocks Freddie for having an injured arm and slaps Freddie. Freddie takes off the sling after being slapped and hammers away on Delaney hitting a German suplex, but holds his shoulder in pain. Delaney kicks Freddie on the shoulder and focuses his attack on the injury. Freddie comes back with a few elbow strikes, but Delaney suplexs both of them over the top to the floor. Freddie chops Delaney several times around ringside. Delaney rams Freddie shoulder first into the ring post. Delaney drops Freddie chest first over the railing. Delaney drives Freddie to the mat with an arm breaker. Delaney connects with a shoulder breaker for a near fall. Delaney rams the ring steps into Freddie’s injured shoulder. Delaney sends Freddie into the ring post again and pummels Freddie with right hands. The referee decides to call for the match and Delaney wins by referee stoppage. (**. These two are capable of having a great match, but instead they went with an angle driven match. In that regard, this was disappointing.) After the match, Delaney hits another arm breaker.
Fifth Contest: Little Guido & Spike Dudley vs. Killer Steves (Steve Kruz & Steve McKenzie) in a 2CW Tag Team Title Tournament Match: Sadly, this part of the first disc, which is the final match for the disc, does not work properly. It either freezes up to an unwatchable pace or it gets stuck in a fast forward speed. Killer Steves won the match to advance in the tournament.
Sixth Contest: Brodie Lee vs. Eddie Edwards in a number one contenders match: Lee backs Edwards into a corner but slowly backs away. Lee shoves Edwards into the corner and plays to the crowd instead of following up. Lee counters a top wrist lock by knocking Edwards to the mat. Edwards tries for a shoulder block and Lee doesn’t fall down. Edwards chops Lee and runs into a shoulder block. Edwards hip tosses Lee followed by a dropkick to send Lee to the corner. Lee drops Edwards with a right hand and delivers a forearm shot. Lee works over Edwards with a chop in the corner, but Edwards fights back with a chop. Lee runs into a elbow but tosses Edwards with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Lee rams Edwards face first into the guard railing followed by strikes. Lee rolls Edwards back into the ring and stomps on Edwards before delivering more strikes in the corner. Lee keeps control on Edwards in the corner with an eye rake. Lee uppercuts Edwards into the corner to keep control of the match. Lee runs into a big boot by Edwards a few times. Lee hits a double under hook slam for a two count.
Lee keeps Edwards on the mat with a chin lock. Brodie sends Edwards into the corner but misses a splash. Edwards comes off the middle rope to hit a Codebreaker to send Lee stumbling into the corner. Eddie hits a forearm in the corner followed by a snap suplex. Edwards hits a missile dropkick to send Lee to the floor. Edwards takes Lee out with a suicide dive to the floor! Eddie leaps off the top but Lee catches Eddie on a crossbody. Edwards kicks Lee on the mat followed by a springboard moonsault for a near fall. Lee avoids a Boston Crab and hits a swinging slam for a two count. Lee nails Edwards with a big boot in the corner and a quick powerbomb for a near fall. Lee tries for a suplex, but Edwards counters with an inside cradle for a near fall. Edwards nails Lee with a kick for a two count. Edwards tries for the a half Boston Crab, but Lee avoids it only for Edwards to get the hold locked in. Lee reaches the ropes to break the hold. Lee nails Edwards with a kick to the head to send Eddie into the corner. Edwards hits a middle rope head scissors and ducks a big boot to get a rollup on Lee and wins the match! (***1/4. They didn’t really kick this into a second gear, but it still was a really solid match and delivered entertainment value. I’m glad there was a clean finish. The closing two minutes or so was really good.)
Seventh Contest: El Generico & Kevin Steen vs. Up In Smoke (Cheech & Cloudy) in a 2CW Tag Team Title Tournament Match: Generico distracts Up in Smoke early on to allow Steen to hit a double clothesline and sends Cloudy into Cheech on the apron. Steen and Generico work over Cloudy with strikes leading to a near fall. Generico and Cloudy legally start the match with Steen quickly tagging in and chopping Cloudy in the corner. Steen tosses Cloudy out of the corner. Cloudy begs off in the corner and Steen kicks Cheech off the apron. Steen sends Cloudy into Generico’s boot in the corner. Steen hits a somersault leg drop on Cloudy after a drop toe hold by Generico. Generico sends Cheech to the floor and gets a two count on Cloudy. Cloudy is begging off from Generico and delivers a jawbreaker. Cheech enters and Cloudy low blows Generico leading to a tag to Cheech. Cheech eye rakes Generico and taunts the referee. Cheech plants Generico with a back suplex for a near fall. Up In Smoke hits a double side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Cheech shoulder rams Generico in the corner to maintain control.
Cheech keeps Generico on the mat with a head scissors, but Generico reaches the ropes to break the hold. Cloudy forearms Generico and a suplex allowing Cheech to hit a senton splash from the apron for a two count. Generico continues to be worked over by Up In Smoke for a few moments. Generico fights out of a sleeper by Cloudy and hits a spinning sit out slam. Cheech and Steen get tagged in with Steen cleaning house with strikes and kicks the middle rope on Cloudy. Steen atomic drops Cloudy and chops Cheech. Steen kicks the middle rope on Cloudy again. Cheech boots Steen but gets clotheslined to the floor by Generico. Generico dives over the top to take out Cheech. Steen plants Cloudy with a popup powerbomb for a two count! Steen drops Cloudy over his knee for a near fall. Steen tries for the Package Piledriver, but Cheech sends Generico into the post. Steen is dropped over the top rope and Cloudy hits a tornado DDT for a near fall. Steen gets met with a dropkick/619 over the middle rope. Cheech nearly pins Steen after Cloudy hit a top rope senton. Steen avoids Cheech, who spears Cloudy in the corner. Generico hits a running big boot in the corner on Cheech. Steen hits a double Samoan Drop! Generico hits a somersault dropkick on Cloudy in the corner. Steen plants Cloudy with a Package Piledriver. Cheech comes up from behind and rolls Generico up with a handful of tights to win the match! (***1/2. I highly enjoyed this tag match. Cheech and Cloudy weren’t made to look like non-threats and worked well with Generico and Steen. Generico and Steen are on another level and this victory is a huge win for Up In Smoke. Up In Smoke have to be the favorites to win the tournament.)
Eighth Contest: Portia Perez vs. Daizee Haze: Early on, Haze takes Perez down to the mat with a headlock. Perez breaks free with shoulder rams in the corner. Haze messes up a flip in the corner and settles for a kick. Perez knocks Haze off the apron to send Haze to the floor. Haze fights back with chops on the floor. Haze tries for a sunset flip, but Perez avoids it and nails Haze with a back elbow shot. Perez chokes Haze in the corner and backs away. Haze nearly wins with a rollup. Perez tries for a slam, but Haze counters with a DDT. Haze clotheslines Perez a few times. Haze boots Perez in the corner followed by a bulldog off the middle rope for a two count. Perez counters a German suplex for a rollup for a two count. Perez connects with a spinning heel kick and a Flatliner for a two count. Haze hits a heart punch and a modified stunner for the win. (*1/4. That was a mostly boring match. I guess you gotta cool down the crowd before the main event, so that was effectively done.)
Prior to the main event, Jimmy Olsen reveals that he has found a replacement for himself in the match and that man is his brother, Colin Delaney. Matt Patterson comes out and says the match works. Patterson reveals the main event is under anything goes rules.
Main Event: 2CW Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Olsen, Colin Delaney, JD Love & Mean Marcos vs. Jason Axe, Slyck Wagner Brown, Spike Dudley & Zaquary Springate III in an anything goes match: The fans are heavily behind Brown. All six men start brawling in the ring and around ringside. Axe sends Love into the guard railing. Springate backdrops Marcos while Brown and Delaney trade blows outside the ring as well. Brown drops Delaney over the railing. Springate drives Marcos down with a vertical suplex. Marcos and Springate are brawling in the crowd while Brown backdropped Delaney into the crowd. Delaney clotheslines Brown over the railing back to ringside. Springate chops Delaney against the railing a few times. Love tosses Axe onto a few chairs. Brown sends Delaney into the guard railing. Brown leaps off a chair to forearm Delaney. Springate goes after Love with right hands on the floor. Axe splashes Marcos in the corner. Delaney jabs a chair into Brown’s throat. Marcos dropkicks Axe off the railing into the crowd. Brown hits a hip toss on Delaney. Delaney takes Brown over with a swinging neckbreaker for a two count.
Love runs over and grabs the ring bell. Love decks Axe over the head with the bell! Brown goes to the top rope and hits a leg lariat on Delaney. Springate is double teamed by Marcos and Love on the floor. Delaney drives Brown back first into the apron. Delaney misses a leaping dive over the railing and lands onto a chair. Love knee strikes Springate over the ropes. Brown drops Marcos face first over the apron. Springate is met with a double flapjack, but kicks out on the cover at two. Love grabs Jack Trades and shoves Trades away. Delaney drops Springate over the top rope. Delaney and Springate trade right hands from their knees. Love boots Springate to end the exchange. Brown works over Love with strikes on the floor. Brown sends Love into the guard railing. Delaney is double teamed by Brown and Springate in the ring. Axe slams Marcos on the floor and leaps off the apron to hit an elbow drop. Brown catapults Delaney throat first into the middle rope. Brown baseball slides Delaney to the floor and everyone continues to brawl outside the ring.
Love punches Springate from behind and handcuffs Springate to the bottom rope. Marcos sends Axe into the guard railing. Springate broke free from the handcuffs rather easily. Marcos hits a Slice Bread on Axe for a two count. Delaney plants Brown with a DDT. The heels are handcuffing the babyfaces to the ropes. Brown broke free from the handcuffs rather easily, as well. Delaney goes back to the handcuffs to try and keep Brown attached to the ropes. Love slides a table into the ring. Love whacks Axe over the back with a steel chair. Delaney DDTs Brown on the floor. Marcos leaps off the top and senton splashes Axe, but the table doesn’t break. Love heads to the top rope and splashes Axe through the table.
Jimmy Olsen makes his way out and is perfectly healthy. Axe is laid out in the middle of the ring. Olsen tries for a suplex but Axe counters with an inside cradle for a two count! Springate has been handcuffed to he bottom rope, by the way. Axe tries for a fisherman buster, but Olsen delivers a low blow and nearly wins the match with a rollup. Olsen decks the referee. Spike Dudley comes out as Axe hit a fisherman buster and manages to pin Olsen to win the title! (***. It’s a decent brawl, though they did the same spots over and over again. I’m not sure if anyone really expected Axe to win since the crowd seemed to be heavily behind Slyck to regain the gold. I don’t mind Axe winning since it is something different and could make another local star for 2CW. The crowd popped big for the finish, which should be a sign of just how over Jimmy Olsen was a top heel for the company.)
Final Thoughts:
I’m going to consider night one of the tag title tournament to be a good show. There’s several good matches that have entertainment value. Plus, a huge title victory to close the show. I’d say this show was well rounded and a lot going on in regard to angles, as well.
Thanks for reading.