Squared Circle Wrestling presents Grand Prix
Date: 5/1/2010
From: Binghamton, NY
Opening Contest: Loca Vida vs. Super Hentai in a first round match: They show respect for each other by shaking hands. Vida gains control with a wrist lock at the start of the bout, but Hentai counters quickly. Hentai fireman carries Vida and gains arm control until Vida puts a head scissors on the mat. Hentai counters with a headlock on the mat. Vida breaks free and does a cartwheel before leg sweeping Hentai and they trade pin attempts. They both hit arm drags and attempt dropkicks leading to a standoff. Vida elbow strikes Hentai and runs the ropes, but is met with a knee lift. Hentai forearm strikes Vida on the mat and continues with an uppercut. Vida fires back with a right hand, but Hentai cuts Vida off with strikes. Hentai double knee strikes Vida in the corner. Hentai suplexs Vida for a two count. Hentai drops Vida with a back suplex for a near fall. Hentai slams Vida and heads to the top rope. Hentai hits a splash, but Vida kicks out at two. Vida strikes Hentai, but is cutoff quickly. Hentai drops Vida over the top rope gut first. Hentai uppercuts Vida over the ropes, but Vida counters an uppercut on the apron and rolls back into the ring. Vida strikes Hentrai and hits a wheelbarrow bulldog. Vida chops Hentai several times and comes off the ropes to clothesline Hentai several times. Vida knee strikes Hentai to maintain the advantage. Vida bulldogs Hentai into the middle turnbuckle and hits an axe handle strike off the top rope for a near fall. Vida avoids Hentai in the corner and delivers a mule kick. Vida spikes Hentai with a tornado DDT and Hentai lands over the middle rope. Vida nails Hentai with a 315 for a two count. Hentai forearm strikes Vida coming off the ropes for a two count. Hentai uppercuts Vida into the corner. Vida boots Hentai in the corner leaps off the middle rope to arm drag Hentai, but Hentai counters with a rollup and pins Vida for the win. (*1/2. Not a great start. They seemed to be a little sloppy in spots. Hentai has never been in 2CW before, but is a regular for IWC. In 2CW, this is probably a major upset, but not an impressive showing.)
Second Contest: John Walters vs. Zaquary Springate III in a first round match: Walters backs Springate into a corner, but cleanly backs off. Springate backs Walters into a corner and backs away after a slap to the chest. Walters controls Springate with a wrist lock, but Springate takes Walters to the mat for a moment. Springate puts a headlock on Walters and follows up with a shoulder block. Walters dropkicks Springate coming off the ropes for a two count. Walters elbows Springate coming off the ropes leading to a near fall. Walters chops Springate in the corner to maintain the advantage. Springate ducks a clothesline and plants Walters with a chokeslam. Springate eye rakes Walters and delivers a kick to the back after a snapmare. Springate leg drops Walters managing a two count, but Walters almost wins with a rollup. Springate cuts Walters off with a clothesline. Springate chops Walters against the ropes followed by a strike in the corner. Springate sends Walters into the corner and delivers a running dropkick to the lower midsection. Springate crotches Walters onto the top turnbuckle and delivers a few strikes. Walters boots Springate in the corner and hits a flying crossbody for a two count. Walters chops Springate into the corner, but Springate hits a Chaos Theory German suplex and both men are down. Springate misses a top rope senton splash. Walters takes Springate down and locks in the Sharpshooter. Springate manages to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. Walters backslides Springate and manages to hold Springate down long enough to win the match. (*1/2. This felt a little clunky, but I’m glad Walters won. Walters is an indie guy that I enjoy quite a bit and always enjoyed seeing him in 2CW.)
Third Contest: Antonio Thomas vs. Frankie Arion in a first round match: Thomas takes Arion down with a rollup, but that doesn’t get even a near fall and they have a standoff. Thomas takes Arion down to the mat and monkey flips Arion to the mat while keeping a lockup attached. Thomas controls Arion with a side headlock, but is sent into the ropes. Arion drop toe holds Thomas, but Thomas gains control until Arion reaches the ropes. Thomas drop toe holds Arion and keeps control with a front face lock, but Arion counters on the mat. Thomas arm drags Arion across the ring and maintains the advantage with a front face lock. Thomas maintains the advantage with a front face lock. Thomas takes Arion over with a side headlock. Arion arm drags Thomas and maintains arm control. Thomas slams Arion but Arion keeps arm control. Thomas misses a crossbody attempt off the middle rope. Arion knocks Thomas to the mat and climbs to the top spraying himself with a lot of Axe spray, but Thomas rolls to the floor to regroup. Thomas yanks Arion off his feet on the apron. Thomas shoulder blocks Arion on the floor and taunts a fan in the front row. Thomas rolls Arion back into the ring and delivers a strike to maintain the advantage. Thomas connects with a suplex for a two count. Thomas stomps Arion on the mat several times. Thomas knee drops Arion on the mat and splashes over Arion’s back. Thomas dumps Arion through the ropes to the floor. Thomas decks Arion on the apron and clubs Arion over the back. Thomas grabs Arion for a suplex back into the ring and hits it. Thomas covers, but Arion kicks out at two. Thomas strikes Arion in the ribs before putting an abdominal stretch on, but doesn’t get a submission.
Arion surprises Thomas with an inside cradle for a two count. Thomas stomps Arion on the mat and delivers a side Russian leg sweep. Thomas keeps a chin lock on Arion, but continues to fail to get a submission. They collide on a crossbody with Thomas getting a two count. Arion delivers a wheelbarrow bulldog and both men are down for a bit. Arion kips up and heads to the top rope hitting a splash for a near fall. Thomas sits Arion on the top turnbuckle and tries for a suplex, but Arion counters with an inside cradle for a two count. Arion superkicks Thomas, but runs into a powerslam for a near fall. Thomas hits a bridging suplex for a near fall. Thomas clubs Arion over the back and sits Arion on the top turnbuckle. Arion counters a back suplex attempt off the top and lands on top of Thomas to pickup the win. (**. A decent match and a solid finish. There’s not much heat to these matches since there just tournament matches involving guys that aren’t in 2CW on a regular basis for the most part.) After the match, they shove each other and have a standoff. Thomas offers his hand and then smacks Arion on the head in a dismissive way before leaving the ring.
Fourth Contest: Isys Ephex vs. Nick Logan in a first round match: They shake hands to show respect for each other. They trade waist locks at the start of the bout until Logan manages to get wrist control. Ephex counters with a wrist lock, but Logan kips up and tosses Ephex to the mat with a suplex. Logan keeps Ephex on the mat with a hammerlock, but Ephex gets up and they have a standoff. Logan takes Ephex down to the mat again, but Ephex counters with a rollup for a two count. Ephex arm drags Logan a couple of times to send Logan to the floor. Ephex springboards off the middle rope to hit Logan with a crossbody on the floor! Ephex forearms Logan before returning to the ring. Logan slams Ephex for a near fall and keeps control with a front face lock. Ephex forearms Logan, but Logan stops Ephex with a strike and sends Ephex chest first into the corner for a two count. Logan knee drops Ephex followed by a snapmare and puts a sleeper on Ephex. Ephex elbows free and double stomps Logan for a two count. Logan elbows Ephex in the corner before chopping Ephex. Logan shoulder rams Ephex in the corner followed by a slam. Ephex counters a slam attempt hitting a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Ephex tries for a suplex, but Logan blocks and they trade strikes. Ephex kicks Logan, but Logan responds with a cutter for a two count. Logan heads to the top rope, but Ephex cuts him off with strikes. Ephex tries for a suplex, but Logan shoves Ephex off and misses a swanton bomb. Logan elbows Ephex, but Ephex manages to hit a back suplex slam for the win. (*1/2. Not much to this one. Ephex is over with the crowd while Logan is making his debut and didn’t do much of anything impressive.)
Fifth Contest: Kevin Graham vs. Mike Van Slyke: Graham dropkicks and arm drags Van Slyke before trying for a splash in the corner, but is slammed to the mat for a near fall. Van Slyke slams the back of Graham’s head onto the mat. Van Slyke slams Graham again and delivers a few stomps and an overhand strike to the back. Van Slyke hits a gut wrench slam for a near fall. Graham elbows Van Slyke, but is yanked down to the mat. Van Slyke continues with an overhead double under hook suplex for a near fall. Van Slyke forearms and chops Graham against the ropes. Graham sunset flips Van Slyke for a two count, but is met with an elbow strike. Van Slyke chops Graham in the corner followed by a strike. Graham elbows Van Slyke in the corner. Graham delivers a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. Graham delivers a flurry of strikes, but Slyck Wagner Brown enters the ring and attacks Graham. Brown sends Graham into the ring post shoulder first and drops Van Slyke over the top rope before delivering a boot to send Van Slyke to the floor. Brown plants Graham with the Appreciation Bomb as the referee throws the match out.
Slyck Wagner Brown grabs a microphone and says he’s not suspended. Mikey Metexas tries to get involved and Brown chops Mikey in the corner. The fans love Brown beating down the students. Zaquary Springate III tries to save his students, but is sent to the floor.
Sixth Contest: John Walters vs. Super Hentai in a semifinals match: They lockup and neither man gets a clear advantage. Walters gets control with a side headlock, but Hentai counters with a waist lock. Walters fireman carries Hentai and keeps control with a wrist lock. Hentai counters with a wrist lock of his own and is met with a shoulder block. Hentai comes off the ropes to deliver a crossbody. Walters shoulder blocks Hentai and runs the ropes to chop block Hentai’s left knee. Walters stomps on the knee and puts a leg lock on Hentai for a moment. Hentai manages to reach the ropes to break the hold. Walters kicks Hentai on the knee and bridges backwards to add pressure to the injured knee. Hentai breaks free with an eye rake and struggles to the ropes. Walters rams Hentai into the corner and delivers a chop to the chest several times. Walters stomps on Hentai’s knee and hits a running dropkick to the knee. Walters covers Hentai for a two count. Walters rolls across the ring and slams Hentai while maintaining a leg lock. Hentai nails Walters with a kick to the head. They trade a few chops until Hentai clotheslines Walters a few times and hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Hentai knee strikes Walters in the corner, but Walters hits a sit out spinebuster for a near fall. Walters sits Hentai on the top turnbuckle, but Hentai headbutts Walters off the ropes. Hentai hits a top rope splash for a near fall. Hentai hobbles on his injured knee while trying to get fired up. Walters tries for a back suplex, but settles for a backslide and pins Hentai to advance in the tournament. (**1/2. A solid match as they had some decent chemistry. Walters may be one of my favorite indie guys at this point who doesn’t seem to get much praise.)
Seventh Contest: Isys Ephex vs. Frankie Arion in a semifinals match: They start off standing in the middle doing karate fighting type of stances, but Ephex takes arm control for a moment. Arion counters quickly, but Ephex gets control with a headlock on the mat. Ephex keeps wrist control, but Arion counters with a hammerlock. Ephex maintains control with an arm bar. Arion arm drags Ephex, but Ephex responds with an arm drag out of the corner. Arion is fired up and chops Ephex to the mat for a near fall. Arion kicks Ephex on the mat after a snapmare for another two count. Arion rams Ephex into the corner and continues with a chop. Arion sends Ephex hard into the corner back first and spikes Ephex with a Death Valley Driver for a two count. Ephex boots Arion in the corner and hits a running bulldog followed by a standing moonsault for a two count. Arion kicks Ephex followed by a chop. Arion stomps Ephex on the mat for a two count. Arion keeps Ephex on the mat with an abdominal stretch. Arion elbows Ephex on the ribs a few times, but doesn’t get a submission. Arion knee lifts Ephex, but Ephex delivers a side suplex. Aron is fired up again and clotheslines Ephex leading to both men delivering forearm strikes. Ephex uppercuts Arion to avoid a backslide for a two count. Arion kicks Ephex and hits a springboard bulldog out of the corner. Arion grabs his Axe spray and sprays it all over his body. Arion misses a top rope splash attempt. Ephex spikes Arion with a modified Jay Driller and wins the match. (**. Not a bad match. Arion getting fired up didn’t seem to connect with the fans as they appeared to laugh at him for trying to get that extra boost.)
Eighth Contest: 2CW Tag Team Champions American Wolves (Edwards & Richards) vs. The Best Around (Maxwell & Cannon): Cannon and Richards kickoff the title match. Richards takes Cannon down to the mat for a moment, but they have a standoff. Richards snapmares Cannon and keeps wrist control for a moment. Cannon leg sweeps Richards and maintains arm control. Richards breaks free by kicking Cannon over the back. Edwards tags into the match as does Maxwell. Maxwell backs Edwards into a corner and delivers a chop before backing off. Edwards gains wrist control and backs Maxwell into a corner to deliver a chop of his own. Edwards continues with a snap splex and Maxwell rolls to the corner to regroup. Richards nails Cannon with a sickening spin kick to the chest and tags in Edwards. Cannon is double teamed and Edwards boots Maxwell off the apron to the floor. Edwards kicks Cannon over the back and Richards enters to kick Maxwell in the chest. Richards clotheslines Maxwell for a two count. Richards plants Maxwell with a back suplex for a two count. Edwards returns to the match and chops Maxwell against the ropes several times. Maxwell backdrops Edwards to the floor and sends Richards over the top to the floor. Cannon holds the ropes for Maxwell to hit a suicide dive to the floor! Cannon gets a one count on Edwards and keeps control with a body scissors. Cannon strikes Edwards on the ribs several times. Maxwell hits a slingshot elbow drop into the ring for a near fall as Richards makes the save.
Best Around deliver a drop toe hold/dropkick combo to Edwards for a near fall. Cannon keeps Edwards on the mat with a chin lock. Cannon forearms Edwards in the corner a few times, but runs into a boot. Edwards nails Cannon with a leaping leg lariat and tags in Richards. Richards nails Cannon with several kicks and a snap suplex for a two count. Richards locks in an Indian death lock in the middle of the ring. Richards kicks Cannon again and sends Cannon to the floor where Edwards scoop slams Cannon. Edwards delivers a kick to the back while Maxwell gets a few shots in on Richards. Richards forearm strikes Cannon in the corner followed by a suplex and goes to the top rope hitting a diving headbutt for a two count as Maxwell makes the save. Edwards tags in and puts a chin lock on Cannon before switching to a kneeling abdominal stretch. Richards headbutts Cannon and tries for a suplex, but Cannon blocks it,. Cannon kicks Richards and tags in Maxwell, who hits a slingshot shoulder block from the apron. Maxwell delivers a leaping clothesline for a near fall. Maxwell decks Richards to the mat with a strike. Richards nails Maxwell with a spinning heel kick on a leapfrog attempt. Edwards misses a double stomp off the top. Edwards chops Maxwell against the ropes and tosses Maxwell to the mat before hitting a running knee strike for a near fall.
Edwards kicks Maxwell on the back of the head in the corner and hits a middle rope Codebreaker for a near fall. Edwards boots Maxwell, but misses a chop and Maxwell hits a springboard moonsault causing both men to go down. Cannon kicks Edwards against the ropes and knocks Richards off the apron. Cannon elbows Edwards followed by kicks. Cannon delivers a boot to stagger Edwards into the corner. Edwards tries for a rollup, but Cannon overhead suplexs Edwards for a near fall. They trade forearm strikes in the middle of the ring. Edwards kicks Cannon on the side of the head. Richards tags in and Cannon delivers a few strikes, but is met with another series of kicks. Richards attempts a handspring kick, but Cannon flinches quite a bit and the move looks weird. They trade a series of pin attempts. Cannon forearms Richards in the corner and Edwards DDTs Cannon’s leg over the middle rope. Richards dropkicks Cannon on the knee and locks in the Texas Cloverleaf. Maxwell breaks the hold with forearms to Richards. Edwards enters to forearm Maxwell and they go to the floor.
Cannon almost pins Richards with an inside cradle. Edwards forearms Cannon in the corner and delivers a suplex. Richards missile dropkicks Cannon for a near fall. Cannon fires back with chops and strikes before nailing Richards with a kick to the head. Best Around hit a double team TKO on Edwards. Cannon leaps off Maxwell’s back to senton splash Richards. Cannon clotheslines Edwards in the corner and they hit a suplex/crossbody off the top combo for a near fall. Maxwell boots Edwards for a near fall. Edwards fights back with chops and is slammed to the mat leading to a near fall as Richards made the save. Richards and Cannon trade forearm strikes. Richards tosses Cannon with an overhead suplex. Maxwell hits a TKO on Richards, but Edwards nails Maxwell with a kick. Cannon nails Edwards with a reverse hurricanrana. Richards nails Cannon with a running lariat and all four men are down. Richards and Maxwell trade forearm strikes in the middle of the ring. Richards spin kicks Maxwell. Edwards accidentally superkicks Richards and Maxwell gets a sharpshooter on Edwards. Cannon heads to the top rope hitting a shooting star press double stomp, but Richards breaks the count. Cannon boots a charging Richards and drop toe holds Richards into the corner. Maxwell curb stomps Richards into the bottom turnbuckle. Cannon misses a 450 splash off of Maxwell’s shoulders. Edwards delivers a backpack stunner to Maxwelkl and locks in a half Boston Crab. Maxwell almost wins with an inside cradle. Richards hits a German suplex on Maxwell after a kick by Edwards, but Maxwell kicks out at two. Wolves deliver a double kick to the head, but Maxwell kicks out at two. Wolves hit a powerbomb/backstabber combo on Maxwell. Richards powerbombs Cannon on a springboard attempt and Maxwell submits to Edwards to retain the titles. (****. That was a great match. There were a few sloppy moments, and the referee seemed to mess up towards the end, but regardless of that, this was one hell of a tag match. I remember being there live and going nuts. In fact, seeing myself in the crowd reacting the way I did back then made me even remember more of how great this match was. Richards kicking the hell out of Cannon is something I will never forget, and I can totally understand why at some point Cannon may have been a bit fearful of the kicks. I’d consider this a hidden gem on the indies without a doubt.)
Ninth Contest: John Walters vs. Isys Ephex in the finals of the Grand Prix: They start off the match trading a flurry of strikes in the middle of the ring. Ephex backdrops Walters and runs into an elbow in the corner. Walters dropkicks Ephex on the back from the middle rope. Ephex tries for a suplex and they both crash over the top to the floor. They trade strikes and chops on the floor. Ephex catapults Walters into the ring post face first. Ephex headbutts Walters into the railing and rolls Walters back into the ring. Ephex tries for a suplex to the floor, but Walters counters with a knee strike. Walters forearms Ephex off the apron onto the railing. Walters slingshot double stomps Ephex on the back. Walters chops Ephex against the railing and hits a slingshot elbow drop into the ring for a two count. Walters delivers a backbreaker for a two count. Walters knee strikes Ephex over the back and sends Ephex back first into the corner. Ephex dumps Walters to the apron and delivers a kick to send Walters to the floor. Ephex takes Walters out with a dive to the floor. Ephex nails Walters with a big boot against the railing. Ephex uppercuts Walters against the railing several times. They trade strikes and both men drop to the floor trying to recover. Ephex dropkicks Walters followed by a springboard head scissors. Ephex continues with a knee drop for a near fall. Walters puts an abdominal stretch on Ephex and pulls back on Ephex’s head. Ephex spikes Walters with a Death Valley Driver for a two count.
Ephex goes to the corner, but Walters crotches Ephex with a dropkick. Walters headbutts Ephex and hits a hurricanrana. Walters quickly switches to the sharpshooter and has it locked in right in the middle of the ring. Ephex crawls and reaches the ropes. Walters forearms Ephex on the lower back and tries for a suplex. Ephex counters with a back suplex for a near fall. Ephex headbutts Walters on the mat several times. Walters avoids a piledriver with a backslide for a two count. Walters kicks Ephex in the corner and hits a Gory Special, but with a neckbreaker twist of sorts for a near fall. Ephex and Walters trade forearm strikes. Ephex uppercuts Walters and tries for a backslide, but Walters avoids it. Ephex plants Walters with a sloppy Jay Driller and wins the match. (***. A good match, but it’s a little disappointing that Walters didn’t win. I remember going into the event and knowing it was basically Ephex’s tournament to win. I just find Walters to be criminally underrated and wish that he got a bigger spotlight in any company.) After the match, the fans chant that Ephex will be the next champion.
Main Event: 2CW Heavyweight Champion Jason Axe vs. Spike Dudley vs. Jimmy Olsen vs. Jay Freddie in a no disqualification match: Freddie and Olsen start off brawling while Axe and Dudley trade shots until Axe sends Dudley to the floor. Axe gets a rollup on Olsen for a two count and they shove each other. Dudley decks Olsen and Freddie chops Axe in the corner several times. Freddie and Spike are sent into each other and Olsen gets a rollup on Axe. Olsen and Axe argue some more about who wins the title tonight. All four men go to the floor to continue brawling. Spike rams Olsen’s head into the post with a chair wrapped around his head. Freddie works over Axe, but is sent into the post. Axe sends Freddie into the post a second time. Olsen smashes Dudley with a chair shot in the crowd. Axe has a kendo stick and whacks a bloodied Freddie. Axe taunts the camera while choking Freddie with the kendo stick. Spike whacks Olsen over the back with a chair shot. Spike goes under the ring and pulls out a table. Axe hip tosses Freddie onto several chairs in the crowd. Spike has Olsen on the stage where the camera is located and tosses Olsen off the stage to the floor. Freddie takes Axe over with a snap suplex on the floor. Spike whacks Olsen with a chair shot over the head and smashes Freddie with a chair, too. Spike goes under the ring and grabs a couple of ladders to introduce into the match. Spike lays the ladder over the railing and apron. Spike heads to the top with a chair and tosses the chair onto Olsen.
Spike forearms Olsen in the corner, but Olsen hip tosses Spike onto the ladder in the corner. Spike backdrops Olsen onto the ladder and the ladder dents in half. Spike tries for a cover, but Olsen kicks out at two. Olsen hammers away on Spike, but Spike suplexs Olsen onto the ladder and Olsen rolls to the floor to regroup. Axe hits Spike over the back with a few kendo stick shots. Spike low blows Axe. Axe backdrops Spike over the top onto another ladder! Axe hits Freddie over the back with a chair shot. Axe jabs Freddie in the midsection with a chair shot. Olsen superkicks the chair into Axe’s face for a near fall. Freddie clotheslines Olsen in the corner and hits a somersault stunner followed by a German suplex. Freddie hits a sit down powerbomb for a near fall. Spike whacks Freddie with a chair shot. Spike Acid Drops Freddie onto a ladder for a two count. Spike calls for people to give him chairs. The fans proceed to toss chairs into the ring. Freddie low blows Spike and hits a tombstone onto the chairs. Axe breaks the cover. There’s got to be twenty chairs in the ring. Axe delivers a fisherman buster onto the chairs on Freddie, but Olsen smashes Axe with a chair. Olsen avoids the Acid Drop and slams Spike onto the chairs.
Olsen climbs to the top rope, but Axe shoves Olsen off and Olsen crashes through a table on the floor. Freddie forearms Axe on the top turnbuckle. Axe loses grip on Freddie and drops Freddie to the mat. Axe hits a Death Valley Driver onto the pile of chairs to win the match and retain the title. (***1/2. That was a great brawl with some really good hardcore spots. The finish got a little messed up, but considering the action it’s not anything that would hurt the entertainment value of the match. The crowd was red-hot for the action and the tossing of the chairs into the ring made for an even more chaotic experience. I remember enjoying it live and it certainly holds up now, too.)
Final Thoughts:
Whenever a show is heavy on a tournament format it could either end up being really good, or really bad. The tournament itself was a little bit underwhelming, but the finals between Walters and Ephex was a good bout. The two title matches were very good and helped carry the show to being an overall enjoyable experience. Thus, I’ll give the show a slight thumbs up.
Thanks for reading.