JCW Lunacy
Date: 9/18/2024
From: Columbus, OH
After last weeks episode, Joe Galli interviewed the JCW Tag Team Champions The Brothers of Funstruction as they were betrayed by James Storm. They want James Storm to pick any member of the Souther Six to face them this week with the tag titles on the line.
MATCH #1: KONGO KONG VS. SANTANA JACKSON:
NOTE: Jackson is wearing a werewolf head to signal some kind of transformation.
FINISH: Kong wins following the Rikishi Driver.
Bob’s Take: Santana is the first person to knock Kong off his feet having hit a spear early in the match. It also confirms the notion that the werewolf identity is a bigger deal, I suppose. Literally five seconds later Kong won the match. I feel like Kong getting knocked off his feet was not a big deal considering how quickly he won right after. I probably would have saved that moment for a bigger match and opponent.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Backstage, Joe Galli meets up with Mad Man Pondo for an interview. Pondo has a death match tonight and knows what the juggalos want at all time. Pondo is going to show the viewers what violence is all about.
MATCH #2: MAD MAN PONDO VS. DIMITRI ALEXANDROV — DEATH MATCH
NOTE: This was filmed in San Antonio. Similar to the Cabana/Gage match from last week, Galli is doing commentary on the house microphone. At one point, Pondo tells Galli to shut up, and he does for a minute.
FINISH: Pondo leaps off the top rope splashing onto Dimitri through a table with light tubes on it for the win.
Bob’s Take: Death match wrestling is not my cup of tea, but I can see the appeal of it when it’s done in small doses. It’s quite the spectacle seeing two men brutalize each other with weapons and bleed quite a bit. Pondo uses a staple gun on Dimitri’s nuts, which pops the crowd. At some point it gets a bit repetitive and the shock value diminishes. Pondo winning was rather obvious.
Match Rating: *
Backstage, Joe Galli interviews JCW Heavyweight Champion Willie Mack. Mack considers their first match to be a appetizer and he knows Cross has a lot more to offer. Mack is going to give Cross another shot and tear the house down.
The Redwood Giants and Eric Smalls come out to the ring and says his men aren’t afraid to beat up the fans tonight. Smalls has the Giants beat up two juggalo fans on the floor. Smalls hits an FU on one of the fans. Giants hit a double chokeslam and walk off.
Backstage, Joe Galli is talking with Violent J, but they are cutoff quickly by the Southern Six. Kerry Morton is mad that Silas and Alex haven’t been given a chance at the JCW Heavyweight Championship. Violent J thinks they are pathetic and confirms Matt Cross is getting a shot tonight. J tells them to quit crying about it. J tells them that Cross loses then he can bounce and it will be Southern Six chance at the title.
MATCH #3: JCW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION WILLIE MACK VS. MATT CROSS
FINISH: Alex Taylor shoved Cross off the top rope allowing Willie Mack to hit the stunner and pins Cross to the match.
Bob’s Take: Their first encounter was a bit underwhelming, and it’s a bit surprising to see them competing on the same set of taping in front of the same crowd they had a lackluster match in front of. The crowd seems receptive to the second match, though. There was a better structure to the match as the intensity picked up on Mack’s offensive comeback. Considering the promo before the match, I was not surprised by Taylor’s involvement, and I don’t hate it. Taylor vs. Cross could be a good match. I suppose we can get a third match between Cross and Mack, but if we do, they need to go all out and do their absolute best. We got a better idea of what they can do together here before the interference.
Match Rating: **1/4
Backstage, Joe Galli is with James Storm at the bar. Storm asks how did he stab the clowns in the back when he’s not friends with them. Storm doesn’t know the clowns and says he’s simply there to drink beer and have fun. Storm tells Galli there are no friends in this business and says he only trusts beer. Storm finds it funny you mess with some people and suddenly you get a tag title match. Storm tells Galli who his partner is going to be, but Galli says Storm didn’t say anything. Storm suggests Galli drink some more because he did tell him.
Shaggy’s Spotlight this week focuses on the Redwood Giants.
Backstage, Joe Galli interviews the JCW Tag Team Champions Brothers of Funstruction. Galli reveals that Kerry Morton is James Storm’s partner. The clowns laugh at Kerry being picked and tells Storm to be careful because they are coming for him.
MAIN EVENT: JCW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS BROTHERS OF FUNSTRUCTION (RUFFO & YABO) VS. THE SOUTHERN SIX (JAMES STORM & KENNY MORTON)
FINISH: Storm nails Yabo with the Last Call allowing Morton to pin Yabo to win the match and titles. After the match, Silas Mason powerbombs Yabo through the door. Ruffo is also slammed to the mat by Storm. Southern Six celebrate their tag title victory.
Bob’s Take: They started off with brawling on the ramp during the Southern Six’s entrance, which is the right thing to do since the clowns want revenge and can’t wait for it. At one point, Storm spat beer into Morton’s face on accident, but it’s not a matter of teasing issues between them. Taylor and Mason distract the referee allowing Mason to spear Ruffo onto a table during the match. The match is more of a brawl with zero tag structure, and it was probably the best way to go about the match. Southern Six winning the titles is the logical direction of the Lunacy era. I think Morton is destined to be the top heel in the company.
Match Rating: *1/2
Final Thoughts:
I’m a fan of the Southern Six and I think them being a focus on TV is a good thing. Luckily, this is the final episode in Columbus and we’ll get a fresh set of material next week. I’m figuring we’ll get another Cross vs. Mack match to settle that feud, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kong is a challenger for Mack at some point soon. I’ll give this episode an average episode.
Thanks for reading.