MMWA-SICW April 12, 2008 Results
By Kari Williams
Gerald Loeb once said, “The desire for gold is the most universal and deeply rooted commercial instinct of the human race.” Such was the theme at South Broadway Athletic Club (SBAC) on April 12, as new champions were crowned, championship belts were used in battle and every competitor seemed to have his or her eye on the ultimate goal.
Capping off the night, one-half of the Tag Team champions, Dave Vaughn, fought valiantly against Waco. Vaughn kept the match on a more technical level, trying to throw Waco off his typical pound-and-ground attack style. Vaughn targeted his opponent’s arm for the majority of the bout, but Waco was able to overcome the pain and delivered a devastating scoop slam to the title holder. However, Waco was unable to capitalize, possibly as a result of the absence of The Big Texan, and as Waco attempted to splash an dazed Vaughn in the corner, Vaughn escaped from sure defeat. He then nailed Waco with a vicious spear for the win.
Prior to the main event, Angel decided to shed his wings and become Tommy Riggs, to take on Shaft. Riggs started the match with a bang, as he attacked Shaft from behind the moment the bell rang. However, he payed for his devilish tactics, as Shaft delivered a flying cross body to gain control. For the remainder of the match, Shaft targeted Riggs’ leg and ankle area, perhaps softening him up for the ankle lock finisher. At the five minute mark, Riggs had regained the advantage, but Shaft’s ‘never say die’ attitude shined through, as he fought his way back and connected with a picture perfect suplex. Shaft secured himself victory with a turnbuckle-walk bulldog for the pin. During the match, Jeremy Lightfoot had come to ringside to observe, and after the match, he and Shaft locked eyes, with tension building.
As a result of a controversial finish in the Heavyweight Title match pitting “The Urban Legend” Kevin X against Champion Jerome Cody earlier in the evening, X was asked to come to ringside, where Tony Costa and Commissioner Keith Smith had developed an idea. Costa and Smith suggested a six-man elimination tag match—The Connection versus X and two partners of his choosing—and if X and Cody were the final two men, the title would be on the line.
The preceding bout saw the debut of an enthused newcomer, Josh Arnold, take on “The New Urban Legend” Phil E. Blunt, in arguably the best match of the night. Dripping with trepidation, Blunt was in no rush to get things underway. He reluctantly tied-up with Arnold and tried to prove his superiority by shoving the rookie to the mat in a weak attempt to boost his own ego. However, as they locked up a second time, Arnold was able to get Blunt into a headlock and followed up with a ferocious clothesline, shocking Blunt. For the remainder of the bout, Arnold proved that he will become a force to be reckoned with in MMWA-SICW. However, Blunt still took him lightly. At one point, Blunt had connected with a DDT and could have very easily ended the match. But his pompous attitude caused him to cover Arnold with a single hand. After that pivotal moment, Arnold willed himself to mount a comeback. He connected with a double axe handle and a running dropkick which knocked Blunt out of the ring. However, by the 10 minute mark, Blunt had regained his composure and set his sights on triumph. Blunt planted Arnold with a piledriver for the win. After Blunt had walked off, gloating in his glory, Arnold made his way to the top rope, symbolically telling Blunt and the rest of the athletes that he is not going anywhere.
Confusion ensued during the Heavyweight Title match, as X once again tried to reclaim his belt. Both competitors showed their lust for gold, each doing whatever they deemed possible to capture what they so desire. Although a fairly even match-up, X’s pure power and brute strength gave him a slight edge. X delivered a belly to belly suplex from the second rope and followed up with an authoritative clothesline and a running power slam. From this point on, Cody was able to get in very little offense. He did, however, manage to take the match outside of the ring and deliver a DDT to X. Shortly after returning to the squared circle, X made a comeback, and executed vicious punches on Cody, then followed up with a flip from the ring apron.
At this point, it appeared as though X had won the title when he pinned Cody, but there was controversy over whether or not Cody had gotten a shoulder up. Tommy Knight came to ringside, and after further deliberation, a five minute overtime was issued in which X completely pulverized Cody. It looked as though X would reclaim his title this time, but The Connection had other plans, as both Knight and Blunt interjected themselves into the match, causing a disqualification victory for X, thus saving Cody yet again.
Stacy O’ Brien and Alexis were both seeing gold as they competed to determine who would replace the former champion “Dynamite” Jennifer Starr, who had failed to uphold her obligations as champion. Trying to play mind games with O’ Brien, Alexis came to the ring carrying a box of Lucky Charms. In this back and forth contest, both athletes had their shining moments. O’ Brien connected with numerous high impact moves throughout, and Alexis was able to maneuver O’ Brien into a camel clutch-like submission. Unfortunately for O’ Brien, there was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Just as it appeared that O’ Brien would win her first MMWA-SICW Women’s Title, Alexis pulled out a quick reversal for the pin. Nonetheless, O’ Brien proved that she has what it takes to become a champion in the company.
The previous match pitted former Battle Royal Champion, Moondog Rover, against the current Battle Royal Champion Lumberjack Gabe. Both competitors were evenly matched in this contest. However, the Lumberjacks attempted to play dirty when Lumberjack Abe attacked Rover with the Battle Royal belt. Rover was weakened for a time, but bounced back shortly and began digging up bones. The Lumberjacks had been using under-handed tactics throughout the match without being seen by the referee, and when Rover went to gain retribution with his trusty bone, he was thus disqualified.
“The Main Attraction” Tommy Knight took on Jeremy Lightfoot in the third match of the evening. Although a bit timid in starting the match, Knight put up a valiant fight against the former Heavyweight Champion. Lightfoot controlled the first half of the match, hitting Knight with high impact move after high impact move, including a flying cross body from the top rope. Lightfoot went for a pin attempt and only scored a two count. Consequently, Knight managed to force Lightfoot to the mat with a swinging neck breaker but was unable to keep him down for the three count. Knight had just begun to sense victory when Lightfoot slammed “The Main Attraction” to his demise using the Lightfoot Driver to obtain another win.
Fans were treated (begrudgingly) to a blast from the past as Bobby D returned to action against the All-American Hero Johnny Courageous. Not one to miss a beat, D came out yelling at fans and getting in their faces, just like old times! Of course, then, “Rainbow Warrior” chants followed soon after. Courageous dominated the opening stages of the match, specifically focusing on D’s arm. However, D was able to momentarily stop Courageous’s momentum with a German suplex and a scoop slam. As D hoped that victory was near, he ventured to the top rope, and aimed to end the contest with a splash, but Courageous had other plans. The All-American Hero recovered enough to deliver two vertical suplexes and a neckbreaker, which were then followed up by a dropkick from the top rope. Courageous defeated D much to the delight of the full house crowd.
Mr. Bibbs, with Vaughn at his side, took the fight to Lumberjack Abe, with Gabe, to kick off the night. Bibbs did his best to keep an eye on Gabe to ensure that no interference would occur. Regrettably, Gabe found a way to give his partner the upper hand. Vaughn stood at ringside, waiting for the most opportune moment to help his partner. After Abe rammed Bibbs into the ring post on the outside, both competitors had found their way back to the inner sector of the squared circle. Bibbs began mounting a comeback and heaved Abe outside of the ring, giving Vaughn an opportunity to unleash his frustrations. Despite Bibbs’ fighting spirit, and Vaughn’s assistance, a win was not in the cards—for himself or Abe, seeing as the match ended in a draw, just as Abe was regaining momentum.
