The Structureless SoCal Weekend Random Review
By Scrub

Editor's Note: I'm no longer going to number my columns/reviews. I said to myself that one day, I'd catch up to Steve with his number of views, but that is no longer a feasible goal.

Stacked wrestling weekends are not really rare in SoCal, but we were long overdue for one. There were 9, count em' 9 shows this past weekend. HOLY SMOKES! I happened to go to a third of those shows: UPW, AWS/PCW, and PCW. I'm just gonna give some random thoughts on the various shows that I saw this past weekend. I threw the usual wrestling column format out the window for this one…

UPW

- "No, I don't wanna buy your scalped Angel tickets. We're gonna watch wrestling. Yes, like 'The Rock' and 'Stone Cold'. No, it's not WWE. How much are those tickets though?"

- "Whoa, UPW's running here?! This is NIIIIIIIIIIICE! Waaaaaaay better than the Galaxy! Whoa, no drink tickets! Whoa, there's Rey Jr.! Whoa, there's Midaijah! Whoa, there's random half-naked girls in camoflauge!"

- The Grove is one of the nicest venues that I have ever seen for Indy wrestling. I was very impressed. Just walking into the Grove gives you that big time feel that UPW's looking for.

- I really liked the ramp to the ring and the curtain-raising "effect". The double screens on the sides were really cool too. UPW production has stepped up a TON. They're definitely far from their UPW TV days. I really enjoyed the vignettes, especially the Hardkore Inc. one. I still wish they'd ditch the in-house music, and let the wrestlers use whatever music they want, but that's just me nitpicking.

- This was my first time seeing the Miz, and he looks good in the ring. Glad to see he's finally living his dream. We can only hope that the Miz has a comp for Lori (from the same Real World cast) at the next show. The Miz definitely needs some new gear though. Kenny looked good as well, but since it was UPW, he was definitely limited to what he could do. His Rev Pro match with Big Babbi Slymm was more entertaining than his UPW match. It was a cool little twist to have Chavo interfere on behalf of his former Tough Enough student.

- "Do the Indians ALWAYS have to fight the Cowboys?!"

- Lightweight Lunacy was such a clusterfuck (although, not as big a cluster as the 1 year anniversary ROH scramble match). To me, it seemed like a match with so many unnecessary stipulations. Instead of throwing all the cruisers in the two-part clusterfuck that was Lightweight Lunacy, I would have booked an 8-10 man tag. This tag would have given every crusierweight involved a chance to shine showcasing their wrestling skills, with an ample amount of time, and without all the nutty stips. The ladder match was alright, but not the best ladder match of the weekend. Not even close. I think every SoCal promoter should take a break from ladder matches. It was obvious that Hellman was going over, because neither of the remaining three guys are at the top tier in UPW, and I knew that Hellman was being pimped hardcore by the UPW Brass. A shame that B-Boy didn't make it into that ladder match, but I wasn't surprised. I would have liked to have seen Andrew Hellman in the 8-10 man tag match that I've suggested, to see what this kid's all about. I've heard good things, and I really won't be able to garner a full opinion until I see him in a singles match.

- Hopefully, an upcoming Looney Lane vs. Erika Porter will redeem the last UPW Women's match that I saw. One guy sitting behind me called this match, "the Bathroom Break". Everyone says that Erika Porter is good, but I didn't see much in this match. Maybe Porter just had a bad opponent. I'll have a better opinion of Porter when I see her in the ring with a credible opponent. That pull-a-part after the match was quite amusing.

- Hardkore Inc. had a pretty good weekend, with two good matches under their belt. Their first match at UPW was good, and definitely popped the UPW crowd. Good match with good vignettes that lead up to it. The climax to the match (the table spot) was definitely a sight to see. Their second match with Super Dragon and Big Babbi Slymm (originally scheduled to be Konnan) was very good as well. With four guys that you thought you'd never see together in a ring, they all gelled together rather well. Probably the best Al Katrazz and HKK match that I've seen from either two in awhile. Maybe some good singles matches could stem from this "feud".

- The Poorman segment was really lame.

- Frankie Kazarian vs. Mikey Henderson was definitely the Match of the Night. Good to see Henderson back. He definitely has NOT lost a step. And Kazarian proved again why he's ready for the WWE, yet for some reason, the WWE keeps missing the boat on the Future. This match was a huge change of pace from the rest of the rather formulaic UPW card.

- The second Battle Royal style match was disappointing, maybe because it was hyped so hard. I was expecting a lot more than what I got. A handful of guys advertised no showed. I was really looking forward to seeing Mike Modest back in SoCal. Two battle royal style matches shouldn't happen on the same card. It just takes away the importance of the other battle royal.

- Big Chris is… well, big. But is that the name that their gonna bill him with? The name "Big Chris" seems too simple. I remember before that UPW was billing him with his last name too. They should go back to doing that. If not, at least make up a last name. How about your most generic wrestling last name ever, Storm or Powers? Errr, maybe not…

- Overall, the show was pretty formulaic and bland with the exception of a couple matches. But then again, I'm not really big on US Pro style. The production is definitely the best production I have ever seen for an Indy. Sometimes it feels like UPW is not even an Indy. They are in their own world. They are definitely WWE Lite, or WWE Jr. UPW at the Grove was definitely a success, considering that they sent the fans (that they are catering to) home happy.

AWS/PCW

- The entrance for Off Da Hook/Obi Matt is great. For those that weren't in attendance, the three came to the ring via a Volvo (I think) painted to resemble an X-Wing. The trio were donning the Jedi cloaks as well. I heard that's a legit daily driven car too. I will have to agree with Favi though, the car should have been on the line!

- This was a really good weekend for Lucky. His last two matches in SoCal just happened to be his two best matches in SoCal. His outing with B-Boy on Saturday was very good, and proved that he could hang with some of the upper echelon of SoCal. He even took the Shining Wizard like a champ. His match with the UK Kid on Sunday was very good as well. UK Kid did a very good job getting the crowd to hate him, as if Lucky leaving wasn't enough for the crowd to get behind him, Kid made it even easier for the crowd to get behind Lucky. The best I have ever seen of Lucky.

- Good to see Rocky Romero and Pinoy Boy back in SoCal rings (Hocky Gracie?!). And what better way to see them return to action than against the X-Foundation. Good match from the four. I still prefer the Lost Boys name, rather than the X-Foundation. But I do love the new matching gear.

- Ian Knoxx plays a better drunk than the Drunk Irishman. Knoxx plays the more realistic drunk, while Irishman plays a drunk the way a kid would portray it. I mean, that's how I did drunk impressions as a kid. Remember when JD Dempsey "played" a drunk at one of those UPW Galaxy shows? HAHAHAHAHA, those were fun times… "Bring out the fags!"

- The Dragon/Slymm team is a very interesting duo. At first, I didn't expect their Frank & Sons match to be as good as it was. I was definitely surprised. The Babbi Slymm footstomps were awesome. Like I said before, these four gelled rather well together. A rematch between the four could be good, or even separate singles matches could end up being sleeper hits.

- Kazarian/Messiah was a good ladder match that separated itself from other ladder matches. It did not follow the usual "I climb the ladder real slow so you cut me off" formula, which was a plus. I also saw some very innovative ladder spots that I have never seen before. I liked the fact that Kazarian didn't want to use the ladder (because he just wanted to wrestle), and tried to make the Messiah tap or tried to cover him for the pinfall. Kazarian was even working over Messiah's legs, so he couldn't climb the ladder! Now that's a thinking man's wrestler. Kazarian finally caved in and used the ladder in order to win. A Messiah/Kazarian rematch (sans a ladder) could be just as good, if not, better.

- The Philly Connection doesn't really work unless you have Philadelphia workers in SoCal on a consistent basis. B-Boy and Messiah are hard to look at as "Philly" workers, even though they are booked on all the CZW shows. It's probably hard for me to look at them as representatives of Philadelphia because I saw them both start in SoCal. That's why the NorCal/SoCal thing worked so well in the now defunct GSCW, because the NorCal talent were actually from NorCal. And with more and more SoCal guys joining the Philly Connection, it's getting a little bit ridiculous. Seems like everyone can join the Philly Connection, even if you're not even from Philly. Looks like all you need to join is to have been to Philly at least once. I'm not even sure if Mace has been to Philly.

- AWS/PCW was definitely better than I had anticipated. Smaller crowd than I usually see at Frank & Sons, but they were hot for pretty much the entire card. Much bigger crowd than Sunday's show.

PCW

- All in one weekend, we go from the most professional looking venue for Indy wrestling, to the most ghetto looking venue for Indy wrestling. From the Grove to the parking lot. While Sunday's PCW was a good show, the venue and the lack of lighting after dark (6 head lights won't cut it) were low-lites that affected the PCW product as a whole. I do like the new talent I have seen watching PCW (Dante, Mike Vega, UK Kid) and that alone is reason for me to check out PCW again.

- Be on the look out for Dante. Everyone tells me he's one of the best in NorCal, and it would be hard for me to disagree. I really like Dante, and look forward to seeing more of him in SoCal. He does a real nice Red Star Press (Standing Shooting Star), and has a crazy devil lock!

- Mike Vega is one crazy bastard! He bumps like a madman and makes his opponents look like a million bucks. His match at the second PCW show turned a lot of heads, and I'm sure made him new fans in the process. A "Vega" chant after his match is proof enough that the fans dig what he does in the ring. Although, I don't want him to kill himself just for the sake of my enjoyment, but it's Vega's prerogative, and I do appreciate what he does. For some reason, it seems like an oxymoron is lingering somewhere in there, but ah what the hey…

- At first, when I heard that the next match was Lil' Cholo & Mace versus Stepfather & Red Headed Step Child, I sure wasn't too happy. This definitely seemed like a "Bathroom Break" for me, but I was proven wrong. While the technical skill may not be there, Stepfather and Red Headed Step Child are very funny and very entertaining. The chemistry is definitely there (even though Red Headed Step Child is not easy on the eyes). I heard that Stepfather used to have his own TV show. That explains why he's very entertaining. They fit their comedy roles rather well, and I wouldn't mind seeing them again on future SoCal cards.

- UK Kid rocks. His match with Lucky was very good. The face/heel dynamic was strongly established. The two complimented each other very well. I definitely can't wait to see more of the UK Kid.

- "Ummmmm, did PCW forget to figure in that they would need lights at around 8pm?"

- Damage Inc. looked a lot better on Sunday than they did on Saturday. They're definitely one of the most underrated talents here in SoCal (That's the 92384th time I've said "definitely" in this write-up). Jason Bennett compliments Matrix and Preston well.

- "SoCal Val and Super Dragon!? WTF?!"

- Messiah/Super Dragon was really good. Too bad the lack of light made it hard to enjoy. It could be said that this "dream match" was wasted at a bad venue without light, but if you look past that, it was still a really good match. Like Justin said before, if this match were in a better venue, and if more people saw this match, this would definitely (there's that word again!) be a strong Match of the Year contender.

- Val and Super Dragon = unexplainable. Or, wait. You could say that Val's a gold digger! That makes the most sense. But other than that, Val and Super D is an odd pairing. I was waiting for Dragon to pie-face Val, to continue with his dickish heel antics, but no dice. Or how about after Dragon lost, a Psycho Driver on Val for her troubles. MUWAHHAHAHAHHA. Or even foot stomps would suffice.

- In the same footsteps as the now defunct GSCW, all PCW needs to do is get a venue. A nicer INDOOR venue. That's what GSCW did, and look what happened to them. They became the talk of the town. Once PCW secures a nicer indoor venue, PCW's stock has the potential to plummet sky high (ala GSCW, RIP). I've never liked outdoor venues anyway.

- I am NOT looking forward to Aaron Proctor versus Vance Hartman. Not in the least.

There you have it. My random thoughts over last weekends SoCal wrestling bonanza. Stacked wrestling weekends like last weekend's are always fun. Looking forward to the Rev Pro/FUSION double header coming up. Looking forward to wrestling finally coming back to Norwalk! YEAH! And last but not least, I'd like to leave you with my top five matches that I want to see in SoCal this year. This is just my current list, as my list usually changes every day. And my list usually longer than 5, but I've cut it down to the top five:

1. Kushinbo Kamen vs. Ebessan
2. Nikki vs. Ayako Hamada
3. Nikki vs. Azumi Hyuga
4. Super Dragon vs. Hook Bomberry
5. Nikki vs. Aja Kong

Hey, some of those could actually happen! I could only hope...

Scrub
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