WCWA Review - January 31st, 2003
By Justin Crast

Arrived at the show at about 7:30, when I thought bell time would be. Instead, it didn't start until 8:00. If only it'd said bell time at 8:00, then they would have been on time! Last WCWA show I went to I thought bell time was 8:00 and got there at 8:10, and then found out it started an hour early. I just can't do anything right...

Attendance was 90-100 people, Probably would have been more if Slymm was on the card.

: Lucky over Sumito [7'20]

This wasn't a good match. Sumito controlled most of the match but did so with standard punch and kick offense. Lucky is decent and its cool he's come back from such an awful injury but he's not great and that's what someone would need to be to have made this match good. At least the crowd was relatively into it, mostly due to Lucky's charisma. *

: Demento over Island Stud [7'31]

Worst match on the card. Demento is a veteran and has confidence in the ring but he's also not very good. Island Stud has little confidence and also isn't very good. The thing that he could work on most is trying to show a little more emotion in the ring. He has a sort of bland, indifferent look on his face for most of the match when he should have been heeling it up. The match didn't seem to make any sense. They took turns on offense without any transitions and the finish was bizarre. Stud's second waited for a while to hit someone with a bedpan (that Demento brought), but the wrestlers never game his way so he just jumped back off the apron. The wrestlers eventually got their way over late and did their finishing spot (which was blown), and well, grass is blue. That description, as nonsensical as it was, is the perfect way of capturing the finish to this match. 1/4*

: Billy Blade over American Wild Child [11'30]

Too long. Was "your spot, my spot" most of the time. AWC is usually solid but was off here. Blade did a million different drop kicks from a million different angles and variations. He's got a lot of potential and his agility impressed me. The match was too long though and probably shoulda been cut in half. AWC started the match as a spansih-speaking rudo but then turned into an English speaking tweener. I never understood if Blade was a face or heel. Messy match. *1/4

: Off DA Hook (Shawn Riddik & Supa Badd) over Joey Ryan & Scott Lost to win the WCWA Tag Team titles [23'36]

This was shaping up to be the match of the night but just kept going on and on. I respect the effort they gave to try and make this "epic", but the pacing wasn't there. There was real good face/heel definition in the match, with Supa Badd showing a lot of charisma in particular. Riddik is very smooth but like Ryan from a year ago, needs to work on his in-ring emotions. Ryan has been improving on that a lot lately, by the way. The first finish saw the faces get a pinfall but the heels had their foot on the ropes so ref Adam Marantz reversed his decision and said the match must go on. The second finish had the heels win with a belt shot. Ref Jason McCord (w/shaved head) told Marantz, so Marantz got on the mic and gave a rousing and emotionally charged speech on the pros and cons of Governor Davis' education cuts, then he overturned his decision and ordered the match to continue. The third finish had Off DA Hook hit their double team face plant finisher for the win. The psychology did a great job of building support for the faces. Well done basic American psychology. The match was grand in scale but execution was spotty. It had the usual plethora of "your finish-my finish" sequences indy matches always have, where each side never builds up a series of moves or pinfalls for a sustained period of control in the finishing sequence, thus making the whole thing somewhat predictable since you know they won't be able to hit another move and will instead get it reversed. Way too many false finishes. It seems like I am tearing this match to shreds but I'm not! Remember, props for grand scope! If these guys keep improving and try the same thing over again in a year, I'm sure it'll be great. **1/2

: Threat over Tommy Wilson [12'48]

This was all right. Threat's ring seconds (one masked dude and a valet who may have been his sister) could do better. Threat himself does a good heel routine and despite the WPW contingent in the crowd's chants at him ("Get more training!"), I'd say he is trained well enough. Now he just needs to get experience. Wilson has great "underdog" charisma and real fire in the ring. But despite both guys good in-ring presence, the match went a little too long and had some boring filler. The finish was sloppy as well, with Threat's seconds interfering but it all not coming together as well as planned, I'd assume. *3/4

: B-Boy over Street Style [11'50]

Good match. This built real well and had a good finishing sequence where the guys didn't just go "my turn your turn" and instead rang up a series of pinfalls, increasing the drama each time. Style also hit a good Asai Moonsault. B-Boy is the best talent in WCWA and is also very over. He and John Black ran down Slymm before the match with B-Boy claiming the belt (literally, as I think Slymm is still champion and will have to beat B-Boy to get his belt back). That match will tear the house down. Style is always getting better. **3/4

: Frankie Kazarian over John Black [10'03]

Best match on the show, even though it got tepid response from the Americanized crowd. I dunno exactly what the deal is, but the last time I saw Black against Steve Masters in EWF, he worked extremely loose, was sloppy, and had little fire in the ring. Here, he was and Kazarian stiffed each other, were very tight, and he showed a lot of emotion. This was vintage "strong style". It did not appear choreographed and resembled a real battle. They beat each other senseless and built to some good near falls. Kazarian has gotten better at the style as well and isn't no selling just for the sake of it like he was last year in MPW versus Ricky Reyes. I was way into this, even if the crowd wasn't. Book this match in RevPro or GSCW and it would have been way over. ***

: Al Katrazz & Jason Allgood over Adam Pearce & Primetime Peterson [13'12]

Another good match although kinda messy. All four guys were totally into it, especially Pearce. They did some blood to add the drama, although its funny how it ended up. Allgood bladed but didn't get much color, then later on Peterson got completely busted up on a post shot outside from Allgood and was bleeding profusely. Really sick. My girlfriend was disgusted. That much blood makes me think it was accidental but who knows. The match had real good psychology as it built up Katrazz-Pearce and Allgood-Peterson perfectly. Allgood stressed before the match how he had never beaten Peterson before and their feud has been going on for years. By having him go over at the end, it accomplished three things. 1) He finally got his pin but now the real test is if he can do it in singles. 2) It sent the fans home happy with a face going over clean. 3) It saved a Katrazz-Pearce finish for a singles match. Pearce is a great heel, while Katrazz is a very intimidating face. WCWA has done a fantastic job building that feud up and their next show has some great matches lined up. Match was pure AMerican style and done well. Only complaint was some meandering in the middle where the focus got blurry and they seemed just to be killing time till the finish. **3/4

WCWA has four really hot feuds set up now. B-Boy vs. Slymm is between two of the most over personalities in the fed and the cancellation has actually built up more drama and added another wrinkle in the storyline of Slymm wanting to get his belt back. Damage Inc. cut a promo during the show pointing out how they have beaten every tag team in WCWA and will now get a shot at the newly championed Off da Hook. Allgood vs. Peterson has great backstory and Pearce vs. Katrazz has been built up perfectly, making everyone salivate for a singles match. The build up is even more amazing to me, since I have nothing against Katrazz but have always found him a little boring, but I'm really looking forward to the match.

WCWA always seems to do a great job building their storylines and I give them credit. Anyone in SoCal that likes American style needs to see this fed. It is the #1 American style fed in the region. Show gets a thumbs up. Need to cut down on the match times on the undercard though and also promo times. Most of the promos went too long and the inept sound system made it worse.

Justin
IM - neojmc