neonHyde
Nothing More, Nothing Less.
Poughkeepsie was buzzing as Just Wrestling's debut show prepared to draw its final curtain. The McCann Center, comfortably the largest arena booked by Tim Shipley for the tour, was completely sold out and the volume level within was extraordinary as we counted down to the battle royal that would decide the first Just Wrestling Champion. With a multitude of conceivable winners, this was the hottest ticket in all of pro-wrestling this week.
We began the show with a first for Just Wrestling: a six-man tag match, that would feature three of the tour's underachievers, Brunhilde Donner, Brett Holmes and Johnny Exile, taking on infamous trio the Fudley Boyz. The touring roster's team has not managed a win between them on the tour, and that would not change tonight. They were dispatched of within five minutes. Next, Jacob Moreno, one of the few members of the touring roster whose character remains largely a mystery, displayed an astonishing ruthless streak when he tore through The Bard and Dr. Giggles. Although the match was billed as a three-way match, Moreno's opponents had to team up against him to give themselves any chance, but even so the 24-year-old delivered his Black-Hearted Embrace to defeat The Bard.
Max Danger and Buck Fledger could not differ more in terms of ring experience, so their match would provide an interesting commentary on the relative merits of being a rookie or a veteran in Just Wrestling - a duality that concluded in favour of youthful exuberance when Chris Vallette won against Myles Jake in the first match of the entire tour. Tonight, however, the story would be different. Fledger's style is no longer unknown to his opponents, and "The Danger Man" was quietly efficient with countless counters on his way to an impressive victory.
To follow, we would see Myles Jake and Judas Crippen take to the ring. Crippen, reportedly plucked off the New York streets by Shipley during his recruitment phase back in August, went into the match as the only undefeated wrestler on the tour following Buck Fledger's loss to Max Danger. Jake is proven quality, as he evidences by bringing his rW belt to all Just Wrestling shows, but cut short by an inconsistency that reports have attributed to fatigue. The momentum tonight was unquestionably with Crippen. The two went a solid twenty minutes back and forth without any real spell of dominance for either wrestler. Jake controlled the tempo, but Crippen's willingness to play dirty meant he could pull numerous advantages from up his sleeve. Yet ultimately this would lead to his demise. Having thrown a subtle boot to the groin of the rW champion, "The Urban Legend" left Jake down on the mat and moved to the turnbuckle. But as he looked to nail a knee drop from the top, Jake summoned up new reserves of energy and threw himself out of the way. He applied The Cross and, to a defiantly mixed crowd reaction, did what nobody believed anyone on this tour could do: made Judas Crippen tap out.
After witnessing a true epic, the crowd were more than hyped up for a match to which Brock Shepherd had challenged The Illustrious Face-Eater after the latter no-showed his last booking in Jersey City. Their rivalry runs far deeper than that, as close followers of either wrestler will know, and as the one-armed Shepherd joined the Face-Eater in the ring, the atmosphere was one of finality. Shepherd, so often angry and frustrated, seemed to exude a newfound calm, and briefly seemed to consider offering a handshake just as the bell was sounded. But once a Face-Eater, always a Face-Eater, and a boot to the gut put paid to such respectful instincts.
The two went back and forth with true intensity. Whilst Crippen and Jake had worked the ring for almost half an hour, when Shepherd and Facey were in the ring there was never a moment to run to the popcorn stand. Genuine passion rode on the outcome of this match - a match that the Face-Eater thought he had won on nailing the Osama-rana, a move plundered from his own back catalogue. But to the shock of everyone in the McCann, Shepherd kicked out just on three and turned the match to his advantage. He scored a near-fall of his own with a plunging powerbomb, but Facey was equal to it and escaped the pin just in time. A match like this demanded a Hollywood finish, and sure enough it arrived. With nineteen minutes on the clock, the two came crashing off the top rope together, and it was a modified high-angle Shepherd's Delight off the top that did for The Illustrious Face-Eater. Brock Shepherd had scored a victory so important that the passion spilled over, and he left the ring in tears of joy.
After high-octane thrills and spills in Poughkeepsie, it was the moment fans of Just Wrestling had been waiting for. Twelve entered the open-entry battle royal. Eleven would leave over the top rope; the last left standing would be champion, recognised officially as the best of a phenomenally talented group of tourists. Jason Locke took the first spill, making an ill-advised run at The Great Depression in the corner, whose drop toe-hold onto the top rope led The Bard to grab Locke's legs and dump him up and over. But the man making the elimination would in turn suffer, suplexed onto the apron by Max Danger as he taunted the fallen Locke. Chris Vallette's baseball slide made sure The Bard crashed firmly to the floor.
Jacob Moreno was one of the new favourites for the title having been so impressive earlier in the night. But in the ring amongst so many of his contemporaries he seemed to wilt, and his cruiserweight frame was shovelled over the top rope by Myles Jake. Moreno clung desperately to the ropes, his legs flailing clear of the floor, but the Face-Eater flew into action with a devastating running boot through the ropes to the back of the head which knocked Moreno out of both consciousness and the contest. Dr. Giggles soon followed, thrown mercilessly against the guardrail by the combined strength of Danger and Judas Crippen. As the medical staff busied themselves seeing to Moreno and Giggles, Buck Fledger found himself pinned in the corner by the Illustrious Face-Eater. Fledger fought desperately, but Facey took advantage of minimal official attention to plunge a knee into the REGIONS~! and the youngster's subsequent elimination was simplicity itself. Max Danger, who had been looking impressive, was next to depart, his attempted roaring clothesline precipitating his own demise as The Great Depression ducked taking the top two ropes with him.
This left six, and the fans were clearly split. The champion would be the Face-Eater, the Great Depression, Jake, Shepherd, Crippen, or Vallette. All had shone at some point or other of the tour. But only one could shine now. For Chris Vallette, his luck ran out early; despite a great tour, he tumbled to the floor by virtue of dogged work by Myles Jake. Something of an upset followed - The Illustrious Face-Eater has been favourite for the Just Wrestling Championship ever since he signed for the new promotion, but The Great Depression distracted him by working the crowd into a "PSYMON! PSYMON!" frenzy (in an apparent case of mistaken identity) and subsequently sent him tumbling. The celebrations of the part-time superhero were cut short, Shepherd hoisting him by his own petard - or cape, whichever - to cause him to land right on top of Facey on the outside.
Myles Jake, Brock Shepherd, or Judas Crippen would be the first Champion. For weeks we have heard about Jake's gruelling schedule. Perhaps this was why he was slow to react as Crippen, commitment renewed with only three in the ring, smashed a headbutt into his face. Clearly woozy and apparently unsighted, Jake was easy pickings and his opponents acted quickly to eliminate him. We were down to our last two. Brock Shepherd had started in Just Wrestling with a defeat, but scored a big win tonight over foe the Face-Eater. By contrast, Crippen had been undefeated until undone tonight by Myles Jake. Both men were low on energy, high on adrenaline. Who would be the first Just Wrestling Champion?
One dirty execution of The Betrayal later, we had our answer. Shepherd hit the floor to the sound of a standing ovation, and moments later Tim Shipley was in the ring to present Judas Crippen with a gleaming belt. The first Just Wrestling Champion is "The Urban Legend", Judas Crippen.
But he won't have it easy. Earlier in the night, Brock Shepherd had won his third consecutive match. Right before that, Crippen was defeated by Myles Jake. These results mean we already have a main event for the first show of the second tour - a three-way match, for the Just Wrestling Championship. Crippen has his work cut out.
We began the show with a first for Just Wrestling: a six-man tag match, that would feature three of the tour's underachievers, Brunhilde Donner, Brett Holmes and Johnny Exile, taking on infamous trio the Fudley Boyz. The touring roster's team has not managed a win between them on the tour, and that would not change tonight. They were dispatched of within five minutes. Next, Jacob Moreno, one of the few members of the touring roster whose character remains largely a mystery, displayed an astonishing ruthless streak when he tore through The Bard and Dr. Giggles. Although the match was billed as a three-way match, Moreno's opponents had to team up against him to give themselves any chance, but even so the 24-year-old delivered his Black-Hearted Embrace to defeat The Bard.
Max Danger and Buck Fledger could not differ more in terms of ring experience, so their match would provide an interesting commentary on the relative merits of being a rookie or a veteran in Just Wrestling - a duality that concluded in favour of youthful exuberance when Chris Vallette won against Myles Jake in the first match of the entire tour. Tonight, however, the story would be different. Fledger's style is no longer unknown to his opponents, and "The Danger Man" was quietly efficient with countless counters on his way to an impressive victory.
To follow, we would see Myles Jake and Judas Crippen take to the ring. Crippen, reportedly plucked off the New York streets by Shipley during his recruitment phase back in August, went into the match as the only undefeated wrestler on the tour following Buck Fledger's loss to Max Danger. Jake is proven quality, as he evidences by bringing his rW belt to all Just Wrestling shows, but cut short by an inconsistency that reports have attributed to fatigue. The momentum tonight was unquestionably with Crippen. The two went a solid twenty minutes back and forth without any real spell of dominance for either wrestler. Jake controlled the tempo, but Crippen's willingness to play dirty meant he could pull numerous advantages from up his sleeve. Yet ultimately this would lead to his demise. Having thrown a subtle boot to the groin of the rW champion, "The Urban Legend" left Jake down on the mat and moved to the turnbuckle. But as he looked to nail a knee drop from the top, Jake summoned up new reserves of energy and threw himself out of the way. He applied The Cross and, to a defiantly mixed crowd reaction, did what nobody believed anyone on this tour could do: made Judas Crippen tap out.
After witnessing a true epic, the crowd were more than hyped up for a match to which Brock Shepherd had challenged The Illustrious Face-Eater after the latter no-showed his last booking in Jersey City. Their rivalry runs far deeper than that, as close followers of either wrestler will know, and as the one-armed Shepherd joined the Face-Eater in the ring, the atmosphere was one of finality. Shepherd, so often angry and frustrated, seemed to exude a newfound calm, and briefly seemed to consider offering a handshake just as the bell was sounded. But once a Face-Eater, always a Face-Eater, and a boot to the gut put paid to such respectful instincts.
The two went back and forth with true intensity. Whilst Crippen and Jake had worked the ring for almost half an hour, when Shepherd and Facey were in the ring there was never a moment to run to the popcorn stand. Genuine passion rode on the outcome of this match - a match that the Face-Eater thought he had won on nailing the Osama-rana, a move plundered from his own back catalogue. But to the shock of everyone in the McCann, Shepherd kicked out just on three and turned the match to his advantage. He scored a near-fall of his own with a plunging powerbomb, but Facey was equal to it and escaped the pin just in time. A match like this demanded a Hollywood finish, and sure enough it arrived. With nineteen minutes on the clock, the two came crashing off the top rope together, and it was a modified high-angle Shepherd's Delight off the top that did for The Illustrious Face-Eater. Brock Shepherd had scored a victory so important that the passion spilled over, and he left the ring in tears of joy.
After high-octane thrills and spills in Poughkeepsie, it was the moment fans of Just Wrestling had been waiting for. Twelve entered the open-entry battle royal. Eleven would leave over the top rope; the last left standing would be champion, recognised officially as the best of a phenomenally talented group of tourists. Jason Locke took the first spill, making an ill-advised run at The Great Depression in the corner, whose drop toe-hold onto the top rope led The Bard to grab Locke's legs and dump him up and over. But the man making the elimination would in turn suffer, suplexed onto the apron by Max Danger as he taunted the fallen Locke. Chris Vallette's baseball slide made sure The Bard crashed firmly to the floor.
Jacob Moreno was one of the new favourites for the title having been so impressive earlier in the night. But in the ring amongst so many of his contemporaries he seemed to wilt, and his cruiserweight frame was shovelled over the top rope by Myles Jake. Moreno clung desperately to the ropes, his legs flailing clear of the floor, but the Face-Eater flew into action with a devastating running boot through the ropes to the back of the head which knocked Moreno out of both consciousness and the contest. Dr. Giggles soon followed, thrown mercilessly against the guardrail by the combined strength of Danger and Judas Crippen. As the medical staff busied themselves seeing to Moreno and Giggles, Buck Fledger found himself pinned in the corner by the Illustrious Face-Eater. Fledger fought desperately, but Facey took advantage of minimal official attention to plunge a knee into the REGIONS~! and the youngster's subsequent elimination was simplicity itself. Max Danger, who had been looking impressive, was next to depart, his attempted roaring clothesline precipitating his own demise as The Great Depression ducked taking the top two ropes with him.
This left six, and the fans were clearly split. The champion would be the Face-Eater, the Great Depression, Jake, Shepherd, Crippen, or Vallette. All had shone at some point or other of the tour. But only one could shine now. For Chris Vallette, his luck ran out early; despite a great tour, he tumbled to the floor by virtue of dogged work by Myles Jake. Something of an upset followed - The Illustrious Face-Eater has been favourite for the Just Wrestling Championship ever since he signed for the new promotion, but The Great Depression distracted him by working the crowd into a "PSYMON! PSYMON!" frenzy (in an apparent case of mistaken identity) and subsequently sent him tumbling. The celebrations of the part-time superhero were cut short, Shepherd hoisting him by his own petard - or cape, whichever - to cause him to land right on top of Facey on the outside.
Myles Jake, Brock Shepherd, or Judas Crippen would be the first Champion. For weeks we have heard about Jake's gruelling schedule. Perhaps this was why he was slow to react as Crippen, commitment renewed with only three in the ring, smashed a headbutt into his face. Clearly woozy and apparently unsighted, Jake was easy pickings and his opponents acted quickly to eliminate him. We were down to our last two. Brock Shepherd had started in Just Wrestling with a defeat, but scored a big win tonight over foe the Face-Eater. By contrast, Crippen had been undefeated until undone tonight by Myles Jake. Both men were low on energy, high on adrenaline. Who would be the first Just Wrestling Champion?
One dirty execution of The Betrayal later, we had our answer. Shepherd hit the floor to the sound of a standing ovation, and moments later Tim Shipley was in the ring to present Judas Crippen with a gleaming belt. The first Just Wrestling Champion is "The Urban Legend", Judas Crippen.
But he won't have it easy. Earlier in the night, Brock Shepherd had won his third consecutive match. Right before that, Crippen was defeated by Myles Jake. These results mean we already have a main event for the first show of the second tour - a three-way match, for the Just Wrestling Championship. Crippen has his work cut out.
