Live report from Jersey Championship Wrestling on 3/28 (Teddy Hart, Danny Doring, Balls Mahoney, S.A.T., Chris Candido and many more)
Posted by Eric Stashin on 3/28/2004

After attending today's Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW) show in Garfield, NJ, I have to say that the promotion came through with a solid performance.  The card was forced to be changed from the original schedule, partly because The Honky Tonk Man was unable to attend, but that did not hurt the event at all.

In front of what I would estimate a crowd of around 300 - 400 people, the wrestlers worked hard and gave them their monies worth.

So, without further adieu, here the results from the show:

• Mike Quackenbush, Ultramentis & Jolly Roger were victorious in a six-man tag team match.  This was a very fun match and a nice way to get the show going.  All six-men worked hard and gave some very entertaining spots.

• The next segment saw the SAT (Jose & Joel Maximo) come out.  Joel gets on the microphone and runs his mouth for a while, ultimately challenging Teddy Hart to come out.  Hart obliges, getting on the microphone.  He says that he was scheduled to face Danny Doring, so he was going to leave it up to Doring.  Either they could team up and take on the SAT or not.  This, of course, brought out Doring, who accepted the invitation and the tag team match was on.

• Teddy Hart & Danny Doring defeated SAT (Jose & Joel Maximo).  This was a terrific match, with all four wrestlers showing how talented they are.  I didn't know the SAT were going to be there, but it was a very pleasant surprise, as they are a solid team.  Doring & Hart, however, really seemed to gel as a team, looking very impressive throughout.  The two hit an electric chair drop/reverse neckbreaker combo which was very impressive.  The finish saw Doring prop one of the Maximos on his knee, as Hart came off with a Shooting Star Press to score the pinfall.

• Prince Nana came out, introducing The Iron Sheik and his new tag team, the Sons of the Gustavo.  He gives the microphone to The Iron Sheik, who talks about being happy to be in JCW, as well as making comments about Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and a whole host of other topics.  Ricky Steamboat would them come over and talk about being at The Iron Sheik's camp for twelve weeks and how hard it was training there.  The Iron Sheik then promoted Steamboat as one of the greatest of all-time.
  
  I have to say, this was one of those great wrestling moments that you are only going to get on the independent scene.  Granted, The Iron Sheik did seem to ramble on at times during his little rant, but how often are you going to get to see two legends like that just talking about something that they truly love.  Ricky Steamboat and The Iron Sheik are two of the biggest names in the business, and to see them just go back and forth like that truly was something special.

• The Sons of the Gustavo defeated Scotty Charisma & Ryan Wing.  Wing got busted open around his eye early on in the match, as it seemed like he took an errant shot during an exchange.  The finish saw Charisma go for a cross body from the top, only to have it rolled through for the pinfall.  This was a decent match, with all four working hard.

• Brawlik w/Fred Sampson defeated Danny Demanto w/Dana Dameson.  Both of these guys have the potential to make it in this business, as they both showed a lot of promise in this back and forth match.  They just need a chance to continue to work on their skills in the ring, but you can tell from both of them that the talent and desire are there.
  
  Demanto showed some nice mat work early on, as well as some sound moves with a nice superplex and a belly-to-back.  Brawlik hit a nasty belly-to-belly overhead, which seemed to drop Demanto on his head.  The finish saw Brawlik fake a knee injury, distracting the referee, alowing Sampson to sneak into the ring and nail a powerslam.  Brawlik would then follow-up with a swinging Rock Bottom to score the three count.

• Balls Mahoney, Johnny Thundar & Wenzel defeated Chemical Candido, Nana & Prince Ali with Ricky Steamboat as the guest referee.  This was a terrific match, with all six guys coming out and looking good.  The match was also full of comical moments, with Candido doing impersonations of both Sabu and The Iron Sheik throughout the bout.  He also played to the crowd, along with Steamboat, throughout the match, as he constantly was complaining about having his hair pulled (this would seem to catch on and carryover into other people's matches as well).
  
  Wenzel had some nice moments during the match, nailing Nana with a powerslam before tying him up in the ropes and nailing him with a pair of crossbodies.  Ali, for a big man, showed some nice agility, nailing a beautiful dropkick during the bout.  Towards the end of the bout, everything broke down, with all six men brawling.  Candido would eventually get into the face of Steamboat, causing Steamboat to nail him with a chop.  Mahoney quickly followed up, nailing the Nutcracker Sweet, to score the victory for his team.
  
  Again, this was a very solid bout.  All six men really looked good.  I have to say that Mahoney is in the best shape I have ever seen him and could be a huge asset if he is brought back in the future.  Thundar and Ali also looked solid in the bout, as Thundar had his second consecutive performance for the promotion.  Wenzel also continues to work hard and show that he is deserving of holding the Television Title.  The match allowed all six men to display their skills and was very well done.

• Tiger Mulligan & Red Hot Russ defeated V.I.P. (Chris Idol & Eric Cooper).  V.I.P. showed some nice tag team moves throughout this match, including a nice combination leg drop, senton splash.  Russ & Mulligan were also impressive, including Russ hitting a nice double underhook, overhead suplex.  The finish saw Mo Sexy run in with a metal box, nailing one of the V.I.P.'s, to allow Russ to score the pinfall.  The post match saw Sexy, Mulligan and Russ destroy the V.I.P. and throwing them out of the ring.  They then took turns on the microphone, saying that they may not like each other, but they respected each other.  They also put the rest of JCW on notice, saying that they were tired of being wasted and they were taking over.
  
  I like the prospects of these three guys together.  They all have talent, and putting them together should get them noticed by the promotions fans. 

• Up next was a battle royal.  It was tough to keep up with the early moments of this bout, as people were flying out of the ring.  Some of the participants who were eliminated in the early stages include the Off Brothers, DC Wynn, Rob Vega and others.  The final four were The Equalizer, Johnn Candido, Damian Dragon and Vale Tudo.  Candido nailed a very nice spinning jump kick on The Equalizer and ultimately eliminated him.  Chris Candido would then run out and go to congratulate Johnny,, but instead grabbed his hand and pulled him over the top rope, eliminating him.  It was announced that the final two men would go to just a pin or submission, with Les Thatcher as the special referee.  Tudo would quickly score the victory via submission on Dragon.

• There was another special moment after the match, as Tudo got on the microphone and all the wrestlers who had been in the battle royal were still around the ring.  Tudo asked all the wrestlers in the back to come out and pay homage to Thatcher, someone who has done so much for the business.  Thatcher would be presented with a trophy, which Chris Candido brought out to the ring.  Thatcher would say that JCW was great and this was a pleasant surprise.
  
  Like the moment with The Iron Sheik and Ricky Steamboat earlier in the evening, this was another great independent wrestling moment.  Thatcher is another legend in the business and it was a very nice moment that the promotion took the time to honor what he has done for the business.

• We then took a 20-minute intermission.

• Miss Kara defeated Alicia.  This was a solid women's bout, with Alicia dominating the bulk of the match.  She played the role of the heel exceptionally well throughout, playing to the crowd.  Kara was able to score the pinfall out of nowhere, nailing a Diamond Cutter for the victory.

• Fed Sampson w/Brawlik defeated Damian Adams.  Another match which showed two wrestlers with a whole lot of promise.  The match had some nice mat wrestling, with both men going back and forth.  The finish saw Adams lock in a sharshooter, with Sampson tapping out, but the referee was distracted and didn't see it.  Sampson would then hit a sky-high type powerbomb moments later en route to the victory.
  
  Muck like the match between Brawlik and Danny Demanto earlier in the evening, this match displayed two workers who really showed that they have the chance to contribute to the promotion.  They worked hard ad showed that they have the abilities in the ring in putting on a solid bout.

• Shawn Sheridan defeated Dave Greco w/Undead & Hate) to retain the JCW Light Heavyweight Title.  This was a great match.  Greco really stepped up his game in this one, as did Sheridan, who continues to show improvements each time I see him.
  
  The match started with Sheridan sneaking in from behind, getting the upper hand right away.  Sheridan with a nice series of moves, as he hits a pair of rolling neck breakers, capped off with a fisherman suplex.  Sheridan also hit some other nice moves, including a nice legsweep slam and a variation of the Widow's Peak.  He would go for a blockbuster, but Greco avoided the move, causing him to hit the referee accidentally.  Sheridan would then hit a pumphandle rockbottom.  It was after this that Undead & Hate got into the ring looking to attack.  Suddenly, someone wearing a Nintendo jacket ran into the ring, dropping a bag and trying to low blow Undead & Hate.  It had no affect, except that it lured the two big men out of the ring, as they gave chase to the smaller man.  Both Greco and Sheridan would get to their feet, with Greco getting a hold of the title belt.  He tried to hit Sheridan, but Sheridan ducked the shot and instead nailed Greco with that bag, leading to the three count.  After the match, Sheridan pulled out a Nintendo from the bag.

• Ace Darling & Matt Striker defeated Rob Eckos & Josh Daniels to retain the Tag Team Titles.  This was a terrific match to close the event  Daniels & Eckos looked terrific in the match, really establishing themselves as a solid team for the promotion.  Darling & Striker looked good as well, cementing their spots as the champions. 
  
  The two teams went back and forth throughout, with the finish coming when Darling hit a superkick, followed by Striker nailing a falling back breaker to score the three count.  This was a solid conclusion to the show, as all four men really worked hard to send the fans off without disappointing.

My Thoughts: JCW was not put in the best position for this show, with their Heavyweight Champion, Slyk Wagner Brown, unable to appear.  You add on the fact that The Honky Tonk Man, who had been scheduled, did not appear, and it was definitely an uphill battle.

The promotion still delivered, however, once again giving a great mix of established talent, legends and future stars.  Guys like Teddy Hart, Danny Doring, Balls Mahoney, Chris Candido and others were solid, as always.  They are known to the fans from their times in bigger promotions and are guys that they like to see.

You throw in a few talents that have the potential to be stars, like Josh Daniels, Rob Eckos and others, and you already have a very nice mix right off the bat. 

If that wasn't enough, they gave you a few very special moments, with the interview between The Iron Sheik and Ricky Steamboat, as well as the trophy presentation to Les Thatcher.  These are the types of moments that really make independent wrestling special.

While there wasn't a stand out match on the show, there really wasn't a bad one either.  Each bout was solid from start to finish, with all the performers working hard to please the fans.

The one complaint that I could see people having is that there seemed to be referee distractions in every match.  There indeed was quite a few moments where a referee was missing a tag, someone tapping out or someone interfering.  That's something that I would like to see cut down a little bit, as the more of it there is, the less effective it seems to be, because it's almost expected that the referee is going to miss things.

Personally, I would also have liked a mention of Slyk Wagner Brown and his Heavyweight Title, but that's strictly a personal opinion.  Like I said at the last show, I'd like to see more of an emphasis put on the top title in the federation.  In this case, he wasn't on the show, so it definitely made it more difficult and I understand why nothing was said.

With those few, minor gripes out of the way, it was a good afternoon of wrestling.  I give Ricky O and his staff a lot of credit, as they had a lot of obstacles to overcome, but still managed to put on a wrestling show that they could be proud of.

I am personally looking forward to the J Cup, on June 27.  I will have more news on that event in the coming weeks, as we will be giving away two front row tickets, thanks to JCW.  Please check back for more information.