Showtime Allstar Wrestling - Episode 59

Courtesy of Larry Goodman:

Airing August 30, 2008 in Nashville on Comcast 74
Taped August 9, 2008 in Millersville, Tn at the SAW Mill

The show opened with a dedication to the memory of Patrick Miller, the Nashville area wrestler who recently died in a car accident at the age of 25.

This Afternoon: Paul Adams, Matt Dillinger and Ric Santel were lounging on a deck. Dillinger was on the phone leaving a voice mail.

Hammerjack!. Pull it out, put ‘em on, and get your butt up here. We’ve got a match in three hours!

Adams said A-Team was supposed to have title match with Tribal Nation and A-Team was already a man short because “The Problem Solver” David Young was taking care of that thing in Detroit. “The light bulb just went off, Paul,” said Dillinger. “Risky Ric Santel! You and me tonight for the belts, brother. Tell me you got it.” Santel was too busy focusing on how good it felt to have his feet up with his shoes off. “You ought to go commando sometime,” Dillinger said. Adams distanced himself from Dillinger and asked Santel if his was in. Santel said he was. Dillinger offered Adams an oatmeal cookie. Adams said oatmeal was his favorite.

Cut to an inset of Michael St. John and Reno Riggins at ringside alongside an inset showing highlights from last week. Nice. MSJ said the members of A-Team were “interspersable.” Riggins said Arrick Andrews vs. Chrisjen Hayme “a main event anywhere in the country.” Our peerless announce team was in rare form today.

1 -- ARRICK “The Dragon” ANDREWS vs. “Best of the Best” CHRISJEN HAYME

Riggins talked about Andrews spending big bucks on legal representation in order to get reinstated in SAW because he didn’t want to wrestle anywhere else. Andrews on offense and on fire with a spinning headscissors, a spinning heel kick and running forearm. With Andrews on the apron, Hayme tried a shoulder block through the ropes, and Andrews delivered and elbow drop to the back of the neck. Andrews hit a slingshot elbow drop (one of TJ Harley’s signature moves). The match took a 180 turn when Andrews went for an up-and-over, and Hayme dropped him on his nose. MSJ nailed it when he said Hayme looked incensed, as he wailed away on Andrews’ ribs. Hayme cut off a comeback with an eye rake, and used double kneedrops to the ribs. Andrews looked like hell. Riggins said he got a phone call earlier in the week from two wrestlers recently released by WWE wanting to come in. Andrews caught Hayme with a backslide. Hayme cut him off again, and hit a gutbuster. Hayme went for his springboard moonsault, but Andrews got his knees up and rolled Hayme up for the three.

WINNER: Andrews in 5:26. Good match. I really liked the way it was laid out. Hayme got enough offense to where the loss doesn’t hurt him, but he’s high enough on the food chain to make it a meaningful win for Andrews. Hayme left all the flashy stuff to Andrews. He stuck to being a dickish heel but with sound psychology. Andrews’ offense looked stellar and he did a great job selling the ribs.

Cut to Andrews slowly heading up the ramp, still in pain from the punishment to his ribcage. Andrews was confronted by Santel with Adams trailing behind. Andrews started pummeling Santel, but Dillinger jumped Andrews from behind. MSJ said it was a trap. “I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.” A-Team doubled up on Andrews. Just as Adams handed Dillinger a chair, Tribal Nation attacked A-Team.

Back from commercial break, an impromptu match was in progress with Tribal Nation pounding away on A-Team. Ref Kurt Herron informed MSJ and Reno that Commissioner Freddie Morton had ordered the title match to take place right now.

2 -- SAW Tag Team Title Match: TRIBAL NATION (Lennox Lightfoot & Indian Outlaw) vs. A-TEAM (Matt Dillinger & Rick Santel with Paul Adams)

Lightfoot had Santel rolled up, but Herron was busy arguing with Outlaw. With Santel all rubbery legged, Lightfoot started the war dance signaling the Four Winds Tomahawk Chop was coming up, but got clubbed from behind by Dillinger. A-Team beat on Lightfoot with copious double teams. Dillinger was wrestling barefooted. He disgusted Reno by standing on Lightfoot’s face. “Imagine all the toe fungus.” TVA did a number on Lightfoot’s shoulder. Dillinger got out of the ring to tell the announcers about his educated feet. MSJ said he could smell them. Riggins said he didn’t know if it was his feet or his breath. MSJ said Santel and Dillinger might be a better tag team than TVA. Lightfoot moved, and Dillinger wound up crotching himself on the top rope on a high kick. Both men tagging. Outlaw hit the ring with tomahawk chops (called the Wahoo shuffle by MSJ). Outlaw did his basement leg lariat on Santel for a close near fall. Outlaw hit a side effect, but Dillinger broke up the pin. It broke down to a four way brawl on the floor. Santel made it back into the ring, but Adams grabbed Lightfoot by the leg to keep him from doing the same (which should have made no difference because Riggins had just pointed out that Outlaw was the legal man), and Herron counted Tribal Nation out.

The brawling continued after the bell. Adams choked Lightfoot with his towel. A-Team was setting up a double team on Outlaw when Andrews made the save.

WINNERS: A-Team via count out at 8:34 due to interference by Adams. Not bad for a Tribal Nation match. Crowd seemed into it. The brawling was decent. Lightfoot sells better than Outlaw when he’s taking heat. Santel and Dillinger made a good team. The finish carried the story forward.

Jerry Lynn at ringside with MSJ. Lynn said he had to give Kid Kash credit where credit was due.

No matter how many of these fans think you’re an ignorant butthole, you’re a very intelligent wrestler. You see last time we set foot in this ring, we had a 15 minute time limit, and you stalled for eight. Always thinking.

Lynn said Kash’s talent was never the question. The problem was his attitude and all the bleep.

You didn’t beat me. The clock beat me. Well genius, next week in this very ring, we’ve got 60 minutes, and I know I can go 60 minutes. So I want you to ask yourself one thing, Kash, what’s it going to feel like when I walk out of this ring as THE NEW S.A.W. INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.

A video tribute to Patrick Miller aired set to the music of Creed’s “Higher.” Well done.

3 -- T.J. HARLEY vs. SIGMON

St. John said Harley better have eyes in the back of his head because Shultz could be lurking about. Riggins said Shultz had his hands keeping a high maintenance woman like Miss Worthington satisfied. Match was back and forth with Sigmon taking shortcuts to gain the upper hand. Hayme replaced Riggins on color commentary. Hayme said Andrews cheated to win and claimed that Harley’s wrist guard was loaded. Sigmon hit a german suplex, but there was nobody home for his top rope flying headbutt. Miss Worthington marched down to ringside and handed her purse to Hayme. Off camera, Harley decked Sigmon with a flying forearm. Harley had heated words for Worthington. While the ref was admonishing Worthington for being up on the apron, Hayme snuck into the ring and put Harley’s lights out with the presumably loaded purse. Sigmon sprawled on top of Harley for the pin.

WINNER: Sigmon at 3:57 after Hayme clocked Harley with Miss Worthington’s loaded purse. Match was OK but not the focus of the segment. Everyone had their timing and ring positioning down for the finish, and that was really all that mattered.

MSJ called Worthington and Hayme over to the interview area. Worthington said Shultz was so stressed out by all the stuff with Harley that he was on medication for anxiety attacks. “I can take care of business myself and it’s a proven fact,” she said and walked away. MSJ wanted to know what was on Hayme’s mind. “Sooner or later, I told you I would find my Perfect 10.”

4 -- HIGH SOCIETY (Sean Casey & Chris Michaels with the Freak Squad) vs. DREW HASKINS & JESSE EMERSON

MSJ said one wrestling publication had called High Society “the fastest growing tag team in the world.” Riggins said they looked better than ever. Emerson got a brief flurry on Casey. Riggins said Emerson was a superstar in the making. Haskins snapped off a huracanrana on Michaels. Riggins said Haskins was struggling to put on weight, but if he stayed with it until he was 22, he would be a force to be reckoned with. Casey stuck a knee in Haskins’ back to divert his attention, and Michaels followed with a backbreaker. High Society cut the ring in half and decimated Haskins. Emerson saved after a Casey spinebuster. Haskins made an aerial comeback on Michaels that left both on the canvas, but Casey forearmed Emerson to prevent the tag. High Society overwhelmed Haskins. They hit a double team powerdrive slam and did the “throw it up, throw it down” with Freak Squad joining in from ringside. High Society then smoked Haskins with a double team superkick for the pin.

WINNERS: High Society at 3:32. Haskins took some stiff looking punishment. I liked that there was no hot tag and High Society never let up on him. Haskins is setting himself up for a backlash if he doesn’t stop pumping his fist after every offensive move. Awkward finish, as MSJ didn’t see Herron signal for the bell, so Riggins had to correct him.

MSJ interviewed High Society and their Freak Squad -Tiana, Fallon and an unnamed statuesque blonde (subbing for Lexi Pillman). This week, they were one big happy, kinky family. Casey turned the collar of St. John’s jacket inside out. He blew off MSJ’s contention that Chase Stevens and Adam Armor were competition. Michaels said they were already at the pinnacle. He said Stevens and Armor had rudely interrupted their massage last week, so they were going to the back for another one - “And this time it will have a happy ending.”

St. John was baffled by the sound of a chainsaw. The saw sliced though a wall at the back of the building. Marc Anthony busted through that sucker and made a beeline for the ring, where he hey cracked Emerson over the head with his helmet, and proceeded to destroy the jobbers. Riggins questioned whether this was time to be a hero…and tried to be a hero. Anthony kicked the stuffing out of Reno, and decked Hot Rod Biggs with a rabbit lariat. MSJ said he had never seen anything like it. Anthony barked as he surveyed the carnage before him. MSJ acknowledged “the commercials” that preceded Anthony’s arrival. Anthony shoved both referees. The camera followed Anthony through the curtain, where he busted SAW’s TV production guru, “Big Timmy” (Thompson) over the head with a VCR. Back inside the ring, Anthony used the VCR to tattoo his own forehead. MSJ said he was holding his laptop to protect it. “I warned you! I warned you!” Anthony shoved the crap out of St. John. He grabbed the laptop and threw it at Riggins. St. John said it was time to call the police. He said Reno was busted open. Anthony grabbed some guy minding his own business by the concession stand, and bashed him with a full can of garbage. The crowd popped for it. Cut to to a close up of the guy laying amongst trash. The camera followed Anthony out the front door. “There’s going to be pay back on this one, I can assure you,” said St John.

Closing Thoughts: The big thing was the much anticipated (well, at least for me) debut of Anthony. There were a lot of things to like about it. The element of surprise was there. The deal of terrorizing everyone in sight and leaving carnage in his wake was on point. The parts where he attacked Thompson and the guy by the concession stand were totally awesome. But in some ways, the concept was better than the execution. In actuality, the wall was a large plywood enclosure that looked kind of cheesy. Hey, it’s still indie wrestling. Also, the segment ran a little long. A more focused Blitzkrieg would have been more effective, especially with the typically so-so crowd response at the SAW Mill…The best wrestling on the show was by Andrews. He’s been on a roll since his return…This show was the closest Hayme has come to being a credible heel. I see a cock block in his future…Lynn cut another very good promo…They did a good job of keeping Shultz in play. Worthington was called up upon to do more than any of her previous segments, and she came through quite nicely…The opening vignette was outstanding - a great way to tease problems within A-Team…There were problems with little things on the finishes – like the camera missing Harley’s finisher and the screwed up logic of Lightfoot being the one counted out…Overall, a thumbs up show…Next week: Kid Kash vs. Jerry Lynn in a rematch for the SAW International Championship with a 60 minute time limit.