NWS in Edison, 2/17/06 National Wrestling Superstars at St. Matthew’s, Edison, NJ
February 17, 2006
As usual, pictures of the following event and more can be found at
Mark’s NWS picture site .
The NWS once again passed through Edison, and as usual, I was there. Just like last February, we were at the gymnasium of St. Matthew’s Catholic school. There was a first, though…before the show I was finally asked to be a sign plant, as people were handing out “2” signs that we were to hold up whenever there was a 2-count. Of course I couldn’t leave it at that, changing my handouts into advertisements for a certain ‘80s breakdancing movie sequel (does anyone need to ask which one at this point in pop culture history?), and for the place where I got the signs (“They told me ‘2’ hold this sign”).
Our announcer was an “Outlaw” Frankie G, whose heelish name earned a few boos. Aside from the National Anthem, we also had a 10-bell salute to Johnny Grunge.
Just like last year, the show opened with an appearance by Matty the Leprechaun. And again, he was confronted by “Dapper” Johnny Falco, this time accompanied by “Mr. Motion” Shane Taylor. Falco pledged not to waste his time beating up the mascot this time, and what’s more, that he knew he was really Darren Venture (the other regular at NWS Edison shows) and was thus a phony. That’s the kind of people we need to uphold authenticity in the world: professional wrestlers. That aside, of course the heels again beat up Matty (who indeed was declothed and revealed to be Venture) until the Patriot makes the save, setting up a match later against Taylor.
1) Dave Logan (with Dirty Dan Petit) vs. J.T. Highlander – Logan is the former New Wave who since apparently denounced his old name (he had an “RIP New Wave” t-shirt on). He had quite a following up in the bleachers too. They started on the outside, and back in, Dan’s interference gave Logan an early advantage, but J.T. would block an uppercut with a reverse neckbreaker. Logan returned the favor off of a whip counter, which was used as a transition kind of liberally here. Top-rope elbow gets 2, and J.T. reciprocates this time, with a (slow) rollup that gives him a two-count of his own. Another “traded” spot comes when J.T. counters a corner move by monkey-flipping Logan…except J.T. is facing away from the corner, which meant that Logan was thrown into the turnbuckles. Later, Logan stopped a VERY telegraphed axhandle by grabbing Highlander and Northern Lighting him into the corner, just barely though. They tried some good stuff, but some of it seemed a touch off at times. Logan attempted an Alabama Slam, but J.T. got to reverse that into a piledriver. Huracanrana and German suplex gets two for Highlander. Ref bump, and Logan actually gets the advantage with a cradle double-underhook DDT. Now a devastating move like this would mean a likely win if only the ref would wake up. So what does Petit do? He takes the opportunity to come in with a “Caution! Wet Floor” sign. You know what’s next…Heel Communication, the ref comes to, J.T. gets the win. Afterwards, Gino Moore rightly points out Petit’s gaffe and schedules him for a future match with J.T.
2) The Valedictorians (Rob Eckos and Billy Bax) vs. Nicky Oceans and Fantastic Max – Eckos started out with some mic work, referencing his appearances on WWE programming (where he apparently got squashed by Mark Henry, which I unsuccessfully tried to get on his case for) before introducing his partner Bax, wearing identical, hexagonal-patterend tights. Oceans’ partner was originally to be Antonio Malave, but instead we got Fantastic Max, a guy in an Ultimo Dragon mask, not an orange-mohawked kid who likes to exclaim “Dirty Diapers!” $10,000,000 to the first person who gets that reference…hope you don’t mind being paid in Monopoly money. So on to the match…we start with a lot of arm-dragging and barring from the faces. A pier-six breaks out, leading to the faces using a double drop toehold to put the heels in the always funny 69 Position, followed by stereo corner punching and the heels being whipped into each other in the corner, which also culminated in them falling into the 69 Position. Valedictorians leave the ring to finally go get a room, only to be met by stereo topes. Their luck changes back in, however, as Eckos distracts Max long enough for Bax to get in his whacks with a tilt-a-whirl breaking of backs. Now the advantage is what the face team lacks. And those are the facts. This has been your poetry corner for the evening. Back to action, the Valedictorians dominate FM for awhile until Eckos botches a high-risk attempt and ends up eating Max’s foot. Hot tag, and Oceans uses kick combos to fend off both Valedictorians. But a second attempt to whip Bax and Eckos into each other goes awry, leading to the heels doing a modified Doomsday Device (victim’s in a back suplex position) for the pin. The Vals then demand that the referee raise their hands for each side of the ring. Pretty fun tag team match, and I guess the DVDVR board was right about their “Team Angle” theory; i.e. they got so much love cause they were a tag team that wore identical outfits and used many double teams. Because the Vals did all this, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them continue in the promotion as a team.
3) The Patriot vs. Shane Taylor (with Johnny Falco) – But wait! Falco says he is “retiring” from managing in Edison after the disrespect he got, so he introduces Taylor’s new manager, Mohoward al-Getz. Because it’s in the Patriot’s contract that he must oppose at least one foreigner…and he means it…SINCERELY. They try to add the Baghdad Bullies (Saddam Insane and the heel-turned TNT, also the current NWS tag champs) to the entourage, but they are ejected from ringside quickly. Undaunted, the heels double team Patriot, but he quickly comes back all “Here’s Johnny!,” as he Gunns them down with a double clothesline. When you mess with the Patriot, he is definitely not as sweet as Brandi…OK I know, you get it, I’m a smark. So, with Taylor temporarily out of the way, Patriot does the Hogan special and spends time beating and humiliating Mohoward until Taylor superkicks him into some chinlockery. He Patriots Up out of it, but Taylor keeps the advantage, until missing a second-rope legdrop. Superman comeback, and then Saddam returns. Double-teaming is threatened, but the heels are distracted by the return of Matty the Leprechaun. Would he heed my sign and finally try a 450 splash? No, but his presence distracts Taylor long enough to get rolled up and pinned. Post-match, SWERVE! While Mohoward is still arguing with Matty, Darren Venture comes out and decks him when he turns around. And then Jimmy Snuka arrives for no reason matchwise (flashback to WrestleMania V!), but for the intermission autographs with Patriot.
After the break, we celebrate various fans’ birthday, complete with the Kayfabed Cake (the Styrofoam deal from last Edison show).
4) Baghdad Bullies (Saddam Insane and TNT) vs. Gumba Panatane and Jay Santana – As I said, TNT since turned heel and is now an Iraqi sympathizer. Gumba is a stout Italian character, and Santana was announced as a relation of Tito’s. This…was pretty much the opposite of the previous tag match. From the start, when TNT “took” a sloppy double armdrag, somehow I knew this would be a barnburner. Meaning, of course, that someone set a fire in the barn to use the smoke to drive all the wrestlers out so they’d stop the match. As it is, I’m surprised they -- or anyone -- didn’t clear out on the spot after Gumba back-raked Saddam, causing him to partially lose his pants in the process. Apparently, though, this stunned Gumba enough to just fall to the floor when trying something off the top rope. Heels work him over awhile, he “hot” tags Santana, who gets 2 off of a springboard flying forearm. Pier six, and Santana misses a splash, and Saddam…just covers him for 3. If you can’t say anything nice…
5) NWS Jersey Shore Title: “GQ” Gavin Quest (champion) vs. Corvis Fear (challenger) – OK, this should make up for the mess Corvis was mixed up in that was that dark match at JAPW Wild Card. Interestingly, Gavin’s working as a heel as well now. Dueling slaps first (Gavin’s in delivered by tricking Corvis into believing they were doing a coin toss!). They exchange offense, and Quest ends up on the outside, on the ring apron, where Fear neckbreakers/rope snaps him to the floor. However, Quest uppercuts him out of a tope attempt. Back in, a belly-to-back gets 2. Gavin tells the crowd to be quiet so he can deliver some stiff kicks, but when they don’t comply, he winds up teasing another kick but applying a chinlock instead. OK, he has some of the heel basics down. In the corner, chops are exchanged, but Quest sends Fear hard into the corner. He works the back for awhile, hitting a German, and a kind of reverse monkey flip into a backbreaker, which gets 2. Superplex attempt is blocked, and Corvis does one of his own, a kind of twisting back superplex. The ref’s in the way, but I think Fear did some kind of elevated DDT to set up a second-rope moonsault for 2. He panders to the crowd for awhile, however, allowing Gavin to do a low kick/facebuster combo. Fear, undaunted, comes back with a brainbuster variation and a frog splash for 2. Quest responds with a T-Bone Powerbomb move, but not to be undone, Fear gets him up in a cradle hold, turning it into a part powerbomb, part piledriver. Crucifix for 2, and then Gavin does his own, but in an interesting spot, he’s Samoan dropped…yet he gets to cover Corvis. Didn’t quite get that. Despite Fear being all the way in the opposite corner, Quest goes for a moonsault, and rightfully so, gets caught by Corvis. A hangman flip (both men up in corner, Fear makes like he’s going to Rude Awaken Quest, but instead kind of front suplexes him out of that) later, and we have a NEW JERSEY SHORE CHAMPION! The usual good stuff I’d expect from Gavin and company. Post-match, Gavin teases a handshake, but of course beats down Corvis. Gino Moore says that he’ll sign the rematch, and many fans are calling “No.” What does that really say? On one hand, are they implying that they don’t have faith that Corvis can beat Gavin again? On another hand, do they NOT want him to get revenge for this heinous attack? Regardless, Fear does accept the rematch for a later date.
6) Main Event: Jimmy Snuka vs. Salvatore Sincere (with Mohoward al-Getz) – Yes, Tom Brandi worked twice in one show. He’s dropped the fake Sicilian accent, and these days is now looking for heat by telling fans not to call him “Pinky” because of his ring attire. Guess what chant followed. This was pretty much like the Snuka vs. Johnny Valiant match from my first NWS show about 2 ½ years ago: Snuka takes over to start (offense mostly consisting of chopping), but the heel takes over with a foreign object. In this case, Sincere makes liberal use of a pink rope. Understandably, he uses it for strangling, but at one point wraps it around his hand like a chain. As far as wimpy weapons are concerned, that one’s further down there than Valiant using what looked like a credit card on Snuka at that other show. Snuka beats the odds and the ropeburn upon Sincere and Mohoward heel miscommunicating, and he hits the Superfly (from the second rope) for the win.
As always, a fun effort by NWS. The first tag match and Quest/Fear were the matches of the night, with Highlander/Logan just missing joining the group.