[SIDE NOTE: I am a stickler about certain things when it comes to professional wrestling. If you know me in real life or have been reading this blog for any length of time, that should come as no surprise. One of the biggest problems I have with how small-time wrestling federations like WrestleForce do business is prominently displayed in the poster above. I'll give you a hint - it's not the excessive graphics and color choices that make it difficult to read. What else could it be? The championship belt. That belt should be the single biggest reason why every man on your shows is there, because they want to wear gold around their waist. The belt should be an iconic, unique trophy for which competitors have an insatiable lust. How then can you legitimately put that over to your fan base as being a valued piece of hardware when it is nothing more than a nondescript, mass-produced replica belt available online for less than $200? Yes, a custom made belt is expensive, but it's a worthwhile investment that I wish more indie companies would see as such. It adds a tremendous amount of production value to the presentation and it makes me, as an onlooker, respect the company that much more because I know they're taking what they're doing seriously.]
I'm not sure why promoters of independent pro wrestling feel the need to put a label on their shows like "AGGRESSION", "HOSTILE TAKEOVER", or "ASSAULT BY INVASION ". (For that matter, why is it always that you hear of a wrestling-based event as being invasive in nature? Do wrestlers never politely knock? If you've never noticed, pay attention to TV ads for wrestling in particular; you'll hear the word "invade" or a derivative thereof used to an offensive degree.) I guess it helps somewhat in getting the attention of fans because it looks good on a poster (<sarcasm> especially when the artist who made said poster has no fonts on their PC but those designed to resemble the text in nu-metal band logos </sarcasm>). It's also a knockoff of what bigger companies do with their pay-per-view events, like World Wrestling Entertainment's Elimination Chamber or Royal Rumble. Fans know what to expect from those shows because the title implies a theme or a style of match. In the case of this WrestleForce, the title was surprisingly applicable as there were a number of developments to progress their angles that involved aggressive maneuvers by the parties involved.
Match #1 - The Fortunate Sons (Jesse Windham & Billy Brash) vs. "cK1" Caleb Konley & Hexx
After the match, Konley became irate at his bodyguard Hexx. The two exchanged words in a heated confrontation but did not come to blows. Interim WrestleForce general manager Brett Wolverton took to the ring to ask Konley about the fact that he'd been sitting on a WrestleForce championship match opportunity for more than 8 months as "cK1" had earned the contract during an event held in 2013. Caleb assertively shook off the pries of Wolverton, saying only that he would use the chance when he saw fit.
Match #2 - 2-on-1 Handicap Match: Brady Pierce vs. Kevin Phoenix & Joey Rhymer
I knew when Kevin Phoenix (an African-American competitor who wears tights that resemble the paint scheme of the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazard - I point that out because, irony) and Joey Rhymer came out that the match wasn't going to be anything other than a squash (wrestling vernacular for a match where one combatant will get in almost no offense whatsoever, often ending with them losing in the most brutal way possible; it's an old tactic, which you don't see much anymore, that's meant to make the winner look like a monster), I just wasn't certain to whom they were being fed. Brady Pierce is a young guy with height and a physique that truly makes him resemble a young Randy Orton. Problem is, Pierce's body shows all the signs of that physique having been obtained mostly through the usage of a syringe. Some people have a problem with that, some don't - I could care less but I will say that all the pustules take away from his look. Brady won after forcing Phoenix to submit to a torture wrack.
Match #3 - 5-Star-5-Minute Challenge: "Mr. Match of the Night" Anthony Henry vs. Jaxson James
Match #4 - "Big League" Eric Bradford w/"Double-D" D'Arcy Dixon vs. "The Party Man-imal" Zane Riley
Is that a superlative wrestling match? No, but if you didn't laugh you're the real loser here. Bradford, Dixon, and Riley did a great job here and their ability to play off the reactions of the audience was great.
Match #5 - No Disqualifications Match: "The Fabulous Playboy" Bob Keller vs. BJ Hancock
There was a point in the not-too-distant past where BJ Hancock and another wrestler by the name of Michael Frehley were a tag team calling themselves The House of Style and being managed by Bob Keller. Those days are gone and now Keller is at odds with one of his former charges, that being Hancock, as the two have developed a feud here lately (despite the fact that Keller was forced into retirement a while back by another WrestleForce competitor, "The Southern Savior" John Skyler). This match was simply a good, old fashioned barroom brawl that saw Hancock and Keller go all over the building, including inside the mens restroom where BJ was the unfortunate recipient of a swirlie! Keller held his own for the most part but couldn't overcome the odds when Eric Bradford & D'Arcy Dixon interfered, allowing Hancock to get the win.
Match #6 - WrestleForce Tag Team Championship Match: The Love/Hate Machine (Steven Walters & John Skyler) (C) vs. The Bravado Brothers (Harlem & Lancelot)
Match #7 - WrestleForce Championship Match: Cedric Alexander (C) vs. Anthony Henry vs. "The Juggernaut" Jon Malus
The original main event of Cedric Alexander defending the WrestleForce championship against "The Natural" Chase Stevens had to be scrapped as a result of Stevens having difficulty getting to the show because of weather-related travel issues. Earlier in the evening, Alexander was called to the ring by Brett Wolverton for an interview alongside fellow contender "Juggernaut" Jon Malus only for the segment to be interrupted by "Mr. Match of the Night" Anthony Henry. Wolverton made the best move he could have in arranging for a replacement main event that would be a 3-way-dance pitting Alexander against Malus and Henry with the winner being crowned champion.
This was the best all-around match on the card and quite possibly the best match I've ever seen at a WrestleForce event. Cedric Alexander is money any way you look at him. Jon Malus is a capable hand and Anthony Henry continues to draw attention to himself, but they aren't in the same league as Alexander. Cedric won the match after hitting a brain-buster on Henry.
Match #8 - WrestleForce Championship Match: Cedric Alexander (C) vs. "cK1" Caleb Konley w/Hexx
Immediately after the 3-way-dance main event, Hexx attacked Cedric Alexander which prompted Caleb Konley to storm the ring and cash in the championship match contract. Try as he might to defend his title, Alexander was too beaten up from the combined assaults he'd faced during the previous match, eventually succumbing to a super-kick administered by Konley. With that, "cK1" is your new WrestleForce champion.
WrestleForce will be back in action in Cayce, SC on Sunday, March 30 as they present UNLEASHED.
For more information on WrestleForce, visit them on the web via Facebook and Twitter!
Facebook.com/WrestleForce
Twitter.com/WrestleForce
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