Abbeville is about as far west as you can go in traveling through the state of South Carolina without winding up in Georgia. It's not too far from Augusta, GA, but it is most definitely what a lot of people would consider a town in the middle of nowhere seeing as how there's not much to do there. As such, when something like professional wrestling "invades" (I have always hated seeing that word used in relation to a wrestling event; no one in wrestling politely enters, they always invade, wreck, or destroy - and people wonder why it's so difficult to get venues to rent out their facility for wrestling), people will come out to see it because it's something fresh, new, and exciting that they don't get to see very often, if ever. For this reason (along with the fact that UW's ownership did their job in actually promoting the event), AWAKENS was a tremendous success. The floor seats and bleachers were full, the gimmick tables were busy, and the concession stand had a line 10-15 people deep at times.
Starting off the show was this match between Alan Price and "The Thoroughbred" Jaxson James. Price has seen action with promotions around this part of the state and with a few entities running shows in the area of the low country. James is one of the top prospects in the Carolinas at this point in time, and he's only going to get better. That said, I will say that when I watched this match live I wasn't thrilled with it as it seemed clunky in spots. However, a second viewing told me a different story, one I didn't immediately notice the first time around.
For the second match on the card Chase "Cauliflower" Brown would meet Dean Richards. This was my first exposure to Richards; he seems to have plenty of ability but his physique is definitely a work in progress. What he lacks most, in my opinion, is a sense of charisma which is something that Brown has albeit in an odd kind of way. Chase fancies himself as an old school shooter or catch wrestler and he comes off as a kind of loveable grappler you can't help but cheer for. The match these two wound up having would prove to be a real physical test for both men as it went in a direction you don't often see on the independent scene.
Before you read further I'd like to make a comment about this next match. Yes, it involves Alan Price - yes, Alan Price was already in a match on the AWAKENS card. You see, our friends at the South Carolina Athletic Commission (SCAC being the division of LLR that oversees legitimate combat sports like boxing, mixed martial arts and...Professional wrestling?) made an appearance at this event and, as it would turn out, a few of the scheduled participants had to be removed from the card for failure to secure the proper licenses. As much as I would like to think that the SCAC isn't just a group of old fashioned Boss Hogg types disguised as government officials and that their role is a legitimate one in making sure things are being done properly (a sentiment that I detailed in a blog entry last year - Wrestlers & Promoters vs. South Carolina's Athletic Commission), there's this side of the coin where it seems like they should have better things to do than come around and tell a few people they can't put on costumes and dance with one another. It is what it is, and the show must go on!
This contest was a throwback to a different era, where wrestlers didn't have to do insane moves and all but kill themselves to elicit a response from the crowd. You don't see this kind of wrestling all that often anymore as the current generation of pro wrestlers have seemingly all been trained with the same mentality that the developers of a video game like Mortal Kombat have in mind when they're preparing a new title. By that I mean most matches seem to be nothing but a series of in-congruent moves strung together without any purpose that eventually culminate in one participant or the other succumbing to some random maneuver when their invisible health meeter has been depleted. Something that you see even less frequently than effective ring psychology is the performance of a manager like "Big Business" James McHone. The trio of him, Deon Johnson, and Boomer Payne made for a truly entertaining assemblage, one that Price and his tag team partner "Mr. Sleeze" Erik Thompson would have a hard time overcoming.
I feel obliged to tell you that Brice Anthony is one of my oldest friends from the world of independent professional wrestling - actually, he is my oldest friend from the world of independent professional wrestling. He and I were part of a promotion that ran in & around Lancaster, SC back 10-15 years ago. I say "he and I" when in reality he was a wrestler and I was something of a glorified gopher boy/photographer/web designer who did whatever was asked of me because it meant I got to be a part of a pro wrestling company. Brice's career in the ring has had a number of stops and starts but his passion for competition burns as bright now as I've ever seen it. He's a more mature hand and it is plainly evident in contrasting the kind of things I saw him do when we were younger to how he now enjoys making the fans hate him with not much more than the expression on his face.
For his match at AWAKENS, Brice would lock horns with local favorite Hoss Hagood - or Hoss Hayseed as Brice's manager, "Big Business" James McHone, referred to him. The main event of the show is still to come but, for my money, I felt like this was the best match of the evening.
Capping off the card was the main event, a tag team match featuring four of the best and brightest young professional wrestlers competing in this neck of the woods. AWAKENS would end with Avgerinos the Great and Josh Powers, better known as The Living Daylights, squaring off against TK Stark and Jett Black, a flashy, athletic duo calling themselves Chemical Z.
As I have watched talent come and go from this region over the years, I have oftentimes asked myself who will be left to continue on with things once the top tier guys & girls get opportunities in greener pastures? While I will be completely honest in saying that I feel fantastic about the fact that wrestlers who cut their teeth in the Carolinas move away because of the fact that business is better in different parts of the world, I always worry that the scene here will dry up and vanish or otherwise be left with nothing but backyard-level companies and wrestlers. That day may come but it's not here yet thanks to promotions like Ultra Wrestle and its roster.
The next Ultra Wrestle event is tentatively scheduled for March 28 in McCormick, SC. For details on that and everything else relating to UW, be sure to check out their social media sites at the following links.
Facebook.com/UltraWrestle
Twitter.com/UltraWrestle
YouTube.com/UltraWrestle
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