Pro Wrestling Syndicate Takes Over Bay Ridge & NJ State Fairgrounds

This weekend Pro Wrestling Syndicate took over the Tri-State with shows in both New York City and New Jersey. The action kicked off with an outdoor event at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds at 1PM, and continued up the Turnpike into Bay Ridge Brooklyn. I was at the Brooklyn show, which began promptly at 8 o'clock, and featured local heroes, established legends, and current world renowned superstars. Ethan Carter was on hand with his TNA world heavyweight belt; Taz made a very rare independent appearance just a stone’s throw from his hometown; and Comedy Central was in the house filming material for Larry Wilmore’s late night talk show. Pro Wrestling Syndicate provided transportation for its fans aboard a chartered bus from their homebase in Rahway to Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in Bay Ridge, and featured separate rosters for each event. I was there along with my Cheap-Heat and B+ Player Radio colleague Gary Mastriano—we were both taken aback with the overall welcoming atmosphere, and professionalism both inside the ring and out.

Before the Bell
We arrived at the venue—a Catholic Church Rec Center—about an hour before the bell, and already there were people filling the gymnasium with anticipatory commotion. We saw Virgil sitting idly by waiting for someone to pay for an autograph. Emphasis on pay; one kid asked Virgil how he was, and the former WWE/WCW wrestler responded with ten fingers, meaning it’ll cost $10 to get Virgil to talk. It’s unclear how much of this is part of the “Angry/Lonely Virgil” gimmick. Comedy Central was in the building filming footage featuring Virgil, so it’s very possible he was just laying it on extra thick. We saw Brian Myers and Balls Mahoney before the show began; I went to the bathroom and struck up a conversation with a New York City police officer while on line. With my back turned to the gym, the officer pointed in my rearview and exclaimed: “Holy shit it’s Balls Mahoney!” Needless to say we all let Balls and the prepubescent boy he was with go ahead of us. Burgers were overlooked, popcorn was burn, but the beer was cold and at just $3, they went down faster than CPA. More on him in a few moments.

Special Guest
Taz made a very rare independent shot tonight, and welcomed the audience to his hometown of Brooklyn New York. He reminisced about the ECW days and dropped a number of names to illicit a crowd reaction. He put over his new relationship with CBS radio, as well as his daily series featuring Mike Tenay, Jim Ross and producer SethI tried to get a “We Want Seth” chant going, but Taz thought someone said “One More Match” and said his wife won’t let him to wrestle anymore. He jokes about the shape he’s in on his podcast, but the Human Suplex Maxhine looked awesome. He capped off the evening with his signature catch phrase—”Beat me if you can, survive if I let you”—and the show was set to begin! Funny note: as Taz began wrapping up, he commented that his speech had already one on long enough and asked: “What is this? Monday Night Raw?”

Davey Richards w/ Angelina Love vs. Mario Bokara
The first wrestler through the curtain this evening is Mario Bokara—dubbed the “Croatian Sensation,” this highly impressive individual comes to the ring wrapped in the Croatian flag, while sporting a hooded robe to match. His opponent is one half of the TNA world tag team champions, Davey Richards, who enters the arena with his wife Angelina Love. This was a fantastic way to begin the show. Both Richards and Bokara are lightning quick, and employ a ground-based attack with sharp kicks from Davey and more of a submission  style out of Mario. After an evenly contested contest, Bokara sneaks out by the skin of his teeth, pulling out the victory and the inevitable upset. I REALLY enjoyed Mario Bokara’s entrance theme, which sounds like something Eastern European Immigrants would play in the belly of a ship on the way to America. Following the match, Davey Richards took hold of the mic and commented on some audience members chanting “TNA Sucks.” Davey says that those fans are entitled to their opinions, but also says that he doesn’t consider himself a TNA wrestler. He considers himself an independent wrestler, and always has. With that, Davey wants to wish his beautiful wife a happy birthday, and asks the audience to join him in a celebratory song. Happy Birthday to Angelina Love.
Winner: Mario Bokara
Rating: 2 3/4 Stars

Colt Cabana vs. Ethan Carter III w/ "Vincent"
I wasn’t sure if the big names were being booked first because they were in a hurry to leave, or if it was in response to the impending rainstorm. Either way we go from a match featuring a TNA tag team champion to a match with the TNA WORLD Heavyweight Champion . Ethan Carter is up next, and begins down the aisle with his championship belt and a bodyguard named “Vincent.” This is not Virgil, but another bald black guy dressed like Virgil. Carter tells the fans in attendance that he doesn’t want to be there and is ready to collect his money and leave. His opponent is far more excited to be in Brooklyn, and once the music hits the crowd goes crazy. Even on the independent level, Colt Cabana is making more out of the casual Jewish gimmick than Barry Horowitz ever could. Ethan Carter tells Vincent to pay Colt off, in the hopes of calling it a night, but no such deal is to be made. Carter is so certain he’ll win tonight, that he’s prepared to “confess his sins” should be lose. This was a comedy match with some especially fun parts scattered throughout. At one point Colt was winding up for the “Bionic Elbow” for what must have been 45 seconds, while Carter continued to reel back and forth. He looked like a Mortal Kombat character just before a fatality. Colt and EC3 wrestled out of the ring, but it was Colt who got the best of Carter once the count was up. Ethan Carter had victory in his sights and decided to celebrate with Vincent on the apron—a bit prematurely. An ill-timed handshake between buddies catches Carter off guard, and the champion falls from the lip of the ring to the floor below. The former “Scotty Goldman”—yeah Colt, that was me—slid into the ring as Carter tumbled out, winning this match by a count our. After the match, “Father Goldman,” as the crowd dubbed him sought to provide absolution to a wayward Ethan Carter III, and listened as he confessed his sins. Carter said that he owns embarrassing albums, he cheats to win all of his matches, and most amazing of all—has impure thoughts about his Aunt Dixie Carter.
Winner: Colt CabanaВ
Rating: 1 Star

Comedy Central Match feat Virgil
Before the next match a producer from Comedy Central came to the ring, and explained the premise for the next match. He told us that it was for an episode of Larry Wilmore’s Comedy Central series, and asked that we keep our enthusiasm up. You can imagine how that went. People nearly booed him out of the building, which begs the question: what did he expect? I don’t think anyone smartened him up to the possibility of getting a negative reaction, because he continually stopped in mid sentence with a genuine: “Come on guys, seriously.” The match was a horrendous pile of shit that I imagine is a lot funnier within the context of the Comedy Central program. In a nutshell: Virgil wrestled some white guy claiming to be a “Borderhopper,” who would continuously tell the crowd: “I’m here to take your jobs!” They wrestled an awful match; there’s a problem when Virgil is the best wrestler in the ring. I think the faux Mexican won, but I was busy getting me a burnt hamburger. Hey but listen—burnt or not, they were good. And they were cheap. Three bucks! Just like the beer. After the match, a guy dressed in a revealing policeman’s uniform stormed the ring and tasered both individuals. He then proceeded to post up on the middle turnbuckle, where he attempted to start a “White People” chant. Not Pro Wrestling Syndicate’s fault. When Comedy Central wants to shoot a TV show at your Indy event, you do it. Simple as that.
Winner: Uh…
Rating: N/A

Chairs Match
Craven Varro vs Devon Moore w/ "Shining" Edward Jackson
Craven Varro entered the ring almost immediately following the previous shitshow, and all-but apologized for its inclusion in the overall event. He said, “If you think that was brutal, wait �til you see Devon Moore’s face when I’m done with it!” Devon Moore is escorted by "Shining" Edward Jackson—a lanky manager dressed as a newsy who resembles Paul Scheer from The League. All jokes aside, the guy did an awesome job, as he spent the vast majority of the night shepherding various heels to ringside. This was a chairs match, a fact that was lost upon me until halfway through the bout when I asked Gary: “How many chairs are they gonna use in this thing?” This was perhaps the most violent attraction of the night, and included a ton of spots worth mentioning; Jackson made quite a few run-ins, placing chairs in the trajectory of his client, Devon Moore. The fan-favorite fought tooth-and-nail, but in the end, the numbers game proved to be too much for Craven Varro. Devon Moore gets the win, and "Shining" Edward Jackson is off to a good start!
Winner: Devon Moore
Rating: 2 Stars

“I Quit” Match
Habib From The Car Wash vs Matt Macintosh
We continue along with an already entertaining evening, and head into an "I Quit" match featuring the immensely over Habib from the Carwash and the highly impressive Matt Macintosh. Habib enters the arena to the 1975 classic " Car Wash " by Rose Royce. There was a young woman in front of us who didn't appear enthused by any of the action taking place, but came alive the moment Habib came through the curtain! This guy is a legitimate star, but let's not take anything away from the 27-year old 3-year veteran Macintosh. Habib aims to win this one by wearing down the former Suicidal Six Way Champion , and does so with an impressive assortment of spinning heel kicks and running attacks. Macintosh would prefer to keep Habib grounded, and works the 140-pound athlete over with a series of heart stopping submissions. Pro Wrestling Syndicate has its share of comedy bouts scattered throughout each card, which—in some instances—might detract from the more serious competition. But Habib and Macintosh seem to have found a median safe-zone wherein laughter fuses with ferocity to yield what I thought was the "Match of the Night" up unto that point. I would have preferred less vocals from the referee—a little too "Mike Chioda" for my liking: "What do you say? Do you give up?" That being said, it did open the door for Habib's signature response: "Thank you, come again!" After various attempts at sending Habib BACK to the Carwash, Matt Macintosh was bested by a bit of wordplay! They went back and forth on the mic, as Macintosh exclaimed: "It's not Thank You, Come Again— it's I QUIT! I QUIT!" The official took the words to heart, and rang the bell, declaring Habib from the Carwash the winner.
Winner: Habib
Rating: 3 Stars

PWS Television ChampionshipВ
Chris Payne vs Brian Myers (c) vs BonesawВ
I'm 99% sure that Bonesaw's gimmick is that he is Bonesaw from the original Sam Rami Spiderman movie. The Macho Man character? Bonesaw was the first man through the curtain for the first of four scheduled title matches. It took me a minute and the assistance of Siri, but before too long I realized Bonesaw's music was a remixed version of the Saw theme. Bonesaw is one of two challengers hoping to win the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Television Championship from former WWE Superstar Brian Myers. Chris Payne is also looking to win the title, after coming up short last month in one-on-one competition against Myers. This was an exceptional bout with a ton of emphasis placed on Chris Payne, who looked absolutely phenomenal from bell to bell. There was a large group of people sitting behind us that stood up for the majority of the contest, and left immediately afterwards, so one would have to assume Payne's people were on hand to support their pal. I would have liked to see more out of Myers; a defending champion should most certainly have a better showing. That's not to say he was bad , but given the dynamics of a Triple Threat match—or a TriForce Match as PWS calls it—Myers was the odd man out for most of the match. Chris Payne was the inevitable victor, finally capturing a championship he's been after since first setting his sights on Myers.
Winner: Chris Payne
Rating: 2 Stars

CPA vs Mantaur
There's a brief intermission, which means more beer and burnt hamburgers for yours truly. I ate so much food at this thing, it was unreal. Know why? Awesome prices. If the WWE had $3 hamburgers and $3 beer at their shows, I'd be spending a lot more bread at the concession stand. But they aren't, so I don't. Before we return, ring announcer David Adams alerts the crowd that PWS intermissions are short, and that we're just five minutes from returning. Shout out to David Adams who does an absolutely incredible job. He has a great voice, and provides an infectious level of energy to the live audience. The first match back from break is a special attraction between the wrestling accountant CPA and former WWE "Superstar" Mantaur. This is just the second independent appearance for Mantaur since leaving the WWE; sadly the reverse Minotaur did not wear his taxidermied helmet. Nor did he have much time to work. After a few moments of CPA running from Mantaur, the match was disrupted by the New Heavenly Bodies. The �Bodies are currently one of the hottest tag teams in America , and have been tied to promotions such as Booker T's Reality of Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling. They tell the audience—along with CPA and Mantaur—that they're tired of waiting around for their match to begin, and are ready to take the tag titles from the Handicapped Heroes.
Winner: —
Rating: DUD

PWS Tag Team Championship
Handicapped Heroes (c) vs The Heavenly Bodies
This was the first time I had the chance to see my Cheap-Heat colleague Gregory Iron in action. Greg is of course one half of the PWS Tag Team Champions, alongside the former bane of Vince McMahon's existence, Zach Gowen. Before the show even began, we could see Handicapped Heroes t-shirts by the dozen. In fact, aside from Bullet Club and NXT Brooklyn paraphernalia, I'd say the �Heroes were most certainly the best represented wrestlers on the show. Right from the gate, this match was on fire with all four men focused on retaining—or claiming—the tag team belts. Greg and Zach work with an uncanny fluidity that you have to see to believe; Gowen hit the �Bodies with an astounding springboard to the outside of the ring. Before long, CPA returned to the ring, as did a pair of Brooklyn natives that did not identify themselves; one was an African American guy, the other appeared to be some sort of Latino. Forgive me for not having their names, as Pro Wrestling Syndicate's website doesn't seem to have any information listed on the duo either. The Handicapped Heroes retain their tag team titles before this match has the chance to run completely off the rails. I was very much looking forward to this encounter, and wasn't disappointed with the action nor the outcome. By the way… I think this was the match Balls Mahoney interrupted? I’m not 100% sure. Funny note about Balls: he was leaving through the crowd during the main event and some guy yelled “We love you Balls!” Mahoney got in the guys face and screamed: “Shut the fuck up! You’re going to get me fired!” This lead to an hilarious rendition of: “FIRE BALLS! FIRE BALLS! FIRE BALLS!”
Winner: Handicapped Heroes
Rating: 2 1/4 Stars

Abyss vs Fallah Bahh w/ "Shining" Edward Jackson
Fallah Bahh is a former student of Kevin Knight and the IWF in Nutley New Jersey, and has since made a name for himself on a national stage. Bahh has appeared for Reality of Wrestling in Texas, and was a Pro Wrestling Syndicate Champion before losing the belt to Mario Bokara. Fallah Bahh is lead to the ring by a man who is truly "Shining"—Edward Jackson. I think Jackson might shine even brighter if he invests in a few different colored shirts. He wears a vest and hat combination, and opted for a gray button-down underneath. Why not take a page from Bobby the Brain or Jimmy the Mouth? Get a couple of shirts that go with each wrestler's motif, and switch out the button down between bouts. A quick change, no need to get rid of the vest or hat, just a shirt and you've got an entire wardrobe change! Enough about fashion, let's talk about Abyss. I'm not a fan of Abyss, and I think he is one of the worst aspects of Impact Wrestling . With that being said, it's still awesome to see Abyss in person. The same goes for Balls Mahoney and Virgil—not my favorite wresters, but a joy and an honor to see them live. There was a certain precedent set in the first match, and continued with Carter, Myers, and now Abyss. The nationally-recognized individuals appeared to be putting the local talent over in a big way throughout the night. Abyss would have been my favorite going into the show, but by the time this bout rolled around, I could see the writing on the wall. Fallah Bahh picks up a win—"Shining" Edward Jackson is killing it this evening.
Winner: Fallah Bahh
Rating: 3/4 Star

Suicidal 6-Way Title
Starman (c) vs Amazing Red vs Anthony Bowens vs The Drunken Swashbuckler vs Bobby Wayward vs “The Lifeguard” Mike Del w/ Dylan Stiffwood
The semi-main event for the Brooklyn show was a rather confusing 6-way match up for the Suicidal Six Way Championship . I'm not a fan of multiple-person matches whatsoever, so my opinion of this was definitely hindered by my preconceptions. I thought Amazing Red lived up to his name, and proved what a class act he was following the bout when it came time to take pictures at ringside. A young fan asked for an autograph, and Red stood posed for what must have been 45 seconds as the kid's dad tried to get the flash on his phone to work. But I'm jumping the gun. I think my biggest problem with this match is that it offered an inverse of what we received in the "I Quit Match." Whereas Habib and the "Bad Apple" Matt Macintosh sought to pepper their blood feud with comedy, this was a comedy match struggling to be taken seriously. I like the Drunken Swashbuckler as a character—as a 1995 WWF character not unlike the Goon. My favorite participants were without question Anthony Bowens and "Lifeguard" Mike Del. Del is escorted to ringside by Dylan Stiffwood—an equally impressive-looking beach bum who tried to help Del secure the championship. Starman is the champion by the way; for those unfamiliar with Starman, he's a nationally-accredited professional wrestler who assumes the persona of—Starman. From the NES video game. At one point during the match, Starman stopped moving, as though he was frozen. The fans in attendance began chanting: "Blow the cartridge." Once his opponent blew in the readily available Nintendo cartridge, Starman leapt back into action, and won the match in a decisive manner.
Winner: Starman
Rating: 1 1/4 Stars

PWS CHAMPIONSHIP
Dan Maff (c) vs Kevin Matthews
The main event was the match of the night. Without question. Kevin Matthews—who looks like if John Cena and Palmer Cannon shared a meal comprised of Kenny Dykstra—is challenging for the championship belt currently held by Dan "Danny" Maff. This was the hardest hitting, and lengthiest match on the card. Maff hit Matthews with two of his signature inverted Death Valley Drivers, but the big man refused to go down. Matthews is a former champion himself; in fact Kevin Matthews has held the PWS championship belt three times, and hoped to break his own record with four. Maff is an unbelievable talent. A veteran of the squared-circle for over 15 years, Maff wowed even his most visceral detractors with a display of high risk acrobatics and hard-hitting brutality. A suicide dive to the outside, and a "This is Awesome" chant wakes up an almost exasperated audience. They continue at one another until a bump to the referee means anything goes for the foreseeable future. Maff went under the ring, perhaps looking for a table, but returned with a DOOR . Maff set the door against the turnbuckle, and looked to finish this fight once and for all. Matthews reversed the big man, and sent him spiraling through the splintered lumber. They continued to a chorus of "Holy shit" and other various cries from the crowd, until Maff delivered a third and final Death Valley Driver. After the three count, Maff thanked the crowd in Brooklyn; Dan is from Bayonne New Jersey, and had to put up with angry New Yorkers cheering for the hometown boy throughout the night. He said that he always considered Brooklyn a second home, and thanked Kevin Matthews for giving him such a great match. He says that to be the best in Pro Wrestling Syndicate, he had to go through Kevin Matthews, and that's exactly what he did. Matthews shares Maff's sentiments, and thanks his Bay Ridge brothers and sisters for coming out and showing their support.
Winner: Dan Maff
Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

An absolutely unbelievable night of professional wrestling from Pro Wrestling Syndicate. PWS will be back in action next month on October 24 ^th when they return to Rahway New Jersey. In addition to everybody's favorite PWS athletes, the October 24 ^th show will feature the very first one-on-one meeting between Rob Van Dam and John Morrison. For the audio breakdown of PWS: Bay Ridge courtesy of yours truly and B+ Player Radio – CLICK HERE . Remember to LIKE and FOLLOW us on Facebook for new episodes of the B+ Players; constant coverage courtesy of DailyWrestlingNews.com ; and lots of laughs thanks to GutBusterWrestling.com !