Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
VIP Wrestling "Kings of the South" Report
4/30/17
The Gym in Arlington, TX
This was VIP's first show in The Gym, which is the former home of PCW, a now defunct independent in Arlington. The venue setup was pretty cool as well, as the show was built around the fact that the main event was billed as a "60 Man, 2 Ring Battle Royal". Very much a packed house.
Results:
Side note- Melissa Santos from Lucha Underground was the special guess ring announcer for the first match, which was:
1. Sammy Guevara w/Lance Romance def. Brian Cage. This was one of the matches of the night. The story was that Cage was trying to hit his power spots and "get his stuff in" but Sammy kept thwarting those attempts. Cage took control but Sammy came back. Sammy got up for the 630 and hit it once but, Cage got his foot on the rope. Cage tried to hit an F-5 to finish it, but Sammy reversed it and hit a Canadian Destroyer, and hit the 630 again for the win. Awesome match, and a clean finish as Romance didn't get involved.
2. The Diamond Dogs (Luke Langley and Graham Bell) def. The Vet Club (Adam "APOC" Asher and NWA World Champ Tim Storm) w/Kristopher Haiden by DQ. Rick Manning, who used to be the Vet Club's personal ref, was the referee here. The Vet Club used their typical heel tactics and got the win with the combo wheelbarrow cutter. They all 3 kept attacking the Dogs after the bell, and when Manning tried to stop them, he got shoved. Manning took the mic and reversed the decision and gave the match to the Diamond Dogs. The Vet Club got in Manning's face, but were held off by security.
3. Curt Stallion def. Fuego Del Sol. Stallion is awesome and totally deserved his spot in the ROH Top Prospect Tournament. Fuego is relatively new and has potential, but still had some mis steps here. Stallion kept beating the crap out of Fuego, but Fuego wouldn't quit. Stallion finally finished him with a top rope German Suplex. Good match, but went a little long.
4. Davey Vega vs. Jastin Taylor vs. Steve O'Reno vs. Lou Gotti Sterrett- This was billed as a clash of champions as all of these men hold titles in different indies. Jojo Bravo was supposed to compete but dislocated his shoulder. Lou Gotti Sterrett came out with his entourage and took his place. Things prior to this must have taken too long because they were announced as having a 10 minute time limit. These guys worked hard but were unable to have a finish as the time expired and the match was announced as a draw. Didn't know Fatal 4 Ways could end in a draw. That was strange. Davey, Jastin, and Steve begged the fans for 5 more minutes, but Lou wasn't having it. He ate a triple Superkick for his troubles. All 4 guys looked good here.
5. Shelton Benjamin def. Steve Anthony. Standard match. Shelton had a distinct size advantage over Anthony and it seemed liked they didn't have the best chemistry. Shelton did all of his signature spots and put Anthony away with Paydirt.
6. Austin Theory w/Lance Romance def. Homicide. No LAX, and unfortunately, Dave Scherer's favorite wrestler Konnan was absent as well. Homicide kept getting into it with Lance Romance, and interference did play into the finish. Very much a back and forth match until Romance distracted the ref long enough for Theory to hit a low blow and Theory got the win with a small package. Lance Romance's International Players Club goes 2-0 on the night, and it really is a good get for EVOLVE to now have both Theory and Guevara. Good match.
7. Delilah Doom def. Hyaneyoung to retain the Sabotage Wrestling Women's Championship. Delilah is well known across Texas, but Hyaneyoung really impressed me more than Delilah did here. In the end, Delilah picked up the submission with the Disarmher. Good match.
8. Keith Lee def. Matt Sydal to retain the VIP Championship. This match was awesome. Keith was more cocky than usual, and Sydal kept trying to overcome the size advantage. Sydal's kicks and strikes kept catching Lee and that's what kept him in the match. Sydal went up for the SSP but Lee got the knees up, and hit the Fireman's Carry Jackhammer for the 3. After the match Keith Lee put over Sydal, saying how it was a privilege to share the ring with him. Overall, great stuff.
Main Event: King of the South 2 Ring Battle Royal-
Before the match it was announced that each competitor would come out at different intervals, which ended up pretty much being one right after the other. They also announced the winner would become the #1 contender for the VIP Championship. I did my best to make note of everyone coming out, but I may not have gotten everyone. I counted 55 wrestlers. Just to preface, the match was filled with young wrestlers from small town Texas indies. Here was the order:
1. Tim Storm
2. Michael Ropers
3. Brent McKenzie
4. Lou Gotti Sterrett
5. Chris Preston
6. Jay Asce
7. Aron Sky
8. Tristen the Christian Warrior
9. Steve Anthony
10. Dillon Divine
11. Curt Stallion
12. Raymond Archer
13. Ryan Justice
14. Tejano Kid
15. Brad Sanders
16. Dusty Gold
17. Johnny Solo
18. Tremayne Heisman
19. Hugh Rogue
20. Orion Taylor
21. Kristopher Haiden
22. Luke Langley
23. CT Jones
24. Xavier Daniels
25. Danny Burroughs
26. Wild Card (actually the wrestler's name)
27. Drew Weston
28. Franco D'Angelo
29. Fuego Del Sol
30. Graham Bell
31. John Famous
32. Sammy Guevara
33. Nick Knox
34. Seph Annunaki
35. Byron Anthos
36. Adam Asher
37. Austin Theory
38. El Classico
39. Big Sed
40. Michael Freska
41. Steve O'Reno
42. Keith Blalock
43. Mad Man Rage
44. Bryan Rage
45. Doberman
46. Chavez
47. Diez Caras
48. Jamie Holley
49. Jastin Taylor
50. Action Jackson
51. Reggie Lincoln
52. Brysin Scott
53. Brian Cage
54. Davey Vega
55. Shelton Benjamin
A big story was Sammy Guevara and Austin Theory hanging out outside of the ring for most of the match. Sammy even walked across chairs and hopped on one foot to sit in the crowd about a row from me. When the match died down, they finally got into ring 2 and were eliminated by Brian Cage. Shelton Benjamin was quietly eliminated quickly after coming in, didn't see by who. Meanwhile in ring 1, it came down to Lou Gotti Sterrett, Big Sed, Chavez, and Hugh Rogue of the Diamond Dynasty facing off against the 3 members Vet Club. The Vets ended up eliminating the Dynasty. In ring 2, Brian Cage and Steve Anthony battled until Cage knocked Anthony to the outside which did not eliminate him. Cage went to ring 1 and battled the Vets. Rick Manning assisted Cage in eliminating the Vets by pulling the rope down. The Vets chased after Manning once again and started beating up security for keeping Manning from them. While this was going on, Anthony attacked Cage from behind and eliminated him.
Winner: Steve Anthony
Overall not a bad match, but having so many guys and being short on time kind of put them in a predicament. Fans were surprised that Anthony won since he was handily defeated by Shelton earlier in the show. The show ended with Anthony celebrating. They announced a return date on June 30 and also announced that Impact Grand Champ Moose would be there. Tickets available at www.prowrestlingdallas.com
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
