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COMPLETE SUPER 8 TOURNAMENT 2011 REPORT: EIGHT OF THE TOP INDEPENDENT STARS BATTLE IT OUT FOR SUPREMACY, ACE DARLING FACES ADEN CHAMBERS IN A BATTLE OF FORMER SUPER 8 WINNERS, WWE HALL OF FAMER SUNNY HOSTS THE SHOW, AND MORE

By Stuart Carapola on 2011-04-30 15:39:23

Welcome to PWInsider.com's live coverage of the 2011 edition of the Super 8 Tournament! If you're not in Voorhees and want information on ordering the iPPV, click on the poster above.

Over The Top Battle Royal

I'm unfamiliar with a lot of the people in the match so I apologize if I miss or misspell some names, but I'll do my best. Standard battle royal to start with everybody going out one after another until we pare down to the last few. Black Panther, Larry Winters, JJ the Crew Guy, the Russian Assassin, King America (who made a nasty and audible thwack when he hit the floor), and Kujo all went out one by one until Mr Ooh La La, who spent most of the match doing the George Steele gimmick by camping out on the floor, got in and faced down with a large muscular guy, who caused Ooh La La to faint by flexing and roaring at him. At that point everyone ganged up on the muscular fellow and eliminated him, and then Tony Stetson and Corey Brave went and Ooh La La slipped back in after recovering from his faining spell and dumped Sean Royale to pick up the win.

Winner: Mr Ooh La La

Really entertaining opener featuring some veteran names from the independent scene. Ooh La La was hilarious, and I liked the old school heel strategy paying off to give Ooh La La the win.

We now officially kick off the show, and before we get started, we are introduced to some of the dignitaries in attendance: TWA founder Joel Goodhart, DJ Hyde (who carried out the Super 8 trophy), and the guest host and wrestling's original Diva, Sunny. All three get a nice reaction, and Sunny asks the crowd how they're doing today to pop the crowd, and then welcomes everyone to the Super 8 and puts over that it's taking place in her home state. She says they're going to give us a show we won't forget and she wants everyone to give it up for the guys who are going to be busting their butts for us tonight.

Sunny then introduces the eight participants: two-time Super 8 runner-up Tommaso Ciampa, Jeff Peterson Cup 2011 and WxW 16 Carat Gold Tournament Champion Sami Callihan, 2010 Wrestling Observer Rookie of the Year and CZW Best of the Best 2011 Champion Adam Cole, SHOCKWAVE the Robot, Rich Swann, "Beautiful" Bobby Shields, Shiima Xion, and 2004 Super 8 Finalist and two-time ROH World Champion Austin Aries.

Super 8 Tournament First Round: Sami Callihan vs Adam Cole

We kick the show off with a rematch of the finals of CZW's Best Of The Best from a few weeks ago, which was won by Cole. Fastg paced sequence to start with both trying to lay in heavy shots, but neither man could connect, so Callihan drives Cole to the corner and drills him with hard chops until the referee physically gets between them. Callihan tries a Thesz Press but Cole reverses to a Northern Lights Suplex for 2, then tries a dive when Callihan goes to the floor. Callihan rolls back in and Cole lands on his feet on the apron, but Callihan hits a leaping clothesline off the second rope and tries a dive, but Cole with a leaping enziguiri nails Callihan as he comes through the ropes and then he hits a nasty dive that sends both men crashing into hte barricade. Callihan recovers and starts laying in more chops on the floor, slips into the ring to break the count, then goes back outside to deal out more punishment to Cole. Cole reverses a whip and drives Callihan into the apron, but tries a flying headscissors off the apron and Callihan catches him and powerbombs him into the apron, them rams him into the apron a second time. Callihan rolls back in and tells the referee to count, but Cole beats the count so Callihan hits a vicious sitout powerbomb for 2. Callihan with a hard slam and then his slingshot splash for 2 before locking Callihan into a modified abdominal stretch. Cole gets out of that but Callihan kills him with a running boot for 2. Callihan drives Cole hard into the corner a few times, then hits a leaping enziguiri and a running facewash. Cole is just destroyed in the corner, but Callihan keeps up the punishment with a second running facewash, but when he tries a third Cole catches him with a superkick and a running boot to break Callihan's momentum. Both men are on their knees exchanging headbutts, then get to their feet and exchange chops. Callihan gets the advantage, but Cole spits in his face, rams Callihan into the corner, and gets a bridging German suplex for 2. Cole goes to the second rope but Callihan hits him with a double sledge and tries a superplex, but Cole blocks and headbutts Callihan until he crashes into the ring, then hits a flying bodypress, Callihan rolls through for 2, and Cole rolls through that for 2. Callihan with a backdrop suplex but Cole no-sells, Callihan takes his head off with a hard clothesline for 2, then locks in a nasty Horse Collar right in the middle of the ring. Cole slips out and runs Callihan into the corner, then tried a leaping Canadian Destroyer off the second rope, Callihan blocked that and tried a Horse Collar, Cole rolled him up for 2, then hit a superkick and the second rope Canadian Destroyer for the win.

Winner: Adam Cole

EXCELLENT opener and every bit as good as I expected from these two. This could have easily main evented.

Super 8 Tournament First Round: Bobby Shields vs Austin Aries

They tie up and do a mat wrestling sequence that ends in a stalemate, then exchange wristlocks with Shields getting an armdrag and then showing off with some jumping jacks. Another wristlock by Shields but Aries cartwheels out and hits a fireman's carry and a legdrop for 2. Another back and forth with Shields getting a dropkick for 2 and then going back to the arm. Aries sends him into the ropes and Shields takes him down with a shoulderblock, but poses again and Aries trips him, hits a clothesline, and armdrags Shields several times. Shields gets a headscissors, but has obviously never watched an Austin Aries match before because Aries kicks out of it and dropkicks him in the face, then hits the Power Drive elbow for 2. Shields tries escaping to the floor, but Aries keeps up the pressure with a top rope double axhandle and then takes Shields around the ring to chop him in front of each section. Aries rolls Shields back in and hits the slingshot rolling senton, then follows it with the Finlay Roll and goes for a top rope elbow, but Shields' second at ringside grabs his ankle and Shields shoves him off the top to the floor. Shields goes to the outside and puts the boots to Aries, then lays in some hard chops and rams Aries into the apron. They head back in where Shields gets a neckbreaker for 2 and a series of double sledges, then whips Aries hard into the corner and shows off by doing some pushups. Aries tries to come back with some right hands but Shields gets a knee to the midsection and covers for 2, then gets an exaggerated Million Dollar Man fistdrop for 2. Shields with kneestrikes to the head and an STO, then he mocks the Power Drive elbow and tries it, but Aries moves and starts going after Shields, hitting an inverted atomic drop before running him back and forth from corner to corner and hitting a Russian legsweep for 2. Aries backdrops Shields to the apron, hits a neckbreaker on the second rope to send Shields to the floor, and hits the heat seeking missile. They head back in and Aries hits the slingshot twisting splash for 2 and goes for the brainbuster, but Shields rams Aries to the corner and then tries a charge, but Aries gets a rollup out of the corner for 2. Shields blocks the brainbuster, totally blows whatever he tried next, and Aries hangs him upside down in the corner and hits a baseball slide to the face for 2. Aries goes for a suplex, Shields slips out the back and hits a German suplex for 2. Aries with a Northern Lights Suplex for 2 and then repeated hard forearms, but comes off the ropes and Shields hits a DVD for 2. Shields motions that he's going to go for the 450, but Aries with a roaring elbow and then follows Shields up, Shields knocks him off and hits a running Yakuza kick in the corner, followed by a Falcon Arrow suplex for a close 2. Aries comes back with the shinbreaker/suplex combo and goes for the IED, but Shields moves, hits another running Yakuza kick in the corner, and goes for what looked like a Scorpion Deathdrop, but Aries reversed to a brainbuster. That only got 2, so Aries goes to the Last Chancery but Shields' second gets on the apron and distracts Aries, allowing Shields to roll him up with tights for 2. Shields tries a backslide but Aries rolls out and hits the boot to the head, IED, and the brainbuster finishes.

Winner: Austin Aries

Solid match, got a little disjointed in the middle but they pulled it together well and had a good finishing sequence. This was the first time I've seen Shields in a match this long and, aside from a couple slips, did a good job.

Super 8 Tournament First Round: Tommaso Ciampa vs Rich Swann

Swann ducks and dodges around Ciampa, but only for a moment because Ciampa kills him with a clothesline, then slowly stalks him before throwing his entire body behind a whip into the corner. Swann slips to the outside, Ciampa misses a baseball slide, Swann misses a moonsault but boots Ciampa in the head, and Ciampa responds by ramming Swann hard into the apron and unloading on him with more chops before delivering a gourdbuster on the ring steps and then hitting a double stomp off the apron. He rolls Swann back in and covers for 2, but Swann ducked another shot and hit a superkick that sent Ciampa tumbling to the floor. Swann went for the moonsault off the apron again and hit it this time, then rolled Ciampa back in and covered for 2. Swann goes for a cartwheel move but Ciampa catches him on his shoulders and drops Swann forward onto his knees for 2. Really devastating looking move. Ciampa goes to the second rope but Swann with a leaping enziguiri and then a leaping top rope Frankensteiner from the mat, followed by the triple jump standing 450 for a close 2. Ciampa goes for an airplane spin but Swann slips out and gets a front guillotine choke. Ciampa goes down, but gets back to his feet and hits a nasty suplex into the corner. Ciampa starts slapping Swann around but Swann fires back with right hands and goes for a running Frankensteiner, but Ciampa catches him in midair and hits the powerbomb with double knees for the win.

Winner: Tommaso Ciampa

Great showing by both men, with Ciampa working the power game and Swann working to outmaneuver him and get in his shots where he can. Ciampa in particular looked awesome here and has some really devastating stuff in his arsenal.

The tournament continues on Page 2!


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