ACTION WRESTLING'S FRIDAY THE 13th REPORT

ACTION WRESTLING “Friday the 13th”

11/13/2020 - Tyrone, GA

Available Now on IWTV.LIVE VOD

Action Wrestling’s November double header is live on IWTV and we kick the first half off with your opening contest.

Match 1: Lutha X vs “The Wild Card” Bobby Flaco

Lutha takes his time to agitate the crowd during his entrance and through the opening moments of the contest. Flaco has the crowd behind him, giving a nod to AR Fox with that celebratory “aaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy”. Lutha tries to get Flaco in trouble with the ref on a corner break with a slap to himself. Flaco is definitely getting on Lutha’s nerves, as he continues to play to the crowd. Lutha gives chase and his frustration trips him upon his way back in, letting some shots in. Lutha’s had enough and pluck Flaco up into a big german. Lutha with a huge whip to the corner that sends Flaco over the buckles. I love how Lutha is throwing his whole body into these whips. Another whip, Flaco up and over and a drop kick but the comeback is killed with a lariat out of the sky. Bobby trying to punch his way out of the beat down, hitting a low angle kick. Flaco sends Lutha packing to the outside but brings him back for a crossbody and cutter, both with a near fall attached. Lutha escapes to the outside, Flaco gives chase but Lutha grabs a chain and quickly decks him with in without the ref catching on. Flaco dodges the follow up chain and slams Lutha’s face and neck to the apron and bottom rope. Lutha rolled back in and the ref spots the chain. While the ref tosses it, Lutha hits a low blow and a brain buster to get the pin on Bobby Flaco.

Winner: Lutha X

This was a good way to kick things off and work the crowd up for the rest of the card. Solid match from two guys who are over with the crowd in their own ways. Couple of awkward spots but nothing that broke the flow of things. Lutha’s an effective heel, showing that “whatever it takes” mentality to put the energetic Flaco down...and then getting right back into the faces of the ringside crowd to them know he’s the man. Priorities.

Match 2: Kevin Ryan vs Brayden Lee vs Graham Bell vs Shean Christopher

The commentary tables is giving advance warning that this match will be fast and furious....so I’LL DO MY BEST TO KEEP UP. I forgot that Graham Bell brings a damn Bazooka to the ring. He lays out Lee with it just before the bell. Bell clears Ryan and Christopher. Lee back in to dodge a lariat and flip through the counter. Ryan catches Lee out of the sky with a hangman’s cutter. He goes for a follow up moonsault but Christopher superkicks his out of him. Christopher with a double stunner on Lee & Bell. Christopher hits a kind of Paige Turner/Saito Suplex combo on Bell and Ryan. Ryan spears Bell to the outside. Lee to the top and shooting star to the outside. Lee with a running knee to Christopher on the top. Ryan gets in there for a double Spanish fly to Christopher. Lee with a victory roll and hoists Ryan up for a sit out powerbomb for a close two. Lee looking to finish it with a shooting star from the top but GRAHAM BELL SPEARS HIM MID-FLIGHT. Kick out! Christopher heads up top but Bell hits a back stabber on the way down. Bell pulls the pin on his imaginary grenade, hits a suplex lungblower, drags Shean Christopher back from the ropes and steps on his chest to pin him standing tall.??

Winner: Graham Bell

When I first saw Bell a couple months ago, I remember thinking how refreshing it was to see such a definitive old school style “taunt, finisher that you see once, actual pinfall”. It’s rare enough to see that in a singles match, never mind a damn scramble. This was what I wanted, an escalating tide of spots with a fantastic final sequence. All four guys looked pretty good here and had a chance to shine with some fun offense. But Bell getting a win THAT emphatic? Cherry on top.

Match 3: “Wildheart” Cole Radrick vs Brett Ison

Cole Radrick is tough but I’m expecting to witness a murder here, live on IWTV. Radrick comes out hot at the bell, sending Ison to the floor early. A pair of dives and a step up enziguri off a chair stuns the big man. Radrick springboards in but Ison rolls out of the way and pops up with a discus lariat for two. Radrick throws a few ineffectual shots but Ison drops him with forearms and a headbutt. Big suplex for two. Cole has gnarly bruises on his legs from his GCW match with Atticus Cogar. Ison tries to choke him out but Cole fights back from the brink of the void. Trading shots on the standup. Ison with a spinning kick to the gut and a running boot for another near fall. Radrick tries more shots but it’s just pissing off the Pitbull. Ison goes for another lariat but Radrick reverses into t a back suplex. Running doubleknees for Radrick’s first pin attempt. Springboard stunner for another pin attempt. Lionsault but Ison sits up out of the pin. Radrick tries a kick but Ison hits a pair of spinning backfists for the three count. 

Winner: Brett Ison

Radrick came in super hard at the start and showed his toughness but Ison, fresh off his loss to AC Mack for the Action championship, was not playing with his food tonight. Radrick never gave up the fight here and Ison seems to show hit some respect after the match. “You wanted this”. Good stuff.

Promo: Graham Bell is talking up his win tonight as a statement on his 9-year in-ring career. Merc gets the job done.

Match 4: Anthony Henry vs Kyle Matthews

Commentator Dylan Hales is HYPE AS HELL for this contest, a battle between two of the best independent wrestlers to come out of GA. Technical chess match to start, trading positions to a stalemate. Henry wants the wrist but Matthews twist through into a back drop pin attempt. Test of strength into several northern lights pin attempts. Both guys respect each other’s ability. Henry gets and cranks the ankle but Matthews kicks his way out. Matthew takes a shot to the face and the gauntlet is thrown for a battle of chest chops. Matthews with a leg lariat. Henry tosses Matthews off the top onto his arm and shoulder, Matthews immediately retreats to nurse his injured limb. Henry gives chase and hyper focuses, stomping out and tearing at the arm, trying to finish the break he started. Bridging hammerlock as Henry continues to torture Matthews. Matthews can’t strike his way out of this and Henry kicks his legs out. Henry with a big boot and whips Matthews to the rope. Matthews is limp. Ref counts him to 9 before he makes it up. Henry stalking his prey, stomping out the ankle. Matthews with a flurry of chops and a drop kick. Henry retreats and Matthews with a dive into the front row of chairs. Matthews with a crossbody, back stabber, shotgun drop kick and ddt...Henry pops up with his own brain buster and they’re both down for the 9-count. Matthews with a shoulder to the gut, up and over and hits a superkick for two. Kyle Matthews locks in an octopus hold but his arm can’t hang with it. Henry gets the foot as he works out of it into an ankle lock. Battling for position, Henry with a high kick to the head crumbles Matthews but he kicks out. Trading slaps and forearms as they get up. Matthews throwing his limp noodle of an arm in these exchanges, Henry uses that as a chance to get his hands on it to pull Matthews down into a submission. Henry gets both arms locked up and falls back into the stretch, forcing Kyle Matthews to verbally submit. 

Winner: Anthony Henry

Hi. Yes. This was very very good and I liked it a lot. A great aggressive match between two technical specialists. Henry worked that arm through the whole match and it paid off. I know Anthony Henry mostly as the other half of the WorkHorsemen but his singles work that I’ve seen lately has been great. Henry on the mic, puts over how much he has missed wrestling and despite him not being a “respectful” guy, he needed to tip his hat to Kyle Matthews. This was my intro to Matthews and it sounds like I’ve (we’ve?) been missing out. Henry suggests that Matthews is thinking of hanging his boots up. I hope he has at least a few more in him. This was great. Give us more, if you can.

Match 5: Alex Kane vs “The Mad Scientist” Damyan Tangra

Kane lost to Nolan Edward in the first round of the 2020 Action Futures Showcase last month. Tangra returns to Action after last being in the 2019 Futures Tournament. Tangra right out with a leg lariat and dropping bombs in full mount. Kane turns in to get shots of his own in. Big german and a forearm crumbles Tangra. Kane locks up the leg but Tangra floats through into a STF. Tangra leaps up into a guillotine choke but Kane up with an inside out suplex. Kane drops the singlet, traps the leg and hits a big plex, dropping Tangra and getting for the pin.

Winner: Alex Kane

Tangra brought the fight for sure but Alex Kane’s suplexes were a LOT to handle. This match had a bit of an explosive MMA feel to it that I liked, both guys not working by the hour and trying to make every shot count.

We have a video showing Suge D on a podcast talking about how he wants to change the match with Cabana Man Dan because he DOESN’T have a problem with him. But if Dan is refusing to back down and be prideful...well, then he must be part of the problem. Suge wants a better spot on the card and he thinks CMD should be looking for one too, and not just accepting the table scraps that he gets. Cabana Man Dan gets a shot to address Suge. He’s not scared. He’s been beaten down before. If he’s been trying to talk Suge off a ledge on Twitter before, tonight he pushes him off it. 

Match 6: Suge D vs Cabana Man Dan

Suge D stomps out to “Bulls on Parade” in street clothes. The announcer tries to mention him as “Pineapple Pete” but Suge cuts that s*** off immediately. CMD gets into Suge’s face immediately and have a verbal battle until the bell rings. Suge wants CMD to get out. He doesn’t. Suge throws some heavy leather and dumps CMD to the concrete. Suge with a kick as Dan gets back in, a throw and dismissively kicks him back to the floor. Suge yelling at Action promoter Matt Griffin that he told him to change the match. CMD back in to throw shots, some lariats, an atomic drop, suplex and senton for two. Suge kicks out of that flurry, clearly surprised as CMD’s aggression. Dan with an outside-in ddt for another count. Suge stomps the toes of CMD, drops him and scrubs him face with a boot. Suge raking the eyes and stretching the jaw as he stalks CMD for more punishment. Suge working the foot and knee. Suge dropping knees to the chest and back. Suge torturing CMD more, locking up the legs while dropping slaps to the chest. Dan trying to chop his way out of danger but Suge kicks him back down to punish the leg more. Dan can barely stand and is easy pickings for Suge to drop him repeatedly. Dan stuns Suge briefly to hit a couple more lariats and a STO-ish slam for a near fall. CMD wants to close this out but Suge pulls him into a german and tiger driver for two. Suge right into a single leg crab. CMD gets to the ropes and the ref has to physically push Suge off the hold. Dan with a code red and going for the Surf’s Up but Suge catches him into a rear naked choke and flips into a bridging choke. CMD gets to the ropes but Suge doesn’t let go of the rope. The ref calls for the bell and is forced to separate the hold himself.

Winner: (by DQ) Cabana Man Dan

Suge backs the ref off and immediately pulls Dan back into a chokehold. Action Promoter Matt Griffin and Commentator Dylan Hales get to ringside immediately but Suge is using this hold like a hostage situation to keep everyone at bay so he can get some verbal shots in on Action Management. Suge lets the hold go and dares people to pull Dan to safety. They’re finally able to tend to him once Suge exits the ring and walks off while they scramble to help CMD to the back. A tense situation indeed. The crowd was in shocked silence for this. This match was all story and uncharacteristically aggressive. Suge D has completed that turn he started last month. As a viewer (and potentially bad person), I love it. Apologies for your ongoing headache, Action Management.

Main Event: A.C. Mack(c) vs Tre Lamar (for the Action Championship)

Lutha X is mentioned to be hanging out with the commentary team for this match, watching a man that he considers a role model. Mack on the mic, reminds every one that he has been the Action Champion for almost 2 years at this point. But he has a heck of a test in the debuting Tre Lamar. Mack gets the wrist but Lamar cartwheels out of it. Trading arm drags, Mack sent to the middle rope, rolls back into a drop kick. Mack backhands Lamar but walks into a back stabber for two. Lamar stretching Mack across the knees but AC gets the rope. Lamar gets caught running with a popup hotshot on the top rope. Slingshot under the bottom rope does more damage to Lamar’s throat. Lamar throwing shots to fight back but but he’s nursing that neck. Running double stomp for two. Slingshot Flatliner for two. Tre to the top but Mack kicks him down. Running kick for two. AC wants the Mack 10 but Lamar fights out. Trading strikes and kicks, big pele from Tre sends Mack to the outside. Lamar with a flip tp the outside. Lamar with a sunset flip and tries to put a lion tamer on Mack. Lamar misses a top rope elbow. Mack wants a kick down low but Lamar blocks that. Mack with a meteora right into the Mack 10 and Lamar is done.??

Winner (and stiiiiillllllllll champion): AC Mack

Mack’s been a great champ, whether winning decisively or by “questionable” methods. Lamar got a great showcase here, being in the driver’s seat for a lot of the high spots. Lutha X is at ringside to congratulate AC Mack. Mack seems confused by X’s support but it looks like he’ll take the backup where he can get it (even if he doesn’t entirely trust it).

Action Wrestling has been on my regular coverage radar for the last couple of months and I’ve been enjoying them quite a bit this year. Being in the Northeast myself, IWTV has been invaluable to get my eyes on promotions and workers I just don’t have the range to see in person. At 1:45, this is a solidly paced and structured card. Henry/Matthews was absolutely the match of the show but everything worked here. Definitely curious of the fallout from the Suge thing. I’ll have the write up for the other side of Action’s doubleheader “Friday Night Fights” up soon. Until then!

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