crossfire012013

Hello everyone, my name is Jennifer and I’m the newest member of PWPonderings. It’s an honor to write for such a well-respected and informative website, and I hope my contributions can match up to the high standards here. I’ve been a wrestling fan since 1999, starting out with the WWF, and only got into independent wrestling in 2009 when my dissatisfaction with the women’s division in WWE became too much to bear. Although I started out solely interested in female independent wrestling promotions such as SHIMMER, WSU and Femmes Fatales, I quickly branched out into ROH, CHIKARA, ACW, AIW and several others. Independent wrestling revived my love for it, and in the previous three years I have written for Diva-Dirt.com, Ringbellesonline.com, and have my own blog where I can spout off. Please feel free to send me any feedback, I’m always open to constructive criticism so I can improve!

 

On January 5th, Crossfire Entertainment held their Second Year Anniversary show in Nashville, Tennessee. Seeing as it was a two and a half hour drive for me, I decided to make the trip down for one reason: to see Jessicka Havok wrestle in person. However, the whole show turned out to be a very interesting and diverse experience. I went in with no prior knowledge of any storylines that were going on, so I had to pick up on things as I went. Results along with my thoughts are below.

Crossfire is supposed to be getting a television deal at some point, but it’s unclear as to when. Nonetheless, cameras were on hand to film the show, there were backstage promos shown on the wide screens, and the setup was nicely designed for a television audience. There was a dark match between Seven and Nick Iggy before the taping started which saw Seven take on Nick Iggy. Short match but despite being dominated by the taller man, Iggy pulled out the win with a roll up.

Ricky Morton’s son, Jon Morton, sang the national anthem, then the show kicked things off with “M-Dogg” Matt Cross versus Samurai Del Sol. This match was fast paced and action packed, and despite a small “USA” chant at the beginning, Del Sol quickly won over the crowd. The end came when Cross was sitting on a turnbuckle and Del Sol hit a Code Green from the top rope. Amazing match between these two to get the crowd engaged right off the bat.

One of two “Ladies of Crossfire” matches was next, with established Crossfire star former-WWE Diva Jillian Hall taking on newcomer Cheerleader Melissa. I expected Melissa to dominate Hall, but instead it was the other way around, Jillian using every cheap shot she could to maintain the high ground. However, Melissa turned the tables on her, but when she went to hit the Air Raid Crash, “The Ripper” Paul Burchill ran out and pulled her to safety. The match ended in a no-contest. With Burchill protecting her, Hall got a mic and claimed that she was the new boss lady. It remains to be seen if this means she is the new Creative Director of the Crossfire women’s division (replacing Maria Kanellis).

Backstage, Hall and Burchill are approached by David Young. The three became a team, as Young had been looking for a new tag team partner. Hall claims she isn’t done with Melissa yet. Decent promos, and the women’s match was better than I expected. Jillian looks to be back in shape, which was good to see. Another video is played, featuring Matt Hardy who says he isn’t there to wrestle Colt Cabana due to a restraining order Shane Helms has placed on him. He promises to be back, have the match with Colt, and deal with Helms.

Helms came out next to wrestle Patrick Bentley. He dominated the match, hitting the Unprettier first, then making Bentley tap out to a Peruvian Necktie. Good match, I hadn’t seen Shane wrestle in person since he left WWE and if anything he looked to be even better now than he was then. Post-match he roughed up Bentley before heading to the back.

Singles match between Johnny Moore and “The Wrestling Sensation” Caleb Konley took place, and it was one of the best matches of the night. Caleb lived up to his nickname and Moore shined in his own right. Konley won after a quick pinning combination.

The new tag team of David Young and Paul Burchill (accompanied by Jillian Hall) faced off against Derrick King and Tatt2, “Blink 2-4-7”. Despite an unfortunate botch towards the beginning of the match, they pulled it together to have an exciting bout. Tatt2 took out Young with an over the top rope plancha, but Burchill pushed him back inside to steal the pin. The new duo seems to have hit it off, while Blink 2-4-7 is an exciting team to watch.

It was the “Fans Bring the Weapons” match after that which featured Hammerjack taking on “The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan. Yes, THAT Kevin Sullivan. The two have had a rivalry going on for a few months apparently and it escalated into a hardcore match that saw chairs, a sledgehammer, a cooking sheet and even a ladder come into play thanks to the crowd. Towards the end, Sami Callihan ran out from the back to help out Sullivan, and got thrown into the ladder for his troubles. The match had no winner as it developed into a brawl between the three men that caused several referees to break it up. Hammerjack got on the mic and called for a cage match between them. After all three men had left the ring, the ring announcer notified us that Crossfire would return on March 9th. On the show, the steel cage match between Hammerjack and Kevin Sullivan would take place. Also, Matt Hardy would make his return, former WWE and TNA wrestler Katie Lea/Winter would be debuting, and the special guests would be Diamond Dallas Page and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. The latter two got good reactions from the crowd, and it should be interesting to see if they will be there for just a meet and greet or actually take part in the show.

Chris Adonis (aka the artist formerly known as Chris Masters) wrestled someone whose name I couldn’t make out due to audio troubles with the ring announcer’s microphone. As it was, both men brawled to the outside and the match ended in a double count out. Road Warrior Animal came out from the back to break it up and try to mediate between the two. The three wound up leaving together. Decent match, nothing special stood out.

The team of Young, Burchill and Jillian were out again, this time to wrestle a tag team that Young and his previous partner had been feuding with for a few months, Cassidy Riley and Chase Stevens, “The Hot Shots.” Good match with Stevens getting the win after hitting a Death Valley Driver on Young. Towards the end, Jillian attempted to interfere but Melissa ran out and pulled her off the apron, keeping her busy while Stevens pinned Young. However, Young and Burchill destroyed the Hot Shots, and they held Melissa so that Jillian could knock her out with one of her spiked boots. The refs and the Director of Operations, Shane Douglas, came out and ordered the team to the back, then helped The Hot Shots and Melissa to the back.

Then it was time for the Crossfire Wrestling Heavyweight Championship match between the champion “King” Shane Williams and the challenger Carlito Colon. this was a rematch from November 3rd, after Williams pulled Carlito’s tights to win. Despite Carlito being taller and stronger than Williams, the latter dominated using every cheap shot he could. Carlito built up a comeback but accidentally knocked out the referee when Shane pulled him in front. The champion picked up his belt and attempted to hit Colon with it, but he dodged, got the belt and nailed Shane with it. A new referee finally ran out and counted three, declaring Carlito the new champion to thunderous applause. However, the old referee came to and reversed the decision, having seen Carlito hit Shane with the belt. Williams regained his belt but was left lying by Colon – who also hit the original referee with the Backstabber for good measure. This was a good match, I hadn’t seen Carlito since he left WWE. He looked great here, and Shane Williams plays a heel in the classic Jerry Lawler sense.

The special guest, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, came out to a standing ovation. He looked tremendous, dressed in his standard jacket and kilt. He talked about the Make a Wish Foundation (which Crossfire partners with), and how two dollars from every ticket bought goes to the foundation. He brought out a boy named Joseph, whose wish was to buy something for each member of his family yet nothing for himself. They even flew his sister in from Chicago so he could buy her something as well. In a touching moment, Piper kissed Joseph on the forehead, saying they were both brave enough to fight cancer. The crowd was on its feet for most of this portion of the show, chanting Joseph’s name – at one point, Piper wiped away tears of his own. It was a wonderful thing to behold in person.

After Joseph left, Piper conducted a “Piper’s Pit” segment with Shane Helms, who came out to the ring. Piper demanded to know why Helms turned on Matt Hardy. Hurricane said that while he had been there for Hardy during his drug troubles, Matt hadn’t been there for him after Helms’ motorcycle accident. Piper reveals that Matt was at Shane’s bedside for two days when he was unconscious, which appeared to stun Hurricane. The Rowdy One then brought out the person who told him this information – Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana. Colt says it’s true about Matt, and the only reason Shane turned on him was because he was jealous of Hardy since he is the better wrestler. Helms attacked Colt but Piper locked on his sleeper hold, whipped him with a belt and Colt nailed him with the Bionic Elbow. Shane escaped to the back while Piper got on the mic and put Cabana over hugely, saying he was the “best thing since sliced bread.” This was a bit soap opera-ish, however it went over with the crowd and Piper praising Colt was pretty cool to witness.

The second Ladies of Crossfire match took place next, which was higher on the card than I expected it to be. This was the match I had come to see – Jessicka Havok taking on Reby Sky. However, instead of Reby, Jessicka faced Angeldust. Despite her smaller size, Angeldust put up a good fight but the stronger woman prevailed. Havok hit a perfect Air Raid Crash for the 1-2-3. Not done, she gave Angeldust a second, but when her back was turned, Reby Sky ran down and hit Jessicka in the back with a steel chair. It didn’t faze her, however, and she stood and stared down Sky. Havok left, allowing Reby to help Angeldust to the back. This was a great match, and when I saw that Angeldust was in for Sky, I knew it would be. These two wrestled each other at Absolute Intense Wrestling’s “Girls Night Out 4” and had one of the best matches on the card there. They re-created that magic here, Angeldust being the perfect under dog against Havok’s monster heel. The feud between Havok and Reby stretches across two promotions, Crossfire and SHINE Wrestling in Florida. Given they are to wrestle each other on SHINE 6 this month, that may be why the advertised match didn’t take place here. Jessicka Havok makes for one of the most intimidating wrestlers I’ve ever seen in person.

In an unadvertised match, we were treated to Colt Cabana versus Sami Callihan. This match combined comedy and skill and it was fantastic. The crowd was fully behind Colt, and I don’t think they “got” Callihan at first, but by the end they were fully engaged. This was by far one of the best on the card. Colt finally got the 3 count after hitting the Chicago Skyline. However Helms ran in to attack Colt and left him laying. Again, Shane Douglas along with some referees came out to chase off Shane but he kept them at bay until he was done.

Finally it was time for the main event. Jerry Lynn’s retirement tour took him through Nashville where he teamed up with one half of the Rock ‘N Roll Express, Ricky Morton. They faced long-time rival, and Morton’s trainee, Kid Kash who had as his partner UFC fighter Josh “Warhammer” Schockman. The crowd was red-hot for this one. It was a great back and forth match, neither team having an absolute advantage over the other. I’m not sure if Schockman has been in the ring before, but he did fine. The other three were tremendous, Morton still being able to go better than most men his age. Lynn pinned Kash after a pile driver. Afterwards, most of the roster came out along with Marcus to bid farewell to Jerry, who spoke fondly of wrestling in Nashville. Kash and Morton offered a few words of their own in tribute. With that, the show ended.

Overall, I felt Crossfire Entertainment offered a solid, entertaining show with plenty of wrestling as well as comedy and drama. They announced on their twitter that 1008 fans had bought tickets and from my view every seat was filled with several people standing. The card itself was a nice mix of veterans, established stars and up-and-comers, and it felt like the veterans weren’t trying to overshadow the younger talent – rather, they were working together and putting the younger ones over. There wasn’t a bad match on the show either, some were better than others, but there was nothing that was out-and-out bad. Two things made Crossfire stand out to me in particular. One was how they treated their female wrestlers. Both matches were given time, it didn’t feel like they were holding back, and all four women were given roles and characters. Havok, Sky, Hall and Angeldust are regulars, and with the budding feud between Jillian and Melissa, if the latter decides to come back there’s a ready-made place for her. In short, the women are treated like stars alongside the men.

The second thing that appealed to me was their partnership with the Make a Wish Foundation. It’s refreshing to see wrestling giving something back and in my opinion donating part of their ticket sales to MAW is a wonderful thing. I believe this partnership has been going on for a while now and I hope it continues in the future.

The only drawback is that back in November, Crossfire announced they were in the process of securing a television deal. November 3rd was the first show they taped for HD/3D national television, and this show was also set up and taped for it as well. However, there is no solid confirmation on if a deal has been reached and when we might see them air, or where. Their shows from 2011 and 2012 are up on the site to be purchased, so hopefully at the very least the November 2012 and January 2013 will be available on DVD if the tv deal falls through.

All in all, here’s hoping for Crossfire to continue to grow and prosper.

 

You can find Crossfire on social media:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/CrossfireLLC

Facebook: www.facebook.com/crossfire.entertain

Website: www.crossfirewrestlingllc.com/

 

You can find me on social media:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/PocketVolcano

Email: jenniferlynn134@gmail.com

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