We’re back in Georgia for the second half of ACTION’s double header, featuring a fresh clash between Suge D and Cabana Man Dan.
Quick Results
AC Mack pinned Timmy Lou Retton in 16:42 (***½)
Logan Creed pinned Josh Bishop in 11:10 (***)
Brett Ison pinned Kevin Ryan in 9:52 (***)
Cabana Man Dan pinned Suge D in 15:38 (***¼)
JD Drake pinned Jaden Newman in a no-disqualification match at 15:30 (***½)
We’re back at the Roger Spencer Community Center in Tyrone, Georgia for this one… If you have IWTV, this show’s up as part of your subscription – otherwise, you can sign-up at iwtv.live using promo code ACTION to send them a little kickback. Maybe it’ll lead to more cool new lower thirds?
AC Mack vs. Timmy Lou Retton
Mack’s in the opener after vanquishing Alan Angels last time out…
Mack starts out with a waistlock against the debuting-as-a-singles Retton… Retton tries to snapmare out of a hammerlock, but Mack clings on as an inside cradle ended in the ropes. A side headlock from Mack keeps Retton at bay, bringing him to the mat as they counter between headlocks and headscissors, before Mack’s leaping crossbody quickly put Retton back down.
Retton backflips as he went for an O’Connor roll, then returned with a leg lariat for a two-count. Mack’s back with some body blows in the corner, before a floatover suplex from Retton almost put away the former ACTION champion. Strikes keep Mack down, but he’s back with uppercuts before a clothesline dumped Retton for another two-count.
Mack looks for the Mack 10, but a back body drop gets Retton free as he took Mack into the corner for a double chop. A handspring back elbow follows before a roll through into a kick on the mat, only for Retton to miss on a running shooting star press, allowing Mack to return with some hooking lariats.
Retton heads outside where he eats some topes, before Mack slipped on a tornado DDT. Retton can’t capitalise as Mack nails a swinging DDT anyway for a near-fall. A reverse ‘rana follows, but it’s still not enough as Retton ends up rolling out of the way of a Meteora, with a buckle bomb and a Blue Thunder Bomb 1-2 punch almost putting Mack down.
Retton takes too long to head up top, with Mack catching him with a superplex… Mack rolls through and spikes Retton with a Flatliner, but Retton gets a foot on the rope as Mack rolled on top of him. The pair exchange strikes that escalate, but Mack pulls Retton into a splits, then stomped on the knee, leading up to a modified Figure Four that ended in the ropes.
Mack reapplies the hold, but again Retton makes it to the ropes as he pulled off what I could best describe as a Storm Back Breaker… but Mack landed on Retton’s injured knee, which meant that Retton could only get a delayed near-fall as he was left hobbling despite supposedly being on offence. Retton tries to climb the ropes, but Mack joins him and maneuvered his way in for an avalanche Mack 10… eventually taking down Retton for the win. A heck of an opener, with Retton massively impressing me as he looks to establish himself on his own – but on the night, Mack had too much for him here. ***½
Post-match, Mack put over Retton before vowing to go one further than last time out and win the 2021 Scenic City Invitational. He’s interrupted by Adam Priest, who’s on the shelf with a broken arm. Priest took aim at ACTION for that injury, then got into it with Mack, using his good arm for a clothesline before he stomped away on the former champ. Mack returns the favour, only to get decked with a clothesline with the bad arm – as they played up Priest having a steel plate in his arm. Whether true or not, I hope they play this up like Lex Luger in 1993.
Josh Bishop vs. Logan Creed
After seconding Wes Barkley on the afternoon show, the roles are reversed as Joshua Bishop debuts.
Bishop didn’t seem too fussed with Creed, choosing to mouth off to the crowd before locking up… as Creed took him into the corner. We wash, rinse and repeat, before Bishop found form with a headlock takedown. Headscissors help free Creed, who then had to counter out of wristlocks. A slap from Bishop leads to some back-and-forth as Creed tries for his big moves, before things descended into a chop battle.
Wes Barkley trips Creed on the apron, then eventually got booted down as Bishop capitalises with a clothesline… but it’s only enough for a one-count. A chinlock keeps Creed down, but Creed fought free to boot Bishop down again. There’s more interference from Barkley as the ref got distracted by Bishop… and Bishop looks ot capitalise on it, taking Creed to the corner for some right hands.
Splashes keep Creed in the corner, but he eventually side steps and lands some splashes before a step-up stomp had Bishop shaken. Bishop returned fire with a Bossman slam, but Creed’s able to snuff him out with a chokebreaker for a near-fall – thanks to Wes Barkley pulling the referee out of the ring. Creed pulls Barkley onto the apron, but falls to a German suplex as Bishop then heads to the corner diagonally opposite Creed… and NAILS a Coast to Coast. That’s damn near Continent to Continent!
A death valley driver’s next, but Creed’s up in time as Barkley again distracts… this time it backfies as Creed’s able to knock him off the apron before a rolling death valley driver planted Bishop. Barkley’s thrown in to get his comeuppance as the pair eat a double low-dropkick, before Scorched Earth puts Bishop away to keep Creed’s monster run alive. ***
Post-match, they announced Creed’ll face Arik Royal for the ACTION title on June 25. That’ll be a tasty match…
Kevin Ryan vs. Brett Ison
The first of two matches that spilled out of the ACTION/SUP show over WrestleMania weekend, as Brett Ison looks to get some payback for being taped and beaten last time he was in Tyrone. Of course, Ryan was with Suge D as the Good Hand were in full force tonight.
Ryan powders outside at the bell, but he was quickly thrown to the wolves when he made it back in as Ison beat him into the corner for some face-washing boots – prompting Suge D to pull Ryan outside for some respite. Ison follows, and eventually caught Ryan with a right hand as the chase quickly ended…
A back suplex from Ison drops Ryan on the edge of the ring, before Suge distracted Ison for long enough for Ryan to head up top and land a Blockbuster onto the edge of the ring. Dives follow as Ryan tried to keep Ison on the outside, before he headed back inside to land a frog splash… but it only gets a one count.
Ryan looks for a Burning Hammer, but Ryan counters it into a Flatliner for a two-count, only to get kicked into the corner. Ison tries for a face-washing boot, but Ryan slides outside and caught Ison in the ropes… a springboard cutter back inside nearly gets the win for Ryan, before Suge D began to attack Ison behind the ref’s back.
That didn’t make much of a change as Ison kicks out at one before a series of rolling elbows and a release back suplex folded Ryan in half. Ison followed that up with a knee strike, before pulling Ryan up into a powerbomb for a near-fall… with a leg lock looking to force a stoppage. Suge pushes the rope towards Ryan for an easier break… and Ryan’s able to return, escaping a back suplex before a diving knee to the back of Ison forced the big man to break in the ropes.
Ison heads up top, but gets caught by Ryan… whose Spanish Fly was pushed off. A running kick keeps Ison up top as Ryan tries again, but he gets caught and brought down in an avalanche Burning Hammer, murdering Ryan for the pin. A good scrap, with Ryan looking good despite his “lackey” role… but this was just part one… ***
Suge D’s in to check on Ryan afterwards… then got punched out by Ison. Cue Cabana Man Dan’s music, and I guess we’re having that scheduled match after all?
Suge D vs. Cabana Man Dan
Dan charges the ring and puts the boots to Suge to start with, flying in with a spinning heel kick as Suge just couldn’t get going.
Suge kicks out of a backslide, but eats a sliding dropkick and a back senton as Cabana Man Dan looked to get his revenge for the Good Hand’s earlier antics. A right hand from Suge out of the corner leads to a back elbow, before he choked and whipped Dan with his jacket. Punches and chops keep Dan in the corner, before Dan suckered Suge in for a tarantula.
Of course, Dan had to let go quick, but couldn’t follow up as Suge’s punch keeps him on the apron ahead of a hotshot into the ropes. Dan kicks back through the ropes before a slingshot Code Red drew a two-count… but Suge rakes the eyes and clobbers him with a lariat to the back of the head as we saw another turnaround.
Things spill outside as the match broke down into a hockey fight, only for Dan to get thrown into the stage. A slam adds more impact to Dan on the floor, before Suge went for something a little lower in impact as he whipped Dan with a fan’s sign. If it works, it works! Suge continues to rough up Dan back inside, choking him in the ropes before a cradle nearly nicked it for Dan.
Suge returns fire with a fish-hooking Rings of Saturn, before he bust out almost Zack Gibson’s Shankly Gates, with an overhead wristlock being eventually fought out of. Dan hits the ropes, but ran into a sleeperhold that he tries to break in the corner, before eventually running back in with a STO for a near-fall.
Dan keeps going with a leg lariat, chaining in a side Russian legsweep and kicks to the back for good measure, before a mule kick and a flying clothesline gets Dan a near-fall. Suge charges his way back into the corner, then dumped Dan with a back drop… a kick followed, but Dan’s in the ropes and was able to kick out in time.
Suge stays on him, taking Dan up top for a superplex, but Dan counters out with a spin-out suplex, but it’s not enough for the win. More strikes from Dan looked to get him closer to the win, before Suge charges Dan into the corner head-first ahead of a running death valley driver into the buckles for a near-fall.
From there, Suge heads outside and grabs chairs from under the ring. Dan gets thrown one of them as Suge wanted a bar fight. They trade shots, with Suge knocking Dan off the chair before he threatened a chairshot… Dan ducks as we get the delightful “chair hits rope, bounces back and hits baddie” shot, before Dan hit the Surf’s Up (Sliced Bread) for the win. This was a little heated – but I still feel like we’ve still got the big blow-off here as Suge’s bound to complain afterwards at “losing to an illegal chairshot” or something of that ilk. ***¼
Post-match, Suge went after the referee, throwing him down to the mat before whipping him with his belt as Suge had a meltdown at his loss… leading to him killing said ref with a Ganso bomb. Things get worse for ACTION as Angelus Layne ran out to attack Matt Griffin… but he strikes back as those two had a hockey fight of their own… until Layne cracked him with a Busaiku knee. As you were.
Layne gets the mic and “apologises” for her actions…
No Disqualification: Jaden Newman vs. JD Drake
Newman was banished from ACTION a few months ago, but pestered his way back onto the roster. His reward? A possible execution… especially because Drake asked for a no-DQ stipulation at the 11th hour.
Newman mouthed off at Drake to start, and just gets paintbrushed to the outside. Drake swings for Newman as he tried to get back into the ring, before he just slingshotted him back inside the hard way, as a bunch of chops tore through Newman. A Beele chucks Jaden across the ring, before an attempted turnaround saw Newman just elbow drop the mat instead of Drake.
Moar chops. Newman tries to fire back, hitting some Machine Gun-like chops… only for Drake to maul him down again. Drake follows Newman to the outside, kicking him into the front row before Drake whacked him with a fan’s #2 sign. Newman tries to fight back, but he’s just punted in the balls, in the head, then chopped by the ring post. Yep. This is a murdering.
Drake keeps up the beating, popping up Newman onto the side of the ring for a forearm smash in the ropes, before Newman was introduced to the back of the Roger Spencer Community Center. Newman’s knocked into a chair, but he pulls another one up to intercept a chop from Drake – and finally, Jaden’s able to find an opening.
Newman wraps Drake’s hand around the ropes, but Drake’s got another hand to chop with. Back inside, Drake rolls his way free of a cross armbar, but gets cornered as Drake had his arm wrapped and stretched around the ropes. The turnbuckle’s used to trap Drake’s arm as Newman fires in with a shotgun dropkick to the limb for a one-count, before a Drake found a way back in with a kick to the back.
Drake’s struggling to recompose himself and gets rolled up for a two-count as Newman stayed on top, keeping a focus on left arm. Of course, Drake’s got another arm, which he clocks Newman with before a missed charge into the corner allowed Newman to return with an arm whip, then an armbar as he tried to eke out a Dragon Sleeper-like armbar submission.
Again, Drake rolls his way free and gets a two-count, before sneaking in a neckbreaker on Newman. Drake crashes on a cannonball as Newman baits him in for a rebound German suplex, then a knee strike for a near-fall, before returning to Drake’s arm with a modified abdominal stretch… only for Drake to return fire with another chop.
An atomic drop and a scoop slam followed, as did a snap falling headbutt, before a Vader Bomb out of the corner almost put Newman away. Newman tries to get back in it, but he’s clobbered with a clothesline from behind, then a diving knee for another two-count, before Newman ducked a lariat. There’s a flurry of shots from Jaden, but he’s wiped out with the clothesline anyway as a cannonball followed in the corner… but still, Newman’s up at two!
Newman grabs hold of Drake to delay a moonsault, eventually powerbombing him out of the corner for a near-fall, before Newman’s Meteora was caught. Drake throws him down and nails a DDT… and that’s enough for the three-count. They didn’t go too wild with the sudden no-DQ stipulation, but this was a pretty one-sided beating as Newman showed himself to be more resilient than many thought. ***½
ACTION kept the hits coming with almost a feature show – with just the five matches on the card in the same two-hour timeslot. Considering how some indy shows have a tendency to be bloated, I’d happily take this double-shot format any day of the week – if only because it puts a natural focus on the bigger matches.