We’re back to wrap up 1PW’s Third Anniversary Show from the RQW Archives.
Mad Man Manson & Delirious vs. Prince Mohmed Ameen & Rene Dupree
This comedy match was inserted as a “buffer” between the two title matches, so this is ripe for “opening match” on an edited version. Yes, Prince Mohmed Ameen is WCPW’s Prince Ameen under a slightly different name. No idea why Rene Dupree is in this, as he’s quite the odd man out, particularly when the fans wanted Dupree’s old canine companian, Fifi. Which gives way to some cock jokes, just because.
We eventually get going with Ameen and Delirious, which sparks some running around by Delirious… who then tags in Manson, who starts with an armbar before he decides to wrestle himself, then take down Ameen with an armdrag. Delirious comes in and runs around again, before tagging Manson back in, as Manson recreates the Scott Steiner/Christian accidental headbutt-the-turnbuckles spot by himself.
A small package from Manson gets a near-fall as he and Ameen go back and forth with near-falls in an increasingly absurd number of ways, ending with a double pin for a two-count before Delirious comes back in… and finally does something with a headlock takedown. Delirious gets a near-fall out of a crucifix pin, before landing a headbutt, as I realise that Dupree hasn’t gotten involved at all yet.
Dupree finally gets tagged in after he kicks Delirious in the ropes, and his first actions are to jab away at the masked man then grab a delayed vertical suplex. Another delayed back suplex takes down Delirious, as the Frenchman pats away at Joel Allen’s afro. A back elbow knocks down Delirious for a Five Knuckle Shuffle as he teased the French Tickler, before Delirious gets a sunset flip on Ameen… but Dupree’s got the referee’s attention for so long that Ameen kicks out at two.
Dupree delivers a French Tickler after all, then drops a fist on Delirious as he tagged Ameen back in, and it’s the Prince who gets a neckbreaker off the middle rope for an eventual two-count. A spinebuster gets another two-count for Ameen, but a comedy spot with Delirious sees him get a near-fall with a schoolboy on Ameen after throwing him into a cornered Dupree… a kick-out sends Delirious back into Dupree.
Another French Tickler sees Dupree accidentally hit his own man before Manson throws him to the outside. In the middle of this, Ameen gets some brass knuckles and hits Manson with them… and that’s enough for the pin. A decent comedy-based match, and if you thought the finish was abrupt, that’s nothing like the fade-to-a-break! **½
1PW Championship: Raven vs. Sterling James Keenan (c)
Raven has a new entrance theme that he apparently recorded with Insane Clown Posse, which just sounds odd after so many years of him using the Offspring. Keenan is best known nowadays as WWE’s Corey Graves, and he’s accompanied here by G-Man. Well, if wrestling didn’t work out, at least being a manager had a better shot.
This is under Raven Rules, and for some reason Raven’s got a notepad with him. He gets the microphone and decides to go to the crowd and ask them for move suggestions. The crowd yell out piledriver, Diamond cutter, Raven Effect, a ball shot and a chant for a table too.
Keenan grabs the microphone off of Raven and tries to “shoot”, talking about “the Raven (the crowd) doesn’t know”, saying that he looked up to Raven for years, but when he told Raven he was his inspiration… he was laughed at. This turns into a pity party as Keenan whined about not having his e-mails replied to… and the match starts with Keenan shooting for a double-leg and taking down Raven for a barrage of offence.
A basement dropkick knocks down Raven as Keenan still has the microphone to berate the crowd with. Keenan accepts the Raven Rules stipulation, just in time for Raven to cross off “ball shot” from the list, as Keenan’s taken into the corner for some stomps in return. They head outside for that side Russian legsweep into the guard railing, before Keenan’s suplexed across a guard railing.
They head to an ad break as Keenan’s sent into the crowd, as Raven sends him into the crowd, exposing all those empty seats. Yep, this is a far cry from the full crowds 1PW used to get back in the day. Apparently Keenan’s sent rolling down the stairs, but the crowd masks that as the camera struggles to follow them around.
Finally we pick up Raven in the crowd, just as they return into the ringside area, where Raven hits that piledriver for a near-fall. An elbow drop to the balls follows as Raven goes back to the fan-sourced list for that Diamond Cutter, which gets him a two-count, before Raven bites on Keenan in the corner. He heads outside for a mirror frame, which is smashed into Keenan, then propped in the corner as Raven demands a table instead.
That pasting table’s propped up in the corner, and Raven gets speared into it… and no, the table doesn’t break.. G-Man cheats by choking Raven in the middle rope, so Raven responds by throwing a chair into his face, before Raven again bounces off that table in the corner. Keenan responds by whipping Raven into the opposite corner, but he spills through the turnbuckles awkwardly to the floor, and Raven seemingly picks up a knee injury when he lands… which gives Keenan something to target.
Keenan tries to throw Raven into the table again, but the Irish whip is reversed… and yet again, the table doesn’t budge! G-Man removes the table from the ring, which angers Keenan who was going to use it. Raven spears Keenan into the table… yup, still standing! Despite that, Keenan comes out on top and gets a sleeperhold, which gets broken up when Raven staggers to the ropes, sending both men to the outside.
We return from a break and time’s passed by – unlike every other ad break – as Keenan’s suddenly on a table that’s been propped between the ring and the guard rail. Raven drops a series of elbows, but the table still does not break. Just like that earlier 1PW show – it will not die!
To his credit, Raven keeps trying: Russian legsweep into the table that was now propped up by the guard railing. This match has to have given Keenan a concussion or two. Especially when Raven just flings the table at his head. Keenan throws Raven back into the ring and grabs a bit of a broken off table leg to choke Raven with, before he misses with a top rope elbow after Raven rolled away. A comeback from Raven sees him land a discus clothesline then another one off the ropes, before a knee lift sends Keenan down hard. G-Man tries to stop a chair from coming into play, but in the end it’s Raven who grabs the chair and throws him in the head with it. G-Man gets it thrown at him also, before Keenan’s superkick knocks down Raven for a near-fall.
Another superkick takes down referee Steve Lynskey, before Raven lands one of his own to Keenan for a two-count as G-Man pulled Keenan out of the ring at two. Keenan returns for a low blow to Raven, but Raven manages to hit the Raven Effect out of nowhere… and we get a shitty ref finish. Yep, Lynskey pulls the “bad shoulder” trick to stop a three-count, and Raven goes after him.
You know what happens next: schoolboy and a fast count, and Sterling James Keenan retains. Well, that was a shit finish to the main event. This was alright, I guess; the Raven/notepad thing was certainly entertaining but the overbooking and the screwy-finish takes this down several notches. **¼
After the match, Martin Stone comes out, but he’s attacked by Steve Corino as it looks like we have a Keenan/Corino faction… only for Darren Burridge’s music to hit. He takes out G-Man with a hiptoss neckbreaker, before Stone takes care of Corino, forcing Keenan to run to the hills.
Stone gets the microphone and we get some more Real Quality Bleeping, before he fluffs his promo a little. The bottom line is Stone wants to face Keenan for the title, whilst the returning Burridge wanted to take on Corino once he was back from injury.
Well, after watching the entire Third Anniversary show, albeit out of order, this was a decent event, but it couldn’t be viewed as a long-term success. Empty seats caused problems with pay (at least, according to the unofficial 1PW book “All Or Nothing”), whilst the disappointing blow-off to the long-running Damned Nation storyline seemed to underline the fact that this was a company well past its prime. Almost everything that made 1PW special had long since gone, and despite new owners, the company was inexorably linked with the distrust and negativity that ultimately killed the promotion for good.