Joseph Conners was the latest man to face Cody Rhodes on his indie tour, as a WCPW title match headlined the latest episode of Loaded.
#TLDR: A show light on storylines, but this was a solid episode of Loaded leading into a two-part True Legacy special from Altrincham…
The Full Review: We open with Adam Pacitti in an office, because of course we do. It’s an announcement for Joseph Conners vs. Joe Hendry at the True Legacy event, but if Conners loses his title tonight in the main event to Cody Rhodes, that match won’t be for the title… instead the already advertised Angle/Rhodes match will be instead. Got it?
Kimber Lee vs. Little Miss Roxxy
Roxxy was the woman attacked by Kimber on last week’s show (despite not having been named at any point during that), and we start with Roxxy missing a clothesline before taking down Kimber with headscissors and a dropkick.
A tiltawhirl into a DDT gets Roxxy a two-count, but Kimber hits back with a tiltawhirl backbreaker, then a release German suplex. Another pair of Germans get the predictable “suplex city” chants, before a bridging German got the Seattle native a two-count. Kimber chops at Roxxy, then picks her up off the ropes for a powerbomb, and that’s it. A sub-two minute squash, too short to do anything really. *
After the match, Kimber grabbed a chair from under the ring, then paused as Nixon Newell came out for the save… only to take a few shoulder charges in the corner, and then the chairshot across the back. On the plus side, they’ve upgraded the steel chair – they’ve moved away from the red one they used forever!
We’re taken backstage where Gabriel Kidd is shining Prince Ameen’s boots. Kidd suggests the two of them should enter the tag team tournament. Ameen doesn’t dismiss it, but instead asks for a massage from his manservant… Is it me, or does this storyline feel like it really needs to get to the next chapter?
Travis Banks vs. Martin Kirby
They continue the confusing “Kirby’s a heel according to the babyface commentator” story, but Kirby’s attacked from behind by Travis Banks at the bell.
Banks mocks Kirby’s Zoidberg Elbow, and struggles across the middle rope before being kicked down to the mat. Kirby returns with a hanging suplex, then just pokes Banks in the eye, before a Sable Bomb attempt forces Travis to scurry to the outside. Back inside, Banks throws Kirby into the corner for some chops, then goes to work with a rear chinlock, before kicking away Kirby’s legs after he’d been thrown into the ropes.
Banks comes back with the hanging suplex, but misses an enziguiri after placing Kirby down, and that sparked the comeback with a leaping shoulder block in the corner, then a Slingblade for a near-fall. A neckbreaker gets Kirby another two-count, and he then goes for the Zoidberg Elbow himself, only for Banks to roll out of the ring to avoid it. Smart move!
Kirby tries to kick Banks off the apron, but instead he’s thrown into the crowd barrier. Back inside, Kirby connects with an enziguiri and a Rocker Dropper for a two-count, only for Banks to make a comeback with a superkick to the head and a brainbuster. Banks almost wins it with a springboard roundhouse kick out of the corner, before locking up Kirby in the Rings of Saturn in the middle of the ring.
Kirby rolls him back into a cover, before sidestepping another roundhouse kick, and finally getting the win with the Sable Bomb. A decent, sub-ten minute match, but this is one of those best watched on mute, as that commentary continues to confuse the entire Kirby storyline. ***
We’re taken to a backstage segment where Adam Pacitti stops El Ligero in a corridor. Of course, Ligero doesn’t know English, and this leads to a match where Pacitti books Kidd and Ameen against Ligero and El Desperado because (and I quote) “lucha things”. Ligero’s head shaking sums up my thoughts entirely…
Primate vs. Rampage
Primate jumps Rampage with a knee as he entered the ring, before an overhead suplex took Rampage into the corner. Rampage beats down Primate in the corner though, before a spear takes down the Yorkshireman.
They head outside where Primate, who then decided to spear the referee. Rampage kicks down Primate, before a deadlift powerbomb from the floor and onto the apron leads to Rampage grounding and pounding Primate in the ring. A second referee comes out and rings the bell, as security rushes in to break it up… and I guess in the wacky world of WhatCulture Pro Wrestling, one man attacking a referee leads to a no contest, rather than a DQ? What we had of the match was alright, but again, way too short. *
During the post-match separation, Rampage turfed out a load of security guards, whilst Prospect made a beeline for Primate…
Prince Ameen & Gabriel Kidd vs. El Ligero & El Desperado
Apparently el Desperado is a “great young competitor from Japan”. If 32’s young, then I’m not that old! They paint this as two face/heel teams, and we start with Desperado shaking a can of soda and spraying a fan with it.
Kidd and Ligero trade wristlocks, before Kidd blocks a drop toehold. Unfortunately, the crowd seem to be more interested in taunting Desperado, with stuff like “are you Kirby in disguise?” Kidd eventually frees himself from the drop toe hold, only to be taken down with a shoulder tackle, and then a springboard armdrag.
Kidd and Ligero really worked well together, trading near-falls and eventually bow down to each other with a Noam Dar-esque pinky party. Ameen tags in, and demands that Ligero kiss his feet… but of course, it’s a ruse as Ligero grabs his foot, hands it calmly to the referee, and then takes down Ameen with a shoulder block.
Desperado finally gets involved, dragging Ameen out of the ring and throwing him into the crowd barrier. Ameen gets thrown into the ringpost as Ligero seems frustrated at not having a partner who’s willing to tag in, but instead he lands a running dropkick for a near-fall to a seated Ameen. Finally Desperado tags in, and rakes Ameen’s eyes.
A missed dropkick from Ameen keeps the Japanese star on top, but Ameen quickly turns the tables with a spinebuster. Kidd tags back in for a couple of clotheslines on Desperado, before a butterfly suplex almost won the match for the youngster. Desperado blocks a brainbuster attempt, before returning with a spear, only for an uppercut from Kidd to put paid to a leap off the middle ropes.
Ligero and Ameen tag back in, with a dropkick taking down Ameen, before Ligero runs into the corner with an elbow, and then follows with a missile dropkick. Ameen threw Ligero out of the ring, over a crouching Kidd, but Ligero skinned the cat back into the ring, and eventually dropped Kidd and Ameen with a reverse DDT/reverse STO combo for a near-fall.
A C4L attempt is blocked as Ameen gets a Samoan drop for a near-fall, before Ameen almost won things with a Pedigree. Desperado pulled out the referee just in time, before a low blow and an Angle Slam set Ameen down in place for a Mexican Wave splash that won the match. Decent stuff, with the Ligero/Desperado pairing just about working out… although I’d like to think that they were booked together on something stronger than their names having “El” in them. ***
We get a glaring editing screw up, as Dave Bradshaw calls out that “tonight on Loaded, the tag team title tournament starts as Prospect take on Perspectiva”. Erm, wasn’t that last week?? Stellar quality control, as ever from this group.
Another backstage segment with Adam Pacitti congratulating Prospect on their tournament win from last week. You know, the one we just were told on commentary that was happening later tonight?
They show up some brackets, and amusingly only the top half has been booked:
Prospect vs. Los Prospectiva – of course, Prospect won that
Moustache Mountain vs. Moss & Slater – that’ll be at the True Legacy show, which is going to be a two-part special.
The bottom half of the bracket is all ??s, and this ends up with the final on November 30th on PPV. I’m guessing they missed the letter i out of that?
So, when does this heel GM tripe actually lead to something that isn’t self-serving?
Joe Hendry comes out for the main event, as he’s on commentary. Not much of a surprise as they had a headset out there… speaking of out there, they wheel out Kenny McIntosh with a plastic cup of Cola/Pepsi as Cody Rhodes’ ring announcer. A definite downgrade on Brandi…
WCPW Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Joseph Conners (c)
It’s an easy crowd here, as a bodyslam and a cartwheel gets some “Cody is a legend” chants… they kill some time early on as they both go around ringside to play to the crowd.
A sunset flip out of the corner gets Rhodes an early two-count, before Conners takes Rhodes into the corner for some punches and stomps. Cody returns with a hanging front suplex, before going into an inverted figure four, that immediately sends Conners into the ropes.
Rhodes springboards up the ropes and flies into Conners in the aisle, before Conners uses the referee to cause a distraction en route to a forearm to Rhodes. Conners gets a two-count from a suplex as they then wander around the ring briefly, allowing them to show us footage of Kenny in the front row cheering on Cody with a drink.
Was there a missing storyline here? Or was Kenny being Cody’s ring announcer at the iPPV meant to suddenly make us care about a friendship that’s barely been a background feature of Cody’s time here?
Conners wears down Rhodes with a chinlock, which gets broken with a jawbreaker as they again head outside the ring. Cody spits some water in Conners’ eyes, before high-fiving Kenny en route to… being suplexed on the floor. Conners shoves Kenny into the crowd, just because (and that took a while for any of the commentators to clock!)
Cody lands a moonsault back in the ring, before they fight back to their feet, trading punches back and forth. Rhodes succeeds with a series of lariats, then a reverse DDT, before the Disaster Kick gets him a two-count. Conners drops down to avoid the Cross Rhodes, then connected with a Falcon Arrow that looked like an uncomfortable landing for Cody.
We see a Side Effect out of Rhodes, but Cody’s caught on the top rope by Conners, who brings him back in with a superplex. Rhodes surprises Conners with a small package for a near-fall, before he’s sent into the corner as Conners blocked a Figure Four. Conners tried to exit with his title, but Conners instead threw Cody Rhodes into Joe Hendry at ringside.
Hendry and Rhodes had a bit of a shoving match at ringside, continuing the trend in wrestling of babyfaces being irrationally mad at the guy who was thrown into them… Conners takes advantage with a slingshot DDT and a lariat for a near-fall. Cody goes outside and gets his old facemask from under the ring – something which didn’t get quite the same reaction here as it did in PWG…
The referee stops Rhodes from putting the mask on, but as the referee took forever to get the mask out of the ring, he missed Rhodes’ roll-up, spotting it in time to count a near-fall, before Conners gets a roll-up with a handful of tights to retain the title. Decent match, but unfortunately it fell right in that purgatory that Rhodes has largely been in since his WWE exit, of matches on the indies that are “alright”, but nowhere near what you’d have expected given the hype he generated. ***¼
After the match, Hendry stared down Conners in the aisle, which led to a brawl as Hendry throws Conners back in to take a Disaster Kick, then a Freak of Nature fallaway slam. Rhodes lifts Hendry’s hand, before Cody stayed in the ring for a show-ending promo… apologising for not winning the title.
Rhodes’ promo tells us he was doing something he didn’t want to do (Stardust), lost his dad (cue “Dusty” chants) and acknowledged the “please come back” chants, promising that he’d do his damndest to come back. The show ended with Rhodes taking the applause from the crowd.
Hey, they end the show with a promo that runs down the card for True Legacy! They say that the show took place in front of 2,600 people (which I think is an inflated number, given that 2,500 was the number they touted to the live crowd), before plugging it as a two-part special on YouTube (November 5 and 12), or if you’re paying for their Extra service, it’s all up this Friday. Then again, if you do watch it in one go, be aware that you’ll be looking at a few weeks before your next episode of Loaded!
Well, aside from that final promo, they did precious little to build up to the True Legacy show, save for the main event. As a show, this was a slight drop from what we had last week, but still a million miles better than that hideous post-iPPV episode!