Presented by Riot City Wrestling
Reviewed Saturday 7 May 2011
Venue: Estonian Hall 200 Jeffcott Street, North Adelaide
Monthly at 7.30pm
Duration: 2.5mins
Tickets: Adults $15, Kids $12, Family $50 (2A+2K)
Tickets available at the door or online at http://riotcitywrestling.com
Riot City Wrestling offer something for everyone with this month’s line up being no exception. Under the banner Rites of Passage, seven action packed matches culminated in a 2-out-of-3-falls title match. From the high octane acrobatics to the comical theatrics and surprising plot twists, the RCW knows how to deliver edge of your seat entertainment.
First into the ring, crowd favourite Mimic faced off against Marvel. Complete with mask and red cape, Marvel entered the ring with his team cohorts The Rude Ones (Del Taurino and El Presidente). Their sideline presence guaranteed Mimic was not in for a good time. The duo fought an even match, flipping and kicking until the dreadlocked wonder threw Marvel out of the ring, but he came back with revenge on his mind, injuring Mimic’s arm and spending most of the rest of the match working the injury and torturing The Wounded One into many near submissions. Mimic’s endurance has to be commended, rising above the pain to land Marvel on his head and end the match with his winning signature move, a Sega Megadriver.
For more than a year now, the rancour between veteran ladies man Rocky Menero and cowardly playboy Elliot Sexton has been gnawing at regular audiences whose demand for satisfaction has consistently been foiled. The power duo have failed to battle it out on numerous occasions, so the hype leading up to the night’s grudge match was nothing short of criminal.
Interrupting proceedings with a demand to fight now, Rocky called out for Sexton, stripping down to his jeans ready to brawl. The long awaited match was on… until Sexton entered, neck in a brace from a supposed injury received in his last match. Instead of fighting his nemesis, Rocky was jumped from behind and laid flat by Matt Silva and Adam Brooks. As he was helped from the Ring, the frustrated audience weren’t to know that later in the night they would be assured the fight will headline next month in a Lumberjack Match that neither can get out of.
A Lumberjack Match is when all other wrestlers circle the ring. If one combatant leaves the ring, his enemies can lay into him, weakening him significantly before they throw him back in to continue the fight.
The sassy Summer Sisters, Melody and Savannah, took to the ring next, much to the annoyance of the frustrated audience who favoured Miami and fiery redhead Sway. These women are as tough as the men but the favs turned summer into winter, laying out the sibling tag team time and time again until cheating turned the tables. After double-teaming a hapless Miami for some prolonged punishment, the sisters took the match when Savannah pinned Sway.
Rookie Shannon Jarvis was outweighed by 80 pounds (over 36kg) in his bout against The Rude One’s Del Taurino. Despite holding his own in an impressive barrage of body slams and slaps, Taurino’s team mates couldn’t help but involve themselves from the side, opening the way for Taurino to drop Jarvis into oblivion to take the match. Despite the loss, Jarvis is already making a name for himself in Riot City circles, taking a surprise win last month against founding wrestler GD Grimm. As his experience grows, Jarvis promises to be a name to watch out for.
A three way match up between GD Grimm, Voodoo and Adam Brooks saw all three men in the ring laying into each other with drop kicks and throws. Unlike the others, Grimm used his ample experience to strategise. Thrown from the ring by Voodoo, Grimm stayed on the floor, letting the other two wear each other down, returning the ring to partner with Brooks. The duo tore into Voodoo, bringing the tattooed star to the floor, but unable to agree who would take the pin, they turned on each other, leaving Voodoo to regain his strength and pin Brooks for the match.
After being jumped by Brooks and Matt Silva earlier, Rocky Menero entered from the audience, taking Silva and Brooks by surprise as they waited in the ring for him. It was a tense introduction to a powerhouse battle where the two behemoths ripped into each other mercilessly. After lots of give and take, Silva threw Rocky from the ring where Brooks waited to attack him – twice! Silva locked Rocky in a sleeper, arms pinned behind him, but it wasn’t until the referee was dragged from the ring by Brooks that Silva came back from the edge to defeat the favourite.
The main event promised to make short work of Brad Smyth as he faced the reigning champion, Jacko Lantern for the RCW title in a Best of Three Falls match. In true action style however, it was the unexpected that should have been expected.
Smyth trumped them all to win the 2011 Strength Cup back in February, with his reward being a shot at the title against the 6’9 Monarch of the Macabre. Smyth opened the attacked but Lantern quickly turned the tide, chasing the smaller contender through the audience. Landing badly however, Lantern found himself at the mercy of Smyth, who worked on the champ’s injured knee, taking the first fall.
Keeping his advantage, Smyth kept on Lantern’s knee with an extended figure 4 leg lock and multiple kicks to the injury. Lantern fought back hard however, taking the second fall with a kick to Smyth’s throat, laying him out flat.
The third and final fall was as much a test of endurance as it was of skill. Both fighters wore each other out. Lantern would have taken the pin, but the referee was knocked out, sending everyone to their feet. Breaking free, Smyth grabbed his signature bathroom scales for the second time in the match, bringing Lantern down. The champion was pinned, escaping within an inch of his title to turn the tables for the count out.
Lantern’s celebration was cut short however by the appearance of Del Taurino. In a previous match, Taurino had received the Keys to the City, entitling him to take on the Champion at a time of his choosing. He chose now, with the nearly defeated Lantern barely able to stand. It was a fast defeat as Taurino wiped out Lantern and claimed the title belt in what could possibly be the shortest match in the RCW history.
You have to hand it to Riot City Wrestling for edge-of-your-seat escapism and incredible, fast past action. The athletes are all highly skilled gymnasts and the ongoing rivalries make you keen to tune in for the next instalment. Ultimatum, on 11 June, is shaping up to be no different, particularly with the scheduled title match finally brining the long-term rivalry between Menero and Sexton to a head. Whatever happens there, you can be assured it won’t be the end of the story.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
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