Southern Honor is laying all of their cards on
the table for their final show of 2020. They will crown a new SH champion after
Joe Black relinquished the title due to aggravating an injury he suffered
earlier in the year. 12 men will compete to take over as champion in 6 matches,
the winners of which will move on to a winner take all scramble. The cliche
goes that any of the 6 matches could be the main event at any promotion
anywhere in the Southeast, and for once, the cliche would be right. These individual
matchups are the bomb, to use another dated reference. Gunner Miller vs. Joey
Lynch, Ashton Starr vs. Vary Morales, Chip Day vs. Kyle Matthews, Jordan
Kingsley vs. Owen Knight, David Ali vs. Trever Aeon, and Cyrus vs. Hold My Beer
Hanson.
This
tournament is wide open, and people's picks have run the gambit; my own
selection is Gunner Miller. About the only thing that everyone agrees on is
Cyrus is going to kill Hansen. The winners of the matches will advance to the
scramble. All matches will have a 20-minute time limit. If there is no winner,
no one will advance.
Diana
Michel is your ring announcer. Gerard Bonner and Brandon Benefield are on
commentary. Your referees are Jeremie Prater and David Weakley. The announced
crowd is 260.
The show begins with a video recap of the ending
of the last show of Joe Black winning the championship from Corey Hollis, then
a video montage of tonight's competitors. Diana Michel brings out SHW's General
Manager, Gary Lamb.
Gary Lamb
Promo: "Tonight we crown a new Southern Honor champion,...but that wasn't
the plan." He had a champion that could go all over the country defending
the championship and that everyone could be proud of. " No matter how
great we are, nobody can avoid the injury bug." "Respect is given,
Honor is earned." Gary brings out Joe Black. The crowd gets on their feet for Black's
entrance. Black and SHW booker Dylan
Frymyer hug before Joe enters the ring. Lamb promises Joe a shot at the title
when Joe's ready to return and hands the mic to Joe. He gives some background
on his year and what happened to him. Joe picks HMB Hansen to win and buries
Gunner Miller.
He has
his boots in hand, the crowd is chanting no. Joe says that he can no longer be
the killerweight for the time being. He tells the workers that they need to
step the hell up. Corey Hollis runs into the ring and attacks Black's leg.
Hollis wraps the leg of Joe around the ring post and hits it with a chair. The
refs try to pull Hollis back, and he continues to use the chair on Black's leg.
Hollis really doesn't want Joe to come back. The crowd chants for Joe as he is
helped to the back.
1. Kyle
Matthews vs. Chip Day
This
match has a technical masterpiece written all over it. Both Kyle and Chip get nice pops from the
crowd. They shake hands to start the match. As expected, holds and counters
start the match. This evolves into each man dodging the other man's strikes.
Chip gets the first kick in, and they start trading strikes. Chip gets knocked
to the outside. He dodges Kyle's attack and lays kyle out. Kyle gets near fall
on a crossbody from the top rope. Kyle is in control, but Chip kicks his way to
a near fall. Kyle ducks a kick and locks in submission, then switches to
another, and then into a Boston crab; Chip grabs the ropes. Kyle sits Chip on
the top turnbuckle, they trade some elbows, and Kyle gets knocked down. Kyle
fights back and gets a near fall off of a superkick. Chip reverses out and
locks in a leg lock; Kyle teases tapping but is able to get out. A whirling
dervish of pin attempts, Kyle eats a brutal looking kick. Chip wins at 14:21
with a Northern Lights Bomb. Great
match.
2. David
Ali (with Austin Towers) vs. Trever Aeon
Aeon was
a substitution pick for the injured Matt Lynch, and this is, by any stretch of
the imagination, a step-down. Ali's insurance policy will be lurking ringside.
Trever goes for the early kill with the Scarmaker, but Ali dodges. Aeon has no
wasted motion in the early going. Ali is able to run Aeon into the ropes to
create his spot. The spots that are happening between these guys are just the
epitome of hard-hitting. Towers gets on the ring apron staring down at Aeon.
Ali catches Aeon off the distraction with what looks like a variation of the F5
for the win at 5:19.
3. Ashton
Starr vs. Vary Morales
Starr tosses part of his entrance gear at Suzie. Vary gets a loud pop from the crowd. Ashton attacks Vary when he was on the ring apron. They are fighting on the entrance ramp; Starr slams Vary face-first on the ramp. Starr has words with the commentary team. Vary fights back, knocking Starr off the ramp, and follows it up with a hurricanrana. Ashton's face eats the soles of Vary's boots. VAry gets Ashton into the ring, and the match finally starts. Starr catches a flying Very for a tilt a whirl backbreaker for a near fall. Starr dropkicks Vary out of the ring. Starr has gone total heel. Vary fighting back with chops and clotheslines. He sends Ashton out of the ring with a hurricanrana. Vary flies from the top turnbuckle down onto Ashton. He gets a near fall back in the ring. Ashton goes for his scissor kick, and it looks like he jams his knee. Starr's playing up being injured. Ref Weakley comes out to check on him and starts helping Starr to the back. Vary is yelling at Gary lamb, who came to the ringside area. Starr sneaks back in and gets Vary at 5:04 with a bridged German suplex.
Ashton is ecstatic that his plan
works out as he struts to the back. Vary receives the crowd's love as he leaves
the ring.
4. Cyrus
the Destroyer (with Logan Chase) vs. Hold My Beer Hansen
Hansen tries taking the fight to Cyrus, but Cyrus just shrugs him off. Power suplex, then double underarm hook suplex by Cyrus. Cyrus lands the Vader splash for the win at 1:35.
Diana gives Hansen his beer back, and he gets helped to the back.
Bug meet windshield.
5. Jordan
Kingsley (with Logan Chase) vs. Owen Knight
Jordan
rolls out of the ring at the bell, then moves back in. The initial tie-up is
inconclusive. Owen controls the narrative for the next couple of minutes,
getting a near fall out of it. Chase gives his charge a needed distraction, and
Jordan takes over. Owen eats a superkick for a near fall. Owen's in the tree of
woe and eats some more kicks. He falls out of it and, by instinct, catches
Jordan coming in. They start trading blows; Owen wins that battle and gets a
near fall. Jordan lands a cutter off the ropes, but Ref Prater sees that Jordan
has his feet on the pin attempt. Jordan up top,
but Owen rolls out of the way of a 450 splash; near fall. another brief
exchange sees Owen planting Jordan with the Countdown (F5 variation) for the
win at 9:51.
Towers comes out, glaring dagger at Owen as he makes his way to the ring.
Towers climbs into the ring, goozles, then chokeslams Owen. Towers reaches
under the ring and grabs a table, and slides it into the ring. He sets it up in
the corner, grabs Owen. Towers has Owen up in a fireman's carry, but the lights
go out. Sunny Daze runs into the ring, and when Towers turns around, Sunny
spears Towers into the table. Sunny and Towers glare at each other.
6. Gunner
Miller vs. Joey Lynch (with Matt Lynch)
This has
been a rivalry that has been happening, off and on, for several years. Check
out their match from the SCI Invitational from 2016. Joey offers his hand,
Gunner shakes it. Joey turns his back on, but leapfrogs over the rushing
Miller. Joey lands a moonsault, but Gunner kicks out. Joey lands 3 dives on
Gunner from inside the ring on the barricades. They fight on the ring apron,
and Gunner spears Joey on the ring apron. High hip toss by Miller, and another,
then a near fall. German suplex by Miller for a two count. They are out of the
ring again, Miller delivering some thunderous shots. Miller tosses Joey over
the barricade into the crowd. Miller's back in the ring, happy to get a
count-out win. Joey beats the count. Miller sends Joey back into the crowd near
where I'm sitting. Joey gain barely beats the 10 count. Miller sits Joey up on
the turnbuckle and tries for a German from there. Joey fights him off, but
Gunner rebounds and launches Joey across the ring and gets a near fall. Gunner
sets up, but Joey dodges.
A
Hurricanrana by Joey. Joey, blocking Gunner's strikes and lands his. The crowd
is pumping themselves up for Joey. Tilt-a-whirl DDT into a Falcon's Arrow for a
near fall for Joey. Gunner plants Joey with a rock bottom for a near fall. The
educated feet of Joey knocks Gunner down. Joey lands 3 moonsaults, but Gunner
kicks out at 1! Joey goes up for a fourth, but someone comes from the crowd and
attacks Matt Lynch, seated ringside. Joey is distracted but tries to launch
himself at Gunner. Gunner catches him and lifts him up for the jackhammer and
the win at 12:44.
Corey
Hollis comes out, and it turns out that the guy who attacks Matt is Brady
Peirce. Hollis is in the ring, extending
his hand to Gunner, but Gunner shoves him off. Hollis and Peirce turn their
attention to the Lynch Mob and beat them down.
15-minute intermission. The next show will be on
January 8th.
The Beautiful Bald Besties (Marv and Zac) vs. Lethal
Poison (Corey Hollis and Brady Peirce)
LP march
to the ring with a purpose, and the Besties run out to meet them. The teams
fight around the ring area. Brady eats a dive from Edwards. The match
officially starts. Corey attacks Zac while Brady had the ref distracted. LP
totally wrecking Zac, Zac fights back against Corey, but Brady posts Marv to
prevent any tag, Peirce misses a springboard splash. Hot tag to Marv and he
goes off on Corey, Double team on Brady for a near fall. Double team by LP on
Zac. Corey submits him off of that at 7:36. The crowd was interested but sat on
their hands for most of the match.
Main event: 6-man scramble for the Southern Honor
Championship: Ashton Starr vs. Chip day vs. The Monster Cyrus
with Logan Chase vs. David Ali vs. Owen Knight vs. Gunner Miller
Miller
will be at a slight disadvantage in the match as his match was the last of the
6 qualifying matches, and he is selling the effects of that match. Ref Weakley
immediately sends Logan Chase to the back for no apparent reason other than
being Logan Chase. Miller and Cyrus have the targets on their backs, but they
fight the four other men off and then square off against each other. Day and
Knight pull Gunner out of the ring. Ali tries his hand on Cyrus, and so does
Ashton. Ashton is worse for wear. Tower of Doom spot with Day and Knight and
Cyrus. Cyrus tosses Ali around like a rag doll. Everyone comes together to send
Cyrus down to the canvas. Day and Knight take turns on him.
Ali,
Starr, and Miller are on the outside. Everyone is on the outside except Cyrus.
He teases a dive but thinks better of it and heads to the ring apron. He launches himself from the ring apron onto
everyone, leaving them all squarshed. Cyrus has Miller in the ring, and Vader
bombs him. Cyrus goes for another, but Huckaby comes out dragging Chase and is
threatens him. Cyrus runs out of the ring towards Huck. Huck spits beer into
the face of Cyrus and waffles Cyrus' back with a chair. In the ring, it's time
to shine for everyone else. Ali on Miller, Knight on Ali, Starr on Knight, Day
on Starr, Day gets the near fall on Starr. Day pushes Starr into Millers'
spear. Spear to Day. Knight hits the Countdown on Miller, but Towers comes out
and pulls Knight out of the ring. Ali takes advantage of the opening, and he
pins Day at 8:20. The new Southern Honor Champion is David Ali. Is Southern
Honor now saved?
Final Thoughts
1. The
ending came from out of nowhere and shocked everyone, including David Ali.
2. Seriously, I thought it would go another 4
minutes.
3. Chase should have had Cyrus turn HMB Hansen
into a puddle of goo after the match. Sorry, Hansen.
4. Gary
Lamb was somewhat subdued (not totally) tonight. An interesting change of pace.
5. The Chip Day/Kyle Matthews match had everyone
involved in it. Including some weird guy
wearing a green jacket.
6. The
Gunner Miller/Joey Lynch match was as physical as any match I've seen this
year.
7. Gunner blew Corey Hollis off this time, but
could a reunion of Country Jacked be in the offering?
9. Ashton Starr's good for the goose, good for
the gander moment. The rubber match between the two is something to look
forward to.
10. Kingsley has come a long way since I first
saw him, but Owen Knight's path was longer, and on this night, he was better.
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