Texoma Pride Wrestling June 15, 2012
Leave a CommentThis was my first time to attend a Texoma Pride Wrestling show. It was an hour and a half drive so I took my mother. To begin with, this crowd was rabid. If you like old-school “rasslin’, ” this is the crowd for it. There was merchandise out the wazoo, which is my favorite part. The ring announcing intros weren’t real professional, but it gave it a kind of home-country charm. Sign Guy is a great host though. He works really well at the facilitation of it all. I liked the Pledge of Allegiance. They introduced all 8 competitors ECWA Super 8 style.
First match: Erica Torres vs. Kyra Myra
All but one of these competitors, this was my first match. Kyra was the hometown girl and is over like Nolan Ryan in Arlington. I liked Erica. I would like to nickname her “The Latina Portia Perez.” She reminded me a lot of Portia Perez, which is not a name I use lightly. Erica knew her role pretty well. I coulda told you during the introductions that Kyra was going to win. I’m pretty sure that this crowd would have rioted had anybody else won. Erica knew it was her role to make Kyra look important and she did. Erica was a good engaging heel. What I wrote down is that she never forgot she was in front of the crowd. Each wrestler played up each others’ strengths really well. I wrote down that it was a good “big man-little man” match, but with women. One of the things that stood out to me is that there were a few moments in the match where I thought Erica would win. So even though there was no possible way Erica would have won, I still found myself getting lost. Very good match.
Winner: Kyra
Second match: Jen Alise w/Bree Ann vs. La Reina Pink
Here Pink was announced simply as “Pink.” And of course, the irony was that “Pink” was wearing no pink. Jen was over nice as a heel. Jen is the only one I had seen before tonight. This was a very nice short match. Jen won with her feet on the rope. What I loved about this crowd is that they were near-riot over the feet on the ropes. I loved it.
Winner: Alise
Third match: Barbi Hayden vs. Angel Blue w/Niki Night
Newsflash: Barbi Hayden is hot. You know when you watch the teen romantic comedy and Freddie Prinze, Jr. is with the really hot blond with the cheerleader, beach bunny body that is somehow the villain to the Rachel Leigh Cook character? Yeah, that’s Barbi. And Angel Blue is VERY striking as well. I’ve heard her name for a long time and I was struck by how short she is. Angel was very good with the crowd. I was very struck by Barbi’s style. I think both of these would fit in just fine in a WSU or SHIMMER. They really can go. Needless to say, this match put me in my happy place. Barbi won.
Winner: Barbi
Fourth match: Starr Venus vs. Bree Ann w/Jen Alise
Bree Ann is the local talent. Seeing her actual wrestling outfit, I hope she does not lay down otherwise people might picnic on top of her. Starr is so enthusiastic. I know I say that a lot, but she has a very infectious enthusiasm that flows into her matches. The chemistry didn’t quite happen in this match. However Bree did the loudest b****-slap I’ve ever seen in my life. After that happened, the work flowed a lot more smoothly. Especially since Bree Ann was the home girl, I was expecting her to win. But she did not. So it was a nice surprise booking-wise.
Winner: Starr
Fifth match: Cody Jones & Ken Carson vs. Michael Faith & Double D
I was very pleasantly surprised by this match. The first team should probably be called “The Boyfriends.” Both teams kept the fans engaged. Carson had a lot of fun with the crowd and the referee. They were kind of the cool heels that you boo with a smile. The match also had a nice crescendo with action. I had not seen or heard of Double D before, but he has a nice chiseled look and some great athleticism. I definitely knew his name after that match. While being in its role to give the fans a place to take a break from the women wrestlers, it was very entertaining. I want to see Faith some more. I think he has the potential to be the next Samoa Joe. These were two experienced wrestlers to help Faith & D get over as a tag team.
Winner: Double Faith (If that’s not their name, it needs to be)
During the intermission, the faces came out, signed autographs and mingled with the crowd. Starr was a total class act. She was so enthusiastic and really loves what she’s doing. She has such a genuineness that comes out through her work. Also, Tim Storm was such a class act as well. There wasn’t a single person he didn’t get his picture with. If anybody wants to know how to be a babyface, watch Tim Storm in how he wrestles AND how he treats the crowd.
Sixth match: Kyra Myra vs. Jen Alise
Well, I was a little surprised that THIS was not the main event, but I liked the booking. Bree Ann stayed at ringside in Jen’s corner and kept the crowd into it. This wasn’t much of a match, but I did see a gore for the first time in a woman’s match. Jen was choking her and so the referee disqualified her.
Winner by dq: Kyra
Bree was threatening with some handcuffs, and Kyra took the handcuffs from her and cuffed Jen to the ropes. A little too Super Cena for me. But Jen can say she never was pinned. I would have liked more of a beatdown that Kyra could overcome to win the tournament.
Seventh match: Starr Venus vs. Barbi Hayden
I’ve already gushed about how great Starr was. And Barbi was wearing a new outfit, including one of her t-shirts (which she didn’t have in XL or larger, hint, hint). It’s an interesting thing about Barbi. She is really good in the ring and can really go. But she doesn’t necessarily do a lot of moves. She does a lot of stalling and comedy before she gets into the work. Her ring style is geared towards a wide range of crowds. This match had my favorite finish of the night. Barbi had Starr in the sharpshooter, and Starr was really struggling. Great drama and great finish.
Winner: Hayden
Eighth match: Tim Storm (c) vs. Mike Foxx vs. Byron Wilcott
At first this started out as Storm vs. Foxx. I put my pen down and enjoyed. There were two legends in the history of Texas just doing their thing. I remember in his book Terry Funk referred to it as “the dance.” It was a total thing of beauty. Then Byron Wilcott got on the mic and that guy has such a good voice. He is so well-spoken on the mic. He’s also a great heel and knows how to make the crowd hate him. There was one really scary moment in the match, but Byron got up and was moving. It was a really good match.
Winner: Storm
Main event: Kyra Myra vs. Barbi Hayden
By this time, both wrestlers had worked their tails off. It was announced it was a No Holds Barred/Falls Count Anywhere match. So they did a totally wild brawl. It didn’t go out into the crowd quite like I thought it would. But somehow Barbi found a “fun-noodle” and they started whacking each other with it. Added to bucket list: Getting whacked by Barbi Hayden with a fun noodle. It was just kind of a formality until Kyra won.
Winner: Kyra
All in all… What a GREAT crowd. They soaked up every minute and were wild. I like the decision for Kyra to start off with the championship. She’s the hometown girl. But I think if she loses it rather quickly, to somebody like Barbi or Jen Alise, I can see them drawing some money in the pursuit of Kyra trying to get that belt back. I totally love the country atmosphere of it all. It was a really good experience.
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