Friday, May 17, 2013

Any Shows This Weekend? Tag World Grand Prix and MORE

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Will the Pieces of Hate reign supreme this weekend?
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Hey, you, yes you. Are you looking for something to do this weekend? Do you live anywhere in the United States or Canada? You like professional wrestling or else you wouldn't be here, so why not do yourself a favor and go see a live show this weekend. If you don't know where they're being held, then check out Pro Wrestling Events to see when and where the local promotions are playing. I'm here to give you the rundown on the most interesting shows that I know about this weekend though. The most interesting? Chikara's Tag World Grand Prix, of course.

However, before we get to Chikara on Saturday, we have a whole slate of shows tonight, anchored by AAW invading the Berwyn Eagles Club with a bell time of 7:45 PM. As revealed earlier this week, Archibald Peck will be in the house, looking to challenge Davey Richards. However, the nominal card listing has Richards tagging with Kyle O'Reilly against ACH and Michael Elgin. What's going to happen? Regardless of what's going on there, Sami Callihan, Samuray del Sol, and Shane Hollister will all appear as well.

Up in Gloversville, NY, at the Lexington Center, Squared Circle Wrestling will present what will be the spectacle of the weekend with their Best of What's Around show. Normally, I don't care for "confrontations" as a selling point for a wrestling show, but when it involves Terry Funk getting all up in Kevin Steen's grill? You know I'm all over that. Plus, Isys Ephex defends his 2CW Championship against Eddie "Eddie Edwards" Edwards, AR Fox will put his agility against "Slyck" Wagner Brown's hossiness, and Jason Axe will battle Spike Dudley in a no disqualifications match. The doors will open at 6:30 PM local.

Moving back into the Land of Lincoln, Wrestling Is Intense, the "I" in the Wrestling Is Chikara pastiche of roving local farm promotions, will be making its debut tonight at the Robinson Community Center in Robinson, IL, with a door-open time of 7 PM. Gangrel will be appearing on this card as the big selling point. He'll be teaming with Los Ice Creams to take in the challenge of the Kentucky Buffet (Alex Castle and Matt Cage) and Davey Vega in hot trios action. Also on the docket, Marshe Rockett gets Pierre Abernathy, the rest of the Submission Squad goes head to head with the Devastation Corporation, and Chuck Taylor tangles with Mat Russo.

Friday's action concludes also coincides with the breaking of the seal on announcing Saturday's shows. CWF Mid-Atlantic will be doing a double shot this weekend. Tonight, they'll be at the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington, NC, for a special fundraiser show at 7 PM. Arik Royal defends his Mid-Atlantic Championship against "All-Star" Roy Wilkins, Chris Lea and the former Chiva Kid, Andrew Everett Cross, team together to face Trevor Lee and Ben Tyler, and there will be a special appearance by Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle. Tomorrow night at the Mid-Atlantic Sportatorium in Gibsonville, NC, CWF-MA will be running their 350th event. The doors will open at 7 PM for this show as well, and it's headlined by Royal, Cross, and Ric Converse teaming up to battle Lee, Tyler, and Chet Sterling in hot trios action.

The unquestioned main event of Saturday, however, is Chikara's Tag World Grand Prix. It's an event so big that it is doing a double shift at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago, IL. The first show's door-open time is 12:30 PM local, while the second show opens its gates to the public at 6:30 PM. Here are the 16 teams involved in the actual tourney:
The Baltic Siege (Estonian Thunder Frog and Latvian Proud Oak), The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), The Spectral Envoy (Hallowicked and Frightmare), The Colony X-Treme Force (Arctic Rescue Ant and deviANT), The Bravado Bros. (Lancelot and Harlem), The Batiri (Obariyon and Kodama), Zero Gravity (CJ Esparza and Brent Gayika), the Kentucky Buffet (Matt Cage and Alex Castle), the Colony (Fire Ant and Green Ant), Los Ice Creams (Ice Cream, Jr. and El Hijo del Ice Cream), the Heart Throbs (Antonio Thomas and Romeo Roselli), the Devastation Corporation (Blaster McMassive and Axe Smashmaster), Heidi Lovelace and Saturyne, AC/DC (Darin Corbin and Arik Cannon), da Soul Touchaz (Acid Jaz and Marshe Rockett), Pieces of Hate (Jigsaw and the Shard)
If that wasn't enough, the Submission Squad also promised to make a splash here in some way, and the second show on the slate features Colt Cabana vs. Icarus and Eddie Kingston defending the Grand Championship against Archibald Peck.

For those in Richmond, VA, Ring of Honor will be running at the Greater Richmond Convention Center at 7:30 PM local. The main event will feature Jay Briscoe defending the ROH World Championship against BJ Whitmer. There's hot trios action (I'm overusing that term today, aren't I?) with Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Matt Taven taking on Jay Lethal, Cedric Alexander, and Caprice Coleman. The sleeper on this card, though, is one of the two special challenge matches. Kyle Matthews, a guy whom I have been touting on here for a good long while now, will be taking on Michael Elgin. Hopefully, this is just the start of a working relationship.

Clash Wrestling will be doing it up late night at the Heritage Park in Taylor, MI. They'll be supporting the American Cancer Society with Race for Life 2013, bell time of 10:30 PM. No matches have been announced for it, but expect all their regulars to be there, like Juntai Miller, Tommy Treznik, Cameron Skyy, and Tyler Elkins, among others.

Down in Texas, Branded Outlaw Wrestling will be running out of the Woodlawn Gym in San Antonio, TX, doors opening 7 PM local. The show will be headlined by BOW Champion Jax Dane defending his title against Rob Terry and Lance Hoyt in a three-way match. Also appearing on the show will be Barbi Hayden, Jaykus Plisken, and Scot Summers.

New York Wrestling Connection will be presenting Fusion tomorrow night at 7 PM at the NYWC Sportatorium in Deer Park, NY. There will be a one-night tournament that will end in a triple threat match against Anthony Nese for the Fusion Championship. Four names have been announced for it so far, with four more to be announced tomorrow night. Those announced for the tourney so far are Alex Reynolds, Ryan Rush, Francis Kipland Stevens, and Blake Morris. Also Mikey Whipwreck and Stockade will wrestle Smith James and Bill Carr for the NYWC Tag Team Championships.

Finally, Georgia has a couple of shows as they are wont to do. Up in Rossville, GA at 22 Austin Avenue, Empire Pro Wrestling will be running at 8:05 PM local time, and it will feature Cyrus the Destroyer, Ace Rockwell, and Chrisjen Hayme. In the Atlanta area, Platinum Championship Wrestling will be running from 2001 Main Street in Porterdale, GA, and it'll feature their Tag Team Season round robin tournament in action.

The action continues into Sunday, and the main event is the Anarchy Championship Wrestling prom, Nothing Is As Real As a Dream. The show emanates from the Mohawk in Austin, TX, with doors opening at 5:15 PM local. The main event will see American Joshi Champion Jessica James challenge Evan Gelistico for his Anarchy Championship. ACH will be there, and he'll hand-pick his opponent for the evening. Also, Matthew Palmer will defend his World Hardcore Championship against Scot Summers in what may be the most violently insane match of the weekend.

Vanguard Wrestling All-Star Alliance and Wrestling Is Heart will be teaming up to run a doubleheader at the 5 Star Swap Meet in Villa Park, IL. Doors open at 12:30 PM for Wrestling Is Heart, and they'll be promoting Green Ant vs. Arctic Rescue Ant, Chuck Taylor against Jervis Cottonbelly, and Darin Corbin and Arik Cannon wrestling Heidi Lovelace and Saturyne. At 4 PM, VWAA presents Numb3rs Game, which will be a unique tournament to crown the first ever VWAA Champion. The tournament will consist of HOT TRIOS ACTION, only in elimination form. The survivors from those trios matches will be placed into a Doors, Ladders, and Chairs match for the title. Competitors will include Chuck Taylor, Colt Cabana, Estonian Thunder Frog, Jervis Cottonbelly, Arik Cannon, Angelus Layne, and several more.

Finally, in Warner-Robins, GA at Johnny G's Fun Center on Sunday at 2:30 PM, Rampage Pro Wrestling will continue their march onto the Gayton Cup. The main event features Micah Taylor defending his Rampage Championship against Kory Chavis. AJ Steele will wrestle Bobby Moore, and Kyle Matthews will head back down to Georgia to team with J-Rod against Mike Cruz and Steve Smith.

There's a whole bunch of wrestling going on this weekend, even more than usual. Hit up a show, especially if you're in Illinois this weekend. AAW, two Wrestling Is promotions (Wrestling Are?), VWAA, and Chikara are going to do its most famous former Champion, Abraham Lincoln, proud.

(Oh yeah, Extreme Rules is happening too, but you already knew about that.)