Fighting Spirit Wrestling: Only The Strong
Fighting Spirit Wrestling returned to Brooklyn this past Friday night with its latest show, Fighting Spirit Wrestling: Only The Strong. From apparent upheaval in the front office to a possible change of heart from a fan favorite, the show was packed with intriguing storylines coupled with fast paced mat action.
Fighting Spirit Wrestling is an independent organization run by the Ludus school in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City.
P.J. Takes the Book
As the show began, fans were welcomed by Joel Maximo, Lucha Legend and FSW owner/promoter/wrestler. After a quick plug for the the next show, P.J. Stackpole comes to the ring and informs Joel, as well as the crowd, that because of issues with New York State Athletic Commission, Stackpole was named Interim Director of Operations because of Verna’s concussions. This change proves to be an interesting development in terms of story lines for the company. With Stackpole’s involvement in the main event at Kill em All as well as his history with Mike Verna, there is a possibility that the beloved favorite Verna may align himself with the slippery new head honcho of FSW.
Debut of Kyoko Kimura
For the first time in quite a while FSW had a women’s match pitting Kyoko Kimura against Sumi Sakai. The opening bout saw a mix of strong kicks, hurricanranas and painful submissions. Both women wrestle a strong Japanese style, with Kimura especially adept at submission maneuvers. Despite Sakai’s best efforts, Kimura was able to win her debut match leaving a lasting impression on the audience. It’ll be interesting to see if she will continue her winning ways at the next event and who her combatant might be.
Early Dismissal for Spectre
A.J. Spectre came to the ring with his girlfriend Mandi and things quickly became uncomfortable with a nauseating public display of affection, reminiscent of WWE Hall of Famer Edge’s spot with Lita. As Spectre pledged to entertain the crowd with a lap dance in lieu of his cancelled match with Joel Maximo, the Lucha Legend came to the ring and despite an earlier announced ankle injury, he made quick work of the braggadocious paramour. Spectre continues to develop his character and despite finding himself on the short end of the stick in a lightening quick defeat, he shows a great deal of promise and should be prominently featured at the next event.
Tag Team Turmoil
The tag team champions, The Elements, defended their title against Talon and Joe Ettell. At first, the champions took advantage of infighting between Talon and Ettell. Once the game of one upsmanship was over, it seemed that the challengers might take the straps off of the champions. The match eventually evolved into a lawless tag team battle as all four men where in the ring at once pulling off double team maneuvers. The end of the match saw a mystery tag team run in attack both teams earning the disqualification victory for the champions. Just barely walking away with the titles this match, it seems that Iceberg and Pyro will have new contenders to deal with in the very near future.
FSW Original: Five Star Match
Kip Stevens vs CPA vs Joe Bronson vs Maxwell Jacob Feinstein vs Long John Silver
As per usual, the FSW Original match type, the Five Star, was full of high octane action and plenty of comedy. The bout featured stars not normally on the FSW roster, allowing fans the opportunity to familiarize themselves with more local independent talent. Although all five men really worked well with each other,the real treat in this match was the work of the CPA, whose name I hope stands for Christopher Peter Andrews. As an unassuming mild-mannered accountant, CPA’s major offense consists of accidentally tripping his opponents. His self imposed break, during which he used a fan’s beer to ice his bruises, perfectly encapsulates the character inside and outside of the ring. Another FSW irregular, Maxwell Jacob Feinstein, really shined in his role as an arrogant heel, coming away the victor with a look of shock that belied his bravado throughout the match.
Tony Mamaluke vs Blake Morris
Former WWE and ECW superstar Tony Mamaluke also made an appearance at the show taking on Blake Morris. As the contest began, Mamaluke attempted any which way to avoid direct physical contact with Morris, with comedic effect. Eventually Morris gained the upper hand and was able to overpower the smaller Mamaluke and gain the victory over an experienced veteran, which will no doubt move him up the ladder and help him gain prominence on the card at the next event.
SNOT Wishes Suntan A Not So Happy Birthday
Sami Callihan and his cronies in the faction of SNOT, Azarieal and Kris Rex, did their best to ruin the birthday of crowd favorite Suntan. Earlier in the evening, as Suntan addressed the crowd, the members of Snot attacked the birthday boy and were given an a match against Suntan and Magma later in the show. Looking to even the odds, the elite athlete Mike Orlando evened out the teams and helped Suntan gain a victory with the full support of the crowd. Although “The Callihan Death Machine” and his compatriots were on the losing end of the six man tag, look for the three to play a prominent role in FSWs next show as they have displayed a penchant for making statements and ruining parties.
Stackpole helps the Man of Steel steal a victory
At FSWs last show Kill’em All, Supastar Whiplash established himself as the number one contender. In the main event of the evening, the champion Mike Verna defended the title against Whiplash in a spirited match that ended with implications for the future of the company. After both men put everything on the line for the right to be called champion, a bevy of disruptions ended the match in controversial fashion. PJ Stackpole, the new director of operations, came to ringside which prompted former Booker Joel Maximo and his protege Blake Morris to make their way out as well. It became apparent that Maximo and Blake were displeased with Verna’s alleged new partnership with Stackpole. The controversial ending set the stage for Fighting Spirit Wrestling’s next event. As the show ended, Verna and Morris stared each other down, presumably setting up a match for the title. It’ll be interesting to see whether Verna continues his partnership with Stackpole and his heelish ways.
Photos Courtesy of Richard Ruiz Productions
