Never, in all my years of watching live wrestling have I seen what I saw on Saturday night. How Matthew Palmer and Gregory James are not dead simply baffles me. After both men had beaten up their bodies through various moves using chairs, ring posts, tables, and finally cinderblocks... there was no way either of them should be breathing right now. I was both terrified and amazed as I sat there in my front row seat watching a man go from the top rope and splash his body onto another human being through a table right in front of me! The wind from the impact nearly blew me back. That Last Man Standing match between these two warriors proves why wrestling is alive and well in DFW, and MPX is where it is at.
The first match on the card was Mace Malone vs Li Fang for the vacant Prospect Championship. The Prospect Championship in MPX is sort of like the MITB briefcase in WWE. Whoever holds it can cash it in at any time for an MPX Heavyweight Championship match. I enjoy watching Li Fang, and Mace Malone has always been a favorite of mine since way back in his PCW days. I knew this would be a dynamite match. For a second it looked like Li was going to come away with it, but I had a feeling it was Mace time! Sure enough, Mace stole Li's soul Shang Tsung style and got the pin. To make matters worse Mace grabbed a chair and place it over Li's carcass and began pounding the crap out of it. I was upset because Li lost, but at the same time I was very excited for what looks to be the beginning of the Mace Malone era.
The next match was a bit impromptu. Lance Hoyt, who we in the DFW remember as Shadow from PCW, came out and thanked the MPX crowd for coming out. That's when Tad Wylde, those two crazy kids, came out and tried to get in Hoyt's face. Before things could get too out of hand, the silly yet well loved “Irresistible” Eric McDonald came out to back Hoyt up. That's when MPX GM Kate Carroll came out and made a Teddy Long inspired "straight up" tag team match! The match was hot and heavy, with plenty of goofy comedy spots, and it nearly ended with a DQ when Hoyt gave a low blow. Thankfully, the match was restarted and McDonald ended it when he threw his entire body mass on top of Tadlock, smothering him with all his might. PS: The moniker for the McDonald/Hoyt tag team was the Creepy Killers.
BC The Jersey Jackass vs "Flawless" Jerome Daniels was the match before the intermission. The stipulation in this match was that if Daniels lost he'd be banned from MPX for a year, and if BC lost he'd have to shave his head. The crowd was really into this match, yelling silly things at BC like, "BC stands for Bald Cranium." At one point someone even demanded an iron claw from one of the competitors. Jerome Daniels was almost too happy to oblige. BC kept trying to get Daniels disqualified, bringing chairs into the ring, and baiting him to use them. Jerome Daniels is a fantastic wrestler with great ability. I can see him going to the next level. Flawless eventually gets the victory, and the intermission starts with MPX staff tying BC to a chair and telling fans to jump into the ring and take a picture with the Jersey Jackass as he gets his head shaved.
BC The Jersey Jackass vs "Flawless" Jerome Daniels was the match before the intermission. The stipulation in this match was that if Daniels lost he'd be banned from MPX for a year, and if BC lost he'd have to shave his head. The crowd was really into this match, yelling silly things at BC like, "BC stands for Bald Cranium." At one point someone even demanded an iron claw from one of the competitors. Jerome Daniels was almost too happy to oblige. BC kept trying to get Daniels disqualified, bringing chairs into the ring, and baiting him to use them. Jerome Daniels is a fantastic wrestler with great ability. I can see him going to the next level. Flawless eventually gets the victory, and the intermission starts with MPX staff tying BC to a chair and telling fans to jump into the ring and take a picture with the Jersey Jackass as he gets his head shaved.
After the intermission, the match I came to see got started. Frankie Fisher, who I'm a huge mark for, against his former best friend turned arch nemesis Steve Kirby in a taped fist match. There was a lot of history going into the match; Frankie Fisher had lost his MPX contract to the evil Nigel Rabid once upon a time. In order to keep his employ at MPX, Frankie had to become Nigel's servant. What followed was months of humiliation by the Rabid Empire. They would plague Fisher by using him as ring steps and laying down for them, all in the name of remaining an MPX wrestler. After it seemed Fisher had won his freedom, Nigel Rabid had another ace up his sleeve when he baited Fisher and Kirby into a tag team match against the Empire, where the loser would lose his MPX contract. The team of Kirby and Fisher lost the match when Steve Kirby was pinned. Nigel then informed Kirby that since he was the one pinned he would lose his contact. At the next show, Nigel and a mystery man jump Frankie Fisher and beat him up. It was later revealed that the mystery man was Steve Kirby. To make matters worse, at the next show, the Empire takes out Fisher's girlfriend Livi Loca. This time payback would be real!
The match got underway and it was brutal to say the least. These two men held nothing back as they punched hard with their fists and went wild. At one point Steve Kirby had been busted open and the blood had gotten all over ring announcer Keith Roberts' shirt. After many near falls, Steve Kirby got the pinfall when members of the Empire helped him out. Kristopher Haiden, another Empire guy came out and the entire collective began beating down poor Frankie.
The match got underway and it was brutal to say the least. These two men held nothing back as they punched hard with their fists and went wild. At one point Steve Kirby had been busted open and the blood had gotten all over ring announcer Keith Roberts' shirt. After many near falls, Steve Kirby got the pinfall when members of the Empire helped him out. Kristopher Haiden, another Empire guy came out and the entire collective began beating down poor Frankie.
Then Scott Murdoch ran down to help, and our next match, for the MPX Heavyweight Championship commenced with such a ferocity that only these two beasts could bring. Kris Haiden is a monster. Scott Murdoch is a huge beefy creature that you wouldn't want to come across in a dark alley. Both men could bring it, but only one man had the Rabid Empire in his corner. Kris Haiden did everything he could. There was interference from the Empire, distractions by Nigel, and at one point Mace Malone came out to scout the match and see if he could possible to get in there to play spoiler to the victor. In the end, however, none of that could halt the Murdoch train as Scott got the pinfall victory over Mr. Haiden.
Gregory James is a sadist. Matthew Palmer, I learned while watching this match, is a bloodthirsty savage. What those two did together in that ring was something I don't think I could ever fully wrap my head around. From pillar to post James and Palmer went at it as if they were banging on the gates of hell and their only desire was to be let into the fiery place of torment. I haven't heard that many "holy shit" chants since Mike Foxx and Kanoa had their legendary street fight. Even Athena The Wrestling Goddess, who was chilling at the ticket table all night, was left with an O-face. The brutality in that match was something you would expect from someone the likes of Kevin Steen or Dean Ambrose, but never from two guys putting it all out there at a tiny gym in Bedford, Texas. The see-saw back and forth style match had everyone at the edge of their seat. There were tables, trash can lids, at least six chairs and kendo sticks...
Gregory James is a sadist. Matthew Palmer, I learned while watching this match, is a bloodthirsty savage. What those two did together in that ring was something I don't think I could ever fully wrap my head around. From pillar to post James and Palmer went at it as if they were banging on the gates of hell and their only desire was to be let into the fiery place of torment. I haven't heard that many "holy shit" chants since Mike Foxx and Kanoa had their legendary street fight. Even Athena The Wrestling Goddess, who was chilling at the ticket table all night, was left with an O-face. The brutality in that match was something you would expect from someone the likes of Kevin Steen or Dean Ambrose, but never from two guys putting it all out there at a tiny gym in Bedford, Texas. The see-saw back and forth style match had everyone at the edge of their seat. There were tables, trash can lids, at least six chairs and kendo sticks...
Then, when we thought we had seen it all they brought out the cinderblocks.
I cannot stress this enough: cinderblocks! There were at least four of them. Gregory James dropped Matthew Palmer over cinderblocks. Palmer wouldn't let that keep him down, after at least an eight count, he got up, ready to take some more punishment from the Unholy One. Eventually the match ended only after Matthew Palmer gave Gregory James a tiger driver through the cinderblocks. Unbelievable! Those two men put on one hell of a match. They both walked and in a show of appreciation, the two competitors received standing ovations and applause respectively. It was all one incredible night of wrestling at MPX. As of now the shows are standing room only. When I first started going there they could barely fill in two rows of seats, now they have them "hanging from the rafters." Soon MPX is going to need a bigger venue to host their shows.