The Rusty SAW Report June 20th: TJ Weatherby Memorial
This show got me right in the feels. Another packed house. In the middle of the ring, TJ’s boots, his SAW award, and his chair, among other personal effects.
All the wrestlers came out for a moment of silence, a Terrance James Weatherby wrestling retrospective, and the 10 bell salute. Tim Thompson did his best to turn the attitude around, and prepare the crowd for a night of wrestling.
Jason Nation was out first, to wrestle the returning “Hot Chocolate” Kory Williams. Now, I’m a newcomer to Nashville wrestling, so my only reference to Kory is his time in WCW’s New South with Ashley Hudson. He had a bit of ring rust, which is to be expected, but the crowd ate him up, and he played to the crowd very well. Jason Nation worked hard in this match, and usually wins the crowd over, but played second fiddle to Williams in the crowd’s cheers. Kory got the pin and had some kind words for TJ afterwards.
Brother Brewster brought back Damien Payne/John Wayne Murdoch, to take on Hammerjack. The two of them brawled through the entire arena before ending up back in the ring. Hammerjack blocked a hammer strike from Murdoch, and got the win. Murdoch and Brewster hugged it out, and Murdoch told Brewster he deserved a title shot.
Going from memory here, but I think next us was Lightning Bolt Kid and Pizza Boy Chad Hyatt vs. Lee Condry, and a heavy set guy with blonde and blue hair (sorry, I couldn’t catch his name.) Chad is a much better wrestler than anyone gives him credit for, and LBK always brings his work boots. Lee Condry had some moments of good offense tonight, and took a hard ringpost dive in the far corner. (I don’t think the ring is supposed to move when you hit the post.)
Drew Haskins made his first appearance in a long time at the SawMill, facing Josephus Brody. I love watching both of these guys, because they always entertain, and someday I know I’ll get to see them on a bigger stage. Josephus is working a Messiah-istic gimmick with Aribella, who looked even more amazing than usual. The two put on an excellent, hard hitting match before Brody came away with the win.
John Wayne Murdoch got his title shot, against SAW Champion Arrick Andrews. The crowd was into Arrick, and razzed Murdoch. Murdoch gave him every bit that he had, but came up just short. It was nice to see him again, I’ve not gotten to see him in a while. Always willing to take crazy bumps.
Jeremiah Plunkett came out to defend his NWA TV Title against Shawn Shultz. Shultz is a guy who is usually perfect at everything he does, but tonight, after attempting a pin with his feet on the ropes, it was Jeremiah Plunkett who came up with the win. After the match, Shultz attempted to get revenge, only to end up on the receiving end of the power of the punch.
The last match of the night was Team IOU vs. The Weatherby’s, Kevin and Cody, with Preston in their corner. I’m going to have to guess that this match was both difficult and therapy for Kevin, as I’ve not seen someone this intense in the ring in a long time. I felt bad for Nick Iggy and Kerry Awful being on the receiving end. Cody had some issues getting back into the flow, but they all handled it with a smile. The Weatherby’s came away with a win, and a shot at the Tag Team Titles next week.. The crowd brought the roof down with cheers for TV.
No snark and no critiques from me this week. Thank you to all you wrestled. Thank you to all who attended. Thank you to the Weatherby and Fenton families. I can’t imagine what you have gone through in the past month. And a big thank you to Tim Thompson. Tim has been booking SAW since their merger I do believe, and the man seems to have very little ego, keeping the spotlight on others. He’s worked very hard to get NWA SAW where it is today, one of the premier NWA affiliates. A heartfelt thanks from me to all of you.