PWO – Season 5 – Episode 7

over the line

Who did the PWO commissioner suspend for going over the line?

Joe Dombrowski and Aaron Maguire introduce the show. The main event is Matt Cross against Jason Bane for the PWO Title. Bobby Shields takes on Ben Fruith along with Brodie Lee taking on Corey Winters which is up first. “The Megastar” Marion Fontaine came to the ring with Lee. Winters was in the ring to start the match with Lee still on the outside. Winters gave him a high knee lift then a plancha. Lee dropped Winters on top of the guard rail. Lee bounced Winters’ head off a chair which was on the announce table. Lee rolled Winters back into the ring. A knife edge chop put Winters down. A pump handle suplex by Lee led to more show boating. Lee battered Winters in the corner. Lee with a splash in the opposite corner. Winters got in a jaw breaker and a victory roll after more show boating. Lee missed another corner splash. Winters nailed a missile drop kick. Head scissors take over then an enziguri led to another two count. Lee caught Winters with a big boot. Lee finished Winters with a power bomb. Lee grabbed the pipe and nailed Winters. LaBar came out and stop Lee to stop it “or else.” LaBar suspended Lee. Brodie went for another power bomb when LaBar threatens to suspend Fontaine. Maguire helped to talk sense into Lee to leave.

Analysis: A commissioner that did the logical thing. Yay! Guys are getting suspended in sports for going over the line, it only makes sense. The match played out how it should have. They gave Winters enough offense to not look bad but Lee dominated as he should have. Score: +1.

Vic Travgliante interviewed Bobby Shields and Nicki Valentino. Vic asked about the ski mask. They told Vic it wasn’t any of his business. Shields admitted they had been in a slump. He said they needed something just a little bit more. Shields ended by saying they found what they needed. Analysis: They giggled about taking out Gargano then alleged they didn’t know about it. That was weird. Aside from that though, I liked that they didn’t give up the information easily. They could have brought the masked man into their group, sought help from Josh Prohibition or it could have been one of them that was the masked man. Score: +1.

Justin LaBar confronted Marion Fontaine & Brodie Lee. They said it was just a start. Analysis: Decent way to stress the angle. Not much of a segment. Score: 0.

Bobby Shields came to the ring alone. Ben Fruith came out with the Wrestlerama trophy. (PWO has done a better job of making that trophy relevant this season. They could go King of the Ring push for someone winning it if they wanted.) They started with a collar & elbow tie up. Fruith threw some weak punches. Shields elbowed him from behind. Shields suplexed Fruith. Shields missed a third knee drop but took back over with a running back elbow. Shields slammed Fruith then posed. He pinned him for a two count. Fruith caught Shields running in with a big boot to the face.  Fruith cross bodied Shields for a two count. Shields shoulder blocked Fruith into a corner. He gave Fruith a running high boot. Shields hit a Falcon Arrow. Shields finished him with a Body Bomb.

Analysis:  The announcers stressed the mask and all of its’ none answer. They also stressed the focus of Bobby Shields. His victory over Fruith helped cement their words. I’d be down with Shields moving up the card. Score: +1.

Johnny Gargano talked about how he changed on TV in front of us. Gargano said he has worked his tail off to get to the top of PWO. He said that he hasn’t forgotten about how the ski masked man cost him the PWO Title. Gargano said he wasn’t sure if anyone in Sex Appeal were behind it. Gargano said he knows at a minimum, they know who it is so he’s going to get it out of them. Analysis: Excellent promo because it had so much logic in it. He admits to being off the title hunt (which he would deserve) to finish this business and he’s smart enough to know  that Sex Appeal might not be behind it. Blind rage at people in that spot seems to be a standard in wrestling. Score: +2.

Gregory Iron said that he was this close to winning. He is angry at the Dead Wrestling Society for taking away his win. Iron said that while they are out to get blood, he’ll get more. Iron said that when they least expect it, he will get his redemption for himself and Hobo Joe. They replayed the segment with Jason Bane & Matt Cross from last week. Analysis: It was an OK promo. He’s got to work on the fire a little because it didn’t feel quite genuine. Score: 0.

Matt Cross was introduced first. Jason Bane was introduced. PWO then went to commercial. (Am I watching Raw? Impact Wrestling?) Pedro De Lucca did the formal introductions. (By the time the bell rung, there was only thirteen minutes left. A little disappointing.) Cross rope ran around Bane then Thesz pressed him. Cross chopped Bane when he got up. Bane missed a charge into a corner. Cross sling shot shoulder blocked him. Bane caught Cross in a cross body. Cross leveraged out. Bane got low bridged . Cross hit a suicide dive. Bane clubbed him over the back. Bane tried to javelin Cross into the ring post but he slid out and pushed Bane into the post. Cross gave Bane the flag pole elbow drop off the post. Cross gave Bane an enziguri back in the ring. A jack knife pin only got Cross a two count. Cross back elbowed Bane charging into a corner. Bane gave Cross a fall away slam after another attempted cross body. Bane suplexed Cross.  Bane dropped an elbow but only got a two count. Bane clubbed Cross across his chest. A scoop slam by Bane led to a missed knee drop. Cross locked in a front chancery but got pushed back into a corner. Cross went for a sunset flip. He moved when Bane dropped an elbow. Bane took over with some clubbing blows to the back. Bane missed a splash in the corner. Cross kicked him in the gut. Bane caught him when he tried a hand spring elbow. Cross slipped out of a back body drop. A jaw jacker was followed up by a drop kick and a running knee lift which knocked Bane out of the ring. Cross connected on a sling shot cross body (Third time is a charm.) to the outside.  Cross tossed  Bane back in the ring. A spring board double stomp got Cross a two count. A spring board moonsault did the same thing. Cross locked on a cross arm breaker. Bane got rolled up (The ref should have counted.) then pulled up by the arm he was holding on to. Bane slammed him down but only got a two count. Cross kneed out of a pair of suplexes. Cross bicycle kicked Bane. Cross got Banelined but he was slow in covering Cross which caused a two count. Bane went for a F5 but Cross turned it into a DDT. (Even the announcers covered for how bad that looked.) Cross caught Bane with a Shooting Star Press for the victory. Cross celebrated by staring at the title in glee. Cross held up the title in the corners. Dombrowski said that Cross has overcome the odds and the criticisms of Steve Austin, Bill DeMott and everyone at Tough Enough. Cross and Bane shook after the match.

Analysis: I picked on a couple of small things during the match but overall, it was a very good match. Cross used his movement while Bane took over with power, just like it should have been. The one mistake was magnified because it was the spot right before the finisher. I’m also not down with the Dombrowski line of thinking on Cross. He has improved his mic skills but he can’t prove the Tough Enough people true to me until he gets into the WWE. If he keeps on improving the mic work, he’ll do it. Score: +1.

Final Score: 6/7. Final Analysis: I was initially critical of the beginning of the main event but they didn’t go to commercial and I’m not sure Bane could have gone a lot longer. The show was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Only two segments got a 0 but of which were in no harm of going negative. You couldn’t ask for more out of a wrestling show.

One Response to “PWO – Season 5 – Episode 7”

  1. zourah 2011-12-31 at 11:11 pm #

    That was a great hour of wrestling (I just caught up on the DVR after traveling for the holidays).

    I don’t think Dumbrowski can play the announcing any different. I mean fans know the WWE is the major leagues but Joe kept stressing that Cross had proven the critics wrong by winning a major title. What else is he supposed to say without running down his own product?

    I had no problem with the repeat of last week’s interviews as both Cross (“I’m not finished Vic”) and Bane (talking about pro wrestling as a sport in a way that didn’t insult the audience) were very good and consistent with their characters.

    Extra credit goes to PWO for the way Bane did what would be consistent with his character and lost his title in a heroic way without pouting or turning on the new champ. Also credit goes to Aaron McGwire, maybe WWE should watch how he sold the accomplishment of M-Dogg as being a big deal worthy of respect without being inconsistent as generally a heel commentator. The heel commentator is not necessarily inappropriate in wrestling but when the commentator ruins story lines the way Michael Cole and most WWE announcers do it’s completely counter productive.

    PWO is consistently the wrestling show I enjoy watching the most week to week on TV. The fact that they build up to a big TV main event over at least four and more like eight weeks and delivered with a great show is what sets them apart from anything else we are getting on TV.

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