ROUND #1 (PART II)

JUNE 1, 2002

By Mike Machnik, “The Fan in the Stands”

UPW Ring announcer Todd Keneley reminded the standing-room-only Raw Center crowd that this was the second part of the first round of the UPW/WPW/Zero One International Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament. Todd then introduced senior UPW ring official Marty Valenza and brought out a nontournament match to open the show.

High Times vs. Lil’ Nate

Lil’ Nate, about half the size of High Times, dodged and ducked, feinted and punched until a frustrated High Times slid out under the bottom rope to the comforting arms of his charming valet. Nate slid out after the big guy, then when HT slid back in the ring Nate stayed to talk to the valet. She slapped him. Face slightly red, Nate slid back in the ring where a side kick to the jaw flattened him on the mat. Using the momentum of a rebound off the ropes High Times tried to lift Nat into the air but the Lil’ One hooked his legs round HT’s head and whipped ar,ound bringing the big guy down on his head. Nate punched the stumbling High Times into a corner, climbed the turnbuckles and punched him from above while the fans counted 10 and let him fall to the mat. But a diving headbutt followed by a roll up got Nate only a two count before High Times rolled a shoulder off the mat. HT got in a low blow while his valet distracted the referee, then following a jawbreaker attempted a casual foot-on-chest cover. But while it was a big foot on Lil’ Nate it still wasn’t enough. HT pulled Nate off the mat and whipped him into a corner, where Nate scampered up the turnbuckles, backflipped off the top, came crashing down on High Times and rolled the stunned big wrestler up for the count. WINNER: Lil’ Nate

Jon Jon vs. R2K

A fast series of holds, blocks, kicks, tosses, reversals and attempted submissions momentarily resolved into an advantage for Jon Jon when he hit a flying leg lariat across R2K’s chest followed by a snap suplex. When R2K stumbled to his feet Jon Jon’s flying headscissors spun him full circle before dropping him on his head. But when Jon Jon rushed the follow up on a back body drop that had R2K flying high he was rolled over on the mat for a pin attempt. Surprised, Jon Jon kicked out, came to his feet and into R2K’s front legsweep face buster. R2K jumped up corner turnbuckles, came off with a twisting back flip that hit Jon Jon across the chest and rolled him up for the pin. WINNER: R2K

Joey Ryan vs. Jason Allgood

Joey didn’t wait for the bell, attacking Jason from behind as he acknowledged the cheers of the fans. A pair of spectacular variations on flying head scissors, one from off the mat and the other off a top turnbuckle bounced Joey on his head. But Joey Ryan’s manager, shouting instructions from outside the ring, hooked Jason’s leg with his cane giving Ryan the chance to send Allgood flying high overhead to crash on his back on in center ring. Joey Concentrated on Jason’s lower back, taking him over with a backbreaker across the knee and after dropping him on the mat repeatedly driving his knee into Jason’s lower back. Jason fought back but Ryan managed to beat him down each time until Jason blocked an attempted slam by holding on to Ryan’s head and riding his face into the mat. Both wrestlers stumbled to their feet swinging fists. It was Joey Ryan who went down. Jason beat Joey into a corner then snapped him back to the mat, but too close to the ropes. Attempting to bring Joey back to center ring it was Jason who was suddenly out maneuvered and, snapped to center ring with a suplex landing on his already battered back rolled up and pinned. WINNER: Joey Ryan

Matrix with Preston Scott vs. Kid Omega

While Preston Scott and the fans engaged in a heated shouting match about who was G.A.Y. and who wasn’t, Matrix drove a knee into Kid Omega’s gut. Omega took the surprise attack hard, but backed into a corner he came out with a series of martial arts kicks of his own rocking Matrix back across the ring. Omega went to the ropes but Matrix caught him rebounding and took him over in a rolling slam. Matrix upper cut straight out of boxing school snapped Omega’s head around in a swirl of blond hair. Matrix beat Omega around the ring while the fans chanted “You are Gay! You are Gay…” and Preston shouted back at them that they had it backwards. The shouting finally brought Matrix to the ropes to add insult to insult. That gave Omega time to pull himself up the ropes and when Matrix tried to take him up in a slam Omega held on dragging Matrix’s head to the mat under him. A series of kicks and punches rocked Matrix as both wrestlers stumbled back to their feet. Omega’s flying headscissors whipped Matrix over on his head and the Kid covered him. But Preston Scott left off shouting at the fans and scrambled to pull he referee out of the ring before he could make the count. Frustrated at not getting a pin Omega went up a ring post, but not fast enough and Matrix pulled him off with a driver landing on the back of Omega’s head and shoulders followed by a roll up and pin. WINNER: Matrix

Crow vs. Little Cholo

Little Cholo flipped, tossed and dragged Crow around the ring until the rookie slid out under the bottom rope in frustration. Cholo followed after Crow who slid back in the ring just ahead of his pursuer then turned to stomp Cholo as he followed. Little Cholo took the stomping just till he could sweep Crow’s support leg out from under him, then tied the rookie up in a suspended swing, rocked him to the delight of the fans and dropped him on his face. Cody struggled against the speed and agility of Cholo, occasionally slamming him on the mat or sending him flying through the air. But Crow was always outmaneuvered in the end, finally ending trapped in a complicated leg and arm tie up in the middle of the ring and forced to submit. WINNER: Little Cholo

Chris Cane vs. Preston Scott with Matrix

More chants of “You are gay” and more yelling from Preston Scott while Matrix protested that they weren’t. To prove their point Preston choked Chris Cane on the mat the first chance he got, having to be pulled off Chris twice by the referee. I don’t know if that was really proof of orientation, but the snarl on Preston’s face through most of the match certainly wasn’t the same sweet guy from G.A.Y. wearing his pink fuzzy balls outside his pants we used to know. Nor was the way he stomped and kicked his opponent when Chris was trapped in the corner the same as the old Preston Scott. In spite of the new viciousness Preston was nearly pinned when Chris Cane’s spinning heel kick knocked him to the mat, only being saved by Matrix returning the favor from earlier in the night by pulling the referee out of position. In the end Preston hit a variation on a driver smashing the back of Cane’s head and shoulders to the mat then rolling him into a submission hold with pressure applied to the shoulders. Preston, still snarling, refused to release the hold till the referee threatened to disqualify him, at which Preston stomped Chris Cane out of the ring. WINNER: Preston Scott

Pure Talent vs. Smelly

Todd Keneley announced that Smelly, the two time UPW Heavyweight Champion, had just made the 210 pound weight limit for the Junior Heavyweight Tournament. There were murmurs of disbelief among the fans. Whatever the case, Smelly was in charge of the match from the opening bell, tossing Pure Talent around the ring and eventually through the ropes over the protests of the referee. Smelly went through the ropes after PT, followed by the referee still protesting until Smelly shoved Pure Talent back in the ring. PT’s attempt at a comeback was cut off when Smelly gouged him in the eyes, drawing more warnings from the referee, which Smelly ignored while tossing Pure Talent around the ring. After a vertical suplex Smelly ostentatiously pulled off his shirt, drawing protests from the fans as well as the referee, and choked PT with it until threatened with disqualification. This led to a shouting match between the official and the former champion until Pure Talent came off the mat throwing punches. The ex-champion went down, but not for long, catching Pure Talent on the ropes and sending him head first over the top. That led to more arguing with the referee, more ranting at the fans and, back in the ring, stomping Pure Talent down the ropes to the mat and continuing to stomp till the referee pulled him off. In the end it was a Stink Bomb driving Pure Talent into the mat that ended the match, but the not shouting between Smelly, the referee and fans. WINNER: Smelly

The next round of the International Junior Heavyweight Championship will be Friday, June 14 at the WPW arena at the Anaheim Market Place where the winners from two weekends of first round matches will face each other in elimination competition until only two remain to go to Japan for final showdown.