Monday, May 14, 2018

The Making Towns Experience



(via @swervevideo)

I’d known about The Making Towns Classic since it was announced earlier this year, and my excitement level only grew after talking to both Mike and Dylan Hales for my preview on Episode 80 of The Squared Circle Soundoff last week. Myself and a few friends had the pleasure of being live at the first ever Making Towns Classic, and from the start it was more than just a pair of wrestling shows/ one day tournament- it was an experience mixed with friends, fun, wrestling and plenty more. 

A group of us made our way to Nashville via the Making Towns Caravan headed up by Edward Dao and the Big Gold Belt group following Nova Pro’s stellar Threat of Joy (now available on Powerbomb.tv) on Friday night in Annandale. Ed, Glen, DJ and myself and a few others piled into one van and off we were. I have all the respect in the world for what wrestlers do in the ring, but after this I found a newfound respect for the traveling aspect, too.

With any roadtrip, there were a number of stops along the way- including a debacle at one Wafflehouse- but we made pretty decent time and got to the Fairgrounds at around 12 pm on Saturday. With time to kill, we got a look at the venue before the show then headed out to grab a bite. We headed to a nice part of town and into Edley’s Bar-B-Que on Main Street (thanks for the suggestion, Kerry Awful!). The place itself had a nice feel/branding to it and the menu had a great selection. After eating there, the group decided it’s definitely worth a return trip when we come back for the Scenic City Invitational in August.

We returned to the Fairgrounds as everything was set up and a buzz was in the air for the upcoming action.  One of the things that made this special as Dylan noted on the preview was having a blind bracket going in. Fans knew the first-round match-ups but had no idea who would face who afterwards.

FIRST ROUND

Bryan Hughes (the ring announcer of Nova Pro) was looking sharp and on top of his game as we kicked things off, never breaking stride even with some minor mic troubles. Allie Kat and Su Yung squaring off was just a microcosm of how the tournament aimed to feature incredible dynamics throughout the entire night. The two went back and forth before a distraction from Hudson Envy allowed Allie Kat to hit her trademark headbutt and get the first win of the MTC. All would NOT be forgotten later on.

The next two matches would feature girls who were added last minute due to unfortunate medical situations involving Angelus Layne and Isla Dawn- Nina Monet and Christi Jaynes. Monet had a distinct feel to her and a strong sense of confidence even opposite the lovely Faye Jackson. All of that would not be enough as Faye would finish her off and move on to the second round. Jaynes would face Harlow O’Hara and while her efforts were valiant, O’Hara would also prove to be too much with a stiff kick followed by an absolutely brutal DDT. O’Hara looked on-point in both of her matches and can go with the best of them.

Jordynne Grace came in a heavy favorite no matter who she was facing, so Savanna Stone had an uphill battle the entire time. Stone is young and I knew of her heading into this, but really showed a lot of fire both with her technique and her personality and came off wise beyond her years. Grace was her usual, excellent self and even switched things up by winning with a bearhug.

The Hudson Envy/Penelope Ford match was interrupted by- you guessed it- Su Yung, turning it into a much-welcomed triple threat match. That simple tweak helped add to the show, especially the first part that saw 8 matches and no mid-show intermission. Seeing Penelope approaching them to start the match was rather hilarious- and while Su and Hudson had their main focus on each other, Penelope would make her presence felt throughout the match. Her biggest moment came with a picture-perfect crossbody off the top rope to the outside onto both Hudson and Su. Hudson would be taken out when she went knee first into the ringpost/apron, and Su would hit her Panic Switch finish for the win.

Aja Perera vs Laynie Luck would follow. Aja had just returned from Japan with a new look and tweaks to her moveset as well. Luck would still be dealing with a leg injury but braved through it for the right to be crowned winner (less than 24 hours after competing at Threat of Joy, too!). Hats off to her incredible effort on both Friday and Saturday. Luck not only looked serviceable in the ring but a real threat to the sharper-than-ever Perera, but Aja would end up victorious. My night was made when I dubbed one of her moves the “Down To Earth”, and she admitted she might use that as the official name:





Another heavy favorite heading in was Kylie Rae, and the fiery dynamo from the Chicago area came in looking ripe to the hype as she went opposite Veda Scott. Scott, a very crafty veteran with tons of experience would look to rain on Kylie’s parade and slow her down with a diverse arsenal of moves. A second rope clothesline and German suplex were a small sample of her efforts. Kylie would fight through and despite trying her best to exhibit positivity and sportsmanship, she would dig a little deeper to defeat Veda with her trademark superkick.

My favorite match of the first round closed it out as Priscilla Kelly took on Samantha Heights. I’d seen Heights back in Nova Pro a few years back versus Brittany Blake, and the progression was very evident. While a heel almost by default then, she was oozing confidence in the ring and owned every bit of her role this time around. The two put on a classic, and I don’t think I’d seen a match with so many different kinds of kicks/knees in a long time. The two used soccer kicks, bicycle kicks, big boots, sliding kicks, running knees, and more to try and win. 




 Samantha went to great heights and scored the upset after a top rope blockbuster (sorry for not knowing the name). I was legitimately stunned with the result as I predicted we’d see Priscilla versus Kylie at some point (maybe even in the finals), but that’s the beauty of a tournament. In my eyes, Heights’ star was significantly brighter after the MTC.

   

SECOND ROUND



There was a prolonged break in between the shows, and I was starting to feel the entirety of the trip by then, but some fuel from the concession stand and anticipation of the upcoming bouts helped stave off any fatigue. Not knowing what match-ups I was about to see added a whole other level of intrigue.



The Irresistible Force and the Immoveable Object collided as Faye Jackson took on Jordynne Grace to start the second round. Jackson and Faye would go at it with an array of power moves, and neither went down easily. Jackson would fire up with her corner hip/rolling senton attack and it was not enough to put Grace away. Grace went for a musclebuster but Jackson fought her off. Thick Mama Pump would not be denied and tossed Jackson off the second rope and would end up winning with a second rope splash, earning the first spot in the final round fourway.



Heights would be right back at it as she would face Aja Perera in their second matches of the night. Perera was the favorite here, but Heights proved after round 1 that she wasn’t an easy out. Her star-making night continued as she weathered Perera’s superb offense and won again with a top-rope blockbuster.

Allie Kat had quite the break in between rounds but showed no rust as she’d end up victorious over Harlow with a rollup, earning her shot into the final round (a fourway match). This match was fantastic and Harlow took Allie’s best shots and dished out more of her dynamic offense before the finish. I’d seen Harlow before but came away really impressed by her showing in the MTC. This sequence between the two really shows what this match was all about:



The final singles match of the night saw Kylie Rae face off against Su Yung- likely the sharpest contrast of personalities of the night. Before the match even got started, Su was in rare form threatening everyone with a chair and plenty of nasty looks. Kylie’s reactions via facial expressions were classic. But she didn’t wither in the face of adversity- she grabbed a chair and the two had a battle reminiscent of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader’s lightsaber one in Return of the Jedi:


 The two did not disappoint during the match, either. While Kylie had to dig deep to beat Veda, she had to find a new version of herself to take down Su. Watching that character progression throughout the night was something to behold, and an example of the great storytelling fans saw during the MTC. The two went to war and Kylie would finally win with another superkick and be the final entrant in the fourway.


 FINAL ROUND

The fourway was now set: Jordynne Grace, Samantha Heights, Allie Kat and Kylie Rae. Heights might have been the smallest of the four, but it didn’t affect how she was seen as a threat to win the entire tournament. Grace was seen as a heavy favorite here, and all three girls realized early on and ganged up on her. Grace would fall victim to all three hitting their signature moves before being pinned to the shock of the crowd. A hushed whisper fell over the crowd following the elimination and The Undertaker Face was seen aplenty. Kylie made sure to key everyone in on their good job, and Allie Kat would go down next in another shockingly quick elimination. Heights and Kylie threw down and battled for the crown, and eventually Kylie would bounce off the mat with her impressive resorte and drill Heights on the chin with her superkick to win the first-ever MTC.

The crowd was off their feet in appreciation, not only of Kylie winning but the entire efforts of all the women. What we saw was something special, and Papa Hales told fans to expect a second edition to be announced at a later date.


FINAL THOUGHTS:

 Kylie had a hell of a night but having not seen Su Yung in person before I came away beyond impressed with her skillset/presence. She was in FOUR matches throughout the night and never once showed any signs of slowing down. She’s petite as well but packs a hell of a fight in her and when she screams, everyone is in trouble. Post-show she had a long line of fans to greet her but was very patient and kind to every single one of them. Sidenote: love her entrance using “Change In the House of Flies)” by the Deftones.

Samantha Heights’ night has already been discussed throughout this blog, and I’m now on the edge of my seat to witness her bright future following the MTC.

Having seen Priscilla Kelly a number of times whether in Evolve, Shine or other promotions, I was well aware of her abilities. But having not seen her live in a while, it was plain as day how comfortable she is with her character and how she has a distinct way of moving around the ring. She's very athletic and her character is different than all others. Would love to see her compete again soon. 

Aja Perera seemed to be genuinely happy to be back in the States after her trip to Japan to show off what she had learned. She was a hit with the fans, and my interaction with her might have been short but I came away a huge fan.

Savanna Stone was another who stood out in my eyes. Only 18, she had recently appeared on RAW and had some buzz behind her. While she was the plucky underdog versus Jordynne, she showed her range by becoming a very bratty and entertaining heel in a spur of the moment tag match later in the night. Her presence was felt and I hope to see her pop up in more places in the future.

For Christi Jaynes to be available for the show on short notice was impressive. She kindly let the Gated Community share her table and getting to talk to her throughout the night was a treat for sure. She’s wise beyond her years and had plenty of fans stopping by to greet her all night long.

 Shout out to Kerry Awful for all his hard work backstage and also helping with the ring setup, too. That guy is seriously a national treasure. 

I haven’t seen the edited version yet, but I’m certain without a doubt that Dylan provided great commentary for the entire show.

Watching all the various interactions between talent and fans, I noticed how humble each girl was and how there was no room in the MTC for attitudes or divas. I didn’t get a chance to have prolonged interactions with all of the girls but heard tons of great things about them from others. What Papa Hales and Jeremy gave us was tons of great wrestling, a unique venue and a potential to make this a new institution in the southern wrestling scene.

A long night drive was ahead of us, but the buzz of a fantastic night of wrestling helped give us some initial energy for the trek home. One thing’s for sure- Tennessee will see us again soon when The Gated Community, Squared Circle Soundoff and company return for The Scenic City Invitational!


Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think: @SeanNeutron 

 For more photos and videos from the show, check out @SCSOpod.

Give these great people a follow: 

@1GatedCommunity @SnackSabreJr @GDoubles83 @LupusDei2215
@TheMTClassic  @MikeHales9 @MakingTownsGuy @DylanWaco @VAGentMike @tomfva @BryanisNotFunny @BGBgroup


The Making Towns field:

@IAmKylieRae
@Monet_Nina
@PereraPower
@JordynneGrace
@thePenelopeFord
@FayeJackson419
@Samazing73
@SavannaStone01
@LaynieLuck
@ItsVedaTime
@HudsonEnvy
@b000giebear
@chistijaynes
@hvrlow_
@priscillakelly_
@realsuyung


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