SDW Presented it's first ever televised event, Overdrive, this past Wednesday from the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Here's what went down:
Drake Stevens and "Grim" Mark Kade d Team Shockwave and Corey Simmons/Cody Powell via brainbuster on Powell. This was supposed to be Team Shockwave vs Simmons/Powell, but before the match, Drake Stevens made his debut in SDW, coming down to the ring, and completely ripping on both tag teams, and pretty much the entire tag team scene. He challenges them to a 3 way match, which prompts Hoke Smart to come down to the ring, sign the match, and make it elimination style, where both members of the team have to be eliminated in order for their team to be eliminated. After the match, Kade and Stevens cut another very short promo putting SDW, and more importantly, the tag team division on notice.
This was definitely a pleasant surprise to open the show. Neither Simmons/Powell nor Team Shockwave had shown me anything since debuting in SDW, and having Stevens and Cade come in definitely turned what would have been a low point on the show to a high point. An awesome promo before the match, and a good match considering it was a complete squash. I suspect that we've seen the last of both of the other teams in SDW, but hopefully the emergence of Stevens and Cade will lead to a revitalization of the tag team scene.
Shadow d Jason Hellfield with a small package. After the match, Hellfield returns to the ring, and lays Shadow out with a steel chair.
An ok match, nothing spectacular, but nothing I'd call bad here. I like the idea behind a Hellfield/Shadow feud, as both wrestlers have plenty of past history with each other, however I think that the whole steel chair thing is extremely played out. Other than that, no complaints.
Backstage, Madman makes his debut by talking to 3 random guys. He curses a lot, and basically acts nuts because none of them give him any respect. Eventually, the 3 men decide to leave before Madman kills them.
Ok, this was horrible, pure crap. Every other word was a curse, and his entrance accomplished absolutely nothing. Terrible terrible stuff.
Carson Walker d Johnny Cyanide via DQ. The match ends when Pete Boyar runs down to the ring and attacks Walker, causing the DQ. He chases Walker out of the ring, then gets on the mic, and puts him on notice.
A decent match, with a bit of a disappointing showing from Johnny Cyanide. I like the fact that they are rekindling the Boyar/Walker feud from HIW, because I feel that neither man is really appreciated for the effort that they put forth.
Joey Fury d Cyrus Cross via somersault plancha.
A dominating performance from Fury in his first match back. Not the best match in the worst, but certainly not the worst. Fury is going to be a major player in Sun Devil Wrestling.
Shane Matthews d Carter Caldwell via back rollup and a handful of tights.
Outstanding match, with great back and forth action. Shane Matthews is a future main-eventer, but for now he will make a great anchor for what looks to be a strong cruiserweight division. Carter Caldwell looks like he could be a major player too with some fine tuning, as this match was one of the highlights of the night.
Liger and Legacy wrestle to a 20 minute time limit draw. The match ends just before the referee can make the 3 count after Liger hits the Lion Deathdrop. The two men stare each other down as the show ends.
Another great match to end the show. Draws are usually terrible, but this one might not be that bad, because it leaves the door open to a bigtime rematch. Liger and Legacy are SDW's two biggest stars right now, and I wouldn't be surprised if they do battle at SDW's first PPV, "Devil's Dance", on February 13th.
OVERALL: A very good show. I like the fact that it is heavily focused on the wrestling aspect of things but still manages to have a good mix of angles. With an impending Liger/Legacy rematch, sprouting feuds between Carson Walker and Pete Boyar as well as Jason Hellfield and Shadow, new potential for a tag team division led by Drake Stevens and Mark Cade, and rising stars in Joey Fury and Shane Matthews, SDW looks to be building the groundwork to a long and prosperous future. More manpower is still needed for them to be a success, but I think they are taking steps in the right direction.