The action got started even before the scheduled 7 PM start time with two extra bouts. In the opener, The Good Chris from Chicago defeated Cleveland product Mike Musso. There was quite a lot of action, as heel, Musso targeted his opponent's back. After some back and forth action, Chris won with a "roll-up" in a rather abrupt ending.
Second match brought the first surprise of the night as Jake Omen brought a new team "The Hollow Souls." Omen announced that they had joined his "Life Power Church." Looks like a new heel faction is being rolled out tonight.
Their opponents were Nick Zero, and Black Magic. This match was way better than I expected! Filled with innovative moves, and high spots. "Hollow Souls" used a double Missile Dropkick to pick up the win, but both teams were exciting to watch.
Next up was "Dollar," accompanied by Omen, and the Hollow souls, he revealed that he was now a member of the Life Power church. The foe was an African American wrestler called "TD."
With the aid of the rest of the Life Power Church, Dollar won handily, then Omen cut a promo
for Life Power.
After finishing his speech, he faced "superstar" Marion Fontaine. This was another good bout, as Jake had lots of heat with the crowd. The action included a spectacular dive through the ropes by Fontaine, that took out Omen and the hollow souls! Fontaine seemed poised to win with a super kick, but interference by the Hollow Souls led to Jake Omen getting the nod.
Jamie P., President of VIP, came to the ring carrying a small case which he opened to reveal a pair of title belts to be awarded to the winning team in a "Fatal Fourway" matchup at the next VIP card on March 13th. He also announced that the Hollow Souls, by virtue of their win, were already in the match. He further announed that the bout would be a "Tables, Ladders, and Chairs" match.
In the last match before intermission, the "Kosher Club" won over Jamie Andrews, and his partner (whose name I didn't catch). This was largely a comedy match, but Kosher Club (Joseph Schwartz and Sean Tylerstein) got serious long enough to win!
After the break, "Dixie Muscle" (Moonshine Mason and Johnny Rebel) defeated local favorites Jack Verville, and Mister Nifty, in a good but formulaic bout.
Next up Johnny Wallace defeated an opponent from Florida (whatever happened to Programs!)
in a pretty bland match/
Main event pitted Jimmy "The Hype" Shalwin, defending his title against Jamie Eternal. Frankly, two big men make for a slow match. The intervention of Jake Omen, and his clique, added needed energy to the bout. Omen was trying to convince Jamie Eternal to join the Life Power Church. When Jamie rejected the offer, Omen left. When the referee was knocked out by an accidental kick, the entire "Life Power" clique attacked both Shalwin and Eternal.
The rest of the locker room swarmed out to rescue Shalwin and Eternal, and a wild fracas ensued. The bout itself was declared "no contest."
The Good: I love the heel faction. They provide a context for involving audiences in caring for what happens from show-to-show. A good heel (and Omen is a good heel) brings out the best in the competition.
The Bad: Having said why I liked them, I have to also suggest that all the members of Life Power Church need to be careful not to overshadow the in-ring action. During Omen's bout, The Hollow Souls antics were so over the top that the audience attention was pulled awy from the match itself--not a good thing.
The Ugly: The inconclusive end to the main event--fans pay to see winners and losers!
Final Verdict: VIP is getting better, don't drive away the audience with "Dusty Finshes."*
*Dusty finishes get the name from Dusty Rhodes who, as a Booker, was notorious for ending main events with double dq's, double count outs, and other non finishes.
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