Reload DVD

Pro Wrestling Riot

www.ProWrestlingRiot.com

$10.00

Reviewed by Joe Babinsack

I got a stack of stuff a few weeks back, containing Pro Wrestling Riot DVDs, and some Full Impact Pro DVDs, and had a bit of confusion. Both are Florida based promotions, using some of the same talent (Roderick Strong, Erick Stevens, Chasyn Rance, Jerrelle Clark, etc)

Seeing DVDs named Reload and Reborn and all that, and a superficial scanning of the matches, I jumped to some conclusions which I should not have done.

As I started watching the Reload DVD from Pro Wrestling Riot, I realized that while both promotions are under the World Wrestling Network umbrella of distribution, they are two distinct groups.

Which I should have realized from doing a profile of Roderick Strong a while back, and seeing the name Sedrick Strong in PWR.

(By the way, profiles are going to be back on the schedule. There are far too many guys (and gals) out there that deserve more attention.)

So I settled down for a few hours of Pro Wrestling Riot, and these are my thoughts:

Overall, if you dig FIP, you’re going to get into Riot. There’s a similar atmosphere, but Riot features a lot of factions. I know factions don’t do it for a lot of people, but I’m much more interested in seeing a well developed sense of camaraderie among a grouping of guys, rather than seeing a whole roster of faceless and poorly developed guys coming out.

With Pro Wrestling Riot, there are several factions of note, including Club 305, Team Vision, 911 Inc (managed by Ron Niemi,) and Delta Iota Kappa (also known as DIK.)

There’s also an emergence of a group headed by George Martel, which is now known as the “House of M” -- which brings in that Marvel Comics reference that I’m sure Derek Burgan will appreciate. What I appreciate is the old school monster heels (Damballah I’ll see soon enough, and I can’t wait) headed by an old school heel manager who does his business in the ring.

In Reload, Martel is scouting talent, and that angle never gets old for me.

Otherwise, we’ve got the frat boy types (DIK) and the obnoxious young heels (Team Vision, with the awesomely entertaining Mister Saint Laurent!) and the strange paramilitary guys (911, Inc, with the legendary Niemi,) and a couple of clubber/pretty boy types, not to mention the Lifeguards (and their cheesy Baywatch entrance music.)

It’s a cast of characters that can be easily latched on to, and it makes for some good wrestling.

What I liked about the DVD was the reasonable lack of gimmicks.

Actually, the first tag team match had a gimmick in that manager Amy Vitale of Club 305 was banned from ringside. I have to guess she had transportation issues, because we don’t see her on the DVD, and they don’t exactly explain why she’d be banned in the first place.

The match itself featured the aforementioned Lifeguards -- which despite the surface level groan, actually seem like a good team and a gimmick that could go places in other locations. One of the Lifers is a complete pretty boy, with chiseled looks, and the other one looks more like a lifeguard I’d sooner see on a beach with someone in peril. (As in, he’s not there to get a tan and look good.)

Scott Commodity & Austin Andretti are the heels here. Commodity I’ve seen in FIP and he has a good potential to him. Andretti has an awesome name.

The match itself showed me that the Lifeguards can go, and despite a few complaints, showed me that the talent at PWR is respectable.

We then run into an angle that may have been better off avoided. On one hand, it sets up the card and the matches, on the other hand, it just plays out a lot of time and makes the first half of the show really drag.

I mean, there’s a good thing about setting up some revenge, but another thing when it’s slowing down the whole atmosphere.

By the way, I know some people will balk at the low rent gym (actually, there’s a huge plant in on corner, so I’m not sure what the venue is!) but the atmosphere doesn’t feel so cheap.

The coolest part of the audience is this row of what looks to be 8-10 year olds, boys and girls alike, cheering on and getting into the wrestler’s faces. Hey! This is the future of the sport, the kiddies in the audience, and Pro Wrestling Riot is obviously doing something right to attract them.

All I could think about is how these kids are going to grow up and be the next generation of Bleacher Bums. (You try and figure out who’s Dave Scherer and who’s Tom Misnik.)

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the opening with Mister Saint Laurent and Chasyn Rance. That skit was actually comedy on a level that Vince Russo would give his left arm to achieve.

And I kid you not.

Just watch the DVD and see what I’m saying!

Kenny King (otherwise of FIP’s YRR) is wrestling Sedrick Strong (as in Roderick Strong’s erstwhile brother, of DIK.) King is also a veteran of Tough Enough, and it’s great to see him building up experience and showing a dedication that most TE guys (and gals) either never had, or had beaten out of them in short time by the WWE.

Ok, enough of the acronyms.

King always shows talent, and the villainy is great to see. I’m tired of tweeners.

Next up is Kory Chavis. Now, I dug the Rainman gimmick, but between Dustin Hoffman and some other aspects to that gimmick name, it’s cool that he broke free of the moniker.

Eddie Taurus is old school; Italian Stallion/Sal Bellomo/a notch above Frankie Williams level in his portrayal of the guy who gives it his all. At first I wanted to complain about the lower indy mentality of allowing matches to drag on too much, and have too many up’s and down’s, but this match worked well.

Chavis is talent, and Taurus is character, and you’ve got to let them go.

More old school with Jon Davis. He’s the bruiser type rising on the card. I’ve seen Jaison Moore around, and he gives a good effort every time. This was a good match to keep the storylines progressing without the overdone aspects of booking.

Santee & Sideshow get there revenge on 911 Inc, which is the early angle I glossed over. Sometimes it’s hard to get the home audience into the story with a too involved storyline (and no benefit of replays and such) but they do put over that this is more than just a typical storyline, without going overboard.

Santee’s a really big guy, and Sideshow’s a really weird one.

With due respect to Misters Strong and Stevens and Beez, the next match was the highlight of the show for me. Jerrelle Clark is one of the best high-flyers around, and Jack Evans is the next generation superstar of superstars.

I just hope Evans doesn’t destroy his body before he gets the opportunity to dance on bigger stages.

Why Clark didn’t stick with TNA is one of those mysteries for inside politickers. Clark, on the surface, looks a little sloppy for some, but he can break out the moves and like he does in this match, he’s well worth watching, because you never know what he’s going to pull out.

They dance, they fly and they pull out some nifty moves.

If you want to watch a true instant classic, not just scream out the chant, here’s your opportunity.

We get into some factional follies and fights next, as Team Vision continues their heelish ways, and they set up the frat boys as the local faves, and they move to a crazy match between Mister Saint Laurent and DIK’s fetish.

Yeah, like I wanted to write a line like that.

The Main Event is a quality one, allowing Erick Stevens to gain even more experience with the superbly talented Roderick Strong.

Mr. Milo Beasley is a full fledged manager here, and if you’ve not seen the gimmick, get some glasses and check it out. Ray Beez is the local talent who gets a good rub by being at the top of the card. Strong has already proven himself as the FIP World Heavyweight Champ, and Stevens’ star is definitely on the rise.

Pro Wrestling Riot is one of those indy promotions that you’re unlikely to stumble over without a tour guide, but as always, I’m happy to be of assistance. If you’re a student of the sport, or a fan of different styles, atmospheres and products, PWR is a great way to expand your horizons, and get a glimpse at the next generation of talent, and fans, in the pro wrestling industry.

I’ve got more of their stuff to come.

Joe Babinsack can be reached at [email protected]. Watching indy stuff and reading about indy promoters has stoked some fires and opinions, which I’ll share shortly. Let’s keep the indy promotions in business and give a local (or not-so-local) product a look!