Pro-Wrestling LARIAT

All-Stars of Wrestling [08.08.09]

2009-08-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

* The show started with a new face in LARIAT, F. Brocious Cartwright, standing at the Interview Station with a Cheshire Cat grin plastered across the length of his face. He was dressed in an all white suit capped off with a white cowboy hat, and if you’d ever watched an episode of the Dukes of Hazard you could see the influence of Sorrel Booke all over this one. F.B.’s cheeks were red, he was a bit overweight, and as LARIAT would soon find out, he could be a bit huffy and puffy when he needed to be:

“Now listen here! All you boys who think you’re the top dogs here in LARIAT is officially put on notice! Y’see, I’m here for one thing and one thing only: GOLD! That’s right, so me an’ mah boys’re gonna be gunnin’ fer every belt that LARIAT sanctions, and every belt from every other place that’s got the good sense enough to bring me an’ mah boys in to work!

An speakin’ of mah boys…”

Two very large men stepped onto the screen on either side of Cartwright. Both of them had the look of monstrous confidence that comes with that size and power.

“May I introduce to you two of mah boys: To mah right, standing at 6’4” and weighin’ in at almost two-hundred and sixty pounds, Alex Graves! And to mah left, standing at 6’7” and weighin’ two hundred an’ eighty-five pounds, Black Jack Savage! Ladies an gen’lemen, I give you the next Texas Heritage Tag Team Champions: The Nightmare Express!"

Cartwright led his men off of the set, patting them on the backs and going on about how they were going to destroy the Tag Team division.

* The opening match of the night was a traditional Trios styled match. Lucha tag rules were in effect, meaning that a wrestler need only leave the ring to constitute a tag. Thom “Roughhouse” Rhodes led his tecnico team of Mat Byre and Tim Van Pelt against the rudo team of Darren “DQ” Quimbey, Jaret Haskeer, and team captain “Big Time” Tavares Bayle.

The match was fast-paced throughout, and only slowed for a couple of comedy spots, the most notable of which being a five-man chain if head-scissors that ended with Tavares Bayle grabbed Matt Byre’s exposed legs and turned him, and everyone else, over into a Boston Crab.

The match ended in what could easily be described as the High Spot of the Night when the tecnico team had Darren Quimbey singled out inside the ring. Thom Rhodes lifted him up and over with a wheelbarrow suplex into a Lung Blower from Byre. Byre held on while Tim Van Pelt came off the top rope with a beautiful 450 Splash onto the prone Quimbey. Rhodes made the cover as his partners held the Haskeer and Bayle at bay.

* The Lonestar Television Champion, Rich Mahogany, was in his private dressing room backstage. He’d had a metal tub brought in, along with three stools and a case of baby oil. The segment started with a tight close-up of The Ladies Man. He was all smiles and mirrored sunglasses. The camera panned out to reveal the Champion standing in the tub, bare-asssed naked except for the TV Title that was conveniently placed to keep the FCC from shutting the broadcast down. On the stools were three of The Ladies, all armed with bottles of baby-oil and squirting it down at Rich like a shower. It was gross, and creepy.

“Ain’t no doubt about it, brother, The Love Machine is IN DA HOUSE! And speaking of the house, Rich Mahogany likes to play house! Also: Doctor. Actually, scratch house Rich prefers to play Doctor with his sexy nurses! MOVING RIGHT ALONG!”

It would have been about this time that Missouri Valley Wrestling’s Trailer Park Barbi walked into the scene. Barbi had traded in her usual tube-top and micro-skirt for a shirt tied off very high under her breasts and a pair of cut-off white-washed jeans shorts that were just barely long enough to have holes worn in the bottom creases of her ass-cheeks. TPB commenced to rubbing the baby-oil into Rich’s perfectly chiseled abs and pectorals.

“Barbi! I’m so glad you could make it! Listen her Ladies and, well, Ladies… I want to introduce you to my new favorite floozy, you know her from MVW, I know her from a closet in an abandoned old-folks home, TRAILER PARK BARBI!”

The scene continued, but Rich never got around to mentioning LARIAT, his match later on in the evening, or even wrestling in general for that matter. This was an excuse for him to lather up in front of a Television audience, and it worked.

* The next match of the night saw the debuting Nightmare Express take on everybody’s favorite Backyard Heroes the Pine Street Posse. The Posse, as has been their M.O. since LARIAT’s inception, tried to start the match fast and get an exciting pace going. This didn’t happen, though, as Black Jack Savage took away any and all momentum that the PSP would have with one huge STO that nearly sent Suicidal Youth through the ring! After that it became less of a match and more of an athletic exhibition for Savage and Alex Graves. Graves lifted the much larger Rod Fantastico and drilled him with his Grave Digger (Emerald Fusion) finisher to end the match.

* On-screen were several still-shots of wrestling action, cycling by too fast to really get an eye on who was doing what, exactly. Several sets of tag title belts could be seen if you were paying close attention. Finally the montage stopped with a glimmering picture of the Texas Heritage Tag Team titles. An off-screen voice made a declaration:

“Coming to a LARIAT ring on September 5th, the Symbols of Tag Team Wrestling in America. Consider this a challenge ACCEPTED!”

* The Osaka Hate Crime were out to the ring next led by Kazuo Akamatsu. Yahagi and Tendo had their title belts wrapped securely around their wastes as they paced inside the ring while Akamatsu retrieved a microphone.

“This is what we get? The Osaka Hate Crime runs roughshod over the LARIAT tag teams and offer a shot to any team on the planet and we get patronized by an ominous voice? UNACCEPTABLE!

Speaking of unacceptable, my opponent tonight hasn’t won a match in over a year, let alone inside of a LARIAT wrestling ring, and he is to be REWARDED with a trip to Canada to compete in a prestigious tournament? THIS DISRESPECT WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED!"

* Erik Ledger was out to the ring relatively quickly after mention of his name. He was in a foul enough mood with his current losing streak, and the last thing he felt like he needed was to listen to some loud-mouthed tourist run his mouth about respect. Ledger slid under the bottom rope and popped up immediately into Kazuo’s face. Yahagi and Tendo didn’t take very kindly to this and they jumped in front of their leader, but Akamatsu waved them off before thumbing Ledger in the eye to get the match underway.

The bell was rung and Akamatsu took it to “The Epitome,” showcasing the skills taught to him in Japan under the tutelage of the legend Kazuma Fujita. Ledger caught a break when Kazuo stopped focusing on the match and began to spend time berating him and mocking the fans in attendance.

Ledger gained several near-falls, most notably after hitting his Jersey Turnpike (Sunset Piledriver) finisher on Akamatsu, but he made the cover too close to the ropes and Mitsuru Yahagi pulled Akamatsu’s foot underneath the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt.

Ledger didn’t take too kindly to this and he popped up, hooked the top rope, and launched himself up and over with a plancha that took out the Tag Team Champions, but as he rolled into the ring Akamatsu had recovered and went on the attack. The end came when Akamatsu caught Ledger on his shoulders and drilled him with Go 2 Sleep and then covered him for the victory.

After the match Yutaka Tendo and Mitsuru Yahagi joined Akamatsu in the ring for a celebration and the obligatory post-match shenanigans where the continued the assault on Ledger.

* Backstage Dusty Griffith and Wyatt Bronson share a locker room. Dusty wraps a final bit of tape around his wrists as Wyatt pulls on his chaps as they make the last preparations for their tag team match with Rich Mahogany and Frank Dylan James.

Dusty: You ready to do this?

Wyatt: *grunting* MmmHmph. You just keep that big bastard Frank outta mah way while ah tear Mahogany in half…

Dusty: You bet’cha.

Wyatt: Let’s go.

Bronson put his signature Stetson hat on his big Texas head and the duo left their dressing room prepared for war.

* “Stranglehold” played and Frank Dylan James was on his way to the ring. His usual demeanor of hooting and hollering was gone, the time for fun and games were through for the Redneck Rampage until he had the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title in his possession. He plodded bare-foot down to the ring where he circled it, eyeballing fans and intimidating ringside attendants until his partner’s music played.

Rich Mahogany was out next, followed by MVW’s Trailer Park Barbi. Rich did his general spiel, gyrating for The Ladies and stealing kisses wherever he could. This didn’t sit especially well with TPB, but aside from glaring at those women that Rich took kisses from she paid it no heed. The two walked hand in baby-oil-soaked hand to the ring where Rich climbed in, making it a point to hump the middle rope as he stepped through.

ZZ Top’s “La Grange” played out Griffith and Bronson, and the duo wasted no time as they made a bee-line to the ring and slid under the ropes. The bell was rung and the match was on as Frank and Dusty picked up where they left off last week, swinging wild punches and chops at eachother with reckless abandon.

Mahogany, scared for his life, ducked out of the ring and squealed like a little girl as he took off running. Bronson followed him out and around the ring, chasing the TV Champion for everything he was worth until Rich found Trailer Park Barbi and jumped behind her. Wyatt stopped in his tracks, never daring to hit a lady, or a tramp for that matter, and Barbi quickly slapped Wyatt across the face causing the big Texan to get even madder. He grabbed her by the hair and put his finger in her face, yelling that she needed to “stay the hell in the back with the rest of the rats.” This was all the distraction that Rich needed for a perfectly placed eye-rake followed by a kick to the groin that the referee didn’t see because he was too busy trying to keep Dusty and Frank in some semblance of control.

Inside the ring Frank took the advantage and began pounding on his former partner, lighting him up with a punch/chop combo that would have put a normal man in a coma. Frank kept up the heat, while on the outside Rich took every cheap shot he could figure out to keep The Lonestar Lariat from eating him for lunch.

Bronson had had enough. He screamed in Mahogany’s face, sending bits of spittle and chewing tobacco into his face in a way that only the Texas crowd could laugh at. Rich again squealed like a girl and took off. He left Barbi to fend for herself as he ran up the aisle and into the back so fast he’d have won a medal in the Olympics. TPB, left with only her feminine wiles to protect her, immediately tried to turn on the charm and seduce the big grappler. Wyatt was non-plussed and he pie-faced her on his way into the ring to save his partner.

Barbi ran off to console her man and Wyatt rolled into the ring, turned Frank around, and flattened him with his Lonestar Lariat. He picked the Hillbilly Jesus up and gave him another out of frustration before dropping down and making the pinfall.

08/08/09 @ The Wrestle-Plex [268 fans]

1. Rhodes/Byre/Van Pelt def. Quimbey/Haskeer/Bayle (17:15)

2. Nightmare Express def. Pine Street Posse (7:49)

3. Kazuo Akamatsu def. Erik Ledger (12:12)

4. Dusty Griffith/Wyatt Bronson def. Frank Dylan James/Rich Mahogany (8:14)

LARIAT Newswire [08.07.09]

2009-08-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

* Angus Skaaland made an unscheduled appearance on AM 1300 The Zone’s morning show the Wake Up Call this morning when he called in to announce that LARIAT would be holding their first event outside the Wrestle-Plex on the campus of the University of Texas on Saturday September 5th when the promotions invades The Range at the legendary Mohawk Austin! That wasn’t all, though, as the main event would be a “restart” of the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title Tournament final between Dusty Griffith and Frank Dylan James! However, due to the events surrounding their last match, the two would clash inside of a fifteen-foot high STEEL CAGE and the title belt would be awarded to the first man to escape the cage!

On top of that, Angus said that he’d taken a special interest in the Lonestar Television Champion, Rich Mahogany, and said he’d made it his personal mission to teach “The Love Machine” some respect! For starters, he was ordering another rematch for the 9/05 event as Mahogany would defend his title against Wyatt Bronson one more time! As an extra-added bonus since Rich couldn’t seem to keep from getting himself counted out or disqualified in all of his title match, this match would be a Texas Bullrope Match!

That wasn’t it, however, as Angus also announced that since he had to open his big mouth about Pacific Wrestling: Canada and their upcoming Canadian Air Assault ‘09 event that he’d gotten in touch with PW:C promoter Matt Saunders to negotiate Rich’s appearances himself! That’s right, “The Thrust Muffin” would indeed be competing in the tournament, and if that weren’t bad enough Skaaland has even gone so far as to make each of Rich’s matches in the tournament a legitimate defense of the Lonestar TV Title! Rich might not even make it to his strap match with the title still around his waist!

In the final bit of his segment, the LARIAT boss again thanked the fans in Austin for their tremendous support of the fledgling company, and to show his appreciation he was going to be bringing in more and more top wrestlers from around the Pro-Wrestling world to entertain the growing fan-base!

* As if on cue the internet dirtsheet 2smart4marks.com posted a link to a video from a longtime road agent and talent coordinator for pretty much any major promotion to come through Texas in the past decade by the name of F. Brocious Cartwright. Cartwright was dressed in like some kind of modern day cowboy, complete with pristine white cowboy had and black bola-tie around his neck.

“F.B. Cartwright has been working for peons and ijits for TOO LONG! But no more, y’see in all my years in this business I’ve developed and helped the careers of several young, grateful wrestlers, and now it’s time to step into the spotlight and lead these men to the top of the Wrestling World!”

* Osaka Hate Crime members Yutaka Tendo and Mitsuru Yahagi are undefeated in LARIAT competition as they defeated every team on the roster in the inaugural Texas Heritage Tag League to win the Tag Team titles! As such, the Japanese duo has exclaimed that no one inside of LARIAT has even a remote chance of defeating them, and they demand a challenge from someone! The team has signed an open contract to face any team in the world, on any LARIAT event, in order to further prove their dominance in Tag Team Wrestling!

* Rich Mahogany has been the subject on many people’s minds inside the business lately, as his dastardly deeds in the ring have been almost as well documented as his sleazy deeds in the bed! When confronted by several members of the press “The Ladies Man” had the following to say:

“Ain’t no doubt about it, baby, Rich Mahogany is on the tips of everybody’s tongue brother! And I mean that exactly the way you think, too! Nevermind this silly little bullrope match and nevermind that stupid tournament in Canada, have you people been watching the Lovely Ladies of Missouri Valley Wrestling? There’s nothin’ that the Rich-Man loves more than watchin’ a couple of sweet sexy tarts get all scantily-clad and oiled up so they can roll around on the mat for half an hour! Not to say that any of them can wrestle, but I sure would like to go a few rounds with that Trailor Park Barbi, if ya know what I mean! KA-CHING!”

No one from MVW was available for comment at the time.

* Last but not least, the Dusty Griffith official website has just released a statement from the Boise State Brawler. Dusty has been out of the public eye since his disqualification in the Pride of Texas Tournament Final bout with Frank Dylan James, but it’s said that he’s doubled his training efforts for the rematch to come. The following was taken from his statement:

“First of all I want to apologize to the referee in that last match. I had no right to put my hands on him as the man was clearly only doing his job. Not only have I paid the fine levied down by Angus Skaaland, but I’ve doubled it, my personal apology to the referee in question. I would also like to apologize to the fans who I’ve let down by sinking down to Frank’s level. This is something that I wouldn’t tolerate from any other wrestler, and something that I won’t tolerate from myself, either.

However.

I’ve been notified that on September 5th Frank and I will get in the ring one more time, with the Title on the line, inside of a cage. I can’t say that I’m fully happy with this decision as I believe that a title should be wrestled over with honor inside the confines of an officiated wrestling match, but I also know that we’ve already been down that road and it didn’t go so well. And that’s fine. You want to put me in a cage with Frank, tell the referee’s to stay in the back, and let us kill eachother?

It won’t be the first time I’ve been inside of a cage, and it probably won’t be the last time, but you can guarantee that it’ll be the last time that Frank Dylan James pisses on this sport that I love! I’m coming for you, Frank, and I’m gonna show you what it’s like when you’ve pissed off the Face of Pro-Wrestling and left him with no other options than to give you a good ol’ fashioned ass-kicking!”

Reporters looking for a response from the Hillbilly Jesus were warned away from his front door when the drunken wrestler stumbled out the front door of the trailer he’s been inhabiting on the outskirts of Austin wearing only a ratty bathrobe and carrying a shotgun in one hand and a jug of corn whiskey in the other. He had one thing to say:

“GIT OFFA MAH LAND HIPPIES!”

* That’s the news for today, remember to keep it locked here and to the E-Wrestling Torch for all the news that matters, and check out LARIAT’s official website for the brand new line of merchandise that goes on sale at the next All-Stars of Wrestling television taping!

LARIAT Newswire [08.02.09]

2009-08-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

HOLY CRAP!

That’s all I can say after watching how the 7/25 edition of All-Stars of Wrestling went down! We’ve got new Texas Heritage Tag Champions, and we’ve got CONTROVERSY about the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title! We cover all this and more on today’s LARIAT Newswire!

* It was announced earlier today that Solomon Grendel and Petey Garrett of the Superior FT would be leaving for Japan for their upcoming tour with Pro-Wrestling: FURY sooner rather than later. When asked after a recent workout session Grendel said that the team was anxious to get some time in working in Kazuma Fujita’s dojo before they made their in-ring debuts later this month for FURY.

When Kazuo Akamatsu heard the news he was said to have been furious, going on a rampage about the disrespect shown to him and his partners in the Osaka Hate Crime from their former teacher Fujita. The following was taken from the OHC’s official Twitter site:

“How much more disrespect are we supposed to swallow with a smile? Fujita-san sends myself, Yahagi, and Tendo out of the country for ‘seasoning’ and then he brings the very team that my partners JUST defeated to win the Texas Heritage Tag League? UNACCEPTABLE!”

* And speaking of the Texas Heritage Tag League, here is the final points table:

1. Osaka Hate Crime (25pts)

2. Superior FT (16pts)

3. Hell Riders (13 pts)

4. Pine Street Posse (10pts)

5. The Firebirds (8pts)

6. Dirty Rydas (5pts)

And as a reminder, from here on out every tag match inside of a LARIAT ring will be worth one point to the winner, and the loser will drop down to zero if they had previously accrued any points. To receive a title shot a team needs to secure three points of contention!

* On his weekly YouTube show earlier this week Rich Mahogany touched on several wrestling related subjects. Most notably he berated Wyatt Bronson for not being man enough to take the Lonestar Television Title from him in their recent match. He touched on several other subjects, including his thoughts on the Missouri Valley Wrestling Association’s all-female roster, and he had the following to say about the upcoming Canadian Air Assault ‘09 event that his name has been attached to:

“Ain’t no doubt about it, brother, the Rich-Man is NOT interested in driving up to the Great White North to deal with a bunch of little flippy homos doing a bunch of flippy homo shit to win some flippy homo trophy! The only trophy that the Thrust Muffin requires is already wrapped securely around his waist, and outside that all I need is the precious Vagoo of all The Ladies!”

* Last but for sure not least, Angus Skaaland is said to have been furious with the way the last episode of All-Stars of Wrestling went down. From Mahogany’s getting himself intentionally disqualified, to the over-abundance of cheating in the Tag Title match, and especially the non-finish in the Main Event for the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title. It’s public knowledge that five-thousand dollar fines were levied against both Dusty Griffith and Frank Dylan James for putting their hands on a referee, but the bit story is LARIAT is without a champion, and the tournament is without a winner! He had this to say to us before shooing us out of his office this morning:

“You know what, I don’t know what the hell’s going on right now, but I do know this. There will be resolution, and we will crown a champion! I’m still finalizing a few things, but if everything goes the way I want it to expect me to have some big announcements on the upcoming edition of All-Stars of Wrestling.”

* That’s the news for today, keep it locked to the E-Wrestling Torch for all the latest news from around the Globe, and keep it on lariat.ewtorch.com for all of the hottest news out of Texas as it pertains to Pro-Wrestling: LARIAT!

All-Stars of Wrestling [07.25.09]

2009-07-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

* Texas Heritage Tag League

The Pine Street Posse and Firebirds were in the ring to start the night off hot, and neither team were there to disappoint! These two fan-favorite teams were both out of contention to win the tournament, but they were no less motivated to win the match and put on a good show. The highlight of the night saw a series of dives from the Firebirds and Suicidal Youth followed up by the three-hundred and twenty-five pound Rod ‘the Bod’ Fantastico show why he calls himself the World’s Largest Luchador when he launched himself off of the top ropes with a flipping tope onto both of his opponents and his partner that took everybody out. Rod rolled Phoenix II and Suicidal Youth into the ring and then the PSP hit the Pine Street Plunge for the win and the five points.

* The Dirty Rydas were at the Interview Station, mean-mugging anyone and everyone. Angus Skaaland came over to ask a few questions, but Gutshot bullied the microphone out of his hands and said what he’d come to say:

Gutshot: “Lemme tell you bustas somethin’! You bitches think jus’ ‘cuz your ride dem ugly ass bikes dat makes ya hard? Spen’ a day in my shoes nucca, bangin’ an’ slangin’ in da hood, livin’ hard wit’ da killer instict! Tell ‘em Shank!

Shank: “Sheeeeeeeeeyit! Like I be sayin, dem bitches don’t know nuttin’ bout dis game son-”

Shank was cut off when the Hell Riders hit the scene and a brawl immediately erupted between the two teams. Skaaland called for the entirety of LARIAT’s referee squadron to try and coral the four men over at least near the ring. It wasn’t easy, though, as the Rydas and Riders managed to fight their way around to the floor seating and up toward the concession stand where they tore the whole thing apart before finally brawling their way down toward the ring.

* Texas Heritage Tag League

It took nearly ten minutes of crowd brawling before both teams made it to the ringside area, and the referee called for the bell as soon as Doomsday tossed Shank Nasty under the ropes and into the ring. All four men were winded at this point but the brawl continued. Apache dropped off the apron and went around and pulled Gutshot down and plastered him with a hard right hand before sending him hard into the guardrail and jumping into the ring where he and Doomsday hit their Go2Hell finisher and Doomsday made the cover for the pinfall victory.

* Backstage Rich Mahogany climbed out of a hot tub wearing only an electric-blue banana-hammock and leaving behind three of The Ladies to pine for his quick return from wrestling. The Love Machine pulled on his only slightly more concealing wrestling trunks, slicked his hair back into a ponytail, and grabbed the Lonestar Television Title off of a nearby table and headed for the ring.

* Lonestar Television Title Match

Wyatt Bronson was out first with his bullrope in tow. He took off his ten-gallon hat and leather vest and ran wild in the ring, slapping the ropes and the mat and almost the referee, demanding that Rich Mahogany get out to the ring and fight like a man. Otis Redding’s “Love Man” played the Champion out, and as usual he made a big deal out of pandering to The Ladies, but Wyatt was having none of it this time. He left the ring and barrel-assed up the aisle and wrapped his bullrope around Mahogany’s neck and drug him to the ring, slung him under the bottom rope, and followed him in.

The referee was quick to unwrap the rope from around the choking Champion’s neck, and since all of this happened before the bell rang he had no choice but to start the match as Wyatt began stomping the mess out of Rich. The champ flopped around on the mat, screaming like a six year old girl, and trying to get away from Bronson to the best of his ability. Bronson put a stop to the floundering, though, with a very well placed elbow drop to the gut of the Champ that knocked all of the breath out of him.

Bronson continued kicking the crap out of Rich for quite a few minutes, with the champion never getting in any offense except for the occasional eye-rake or toe-stomp that only infuriated Wyatt that much more. Bronson set Rich up for a powerbomb, looking to flatten the champion and end the match, but The Love Machine had one last trick up his sleeve as in plain sight of the referee Rich gave Bronson the low blow to end all low blows. The official had no choice but to call a disqualification, and Rich rolled out of the ring, grabbed his title belt, and high-tailed it away from the enraged Texan screaming at him from the ring.

* Dusty Griffith paced the floor of his locker room. His tournament final with Frank Dylan James for the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title was coming up in a few short minutes and he seemed to be mentally preparing himself for what he knew would be a war. He said nothing, never even acknowledged the camera, he just paced. The look of determination etched across his face was a familiar sight, though, and you could tell that he was running his game plan one last time before the big match.

* Texas Heritage Tag League

Kazuo Akamatsu led the Osaka Hate Crime to the ring, and from the looks of things Akamatsu had his men ready. They kept the hijinks to a minimum for once, knowing that with only a four point lead on the Points Table that they could still very much lose this tournament.

Solomon Grendel and Petey Garrett were out next, and both men had the same steely looks of determination on their faces as their opponents had. They too knew that the points were close. They knew that three points weren’t going to get it done this week, they had to pin or submit either Yutaka Tendo or Mitsuru Yahagi in order to with the Tag League and the Texas Heritage Tag Titles.

Everyone was on edge except Kazuo Akamatsu, he berated both members of the Superior FT as well as the fans before the referee forced him out of the ring and rang the bell.

The two smaller men, Garrett and Tendo, started the match out for their teams, and they started it out quickly. Both men were known for their speed, agility, and striking, and with the tournament and the titles on the line you could bet they were both out to get an early advantage for their teams. Neither man could score an advantage though, and eventually both tagged out to their partners.

Yahagi’s strong style and Grendel’s submission wrestling were both teams strength, and the two of them worked eachother over for a while before Grendel took the advantage simply by frustrating Yahagi’s attempts to power his way to victory. After a while Tendo tagged back in, made a quick flurry of offense but eventually the Suicide Stretching Machine forced his will on the high flyer by grounding him. From there the SFT worked as a well oiled machine, keeping Tendo in their corner and tagging in and out, they worked Tendo for a good while before Kazuo Akamatsu could cause a distraction by jumping on the apron, thus causing the referee to be out of position for a tag by the SFT, and in position for Tendo to make a desperation tag to Yahagi.

The OHC took over, using sheer brute force along with the numbers game to keep the advantage and work over the tiring Petey Garrett in their corner. Grendel attempted to save his partner several times, even breaking up a few pinfalls, but for the most part all it accomplishes was taking the official’s attention away from the action so that Tendo, Yahagi, and Akamatsu could work over Garrett while the ref admonished him.

Petey finally made the hot tag, and Grendel came in and played his part as he cleaned house, even getting a good shot in on Akamatsu at one point when he climbed onto the apron to cause another distraction.

In the end, Grendel had Tendo locked in his Crossed Arm Cobra Clutch finisher, and Tendo looked like he was just about to tap. Yahagi came in to make the save but Garrett cut him off with a springboard missile dropkick. The SFT were about to win it all when Akamatsu pulled Tendo’s foot onto the rope. The referee was forced to make Grendel break the hold, but then he got up and made the call to kick Akamatsu out of the ringside area! It was too late though, because Tendo used the final distraction to roll Grendel up, and with a handful of tights he held Grendel down for the referee’s three count.

By a score of 25pts to 16pts, the Osaka Hate Crime had won the Texas Heritage Tag League, and in doing so had earned themselves the Texas Heritage Tag Team titles. Angus Skaaland was out after the match to award the new champions their newly minted belts, and Akamatsu and his boys celebrated the victory inside the ring while Garrett and Grendel made their way back up the aisle, disappointment marring their faces.

* As Akamatsu and the Osaka Hate Crime left the ringside area, Angus took a microphone from a ringside attendant and decided to address the crowd before the main event. He thanked all of the tag teams who’d participated in the Tag League for all of their hard work and congratulated the winners, though he did throw in a warning that in the future so much interference would not be tolerated in title matches within the LARIAT ring. He also made the official announcement that the Pine Street Posse and Firebirds would be heading to Missouri in the very near future to compete in the innovaPRO promotion’s tournament to crown it’s tag team champions, and he wished both teams luck there. Finally, he explained to the crowd and the wrestlers just exactly how the Texas Heritage Tag Title contenders would be decided, giving a run down on how the division would work from this point on:

“It’s really rather simple. In order for a team to challenge for the titles, they’ll need to accrue three points. Each tag-team match in LARIAT will be for points, regardless of the stipulations or participants. Each successful pinfall or submission victory will earn a team one point toward title contention, but any loss will automatically drop a team back to zero points. It is my hope that this will promote the most possible competition, and the best possible contenders for the Tag Titles in the future!”

He then again thanked the fans, and thanked them for spreading the word, as each event that LARIAT has held has brought more fans than the last. He talked about continued growth and even hinted that the first LARIAT show to be held outside of the Wrestle-Plex was in the works.

* Pride of Texas Tournament Final

Finally, the match that wrestling fans had been waiting on since Dusty Griffith left Wrestle Coast: Cascadia last year was about to take place. Not only that, but the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title was going to be on the line as the Boise State Bronco clashed with his former partner and current nemesis Frank Dylan James.

Dusty was out first. He slapped hands as he made his way toward the ring, but he was all business. He was inside the ring and had his ring-jacket off and was being checked out by the referee before Frank’s music even had a chance to play. When the first chords to Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold” scratched through the building’s sound system things went haywire. The crowd was hot, mostly pro-Griffith but you’d best believe that Frank’s hillbilly insanity had it’s fair share of fans.

Frank hooted and hollered, his eyes wide with rage and his feet bare as the day he was born. He charged out of the dressing room and into the ring. He got to his feet and got into Big Dusty’s face immediately, something that Dusty didn’t appreciate one bit. Frank stuck his finger in Dusty’s face, and Dusty slapped it away. The two gorilla-sized grapplers went forehead-to-forehead for a second and the bell was rung to get the main event underway.

Frank didn’t hesitate, smashing his own notoriously hard head into Dusty’s. All this did was draw the former PNW Heavyweight Champ’s ire as Griffith returned in kind. Frank threw a wild right, Dusty answered, the behemoth’s stood trading punches in the middle of the ring. It took a lot, but eventually Dusty got the advantage with his lunchbox-sized fists, but not to be the one to lose a fist fight Frank went dirty and gave Dusty an Asiatic Spike right to carotid artery in the side of the throat.

And that was all it took for the Hillbilly Jesus to take the advantage. I dropped bombs on Dusty, forearms and kicks to the back and ribs, vicious chops to the chest, and teeth-rattling punches. Dusty blocked a punch and returned in kind, but Frank only grinned and smashed his head into Dusty’s face. As Griffith’s nose bent sideways a gush of blood came rushing out, and Frank pressed the advantage even more by forcing the now bleeding grappler out to the floor.

The referee had been instructed to be as lenient as possible with this particular match, so he never even started a count on them as he followed them out to plead for them to bring it back into the ring. Frank would have nothing of it, though, instead preferring to send Dusty flying hard into and through the ring-steps.

They battled around the ringside area, mostly with Frank in command, but Dusty did get his licks in, at one point putting Frank over his head with a nasty looking Tiger Suplex on the floor. He went for the half-and-half to finish Frank off, but the hillbilly mule-kicked him. The referee almost called it just as he called it on Rich Mahogany earlier, but he let it go.

They continued their brawling, Frank took the advantage again by reaching into the crowd and getting himself a chair to smash Griffith over the head with. Dusty recovered though, bulling Frank’s back into the guard rail before unleashing a devastating Rolling Elbow that not only rocked the Redneck Riot, but busted him open as well.

Finally Dusty got enough separation and rolled back into the ring. Frank shook the cobwebs loose and followed suit, and as soon as both men made it to their feet they were slugging it out again. Frank grabbed Dusty’s neck and choked him back into the corner. The referee counted but to no avail as Dusty grabbed Frank by the neck too and the two grapplers tried to strangle eachother. They took turns sending punches in, but they had gotten themselves tangled in the top rope and the referee finally decided to step in.

For his troubles he got shoved away by both men. He got involved again, yelling for them to let go, but this time he got two giant fists to either side of his head as both men punched him at the same time in the heat of the fight.

The bell was rung as officials flooded ringside with Angus Skaaland behind them directing traffic. Dusty and Frank has rolled their way to the outside of the ring again and continued their fight as officials were tossed by the wayside any time one of them got in the way. The fight went over the guardrail and into the crowd and Skaaland and his officials couldn’t gain control of the situation. The match was announced as a Double Disqualification but neither men stopped to recognize it.

They continued fighting as the show went off the air.

07/18/09 @ The Wrestle-Plex [270 fans]

1. Pine Street Posse def. The Firebirds (7:49)

2. Hell Riders def. Dirty Rydas (2:21)

3. Wyatt Bronson def. Rich Mahogany (11:37)

4. Osaka Hate Crime def. Superior FT (22:14)

5. Dusty Griffith DDQ Frank Dylan James (9:12)

LARIAT Newswire [07.17.09]

2009-07-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

* On Angus Skaaland’s weekly YouTube update he confirmed that PW:C promoter Matt Saunders had indeed contacted him about the possibility of having a couple of LARIAT’s Junior Heavyweight’s come up to Canada to compete on the Canadian Air Assault event at the end of August. He also added that he’d been in talks with innovaPRO spokesman Ryan Corey about sending a team or two from LARIAT’s Tag Team division out to Missouri to get some extra exposure.

* Wyatt Bronson was on Austin’s AM 1300 The Zone’s morning Wake Up Call this morning. Wyatt spent a good while discussing the Texas Longhorns incoming recruiting class before a listener called in and asked him about his Lonestar TV Title match with Rich Mahogany scheduled for tomorrow’s All-Stars of Wrestling telecast. The former Defensive Tackle of the Longhorns replied with a hefty laugh and the following statement:

“Lemme tell ya somethin’ ‘bout Rich Mahogany. That pencil-necked little twerp thinks he’s gonna pull another fast one on th’ Lonestar Lariat, but that boy ain’t as quick as he thinks! I’m gon’ squash ‘im like bug right dead in th’ center o’ the rang an’ thar ain’t nuthin nobody can do about it!”

* The tag team division that has developed in LARIAT has been a pleasant surprise, as team wrestling has long been deemed a dead art. The Texas Heritage Tag League has spotlighted six of the best teams on the independent circuit over the past two weeks, but it’s become apparent that mathematically Saturdays match between the OSAKA HATE CRIME [Mitsuru Yahagi, Yutaka Tendo] and the Superior FT [Solomon Grendel, Petey Garrett] will be the match to decide the winner of the League and the first Texas Heritage Tag Champions!

Texas Heritage Tag League Points Table:

1. Osaka Hate Crime (20)

2. Superior FT (16)

3. Hell Riders (8)

- Firebirds (8)

5. Dirty Rydas (5)

- Pine Street Posse (5)

* Frank Dylan James was livid at the close of the last episode of ASoW. Once everyone had returned to the dressing room after the main event Frank walked up to Nü Violence Express leader Kazua Akamatsu and challenged him to a fist fight. Yutaka Tendo and Mitsuru Yahagi both jumped to Akamatsu’s sides and a slugfest almost broke out in the locker rooms! Sources close to the Hillbilly Jesus say that he was embarrassed when he had to be “saved” by Dusty Griffith and wanted give all three members of the NVE personal receipts for their antics.

Griffith steered clear of the backstage drama as he apparently left directly after his involvement in the Main Event. It would appear that the Boise St. Bronco has once again picked up his globe-trotting habits and had a trans-pacific flight to catch early the next morning.

One way or the other, Frank and Dusty will both be at the Wrestle-Plex on Saturday for their final round match of the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title Tournament, but whether or not this will be the end of their difficulties is anyone’s guess, as these kinds of issues of respect can turn ugly fast!

* Be sure to check out all this action and more this week on All-Stars of Wrestling, and if you’re in the Austin area come on out to the Wrestle-Plex where it’s always $5 general admission and $10 front row seating!

All-Stars of Wrestling [07.11.09]

2009-07-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

* Once again the show started off with promoter Angus Skaaland in the ring. He talked about the Pride of Texas tournament and how it was coming along, he talked about the Tag Team division and how it was heating up, and he talked about Rich Mahogany and his dastardly tactics involving the Lonestar Television Title. Much to the chagrin of those male wrestling fans in attendance this brought out The Ladies Man himself with the gold strapped around his waist. Once he finally made it into the ring he took a microphone and had this to say:

“Listen up, brother, there’s a little thing called the Champion’s Advantage when it comes to wrestling! Now, is it the Love Machine’s fault that none of your hand-picked challengers can pin these sexy shoulders to the mat for a three count? I didn’t think so!”

Angus replied that Rich’s luck wasn’t going to last him forever, and his little act was getting tired with the LARIAT fans. Rich postured a bit before leaving the ringside area citing that he had the night off. Angus thanked the fans in attendance for showing support to LARIAT and then left the ring himself so the show could get going.

* Texas Heritage Tag League

The Pine Street Posse was out first, both of the former backyard wrestlers had serious looks of trepidation on their faces as they knew that they were about to face two of the biggest, baddest angriest hombres on the entire LARIAT roster in the form of the Hell Riders. While neither team was yet mathematically eliminated from the Tag League, all four participants knew that the loser of this match was pretty well done and the winners would still have to hope and pray for a lot of luck as it pertained to the other teams in the League losing key matches this week and next week.

Once the Hell Riders hit the ring all hell literally broke loose. Apache and Doomsday were in no mood to play and nothing Rod Fantastico or Suicidal Youth could do put a dent in the high powered offense of the Riders. It was over quickly, thankfully, when Apache stuffed SY with a serious powerbomb and held on for the pin.

* After the match the Dirty Rydas stormed onto the interview set where they made fun of Angus Skaaland for being a skinny little honky despite the fact that both Shank Nasty and Gutshot were white themselves. Angus asked the Rydas why they decided to cost the Hell Riders points last week, Gutshot answered like a true thug:

“Sheeeeeeeeeeyit! Dem bitches done crossed up against da wrong set a’ Gangstas! Me’n my nucca Shank, we was sendin’ dem hoes a message ya heard? Jus’ like tonight we gon’ send dem Superior FT hoes a message! An’ next week we gon’ ride out on dem motorcycle-ridin’ beyatches! DUMP DUMP!”

* Pride of Texas Tournament [Round Two]

Last week Dusty Griffith joined forces with Wyatt Bronson in the Flag Match and they were victorious, this week Dusty and Wyatt stood on opposite sides of the ring. The two behemoths shook hands in a show of the friendship that they’d developed since the inception of LARIAT, but as the referee called for the bell you could tell both men had slipped into “business mode” and the fight was going to be on. Dusty took the early advantage as he was clearly the better wrestler of the two, but it didn’t take long for “The Lonestar Lariat” to turn it into a brawl where he more than evenly matched up against Dusty’s power game.

The two big bulls went at it hard and heavy, neither man willing to give an inch. Each of them throwing some of their best shots and barely getting near falls out of it. At the eleven minute mark Rich Mahogany sauntered out to ringside doing his usual shtick of kissing the girls and handing out roses and hotel keys. Wyatt was distracted for a moment, yelling at Rich about being a “yella-bellied bastard,” and when he turned around he’d given Dusty enough time to recover so that when Bronson threw his Lariat, Dusty evaded the blow and hooked him up in a full nelson. Griffith pulled the big man up and over with a monstrous Dragon Suplex and held on for the three count.

Dusty, being the man that he is, immediately checked on his opponent before standing to scald the Lonestar TV champion. Bronson shook the cobwebs out and made his way to his feet before demanding a microphone:

“Ya sonuvabitch! Ya cost me this tournament! I oughta-”

As it turned out, Rich had a microphone of his own:

“Shaddap ya big baby! You’re just pissy because not only can you not get any attention from The Ladies, but you can’t get your big ugly mitts on a title belt here in LARIAT either!”

Angus was goading the big man, and everyone knew it. Inside the ring both Dusty Griffith and Wyatt Bronson were irate and begging Mahogany to come into the ring. From his vantage point at the Interview Station, Angus Skaaland got on his own microphone and put his two cents in:

“You know Rich, I told you that your luck was going to run out, and it just did. Next week, right here at the Wrestle-Plex, you’re going to defend that TV Title against Wyatt Bronson one more time!”

The fans loved it, Wyatt Bronson loved it, and Rich Mahogany’s jaw dropped in abject terror. Apparently The Ladies Man never actually thought he’d have to face the music when he was poking and prodding at the big man over the past couple of weeks. He made his way to Angus and proceeded to beg the promoter to change his mind, to which Angus laughed in his face and told him to get ready to be LARIAT’s first former champion!

* Texas Heritage Tag League

The next match of the evening was the Superior FT taking on the Dirty Rydas. Petey Garrett and Solomon Grendel were in no mood to deal with the shenanigans that Gutshot and Shank Nasty were quickly becoming known for and it showed with their double tope-suicida’s to get the match under way before the bell was rang. The SFT boys had to make up some points due to the last two weeks worth of getting half-points due to circumstances out of their control.

Once inside the ring the Rydas tried slowing things down, and Gutshot beat on Garrett for a couple of minutes before the Hell Riders showed up. The Riders took up positions on either side of the ring and the referee had to try to have eyeballs in the back of his head because he knew exactly what happened last week between the Riders/Rydas. However, the Riders proved not to be a factor in the ending of the match as Garrett and Grendel caught Shank Nasty in the center of the ring with the Black Obsidian Driver, Garrett then sent Gutshot to the floor with a nasty Yakuza kick while Grendel held on for the pin and the five points. As soon as the bell was rang, however, Apache and Doomsday made their move and attacked the Dirty Rydas. They wouldn’t get their revenge though, as the sneaky Dirty Rydas made a quick exit through the crowd before any real damage could be done.

* Texas Heritage Tag League

The OHC were out first with Kazuo Akamatsu leading the way. Before the match started Akamatsu took a microphone to tell those in attendance to watch as the New Violence Express showed Texas, the United States, and that hypocrite Kazuma Fujita who sent them to America for “seasoning” rather than letting them onto the full roster of FURY so that they could show dominance in their home country. The Firebirds were out next to a very solid crowd reaction as they raced into the ring and got things under way with a flurry.

The match was fast paced throughout, with the Firebirds enjoying an early advantage because of their break-neck style of all out aerial offense. The tide turned when Akamatsu climbed onto the apron and distracted Phoenix II, allowing Yutaka Tendo to crotch him on the top turnbuckle and then take the advantage by DDTing him hard off the turnbuckle for a two count. The OHC then went on a very formulaic offensive, cutting the ring in half and tagging in and out quickly to keep the fresh man in and keep the pressure on. After several attempts to tag out to Phoenix I were stopped, Phoenix II _finally_ managed to make the hot tag to his partner who came in and cleaned house, taking the advantage back for his team.

It wasn’t to last, though, as Akamatsu’s continued distraction of the referee would eventually lead to Phoenix I getting dumped outside hard into the railing, and Phoenix II falling victim to a Spanish Fly from the Osaka Hate Crime which led to an easy pinfall.

* Frank Dylan James was at the Interview Station, pacing back and forth. Angus Skaaland knew better than to try and stick a microphone into the angry hillbilly’s face, and as such he was nowhere to be found. Frank had his own though, and his thoughts were simple:

“Lookit these little flippy baysterds, talkin’ all kinds’a shit that ya cain’t even understand! Ah’m gon’ go in thar’n crush that Shakazulu sum’bitch, an’ then Ah’m a gon go whip Dusty Griffith’s big ass next week an’ earn me that perty little Pride a’ Texas title belt!”

The irony of Frank not being able to understand Akamatsu was very likely lost on the Hillbilly Jesus, but everyone found it hilarious. So long as they weren’t within earshot of him…

* Pride of Texas Tournament [Round Two]

Kazuo Akamatsu was in the ring already, his men at his side, and they dared the Mastodon from the Mountains to step into the ring with them. This was a stupid idea, because as anyone who’s followed the career of FDJ could tell you, three-on-one is still good odds in his favor. Frank slid in under the bottom ropes and was immediately attacked by all three men. The referee tried to break it up, but as the bell hadn’t officially been rang there was little to nothing he could actually do.

The one thing that the New Violence Express weren’t counting on was Frank’s love of a good fight. He weathered the storm long enough to get to his bare feet before leveling Tendo and Yahagi with haymakers, sending them rolling to the outside of the ring. The referee called for the bell and the match was on! Akamatsu attempted to get the jump on Frank to no avail whatsoever as the big man from the mountains punched him hard in the face, sending the Japanese stalwart to the mat hard. Frank laid in a series of kicks to the ribs before picking him up and giving him a Bionic Elbow that put Akamatsu on Dream Street early. Frank backed him into the corner and started waylaying him with a repeated punch-chop-punch-chop combo that made even the biggest barfighters in the crowd cringe.

The Redneck Riot continued his assault for several minutes, whipping Akamatsu from pillar to post and just beating him up. To his credit Kazuo took it all and kept coming back for more, but it wasn’t until Tendo and Yahagi hopped onto the apron and caused the referee to be out of position that Akamatsu could take an advantage with a thumb to the eye followed by a very stiff kick to the groin that put Frank on the mat in pain.

Akamatsu took over with a relentless assault, stomping at the bare feet of the bigger man while keeping him wrapped up in every excruciating submission hold that he could muster. Frank screamed in pain and frustration until he managed to push Akamatsu off of him long enough to create some space and go back on the offensive. Once he had Akamatsu back in the corner he barrel-assed his way in for an Avalanche Splash in the corner, but Akamatsu moved at the last second as he also managed to pull the referee into the corner to take the blow. The ref was out, and that was all it took for Mitsuru Yahagi and Yutaka Tendo to jump into the ring and take a two man advantage once again.

Frank took a beating while the referee struggled to recover, and things were looking bad for the Hillbilly Jesus, but then the crowd popped hard as the face of pro wrestling today, Dusty Griffith, sprinted to the ring. Dusty didn’t hesitate, he grabbed Tendo from behind and destroyed him with a release German Suplex! Yahagi saw this and charged, but Dusty evaded a clothesline and absolutely leveled him with a rolling elbow that busted Yahagi open over the right eye and sent him rolling out of the ring. Big Dust rolled Tendo out as well, and then grabbed the referee and tossed him like a sack of potatoes back into the ring.

Frank, knowing better than to look a gift-horse in the mouth, re-took the advantage from Akamatsu with several absolutely brutal headbutts to the Japanese opponent. He then scooped him up, yelled out “SCOOP SCRAM!” before dumping him onto his head on the mat very precariously in what might have been considered a scoop slam in some alternate dimension. Frank ascended the ropes shakily and hopped off, landing with both knees square in Akamatsu’s chest before making the cover. The referee, still mostly out of it, counted a very long three count and awarded the victory to Frank Dylan James.

Frank stood up and glared down the aisle at Dusty, meanwhile Griffith could only smile at helping his former partner out of yet another jam as he backed away making the international sign for a title belt around his waist as he left the ringside area.

07/11/09 @ The Wrestle-Plex [224 fans]

1. Hell Riders def. Pine Street Posse (4:34)

2. Dusty Griffith def. Wyatt Bronson (11:45)

3. Superior FT def. Dirty Rydas (9:12)

4. Osaka Hate Crime def. The Firebirds (14:15)

5. Frank Dylan James def. Kazuo Akamatsu (11:52)

LARIAT Newswire [07.06.09]

2009-07-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

* The early buzz on the internet as it pertains to LARIAT has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s not often that a brawling product gets any respect outside of the deathmatch circles on the notoriously workrate-starved internet forums, but LARIAT seems to be the exception as of late! It’s not as if the roster is full of guys who’d rather stab someone than suplex them, but it’s still great to be accepted by a notoriously picky crowd.

* Dusty Griffith was asked today upon exiting a local Gold’s Gym what he thought about the E-Wrestling Torch’s Wrestler of the Week segment that was recently released on the internet. Smiling, the face of pro-wrestling spoke easily:

“It’s great to know that there are people out there going out of their way to make sure that all of the great promotions out there get the coverage they deserve! With that said, it’s an honor to be mentioned in the company of a group of great wrestlers from all over the World.”

In a follow-up question the former PNW Heavyweight Champion was asked about his former partner and friend Frank Dylan James. His notoriously chipper mood seemed to drop a bit at the mention of Frank:

“You know, I’m really starting to get tired of answering the same questions about him over and over again. No, I don’t blame myself for his change in attitude, and no, I’m not going to apologize for taking some much needed time off to heal some nagging injuries that I picked up while running back and forth across the Pacific Ocean twice a week for two years. Frank’s a grown man, and I’m not going to babysit him forever. If he can’t understand that, then I’ll just have give him a good ol’ fashioned ass-whippin’ like he’s been handing out to everyone he’s ‘wrestled’ for the last two years!”

* “The Love Machine” Rich Mahogany debuted his internet show “Fifteen Minutes and Out the Back Door” on youtube yesterday, and among taking calls from all of The Ladies of Austin he said a few words about Wyatt Bronson:

“I don’t know why that big gorilla thinks he’s gonna get his peter-pullers on the my Lonestar TV Title! Pay attention, brother, the big lout hasn’t done anything in years!”

On the rest of the LARIAT roster:

“The Rich-Man just ain’t impressed! We got Dusty “I got scared of success after I won forty-zillion matches in a Row” Griffith running around like he’s still in Portland where he mattered! Pah! And don’t even get me started on those silly little yellow dudes, I can’t understand anything any of them even say! Pfft, past me LARIAT’s nothin’ but a bunch of rednecks and foreigners, it’s no wonder there’s so many of The Ladies at our shows, daddy, because all the fat retarded ‘wrestling fans’ are too busy with ACW and NFW to bother with a bunch of Texas rasslin’!”

* The once highly-touted rookie Erik Ledger can’t seem to catch a break! He’s been a glorified job-guy since making a splash on the indy scene a few years ago all the way through the entire run of Wrestle Coast: Cascadia. LARIAT is probably Ledger’s last chance at “making it” somewhere before he just gives it all up, and fans at the last TV taping said that he seemed a bit dejected after both being eliminated from the Pride of Texas Tournament and then getting just beaten up by Wyatt Bronson in the Main Event Flag Match. He’d better do something soon, there’s too many young hungry wrestlers in Texas who’d love to take the spot that “The Epitome” thinks he deserves!

* In today’s last bit of news, the semi-final bracket to the PoT tournament has been posted along with the current Points Table for the Texas Heritage Tag League:

Pride of Texas Tournament

Semi-Final Brackets

1. Dusty Griffith

5. Wyatt Bronson

6. Kazuo Akamatsu

2. Frank Dylan James

Texas Heritage Tag League

Standings after Week 3

1. Osaka Hate Crime (15)

2. The Firebirds (8)

3. Superior FT (6)

4. Pine Street Posse (5)

- Dirty Rydas (5)

6. Hell Riders (3)

All-Stars of Wrestling [07.04.09]

2009-07-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

* As promised Angus Skaaland and the LARIAT Roster were on hand at the University of Texas campus before All-Stars of Wrestling got underway for a 4th of July Blowout Bash! The Meet and Greet brought in a few new fans, and Wyatt Bronson and Dusty Griffith on the grill brought even more! Everything was going as well as could be expected until Frank Dylan James showed up visibly intoxicated and instigated a situation with Dusty Griffith. Frank was asked to leave, and after quite a bit of hollering he did eventually relent and leave so the party could go on. As the festivities came to a close Angus called everyone’s attention and he announced the teams for the night’s Main Event Flag Match:

Team TEXAS:

Wyatt Bronson (Captain)

Thom Rhodes

Apache

Doomsday

Team AMERICA:

Frank Dylan James (Captain)

Erik Ledger

Shank Nasty

Gutshot

* Texas Heritage Tag League

The former Backyard “Superstars” the Pine Street Posse were slowly but surely winning over the Texas wrestling fans even though they’d yet to win any points for the Tag League. The Dirty Rydas, on the other hand, were easily the most hated Tag Team so far in LARIAT due to their Gangsta attitudes and tactics. The Posse got the quick advantage with Suicidal Youth’s high-paced high-flying attacks and Rod’s insanely effective “big man” offense. It didn’t last though as Gutshot was more than a match for Rod’s power, and when SY tagged back in the Rydas quickly shut down his aerial offense with a series of powerful double-team attacks. The Rydas took it to Suicidal Youth, hitting him with their unique combination of speed and power and effectively cutting the ring in half for quite a few minutes until Youth made the desperation tag and Fantastico came in like a blazing house of fire! The end came when Gutshot was on the outside distracted by The Hell Riders who had come half-way down to ringside and the Posse set up and connected with their Pine Street Plunge (Powerbomb/Reverse Bulldog Combo) finishing combination! The PSP celebrated in the ring as they grabbed their first five points for the Tag League. In the interim, the Dirty Rydas and Hell Riders stared each other down in the aisle.

* After the Hell Riders left and the Pine Street Posse finished celebrating Shank Nasty and Gutshot were back in the ring, this time Shank had a microphone.

"I don’ know what them nuccas thank dey be doin’ comin’ out hurr an’ getting up in the Rydas bid’ness, but dem bitches gon’ be on da wrong end’a some GANGSTA SH*T befo’ it’s ova wit’!"

* Pride of Texas Tournament [Round 1]

The first singles match of the evening saw perennial favorite “The Lonestar Lariat” Wyatt Bronson dismantle “Big Time” Tavares Bayle. The rookie was cocky to start with and that didn’t sit well with Bronson at all, so he took his head off with a devastating Lariat and never relented his full-force offense. The match was mercifully done relatively quickly when Bronson absolutely planted Bayle with an Oklahoma Stampede and made the easy cover. Bronson was as over as ever, but Bayle looked like he was so far out of his league it was embarrassing.

* After the match Rich Mahogany was once again at the Interview Station with Angus Skaaland and the Lonestar Television Title was strapped securely around his waist. After blowing half the segment giving roses to The Ladies in the nearby bleachers and flexing his abs he allowed Angus to ask him one question, which was about rumors that he was ducking Wyatt Bronson after getting himself disqualified two weeks ago in their Television Title match. Mahogany had the following to say:

“Listen here, brother, the Mack-Daddy of all of Texas has absolutely no idea what that big oaf is going on and on about! He got his title shot, and the Rich-Man’s still got the title wrapped _securely_ around oh-so-sexy waist! Bronson wants another title shot, maybe he ought to EARN another shot by facing a little stiffer competition that that rube Tavares Bayle daddy-o!”

The Lonestar Lariat barged onto the set where the Champ hid behind Angus Skaaland. Bronson was not in the mood to mince words:

“Far’s I’m concerned you ain’t nothin’ but a pencil-necked little homo who ain’t never won a rasslin’ match in his life! You ain’t gon’ duck me ferever boy!”

Rich left the scene immediately.

* Texas Heritage Tag League

In a fast paced, hard hitting, high flying affair the journeyman Superior FT took on the enigmatic Firebirds in an absolute clinic of a Tag Team match! The action was intense, with neither team holding a clear advantage over the other for very long. SFT had one extended sequence where they controlled the pace of the match but the sheer energy of Phoenix I was enough to turn the tide before Grendel or Garrett could score the pinfall. The end came in an outstanding spring where all four wrestlers hit signature holds and combos, but the bell rang signaling a time-limit draw before either team could pick up the win. Both teams picked up three points for their efforts.

* E-40’s “Go Hard or Go Home” played out LARIAT’s Japanese contingent next, as Kazuo Akamatsu lead the Osaka Hate Crime (Tendo and Yahagi) to the ring. The three of them mugged for the Texan crowd who didn’t have a problem throwing beer cans and garbage at the group. The more heat they got, the more they postured and posed to agitate the crowd. Finally Kazuo took a microphone from a ringside attendant and spoke to the rowdy Texans:

“Myself, Yutaka Tendo, and Mitsuru Yahagi have come near seven-thousand miles to this cesspool of a so-called “State” to wrestle, and this is thanks we get? The Osaka Hate Crime are UNDEFEATED and are going to win the Texas Heritage Tag Team Titles! And then I will defeat all challenges to win this “Pride of Texas” tournament and the title that goes with it! LARIAT will cower under the rule of the NEW VIOLENCE EXPRESS!”

* Pride of Texas Tournament [Round 1]

“The Epitome” Erik Ledger was out quickly and into the ring. He stood nose-to-nose with the apparent leader of the first faction within LARIAT and demanded that they get their tournament match under way. The OHC left the ring, but did not go back to the dressing room, instead staying on as Akamatsu’s seconds. Ledger got the early advantage with his hybrid Lucharesu style and he kept the bigger, stronger Akamatsu off balance and unable to get any offense going. That came to an end as Yutaka Tendo caught The Epitome’s leg as he was attempting to hit the ropes for momentum, instead he turned to confront his assailant and this gave his opponent the opening he needed for a devastating Lung Blower. It was all down hill for Ledger from that point on as he was never given the chance to regain his advantage and eventually pinned following a Piledriver from Akamatsu.

* After the match Tendo and Yahagi were quickly into the ring and all three men began putting the boots to the fallen wrestler. It wasn’t to last, however, as the Hell Riders hit the ring at a dead run and cleared the ring of all three Japanese grapplers and gave the trainers time to get Ledger out of the ring and to the back. Akamatsu sent his men into the ring for the next match of the evening.

* Texas Heritage Tag League

Apache and Doomsday were all business early, dominating both Yahagi and Tendo and daring Akamatsu to stick his nose in their business. Eventually the bout evened up as the Hell Riders simply couldn’t match speed with the OHC. Things went back and forth for a while before completely breaking down near the ten minute mark. At a crucial moment of chaos and distraction The Dirty Rydas hit the ring apparently to press their issue with the Hell Riders, but in a surprise move they grabbed Yutaka Tendo and Gutshot slingshotted him into a downright NASTY Mafia Kick from Shank Nasty, this was their finisher called Dumpin’ and the referee saw everything he needed to see to disqualify the Hell Riders and award the five points to the Osaka Hate Crime. Shank and Gutshot then made themselves scarce as Apache and Doomsday figured out what had happened and proceeded to raise hell to the referee.

* It took referees several minutes to calm the Hell Riders down and remove them from the ring before they tore the thing down in their fit of rage. Once everyone had finally left the ring Angus Skaaland was out to inform the crowd that there would be a short intermission to sort everything out and give those wrestlers who would be working double-duty a few extra minutes rest before the Main Event.

* Lonestar Television Title Match

After the short intermission “Roughhouse” Thom Rhodes was out for his Lonestar Television Title shot against the champion Rich Mahogany. Rich, as is his way, wasted as much time as possible on his ring entrance. He pranced around ringside as the entirety of his theme music, Otis Redding’s “Love Man,” played over the sound system. By the time the Champ made his way into the ring Rhodes was so fed up with waiting that he attacked Mahogany before the bell was even rang and the match was on. Rhodes took a page out of his mentor Wyatt Bronson’s book and just brutalized Mahogany for the duration of the early portion of the match until Mahogany found an opening and crumpled Rhodes with the mule kick to end all mule kicks. As the match went on Mahogany used every dirty tactic he could think of to keep his advantage, and every time Rhodes started a comeback Mahogany would find another way to low-blow the challenger and usurp any and all momentum. Rhodes, having had enough, attempted to use pure power to gain an advantage but Mahogany latched on with a Testicular Claw that had Rhodes howling in pain. The referee made the obligatory five-count before disqualifying Mahogany once again for his dastardly tactics. The Ladies Man could have cared less, he’d retained his title yet again and had a much larger man in crippling pain as he’d still not let go. Finally Wyatt Bronson hit the ring and Mahogany let go of the Claw and cleared out of Dodge before Bronson could get his hands on him.

* Bronson was livid inside the ring and one of his partners for the upcoming Flag Match was on the mat and obviously in too much pain to wrestle another match. Angus Skaaland hit the ring again to check on Rhodes who wanted nothing more than to get up and continue, but he simply could not stand up. Rhodes had to be helped from the ring and to the back. This prompted Angus to announce that he had no other choice but to make the Main Event a Four versus Three Handicapped Match because it was far too late for a suitable replacement to be found…

* “God of Thunder” hit the sound system and Dusty Griffith hit the ring. He conferred first with Angus, and then with Wyatt, and then took a microphone:

“I know I may not be from Texas, and I know I’ll be standing on the opposite side of the Lonestar Lariat next week in the tournament, but I can’t think of a single reason why this should be a Handicap Match when I’m here, I’ve got my gear on, and I’m ready and rarin’ to kick somebody’s teeth in!”

* Independence Day Flag Match

The new teams were set as follows:

TEXAS:

Wyatt Bronson (Captain)

Dusty Griffith (replacing Thom Rhodes)

Apache

Doomsday

AMERICA:

Frank Dylan James (Captain)

Erik Ledger

Shank Nasty

Gutshot

As was to be expected, this match was pandemonium from the word go. The poor referee didn’t even try to maintain order, and to be honest I don’t think fifteen referee’s could have kept any order with these eight men in the ring. Frank Dylan James led his team to the ring before Bronson and Griffith’s partners the Hell Riders could get out and it was four against two for a minute…

Until Apache and Doomsday road to the ring on their choppers and joined the fray and evened the odds up. The Hell Riders went directly after the Dirty Rydas and the brawl was on. FDJ and Erik Ledger squared off with Griffith and Bronson in the ring, and what it turned into was a regular tag match in the ring and a two on two fight around the ringside area between the Riders/Rydas.

It didn’t take long for this to break down either and the next thing anyone knew there were eight guys beating the crap out of each other all over the Wrestle-Plex! Every direction you looked somebody was fighting, throwing chairs, or just pounding on someone. The referee did his best to convince anyone to bring it into the ring but as it stood nobody involved had any interest whatsoever in any eliminations or capturing of flags.

Apache and Shank Nasty fought their way up into the upper-deck of the bleachers while Doomsday and Gutshot just traded ugly and life-threatening punches until they’d managed to find themselves outside fighting where the party had taken place before the event.

Erik Ledger saw this as his chance to make his name in Texas by taking on the Big Texan Wyatt Bronson in his own element, but the only thing he proved was that little flippy wrestlers have no business trying to go toe-to-toe with big badass Texan rasslers!

Frank Dylan James and Dusty Griffith fought all the way around the ringside area, trading punches, kicks, chairshots, and anything else they could think of to hit each other with. An errant chair throw from Ledger clipped the Boise State Bronco in the back of the head causing him to go down in a heap, but Bronson then proceeded to grab Ledger and send him headfirst into the guardrail before taking off after the Hillbilly Jesus.

A good portion of the fans had followed Doomsday and Gutshot outside, which turned out to be a good thing as both Apache and Shank Nasty came tumbling off the side of the bleachers and to the bare floor below when they both lost their balance while trying to throw the other off.

Frank had seen Wyatt coming and an ugly smile came over his face. He tossed two chairs inside of the ring and slid in before the big Texan could do anything about it. He set the two chairs up opposite each other and demanded that Bronson get in the ring and have a seat. Wyatt was wary, but his pride wouldn’t let him back down from a challenge. Frank sat down and gesticulated that they were going to sit there and punch each other until one of them was out and the other was the last man left standing in the fracus.

Bronson threw the first punch, Frank retaliated in kind. The punches continued and the fans still in the building got a “YAY!/BOO!” rhythm going as the two mastodons traded blows in the center of the ring. As the contest went on the chants switched more along the lines of “THIS IS AWE-SOME!” before Frank finally took the advantage after a seriously hefty right hand that rocked Bronson. Sensing victory Frank stood and started with a barrage of head-butts that eventually sent the hulking Texan down into a heap on the mat.

Frank stood and staggered around the ring for a few seconds to regain his bearing. His head had been split open and his nose looked broken, but the Redneck Rampage was quick to shake loose the cobwebs and make for Texas Flag hanging from a pole in what would have been the TEXAS corner had the match ever made it into the ring. He got all the way to the top, but his footing was wobbly from the beating he’d just taken and he hesitated to gain his (bare) footing on the top turnbuckle.

That hesitation was all that Dusty Griffith needed to haul himself up and into the ring. He bounded up the ropes with Frank and caught him with a forearm to the back of the head to stop him from grabbing the flag. The two former WCWA Tag Team Championship partners jockeyed for position atop the turnbuckle until Dusty managed to turn Frank around to face him and unleash a head-butt of his own that rocked both men so much that they nearly fell to the floor. In a last ditch effort to keep from dropping down to the concrete Dusty grabbed hold of Frank and pulled him back into the ring, twisting into a Super Belly-to-Belly Suplex that left Frank to not only take the full force of the impact on his back, but also left him to be crushed under the massive body of Dusty Griffith. It was academic from there and the referee did his first bit of work in the entire match, counting the pinfall and awarding the match to Team TEXAS!

* After the final bell was rang it was a while before anyone moved, but Wyatt Bronson was the first man to his feet and he called for a microphone. He helped Dusty to his feet and thanked him for showing up when it counted. He went on to name Dusty an honorary Texan and they retrieved both flags from their respective corners and waved them inside the ring to close the show.

07/04/09 @ The Wrestle-Plex [198 fans]

The All-Star Independence Day Special!

1. Pine Street Posse def. Dirty Rydas (6:22)

2. Wyatt Bronson def. Tavares Bayle (3:17)

3. Superior FT draw The Firebirds (15:00)

4. Kazuo Akamatsu def. Erik Ledger (9:52)

5. Osaka Hate Crime def. Hell Riders (7:37)

6. Rich Mahogany DQ Thom Rhodes (6:48)

7. Team TEXAS def. Team AMERICA (13:43)

LARIAT Newswire Quickie [07.03.09]

2009-07-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

Things have been quiet at the LARIAT camp this week as Angus Skaaland has been hard at work getting prepared for the All-Star Independence Day Party which will include a Meet and Greet outside of the Wrestle-Plex before the show where bugers will be on the grill, and beers will be cold in the ice-chest! The show will be highlighted by the Pride of Texas Tournament, the Texas Heritage Tag League, a Lonester Television Title match, and a SPECIAL Main Event Flag Match!

The participants for the flag match have yet to be announced, but it is known that it will be Team Texas taking on Team America in a four on four affair where one team can win by pinning the Team Captain, eliminating all four members of the team, or retrieving the opposing Team's flag from atop a pole in their corner! Expect this one to blow the roof right off of the Wrestle-Plex tomorrow night!

All-Stars of Wrestling [06.20.09]

2009-06-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

* This week’s show started with a cold open to LARAT’s owner and promoter, Angus Skaaland, standing inside the ring with a microphone in hand. He thanked the Austin fans for coming back, and for bringing friends, and encouraged everyone in the audience to bring their to the next show if they enjoyed what they saw tonight.

* The first match-up was a quick one, fast-paced, and over before it ever really started. Tendo and Yahagi, the Osaka Hate Crime, made quick work of the young Pine Street Posse of Rod Fantastico and Suicidal Youth. The Japanese team showed absolutely no respect in their victory over the kids from Pine Street, USA and kept the match going on a couple of extra minutes just to rub it in how much better they actually were.

* Frank Dylan James was on the interview set, a cold PBR in one hand and a microphone in the other. He was quick and to the point, for once, putting Dusty Griffith on notice. Before he walked off the set and to the ring for his match, The Hillbilly Jesus had this to say: “If’n yew thank yer still hot stuff, bring yer sorry carcass to the finals’a this here tournament so’s Ah c’n slap ya ‘round some ya big hippy baysterd!”

* In a short, violent match, Frank Dylan James destroyed Jaret Haskeer. The young American-Lucha styled grappler never got his feet underneath him before Frank just pummeled him with a rage that hadn’t been seen since his last days in Cascadia. Frank put the exclamation point on the match with the Mountain Top Drop before getting an easy pinfall victory.

* Next was another Texas Heritage Tag League match, pitting last week’s surprise heroes The Firebirds against the street-tough Dirty Rydas. Leary of letting the Firebirds get any of their high impact aerial offence going, Gutshot took the lead in this one and laid waste to the flyers, tagging in Shank Nasty to finish off Phoenix II with their finisher, Dumpin’! After the match both Rydas continued the assault until Phoenix I dove into the ring with a chair to make the save.

* On the interview set Angus Skaaland welcomed Doomsday and Apache, the Hell Riders. Neither man seemed like the kind of fellow you’d want to tangle with in a bar-fight, and when the conversation steered toward the Dirty Rydas, Doomsday assured everyone listening that: “The only ridin’ them two wiggers are gonna do when we get our hands on ‘em is gonna be in a God D*mn hearse!”

* In a surprisingly athletic and back and forth match, Thom Rhodes made a name to himself by pushing the former Iron Crown Heavyweight Champion in the early portion of the match. Thom even went as far as getting a couple of near falls on him. The LARIAT fans were into the match and it seemed that Rhodes was growing on them until he made the rookie mistake of posing after taking Griffith off of his feet with a running Shoulder Block. Griffith was up before Rhodes knew any better, and as Thom turned he was met with a merciless rising knee to the gut, which was the precursor to the Northern Lights Bomb and the pinfall.

* Following his destruction of Thom Rhodes, the face of pro-wrestling Dusty Griffth got on the mic to address his old friend and new rival Frank Dylan James... “I don't really care what your problem with me is... You want to fight, good, so do I. You want to get this done in the finals, that's fine by me... You show up and I'll be there to whoop you some more!”

* Up next was another match for points in the Tag League as Superior FT took on the bruisers Apache and Doomsday. This one started out slow, with Grendel and Garrett controlling the pace of the match and wrestling on the mat, keeping the two behemoths from being able to exert their will. In the end the match spilled outside of the ring where the Hell Riders were at home and they took it to their much more experienced opponents, but it would be all for naught as the referee counted all four men out and called the match. Each team would collect three points, but the idea of being counted out didn’t sit well with anyone involved and they brawled all the way out of the ringside area.

* In a strange turn of events the Lonestar Television Champion, Rich Mahogany, made his way to the ring first. He took his sweet time, though, handing out roses to the Ladies at ringside and being sure to take his time gyrating in front of them. Once inside the ring he took a microphone and talked about how awesome and sexy he was for about five minutes before getting to the point: “Listen here, daddy-o! I don’t know who this big redneck idiot Wyatt Bronson thinks he is, but I’m about to show him just exactly why The Love Machine has got the gold, and all he’s got is barbecue breath!”

*Bronson was out quickly, brandishing his bull-rope and cowbell. Rich jumped out of the ring, screaming into the microphone: “Nobody said ANYTHING about a COWBELL!” The referee intervened and took the rope from Wyatt and the match was on. For nearly ten minutes the Lonestar Television Champion ran from his challenger. He was in the ropes, diving out of the ring, and running around screaming like a girl every time Bronson got within three feet of him. There were a couple of extended periods of action, starting with Mahogany thumbing Bronson in the eye, or kicking him below the belt, but the Texas legend could barely get any offense of his own in without “The Love Machine” either weaseling his way out of the ring or cheating to gain the upper-hand. The end came when Mahogany mule-kicked Bronson in the crotch right in front of the referee to get out of a bear-hug, and Mahogany was out of the ring quicker than greased lightening to collect his title, which he retained through disqualification. Inside the ring Bronson was livid, kicking the ropes and even getting in the face of the referee.

* After the main event Angus Skaaland made his way back out to the ring. It was his sad duty to inform everyone that the next week’s show had been pre-empted due to several of the local stations having already promised that time-slot to the University of Texas baseball team. He went on to say that All-Stars of Wrestling would return on the following Saturday for a July 4th extravaganza and the continuation of both the Texas Heritage Tag League and the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title Tournament. He also wanted to thank LARIAT’s newest affiliate, and only major sponsor, The E-Wrestling Torch. He had this to say about the wrestling news site: “Those guys at the Torch really understand today’s wrestling product, and they’re doing a hell of a lot of good, especially for us here at Pro-Wrestling LARIAT! Be paying attention overe there, because sooner rather than later yours truly will be writing columns and pitching in to make their product even better!”

06/20/09 @ The Wrestle-Plex [168 fans]

1. Osaka Hate Crime def. Pine Street Posse (4:58)

2. Frank Dylan James def. Jaret Haskeer (5:02)

3. The Dirty Rydas def. The Firebirds (6:33)

4. Dusty Griffith def. Thom Rhodes (8:15)

5. Superior FT draw The Hell Riders (7:56)

6. Wyatt Bronson def. Rich Mahogany (9:13)

All-Stars of Wrestling Lineup for 06.20.09

2009-06-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

All-Stars of Wrestling

Live at The Wrestle-Plex in Austin, TX

06/20/09

Texas Heritage Tag League

Pine Street Posse (0pts)

Osaka Hate Crime (5pts)

Pride of Texas

Heavyweight Title Tournament

Round One

7. Jaret Haskeer

2. Frank Dylan James

Texas Heritage Tag League

Dirty Rydas (0pts)

The Firebirds (5pts)

Pride of Texas

Heavyweight Title Tournament

Round One

1. Dusty Griffith

8. Thom Rhodes

Texas Heritage Tag League

Superior FT (5pts)

The Hell Riders (0pts)

MAIN EVENT

Lonestar Television Title

Wyatt Bronson

Rich Mahogany ©

LARIAT Newswire [06.17.09]

2009-06-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

The first edition of All-Stars of Wrestling has come and gone, and even though only a hundred and twenty-four people came to The Wrestle-Plex in Austin to see the show as it was taped, we here in the LARIAT offices believe that it was a smashing success! Not only that, but we feel like everyone who paid their five bucks got to see a great wrestling show, filled with the kind of hard-hitting action that the Texas fans have come to know and love over the years!

We understand that in building a promotion from the ground up it takes a lot of hard work from everyone involved to get people to take notice, and that’s exactly what we plan to do. From the grassroots campaign of fans and wrestlers papering the streets with fliers for our shows, to the overwhelming amount of meet-and-greets and other fan-friendly promotions, to our on-screen product, we feel like we’re meeting the needs of our market, and hope to expand weekly as our product and core audience grows!

Speaking of our debut episode of ASoW, if you missed it, you missed a great one! The tag team division looks like it’s going to flourish here, as opposed to some other places where they just can’t seem to find the right formula. We’ve got some young, hungry teams, and they’re all looking to prove themselves to the LARIAT faithful and wrestling fans around the globe!

And then there was the Battle Royal for the Lonestar Television Title, in which Rich Mahogany, a long-shot who also wrestles for the DREAM Wrestling promotion, managed to steal a win after Dusty Griffith and Frank Dylan James had a falling out. Rich was unavailable for comment after the show, as he had to “celebrate with The Ladies,” his words, not ours, but we did manage to catch up with Frank Dylan James as he rampaged through the locker rooms after the battle royal. He had the following to say:

“That rat baysterd went off an’ won him a Summer Games last year an’ lef’ ever’body else behind! I thought he was mah friend, an when we needed ‘im th’ most toward the end of Cascadia he done run off back ta Japan to play with them little yella hippies! Then he wants ta come on down ta Texas an’ thank ever’thang’s jes peachy, but then he tosses me outta that Battle Royal when ah wadn’t lookin! Is’at what’cha really wan’t as the ‘face of perfessional rasslin’ around here?”

Dusty Griffith couldn’t be reached, as he has a heavy touring schedule and he had to be out of Texas pretty quickly to get to his next booking in the innovaPRO promotion Missouri. With both of these guys entered into the Pride of Texas Heavyweight, expect sparks to fly when and if these two behemoths set eyes on each other from opposite sides of the ring!

And, speaking of the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title Tournament, we’ve got those promised seedings for said tournament right here:

1. Dusty Griffith

2. Frank Dylan James

3. Erik Ledger

4. Tavares Bayle

5. Wyatt Bronson

6. Kazuo Akamatsu

7. Jaret Haskeer

8. Thom Rhodes

And while we’re ranking things, we’ve also got a points table for the Texas Heritage Tag League after the first round matches:

1. Osaka Hate Crime (5)

2. Superior FT (5)

3. The Firebirds (5)

4. Pine Street Posse (0)

5. Dirty Rydas (0)

6. Hell Riders

And while we’re doing these awe-inspiring little lists, how about some “Top Three” Lists from last week’s All-Stars of Wrestling!

Babyface Crowd Reaction:

1. Wyatt Bronson

2. Dusty Griffith

3. The Firebirds

Heel Heat:

1. Frank Dylan James

2. Osaka Hate Crime

3. Rich Mahogany

Hardest Hitters:

1. Frank Dylan James

2. Dusty Griffith

3. Wyatt Bronson

Well, that’s about it for this edition of the LARIAT Newswire, keep it locked and loaded right here for the lineups for this weekend’s All-Stars of Wrestling, to be released very likely before the day is out!

All-Stars of Wrestling [06.13.09]

2009-06-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

* The show opened with Wyatt Bronson in the ring with a microphone. The Austin crowd, small is it was, was hot for the Texas Wrestling Legend, and he got them ready and roaring, claiming that he was not only going to win tonight’s Battle Royal for the Lonestar Television Title, but he was going to remind the World what Texas Wrestling was all about!

* In a high-paced match-up, former backyard wrestlers Rod ‘the Bod’ Fantastico and Suicidal Youth gave it their all in their pro debuts, but in the end the experience of the journeyman Superior FT gave them the edge in every aspect of the match. The kids tried, they gave it their all, and for a couple of minutes they looked really good, but before long the hard shots and the tight stretches took their toll. In the end Suicidal Youth went for it all with a corkscrew moonsault to save his partner who had been on the worse end of some vicious shots, but he missed and rolled out of the ring in pain while inside the ring Rod tapped out to the Crossface Cobra Clutch of Solomon Grendel.

* On the interview set Angus Skaaland tried to get a few serious words with “The Sex Machine” Rich Mahogany, but the Ladies Man refused to answer any questions, and instead spent the entire segment handing out hotel keys and his phone number to the women in attendance.

* The Dirty Rydas put on a surprisingly good effort despite their “gangsta” approach to life and wrestling. Gutshot made a case for hardest hitter of the night with some of the shots that he unleashed on both members of The Osaka Hate Crime. Both Rydas took turns beating on the much smaller Yutaka Tendo before he made the hot tag to Yahagi who cleaned house. In the end OHC made their opponents look slow by comparison, though, and Tendo pinned Shank Nasty after the duo hit their Misery Machine finisher.

* "God of Thunder" hit the airwaves introducing Dusty Griffith for the first time to a rabid Texas crowd who were equally high on the face of pro wrestling in America. Dusty started his bit by expressing his excitement over finally getting to compete in the "great state of Texas!" which popped the crowd huge. Dusty continued on with more wrestling talk, promising his fellow competitors he would be a huge obstacle to overcome as he aims to continue setting the standard everywhere he goes.

* In what looked to be a classic “Big vs. Small” tag-team match, the masked Firebirds ran circles around the Bikers. It was evident that if Apache or Doomsday ever got their hands on either of the Firebirds that they would have put them through the mat, but Phoenix II ended it early with a flash schoolboy. After the match the Hell Riders paced the ring, yelling and cursing and kicking the ropes in their frustration.

* Before the main event Angus Skaaland took the ring with a microphone. He thanked the crowd for being hot all night and asked them to come back next week and “bring a friend or two!” He then went on to explain the points system of the Texas Heritage Tag League for anyone who still wasn’t sure, citing that wins would earn a team five points, draws would earn three points, and losses would earn zero points, and at the end of five rounds the team with the most points would be awarded the Texas Heritage Tag Team Titles. The crowd ate it up, and he then explained that the seedings for the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title tournament would be hugely affected by the performances in the upcoming Ten Man Battle Royal.

* 10 Man Battle Royal for the Lonestar Television Title

Order of Elimination:

Dusty Griffith elim. Mat Byre

Frank Dylan James elim. Thom Rhodes

Dusty Griffith elim. Jaret Haskeer

Wyatt Bronson elim. Kazuo Akamatsu

Rich Mahogany elim. Wyatt Bronson

Dusty Griffith elim. Tavares Bayle

Frank Dylan James elim. Erik Ledger

Dusty Griffith elim. Frank Dylan James

Rich Mahogany elim. Dusty Griffith

The story of this match was Dusty Griffith, he eliminated almost half of the combatants single-handedly. Dusty was easily the favorite in this match, especially with his one night only Emerald Green and Silver wrestling gear, in tribute to a fallen hero of Japanese wrestling.

Rich Mahogany gained the ire of Texas legend Wyatt Bronson when he kicked him low from behind right as Bronson eliminated Kazuo Akamatsu and then pushed him over the ropes. Mahogany made things worse by thrusting his pelvis at the big country boy as he spat a mouthful of tobacco back into the ring.

Frank Dylan James, as is his wont, was a complete wildman throughout the match, but the biggest role he played was after his former tag team partner, Dusty Griffith, tossed the big man over the top ropes and to the floor from behind. Dusty shrugged it off as business as usual, but Frank took exception and hopped back onto the apron, grabbing a handful of Dusty’s hair and allowing Rich Mahogany, who had been hiding for the majority of the match, to nudge him over the top ropes for both the win and the Lonestar Television title.

As Mahogany celebrated inside the ring like he’d just won the lottery, a gold medal, and been appointed Universal Vagina Inspector all at the same time, Dusty Griffith got into the face of his tag-team partner and a shoving match ensued. The two quickly came to blows and brawled around ringside for a few minutes before the locker room cleared and everyone did their best to keep the two giant grapplers apart. They had to be pulled apart and it literally took the combined effort of the entire roster to keep them apart.

06/13/09 @ The Wrestle-Plex [124 fans]

1. Superior FT def. Pine Street Posse (6:59) [THTT League Rd. 1]

2. Osaka Hate Crime def. Dirty Rydas (9:12) [THTT League Rd. 1]

3. The Firebirds def. Hell Riders (4:32) [THTT League Rd. 1]

4. Rich Mahogany won a 10 Man Battle Royal (21:13) [Lonestar Television Title]

LARIAT Newswire [06.09.09]

2009-06-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

All-Stars of Wrestling

Live at The Wrestle-Plex in Austin, TX

06/14/09

Texas Heritage Tag League

Pine Street Posse

Superior FT

Dirty Rydas

Osaka Hate Crime

The Firebirds

Hell Riders

Lonestar Title

Ten Man Battle Royal

Erik Ledger

Frank Dylan James

Rich Mahogany

Tavares Bayle

Mat Byre

Jaret Haskeer

Thom Rhodes

Wyatt Bronson

Kazuo Akamatsu

Dusty Griffith

LARIAT Newswire [06.08.09]

2009-06-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

pwlariat.blogspot.com

In a press release from LARIAT’s home office in Austin, TX Angus Skaaland finally released the full Roster as well as the Tag Team Roster earlier this afternoon. There’s a basic who’s who from the local wrestling scene in Texas, not to mention quite a few blue-chippers who are one good stint away from making it in the big time of Professional Wrestling. The rosters can be viewed at their links on the LARIAT homepage!

There was another release from the LARIAT website only shortly thereafter dealing with the title belts that will be contested over inside the ring in Austin.

On the Lonestar Television Title:

"The LTT will be defended on a very regular basis, if not at every television taping. This belt will be for those up and comers trying to make their names in LARIAT and the business as a whole! And, to kick things off with a bang, the very first edition of All-Stars of Wrestling will feature a ten-man Battle Royal in which the winner will be declared the first ever LARIAT Lonestar Champion!"

On the Texas Heritage Tag Team Titles:

"The Tag Team Titles will be a staple of LARIAT, and they will be the focal point of a division long-thought dead in today’s industry. The belts will be defended based on a points system that I’ll get into at a later date, but for right now we will be holding a six team round robin Tag League to determine the first ever champions!"

On the Pride of Texas Heavyweight Title:

"This will be the big one, the grandest prize in all of Texas, only the best will hold this title! Right now a single-elimination tournament is scheduled to determine the first Champion, but we’re going to wait and see just exactly who has what it takes to get themselves a spot in this tournament!"

No information was given concerning the official date of the first episode of All-Stars of Wrestling, but expect an announcement sooner rather than later, as things seem to be developing at a break-neck pace for those in and around the LARIAT organization.

Keep it locked here for more information as it develops!

LARIAT Newswire [06.06.09]

2009-06-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

The Pride of Texas

http://pwlariat.blogspot.com/

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One thing that many wrestling fans may not know about Angus Skaaland is that he is very proud of the history of wrestling in his home state, the Lone Star State of Texas! So, it was no surprise when the Austin native called a press conference in the Performing Arts Center of the University of Texas.

The first announcement that the erstwhile Play-by-Play announcer and Violent Suicide Tournament promoter made was that while he had severed ties with the World Wrestling Alliance, he had indeed not left the wrestling business. He called the Violent Suicide Tournament a smashing success and cited that it brought back the fire in him to produce some good old fashioned Texas wrestling!

With that, he announced the formation of LARIAT, his own brand new wrestling promotion based right there in the State Capitol: Austin, TX! He went on to confirm that he'd struck a deal with the University of Texas to let him retrofit the McCullough Theatre, which seats about four-hundred people, into a state of the art television studio that would be the home to LARIAT's weekly television show All-Stars of Wrestling! He then went on to say that while taping for LARIAT, the theatre would be called The Wrestle-Plex, and furthermore that he had secured television in all major Texas markets including Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and all points in between!

When pressed about an initial roster by the assembled wrestling media, Angus welcomed onto the stage with him a Legend of Texas Wrestling in the form of "The Lonestar Lariat" Wyatt Bronson! Bronson greeted the press with his usual Southern charm and answered a few questions himself. Angus went on to announce that he'd been in talks with WC:C's 2008 Wrestler of the Year, Dusty Griffith, and that Dusty had indeed agreed to come to Texas to test his mettle in one of the most notoriously rowdy regions in the world!

He went on to announce that another former WC:C mainstay Frank Dylan James would be joining the fray, along with "The Epitome" Eric Ledger, Rich Mahogany of DREAM Wrestling fame, and Kazuo Akamatsu, an outstanding prodigy in Japan who left his home country after heated arguments between himself and a who's who of wrestling dignitaries, citing that he would be coming to America to hone his skills before returning home to rule the Land of the Rising Sun!

Skaaland closed the press conference with a promise to release a full roster within the week, followed quickly with a lineup for the first All-Stars of Wrestling television taping to be held at the Wrestle-Plex!

After the conference was over, Wyatt Bronson did a Meet and Greet with some of the local fans, signing autographs and taking pictures for two hours and making sure nobody went home unhappy.

Welcome - Test Post

2009-06-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Place holder.

LARIAT Factions

1970-01-01T13:59:00.000-08:00

New Violence Express

-Kazuo Akamatsu [Leader]

-Mitsuru Yahagi

-Yutaka Tendo

Texas Heritage Tag Title History

1970-01-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

01. Osaka Hate Crime [Mitsuru Yahagi, Yutaka Tendo]

v0 - Wins Texas Heritage Tag League [07.25.09]

Lonestar Television Title History

1970-01-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

01. Rich Mahogany

v0 - Wins a 10 Man Battle Royal [06.13.09]

v1 - DQ vs Wyatt Bronson [06.20.09]

v2 - DQ vs Thom Rhodes [07.04.09]

v3 - DQ vs Wyatt Bronson [07.25.09]

LARIAT Tag Teams

1970-01-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

Pine Street Posse

-Rod Fantastico

-Suicidal Youth

Tag Team Finisher: Pine Street Plunge

Description: Powebomb/Reverse Bulldog Combination

Superior FT

-Solomon Grendel

-Petey Garrett

Tag Team Finisher: Obsidian Driver

Description: Grendel applies an Argentine Back Rack Submission, Garrett hits a springboard Busaiku Knee Kick to the head of the opponent in the Rack. The velocity of the knee kick spins the opponent down into a Powerbomb.

Dirty Rydas

-Gutshot

-Shank Nasty

Tag Team Finisher: Dumpin’

Description: Slingshot from Shank into Yakuza Kick by Gutshot

Osaka Hate Crime

-Yutaka Tendo

-Mitsuru Yahagi

Tag Team Finisher:

Description: Alabama Slam onto a Lungblower

The Firebirds

-Phoenix I

-Phoenix II

Tag Team Finisher: Double Phoenix Splashes

Description: n/a

Hell Riders

-Apache

-Doomsday

Tag Team Finisher: Go to Hell!

Description: Pop-up Double Gutbuster

LARIAT Talent Roster

1970-01-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

Apache [Hell Riders]

nickname: n/a

height: 6’6”

weight: 290lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Sweetwater, TX

style: Powerhouse Brawler

finisher: Fallaway Slam

description: n/a

Darren Quimbey

nickname: DQ

height: 6’

weight: 210lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Austin, TX

style: Technician

finisher: Bridging German Suplex

description: n/a

Doomsday [Hell Riders]

nickname: n/a

height: 6’2”

weight: 270lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Sweetwater, TX

style: Powerhouse Brawler

finisher: Shoulderbreaker

description: n/a

Dusty Griffith

nickname: n/a

height: 6'3"

weight: 314lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: Boise, ID

style: Technical Powerhouse

finisher: Bronco Bomb

description: Northern Lights Bomb

Erik Ledger

nickname: The Epitome

height: 5’10”

weight: 202lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Newark, NJ

style: American Lucharesu

finisher: The Heatseeker

description: Missile Dropkick

Frank Dylan James

nickname: The Hillbilly Jesus

height: 6’5”

weight: 285lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: The Mountains of West Virginia

style: Berserker

finisher: Mountain Top Drop

description: Top Rope Knee Drop

Gutshot [Dirty Rydas]

nickname: n/a

height: 6’6”

weight: 265lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Tha Projects

style: Powerhouse Brawler

finisher: The Curb Stomp

description: n/a

Jaret Haskeer

nickname: n/a

height: 6’

weight: 220lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Austin, TX

style: American Lucharesu

finisher: Jaret-Driver

description: Double Underhook DDT

Kazuo Akamatsu

nickname: n/a

height: 6’4”

weight: 255lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Osaka, Japan

style: Japanese Heavyweight

finisher: Piledriver

description: n/a

Mat Byre

nickname: n/a

height: 5’10”

weight: 185lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: Dallas, TX

style: High Flyer

finisher: Springboard Moonsault

description: n/a

Mitsuru Yahagi [Osaka Hate Crime]

nickname: n/a

height: 6’2”

weight: 230lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Osaka, Japan

style: Strong Style

finisher: Exploder Suplex

description: n/a

Petey Garrett [Superior FT]

nickname: n/a

height: 5’10

weight: 190lbs

alignment: Neutral

hometown: Austin, TX

style: Striker

finisher: Double Foot Stomp

description: n/a

Phoenix I [The Firebirds]

nickname: n/a

height: 5’11”

weight: 230lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: Parts Unknown

style: High Flying Technician

finisher: Phoenix Splash

description: n/a

Phoenix II [The Firebirds]

nickname: n/a

height: 6’2”

weight: 238lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: Parts Unknown

style: Technical High Flyer

finisher: Falcon Arrow

description: n/a

Rich Mahogany

nickname: The Love Machine

height: 6’1”

weight: 210lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Austin, TX

style: Chickenshit Heel

finisher: The Sex-Plex

description: Bridging Fisherman's Suplex

Rod Fantastico [Pine Street Posse]

nickname: The Bod

height: 5’9”

weight: 325lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: Pine Street, USA

style: World’s Largest Luchador

finisher: Fatboy Frogsplash

description: n/a

Shank Nasty [Dirty Rydas]

nickname: n/a

height: 5’11”

weight: 210lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Tha Projects

style: High Flying Striker

finisher: Tha Wig Splitta

description: Torture Rack into a Sit-out Pancake

Solomon Grendel [Superior FT]

nickname: Suicide Stretching Machine

height: 6’

weight: 200lbs

alignment: Neutral

hometown: New York, NY

style: Submission

finisher: Cross Arms Cobra Clutch

description: n/a

Suicidal Youth [Pine Street Posse]

nickname: n/a

height: 5’8”

weight: 170lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: Pine Street, USA

style: Reckless High Flyer

finisher: Suicide Dive

description: n/a

Tavares Bayle

nickname: Big Time

height: 6’6”

weight: 325

alignment: Heel

hometown: Houston, TX

style: Brawler

finisher: The Big Time Powerslam

description: Running Powerslam

Thom Rhodes

nickname: Roughhouse

height: 6’3”

weight: 265lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: Austin, TX

style: Brawler

finisher: Powerbomb

description: n/a

Tim Van Pelt

nickname: n/a

height: 6’1”

weight: 215lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: Austin, TX

style: High Flyer

finisher: Shooting Star Press

description: n/a

Wyatt Bronson

nickname: Lonestar Lariat

height: 6’2”

weight: 320lbs

alignment: Face

hometown: El Paso, TX

style: Bruising Powerhouse

finisher: The Lonestar Lariat

description: Decapitating Lariat

Yutaka Tendo [Osaka Hate Crime]

nickname: n/a

height: 5’7”

weight: 180lbs

alignment: Heel

hometown: Osaka, Japan

style: High Flying Striker

finisher: Buzzsaw Kick

description: n/a