DarK_RaideR Posted December 2, 2019 Author Share Posted December 2, 2019 Shocking news for Piledriver Wrestling fans as Canada's CGC officially announced the signing of Masked Patriot. Though it is unknown how the DeColt powerhouse promotion intends to use such a strongly American character, the move has certainly put a new twist on Patriot's upcoming clash with Spencer Spade, as where previously fans were certain that Patriot would win to unify the belts and reture the NYCW Empire title, now there is a very real chance that Piledriver Wrestling will be forced to take the title off him somehow. Social networks and YouTube channels are already alive with scenarios and speculation, the flames fanned further by the fact that it is yet unknown whether Patriot's contract will be exclusive or if it will also allow him to work for other companies besides CGC. Masked Patriot won't be the only loss for Piledriver Wrestling as just one month after they parted ways with COTT, Lee Wright announced that he will be leaving the business altogether after this month's Sam Keith Classic XI. "I am proud of my career as a wrestler, but even prouder of my legacy as a trainer and promoter" Wright mentioned, without however naming his successor. What has been named, or rather, re-named, is the tournament itself, trading Sam Keith's name for that of Lee Wright. With both the man and the promotion who started the tournament now gone, the decision was made shortly after Wright's announcement in what was seen as an attempt from the promotion to make the tournament their own instead of keeping it as a MAW relic. Still, given Wright's history alongside Raymond Diaz in PGHW, with 5 Glory Tag Crowns and 3 wins of the Elite Tag Team Series, there is little doubt that he has all the credentials needed to have a tag team tournament named after him. Wright's possible successors at the helm of Piledriver Wrestling include Alison "Gorgon" Rush, who has been Wright's assistant Road Agent for the company as well as his successor training rookies at the Piledriver Wrestling School, former NYCW announcer Marvin Earnest and Piledriver Wrestling original Riley McManus. Although all three fit the bill given their preference for oldschool American wrestling such as the style Piledriver Wrestling has been promoting, one should not count out Ross "The Boss" Henry as another potential owner. The former Colorado Rapids football star has the money, fame and media appeal to potentially take over once Wright retires and given the company's rapid rise, he might actually be the best pick if Piledriver Wrestling wants to have a chance at competing with the likes of TCW, SWF and USPW. Speaking of competing with the nation's wrestling powerhouses, Piledriver Wrestling has been consistently outperforming SWF's developmental territory, Rhode Island Pro Wrestling and a story that surfaced recently shows that rivalry is far from over. With Avalanche and Brutus Milano wrestling at War for Territory #43, sources leaked a story about the duo being a replacement team, with the original plans being Avalanche teaming with his former RIPW teammate, Chill. According to insiders, both Avalanche and Chill had left RIPW and were offered deals to participate in the Lee Wright Classic, however RIPW messed that plan up by offering a new developmental deal to Chill, thus forcing Piledriver Wrestling to team Avalanche with Milano instead. Emma Bitch and Jebediah were the latest victims of a roster cut following the buyout of NYCW, both reportedly having departed on good terms but not that likely to return in the future. At age 35 and 32 respectively, the two wrestlers haven't got time on their side and on top of that, inside sources cited that Piledriver Wrestling and booker "El Masked Sheik" Ali Al Avatar wishes to further release workers on the older side of things in order to promote young new talent, especially graduates of the dojo. That plan may be put on hold though following Lee Wright's announcement and there is no doubt that Piledriver Wrestling's new owner will be looking to put their own mark on the company once they take over. Lee Wright Classic XI card Main Event Tournament Finals Notorious/The Heartbreak Express/Avalanche & Brutus Milano/Slick Rampage vs The Death Squad/The Southern Stars/Mexican Hardcore Killers/The Mid Atlantic Express Semi Main Event Piledriver United States title match Reaper © vs Logan Diaz Semi Final 2 The Death Squad/The Southern Stars vs Mexican Hardcore Killers/The Mid Atlantic Express Semi Final 1 Notorious/The Heartbreak Express vs Avalanche & Brutus Milano/Slick Rampage Quarterfinal 4 Mexican Hardcore Killers vs The Mid Atlantic Express Quarterfinal 3 The Death Squad vs The Southern Stars Quarterfinal 2 Avalanche & Brutus Milano vs Slick Rampage Quarterfinal 1 Notorious vs The Heartbreak Express Opening 5 on 5 match Masked Patriot, Ross Henry, Robbie Wright, Riley McManus & Nate DeMarcus vs Spencer Spade, Ernest Youngman, Charger Siaki, Xavi Ferrera & Carl Bernard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha2117 Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 So much drama - getting my popcorn (not that I eat popcorn) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarK_RaideR Posted December 3, 2019 Author Share Posted December 3, 2019 The Lee Wright Classic XI The Lee Wright Classic XI Friday, Week 4 July, 2021 Live from Centerpiece Bridge, SC Shown live on The Carolinas Network w Masked Patriot, Ross Henry, Robbie Wright, Riley McManus & Nate DeMarcus vs Spencer Spade, Ernest Youngman, Charger Siaki, Xavi Ferrera & Carl Bernard The opening match was a 5 on 5 showcase, essentially giving all the big stars some time in the ring during an otherwise tag team heavy event. Every man had a chance to hit their signature moves and get a piece of the spotlight, with Henry finishing the bout when he dodged a charging Siaki and caught him on the rebound with the Earthquake Powerslam. Winners: Masked Patriot, Ross Henry, Robbie Wright, Riley McManus & Nate DeMarcus, by pinfall Spade was in a hurry to retrieve his NYCW Empire title belt and leave the ring as soon as the match was over, but he still grabbed a microphone to talk some trash at Ross Henry and Masked Patriot as he retreated to the backstage area, the two men staring daggers at him from inside the ring where their team stood victorious. Lee Wright Classic XI Quarterfinals match w Notorious vs The Heartbreak Express (with Cheerleader Kandii) No strangers to the annual tournament or each other, the two teams went at it with all their usual youthful enthusiasm and athleticism on display, only this time they also had some experience under their belts too. Less of a spotfest and more of a solid wrestling match, this one went on for about 7 minutes before "Jumpin" Johnny Needham miscalculated a dive and set himself up for the Drop Off. Winners: Notorious, by pinfall Lee Wright Classic XI Quarterfinals match Avalanche & Brutus Milano vs Slick Rampage A masterclass of "do"s and "don't"s of tag team wrestling, this one was all about the natural teamwork of Slick Rampage versus Avalanche doing most of the heavy lifting for his team. No stranger to fighting big men, from Boneyard and BB Colossus to Lil' Henry, Slick went toe to toe with the former RIPW prospect while Arnold chipped in with his own mix of strength and athleticism to wear the big man down. Eventually, Avalanche had to retreat and Milano fell dreafuly short of the occasion, with Arnold taking him down just five minutes into the match thanks to his ever impressive Cannonball Senton. Winners: Slick Rampage, by pinfall Lee Wright Classic XI Quarterfinals match The Death Squad vs The Southern Stars If this matchup felt unspectacular at first, it wasn't after the announce team broke it down: both teams have displayed unnatural chemistry together, they've both held the Piledriver Tag Team championships and they each had a big win the other lacked; the Death Squad have held the COTT World Tag Team titles, while the Southern Stars have won the tournament before. With plenty of brawling and the occasional hold or suplex, this match was better than expected and will certainly be remember as one of the best performances of the Finnish giant Annihilus in recent memory, despite the Squad ending up on the losing side after Harker pinned Wolfe with a spine crunching Stump Piledriver. Winners: The Southern Stars, by pinfall Lee Wright Classic XI Quarterfinals match w Mexican Hardcore Killers vs The Mid Atlantic Express (with Lisa Bowen) If the teams in the previous match were pretty similar, these two couldn't be more different. On one hand, the West Coast duo of E-Z and Sanchez Villano, who cut their teeth in the California hardcore scene swinging weapons and taking crazy dives. On the other, the so-oldschool-it's-painful pair of MAW alumni, the southern grapplers Syd Collier and the Architect. A clash of styles more than anything, this match played up the contrast to a great effect and ended with E-Z tapping out to the Architect's Blueprint. Winners: The Mid Atlantic Express, by submission With the quarterfinal stage of the tournament complete, "Playboy" Jake Sawyer was shown backstage with his clients as he once again attempted to talk Piledriver Women's champion Killer Kass into joining his group. Kass didn't seem interested but things took a turn when former title holder "American Woman" Lora Washington stepped into the scene and requested a rematch for the title. Seeing his chance, Sawyer jumped in to announce that Melanie Trigg had just been cleared to wrestle, so he had a proposal to make: his three clients, against Washington and two of her allies. Whoever scores the pin, gets to wrestle Kass for the gold! Lee Wright Classic XI Semifinals match Notorious vs Slick Rampage As hard hitting as they come, this match was physical from bell to bell. Despite their past as hardcore wrestlers, Notorious and Slick stuck to straightforward wrestling, a strike-heavy style that Arnold was all too happy to keep up with. Notorious had the experience on this one, but the uncanny timing of Slick Rampage was more than a match for it, on top of that team having a serious size and power advantage which eventually led to Slick chokeslamming Barrera with his Slick-Back finisher that sent his team to the finals. Winners: Slick Rampage, by pinfall Lee Wright Classic XI Semifinals match w The Southern Stars vs The Mid Atlantic Express (with Lisa Bowen) Two teams with an ongoing feud in Piledriver Wrestling over the tag team titles, these two were no strangers to each other and despite their several matches already, having another within the confines of a tournament was enough to make it feel fresh enough. Bowen did her best at ringside and remained a constant threat to interfere, yet the match itsellf was so exciting she smartly held back instead of trying to steal the spotlight from the wrestlers. The Stars really sold the lingering effects of their quarterfinals match against the Death Squad, telling a great story that ended with a desperate Harker in tears as he tapped out to Collier's Texas Cloverleaf. Winners: The Southern Stars, by submisson Piledriver United States title match Reaper © vs Logan Diaz Reaper has been nothing short of a dominant champion in the nine months since he won the title, taking on all comers and leaving nothing but a trail of bodies in his wake. Diaz, a former US and Piledriver champion himself, came into this match after losing a devastating Last Man Standing match against his cousin James, the culmination of a long and brutal rivalry between the two. Fans were hot to see two popular and long time members of the roster square off, with Diaz tapping into his arsenal of strikes instead of his usual grappling, well aware that he couldn't hope to move the 360pounder around much. This also played into the question of how he could hope to pull off his Belly to Belly Suplex and Logan indeed tried (and failed) several times before Reaper demolished him with a Death Bomb to retain. Winner: Reaper, by pinfall Reaper makes defence number 4 of his Piledriver United States title Lee Wright Classic XI Finals match w Slick Rampage vs The Mid Atlantic Express (with Lisa Bowen) It all boiled down to this. Slick Rampage, a surprise hit that saved both Slick's career after losing the Piledriver Championship and Arnold's career after he left SWF to return to Piledriver Wrestling, had made it to the finals. Their opponents, the MAW faithful and former champions, revitalized under the leadership of Lisa Bowen and coming of a big victory over the reigning Piledriver Tag Team champions in the semifinals. Both teams had already wrestled two matches earlier and they did indeed bear the scars of those battles, a factor they played up in this slow burner match that built on the drama as they pushed each other to the limits. As even as a match can get, this had both teams looking like they could have won and indeed just before the sixteenth minute, the Architect put Arnold in the Blueprint, only for Arnold to roll over and hold his opponent's shoulders on the mat for a three count instead of tapping out. Winners: Slick Rampage, by a flash pin Lee Wright Classic XI Winners Slick Rampage Cali Slick & Deever Arnold The show ended with Lee Wright, Gorgon and El Masked Sheik coming out to award the trophies to Cali Slick and Deever Arnold, who celebrated their victory for the fans. Once that was over, Gorgon and Sheik announced the official induction of Lee Wright into the Piledriver Hall of Fame, alongside Sam Keith, Peter Michaels and Sheik Ali Al Avatar (who is totally a different person from El Masked Sheik). Lee Wright wrapped things up with an emotional speech about his retirement, highlighting the fact that he's already a PGHW Hall of Famer for his in-ring career, individually and as a team with Raymond Diaz, but this induction is for his work as trainer, head coach, business owner and promoter of Piledriver, his own brainchild of which he's extremely proud of. Show Rating: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarK_RaideR Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 Piledriver Wrestling has been on holiday hiatus since the big Lee Wright Classic show and since I'm playing along as I write the shows, I still don't know who's gonna take over after Lee Wright leaves the business, Still, the November DotM nominations are up, so I guess it's official: Piledriver Wrestling co-won CVerse diary of the month for October in a 4 way tie and it's mind blowing one of the other three diaries was my R2G one as NGW. Thank you all for your comments, predictions, nominations and votes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha2117 Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Good show - You definitely deserve any accolades you get man - your stuff is fun to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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