Thursday, June 14, 2018

Commonwealth Cup Weekend: It's a Thing





Last year, Nova Pro Wrestling debuted their Commonwealth Cup tournament as a one-night array of stacked matches. All sorts of debuting talent mixed it up with company mainstays for the right to raise the Cup. Logan Easton Laroux came out victorious, and an institution was born. Fast forward one year, and the Commonwealth Cup evolved into an entire weekend that featured three shows (two of which on Powerbomb.tv) and the first-ever women’s Commonwealth Cup tournament.

Things were off to a rocky start the week of the tournament. Heavy favorite Gunner Miller announced he had suffered a terrible injury that would keep him out for the rest of 2018. The first entrant announced- Eddie Kingston- would withdraw due to medical reasons. The debuting Chelsea Green would bow out of the tournament the same day. Nova Pro was in a bad spot, but you don’t run their level of shows for more than three years without a little resilience. Homicide would fill in for Gunner to face Beau Crockett, and Jonathan Gresham stepped in admirably to fight Dominic Garrini. The bubbly Barbi Hayden would be called up from non-tournament action to make her debut in style opposite Angelus Layne.

This article isn’t just to simply recap the winners (albeit ones with impressive runs/career trajectories). It’s to dig deeper and to describe the experience that is Commonwealth Cup weekend based not only on my perspective but those of the entrants, personnel and fans. Last year’s Commonwealth Cup was filled with action- but 2018 was a weekend to remember chalk full of their core roster, returning favorites and debuting talent.

Things I could start with:

-The winners (Jordynne Grace and Wheeler Yuta)
- The defending CWC winner (Logan Easton Laroux) losing in the opening match to Arik Royal
-Sage Philips’ run where he took beatings from Jimmy Jacobs and Dominic Garrini and still made the final round
-Angelus Layne staying a part of Nova Pro and wanting to watch it burn during her second-round match versus Allie Kat
-My guests from this week’s episodes of the  Squared Circle Soundoff (PCO and Tim Donst)
-The debuts of PCO, Nick Gage, Homicide and NWA Champion Nick Aldis (After typing that I had to read it again because it was so surreal having all 4 men in the same building.)

Instead I’ll start with Wes “Danger” Rogers. The Hampton, Virginia native and 2017 Nova BOC tryout attendee had shown up for the Mike Quackenbush seminar to soak in any and all knowledge he could. Ironically enough, he was the subject of a question posed by the MGB podcast during my talk with Tim Donst about his similar “Safety First” gimmick in VCW. The two would connect on Friday and find a way to team up later on that night. 

But Wes shouldn’t even be here. Two and a half years ago he was driving when a drunk driver being pursued by cops had gotten to the wrong side of the road and crashed head on at seventy miles per hour with him. Wes doesn’t remember much that night, but he would have plenty of mementos: a broken ankle, smashed knees, torn abdomen, severe concussion amongst other injuries. He’d spend 40 days in the hospital and have multiple surgeries as recent as August 2017 to help him live a normal life again.

“I'm a walking testament to both the triumphs and follies of modern medicine,” said the cheerful Rogers. Simply surviving that is a challenge in itself- let alone continuing his career as a professional wrestler. But hey, at least he has a stellar Storm Troopac tattoo as well.

Rogers would join the hottest act in the company, “Safety First” Tim Donst as part of the Safety Squad featuring “Cool Caution” Kyle, “Duct Tape” Doug and a few other new members: “Too Safe” Kevin Trash and “Sweeping” Scott Hallway. Chants of “SAFETY FIRST” and “TOO SAFE” permeated the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department. Even though Donst and Fred Yehi had faced off before, this felt different with their respective evolutions. Prior to the match, Yehi joined forces with Stokely Hathaway by bypassing signing a contract with a firm hug.

Everyone in the squad had their role, and the creativity incorporated was brilliant. Yehi brought his physical style but was constantly counteracted by the Safety Squad’s antics:


Yehi would score the submission win over my pick to win it all, but Tim would return on night 2 with a familiar foe. Despite not winning the CWC, Donst remained positive about the weekend as a whole.

“I love being around fresher outside talent. It's hip and refreshing to see guys like Homicide and PCO among the regular roster members. It allows for fresh matchups and team ups,” said Donst.

He continued, “I enjoy spending time with the regular roster members as well. Pro wrestlers really are a make shift family on the road and on the run. There's guys I consider to be my best friends that I see once every month. It makes sense- not only are you connected through an ultimate socially unacceptable art form fandom by performing but you also have to trust each other with your lives with every hold, move and match. Getting to spend more than thirty minutes talking to a locker-room mate on a busy show day is rare but this show allowed our family to get even stronger.”

One of the wildest things was kicking off the men’s tournament with two of Nova Pro’s cornerstones: the defending CWC winner, Logan Easton Laroux versus The Old Dominion Rumble winner Arik Royal. The two proved at Nova Project 3 they were capable of putting on an instant classic and did not disappoint here. Royal scored the win and ended Laroux’s streak of appearing on every show.

“It was a Shakespearean tragedy the likes of which the wrestling world has never seen,” said Logan.




 The Gated Community and Ed Dao would not have a fun weekend, as Alexander James also lost in the opening round to Wheeler Yuta. It was a match I had pegged as my dark horse to steal that round, and after seeing the storytelling between those two combined with their in-ring chemistry- I would easily put it up against any other first round match. Bobby Shields did beat Solo Darling, and James would redeem himself on night two with a win over Jimmy Jacobs. Each match had its own identity, and that was integral for such a loaded two days.

The action would continue with Powerbomb TV champion Tracy Williams defeating Curt Stallion with a piledriver and Sage Philips surviving two beatings by Jimmy Jacobs and Dominic Garrini. He’d not only live to tell about it- but wrestle the three other finalists. Like the rest of the field I talked to, Garrini only had positives to come from the weekend.

“The Commonwealth Cup was a great experience. Nova Pro is quickly building a tournament experience like other top flight independent promotions, especially with the addition of the women’s tournament. Guy, girl- it didn’t matter. The best in the world competed in both. For me it was awesome because I got the chance to wrestle opponents like Jon Gresham- one of the best wrestlers in the world- and an up-and-comer in Sage.”

Friday night would see 3 huge debuts: Homicide, Nick Gage and PCO. Homicide filled in for Gunner Miller and ended up tapping out Beau Crockett but would fall to Yuta in the second round due to a controversial three-count which left myself and the rest of the crowd stunned.

"I was happy with both of my matches until the ref stopped the match versus Yuta on Saturday night. I was bleeding and I felt at the time it was corny to stop the match- but I understand the rules are different in Virginia," Homicide would say later.

The main event was a match that when announced for the CWC, even promoter Mike E. King was in shock he managed to book it: Nick Gage versus PCO. Fans peppered the AVFD with chants of “WE’RE GONNA DIE”, “NICK F*CKING GAGE” and “PCO”. A few fans even suggested making “We survived Gage vs PCO” shirts. Simply put- the two did not disappoint.

By the way, PCO is fifty years old but he’s not human whatsoever:





 After the match, the audience either needed a drink, a smoke or both. What surprised me most was how quick and agile Gage was, and how fun it would have been to see him versus other CWC entrants.

PCO would come out on top and would take on Arik Royal in the second round. Following PCO for the weekend would be the talented filmmaker Kenny Johnson who has done documentaries for Evolve, Joey Janela, MJF and more. I got his thoughts on his experience at Nova Pro and with PCO.

“He’s a super nice guy who’s got an incredible amount of passion for wrestling. He’s not afraid to reinvent himself and take chances. He always wants to give one-hundred percent to each match. Filming was super easy. He was able to open up and give a lot of great insight on his career and thoughts on life in general,” said Johnson.

I got a chance to talk with PCO after night two, and we had a very laidback conversation. With as popular as the guy is these days, he never once made it feel rushed and gave me all the time in the world to catch up with him following our wonderful talk on the SCSO.

I had done a cover image for the podcast using a unique font that I felt fit his character, and Pierre was really impressed by it. He raved to me through messenger, but in person even more. He felt it really fit his character perfectly. The O with the target in it to him really personified him hunting his goals. That level of appreciation blew me away. 

"Nova Pro is a great company to perform for. They are very professional as are all the guys and girls in the locker-room. The crowd is very smart and engaged with all the matches, and I truly enjoyed this weekend. Under any circumstances, I always give my all,” said Pierre. 

Saturday was defined by two things: the women taking over and more storyline-driven matches as opposed to pure tournament competition. The eight women were busting their butts to make history, and the afternoon show was full of staples (Jordynne Grace, Allie Kat, Veda Scott, Angelus Layne, Faye Jackson), returns (Rachael Ellering, Mia Yim) and a lone debut (Barbi Hayden). Hayden was originally scheduled to take part in non- tournament action and was a replacement for Chelsea Green who bowed out late in the week. Hayden had her opportunity versus Layne who was fighting for her career with Nova Pro.

The first thing I noticed about the College Station, Texas product was how genuinely nice she was- which is why she’s a perfect fit for a locker room that lacks egos.


“Going into Nova Pro, I didn’t have many set expectations. I tend to leave preconceived notions at the door because I like to experience everything for my own judgement. The crowd was vivacious and friendly, the venue was brightly lit and well taken care of. I was a last-minute replacement and if you know me- you know I hate last minute changes,” said Hayden. “Despite not winning in the end, I’m very proud of my performance and cannot wait to return to such a classy and well-put together show that’s appropriate for all ages.”

Layne knew what the show meant for wrestling in general, no matter whether one is male or female.

“The 2018 women’s CWC wasn’t a tournament to showcase the talents of the top female competitors within Nova Pro, but rather step forward in showcasing talent regardless of gender- blurring the lines of ‘good for a woman’ or ‘good for a man’. All the women in the tournament delivered as professional wrestlers who all had the common goal of winning.”

Dennis from the Squared Circle Sirens would help with the majority of announcing duties for the tournament. He was kind enough to compose his thoughts in a very eloquent tweet:


A fun callback to last year’s tryout show was Veda Scott versus Allie Kat in a “teacher versus student” matchup. Scott came with a “crazy cat lady” gimmick which saw her toss stuffed cats into the crowd to the chagrin of Allie- one of which gave her a pretty stellar hip toss. Yes, you read that right. It also included the BRUTALITY of Veda being slammed into dry cat food. Allie would pick up the win with her trademark headbutt.

Elsewhere in the opening round, Jordynne Grace would have a fast-paced and competitive match with the lovely Rachael Ellering and come out on top. Mia Yim’s return was followed with a win over Faye Jackson.

The next round is where storylines played more of a role when Angelus lost to Allie Kat by not breaking the ref’s five count.





 “After winning my first-round match and securing my position in Nova Pro, I realized the Cup didn’t mean as much to me as revenge did. I made the decision to teach Allie Kat a lesson rather than advance to the finals. Continuing to make her, Mike E. King and Nova Pro as a whole suffer is more of a victory than anything.”

That left Northern Virginia’s own Mia Yim to take on the powerhouse Jordynne Grace. The two elite wrestlers went back and forth, but Grace would prove to be too much for Mia.

“I love the concept and am excited to see next year’s tournament,” said Yim.

By this point in the day, I started to feel a sense of exhaustion- but a powernap in between shows followed by a Redbull had me jacked and ready to go for the evening.

I feel like Stefon in Saturday Night Live. Saturday night had EVERYTHING: tournament matches, title matches, tag matches, returns, NO DQ matches, storyline advancement, etc. One of the more special moments was Crab Wrestling Champion Isaiah Frazier challenging Nick Aldis for the NWA championship with a spot at ALL IN on the line.

I have seen the talent in Isaiah, and him defeating Mack Buckler on night one felt like a long time coming. He moves effortlessly in the ring with accuracy and speed. He could use those as an advantage over Aldis, whereas Aldis would use his power and veteran savvy to outdo Frazier. The crowd has been behind Frazier the last few months, and on this night they were louder and more passionate than ever. 





 It was not meant to be tonight for Isaiah, but even in a loss he had a star-making performance.

“That match was amazing. He’s a great wrestling mind. I definitely look forward to doing it again. He told me he loved being at Nova and said it was fun,” said Isaiah.

Aldis expressed plenty of respect for the young talent, and his fondness for Nova Pro as a whole.

“I had a good time at the Commonwealth Cup and was very impressed by the professionalism of the promotion. Isaiah has come a long way in a short period of time and hung in there very well with me. He deserved the standing ovation he got at the end of the match. If he continues to work hard and develop his character he has a bright future in the business.

There were lots of great talent at the show that I have never seen before- both male and female. Scouting potential future opponents and talent for future NWA projects is always exciting to me.
I hope I get to return to Nova Pro as I had a great time and I'm fairly close being in Richmond. I would like to see them prosper and enjoy working with younger talent.”

Donst and Gage would be the perfect opponents for The Carnies. The odd couple duo gave me flashbacks of The Rock N’ Sock Connection on a Nova Pro scale, and it was just the first part of the fantastic storytelling throughout the match. 

Despite being so good at being bad, the crowd truly enjoyed seeing the Circus return to Northern Virginia and Kerry Awful reflected on the moment.

“It’s probably been what- like two, three, four months since we were last at Nova Pro? It’s funny, because I never really know how the crowd is going to react to us there. I would say that Nick, Tripp and I are probably the most polarizing figures there. One night they might be threatening to stab our tires and the next moment they are beating our drum into battle. I think there was more than a few people secretly chanting ‘welcome back’. I think we were able to make something special happen with Gage & Donst. Especially when I powerbombed Donst so hard it knocked him back into his former identity. Even though we won the match, I don’t feel as if I’m done with Gage. When he ripped my shirt, and I took my mask off — there was a brief moment where it felt time stopped and the crowd felt something very special.”

Nick chimed in as well. “I’ll say this about Nova Pro- it’s got one of the most dynamic, well-rounded locker rooms along with one of the most die-hard fan bases. Anytime our busy schedule lines up, we jump at the opportunity to be there.” 





Donst would be reincarnated as his pre-Safety First self, but The Carnies would come out on top. The fallout was almost more important than the preceding match. Gage got into it with Donst and the two began to set up a match at a later date, but even more pressing- Beau decided the circus tent was getting just a bit too crowded.

"The Carnies- Nick, Kerry, Trip...they claimed to be my brothers," said Beau. "They claimed they were going to be family and with their help The Beau Show would be the Main Attraction of the Carnival. Where did they go? what did they do? Where did my loyalty to them get me? I became the Main Attraction on my own anyway. Turns out I didn't need their help, and I owe them nothing. Not one bit of my effort unless it's to burn the big top to the ground."

“Beau talks about where we have been or what have we done for him? We didn’t have his back. Beau should have learned a lesson in being self-reliant,” said Kerry. “That’s the first rule of being a Carny. We don’t cheat because we have to, we cheat because we want to. We’re going to see if we can fleece the Gated Community out of a small house payment to get rid of him. There is nothing the circus likes more than getting paid to do something they love, and Beau — destroying him is something we are going to love doing.” 

Nick echoed the sentiment, saying “He threw away his future. If it wasn’t for the Carnies, he’d still be dancing with Innocent Isaiah and fading into obscurity. We gave his career a resurgence. He failed to get past the first round, so it’s probably best he removed himself from the Carnies to save us any more embarrassment.”


The women’s tournament would conclude with an epic match between Jordynne Grace and Allie Kat. It was two of the best in ring performers the company has to offer, and the psychology on display was brilliant. Jordynne’s leg was bothering her from earlier in the day, and Allie’s back had been destroyed by Gothicc. She had the KT tape to prove it, but the glory of being the first ever women’s Commonwealth Cup winner was on the line. Both targeted the problem areas, and Grace would use Air Jordynne, forearms and eventually a bearhug to submit the valiant feline. 





 The significance of the win was not lost on Grace, “I was lucky and unlucky in the fact that I had three incredible opponents throughout the tournament. Lucky in the fact that all three of these women, Rachael, Mia, and Allie, are all incredible wrestlers, among the best in the world, and unlucky in that there was no match I could go easy or ‘phone it in’. I had three matches I was proud of and really gave it my all throughout the entire day. I am extremely grateful and humbled to have won it.”

The men’s final still had one spot open, and Royal vs PCO decided who got in. It was the hossiest of hoss battles, and if you think PCO was slowing down, you’re damn wrong. Dude was still diving through the ropes, frog-splashing and moonsaulting his ass off to try and win. Royal’s resilience came in to play and he’d secure that final spot.

Yuta, Royal, Philips and Tracy Williams would be that final four. The action as expected was fast and furious with Williams being eliminated first by Royal, then Sage by Royal, then finally Yuta wins with the STF. Not a lot of people saw his win coming, and the crowd was happy for him but still in a state of shock. Even less people expected what followed: Homicide brutally attacking Yuta postmatch, destroying the Cup and demanding ring announcer Bryan Hughes declare him the winner of the tournament.

“Winning the tournament really meant a lot to me because I felt like it was a unique task that I was able to accomplish. To come in and wrestle six completely different competitors in two days is nothing to scoff at. I pride myself on adaptability and using my intelligence and scientific approach to get the win, and I feel like I did that this weekend. I needed significant resilience as well, and I like to think I showed that as well. Hopefully I proved that Wheeler Yuta is the future.”

He might have had a winning afterglow but the extracurricular activities were not lost on him.

“I was less than happy to be attacked by Homicide. I understand there was some controversy following our second-round match, but I would have happily fought in a rematch at American Slang without the attack. That was supposed to be my moment in Nova Pro, but I guess I'll just have to come out on top at American Slang and get my moment then.” Nova Pro announced earlier this week the two will face off at American Slang.”

Two shows in a day is long for anyone, especially the competitors- but the reaction I have heard from fans, friends, personnel and wrestlers is nothing but positive. Todd Meyers, who the fans have dubbed “Buff Ref” compared this CWC to last year’s.

“I thought the talent level and match quality were noticeably better. The biggest story for me coming out of the trio of shows this weekend was the return of Tim Donst and his development with Nick Gage. That match will be insane. Homicide is set to unleash havoc on Nova Pro, too. While the tournament was great, those bigger stories will headline a hot summer for Nova Pro.”

The weekend wasn’t over there, as The Cue Club down the street held post show festivities. In one room you had Nick Gage playing Homicide in pool, and the two could not have been cooler and more appreciative of the fan support.

In the next room? Karaoke.

Tim Donst and Breaux Keller were the all-stars, planning out what songs were next and killing it each time they performed.  You couldn’t help but sing-along, dance and let loose. The highlight was the entire room singing the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”:




 It was a way to cap off a fantastic weekend, especially for Breaux who had two wins in two nights.

“It’s definitely an honor being on these shows with such a talented roster. It’s very humbling for me and to snag a couple of W’s. Hopefully I can take this momentum and keep it rolling as I try to climb the ladder all the way up. Also, I’m trying to be somewhere close to being as cool as ‘Cool Caution’ Kyle,” he told me.

You’ll never be as cool as “Cool Caution’ Kyle, Breaux. But Donst finished things off with the reason why Commonwealth Cup weekend is officially “a thing”:

“The Nova Pro fans rule. Not only are they super positive, super loud but super interactive. I think their creation of my ‘Safety First" variant is proof of that. Mike King didn't create it. I didn't have anything to do with it. The crowd did- and that rules. That's wrestling. Need more proof? One of the greatest moments of my life was not only seeing a sea of safety vests during the show but afterwards while doing "bust a move" someone moved a safety cone on stage with me…in real life. Even after the show the bond between performer and crowd member and fun is all in the same. I had the greatest wrestling and karaoke time this past weekend. The fans made it so.”

I already have a list of songs in mind for the next karaoke night, and only one goal: Nick Gage leading everyone in his version of “The Safety Dance”.

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know @SeanNeutron and follow @SCSOpod.

All images* via @JayLeeAC.

*Image of PCO by Kenny Johnson
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