The Rap Sheet - by the Crimefighter
New Midwest Wrestling - Capital Punishment
Springfield, IL, 6/1/2K2

This is NMW's second ever event, where attendance was about 250, but the official attendance was said to be 550. This time around I sat on the other side of the arena where it was less populated. Alas, some cameraman kept blocking my view, forcing me to move around to see the action. I merely took pictures again and didn't bother with a tape recorder. I thought of just writing notes this time, but I'd be too busy looking at what I'm writing than the action. If you want a blow-by-blow recap, you'll have to ask someone at NMW to lend me one of the camcorder tapes they made. The show ran an hour shorter than last month, which was a good thing due to the heat in the building. Notable event, "Mike the Ref" does the officiating the majority of the evening. Meanwhile, some idiot named "RON" posts a number of stupid messages on the forum of the NMW website.

Show opens Stan Sallinger going over the card, when Scotty Cash comes out wanting to get out of his match with Sage Ramsey claiming he has a belly-ache (from fear no doubt). He pulls out a note claiming his mom wrote it, but Sallinger has none of it and tells him he will defend his title tonight. Cash stomps on Sallinger's foot and storms off.

Mini-Tourney for #1 Contender to NMW title
Jason Wells (6'0", 230 lbs, Kansas City, MO)[0-1] vs. Dredd Walker (5'11", 210 lbs, Purgatory)[0-0-1]
Wells is back after being carried out last month following a crash thru a table from the top rope to the floor. Dredd Walker is fresh off a draw with Jeremy. During the early going in the match, Prof. PHD comes out to take notes. Wells manages to hit a suplex into a face-plant and a death valley driver, but ultimately falls to what appears to be a powerbomb, but then is turned into a chest down slam...I just call it the Dreddnought.

WINNER: Dredd Walker pin -> (1-0-1)

Tag Team Match
Bing Westlake III (5'10", 165lbs, London, England)[1-0] & The Caddy Eric Logan (5'10", 173lbs, Palm Springs, FL)[debut] vs. "The Iron Chef" Leo Lagossi (6'0", 240lbs, Bracke, Sweden)[0-1] & The Khaos Kidd (5'7", 200lbs, Springfield, IL)[debut]
This match was set up after the brew-ha-ha impromptu match between the chef and Bing, where Stan Sallinger selected who is now known as the Khaos Kidd from the audience to referee the match when it was supposed to go to intermission and the refs were on break. The ring announcer botches the introductions, announcing all the participants at once while the wrestlers come out to their own separate entrances. Kidd is wearing a Sting t-shirt, and does the Sting howl. Bing makes the ref check under the ring for any cakes. This match goes quite a long time, where the chef stays in the ring with the heels for the first half making me wonder if the Kidd was ever gonna be tagged in. He gets tagged in finally and apparently a month of training to wrestle was enough. He slugs Bing around but then gets double-teamed for a while, until it brings in the chef and goes into a four-way brawl ending with a collision between the Caddy and Westlake allowing Kidd to roll him up for the three count. The man who made the count, "Mike the Ref".

WINNERS: The Iron Chef & Khaos Kidd pin -> [1-0]

After the match, Bing chews out the Caddy for causing him to lose and slaps him around, planting the seeds for a future breakup already.

Central IL Title Match
Sage Ramsey (6'4", 270lbs, Peoria, IL)[0-1] vs. Scotty Cash (c) (5'9", 170lbs, 'Yo Mammas House' {Springfield?})[1-0]
Cash tries to match strength with much bigger Sage but fails miserably, but keeps trying repeatedly even going outside to be handed a calculator of all things to compute something. Finally, Cash yanks Sage into the corner headfirst and pretty much dominates the match by working on the arm. Sage gets a second wind and hits the pump-handle version of the Rock Bottom he calls Enough Said but just gets two. A second attempt yields a kick to the groin. In the end Cash manages to tie him up with an illegal double-leg & rope hook that the ref should not have been so stupid to fall for this common trick, but "Mike the Ref" is not known for his brains. Sage loses the second month in a row due to illegal covers.

WINNER and STILL champion: Scotty Cash pin -> [2-0]

Mini-Tourney for #1 Contender for NMW Title
Real World Jeremy (6'2", 242lbs, Denver, CO)[0-0-1] vs. Michael Shard (5'8", 170lbs, Santa Monica, CA)[1-1] managed by Prof. Phillip H. Dempsey
Shard and PHD come out and detect some sort of smell, they check themselves and then figure out it's Springfield that smells. PHD runs his mouth that Rip Mystic cheated to beat Shard, this of course, despite his own cheating to beat Sage Ramsey last night and his botched interference in the match he lost. And of course he is now walking around with a cane due to his knee being tore up from what he claims what Mystic did to him. Shard gets the mike and gloats over Jeremy who couldn't beat Dredd Walker last month within the time limit. Jeremy comes out and tells him he would had beaten Walker if he did have that overtime since he had him locked in the sharpshooter. The match starts and Shard does his usual cocky stalling. Once the action gets going, PHD kept getting up on the apron whenever Shard was getting pinned. Dredd Walker comes out to counter PHD's conduct. Then Jason Wells also comes out. After PHD is yanked off the apron by Walker, Wells KO's Dredd, Wells sneaks in while the ref is attending to that side and jams the cane into Jeremy...but Shard only gets a two count. Walker and Wells brawl on the outside. PHD sets up to slug Jeremy, Shard gets reversed into him, and Jeremy rolls him up for three. Note that Shard blows his second title chance here.

WINNER: Real World Jeremy (pin) -> [1-0-1]

After the match, all four men end up in the ring brawling, Wells is thrown out, Dredd is knocked down on the second rope by Shard, Jeremy tries to clobber Shard but hits Dredd, Shard bails. Shard & Wells leave and gloat at Jeremy. Dredd stands up and tells Jeremy that was on purpose and they brawl. Security pulls them apart and tensions cool enough for them to shake hands. It will be Real World Jeremy vs. Dredd Walker next month with no time limit with the winner facing Rip Mystic the following month.

Interview: Travis Lee comes out to scream at Rip, Rip comes out, Lee begs him off and rants about all of the people he's fought and allegedly beaten, Mystic tells him he doesn't give a rip and he's gonna retain his belt. Rip leaves, Lee throw a tantrum.

#1 Contender match for Central IL Title
"The Cruiserweight Redneck" Earl Grissom (5'10", 170lbs, Rushville, IL)[0-1] vs. El Diablo Silverado (5'8", 173lbs, Beardstown, IL)[0-1]
Both these guys lost their 1st round bouts last month. This turned out to be the shortest match of the night as Silverado won it with the 'Unprettier' fairly quickly.

WINNER: El Diablo Silverado pin -> [1-1]

Out comes Scotty Cash with a mirror and a bag. Cash makes an offer for Silverado to trade his title match next month for a taco from Taco Bell. Uh yeah, that's HARDLY an even trade. Silverado refuses, then Cash starts claiming Silverado's TOO LITTLE to fight him. Uh yeah, you look at these two guys side by side, and the weight is nearly equal, and the height is nearly equal, you think we all were born yesterday Cash??? So Cash has a title he really didn't win, and wants in turn to be a closet champion. Silverado has enough and just Japanese armdrags him twice and tosses him out of the ring. It will be Scotty Cash defending against Silverado next month.

Springfield Street Fight (Hardcore Match)
Tom Arson (6'5", 260lbs, St. Louis, MO)[0-1] vs. "Alpha Male" Guy Smith (6'0", 255lbs, Rapid City, SD)[1-1] with Hot Valet
This match was set up following Smith being run off by Arson in an interview, then Smith screwing Arson out of the Central IL title, who then stops Smith from screwing Mystic out of the NMW title. This sadly turns out to be Hot Valet’s final appearance for NMW and Smith’s manager, as her daughter dies tragically some days later in a drowning. Out comes Stan Sallinger to be the special referee. Hot Valet is wearing a green tank top and ripped up jeans to signify hardcore attire. Match starts on the outside when Smith breaks a broom over Arson which just makes him mad. They brawl on the outside of which Smith gets the better of and proceeds to smash various items over his head he pulls from under the ring including a kendo stick that gets Arson bleeding early. A large sign reading BUMP is used, of which Smith sets up a couple of chairs with the sign on top. Smith tries to slam Arson thru it, but ends up getting slammed thru it himself. Action spills into the aisle close to me, making me think I'll be forced to move AGAIN by the wrestlers themselves...but they get back on their side of the security barrier. The trashcans are out, first a small plastic one is whacked over Arson's head, which is ineffective, then Arson puts a metal one over Smith's body and kicks him down. Smith gets a table into the ring but leaves it to deal with Arson. Arson sets it up in the corner and sets up for a powerbomb, but Smith reverses for a backdrop thru the table and gets the three count.

WINNER: "Alpha Male" Guy Smith pin -> [2-1]

After the match, Arson piledrives Smith on the chair, thankfully his head doesn't make contact with the chair itself, but Smith had to be dragged out of the area.

NMW Heavyweight Title
Rip Mystic (c)(5'8", 180lbs, Hannibal, MO)[3-0] vs. "Tasty" Travis Lee (5'10", 215lbs, 'Heartbreak USA'?)[debut]
Travis comes out to strut, and do a lot more shouting and screaming than actual wrestling. Lee attacks Rip from behind and they slug it out. Finish comes following a missed tackle by Rip KO'es the ref. Guy Smith comes back out after Rip hits a savaught kick for a cover and no-count, and attacks but Rip spinkicks him out of the ring. Lee nails Rip with a DDT after a missed 450 splash and the ref comes to and counts a slow two. Lee freaks and DDTs the ref. Lee tries to do a superplex, but Rip knocks him off and locks in a DDT off the second rope and the ref manages barely to count a very slow three. Smith jumps in to attack Rip again, and the double-teaming brings out Tom Arson to even things up and the heels get dispatched.

WINNER and STILL champ: Rip Mystic pin -> [4-0]

Well, I've heard complaints about the show not being good, but I didn't leave thinking that way. I had yet to do any ratings so I couldn’t tell how good or bad the matches were. Alas, don’t have any videotapes of the event either. Of note, Tasty Travis Lee was not heard from again following this match, he went to compete elsewhere and I deem him an NMW one-match wonder. Too bad, he was one of the few that didn’t wear BLACK. The next event is Revolution on July 13, same location and already we know the matches Real World Jeremy vs. Dredd Walker and Scotty Cash vs. Silverado are set. The ring announcer needs to practice his announcing skills before doing it next time, turns out it was indeed the last time as I haven’t seen him since. Also the AC will need to be turned up, it was hot in there.