By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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New South Pro Wrestling “Hoss All Stars Tournament Night 1”
March 7, 2025 in Gadsen, Alabama at Spartan Arena
Available for streaming via Independentwrestling.tv
Gadsen is located northeast of Birmingham (and thus northwest of Atlanta.) Both nights of this two-day tournament were released this week on IWTV. This is a review of night 1 only; if I enjoy this, I will likely watch night 2. I see a handful of indy names from the Northeast made the trek to Alabama to be part of this event.
* Ugh, this room is not lit well at all; the side of the ring closest to the hard camera is lit okay, but the back of the ring is dark. (The ringside camera is a bit better!) I also can’t see anyone in the crowd; there could be 20 people or 300 and I really wouldn’t know. The ring is pushed next to a stage, so there are no fans seated across from the hard camera either. GM Allison Leigh came to the ring to open the show. She explained that Max the Impaler had canceled, so the competitors at ringside are going to be in a battle royal to replace Max in the tournament. Scottye Moore and Carmen Michael provided commentary; I’ve heard Carmen a few times now — often on cross-over events with GCW — and he’s quite good.
1. Last Chance Battle Royal. I see eight guys and I don’t know any of them. Names The participants were: Harrison Haze, Bobcat, Shean Christopher, Bubba Bazz, Jake Franklin, Marcus Dylan, Chris Crunk, and Connor Martin. It came down to Crunk vs. Shean Christopher. Crunk tossed Christopher to win. Adequate action.
Chris Crunk won the Last Chance Battle Royal at 6:52.
2. Alec Price vs. Hunter Drake in a first-round tournament match. Drake has competed in GCW; he’s thin, short with long blond hair. He comes out to Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child Of Mine” which automatically makes him a babyface. My guess is these two have been in scrambles against each other. Price shouted at the crowd and he was really turning up his heel persona. Price stalled on the floor and let the crowd get under his skin. In the ring, the taller Price hit some shoulder tackles at 3:00. Hunter hit a rolling cannonball. Hunter tweaked his knee on a leapfrog; Price immediately hit a cheap shot on the damaged leg at 5:00, then a Dragonscrew Legwhip and targeted it. Alec hit a chop block, then a half-nelson suplex for a nearfall at 7:30.
Alec hit his running kicks in the corner. Hunter hit a second-rope missile dropkick and they were both down. Drake hit a huracanrana and a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 10:00. However, he missed a 450 Splash and landed on his damaged knee. Alec set up for a springboard move, but Hunter pushed him to the floor. Alec nailed his top-rope Emergency legdrop for a nearfall at 11:30. Price hit a powerbomb and he turned it into a Boston Crab and sat down on Hunter’s lower back. Hunter hit a second-rope fadeaway stunner, then a plancha to the floor at 13:30 and he was fired up! In the ring, Hunter nailed a top-rope 450 Splash for the clean pin. A really good way to start this tournament.
Hunter Drake defeated Alec Price at 14:09 to advance.
3. Cheeseburger vs. Cabana Man Dan in a first-round tournament match. Two-decade ring vet Dan is thicker than Cheeseburger with his hair in a ponytail and a beard, and he carried a title belt with him. Basic reversals early as they worked each other’s left arm. Cheeseburger suddenly hit a closed-fist punch at 4:00 and some stomps, as a light-hearted match suddenly got serious. Cheeseburger twisted Dan’s fingers and wrist and kept Dan grounded. Cheeseburger got Dan’s flip-flop, but Dan took it and struck Cheeseburger in the chest with it. Dan then hit a Sliced Bread for the pin. Okay match.
Cabana Man Dan defeated Cheeseburger at 10:28 to advance.
4. Jamesen Shook vs. Stallion Rogers in a first-round tournament match. Rogers was Curt Stallion in his short NXT run. Shook has reddish hair and a short beard and looks like a young Sami Callihan, and he’s a rising star. Oh, he’s a heel here! I’m used to seeing him as a babyface. An intense lockup to open and Shook control early on. They traded chops. Shook snapped the fingers, Pete Dunne-style, at 5:00. Rogers hit a basement dropkick into the corner, then a DDT for a nearfall. Jameson pushed the ropes, causing Rogers to fall in the corner and be crotched at 7:00. Shook hit a top-rope superplex for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Rogers hit a German Suplex; Jameson hit a running knee at 9:30. Rogers hit a powerbomb move and scored the pin. Good for the time given.
Stallion Rogers defeated Jamesen Shook at 9:53 to advance.
5. Donnie Primetime vs. Big Dave in a first-round tournament match. Dave is perhaps 6’4″ and I recently saw him beat Donovan Dijak in a good match; he brought a cowbell on a rope. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Donnie and he now looks like a goth rocker with purple-ish hair a black leather jacket, and a black rocker shirt. They fought to the floor and it was ruled a double count-out at 00:50! (I have stopped the stopwatch.) The general manager has decided this will be re-started with no count-outs or disqualifications! We got a bell and I resumed the clock, and they fought onto the stage next to the ring. Dave hit him with a garbage can. They got in the ring and Donnie hit Dave with a cane.
They hit each other with chairs and a garbage can. Dave slammed him to the mat and got a nearfall at 6:00. Dave powerslammed him through a board bridge for a nearfall at 8:00. Donnie hit a running neckbreaker. He threw a chair at Dave and I really hate that. Dave was bleeding from his forehead. Donnie hit a top-rope frogsplash onto a chair on Dave’s chest for a nearfall. Dave took his head off with a decapitating clothesline and scored the pin. Decent brawl. They hugged afterwards.
Big Dave defeated Donnie Primetime at 11:12 to advance.
6. Mad Dog Connelly vs. Chris Crunk in a first-round tournament match. Connelly has the Bruiser Brody vibe in basic black trunks, wrestles barefoot, and had a breakout 2024. Crunk has the size and look of 2024-era Chuck Taylor with the Will Ospreay haircut. The bigger Connelly overpowered Crunk and slowed him with a headlock. Crunk hit a Divorce Court armbreaker at 2:00 and he focused on the left arm. Crunk hit a Rebound Lariat but it had no effect. Connelly backed him into a corner and hit repeated overhand chops at 6:00; this guy is a beast! Crunk hit a Flatliner at 8:30, and tied up Connelly’s head on the mat. Crunk hit a huracanrana. Connelly nailed a decapitating clothesline, then he held Crunk’s head across his shoulder blade until Chris went limp and the ref called for the bell. Decent match.
Mad Dog Connolly defeated Chris Crunk at 10:39 to advance.
7. Tony Evans vs. Rita Raccoon in a first-round tournament match. I don’t know these two; I had seen everyone in the tournament before except Crunk. Evans came out first and he has a crew-cut and a short trimmed beard; the crowd shouted him down. (My guess is I saw him on the GCW crossover shows; his Cagematch.net data shows he’s a regular in OVW.) He came here from Kentucky and was upset about coming to a dump like Alabama. His whole look and persona makes me think of Adam Priest, but taller. Rita has raccoon whiskers drawn on her face; her music played but she didn’t come out!. The GM came out instead and said Rita Raccoon was ‘laid out’ in the back but she has a replacement lined up. Locksmith Brandon Williams is the replacement and he charged in and attacked Evans. Williams wore an ugly blue-and-gold singlet. They brawled at ringside, where Brandon hit a snap suplex at 2:30.
In the ring, Evans took control and grounded Williams. The commentators said Evans recently fought Matt Riddle. He hit a brainbuster for a nearfall at 5:00 and a second-rope elbow drop. Williams applied an ankle lock at 8:00. Evans escaped, got a rollup, and scored the cheap pin. In general, the right guy has won so far, setting up for some good second-round matches.
Tony Evans defeated Locksmith Brandon Williams at 8:37 to advance.
8. Samuel Handsome (w/Kennedy Ryan, The Wall) vs. Odinson in a first-round tournament match. Odinson is muscular and one of the few guys in NWA I liked to watch. I haven’t seen Samuel before; he’s a young kid with curly hair and he shouted at the crowd; he seems obnoxious and like a kid you want to see beaten up. He put up some hand signals and stuck out his tongue, pretending he’s a new-age rocker. (Think Ace Austin four years ago, when he was still scrawny and annoying.) Odinson has a significant muscle mass advantage; he backed Samuel into a corner and hit some LOUD overhand chops at 1:00. Odinson hit a European Uppercut to the back that sent Samuel to the floor to regroup. Odinson stood toe-to-toe with The Wall, who appears to be slightly taller than Odinson.
Back in the ring, Sam jumped on Odinson, but Odinson easily shrugged him to the mat. Sam hid behind redhead Kennedi, using her as a human shield. The Wall hit Odinson on the floor and threw him back into the ring, where Samuel hit some knee blows to the back. Odinson charged, but Sam moved, and Odinson crashed shoulder-first into the corner at 6:30. The Wall hit Odinson again, and the commentators screamed that this was like a handicap match. Sam hit a flipping slam and a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall at 8:30. Odinson hit a hard clothesline, then a release Exploder Suplex, tossing the scrawny kid across the ring. Odinson clocked him with a Pounce! That popped the crowd! Odinson hit a spinning F5 for the pin. That was a fun beatdown of the heel at the finish.
Odinson defeated Samuel Handsome at 10:56 to advance.
9. Richard Holliday vs. Jonathan Gresham in a first-round tournament match. I haven’t seen Gresham at all since his TNA deal expired. Basic feeling-out process and reversals on the mat in the early going with neither man really having an advantage. Holliday hit a cheap shot punch at 6:00 and a hard back elbow, and he twisted the left arm. He slammed Gresham’s head into the top turnbuckle and remained in charge. Holliday hit a side slam for a nearfall at 9:30. Gresham locked in an Octopus Stretch, and now he focused on twisting Holliday’s left arm, and both men wound up crashing to the floor at 13:00.
In the ring, Holliday hit a backbreaker over his knee. Gresham hit a back bodydrop, then an enzuigiri. This match has been at a very deliberate pace. Gresham hit a missile dropkick and they were both down. They traded rollups until it became comical. Holliday hit the 2008 swinging suplex out of nowhere for the clean pin! A mild upset in my eyes. Gresham’s methodical style works for a lot of people but this stayed in second gear in my eyes.
Richard Holliday defeated Jonathan Gresham at 17:10 to advance.
Final Thoughts: While I thought Gresham would win, I’m glad Holliday won. I think the right person won in every match except the Hunter-Price opener. Point being, I think there will be some really good second-round matches, and I hope to check out night two soon. I will give that Hunter-Price match the best match of the night, even though I think Alec should have won. Shook-Rogers was really good and takes second. Primetime-Big Dave takes third but I want to add that the final two minutes of Odinson destroying the youngster was an absolute blast.
This is a show where it just might have been better to leave the lights on. Wrestlers going to the top rope on the side of the ring opposite the hard camera vanished into the shadows. That said, they used the ringside camera for most of the show, and it came off looking much better than what I anticipated when the show began. I’ll reiterate that I really liked this commentary team, too; they talked about prior years of this tournament and were in general well-versed on the bios of everyone involved.
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