By Nicholas Jason Lopez

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 6/9/15)

Stepladder To Success

– The show began replaying Chris Payne’s promo towards The Lifeguard Mike Del that provided a visual aide of a pool in the background with no lifeguard present as Payne spewed his usual catchphrase with confidence. Lifeguard’s promo segment was new and featured him dumping Ashley Massaro over the phone. Interesting turn of events as his new gimmick is that of looking for a new “beach babe” by using a magnifying glass, which sounds about right.

– The PWS TV Title Tournament semifinal match with Payne and Lifeguard was excitably competitive and made good use of its given time. Both guys headed into it with something to prove. This was also probably the most competitive Lifeguard match to date, but his underhanded antics could only carry his mean streak current so far. Commentary by Pat Buck was solid as usual, but he could’ve addressed earlier on why there were two rings in the arena. Obviously, the PWS faithful knew it’d be part of the show later on, but casual fans tuning in were probably confused at the sight.

– Dan Maff’s backstage promo with “Ruthless” Ray Smith that addressed Matt Macintosh was quite solid stuff – he didn’t stray away from critiquing Macintosh for his youth and brashness, yet did it in a way that showed off his own confidence. There are times however when Maff suffers from the “Bobby Roode promo syndrome” in that he unnecessarily screams a good chunk of his words. It worked here, but it’s better off in smaller doses than every single one of his promos. Either way, Maff is somebody fans can easily rally behind in the PWS title scene and it’s been fun to witness his rise.

– Macintosh’s promo before the match with Maff made sense from his perspective, carrying on from the previous Suicidal Six-Way Championship match where he claimed he got screwed over by PWS officials and filed a complaint against the referee and wanted to have no part in the contest with him officiating. General Manager Mick Foley replacing that referee with Habib From The Car Wash was a nice surprise that the crowd bought into and made Macintosh’s attempt to get one over backfire. The match itself was very even-handed and entertaining with Habib thrown into the mix. Maff was resilient with his size and chops, while Macintosh was a general badass, doing what he had to do to try to win. Habib got the unofficial assist by defending himself once Macintosh put his hands on him, which we can assume will lead to another match in their program while Maff continues to be booked strong on his way to the title picture. Good all-around.

– The Suicidal Six-Way Championship ladder match between Habib, Bobby Wayward, The Drunken Swashbuckler, Colt Cabana, Anthony Bowens and The Abominable CPA was entertaining in that given the caliber of talent here, things went more the way of comedy than really anything serious besides The Untouchables members and Habib riding momentum from the previous segment. There were some funny spots involving the ladder and also a stepladder. Habib impressed with one particular spot where he used ropes of both rings to springboard himself into a diving maneuver. The finish worked perfectly in that it allowed Macintosh to get revenge on Habib by costing him the Title (Habib sold that Powerbomb like a rag doll and made it look sick) and Wayward winning also makes it interesting among The Untouchables, given that they came to blows in the match as well. Good note to end the show on.

Quick Results

– PWS TV Title Tournament – Semifinals – Chris Payne def. The Lifeguard Mike Del via pinfall to advance 

– Habib From The Car Wash As Special Guest Referee – Dan Maff def. Matt Macintosh via pinfall

– Suicidal Six-Way Championship – Ladder – Bobby Wayward def. Habib From The Car Wash (Champion), Anthony Bowens, The Drunken Swashbuckler, Colt Cabana and The Abominable CPA to regain Title