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 9/9/15)

The Dirtiest Martini In The Bar 

– The opening video chronicled the much-hyped three-way hardcore PWS Championship rematch where Dan Maff finally completed his personal comeback and emerged the new Champion, in a match chock-full of chairs, blood, barbed wire, staple guns, a 2×4, thumbtacks, tables and a defining Burning Hammer through a door. It’s the era of Maff indeed. Would’ve been nice to have some follow-up promos on this since it was the only time mentioned in the show, but perhaps it’s for the future.

– We had an outdoor venue in Union, New Jersey for an interesting windy summer evening environment, as we kicked it off for the opener – Starman vs. Disco Inferno. Yup. Only a match possible in PWS. Call it a generational clash, if you will. It wasn’t anything special, but oddly entertaining in its own way. Starman getting the win made sense, we guess. Inferno danced about four times. Now that we’re settled in, what’s next?

– The Big Deal Craig Steele/Sandy Mann-Team Espana match started with a Steele promo that was for the purpose of introducing Mann from the Tiki bar on location, dirty martini on hand. This was another match cloaked in pure gimmickry, as we saw violent athletes take on the first-class party society. Steele’s Bam Bam Bigelow-sequel gear was certainly a sight to see while Team Espana flashed off some slick amateur-style maneuvers, more so than before. More competitive than we thought, but after a hot tag, it winded down to the Club Taboo mates distracting enough at ringside to allow Steele to hit the Taboo Driver as the heels celebrated. An obvious attempt to solidify the Mann/Steele duo as a threat, which worked.

– The Beefcake Charlie-Balls Mahoney match looked to be your classic “face legend vs established PWS heel” encounter. Mahoney ran through most of his signature spots, having his handy chair not far, while Enterprise proved to be a ringside factor on numerous occasions. Also got a kick out of Pat Buck commenting on the random zoom-ins of Beefcake’s immaculate gluteus maximus. The upstart heel came out on top and the Lariat finisher was put over as devastating. Where is Beefcake’s character going though ultimately? He could make an intriguing babyface figure down the road.

– The PWS TV Championship match between Brian Myers and Chris Payne already had some backstory as it was Tessa Blanchard who cost Payne the Title when she turned on him during the Tournament Finals. Sort of odd that we had no other mention of Tessa besides on commentary. A Myers/Blanchard promo would’ve been quite effective. She didn’t even accompany Myers to ringside. What kind of valet is that? However, this was a worthy main event, able to tell a story to help us get into the action. Payne showed some excellent underdog skills, but Myers couldn’t be stopped, pulling on the tights to steal a victory. More near-falls would’ve helped the match’s pace. Since Myers was on his first defense, we doubted he’d lose, but nonetheless, a good match.

– The Steele/Mann promo saw them celebrate the win at the Tiki bar, earning another dirty martini and forced compliments on his gear. They’re now a threat for the Tag Titles. Bonesaw of all people walked up and dirtied the cup in his “own way,” which came off more like “Whoa, did he just do that?” Weird for one heel to do to another without a fight breaking out, but it was a fitting punchline.

Quick Results

• Starman def. Disco Inferno via pinfall
• Big Deal Craig Steele (w/Club Taboo)/Sandy Mann def. Team Espana via pinfall
• Beefcake Charlie (w/Jay Enterprise) def. Balls Mahoney via pinfall
• PWS Television Championship – Brian Myers (Champion) def. Chris Payne via pinfall to retain