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 1/7/16)

Intoxicated Balls And The Sad Bearded Man 

– There was plenty of “Shining” Edward Jackson to go around on this episode, to no complaints. His promo in the PWS studio alongside David Adams hyped the later Fallah Bahh-Abyss match, saying that even though Abyss was a familiar face in PWS since day one, his client was younger, faster and had his whole career ahead of him. Is there anything this guy can’t sell you? His impersonations of various PWS talent were spot-on too. Evidently, Adams didn’t receive any fresh mint mouthwash for christmas last year. Yikes.

– In another situation of “Only in PWS,” we saw what a match between The Abominable CPA and Mantaur (yes, him) would look like in the tense Brooklyn environment. Don’t get us wrong – definitely entertaining with the clear gimmick contrasts, but it was a good cue for a heel attack and what better way to help The Heavenly Bodies get heat and demand their guaranteed Tag Title match sooner than later against the Champions, The Handicapped Heroes?

– Getting to that Tag Title match, it had its moments of glory with a decent showing from both teams, particularly Zach Gowen with some impressive aerial moves. Hush also got a moment to shine by knocking out Jackson, who physically interfered several times, holding Gowen’s only foot to the top rope at one point. After some minutes of action, it was the Heroes who retained out of nowhere, as the heels wasted no time getting revenge after the bell, which drew out Balls Mahoney and CPA (from under the ring) to have their hand, but were quickly taken out. The Bodies definitely had their moment and looked good here. We also liked that the “Brooklyn” duo of New Jack’s Ninjas – Brian XL/Delroy came out to fend off the Bodies, giving us a clear new feud in the tag team division, while also letting us ponder whom could step up next to face the Heroes, who showed no stoppage of momentum.

– The Bahh-Abyss match already sounded intriguing enough and they didn’t have to do much in the actual match to keep our interests, but it worked out well. Abyss was mostly well-received by the crowd and posed a threat to the beastly Bahh, clearly with a height advantage. We understood the logic of Jackson physically getting involved at points, but Adams raised too good a point on commentary: how could the scrawny Jackson so easily choke someone like Abyss with no fight from the monster? Abyss looked like a doofus for getting himself in that situation to begin with, but that’s minor nitpicking. The trade of high-impact moves and near-falls made the finish more interesting, as Bahh kicked out of two Chokeslams and eventually overcame to pull out the win. Bahh gets put over in typical heel fashion and at least Abyss got revenge by giving Jackson a well-deserved Black Hole Slam. Sleep well, Jackson.

– The “Merry Men With Tights” gimmick has lots of potential in the PWS universe. We’re eager to see how and when they’ll make a splash.

– The backstage segment with The Aesthetic Enterprise (and the door that wouldn’t close behind them) did its job in showing how disgusted the stable was with their recent luck of having to fend off against monsters, drug addicts and drunks and were eager to make a name for themselves by taking matters into their own hands to get the matches they felt they were deserved. We’re curious where they’ll start.

– An always reliable entertainment staple on the PWS card, the Suicidal Six-Way Championship main event that featured Champion Starman defending against Brooklyn’s own Amazing Red, The Lifeguard Mike Del, Drunken Swashbuckler, Anthony Bowens and Bobby Wayward was a fancy ensemble to say the least. We liked Lifeguard dictating the pace early, taking advantage of his “no chicken fights” rule to try to pin everyone after they got poked in the eyes to no avail after having a chicken fight. Red and Wayward particularly had a hot exchange of chain wrestling and we wish we got to see more from them. There were plenty of mentions on commentary of the recent tension between Untouchables members Wayward and Bowens, but we were disappointed that the two never really interacted in the bout, though we saw glimpses of Bowens “turning a new leaf” of sorts by not taking full advantage of Starman in “glitch mode” and not attacking from behind. Lifeguard winning would’ve been an interesting development, but instead, the finish showed Stiffwood inadvertently costing Lifeguard the match for Starman to retain, which’ll probably have further developments. The Stiffwood/Lifeguard duo shows promise and we’re not sure teasing a split so soon will be a good thing, as Lifeguard seemingly bounces from manager to manager. If the idea’s for Lifeguard to break out on his own, then that’s somewhat logical, but we’ve yet to see it.

Quick Results

• The Abominable CPA and Mantaur to a no-contest
• PWS Tag Team Championships – The Handicapped Heroes (w/Hush) def. The Heavenly Bodies (w/”Shining” Edward Jackson) via pinfall to retain
• Fallah Bahh (w/”Shining” Edward Jackson) def. Abyss via pinfall
• Suicidal Six-Way Championship – Starman (Champion) def. The Lifeguard Mike Del (w/Dylan Stiffwood), The Drunken Swashbuckler, Anthony Bowens, Bobby Wayward and The Amazing Red to retain