Results ~ April 15th, 2022 ~ Crockett Cup Night 1

[Dustin Salyers]

Proudly Presents...

NWA Reign ~ Crockett Cup Night 1 (IWTV)
April 15th, 2022 [Friday] @ Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC
2,776 Spectators

1. Crockett Cup Tournament Match: Throwbacks vs. Hardy Boyz
>Winner: Matt Hardy (9:28) following the Twist of Fate on Plunkett
~ Huge reaction to start the show with the Hardy Boyz being the first team to jerk the curtain. Throwbacks were competitive throughout, even breaking up the much anticipated Swanton from Jeff which ended up never happening. Plunkett got caught by Matt off of a hot tag spot and the Hardy Boyz advanced.

2. Crockett Cup Tournament Match: Fraternity vs. Alliance of Violence
>Winner: James (8:47) following a Death Valley Driver on Gibson
~ Fraternity were quickly established as the crowd favorites between the demeanor of James & Cole and the antics of Dustin Ashes. Fraternity fought from underneath for the majority of the match and the few times they were able to take control were thwarted by Ashes from ringside. The finish was extremely well done as James lifted Gibson onto his shoulders but Cole was unable to connect with the Mafia kick thanks to a perfectly timed spear from Decker. James improvised and dumped Gibson with the Death Valley Driver regardless and Ashes was quick to grab Decker’s ankle, thwarting his attempt to break up the pinfall.

3. Jack Brisco Memorial Block Match: Adam Cole vs. Bobby Roode
>Winner: Roode (17:58) following the Glorious Bomb
~ Very competitive match with Roode finally scoring some points in the block, in fact moving in front of Cole with the direct win. The story may now shift from Roode getting out of the cellar to how did Cole find himself there this late into the tournament.

4. Crockett Cup Tournament Match: Zero G Zen vs. Acclaimed
>Winner: Moriarty (10:56) following the Genkai Buster on Caster
~ Moriarty & Kincaid wore their 2P Tag Team Championships out to the ring and may have been favored because of it but this was all out action from the opening bell. Neither team maintained an advantage at any point during the match and the finish seemed to come from out of nowhere.

5. Jack Brisco Memorial Block Match: Bandido vs. Roderick Strong
>Winner: Strong (18:59) following the End of Heartache
~ Probably the match of the night at this point as Strong has struck together back-to-back wins and immediately propels himself to third in the block with this direct victory. Bandido finds himself in the middle of the pack now and direct victories are going to become so much more important as the tournament draws to a close.

6. Crockett Cup Tournament Match: Hermanos Oscuros vs. Smartly Dressed Gentlemen
>Winner: Taylor (13:26) following the Awful Waffle
~ Another strong first round match but definitely a result the crowd didn’t expect as many had predicted a strong showing for Fenix and Pentagon Jr. to help establish them in NWA Reign. However Damien Sandow proved himself as an effective manager and kept the referee occupied at key points in the match to help his Smartly Dressed Gentlemen to advance.

7. Crockett Cup Tournament Match: reDRagon vs. Team Alpha
>Winner: Gable (16:40) with the Alpha-Plex on O’Reilly
~ Definitely in the running for match of the night as these teams showed their extensive amateur backgrounds throughout the contest. If the last match result was a surprise to the crowd, then this was a complete shock as the team who most recently challenged for the NWA North Carolina Tag Team Championships were eliminated in the first round. The last two matches have definitely driven home the idea that this tournament could be won by any team left and we now know that Team Alpha will face the Smartly Dressed Gentlemen tomorrow night.

8. Jack Brisco Memorial Block Match: Prince Devitt vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
>Winner: Sabre Jr. (20:15) with the Jim Breaks Armbar
~ The match of the night discussion probably ended with this back and forth technical showcase. Devitt stepped up his game and Sabre definitely seemed surprised for the first half of the match. In the end, Sabre went for Cremation Lily just as he had last week but Devitt countered and broke the double omoplata, just for Sabre to use the single omoplata to transition into the Jim Breaks Armbar.

9. Crockett Cup Tournament Match: Briscoe Brothers vs. Butcher & Blade
>Winner: Mark (10:43) following the Froggy Bow on Butcher
~ Average match without much fanfare but the victory puts the Briscoes against Zero G Zen tomorrow night.

10. Jack Brisco Memorial Block Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles
>Winner: Okada (15:05) following an Air Raid Crash Neckbreaker
~ Probably Okada’s toughest match to date, though everyone doubts he would admit to it. Styles pushed Okada, leaning heavily on his experience and even had an opportunity for the Styles Clash but Okada countered and surprised many in attendance with an Air Raid Crash Neckbreaker. Okada now finds himself only 3 points from securing a spot in the semifinals.

11. Crockett Cup Tournament Match: Young Bucks vs. Dark Order
>Winner: Nick (13:13) following N’Sync on Grayson
~ Tough spot for the crowd as neither team were necessarily fan favorites but it did seem that some began to cheer for the Bucks based on their position in Charlotte. The Bucks will face the Alliance of Violence and their manager Dustin Ashes tomorrow night.

12. NWA North Carolina Tag Team Championships & Crockett Cup Tournament Match: Mechanics vs. Rock ‘N Roll Express
>Winner: Wheeler (15:26) following a diving leg drop by Harwood on Gibson
~ 3rd successful defense
~ Amazing atmosphere for this match and the crowd was more than mixed on their reactions to both teams gaining an advantage. Express worked from the bottom like only they can and the hot tag sent the crowd through the roof. Wheeler cut the comeback short though and dumped Morton to the floor after a missed double dropkick. Wheeler would eventually catch Gibson with a bearhug and hold him across his knees for Harwood to connect with a diving leg drop to end the match. The Mechanics had garnered some heat as the match progressed but the crowd came back around quickly when all four men embraced after the match to end the first night of the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament.

[jp1985]

Good start to the Crockett Cup. No wonder attendance at the 6ix wrestling shows dropped so badly with The Fraternity losing that first round match. Now it all makes sense lol. This would have been a great show for the league with so much involvement across the board from other promotions.

A lot of good matches but the main event stood out as I thought The Rock N Roll Express might stand a chance off the sentimental aspect of it being Crockett Cup. The Mechanics have to be the favorites now after that.

Biggest upset in the first round would have to go Team Alpha getting by reDRagon. I definitely would not have seen that one coming.

I thought Jay White had a big lad but it's nowhere close to Kazuchika Okada here. He can afford a loss and no matter what, still be ahead after this. It definitely helps that Prince Devitt lost as well in what is now a close race for 2nd.

It's good to see that Robert Roode's win in the tag did indeed turn his momentum around as now he gets a win here as well. It might be too late but I do like the idea of a late surge in an underdog position if the chips fall in the right way for him.

[Dustin Salyers]

Actually had the Fraternity going further but noticed you booked an event for the 16th and used them and the Acclaimed, so I had them bow out to avoid any confusion with your date.

[jp1985]

Just as well! I doubt they'll be making another appearance anywhere any time soon lol. If I do anything else, they would be pretty low on a list to make my roster as I didn't think they worked too well as a top tag team.