Earlier this year, during Madhouse Wrestling’s debut show, Clay Cooper’s death-defying leap from the balcony was an iconic moment for the debuting promotion. This past Saturday, during Madhouse Wrestling Outlaw State of Mind review, Cooper once again found himself descending from the same balcony. Only this time, it was not by choice.
Cooper’s opponent, AJ Smooth, sent his championship challenger crashing through a door, resting on two chairs in the middle of the ring. A stunned audience looked on as Madhouse officials rushed to the ring to make sure Cooper was ok. With his opponent worse for wear, Smooth returned to the ring.
The Franchise Player of Madhouse Wrestling hoisted Cooper onto his shoulders, taunting the audience as he looked to close in on a successful title defense. However, with his last burst of energy, Cooper slid off Smooth’s shoulders and surprised the champ with an old-fashioned schoolboy roll-up.
Three seconds later and there was a new Madhouse Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. The Madhouse fans erupted in celebration. This was one of the loudest pops this reporter has heard since I started covering indie wrestling in Iowa four years ago.
As Cooper was joined in the ring by his friends and family, a distraught Smooth exited the ring. You could tell by the look on his face he had unfinished business with the new champion.
Cooper’s victory brought an end to another wildly entertaining Madhouse Wrestling Show. His ability to bounce back from the pre-match attack by Smooth proved once again just how resilient the new Madhouse Wrestling Champion is.
This could be the start of an extremely entertaining reign with Cooper at the top.
Madhouse Wrestling Outlaw State of Mind
Top Team
For months “Chillileo” Gable Galileo and Max Chill had been boasting about how they would become the first ever Madhouse Wrestling Tag Team Champions. Last Saturday, their bold predictions came to fruition when the two defeated Justin Decent and Ugly.
The match was originally supposed to be Decent and Madhouse creator Malice, against the nefarious duo, with Ugly serving as guest referee. Unfortunately, Malice wasn’t medically cleared to compete so Ugly stepped in after Decent invited anyone in the locker room to join his side.
As expected, this match eventually evolved into a chaotic free for all. Chairs, kendo sticks, walking cane’s and even a toilet seat were used throughout. Ugly found himself at the cross hairs of the debuting Aaron Von Baron throughout the match.
Von Baron even attacked Ugly just as it looked like he was going to pick up the victory. The two fighting ringside allowed for Chillileo to hit a double spear on Decent through a door to pick up the win.
As Galileo and Chill celebrated their victory on their way to the locker, Ugly challenged Von Baron to an “I Quit Match” at Madhouse’s next show in October.
Red Hot Start
The Madhouse Wrestling fans were treated to not just one but two brilliant displays of pure pro wrestling matches before the chaos erupted last Saturday night. Opening the show was Kody Lane in his Madhouse debut against Matty Star.
Lane quickly impressed the Madhouse fans with his charisma and athleticism. His early Frankensteiner received a loud ovation from the crowd. Of course, Matty Star delivered as he always does. You’d be hard-pressed to find a style of pro wrestling Matty Star can’t excel at.
These two went back and forth, in and out of the ring, before Lane finally got the victory. Following the athletic display from Star and Lane was a technical clinic from Jeremy Wyatt and Arjun Singh.
Wyatt, much like Star, never shy’s away from showing his disdain for the fans, was confronted by a handful of kids ready to boo the “Monarch” out of the building. Singh, who was making his Madhouse debut, was the exact opposite, greeting the fans with smiles and high fives.
When they finally stepped in the ring together, they took the fans on a ride with the story they told. Wyatt, as he’s known to do, focused his attack on a specific limb. In this case, it was Singh’s left arm. Sing valiantly fought off Wyatt’s assault on his arm as long as he could.
His strength and technical acumen proving a worthy challenge. But after a low blow when the referee was distracted, Wyatt locked in a submission hold, forcing Singh to submit. Both men left in the ring in opposite fashion, Wyatt receiving a chorus of boos while Singh received much adulation from the Madhouse fans.
Hardcore Hoss Fight
The Death Dealer and Lars Metzger, two big dudes that fear nothing, crossed paths Saturday night. Both men entered looking to prove a point. The Death Dealer wanting to make an immediate impact during his Madhouse debut.
While Metzger looked to stay undefeated inside Madhouse Wrestling after defeating Matty Star during the debut event. After neither man budged from some early shoulder tackles, the fight was on.
The two engaged in wild fisticuffs before the fight spilled to the outside. They quickly began using chairs to inflict damage on each other. The match reached an extreme level when thumb tacks were introduced by Metzger.
In one of the nights wildest moments, the Death scooped up a handful of tacks and shoved them into Metzger’s mouth before landing a chain-wrapped right hand to his fellow monster.
Surprisingly, that wasn’t enough to put Metzger as he pushed his Madhouse record to 2-0 with a devastating spear on to the thumb tacks. After the match, the two shook hands in the ultimate act of respect.
The Last Outlaw
Ten men came to Knoxville, Iowa, with the intention of being the last man standing in the Last Outlaw Battle Royal. This, however, was no normal battle royal.
Each competitor – Cole Cannon, Ricky Bronson, Saint the Nihilus, Daniel Mott, Zay K-47, Jaxon King, Ethan Everheart, Bo Gott, The Shank, and Matty Star – was allowed to bring a weapon of their choice with them.
Daniel Mott entered first but had no weapon in hand, something competitor number two, Saint the Nihilus, quickly pointed out. It turned out to be a ruse as Mott revealed a leather strap before striking Saint numerous times.
His offensive was soon thwarted, and Saint laid into him with a kendo stick. The third entrant was Ricky Bronson, and business immediately picked up. Earlier in the night, Bronson was attacked from behind by Saint during an interview with Big Ace.
These two have a storied past, and their disdain for the other is palpable. With the rivals teetering on the ropes, Mott attempted to eliminate both. This act cause Saint and Bronson to halt their assault on each other as they turned their focus on Mott.
With both men charging him, Mott pulled a fast one and ducked their clothesline attempts, and pulling down the top rope.
The bitter rivals went over the top rope simultaneously for the match’s first eliminations. This elicited one of the night’s loudest pops as Saint and Bronson continued fighting ringside and ultimately out of the building.
Matty Star was the next competitor to join the fray and the “Role Model” quickly eliminated Mott. From here, the field filled up quickly, with each wrestler bringing a bevy of weaponry to the match.
A plethora of vintage pro wrestling weapons like steel chairs, kendo sticks, and brass knuckles along with out-of-the-box weapons, were used. Cole Cannon’s potato sack, Ethan Everheart’s banana, and Zay K-47’s nerf gun were all highlights.
The plunder, as Dusty Rhodes would describe it, was plentiful. In the end, the most valuable weapon in the match turned out to be Matty Star’s mind. Early in the contest, Star was knocked out of the ring under the top rope; mind you, from here, he laid low until the opportune moment to strike came about.
Cole Cannon and Bo Gott were seemingly the last two outlaws in the match. Shout out to Gott for an incredible performance, I believe he had the most eliminations.
Cannon reversed Gott’s attempt at eliminating him and sent him sailing over the top rope. Thinking he’d just won, Cannon began to soak in the crowd’s adulation, not knowing Matty Star was creeping up behind him.
Star sent Cannon over the top rope to become the Last Outlaw Standing. It was quite the sight seeing Star raise the impressive Last Outlaw Trophy high as the boos rained down upon him.
A lot of times, the sequel cannot live up to the original, but in the case of Madhouse Wrestling, their second show was just as good if not better than the original.
