Magnum, LEGIT Claim Titles at OSCW Event, Walker Triumphs

Photo courtesy of Wayne Rush

With a seven match card highlighted by a guest appearance by former WWE star Luke Gallows, OSCW entertained the fans of Hanahan, South Carolina with a show that saw two titles change hands and a new faction gain momentum and prominence in the organization.

As advertised, Gallows brought his Straight Edge Society persona to bat against "The Shooter" Vordell Walker in a match that was a crisp, technical contest in every sense of the word. Living up to his moniker, Walker countered Gallows' size  advantage with a balanced attack of kicks, grapples, and close quarters attacks that kept the WWE star at bay for most of the match, eventually leading to a carefully timed roll up that gave Walker the victory. The effort Gallows provided showed he has not slowed down nor his skill set diminished one bit since his release from WWE a year ago.

Making his OSCW debut was Charleston native Pete Kaasa, a young man well publicized in the area as he currently trains at WWA4 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was paired off in an impromptu match with Lord of the Ring winner and LEGIT big man, Hans Baumgardner. Kaasa far and away had the largest following in terms of fans at the Hanahan Recreation Center, and if his premiere bout was any indication, then the future looks very bright for Kaasa.

Lacking a long vertical base, Kaasa's toned physique and conditioning made working with a bulky Baumgardner a clash of style that, at times, showed Kaasa's inexperience but also demonstrated his resilience and high risk ability.A corkscrew attack from the top rope to the outside forced the entire crowd to collectively hold its breath. But what was most telling of the young man's dedication to his craft was his reemergence after his hard fought loss to Baumgardner to watch the rest of the show with the crowd, taking in and studying what his peers were doing in the ring.

Baumgardner's win was not the only one for Reginald Vanderhoff and his faction LEGIT. Despite an ongoing war of words with OSCW General Manager Bob Keller, Vanderhoff found his tag team of Bradford Steele and Brandon Paradise challenging the OSCW tag team champions Affirmative Action (Deandre Jackson and Nick Kismet) with the straps on the line. Vanderhoff might have opened the show throwing the proverbial (a literal) book at Keller and OSCW, but he came away with a position of power and influence with Steele and Paradise usurping the tag team champions and capturing the belts.

With Baumgardner already laying claim to a Lord of the Ring championship and Steele and Paradise wearing the tag team titles, LEGIT, pun intended, found its legitimacy in OSCW with its showing in Hanahan.

In an elimination-style four way match, Calie Casanova put his hardcore title on the line against Roughouse Matthews, Michael Frehley, and returning Charleston veteran Tank Lewis. By the time all four men had hit the ring, the action was already spreading to the outside, and Frehley found himself the early odd man out via a devastating Burning Hammer by Matthews. Lewis, looking very trim and well conditioned, brought his mat wrestling A-game, but in a no disqualification hardcore match, that worked against him and eventually was ousted via a low by Matthews, who himself nearly swept the field to become the new hardcore champion. But Casanova, being a wily hardcore veteran, retained his title in a feud that does not look to have reached its zenith with Matthews, judging by the post match confrontation between the two superstars.

Another impromptu adjustment GM Keller made during the night was announce a replacement opponent for Hexxon, who was scheduled to face Jesse Windham but who couldn't compete due to "circumstances beyond his control." Keller's replacement was none other than Jon Malus who hit the ring like a peroxide juggernaut, unloading on Hexxon and rekindling their rivalry from over the summer. The match ended prematurely, however, when the previously banished Killian O'Con appeared from the crowd wearing a Barack Obama mask. His interference propelled Keller to set up a future tag team battle between the team of Hexxon and O'Con against Malus and Windham. The date of said match is yet to be determined.

The two premiere OSCW singles titles were hotly contested as well during the evening's proceedings. Asylum, the resident Tower of Terror in OSCW and current World Champion, put his title on the line against mega-face Josh Magnum. A natural character in the vein of a classic Burt Reynolds character from the 70's, Magnum's natural good ole boy demeanor charmed the crowd as he battled the imposing champion. Despite numerous near falls, including one following a devastating spine buster, Asylum was unable to catch Magnum in his trademark choke slam, and after a second 450 splash by Magnum, the Bellevue Bomber's reign as champion was over. To add insult to injury, Asylum's post-match attack was halted by a chair shot from Magnum that allowed the new champion to escape.

Based purely on the scope of its domain, it is fair to call the Universal Title the richest prize in OSCW, and John Skyler looked to further add to his burgeoning resume of noteworthy achievements by capturing the belt from Sgt. Solitude. Clad in his "I retired Bob Keller" quoted t-shirt, Skyler used a variety of cerebral tactics to sucker Solitude into giving chase to him outside of the ring. Despite being heavily jeered by the audience, particularly by a raucous section of preteen boys, Skyler nearly prevailed after dodging one of the champion's patented spear attacks. But his luck didn't roll twice when Solitude charged and scored with his finisher for the pin and retained his belt. A match that showed plenty of illusion to epic confrontations in pro wrestling history when the aged veteran is challenged by the young upstart.

Before the night ended, it was announced that OSCW will be returning to action on November 20th as part of the "November to Remember" benefit show. Details to come in the coming weeks.