Former
TNA Superstar AJ Styles came to Freeland,PA this Sunday to challenge
Tommy Suede for the PPW Heavyweight Championship. The match was
sanctioned last month at PPW:
Redemption by Commissioner Ryan Race and provided Tommy Suede with his most challenging
opponent to date.
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| PPW Champion Tommy Suede makes his entrance against AJ Styles |
Suede won the title from David Starr last November at "PPW: Go for the Gold" after Starr survived a grueling tournament to be crowned the first ever PPW Heavyweight Champion. To claim the title, Suede cashed in the championship contract he earned earlier in 2013 and drove Starr's head through the contract briefcase. Some have praised the audacity of Suede's actions as the proper decision to advance his career, but most have denounced them as desperate and unfair.
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| The aftermath of Suede's attack on Starr at "Go for the Gold" |
Either way you look at it, Tommy Suede's talent and cunning inside the squared circle are undeniable. He has payed his dues throughout the industry, even competing in the biggest show of them all: the WWE. His list of accomplishments is extensive and includes a role in the 2008 hit film, "The Wrestler". Among the many lessons Suede has learned throughout his years in the ring, modesty is not one of them. He is one of the best to ever step between the ropes and he knows it.
So far, nobody in PPW has been able to claim the title from Tommy Suede. He has run a campaign of terror throughout the promotion by assaulting wrestlers and officials alike. No one has been safe from his wrath. Desperate for someone to bring order back to the ranks of the company, Commissioner Ryan Race sought a superstar who could meet Suede toe to toe and try to reclaim one of the most coveted prizes in all of independent wrestling. He found his answer in "The Phenomenal One", AJ Styles.
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| "The Phenomenal One" AJ Styles |
Styles came to Freeland ready for action. The wrestlers in the locker room, who often fall victim to Suede's backstage harassment, felt safe in the presence of such a dominating superstar. He took many of the younger wrestlers under his wing and gave them advice on how to carry their careers into the future. Despite the huge buzz a superstar of his stature generates, Styles never lost sight of why he came to Northeast Pennsylvania. He was all business as he entered the ring on Sunday night.
The match was a high intensity brawl that saw both superstars pushing their skills to the limits. Despite his excessive whining and often child-like behavior in the ring, Tommy Suede brought his A-game against the "Phenomenal One" and showed him why he wears the gold in PPW. If AJ Styles came to Freeland thinking it would be a cakewalk, those thoughts were quickly dispelled as the match wore on past the ten minute mark with both wrestlers showing no signs of tiring.
Unfortunately, Tommy Suede's ego got the better of him once again as he resorted to cheating to ensure his victory. While the referee's back was turned, Suede hit Styles with a foreign object that he had hidden in his trunks. He would have gotten away clean except that the fist packer dropped from his hands as the ref raised his arm for the victory. Upon seeing the foreign object, the ref reversed his decision and declared AJ Styles the winner by disqualification. Suede retained the belt and Styles left Freeland with possible head injuries.
In my opinion, it was unnecessary for Tommy Suede to cheat in this match. He was definitely not an underdog here and met Styles at every turn. If he would have kept up his high energy offense and continued to wear AJ Styles down with his explosive blows and crippling power maneuvers, he could have walked away from the ring with the W. A clean win in this match would not only have elevated Suede's status as a wrestler, but also would have brought new prestige to the PPW as a whole. An upset of that magnitude would have generated a buzz across the entire independent circuit and solidified PPW's status as one of the top promotions in the region.
In the months to come I hope to see someone rise from the ranks of the PPW locker room and challenge Suede for the title. Suede is a great all around wrestler who can adapt to any style put in front of him. Combine that with his cunning, and you have one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the business today.Taking the title from around his waist will not be easy. The PPW roster, however, is full of talented wrestlers who can pose a serious threat to Suede's title reign. David Starr and Lance Anoai are both explosive young athletes who are as comfortable on the top rope as they are in the middle of the mat and could prove to be formidable contenders for Suede's title. Bruisers such as Louie Castillo and Havoc can go punch for punch with Tommy Suede and keep him grounded in a slower paced slug fest in which Suede's arsenal of technical maneuvers would be rendered useless. The opportunity to rise to main-event status is certainly there for many of the wrestlers in PPW if they are determined and brave enough to seize it.
Watch Tommy Suede face AJ Styles on PPW: High Voltage on WYLN 35 Sunday March, 9 at 8:00 P.M.
