2/16 Wrestling is Art report: Colt Cabana vs. Tim Donst, A.R. Fox vs. Chuck Taylor, The Colony vs. Devastation Corporation, Mike Quackenbush vs. Jaka

By Zack Zimmerman

Wrestling is Art
Haverhill, Mass. at at Haverhill High School

Rough crowd estimate at or above 300, great turnout.

1. Sugar Dunkerton beat Francis O'Rourke with a running knee trembler. Fun opener. The crowd got really into chanting "Francis" at O'Rourke who demanded to be called Frank. 

2. Kobald defeated Jervis Cottonbelly with the Demon Toilet (diving seated senton). Another fun matchup with the gentleman taking on the goblin. Kobald stole everything he could get his hands on and had good heat. Jervis is a funny character concept, who just needs a bit of improvement.

3. The Batiri defeated Drew Gulak and Estonian Thunderfrog with a diving Blockbuster. Gulak stood out with some hard hitting offense but had a tough time communicating through Thunderfrog's mask. The flow of the match suffered a bit as a result. Great spot where the Batiri bumped huge when Thunderfrog came off the top and smashed the mat with a giant wooden mallet he brought to the ring.

Gavin Loudspeaker announced that WiA would return to Haverhill on May 11.

4. Chuck Taylor defeated AR Fox with the Awful Waffle. Match of the night from a work rate aspect. Fox definitely came to work but I worry about his legs with some of the dives he attempts and lands on his feet. Hopefully for longevity sake he starts to take care of himself. Usual great stuff from Taylor who got a few more cheers than boos despite his affiliation and attitude.

Intermission

5. Mike Quakenbush defeated Jaka with a rollup combination. The crowd wasn't sure how to respond to Jaka but they loved Quack, who carried Jaka through a decent match. Jaka showed some athleticism but was more of a character than anything. 

6. Tim Donst defeated Colt Cabana after hitting him with a part of the turnbuckle. Cabana worked some of his mat wizardry and Donst was a good contrast, but I went into this looking for a technical gem and left slightly disappointed. Colt had a great time interacting with a fan of his who kept yelling "Woo Woo Woo" and Colt quipped "bless his heart." Funny.

7. Devastation Corporation defeated The Colony (Green Ant and AssailAnt) with the Death Blow (bearhug/diving splash combo). Green Ant shined in this one and looked good. The crowd was a bit tired after Cabana and Donst, which seemed like the match people were primarily there to see. The Corporation were the largest wrestlers on the card and really stood out as monsters as a result.

Overall: This was a really fun show. There was great crowd turnout and everyone seemed to have a good time. It says something when you look around and see smiles of delight on people's faces. That's what wrestling, especially independent wrestling is about. I am looking forward to the Bridgewater show.

Thanks for reading along. Throw any comments, questions, criticisms, or corrections @zzimm22.