5 Ups And 3 Downs From WCPW Loaded Episode 1

8. Downs - Premature Disqualification

The opening match on Reloaded - in fact, the first match in WhatCulture Pro Wrestling history - was a three way elimination bout featuring Ryan Gracie (ably managed by James R. Kennedy and accompanied by Lucas Archer), Gabriel Kidd, and Joseph Conners. The action was pretty good (more on that later), but the finish left something to be desired.

Kidd was the first one out of the match, falling victim to a Righteous Kill DDT from Conners and the subsequent pinfall. That brought it down to Conners and Gracie, and the two fought one-on-one... for about thirty seconds. Then, Archer ran in and hit Conners with a low blow for the disqualification, and he, Gracie, and Kennedy put the boots to the victor.

The problem wasn't that the first match on the first show ended with a disqualification - that could have worked if it were handled better. Conners and Gracie should have wrestled for a few minutes longer and built up to a point where fans really wanted to see Conners win - then Archer could attack him and draw the DQ.

As it went, though, there was no time to build up drama in the second fall and the end felt anticlimactic.