WATW Slamfest 2021

JOW PPV Poster featuring (from left to right) CJ Smith, Acid Erics, Garry Garrison, Rob the 4th, Eric the Sword, Soldier Dude, Starsmile, Johnny Anderson and Justin Shield)

### Location

Long Island, NY

**WATW Slamfest 2021** is the 24th annual Slamfest event produced by WATW. Taking place on June 20th, 2021, the event is the first Slamfest since 2012 to feature a defense of the Women's championship, which was reactivated in January of 2021. The event also featured defenses of the Solid Steel, Tag and World titles, as well as numerous grudge matches. This event also marked the in-ring returns of JCJ (who had been inactive since January of that year), Garry Garrison (who was inactive since March of 2020) and D-Lion (who was out with a kayfabe injury since March of 2021)

## Storylines

### Undercard Matches

In the fall of 2020, D-Lion was on a losing streak. Having been a heel since late 2019, D-Lion was becoming increasingly frustrated with his lackluster win-loss record. After a loss on Mayhem to Soldier Dude, D-Lion tried to get advice from his former mentor as to how he could be more successful in the ring. Soldier Dude took it upon himself to force D-Lion back to the PCWA training center (formerly the BWE training center) to remember why he wanted to wrestle in the first place. While initially hesitant, D-Lion eventually finds his passion again through training with Soldier Dude. They have a rematch on Mayhem in February of 2021 which is won by Soldier Dude. Frustrated, D-Lion gives his resignation to GM Daniel Addikkson. Soldier Dude tried to convince Addikkson to reinstate D-Lion, and Addikkson reels D-Lion back in with a proposal: One last shot to beat Soldier Dude at Marching Orders where if D-Lion wins, he is reinstated as a wrestler. D-Lion is initially hesitant, as he believes that Soldier Dude will simply let him win, so Addikkson adds that if Dude loses, he will not be able to challenge for the World Title ever again. D-Lion finally is able to beat Soldier Dude with a roll up at Marching Orders 2021, but Soldier Dude attacks him afterwards and pillmanizes his neck, turning heel. Bitter about not being able to challenge for the world title and deeming D-Lion ungrateful, Dude attacks numerous wrestlers on Mayhem and runs down the whole roster, especially D-Lion. At Pearly Gates, Dude put out an open challenge which was answered by a returning D-Lion, who brawled with Soldier Dude throughout the arena.

On the Mayhem after Pearly Gates, Jimmy Breaks cut a promo on Mayhem lamenting that he would miss Slamfest for the first time in years because there was nobody deserving of facing "The face of WATW". Taking exception with that, Rob the 4th came out and staked his claim as the voice of the people who were sick of Jimmy Breaks hanging on long after people were sick of seeing him. Breaks would come out the next week for a match with Quarter Pounder Flounder, claiming that he was a more formidable foe than Rob. Rob came out and attacked Breaks. Breaks attempted to retaliate the next week by interfering in Rob's match with Johnny Anderson on Mayhem and while he was able to cost Rob the Solid Steel title, Rob dispatched Breaks and Anderson afterwards.

Johnny Anderson had been the Solid Steel champion since February of 2021, defeating Rob the 4th on Mayhem. Anderson would often retain the championship via nefarious means, whether that means enlisting the help of 7 footer Mike Kelly or using weapons and cheating behind the referees back. Meanwhile, Acid Erics recently came off a series of world title matches with CJ Smith, all of which ended with Acid not winning the championship. Not knowing where to go, Acid meandered through the midcard through the spring before winning a battle royal on Mayhem for the number 1 contender ship to the Solid Steel title. Acid challenged Anderson's manhood, saying that Anderson could never beat him without help, which Anderson took exception to.

At Pearly Gates 2021, JCJ made his return to WATW programming in a backstage promo, saying that he was itching for a fight with the best WATW had to offer at Slamfest. On the next night's Mayhem, Andre Daniels, along with the rest of the Lineage, claimed that Daniels was the present of the company and JCJ belonged in the past. When JCJ came out, however, all the members of the Lineage immediately left the ring except for Daniels. When JCJ faced off with him, however, Daniels backed down and left. Later that night, however, The Lineage attacked JCJ backstage, including Daniels hitting JCJ in the knee with a pipe. Throughout that week's episode of The Bash, we would see members of the Lineage laid out backstage, leading to JCJ confronting Daniels in the ring. JCJ attacked Daniels, but Daniels was able to escape. The following week, Daniels tried to lure JCJ into a trap by calling him out to the ring with The Lineage hidden at ringside, but JCJ enlisted Chris Cadena and Tech Crew to dispatch of the rest of the group while JCJ destroyed Daniels in the ring.

Since winning the tag titles in January, the Baker Island Assassins have reigned dominant in the tag division, easily defeating every team put in front of them. While the Assassins were defending their titles in the spring, Eric the Sword was contending for the world title against CJ Smith, putting his tag team with TJ Walker on hold. After unsuccessfully vying for the championship, Walker gave Eric an ultimatum: Either Eric puts 100% of his focus on this team or Walker is done. Eric tries to assure Walker that Eric is focused but Walker points to their increasing amount of losses as proof that Eric isn't focused on the team. After winning number one contender ship by defeating the Disciples on an episode of the Bash in May, they vow that if they're not successful against the Assassins at Slamfest that they'll go their separate ways.

After a series of matches with The Prodigy, The Best Ever went into the Fight 4 Gold tournament with a renewed confidence. However, he would place 2nd in his block with 5 wins behind Starsmile, who had 6 wins. After a match with Gede at the Fight 4 Gold event, Garry Garrison ran in and powerbombed TBE. Garrison, who hadn't been seen since losing the world title in March 2020, had a chip on his shoulder and laid claim to being the most dominant wrestler in history. For weeks, Garrison came out and started fights with TBE, who didn't want to wrestle Garrison as he was focused on getting his hands on the world title. Eventually, however, TBE had enough and took a chair to Garrison after Garrison tried to assault him after a match on Mayhem.

In January of 2021, the women's championship was reactivated. The two women who represented that division in the early 2010's (Jenna Gemini and Sara) were brought back to contend for the revived championship and Gemini would emerge victorious. She would successfully defend the title against Sara as well as some of the new female wrestlers being introduced including Rebecca Bombshell and Sam Cooper. Meanwhile, Chihiro Fukomoto, another new addition to the women's roster, was racking up wins in underneath matches. At Fight 4 Gold, Chihiro defeated Sara while Gemini was on commentary, and Chihiro pointed to her on the ramp, indicating that she wanted a title shot. However, at the next PPV, Sara defeated Fukomoto by putting her feet on the ropes for leverage. The next night, Addikkson announced that at Slamfest, it would be a triple threat match between Fukomoto, Sara and Gemini for the Women's title. Both Sara and Gemini protested this. Sara didn't want to fight two people at once, and Gemini was dead set on fighting Sara for the title in a one on one match, saying it was destiny. Both would write off Chihiro as a rookie, which lead to a contract signing where Sara and Gemini faced off in front of the table while Chihiro was signing the contract, leading to Fukomoto laying them both out.

After losing the Tag and Solid Steel titles, Justin Shield started getting desperate. Not wanting to lose the world title he had spent 2 years working to regain, he decided that he had to get in touch with "his evil side" again. This started on an episode of Mayhem in July of 2020 after a non title match against Grant Boyd. Post match, Boyd brought out his wife and son and announced that he would be taking time away from wrestling and that he didn't know when he would be back. The locker room came out to bid a farewell to Boyd until Shield broke out, superkicked his wife and struck Boyd with the world title belt. Shield declared that Boyd was a sacrifice that had to be made to assure that Shield could keep the world title. Over the next few months, Shield would continue to stoop to new lows to keep the world title until losing it to CJ Smith in a four way match at Yesteryear in December 2020. The next few months were a frustrated Shield trying to prove that he was still the best, accruing wins over the likes of Starsmile, Acid Erics and Rob the 4th. At April's Fight 4 Gold, after beating Chris Cadena, Shield was celebrating in ring when Boyd reemerged for the first time in nine months to attack Shield. Shield was able to avoid being in contact with Boyd until May's Pearly Gates, where the two had a big brawl that ended their match in a double count out. In the weeks following, the two would hunt eachother throughout the arena, starting when Shield hit Boyd backstage with a bat. The two would jump eachother numerous times in the coming weeks until Daniel Addikkson laid down a ruling two weeks out that the two could not touch until the bell rings in their match at Slamfest or they're both suspended

### Main Event

CJ Smith won the WATW World Championship in a four way match at December's Yesteryear. Since then, he has defended the title against all comers. While his methods may be underhanded at times, he very rarely used any blatant cheating like low blows or weapons in his matches unless they were no DQ, as he took his status as the best in the company very seriously. In April, Smith defeated Eric the Sword at Fight 4 Gold to retain the world title. At the same event, Starsmile defeated Andre Daniels in the finals of the Fight 4 Gold Tourney, winning a shot at Smith at Slamfest. Starsmile would defeat The Best Ever at Pearly Gates while Smith stoically planned his next move. On the following night's Mayhem, Smith put out a challenge: they have a match tonight and if Starsmile wins, he can pick the stipulation for their match at Slamfest but if Smith wins, the match is off. Starsmile initially declines this offer until Smith implies that if Star didn't accept then the fans would view him as a coward, which forced Starsmile to accept. In the main event that night, CJ Smith employed a low blow and a shot with the title belt behind the referee's back to secure the win which was very unlike Smith to do something like that. The following week, Smith called out Starsmile and revealed his plot to him and the fans: Smith was never going to cancel the match, as the one match he wanted most was against Starsmile. However, Smith resented not being in control of who he faces at Slamfest and wanted the ball in his court. He then issued an ultimatum: In order for Starsmile to be reinstated in this match, he has to put his career on the line. To further prove his point, Smith revealed that Addikkson had already made a number one contenders match for that night should Starsmile not accept the ultimatum. Backed into a corner, Starsmile accepts the ultimatum and puts his 26 year long career on the line for a shot at Smith's World Title.

## Event

**Preliminary Matches**

The first match featured four high-flying wrestlers competing in a fatal four way as Gede took on Hollywood Rockstar, NDK and Chris Cadena. During this match, Cadena performed a balcony dive onto his three opponents as well as Big Dad Sinister, who accompanied his tag partner NDK to ringside. Big Dad Sinister would get involved shortly thereafter, dispatching of Hollywood Rockstar on the floor at ringside. Chris Cadena would hit a baseball slide on Big Dad Sinister, but this left an opening for Gede to hit the Cop Killer on Cadena and get the win.

The second match was a singles match between Soldier Dude and D-Lion. After months of treading the line between being a face and heel, D-Lion entered to a hero's welcome in front of his hometown audience. D-Lion would use numerous weapons to punish his former mentor Soldier Dude throughout the match, with Soldier Dude making small comebacks every once in a while. Near the end, Soldier Dude set up a table in the ring. After some back and forth, Soldier Dude got D-Lion on the table and intended on piledriving him through it, but received a twist of fate through the table instead. D-Lion finished with a Phoenix Splash for the win.

The third match was a singles match between Rob the 4th and Jimmy Breaks. Breaks dominated the early stages of the match, but Rob was able to keep himself in the match with flash submissions and hard strikes. Jimmy Breaks attempted an air raid siren on the top rope, but received an apron powerbomb from inside the ring. This marked a complete shift in the match as Rob knocked around Breaks for a bit with Breaks begging off and trying to cheat to no avail. Breaks would eventually knock out the referee, but when he tried to hit Rob with a chair while the ref was down, Rob responded with a spin kick to the chair into Breaks' face. Rob then hit a shining wizard and got the pin.

The fourth match was the first title match of the evening: Johnny Anderson vs Acid Erics for the Solid Steel Championship. Anderson's bodyguard "Mega" Mike Kelly repeatedly interfered in the match behind the referees back. When Kelly was caught by the referee and ejected, Erics was able to muster a strong comeback. Anderson was able to roll up Acid, however, to win the match and retain the title.

The fifth match was a singles match between JCJ and Andre Daniels. Daniels would constantly try to prove that he was as tough as JCJ by challenging him to chop his chest, only to be massacred by chops which nearly caved his chest in. JCJ would dominate the majority of the match and every time Daniels got a decent lead on JCJ, he would taunt for too long and JCJ would recover too fast. Eventually, Daniels became more intense when it was clear that he was not going to beat JCJ decisively and he had to go for broke. Daniels eventually got JCJ down long enough to attempt a moonsault, but JCJ got up and caught Daniels over his shoulder. JCJ hit an Archer Style Blackout out of this and then the Demon Slayer for the win

The sixth match was a tag team match between the Baker Island Assassins and Tech Crew for the WATW Tag Team Championships. Eric and TJ Walker had great team synergy for the early portions of the match, but began having disagreements in their corner, allowing the Assassins to take control. After working over Eric the Sword for a while, TJ Walker was finally able to tag in and ran wild on Rikka and Quolin, hitting the basement dropkick, bulldog and overdrive. Prince Uno would make himself involved by sweeping Walker's leg, but Eric the Sword smashed him with a forearm which incapacitated Uno for the rest of the match. However, this once again allowed the Assassins to take control. Eric tagged in and Tech Crew managed one final flurry on the Assassins before Walker was hit with a Samoan drop and top rope splash for the win.

The seventh match was a singles match between Garry Garrison and The Best Ever. The Best Ever tried to rush Garrison, who proceeded to school him with a myriad of suplexes and power moves. TBE wouldn't stay down for long, however, as he would smash Garrison numerous times with forearms and big boots until he staggered the powerhouse, at which point he was able to wrestle a more even match. They went back and forth, with TBE hitting numerous strikes and moves that would stagger Garrison, only for Garrison to hit one huge shot that floors TBE. Eventually, TBE goes for the Best Ever Bomb, but Garrison counters that into a Garrison Bomb and plants TBE 4 times with powerbombs and seals the win.

The eighth match was a triple threat match between Chihiro Fukomoto, Jenna Gemini and Sara for the WATW Women's Championship. In a moment reminiscent of the contract signing on Mayhem from weeks ago, Sara and Gemini face off in the ring and completely ignore Fukomoto. When Fukomoto tries to intervene, however, Gemini and Sara seemingly team up to quickly dispatch of Fukomoto. Sara and Gemini are deadset on having their one on one moment, but Chihiro will not stay down, and manages some big moves on both women, but isn't able to take them both out. Eventually though, Chihiro takes them both down long enough for her to throw Gemini over the guardrail and beat down Sara in the ring. Before she can pin Sara, however, Gemini recovers and breaks up the pin. Chihiro and Gemini face off, Gemini acknowledging Fukomoto as a real member of the match for the first time as opposed to an obstacle. Gemini and Chihiro fight for a bit until Sara recovers and the three battle it out in the ring with no alliances, teams or 2 on 1s. Eventually, Gemini is able to hit the Gemini Project on Sara but before she can get the pin, Fukomoto puts Gemini in the Cattle Mutilation and got the submission win over Gemini to win the Women's title.

The ninth match was a steel cage match between Justin Shield and Grant Boyd. Shield immediately tried to escape the cage, but Boyd caught him and threw him all around the cage. Shield was crafty though, and used his speed and dexterity to climb all over the cage walls to outmaneuver Boyd and attack him from the sky. Shield would also hide a pipe inside the top of the cage, smashing Boyd's fingers with it when he was trying to climb up the cage. Before Shield could escape, however, Boyd jumped up to the top rope and clotheslined Shield off the cage. Finding the pipe on the ground, Boyd smashed Shield with it three times and then powerbombed Shield off the top rope into the ring. Boyd stared down Shield's lifeless body before walking through the door and winning the match via escape

**Main Event**

The main event match was a singles match between Starsmile and CJ Smith, where Starsmile wagered his career while Smith wagered his World Championship. The two had a back and forth contest where neither man could gain an extended advantage over the other. Smith broke out a few moves that he used to do as a face like the rolling rock and a suicide dive in an effort to put away Starsmile. Starsmile, however, stayed the course, and fought Smith the same way he fought the men he beat in the tournament: using his ring generalship to ensure he was always near the ropes when being put in a submission, and preparing CJ's back to be twisted into the Sharpshooter. Smith would hit Starsmile with the bullet kick, but Starsmile kicked out, making him the first person to do so since Smith returned in 2019. However, when Starsmile thought he had the match won with the Star Destroyer, Smith managed to kick out as well. Star went to the top to hit a diving headbutt, but Smith moved out of the way. Smith prepared for a splash off the top but Star began rising to his feet before Smith jumped. Smith decided to go to the apron instead to hit his patented Twisting springboard Axe handle but when he went up to do so, he landed right into a superkick from Starsmile. Starsmile attempted to hit another Star Destroyer but Smith fought out and tried to hit a running moonsault press on Starsmile, who caught him and hit him with a spinning tombstone. Starsmile then hit Smith with the Star destroyer, the Supernova and put him in the Sharpshooter to get the submission win, saving his career and winning his 4th World Championship.

## Aftermath

The Disciples would go on to challenge the Baker Island Assassins for the WATW Tag Team Championships at WATW Hot as Hell 2021, but would come up short in that endeavor. Meanwhile, Tech Crew would stay true to their word and disband as a tag team after this event. The two would consistently be seen talking backstage and getting into arguments which eventually would lead to the two having a singles match at WATW August Agony 2021. with Erik The Sword picking up the win

D-Lion and Soldier Dude would both move onto new feuds after this, with Soldier Dude moving onto chasing the WATW Solid Steel Championship while D-Lion would go on to face Garry Garrison at August Agony.

Rob The 4th and Jimmy Breaks would continue their feud into the summer, with Jimmy Breaks getting a win over Rob on an episode of WATW Mayhem after interference from Soldier Dude. The feud would eventually culminate at August Agony, with Rob defeating Breaks in a bloody No Disqualification Match.

Acid Erics would take exception to the methods which Johnny Anderson took to retain the Solid Steel Championship. and sought to earn another shot at the championship. Anderson laid a gauntlet in front of Erics with the stipulation that if Erics could defeat five competitors in a row, he would earn a shot at the championship. Erics was able to do this with help from Rob the 4th and Chris Cadena who both prevented interference from outside and maintained a level of fair officiating. Erics would eventually defeat Anderson at Hot as Hell to win the championship.

Garry Garrison and The Best Ever would both compete in various feuds throughout the summer in the upper card but neither man would contend for any championships in the coming months, nor would either man engage in a long term feud until the fall. Garrison did go on a winning streak which was maintained until a loss to longtime foil, D-Lion.

Chihiro Fukomoto would face off against both Jenna Gemini and Sara in singles title defenses in the coming months, including defeating Gemini in a submission match at Hot as Hell and defeating Sara in a last woman standing match at WATW Halloween of Horrors 2021. After losing to Fukomoto in July, Gemini would turn her attention to the team of Rebecca Bombshell and Sam Cooper. Gemini would team with Dana Mackie and feud with Bombshell and Cooper for the rest of the summer, including losing a tag team match at August Agony.

Grant Boyd would begin moving up on the card after his win, but would fail to defeat Garry Garrison at Hot as Hell. Boyd would contend for both the World and Solid Steel titles into the fall, failing to capture either of them. Justin Shield would fight new champion Starsmile at Halloween of Horrors but would fail to capture the championship.

CJ Smith would take off for the month of July before moving on to a feud with Acid Erics and pro football player D'Angelo Taylor. Taylor was seen supporting Erics from the crowd on an episode of Mayhem which Smith took exception to and challenged him to a fight. Taylor hit the ring but was escorted out by security. This would lead to a match at August Agony, which Smith would win. Starsmile, on the other hand, would waste no time in finding new challengers for his newly won World Championship as the following night, he would be challenged by The Lineage's Andre Daniels and Gede. Both men laid claim to the Number One contendership which lead to a triple threat match at Hot As Hell wherein Starsmile would retain the title. Daniels would call the decision into question and demanded a one on one title shot, but would be defeated at August Agony.

## See Also

WATW Event History

WATW Slamfest