Tommy Dreamer Wins Brody Cup
Gimmick Tree Entertainment honored Bruiser Brody with an action-packed, star-studded affair.
The spirit of Bruiser Brody filled the Lithuanian Music Hall in Philadelphia last Friday, as the toughest wrestlers on the East Coast waged war in his memory.
Gimmick Tree Entertainment presented the inaugural Brody Cup, a one-night tournament full of monsters, brawlers and deathmatch warriors. A row of legends witnessed the action, including Brody’s old partner Stan Hansen, arch rival Abdullah the Butcher, WWE Hall of Famer J.J. Dillon and Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics. As first reported by The Wrestling Estate, Brody’s widow Barbara Goodish was also in attendance. Instead of the standard wrestling tournament, there were two fatal four-way elimination matches to kick off the show with the winners facing off in the main event. A bit unconventional, just like Brody.
Tommy Dreamer was the favorite, but he had his work cut out for him in the form of Dave Dawson, Stockade and DJ Hyde. All four men brawled around the ring with Dreamer chugging a fan’s water bottle and spitting it in Hyde’s face, followed up by grabbing another fan’s cane and whacking everybody in sight. Hyde was easily the most despised, and thankfully for the Port Richmond crowd, he was the first eliminated after everybody hit him with their finishers and piled on top for the pin. Then Stockade quickly eliminated Dawson via shining wizard. So it came down to Dreamer and Stockade (who was trained by ECW original Mikey Whipwreck), who demanded a couple fans give him their seats. After placing them next to each other, he ascended the turnbuckle, only to be stopped by Dreamer. The Innovator of Violence then tossed Stockade off the top rope and into the chairs, nearly breaking his back and picking up the victory to advance to the finals.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”6″ display=”basic_imagebrowser”]After the match, Dreamer grabbed the mic and addressed the crowd, saying how wrestling is a big, dysfunctional family and how it’s an honor to perform on the historic card. “Before there was hardcore and extreme, there was Bruiser Brody,” Dreamer said.
Chaos ensured in the second fatal four-way between Sami Callihan, Matt Tremont, Michael Elgin and Beastman. Wild and unpredictable as always, Callihan grabbed anything he could find to hit his opponents with, including a broom, steel chair and that same fan’s cane. As a tribute to Abdullah the Butcher, Tremont pulled out a fork to carve up Callihan. But Callihan kicked Tremont low and stabbed him instead!
{You can watch the replay of Brody Cup right now on Fite TV.}
With agony and adrenaline rushing through his veins, Tremont set his sights on Beastman’s manager Destiny. As Tremont was about to stab her, Beastman splashed him in the corner, following up with an avalanche off the top rope to eliminate him. Turnabout was fair play, though, as Beastman was next out due to a powerbomb from Callihan with a little assistance from Elgin. Then Callihan and Elgin went face to face, ready to exchange chops. Callihan took off his jacket, begging Elgin to give it his best shot. A fresh lougie was extra incentive; so of course, Elgin delivered a brutal blow, knocking Callihan to his knees. In the end, Elgin delivered a sitout powerbomb to defeat Callihan and advance to the finals.
After the match, Elgin said that Brody, Hansen and Abdullah inspired him to compete in Japan and how it was an honor to compete in the tournament.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”7″ display=”basic_imagebrowser”]In his last match before going to WWE, Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer Abyss battled Mecha Mercenary in a No Disqualification, No Countout match. The Monster gave the bloodthirsty Philly fans his greatest hits: a staple gun, broken table, trash can full of weapons and of course, the thumb tacks. Although he lost the bout, Abyss made sure to commend the crowd before venturing off to McMahonland, saying that “You guys are the best damn fans this country has.”
Also in action, Modern Vintage Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Joey Lynch defended the title against Eddie Edwards. The Impact Wrestling star went full-blown heel as he entered the ring, boasting about his Boston roots and praising the New England Patriots in the heart of Eagles Country. The crowd responded with “Fuck Tom Brady” chants.
Surprisingly, Lynch and Edwards had the most physical, hard-hitting match of the night. They fought all along the ring, whipping each other into the guard rail, crushing some folks in the front row. When the combatants returned to the ring, they exchanged a series of blistering chops and thrilling near falls. Ultimately, Lynch hit a running Canadian Destroyer to a thunderous pop, followed by a moonsault to retain the title. Afterward, CW Anderson stormed the ring and spinebustered the champion.
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”8″ display=”basic_imagebrowser”]In the main event, Dreamer met Elgin in the finals of the tournament. Despite the ECW icon being the overwhelming fan favorite, Elgin kept his cool, shaking hands to start the match. However, as both men jockeyed for position, charging into each other and engaging in a test of strength, Elgin clutched his knee. The action halted as referees and Dreamer checked on the NJPW star. But as soon as Dreamer turned around, Elgin attacked him from behind. Feigning injury, Elgin proceeded to do jumping jacks as boos rained down. Dreamer eventually fought back, throwing right hands, a cutter and even biting Elgin as the crowd rallied behind the local legend. It looked like it was over after Dreamer hit his trademark DDT, but Elgin kicked out. Finally, a Death Valley Driver gave Dreamer the victory.
Afterward, Barbara Goodish, Hansen, Abdullah (with his walker), Dillon and Fulton all congratulated Dreamer and presented him with the trophy.
Full results
Tommy Dreamer def. Michael Elgin to win the Brody Cup
Joey Lynch retained the Modern Vintage Wrestling Heavyweight Title against Eddie Edwards
Zane Dawson def. Colby Corino, Brandon Scott, Jaxon Stone, John Skyler & Ricky Reyes
Magic & Monsta Mack def. Chris Banks & Tommy Moose
Mecha Mercenary def. Abyss
Hexagon def. Andrew Palace
Elgin def. Sami Callihan, Beastman & Matt Tremont
Dreamer def. Stockade, Dave Dawson & DJ Hyde
Bobby Fulton won a battle royal
Freddy Flamingo def. Blaxstrom
About Author
