Survivor



















I recently compared crowded live events like this one to a 3-ring circus. Like a circus, too many things are going on at the same time for me to follow them all, but live and in-person, the eye can follow whatever plot line it chooses. At Ultimate Survivor XVI, I chose to follow Silvia, an "old-school" CWF Mid-Atlantic star I watched on cable TV back when cable TV was more of a thing. 

I've written about Silvia on several occasions in these pages, often commenting on his hyper-expressiveness as a ring performer. Nobody suffers more splendidly in the ring; nobody revives and retaliates with such convulsive fury. This event is a 5-on-5 elimination match pitting old-timers Silvia, Greene, Converse, McBride, and Ortega (with XSiris and Lee Valiant at ringside, not six feet away from me) against newer, younger players like Li, Royal, Wilkins, Idol, and Andrews.

(Ironically, the new bloods, the heels, represent a more positive picture of diversity in pro wrestling than the "classic" all-white local heroes*. The forces of evil also include the company's only - I think - out-and-proud gay man, Khan O'Kelly. The company has a beloved female emcee, but female wrestlers are a rarity. Believe it or not, these are significant advances in Southern wrestling, but we have many miles to go for equality.)

I can't explain anything about what we're looking at here, much less narrate the full story of the match. What matters to me - and the reason I chose these particular GIFs - is Silvia's over-the-top performance style. Age (he's 36 now) has not robbed him of his dynamic ring presence - and few wrestlers match him for the pathos of his suffering or the suddenness of his reversals. For me this is the quintessence of Southern rasslin': sweat, male bonding, payback, and raw emotion of operatic proportions. I'm hoping Silvia and XSiris return to CWF Mid-Atlantic regularly in the coming year. They were the stars who first drew my attention to CWF years ago, and I would love to see them in the ring some more.


Visit CWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling here.
GIFs created with Giphy.


* The company roster does include quite a few babyfaces of color - including Cam Carter, Snooty Fox,"TKO" Ted Ireland, Jr., and others. My comment refers to the ironies in this particular event.



Comments

  1. I'm sure enjoying these posts of live shows you've attended. I've always favored your posts about in-the-ring pro wrestling and when you've attend the match in person, your writing is more descriptive and passionate. Your videography from ringside is also very impressive. That Texas Cloverleaf variation on Silvia, with his legs trapped behind the Heel's neck as he slaps the mat in agony, is glorious and nicely captured on film. And the big slamming Over-the-Knee Backbreaker, one of my favorite moves, is well executed and also well filmed. Bravo, sir! I hope to see more of your in person footage in the future.

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