Report from Episode 6
On Sunday, on PAX TV, a pair of young stars reached the finals of Real Pro Wrestling at 211 pounds.
Daniel Cormier of the Oklahoma Slam and Tommy Rowlands of the New York Outrage, the top two seeds, claimed wins in their quarterfinal and semifinal matches to advance to the finals, which will air episode eight.
Cormier, a member of the 2004 Olympic team, took out eighth-seeded Nick Preston of the Pennsylvania Hammer in the quarterfinals, before defeating fifth-seeded Chad Lamer of the Iowa Stalkers to advance to the finals.
Against Preston, the 26-year-old Cormier used two throws in the first period to jump out to a 10-0 lead. In the second period, after a takedown by Cormier, Preston earned a reversal, and then quickly scored with a leg turk to cut the deficit to six. But Cormier eventually took control of the match and cruised to an easy 16-5 win.
“It was the first time I’ve wrestled since the Olympics, so it felt good to get a W, no matter which way it comes,” said Cormier. “I was up 14-0, gave up that reversal, and put him right into that turn. That’s the only reason he scored any points. But that’s alright. I just got to keep getting better.”
In the semifinals, Cormier met Lamer, a tough, veteran who had beaten him in their two previous meetings. Cormier struck first, though, scoring with a takedown and a gut wrench to make the score 4-0 less than a minute into the match. He took an 8-4 lead into the second period. Cormier kept the pressure on in the final period, scoring three more takedowns, while showcasing his arsenal of explosive attacks to win 14-4.
“It was my first win over him, so it felt good,” Cormier said after the match. “I just wrestled hard and was able to score some points.”
Rowlands, a two-time NCAA Champion from Ohio State, advanced to the finals by defeating seventh-seeded Dawid Rechul of the Chicago Groove in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Garrett Lowney of the California Claw in the semifinals.
Rowlands dominated Dawid in the quarterfinals, scoring with a combination of leg attacks and push-outs to claim a decisive 9-3 victory. Despite the one sided result, the 23-year-old Rowlands had nothing but respect for Dawid after the match.
“I wrestled him when I was a freshman in college and beat him 5-2 or 5-3, so I knew that he would give me a tough match,” said Rowlands. He has always been a real strong guy and hard to score on, so I was ready for that aspect.”
Rowlands faced a stiffer test in the semifinals against Lowney, an Olympic bronze medalist in Greco-Roman. Less than a minute into the match, Lowney locked up a tight front headlock and attempted to roll Rowlands, but lost his grip, and gave up the opening takedown. Rowlands added another takedown late in the first period to grab a 4-0 lead. At the start of the second period, Lowney once again locked up his tight front headlock and scored with a go behind to cut the deficit to 4-2. With 20 seconds remaining in the match, the two wrestlers battled near the edge of the match, and Rowlands was given a point for a push-out. But after further review, the call was reversed, and Lowney was given the point, which made it one point match. But Rowlands’ defense would prove to be impenetrable as he held on for the 4-3 victory.
“Lowney has a real tough front headlock,” Rowlands said moments after the match. “He gave me stitches in college, so I was a little intimidated by it, I shouldn’t have been, but I gave up a takedown in fear of giving up more points than two.”
Rowlands, who recently reached the finals of the U.S. Nationals (before losing to Cormier), feels that his future success in the sport hinges on his work in the par terre position.
“I’ve been working on par terre offense and defense the whole time,” said Rowlands. “I feel like that is my biggest weakness. If I can fix that, hopefully I’ll be in the World Championships, trying to win a World title.”
In the team battle, the Iowa Stalkers, on the strength of three finalists, continue to lead with 72 points, followed by the New York Outrage (56 points), and the Oklahoma Slam (53 points).
Sunday’s Results (211 Pounds):
Quarterfinals:
#1 Daniel Cormier (Oklahoma Slam) decision over #8 Nick Preston (Pennsylvania Hammer), 16-5
#5 Chad Lamer (Iowa Stalkers) decision over #5 Damion Hahn (Minnesota Freeze), 14-7
#3 Garrett Lowney (California Claw) technical fall over #6 Ryan Tobin (Texas Shooters), 16-0
#2 Tommy Rowlands (New York Outrage) decision over #7 Dawid Rechul (Chicago Groove), 9-3
Semifinals:
Cormier decision over Lamer, 14-4
Rowlands decision over Lowney, 4-3
Finals (May 15):
Cormier vs. Rowlands
Current Teams Standings:
1. Iowa Stalkers 72
2. New York Outrage 56
3. Oklahoma Slam 53
4. Pennsylvania Hammer 43
5. Chicago Groove 33
6. California Claw 17
7. Texas Shooters 11
8. Minnesota Freeze 1
Upcoming TV Schedule (check local listings for more information):
PAX TV: May 8, 15.
Fox Sports Net: Wednesday; May 4, 11, 18, 25.
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