In the opening contest, the Gigolo led Corey Edsel and Kenny James to the ring to face Playboy Bert Tripp and the 7-footer, Granite. Edsel and James did a good job of controlling Tripp for the bulk of the match. Once Granite tagged in, Edsel attempted to keep him down but was eventually caught on the top rope and chokeslammed off the top! Granite grabbed Brown and delivered The Peak (pumphandle slam) to pick up the win for his team. Nothing spectacular, but definitely an above-average opener.

Up next, cruiserweight contenders J.T. Sparkz and Sexton Tyler went at it. Tyler was looking to move back into contention for his brother's FWA Carolinas Cruiserweight Title and was able to pick up the victory by capitalizing on a missed high-risk maneuver from Sparkz and getting the pin following a modified reverse DDT.

In a non-title match, GeeStar defeated FWA World Women's Champion Amber Holly. Rumors that a stipulation in the contract called for the loser of this match to spend an evening with Statmark were unsubstantiated. Holly and Gee went at it furiously but it was Caprice 'Ice' Coleman who made the difference in the end. Coleman came to the ring and distracted Holly, who in turn hit a baseball slide into Coleman that knocked the NWA Wildside superstar all the way past the ringside seats and against the bleachers. He got back up and eventually aided Gee in the pinfall until Mikael Yamaha made the save. Yamaha and Coleman then got into a wild pullapart brawl that went all the way into the lockeroom before the two could finally be separated.

Gemini Kid, Otto Schwanz, and Ali Steele then came out to cut an 'awesome' promo, where Gemini said that in the absence of the FWA Carolinas Commissioner, he would book the remainder of the show. He booked Schwanz to challenge NiteStic Eddie Brown for the Heavyweight Title and booked himself to challenge Yamaha for the Cruiserweight Title. With that announcement, the newly-appointed interim Commissioner William L. Kross (no relation) came to ringside and informed the trio that it was not Gemini's show and that he was in charge. Kross said Gemini had the night off but if he kept his nose clean would be granted a title shot at the next show and Schwanz would get his title shot only if he could defeat a mystery surprise Kross had brought along. The first of several surprises Kross brought in for the show turned out to be Malaki, who went tooth-and-nail with Schwanz and also had to fight off interference from Steele, but eventually was small packaged by the more experienced Schwanz while attempting a vertical suplex and pinned.

The unusual pairing of Rob the Bull McBride and Slick Ric, with Special K naturally, were out next to challenge the FWA Carolinas Tag Team Champions the $outh$ide Playas. L.A. Ca$h made it a point to mock McBride throughout the contest, calling him Captain Caveman and speaking to him in caveman-ese several times. McBride let his actions speak for themselves, including breaking out the Cactus elbowdrop to the floor. Special K served as a distraction at ringside, but in one key moment, inadvertently cost her men the contest. As K was keeping L.A. Ca$h preoccupied on the outside, Ca$h got the upperhand just as Ric and Rob were about to double team J-Money in the ring. Ric was torn whether to go for the victory or save his girl. As he deliberated, Money turned the tides on McBride who ended up getting kicked low by both men and was pinned following the 3P (Playas Phat Phinish). An extremely entertaining and fun match with good action throughout. McBride and Ric teased dissention afterwards but embraced to a chorus of boos as McBride reminded the crowd of their stupidity.

FWA Carolinas Heavyweight Champion NiteStic Eddie Brown made his way to ringside and complained about not having an opponent. After speculating that it could possibly be Andre the Giant or The Rock, Brown finally insisted that Commissioner Kross bring out someone for him to face. Kross said that he had brought one more big surprise with him and brought out none other than CHAM PAIN to a thunderous ovation. Pain took the mic and cut an inspired promo detailing how he felt tired, worn down, and banged up when he announced his retirement last August. But he was healed up and had unfinished business, starting with NiteStic. Both men engaged in a hard-fought match that included NiteStic kicking out of an early attempt of the Painkiller and even controlling Pain for several moments, but the returning Extreme Lucha Icon would not be denied. Pain battled back and hit the Painkiller a second time, this time scoring the victory. After the match, Pain was stopped on his way to the dressing room and was awarded both the Independent Insiders 2001 Singles Performer of the Year and the Hardcore Fan Club's 2001 Wrestler of the Year awards. Pain, who seemed legitimately touched thanked the fans for their support and assured everyone he was indeed back.

In the main event, FWA Carolinas Cruiserweight Champion Mikael Yamaha defended against the winner of the October 13th Indy Rumble, Caprice 'Ice' Coleman. Coleman pulled off several of his innovative offensive moves, including the comatosis (a leaping flatliner) and the Thermal Shock (a variation of the Diamond Cutter) but could not put Yamaha away. GeeStar made her way to ringside late in the bout, after a flying clothesline from Caprice accidentally took down referee Vern Stephens. Gee attempted to aid Coleman the same way Ice had helped her earlier, but Amber Holly would have none of it and with the women coming to blows on the outside, Yamaha nailed the Northern Lights Bomb to get the victory and retain his title. Match was definitely my favorite match I've seen Yamaha in to date. Coleman's future is so bright, it's burning my retinas. This show solidified FWA Carolinas as one of the premier organizations in the region. No other independent promotion could bring Cham Pain out of retirement, and don't think others have not tried, not to mention consistently feature some of the top talent in the state, with new names debuting every show. FWA Carolinas returns to Graham on Saturday, February 23rd.