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Nice Guys Finish Last

Posted: May 19th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Since the beginning of his career, Sam Stackhouse has seemed to be the gentle giant. The good natured big man who everyone knew would be a problem if he ever turned to the dark side.

Those fears came true on May 14th.

Many fans may think that Sam's jovial personality and calm demeanor are positive attributes. But it seems that Sam has changed his mind. And, to be honest, it's hard to argue against this if he's blaming his "nice-guy" mentality on his lack of recent success.

Stackhouse has always considered ComPro to be his home. He made his Oklahoma debut there. But 2010 has been a trying year for Sam. He hadn't won a match since January 23 when he teamed with ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion The Canadian Luchadore and defeated J. P. Steele & The Masked Martyr. In the months that followed, Sam frequently found himself in Triple Threat matches and suffered losses to such stars as current ComPro Showtime Champion Evan Newcastle, The Masked Martyr (twice), The Canadian Red Devil and Dustin Harp. At the last Night of Champions at Sheridan Avenue Christian Church, it looked like Sam was going to win the Guaranteed Contract for a title shot, but was upended in the battle royal by Richie Adams, who went on to cash the contract in later that night and defeat Shane Morbid for the ComPro Title. Another opportunity snatched from the grasp of Stackhouse.

Stackhouse's more aggressive nature had begun to appear over the past few months. He challenged SWCW Champion 3rd Rail for his title, but has yet to actually face Rail in the ring. He scouted opposition in 412PE. He made trips to Mid-States Wrestling and Mid-South Pro Wrestling in Arkansas. And he debuted in MWA, where he is known as Silo Sam. But everything still came back to ComPro. And Sam faced a big challenge when he took on Michael Barry at the special event at McKinley Elementary on May 14.

Of course, Stackhouse wouldn't be facing Barry alone, as other members of Excellence Personified in the form of MWA Champion Jack Legacy, MWA MAX-Division & TAP Tag Team Champion Dustin Heritage and their manager, Mike Iles, were all present. As usual, EP put the spotlight on themselves before turning attention towards their opponent. They attempted to humiliate Stackhouse by ordering referee Chance Snodgrass to check under his man-boobs. But Stackhouse had heard that before and didn't let it get to him. Then, the stalling tactics as Barry found himself unable to outpower the 400-pounder. And, of course, the distraction. Stackhouse was the victim of a high-low attack when Mike Iles distracted the referee and the Jet Setters executed the double team move to perfection. Still, that only brought them a two count. Ultimately, Mike Iles and his foot apparel had to brought in to play. Michael Barry went to enact a "trip spot" with Dustin Heritage, but Stackhouse reversed the Irish whip and Heritage ended up tripping Barry. This prompted Iles to jump up on the ring apron and hit Stackhouse with his shoe while the referee was busy dealing with the Jet Setters shenanigans. Barry then connected with the Saturday Night Special and gained the pinfall.

Then, things got interesting. After EP had left, Stevie Caballero and his newest charge, TAP Adrenaline and ComPro Champion Richie Adams emerged and met Stackhouse coming up the ramp. Caballero told Stackhouse that he would be nothing unless he was with them. Stackhouse didn't seem to pay them any mind, but perhaps the wheels were silently turning in the big man's head.

Stackhouse stayed away until the semi-main event, which was a return match for the ComPro Title. Shane Morbid wanted to regain his belt and he laced in to Richie Adams in that effort. Everything Adams threw at Morbid, he withstood and prepared to give back the same and more. Hard kicks, stiff punches and devestating chops all found their way to both men. But Snodgrass got in the way of a corner charge and was annihilated by Morbid. Adams quickly took Morbid down with a DDT. Then, Stackhouse ran to the ring. The big man, who seemed to want to make a challenge known at that moment, backed Adams into a corner and seemed about to squash him there, but then turned around and blasted Morbid with clothesline, then whipped him into the ropes and delivered a Black Hole Slam. Adams covered Morbid and the referee counted to three. Adams retained the belt, but certainly didn't do it on his own. Adams now has a partner to protect him and Caballero has found someone the size of Draven Cross to utitlise (or possibly hide behind).

And the fans are all left asking "Why?" The answer seems so obvious. Stackhouse was frustrated. He felt neglected and overlooked. He wanted to make an impact. And he certainly did all of those things. But in the course, he ejected his fans and supporters. That's something they won't forget easily. The question remains, though: if Stackhouse did this because he had been denied a chance to gain the ComPro Title, it was a poor choice. Because now his duty is to guard that title and assure that it will stay around Adams' waist. And that means that Stackhouse can look, but not touch for quite a long time.

Tags: Sam Stackhouse, ComPro, Canadian Luchadore, J. P. Steele, Masked Martyr, Evan Newcastle, Masked Martyr, Canadian Red Devil, Dustin Harp, Richie Adams, SWCW, 3rd Rail, 412PE, MWA, Silo Sam, Michael Barry, Excellence Personified, Jack Legacy, TAP, Dustin He