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Two Title Opportunities For Groom Last Weekend

Posted: Jun 10th 2012 By: CMBurnham

Long-time Oklahoma competitor Brandon Groom received two Heavyweight title opportunities last weekend. He came up short of victories in both matches, but showed that he is still a major force to contend with in any federation he chooses to compete in.

On Saturday, Groom was granted an opportunity against SRPW Champion Jake O'Brien. O'Brien is the longest reigning current singles champion in Oklahoma and is approaching his 6th month as the top man in the company. In all that time, O'Brien has been the willing to face anyone and has fought in the name of the fans, much like Groom. So this looked to be a scientific match on paper.

But when the match began, it was clear that something was different about O'Brien. Perhaps he was intimidated by Groom's experience or amateur background. Perhaps there was something else at work. Whatever the case, it was obvious that he was not approaching this match the same as he had all his others. His attitude was different and became more and more aggressive as the match went on. This wasn't enough to turn the match in his favour though, as Groom continually outwrestled the champion. On a couple of occasions, Groom came very close to winning the match with 2-counts following a missile dropkick and a superkick. Then, an unexpected collision with the referee threw everything up in the air. O'Brien scooted out of the ring and grabbed a chair, sliding back into the ring and hitting Groom with it before the referee was fully recovered. O'Brien then went to the top rop and connected with an elbow drop to get the pin.

The next day, Groom faced off against SRPW Tag Team and BYEW Champion Sam Stackhouse. This was the first meeting between the two, but Groom was in no way intimidated by Stackhouse's size advantage. Another heavily physical match that saw Groom rebound from many of Stackhouse's signature moves. And while it would have seemed that the overwhelming heat of the afternoon might have drained Stackhouse of energy, that didn't seem to happen. Groom's unfamiliarity with Stackhouse led to his defeat as, out of nowhere, Stackhouse connected with the Black Hole Slam for the win.

Two failed title attempts are not going to set Groom back as he will do whatever he has to in order to once again rise to the top of whatever federation he participates in. As a former SRPW Champion, he would love to regain that title which he hasn't held in 7 years. And he'd also love to add the BYEW title to his growing resume. Wherever he chooses to apply his abilities, Groom will excite the crowd and bring a level of action that all of Oklahoma should hope to live up to.