I want to write some longer things on some of my favorite Southern indie workers of recent years on this blog, but it turns out I've already done that with several guys in the very recent past over at ProWrestlingOnly.com as part of The Greatest Wrestler Ever Project. Rather than rehash things I've already said, I figured I'd rehash those posts over here as part of this feature.
Today's entry is about Shaun Tempers. Please remember that my grammar sucks (especially when I'm not trying), but also that this was written in the context of a project that about ranking the best wrestlers of all time in order.
The southern indies are generally speaking, much closer to the territories of old than the "super indie" universe that many people think of when they think of independent wrestling today. By this I mean there is a week-to-week, show-to-show story arc, that necessitates an approach that is centered on a build to a big payoff down the road rather than the delivery of "great" matches on every card. This is not to say that quality weekly/tv matches aren't valued, but the emphasis is on building to, and paying off on, a big storyline that has been established over the course of months. At it's best this can also include even longer story arcs that last years, and in the most extreme cases, decades. I think that is something that is really critical to understanding why Shaun Tempers is so great.
Before I get into particulars I will say that Tempers can be frustrating. While I would never call him lazy, he has always struck me as the kind of guy that is best as a heel who pushes a babyface to really work and fill in the gaps. If a babyface does not respond to this challenge, Tempers is more than content to coast. In this sense I suppose you could argue that he's not a Flair-style, miracle working carry job type of guy, but that would be wrong. I've seen him carry complete incompetents to very good matches. Having said that he tends to save those type of performances for the moments when they matter most, or for instances where he can cajole weaker talents into decent enough efforts.
Now that that is out of the way, I will say that I think Tempers is the best in context Southern indie worker of the last decade, or at least the one where I have seen enough of the context to make the case. I make that distinction in part because Kyle Matthews is a more consistent hand, and if one is taking the "pick random matches and watch them on YouTube" approach he stands out more than Tempers. He also probably has the better high end matches. I consider Jimmy Rave to be better than both of them, and his peak Southern work is better than both, but I don't regard him as a specifically Southern indie worker.
So what do I mean when I call him the best in context Southern indie worker of the last decade? Specifically I mean that if you were a follower of the products that he was a part of - Rampage, NWA Chattanooga, Empire, Anarchy, DSCW, et. - Tempers commitment to adhering to his character and the stories his character was involved with was better than anyone else. Building on that Tempers is a guy who will wrestle the exact right match for a given setting or opponent. This often means that you get a match that is solid/good and makes perfect sense, but isn't blowaway great - and it shouldn't be. Working Kevin Blue on an episode of Anarchy TV, should not be the same as working a Cage Match blowoff with Azrael. Tempers knows this and works accordingly.
I've seen Tempers as a babyface and he's effective enough in that role, but he shines as a heel. In fact, it is not hard at all for me to imagine Tempers working the East TN territory in the days of Whitey Caldwell and Ron Wright and being a top star. In part this is because his facial expressions, body language, and bumping style are exceptionally well suited for that time and place, but I also think he is a rare instance of modern indie guy who is a brilliant t.v. worker. Tempers can go 6-12 minutes with anyone and get across exactly what needs to be gotten across about his character, his opponents character, their respective spots on the depth chart, and what the purpose of the match was. He is also great at the "pushed to the limit" style of the TV Title defense, which is something he was often called upon to do in Anarchy.
As a big match and blow off worker I'd argue he's excellent. No he doesn't have a litany of out of this world matches to point to - though I think his best matches v. Ace Rockwell, Kyle Matthews, Slim J, and others are excellent - but he will always deliver big time with what the fans want to see. If that is a classic, long title match v. Ace Rockwell you'll get it (there are two of those online, one from Anarchy, the other from Empire, and both are great). If it is him getting his ass savagely beaten, and it often was, he'll do that too pinballing and bleeding like a stuck pig to get over even the most limited rivals as he did with Logan Alvey last year at Empire's Tooth and Nail event (a match that also ended a year and a half long run he had as the promotions ace).
The whole story arc of his run with and against Rockwell isn't something I can do justice to in this post, and even I don't know all of the particulars to it. But it's reemergence at key points over the years, and the way both guys have made that work, is something really special that they both deserve credit for as well.
I also think he's a clever, and underrated offensive worker. While he can grind a match to a halt if he's in the ring with an unmotivated guy (as noted above), he has a variety of interesting and different strikes. He also uses a lot of clever "outs" that are unconventional but in a a good way. Things like stomping on a toe to break a suplex attempt, or rearing back on a choke at an angle that makes it look especially believable. On top of that his finishes and high end offensive genuinely looks brutal. The neckbreaker, cobra clutch backbreaker, and sitout powerbomb he does are all great at generating compelling near falls, or effective finishes depending on what the situation calls for. I've even seen him do dives over the years, and they are exactly the sort of "go for broke" spots you would expect from a person with Tempers look and in ring demeanor.
There is a fair amount of Tempers run that is available online, though key moments are missing. For example I'd love to have his title v. career match v. Andrew Alexander on tape, as their chain match is excellent and I can imagine the culmination of the feud was even better. That said, what is out there is more than enough to make a compelling case for him to be at least thought about as one of the top indie wrestlers of his era.
Before today I hadn't really considered Tempers [for the my personal top 100 GWE ballot], but the more I think about him the harder it is to dismiss him.
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