IMG Credit: WWE

With Summerslam finally out of the way, I had some extra time and started back in on the pile of DVDs I bought a few weeks back.  I took care of this one, which was the first of the set so far that had actual wrestling (shocking I know).  Let’s get to it.

Bigelow is an interesting case as he’s one of the first high flying big men to gain prominence in America.  He had a very unique look with a lot of size that could move around, but that head tattoo is one of the best trademarks you’ll ever see.  He was always someone to watch and would have been a main event player back in the late 1980s had his knees not given out (and had he not been as loyal to Japan).  If nothing else, he was the first wrestler whose name I could say as a baby, though given that my first word was cranium (I don’t get it either), I don’t know how much of a positive that is.

What we have here is a collection of very random matches and parts of a 1998 shoot interview.  The interview itself is about two hours and forty five minutes but we only get about forty five minutes here.  What we do get is rather entertaining though as Bigelow is a pretty good interview, talking about everywhere he’s been (which is a lot of places) and speaking highly of himself, but not going insane.  He has praise for some people and criticisms for others so it’s not like he’s going nuts or anything.  At the same time, his discussions of what happens when you have no competition and a billionaire comes along with a bunch of money to invest in wrestling hold up 21 years later in an almost eerie manner.  I could go for the whole interview as what we got was intriguing stuff.

The matches….I don’t get it.  I understand that they could only use certain stuff so we have an indy match, a pair of ECW fancam matches and a short clip from a Memphis match in 1986, but there’s one problem: Bigelow goes 1-3 in these matches, including losing a title in one of them.  If the set is supposed to be a nice look at Bigelow, who in the world thought showing him losing most of the time was a good idea?

The whole thing only runs about an hour and a half so it’s a very quick sit with one good match and some interesting stuff in the interview, so this was as easy of a DVD as you could sit through.  The other three matches combine to be about as long as the good one so even they don’t weigh it down too much.  It’s a nice entry, but it feels like it was put together without thinking things through.  Bigelow isn’t going to get the big WWE DVD release so this is about all you can ask for.

And now, the matches.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Samu
Date: November 6, 1998
Location: Patterson Catholic High School, Patterson, New Jersey
Commentators: Unknown

This is from an Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling (ISPW) event. Samu (Roman Reigns’ father) is a pretty big guy as well, though nowhere near as big as Bigelow of course. Commentary talks about Bigelow being a champion everywhere in the world. And that’s very true, assuming you leave out the two biggest companies he had worked for so far. Samu jumps him at the bell and gets in a “beautiful eye rake”. Bigelow comes out of the corner with some clotheslines and it’s time to go out to the floor.

Samu goes into various metal objects as one of the commentators suggests going after the bare pinkie toe. Back in and Bigelow misses a splash in the corner, allowing Samu to hit a “beautiful” side kick. Choking ensues and what looked to be a low blow in the corner keeps Bigelow in trouble. Samu bites in the corner and pokes him in the eye, only to miss a splash of his own. The referee gets bumped off a clothesline, just as Bigelow hits his headbutt. The timing of these things is one of the great marvels of wrestling. Cue another Samoan to hit Bigelow with a chair though and Samu gets the pin at 3:49.

Rating: D+. Of all the matches you could pick for Bigelow, you start the match with a loss? I know it’s kind of hard to find an indy match for him, but you would think they could find a squash win for him. Either way, they treated Bigelow as a big deal here and it wasn’t a clean loss, but the match wasn’t even that good.

Post match, Bigelow promises to get a piece of Samu’s a** and make it his. That’s getting a tad personal, no?

ECW TV Title: Rob Van Dam vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Date: April 4, 1998
Location: Burt Flickinger Center, Buffalo, New York
Attendance: 2,600

Bigelow is defending and this is fan cam footage so the quality isn’t exactly quality. Bigelow (with a bandage on the side of his head) comes out to Welcome To The Jungle and the star power is strong with this one as Bigelow almost charges to the ring and you can feel the raw energy. The song is kind of perfect for a wrestling entrance (it was used in the WrestleCon Supershow Battle Royal and one of the commentators said “This could be any independent wrestler since the 80s!”) but my goodness it’s weird to see Bigelow with a belt. Van Dam (with Bill Alfonso) is just a cocky heel at this point and not the ECW legend he would become.

We get some LAWRENCE TAYLOR chants during the Big Match Intros for a little old school twist. They take their time to start with Bigelow being weary of the kicks. Bigelow gets smart and punches him in the face but Rob is right back with the kicks. For some reason Rob tries a charge in the corner and is thrown down like he’s not even there. I mean, as much as you can throw something that isn’t there….I think. We get a breather on the floor so Fonzie can give Van Dam some pointers, or maybe make a weed order.

Back in and Bigelow pounds away some more but the top rope kick to the face takes him down. Rolling Thunder: beta version gets one and Bigelow low bridges him to the floor. That means an exchange of postings before Van Dam’s headscissors is easily countered with a shove over the barricade. They’re playing up a nice story here with Rob using all of his flying and athleticism and Bigelow just using raw power.

The fight into the crowd is capped off with Bigelow being sent face first into the barricade and then getting kicked right back into the chairs. Fonzie declares Bigelow soft as a boiled egg as Van Dam pelts a chair at Bigelow’s head. That sets up the big dive over the barricade as Van Dam is breaking him down. A CRAZY top rope flip dive over the barricade takes Bigelow down again but Van Dam crashes even harder. The legdrop over the barricade (minus the spin) keeps Bigelow in trouble but Van Dam is spent from all the flips.

Bigelow is back up with a slam onto the timekeeper’s table and a big elbow off the apron puts Van Dam through it in a crash that isn’t as big as you would expect around here. It takes some time for them to get up so Van Dam kicks him in the head, with the bandage gone and the blood flowing. Back in and Bigelow runs him over again but misses the moonsault (I always liked how he did those), setting up the Five Star (or close to it) for two.

A Samoan drop (with Van Dam landing on his shoulder) gets two and Bigelow spikes him with a scary looking brainbuster for the same. Greetings From Asbury Park bumps the referee so here’s Sabu to throw a chair at Bigelow. Not to be outdone, Bigelow throws Sabu at Van Dam and then powerbombs him, with Sabu somehow landing on his face (only Sabu). The chair is back in though as it’s the Van Daminator for the pin and the title at 15:47.

Rating: B-. Remind me to not sign up for a compilation DVD anytime soon as it seems to be a bunch of losses. I liked this one and the interference at the end is fine as it makes sense to have Fonzie’s guys cheat to win the title. Van Dam was about to have a rocket attached to his back as he would hold the title for nearly two years without ever being defeated for it as a broken ankle forced him to vacate it.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. New Jack
Date: February 20, 1998
Location: Woodbridge Armory, Woodbridge, New Jersey
Attendance: 1,200

Fancam again and since it’s a New Jack match, the music is blaring so loudly that there may or may not have been a bell. Bigelow jumps him during the entrance and pounds away with a headbutt sending Jack into the pile of weapons. A low blow is loaded up as Bigelow somehow doesn’t notice Jack holding a big metal sheet, which goes right along the tattooed head. And now, here’s an umbrella, because Jack apparently inspired Jack Gallagher.

Rating: D+. Well at least he won something. This was all about the weapons vs. the wrestler though Bigelow can brawl very well in his own right. I’ve never cared for New Jack for the most part but it’s hard not to smile a little bit at him being so into what he does. As long as they don’t advertise him as a wrestler and just acknowledge that he’s a gimmick nutjob, he can be acceptable in small doses like this one.

Post match the beatdown is on until someone (looks like John Kronus) comes in for the save. This goes badly for him as well with Greetings From Asbury Park leaving him laying. Jack and Kronus get destroyed with the weapons.

AWA Southern Title/AWA International Title: Jerry Lawler vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Date: September 8, 1986
Location: Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentator: Lance Russell

Lawler is International Champion, Bigelow is Southern Champion and this is a Texas Deathmatch, meaning Last Man Standing but you have to get a pin before the count starts. Therefore, we’re joined in progress in the seventh fall, with Russell saying we’re about thirty minutes in. Lawler knocks him down but gets whipped into the referee in the corner.

A splash gives Bigelow the pin from a groggy referee, who doesn’t notice Lawler’s feet on the ropes. Bigelow’s manager Larry Sharpe blasts Bigelow with a chair by mistake and they’re both down after a rest period. Lawler gets to his feet first and gets both titles at 4:14 shown. I’m not rating four minutes (with over a minute of the two of them laying after the bell) of a thirty minute match but this was classic Memphis.

Post match Sharpe beats Bigelow up, which for some reason needed a quick intro from Lawler.

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #70
Date: August 10, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re still in New York and things have been staying interesting around here as we move towards the first pay per view. Last week’s big story saw Davey Boy Smith Jr. getting a bit annoyed at his sister Georgia for dating Alexander Hammerstone. I’m not sure what to expect from that this week but it should be another fun one. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Rey Horus vs. Bestia 666

They lock up to start with Bestia getting slowed down by a wristlock. Horus flips out of the same thing from Bestia and then grabs a springboard armdrag for two. A dropkick sends Bestia outside but they switch places so Bestia can hit the suicide dive. Some chops keep Bestia in control and a superkick gives him two. Horus is back with a headscissors to the floor and there’s the big running flip dive to keep Bestia down.

Back in and they chop it out until Horus has to hurricanrana his way out of a powerbomb attempt. A running Spanish Fly gives Horus two but Bestia is right back up with a superkick for the same. Horus’ super victory roll is blocked so he settles for an armdrag off the top instead. Back up and Bestia crotches him on top, setting up a kneeling MuscleBuster for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C. They did the flying stuff well here and Bestia gets to look like more of a monster for whomever he gets to face in his next major match. It’s not the most common thing to have someone in MLW wrestle on back to back weeks so they clearly plan on doing something significant with Bestia.

Post match Salina de la Renta says she is the greatest promoter of all time, unlike that fake legend like Konnan. She wants her phone back so here’s Konnan to interrupt. He offers to let her feel the phone, setting up a classic THAT’S ENOUGH. Tonight Savio Vega is getting an Openweight Title match but according to the phone, Savio isn’t getting a bonus payment that he was owed. Cue Savio to rip up his Promociones Dorado contract and leave with Konnan.

The Dynasty is in a penthouse, which was paid for by the closing of an orphanage. Maxwell Jacob Friedman comes in with the Gift Train, meaning that Hammerstone and Holliday get new Rolexes. Friedman brings up the Hart Foundation but Hammerstone is tired of hearing about them. They mock Teddy Hart for his drug habits and it’s a group hug. They all leave in tears. Ok then.

The Hart Foundation hasn’t forgotten the Dynasty and practice standing moonsaults on their hotel bed.

The Opera Cup, a tournament that took place for over fifty years but hasn’t been awarded in over seventy years, is coming back.

Contra introduces us to their newest member: Ikuro Kwon, a pit fighter from Singapore. He’s the one who blinded Marshall Von Erich last week.

We get the War Chamber Control Center with a rundown of the War Chamber rules.

Ross Von Erich had a role in Hobbs and Shaw. Good for him.

We look at Marshall being blinded last week. It’s still an awesome heel move.

Tom Lawlor and Ross Von Erich talk about Marshall being in Hawaii to see an eye specialist. Lawler promises to get revenge on Contra.

MLW is partnering with the Crash in Mexico.

Mance Warner has his white board to explain his game plan against Promociones Dorado. His first step: draw trees. Second step: grab a chainsaw and cut the board in half, just like he’s going to cut down Salina’s boys. He didn’t actually cut it up, but Mance having a chainsaw isn’t going to go well.

Contra Unit vs. Jay Sky/Ariel Dominguez

It’s Samael/Gotch for the team here. Gotch suplexes Dominguez down and Samael puts on a camel clutch for the tap at 30 seconds. Now that’s a squash.

Post match Samael uses the spike to carve up Dominguez’s mouth.

Video on War Chamber.

Long recap of the Konnan/Salina phone issue. Next week it’s LA Park vs. Jimmy Havoc in a Loser Leaves MLW match to give Konnan his first demand.

Also next week: Mance Warner vs. Ricky Martinez.

National Openweight Title: Alexander Hammerstone vs. Savio Vega

Vega is challenging and is here alone while Hammerstone has the rest of the Dynasty with him. Friedman even does a good strut on the floor before the bell. Feeling out process to start with Hammerstone shoving him into the corner and getting chopped back for his efforts. That doesn’t work with Hammerstone, who knocks Vega right back down, only to miss a charge into the corner. Hammerstone knocks him down again and the stomping commences.

A powerslam gives Hammerstone two and it’s off to a front facelock. Hammerstone kicks him in the face for another knockdown as this is just above a sparring session so far. A missile dropkick misses and the slow motion comeback is on with Vega kicking him in the chest. Hold on though as Friedman removes a turnbuckle pad, with Hammerstone whipping Vega into the steel. The Nightmare Pendulum (with Vega landing on his feet for a bad looking (yet understandable) botch) retains the title at 7:41.

Rating: D. Yeah this was bad. I’m not sure what else you can really expect from the fifty five year old Vega against a monster like Hammerstone but there wasn’t much else they could do. I know Vega is a bigger deal in Puerto Rico and is certainly a name some people will remember, but the match was a waste of Hammerstone’s time.

Post match Brian Pillman Jr. comes out to steal Hammerstone’s jacket as Vega is checked on to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as the wrestling was barely anything worthwhile and the big reveal was the name of a previously unknown man. We’re coming up on some bigger shows down the line but this one felt like a bunch of quick news bits with wrestling sprinkled in. They can do better and I’m thinking this is just a one off misfire.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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IMG Credit: New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan On AXS
Date: August 3, 2019
Location: Osaka Prefectural Gym, Osaka, Japan
Attendance: 5,555
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Rocky Romero, Chris Charlton

First of all, no I’m not doing this show regularly, just for the sake of time. Someone asked me to do a show though and since I can’t say no, here we are. This is from night 13 of the G1 Climax Tournament and that means we’re likely in for a bunch of big matches with some matches that earn some high praise. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi’s success throughout the tournament. The star power is sounding very high for this one.

All matches are from the A Block and a win is good for two points.

Bad Luck Fale (2 points) vs. Kenta (8 points)

Chase Owens is on commentary, Kenta would be Hideo Itami and Fale has Jado with him. The much bigger Fale grabs Kenta by the throat for the early choking, plus a Jado kendo stick from the floor. A trip to the floor means a whip into the barricade for Kenta and it’s Fale starting in on the back. Some shots to the head put Kenta down again but he’s back up with the tornado DDT across the top rope. The top rope clothesline drops the monster and a DDT gets two.

The springboard missile dropkick looked to come up short but Fale is knocked into the corner anyway. That means some running kicks to the face to keep Fale down and a top rope double stomp gets two. Fale is back up with a clothesline but Kenta reverses what looked to be a chokeslam into the triangle choke. Game Over (YES Lock) makes Owens tap but Owens has the referee. Jado comes in with the kendo stick but the distraction lets Fale get a rollup pin at 7:21.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here with Kenta having to fight against the odds and coming up shoot against Fale, who didn’t seem to be the greatest in-ring worker here. The big monster certainly looks different in New Japan but that doesn’t mean they’re the most viable option around. Kenta looked more comfortable here, though I’m still not seeing the superstar in him that we were promised for so long.

Lance Archer (4 points) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (4 points)

Both are part of Suzuki-Gun. Archer, a rather big guy at about 6’8, is a bit insane and runs/knocks over a bunch of people on the way to the ring. Sabre starts dodging the big boot attempts to start and the early frustrations might be setting in for Archer. A headlock is countered with Sabre’s signature twists but Archer nips up out of a top wristlock and throws him down. Sabre gets stomped and choked near the ropes as the big vs. small formula is in full swing so far.

Archer slams him down but misses a knee drop out of the corner, allowing Sabre go take him down into a grapevined ankle lock. Since Archer is rather tall he can reach the rope, which had to be a full eight inches away from him. We go to the sleeper on the giant’s back, but it feels a bit more dangerous since it’s Sabre putting it on. Archer slams him down and takes it to the floor, only to have Sabre grab the leg as Archer gets back inside. A guillotine choke is thrown off as well as Sabre just can’t find a way around the power.

Old School is countered with a crotching so Sabre tries a guillotine on top, which is thrown down again. Archer goes aerial with a crossbody but the chokeslam is countered into a triangle choke. The threat of a weird cousin of the Rings of Saturn is broken up with a long leg on the rope. A powerbomb gives Archer two but he has to power out of an armbar. Sabre starts kicking at the arms so Archer goes with a Black Hole Slam for two. The chokeslam connects and the Blackout (looks like a reverse Razor’s Edge) is loaded up, only to have Sabre roll him up for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: C+. I liked this a good bit. Archer is said to have had a career resurgence in this tournament and I can see why with a performance like this. Being his size in New Japan is going to keep him busy as they don’t have too many giants. The rope walk and some of the raw power are going to keep him relevant and this was a good David vs. Goliath story, which is one of the easiest ways to go about doing something. Even if David is a cocky pest that you want to see get kicked in the face.

Evil (6 points) vs. Will Ospreay (4 points)

Ospreay’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line. Ospreay goes for the wristlock to start and sends Evil outside. The teased big dive doesn’t launch as Ospreay flips back into the superhero pose as only he (and Ricochet) can do. Evil finds a chair and throws it in but Ospreay is ready for it and they go with the rapid fire shots to the head. Ospreay gets kicked down and a big clothesline puts him on the floor. The chair is wrapped around Ospreay’s neck and the other chair knocks the first one off for a spot that has to be a big scary to take.

Back in and Evil stays on the back and neck before grabbing the chinlock (nothing wrong with some basic psychology). Ospreay fights up and gets a Stunner for the breaker, followed by the running forearm to put Evil in the corner. Pip Pip Cheerio (Phenomenal Forearm) gets two but Evil suplexes him into the corner to bang the neck up again. Ospreay is right back with a running kick to the face to send Evil outside.

You know what that means and it’s a cartwheel into the no hands moonsault to the floor for the double knockdown. Back in and something close to Coast to Coast (Evil was on the apron with his head sticking in and close enough to the corner) connects for two. Stormbreaker is blocked (Kelly: “That’s a big a**.” It might have been “ask” but it’s a funny line otherwise.) and it’s an exchange of forearms for the double knockdown.

They slug it out from their knees until Evil hits Darkness Falls (a fireman’s carry into a sitout spinebuster) for two. Ospreay is right back with a spinning sitout powerbomb and he’s ready to pull his hair out on the kickout. Back up and Evil headbutts him but runs into a running Spanish Fly for another near fall.

The Oscutter (always cool) gets two more and you could tell the fans bought that as the finish. Stormbreaker is countered again so Ospreay hits the 630 kick to the head (Robinson Special) but the top rope Oscutter is countered into a half and half suplex. A second one knocks Ospreay silly and a huge lariat gives Evil two more. Everything Is Evil (STO) finally puts Ospreay down at 17:08.

Rating: A-. The near falls were awesome in this one and they built up the neck damage throughout the match. Ospreay is a great high flier and his size makes him that much more fun to watch. Evil has gone from what seems to be a gimmick character into a much more complete performer so I can more than live with watching these two again. Awesome match here with that near fall off the Oscutter stealing the show.

Kota Ibushi (8 points) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (8 points)

Yeah this works. They go to the mat for an exchange of headlocks to start until Ibushi dropkicks him in the face. Tanahashi takes the leg and puts it back on the mat for a good old fashioned leglock. Ibushi finally makes it over to the rope and is right back up with a running kick to the face. A standing moonsault gives Ibushi two but Tanahashi is right back with a pair of dragon screw legwhips.

The Cloverleaf goes on until Ibushi makes the rope as Tanahashi is going with a pretty simple (yet intelligent) strategy here. The leg is wrenched around the ropes and Tanahashi goes up, only to get caught with a super hurricanrana for a pretty close two. Back up and Tanahashi tries a dropkick to the knee but Ibushi jumps over it and lands on Tanahashi’s chest for a double stomp in a sweet counter.

A lawn dart into the corner knocks Tanahashi silly and it’s a deadlift German superplex to make it even worse for two. Tanahashi throws a left hand and Ibushi gets VERY serious. That means more slaps, with these staggering Ibushi a bit. Some more almost put him down but Ibushi blasts him with a clothesline for the double knockdown.

The sitout powerbomb gives Ibushi two but the big knee strike is countered into a trio of Twist and Shouts (swinging neckbreaker). A Sling Blade gives Tanahashi two, only to have the High Fly Flow miss for the big crash. The Boom Ye (Daniel Bryan knee) connects for two so Ibushi kicks him in the head a few times, setting up the big knee strike for the pin at 15:56.

Rating: B+. Ibushi is one of those guys who has grown a lot over the years as he has gone from a guy who is best known for a lot of flips to someone who can pin Tanahashi clean without it being a shocking upset. You can tell Tanahashi is nowhere near what he used to be, but even a fairly damaged Tanahashi is still better than almost anyone in the world. Very good match here, though I liked Ospreay vs. Evil just a bit better.

Post match they’re both down with Tanahashi saying something to Ibushi.

Sanada (4 points) vs. Kazuchika Okada (12 points)

Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line and he’s undefeated so far. They stand around for a good while to start with no significant contact for the first minute. Sanada takes him down into an early armbar which is reversed just as fast. The headlock keeps things slow as they seem to be killing some time (thirty minute time limit here so the draw is an actual possibility).

The legsweeps into the covers for less than one each give us another standoff and things reset. Back up and commentary suggests that Okada isn’t taking Sanada as seriously as he should, just as Sanada hits a basement dropkick to the head. Okada blocks the Paradise Lock so Sanada elbows him in the face for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s Okada up with an elbow of his own, followed by a DDT for two more.

Sanada gets knocked outside and a running kick sends him over the barricade. Another DDT plants him on the floor so Okada can chill in the corner for a bit. Okada hits a running kick to the face as the fans don’t seem pleased with him. Then we get an OKADA chant as the fans seem a bit confused here. Sanada comes back with his own dropkick to the floor and the slingshot dive takes Okada down again. Now it’s a SANADA chant, meaning I probably misheard the previous one.

Back in and the Paradise Lock works this time, allowing Sanada to hit the running dropkick for two more. One heck of a flapjack (always love that move) drops Sanada and we get a breather. It’s Okada slowly getting up and looking more serious as the strike off begins. Sanada takes him down and hits a basement dropkick, followed by a hard belly to back for two. Sanada’s springboard is countered into White Noise onto the knee and the top rope elbow makes it even worse.

The Rainmaker is loaded up, giving us the always cool zoom out shot. That’s broken up so Okada settles for the Tombstone but the Rainmaker is countered again. A hanging twisting neckbreaker drops Okada but Sanada is too banged up. The slow motion slugout from their knees goes on until they get up, with Okada telling him to throw the forearms at the neck. The uppercuts go to Sanada and Okada actually drops to a knee.

Back up and the Rainmaker is countered again but so is the Tombstone this time, with Sanada switching to something like a dragon sleeper. A tiger suplex gives Sanada two and a TKO gets the same. The moonsault misses but Sanada lands on his feet like a pro. Okada grabs the arm and hits the Rainmaker (which is still…..oh never mind), followed by another for no cover. A third Rainmaker is countered into one from Sanada, who goes back to the dragon sleeper.

This time though he swings Okada around by the neck (egads) before going into the full version with the bodyscissors. Okada fights up but Sanada pulls him back down to get it on again. The fans are WAY into this (as they should be) and Okada reverses into a rollup for two but Sanada grabs it for the third time with three minutes left.

Sanada finally lets go with two minutes left but the moonsault hits raised….legs. Not quite as impactful as knees but Okada just had his head cranked back for three minutes so his accuracy is a bit off. There’s less than a minute left and Okada hits the dropkick but the Rainmaker is countered into a pop up cutter. Back to back moonsaults finish Okada at 29:48.

Rating: A. Oh yeah this was awesome (killing off the dragon sleeper aside) with Sanada throwing everything he had at Okada to FINALLY beat him. This felt very similar to Roderick Strong trying and trying to beat Jay Lethal for the ROH World Title but always coming up short until he did everything he could to finish Lethal in the end. It was the same story here and again it’s one of those that is always going to work. Great main event with Sanada getting the biggest win of his career.

Post match Sanada talks about finally beating his rival (thank goodness for subtitles for a change) and even gets a spotlight to make it feel cooler. He lost to Okada in this building a year ago and it made him hate Okada. Now Osaka is his favorite place in Japan because he finally did it. Sanada says he’ll see us next time and he falls to the mat in happiness.

At the post match press conference, Sanada says that was his gift to the people at home.

A look at the updated standings wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A-. As usual, I can see why this is such a popular show and the action more than lived up to the hype. All three of the big matches felt like instant classics and while they might not mean anything for everyone involved at the moment, you got some great matches with commentary selling the whole thing all the way. Great show here and worth seeing if you get the chance.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Preston City Wrestling

Better Than A Bollard
Date: May 18, 2018
Location: Envoque, Preston, England
Commentators: Greg Lambert, Stallion

This is the final show from the Independentwrestling.TV cycle I’ve been on and it’s from a company I’ve actually heard of. It’s a Preston City Wrestling event and while I’ve heard mixed reviews from the company, there are at least some names on the card I’m familiar with, at least to a certain extent. Let’s get to it.

Usual disclaimer: I don’t follow this company and know nothing about them.

After some quick graphics of a special appearance and one match, what seems to be the main interviewer gets the show’s name wrong (bigger instead of better). She talks about how we’re in a smaller show at the moment because that big company (guess) is in England. We talk to some fans at ringside, which is as painful as you can probably imagine. The interviewer talks to a fan, who is rather confused about what he’s seeing tonight because his favorite wrestler isn’t on the card.

Another fan likes T-Bone to retain the title because he’s muscular and has nice tattoos. Other fans want to see other matches as I’m not sure why this is airing on a show that is less than two and a half hours in the first place. Another fan is here on her birthday and wants Lionheart to win the PCW Title tonight. A member of the Preston City Council is here and wants Lionheart to win as well. He does seem to know what he’s talking about here and sounds like a longtime fan for a bit of a surprise. For the future, he wants us to come to the upcoming charity show. Nothing wrong with that.

We’re still not ready for the actual matches so here’s Cruiserweight Champion Dean Allmark to talk about being ready to defend against Johnny Storm. They’ve both been around for a long time but tonight should be a good match. The interviewer suggests that Allmark was on a WWE show earlier this week and he doesn’t disagree.

After ten minutes of chattering, we’re ready to go. Was that some bonus pre-show that they just threw on here as an extra?

Opening sequence, which is mainly featuring former WWE stars.

The ring announcer, who gets his own entrance, welcomes us to the show and hypes things up as you would expect him to do.

Adam Brooks vs. Matt Cross

Cross was Son of Havoc in Lucha Underground though he’s unmasked here. Brooks hits an early shoulder so Cross backflips into a superhero pose for a standoff. A handspring elbow in the corner is caught so Cross elbows him in the face to send Brooks outside. It’s too early for Cross’ slingshot dive and Brooks sends him into the apron. Back in and some shots to the face in the corner have Cross in trouble, followed by a running kick to the face for two. Three straight covers get three straight twos as Brooks seems to be a bit stubborn.

The chinlock goes on and naturally just fires Cross up, allowing him to send Brooks outside for a suicide dive. A top rope double stomp to the back (with Cross having to be careful of the low ceiling) gets two on Brooks as you can hear fans talking over commentary. Brooks gets his own two off a slingshot DDT and frustration is setting in. They trade jumping strikes to the face until Cross hits a cutter for two. Brooks is right back with a middle rope Codebreaker for the very fast pin at 7:35.

Rating: C. Not bad here with two guys who have strong enough reputations. It’s a lot better than starting with people most fans have never heard of and gets you off on a better foot. Brooks is someone who has enough talent to work well against most people so putting him in there with a veteran like Cross was a good way to go. It’s a perfectly fine opener and the company feels professional off the bat.

Here’s Sheikh El Sham (with Maxwell Jacob Friedman (not that well known yet), though the graphic lists him as Maxwell Jacob Feinstein, which is likely a joke I’m not getting) for a match and an accompanying chat. He seems to be your standard evil/rich Sheikh, because that’s the kind of thing that will never die. Before the match, Sheikh talks about gracing the fans with his presence, earning him some not very nice chants from the fans. Friedman tells them to NOT do that so Sheikh can brag about his wealth some more. With that out of the way, Friedman brags about his own wealth and does it as well as he usually does.

Sheikh El Sham vs. Danny Hope

This seems to be part of a long running feud. Hope has Joey Hayes with him to cancel Friedman out and wears a hat with a ribbon around it for a dashing look. He also has some kind of protection on his back. Hayes insults Friedman’s scarf and the fight is almost on as a result. Sheikh’s trip into the corner goes nowhere as Hope takes him to the mat and parades around a bit. With Sheikh tied in the ropes, Danny hits a walking chop, sending Sheikh outside for a pep talk from Friedman.

Back in and Sheikh nails a dropkick, with Friedman getting in a few cheap shots from the floor as he should be doing. A hard whip into the corner stays on Hope’s back, meaning that while he might not be a great promo, he can at least pay attention. We hit the strut from Sheikh, allowing Hope to come back with some chops. A powerslam plants Sheikh and the comeback is on, including the atomic drop. Sheikh goes right back to the back though and grabs the completely original camel clutch for the tap at 7:04.

Rating: D+. That’s quite the drop in quality from the opener as Sheikh might as well have been out of 1983 with nothing original or new whatsoever to a character that would have felt played out fifteen years ago. I kept waiting for a surprise or some kind of a twist here but it was every generic rich villain that you could imagine.

Post match Hayes calls MJF a chav, meaning he wants a match of his own.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Joey Hayes

This was scheduled for later so at least it isn’t the dreaded impromptu surprise match. Good thing they were both in gear already, including Hayes’ chest protector. Friedman is fired up and grabs a fired up wristlock, which is reversed with some rolls and a pull of the arm. A stomp on Friedman’s hand sends him outside, where Sheikh kisses the hand to show what friendship is all about. Another one to the ear (Friedman: “Don’t make this weird man!”) lets Friedman get back in, allowing Joey to kick the rope for a low blow.

The Sheikh isn’t kissing that one but Joey goes outside, kicks Sheikh in the leg, and sends him face first into Friedman’s crotch. Stallion: “NOW THAT’S JUST OBSCENE!” Hayes gets a running start to set up a very soft dive to keep Friedman in trouble. Back in and an interfering referee lets Friedman gets in a forearm to the jaw to take over. Friedman starts in on the arm, including a stomp to the wrist and an armbar. Hayes fights out of an armbar on the top and hits a high crossbody to start the comeback.

There’s a neckbreaker for two but Friedman gets an elbow up in the corner. A package piledriver shoulder breaker gives Friedman two off a nasty looking landing. The lack of paying attention gets Friedman in trouble though as he chops the chest protector and hurts his hand. The hand is fine enough to poke him in the eye though, only to have Hayes come back with an enziguri. An enziguri staggers Friedman though, meaning it’s time for Sheikh to grab Hayes’ foot. The armbar goes on but Hayes reverses into a Crossface to make Friedman tap at 10:40.

Rating: C. He didn’t mean much yet at this point but you could see the star power all over Friedman here. There is such a natural charisma to him and not only do you want to see him get punched in the face, but he can wrestle a completely competent match with the arm work. Hope and Hayes had some noteworthy charisma to them as well, leaving the Sheikh as the only weak link for the pair of matches.

Commentator Greg Lambert, who is also the matchmaker, is brought to the ring for a chat. Lambert brings out PCW Champion Tyson T-Bone (now of NXT UK) while also picking up the Road To Glory Trophy. T-Bone has been around here since the beginning and as far as Lambert is concerned, T-Bone may be the best of all time in PCW. We hear about T-Bone’s accomplishments and that brings Lambert to the Trophy. This is now going to be a permanent trophy for T-Bone for all of his career success.

Cue Lionheart, who is getting a title shot tonight, to complain about various things (with Stallion explaining what the Trophy means to Lionheart and why he should be angry). Lionheart wants to know where his trophy was when his PCW Title reign had this place jumping. That trophy means a lot more to him than it does to T-Bone so Lionheart is coming for the title.

Cue Sha Samuels, who is also in tonight’s title match. He’s beaten Lionheart twice this year, which draws a TWICE chant. A fan calls Lionheart trailer trash and Samuels even brings him the mic so we can hear it again. Lionheart storms off so Samuels sings him out. As for T-Bone, he deserves the trophy so Samuels hands it over. T-Bone leaves and here’s CJ Banks, Lionheart’s partner, to jump him from behind. Jack Jester, Samuels’ partner, runs in and we’ve got a match.

CJ Banks vs. Jack Jester

Lionheart runs back out to jump T-Bone and Banks gets in a cheap shot from behind to get us started fast. Jester is right back with a swinging slam and an elbow for two as Stallion isn’t sure what Lambert is talking about with Lionheart attacking T-Bone. Something was in his way you see. Banks gets in a few shots to the back to take over but they head outside with Jester sending him into the apron.

A legdrop across the apron has Banks in more trouble as Stallion is ripping into Lambert for giving him the trophy and not seeing how badly it would go. Back in and Banks gets in a knee to put Jester down in the corner but Jester is right back out with a shoulder. A clothesline gives Banks two so Jester tells Banks how many it was, earning him a double stomp on the hands. Jester hits another clothesline but Banks is right back with a rollup and grabs the tights for the pin at 6:58.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here as it seems to be setting up a match down the line between the two teams for Samuels/Jester’s Tag Team Titles. It wasn’t the worst match but it came after a pretty good angle so it felt like a downgrade after the stuff with Lionheart. Both guys felt pretty generic and I was expecting something to stand out a bit more from a guy named Jester.

Cruiserweight Title: Johnny Storm vs. Dean Allmark

Allmark is defending and Storm is a bit of a British wrestling legend, or at least a pioneer as he helped rebuild British wrestling. They go technical to start with Storm standing on his head to escape a wristlock. An exchange of headscissors and hurricanranas give us a standoff with Storm knocking him outside. That means a suicide dive as Lambert pines for Storm’s glory days of 2002.

Back in and Dean hits a lifting swinging neckbreaker for two and the yelling at the referee allows Dean to nip up for an enziguri. Dean is right back up with a powerbomb into a spinning faceplant for two but misses a middle rope moonsault. Storm’s connects just fine for two and it’s off to a pinfall reversal sequence. Dean gets to the apron for his own enziguri and loads up a Styles Clash, only to sit down with a powerbomb for the pin to retain at 6:32.

Rating: C. Given that they were talking about Allmark having a big World Title match at the Anniversary Show, there wasn’t much of a doubt about what was going to happen here. Storm felt like a big deal (with commentary being rather entertaining by arguing over whether he was a legend or needed to be taken care of due to his age) and it felt like a big match, even though Allmark winning wasn’t quite in doubt.

Post match Storm hands him the title in the show of respect.

Rampage Brown vs. Charlie Sterling

Brown was the World of Sport Champion for most of its revival season. Sterling seems to be loathed but comes through the crowd anyway. A glare from Brown sends him to the ropes at the bell as the fans sing rather impolite songs about Sterling. The bigger guys tease some mat grappling but it’s Sterling bailing to the ropes again as the cowardice is shining through.

Back in and Brown takes over on the arm before hitting a dropkick to send Sterling into the corner. Charlie tries a leapfrog and gets powerslammed down in an old Rick Steiner spot. Cue Iestyn Rees and Nightshade, who are scheduled for a mixed tag later, to yell at Brown. Sterling throws him outside so Rees can deck Brown for the DQ at 3:56.

Rating: D. Brown had some nice power stuff in here but the match existed for the sole purpose of getting us to the post match stuff, which isn’t the most thrilling idea in the world. Sterling was just kind of there for Brown to do stuff to and as soon as you saw the other two come out, it was clear where this was going.

I think you know where this is going.

Ashton Smith/Riho/Rampage Brown vs. Nightshade/Charlie Sterling/Iestyn Rees

Riho gets whipped into the corner and a Backstabber brings her right back out. Nightshade tells us to WATCH THIS, which is a pair of running knees into the back in the corner. They both hit kicks to the head at the same time and it’s Riho up first for the tag off to Brown, who rampages quite well. A spinebuster gets two on Rees as everything breaks down. Smith hits the big running flip dive to the floor but the ref gets bumped back inside. Rees gets in a low blow and a spear for the pin on Brown at 9:53.

Rating: C-. This show is starting to drag a bit as they’re getting to the point of not explaining who these people are while acting like we just know all of the vague stories they’re referencing. The match itself wasn’t terrible, but they need to get on to something a little more interesting than some of the people who made World of Sport so dull.

They all brawl to the back.

It’s time for a contract signing for a Case vs. Voice match. In other words, Tel Banham, who has a Money in the Bank style briefcase, is putting his case on the line against Matthew Brooks, who likes to sing, who can never sing here again if he loses. Banham, all in white, is out first to brag about how handsome he is. He yells at a Brooks fan about how no one cares about his opinion. We need silence for the signing but since that won’t happen, he opens his briefcase and busts out some fuzzy earmuffs.

Brooks comes out and sings his own version of My Way about how he’s going to win the match and sign the contract. The song, which is quite good, goes on so long that Banham looks at his phone to fill in some time. They sit down and Banham says he can’t hear anything Brooks says, so Brooks takes the earmuffs and throws them to the fans. They sign the contract but Banham teases cashing in tonight so Brooks might have nothing to win in their match.

Actually not so fast as the announcer says the match is locked in and Banham CANNOT cash in until after the match. Oh and Banham is banned from the building, so Brooks sings the Goodbye Song. I could go for hearing how this started as hating a guy’s singing voice probably had some funny lines to set this up. It’s a unique enough story so they do have something good here.

Preston City Wrestling Title: Lionheart vs. Sha Samuels vs. Tyson T-Bone

T-Bone is defending and this is one fall to a finish. The brawl is on before the champ is out here so he hits the ring in a hurry and beats up Lionheart. A missed charge in the corner but Samuels pulls Lionheart outside to send him into some chairs. Samuels spits beer in Lionheart’s face but walks into a spinebuster from T-Bone. A spinebuster from Samuels gets two on the champ though, making them even in at least one category. Lionheart gets back in and stomps on both of them but spends too much time yelling. That means right hands abound but Samuels clotheslines T-Bone by mistake.

Samuels hits a spinebuster for two on Lionheart but T-Bone gets in a shot of his own. Lionheart steals a few near falls apiece, including one with feet on the ropes. Hang on though as Lionheart calls out Banks for some help but Jester cuts him off. Now it’s Brown to go after both of them, meaning all three people actually in the match have their partners here. Samuels slams Lionheart for no count from the distracted referee so T-Bone plants Samuels with a Tombstone. Lionheart breaks the trophy over T-Bone’s head though and steals the pin and the title at 7:07.

Rating: C. The action was pretty good but what worked well here was the ending, with the trophy being brought in earlier today and then playing into the ending. It was good storytelling and sets up a rematch between the only three time World Champions in the company’s history. It’s not a great match but it’s very good storytelling and that’s more important.

Post match T-Bone yells about the loss and walks out on Rampage.

The announcer thanks us for watching to wrap up the night.

Overall Rating: C-. This was ok at best for the most part with nothing ever really taking off and getting them to that next level. I can’t imagine ever going out of my way to watch it again but it certainly wasn’t horrible or even bad. It was another promotion that has a lot of familiar names and doesn’t stand out above some of the other options available. You’re better off watching Progress, but for a lower level alternative, this wasn’t the worst thing you could pick.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Pizza Party Wrestling

Camp Moonsault
Date: June 21, 2019
Location: Boonton Elks Lodge #1405, Boonton, New Jersey
Commentators: Joey Emmitt, Russell Kayfest

It’s the third show from Independentwrestling.TV as I looked through a bunch of their offerings and picked out a few (all of which began with P for some reason). This is from Pizza Party Wrestling, because I needed to watch a show called Pizza Party Wrestling: Camp Moonsault. This looks like a tiny indy and that can go either way. Let’s get to it.

Commentary is done by different people in each match and that’s as close as I can get to figuring out any of their names.

We open in a hurry with the aftermath of a pre-show match, which means someone named Zachary Struts is on the mat and trying to get out of what seems to be a sleeping bag. This brings out “Tyrannosaurus Flex” Ezekiel James with his manager Jimmy Wayward for some shouting that I can’t understand. Commentary keeps talking over him too as Flex beats up the counselor (presumably the referee) and then stomps on Struts. A pumphandle powerslam plants Struts and more counselors show up to yell at James and Jimmy. None of this can be understood but it seems that we’re getting a match.

Ezekiel James vs. Oswald Project vs. Champagne Douglas vs. Suzaku

Apparently this is taking place instead of the camp talent show (oh sweet goodness it’s a theme show). Oswald, who commentary was made in a Petri dish in Wyoming, flips out of a headscissors attempt but gets his already small shirt ripped up. A big clothesline into a corkscrew moonsault misses James but Oswald muscles him up into a powerbomb. That’s broken up as well but Oswald bridges up ala Bray Wyatt.

A pinfall reversal sequence sees Oswald kicked outside so it’s Suzaku vs. Douglas taking their places. Suzaku hits a northern lights suplex into a Falcon Arrow for two with James making the save. That means a pop up uppercut to Suzaku and a hard clothesline to Douglas. The announcers make reference to James (the Tyrannosaurus) having short arms except….he doesn’t so it’s kind of weird. James holds up Suzaku and Douglas at the same time so Oswald hits a running moonsault into a reverse DDT to put everyone down.

Wayward grabs Oswald’s foot and gets kicked to the floor drawing over both James and Oswald to check on him. Well maybe you shouldn’t have kicked him. Douglas ducks a jumping knee from Suzaku and hits a Pele for the big knockdown. What was supposed to be a Phoenix splash is a Phoenix double knees to the chest to nearly kill Suzaku, with Oswald running in for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: D+. The gimmickery is strong with this one, but Oswald certainly got your attention with all of the bending and flipping he could do. Yeah it’s been done better before but it’s also something that is rather impressive because it stands out around here. James was intense but looks very standard. The other two are your run of the mill indy fare and nothing worth seeing.

Post match James beats everyone up but one of the counselors comes in to suplex him. Wayward leaves with the counselor.

Commentary and the ring announcer talk over each other again.

Camp Rich Jerks vs. Camp Moonsault

Rich Jerks: Matt Knicks/Craig Mitchell/Chris Castro

Moonsault: The Whisper/Van Valley/Matthew Aalon

The losers’ camp is turned into condos (sounds like something Maxwell Jacob Friedman would book). The Rich Jerks try to buy Moonsault off but the big brawl is on instead. The Jerks are sent into each other and run over, leaving Knicks to get crushed in the corner by the rather large Valley. Aalon and Whisper superkick Valley by mistake though and the Jerks take over.

We settle down into a normal match with Aalon getting caught in the wrong corner for some alternating beatdowns. Castro pulls at Aalon’s nose as the announcers try to figure out how much swearing they can do. Mitchell hits a standing moonsault and it’s back to Knicks for double knees to the back. It’s back to Castro to sit on Aalon’s chest and choke a lot, followed by a single forearm to put him down.

Mitchell comes back in and is so confident that he stands in the Moonsault corner and yells before charging across the ring into a pair of raised boots. The Jerks are smart enough to pull Whisper and Valley off the apron to block a tag though, meaning it’s a triple boot to the face for two on Aalon. More raised boots in the corner get Aalon out of trouble and he uses Castro’s back for a flipping hurricanrana to Castro. NOW the hot tag can bring Valley in to wreck some Jerks.

Whisper Aalon hit stereo flip dives to the floor, leaving Valley to try his own. Since that would be deadly, it’s a regular dive off the apron instead. Back in and it’s a series of suplexes, including a sleeper version from Valley. A running clothesline drops Valley and everyone is down. Back up and it’s the slugout between Valley and Castro until some superkicks from Aalon and Whisper take the latter down. An assisted flip dive from Aalon gives Valley two as Mitchell shoves Whisper into them for the break. And then Valley turns on his partners, leaving them to take stereo package piledriver for the double pin at 11:52.

Rating: C+. This was much better than the previous match, just due to the amount of action involved. That being said, the rest of the show is apparently shut down for the sake of building condos so we can all go home early. I’m not sure what the point is in this as it seemed to be as much of a layup as you could have, but never let it be said that this show makes sense.

Post match the Jerks try to take the Camp Moonsault sign….but it’s bolted to the wall so they can’t.

Faye Jackson vs. Johnny Cockstrong

Jackson has wrestled in ROH before and egads with the name here (whose singlet features a flexing chicken). There’s something funny about having the wrestlers come in through a door where you can see the parking lot outside. Before the match, Johnny wants a weapons check between his legs. Is he a Joey Ryan tribute wrestler? The referee decides that there will be, and I quote, “No dickqualifications”.

Jackson reaches down and Johnny bails into the corner as we’re in for, ahem, comedy here. Faye grabs a waistlock and gets pretty close to a certain area, much to Johnny’s annoyances. Johnny bails to the floor and the slow motion chase is on until Jackson somehow gets behind him for a low blow. A twerking Stinkface onto his crotch ensues in the front row is kicked away and they head back inside. Johnny goes his own dance, rubs himself, and then puts his hands on her face.

Some running hip attacks in the corner have little effect so Jackson tries a low blow, only to hurt her own knee. Johnny tries a running crotch attack but gets hit with the hip attack for a double knockdown. They trade knee/hip strikes to the face until Jackson gets two off a seated senton out of the corner. Johnny takes her down again and gives her a slow motion steam roller, including laying his crotch on her face. Jackson’s face goes inside his trunks but she slips out and hits a Michinoku Driver for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: F. I need a Joey Ryan match to pick up the dignity. Moving on to ANYTHING else.

KTB vs. O’Shay Edwards

Edwards has impressed me before. KTB is just a guy in a black tank top while Edwards looks like a monster. They do the big lockup to start with neither going anywhere off a shoulder. KTB knocks him outside and they slug it out on the floor for a change. Edwards gets caught in the ropes for a kick to the head but is right back with a good spinebuster. Back up and Edwards hits a rolling shoulder to the ribs in the corner, followed by a clothesline for two.

Rating: C-. It was fun for the hoss battle stuff but it went on for a bit too long and KTB was completely outshined by Edwards, who looked a lot more polished. Then he lost anyway, which would suggest that KTB is the local guy and Edwards is there as a low level name. It needed to be about three minutes shorter, but what we got was acceptable enough.

The post match celebration would suggest that KTB is known around here so the ending makes some more sense.

Alex Zayne vs. Brad Rush

Rush is a dirty farm boy in suspenders and carrying a jug of moonshine (naturally he’s billed from Kentucky). Zayne is about as stereotypical of an indy wrestler as you can imagine (not the worst thing), though his gear looks better than some of the usuals. He’s also introduced “from the nearest Taco Bell commentary”, which makes me want some lunch. Rush jumps him with a running knee at the bell and low bridges Zayne outside for the big dive.

Zayne catches him n the air though and the fight is on outside. The count is broken (with Rush flipping off the referee) and they keep fighting on the floor. A dive off of the announcers’ area takes Zayne down again and it’s back inside for two. Zayne, on his bad knee, sweeps the leg to put Rush down and a standing moonsault gets two more. Slingshot knees to the back keep Rush down and a standing shooting star press makes it even worse.

Rush gets smart by taking out the knee as the announcers speculate on a change in Zayne’s taco order messing up his timing. Zayne is right back up with the Baha Blast (starts as a side slam but he flips forward into a faceplant) for two. Rush gets two of his own with his feet on the ropes but since the referees are competent, he gets caught. Announcer: “NO MAS!” A buckle bomb is blocked with a poke to the eye as Rush was busted open in there somewhere.

They slug it out with Zayne saying bring it on, earning a hard slap to the face. That means Rush gets his head knocked off and a Saito suplex makes it even worse. Zayne misses a 450 and tweaks the knee, allowing Rush to hit a running knee to the knee (not something you often see). The logical leglock follows and the bell rings….for no apparent reason as the time hasn’t expired and Zayne didn’t tap. Zayne grabs the rope and we keep going as that seemed to be a miscue. With the knee suddenly fine, Zayne grabs a pumphandle into a spinning powerbomb for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: C. Zayne was moderately impressive while Rush was trying but not quite making me buy what he was doing. It was clear that Zayne was the more polished guy and what we got worked well enough. There were even some unique moves in there and the match went by pretty quickly. Zayne could be something with a lot more experience so it’s cool to see a prospect like this.

Here’s Still Life With Apricots And Pears (the current Chikara Young Lions Cup holder, a non-binary wrestler and I guess you would say a modern artist) to give us an arts and crafts demonstration. He talks about Galapagos tortoises before being offered magic markers for a drawing. That’s not cool but it seems that we’ll be having a match instead.

Still Life With Apricots And Pears vs. Sean Henderson

Henderson is a “modern day gangster” and the Interspecies Wrestling International Food Fight Invitational Champion. Indy wrestling is weird in case you were wondering. Also note that he is wearing pink and black tights with a skull logo and is named SEAN as 1996 explodes. Henderson starts with a springboard headscissors as Pears’ easel falls over in the corner. Pears is sent outside but Henderson’s dive gets caught in the ropes so Pears can take over. Referee: “GET IN THIS RING!” Commentators: “As opposed to the other ring.”

A kick to Henderson’s leg gets one and it’s off to the variety pack of leglocks. Pears even bridges back with one of them to bend the leg at a rather disturbing angle. A small package gets Henderson out of trouble for two but Pears slams him down and grabs the markers. Sean’s face is colored on and the leg gets bent around the ropes as Pears gets back on track. Henderson elbows him in the face and tries a slingshot but the knee is done.

It’s fine enough for some German suplexes (onto a marker), followed by an easel to Pears’ head for two. Back up and Pears throws something in Henderson’s face, meaning it’s time for COLORED MACARONI PIECES. Henderson backdrops him onto the macaroni though but his bulldog headlock is countered with a toss onto the macaroni, with the knee going straight in. A bulldog onto the macaroni gives Pears the pin at 7:12.

Rating: D+. Pears is someone who seems like he would be better with more promo time or a backstory (which I know exists but it isn’t something you can get here). The arts and crafts deal fit the theme of the show well enough, but it wasn’t long enough to go very far with all the comedy involved. Henderson was passable enough but really no one I’m going to remember anytime soon.

Atlantic City Scoundrels vs. The Crucible

The Scoundrels (Leo Zukko/Dom Truex) get annoyed when their music shuts down mid entrance. The Crucible (Evan Matthew Demorest/Matt Makowski) have nothing setting them apart but I needed a place to write their individual names. Zukko shoulders Matt down to start but has to fight out of an early cross armbreaker attempt. Matt isn’t done and suplexes him into another armbreaker, which is broken up just as fast.

Dom and Evan come in with the bigger Dom hitting an early shoulder and countering a leapfrog into an atomic drop. Evan headscissors him down and gets two off a standing moonsault. It’s back to Matt who is STILL going for that armbreaker and STILL can’t get it. Leo comes in to knee Matt in the back of the head and Truex adds an ax kick for two. We get the fourth failed cross armbreaker attempt from Matt as Dom makes a save, though a crossbody works a bit better for two.

The tag brings in Evan, who can’t hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Dom. They head outside with Evan going up top, only to get crotched when Matt gets posted. Back in and Leo snaps off a DDT for two on Evan, who is right back with a belly to back flip into a DDT of his own. Evan completely misses a dragon rana, with Dom having to flip himself into the corner in a terrible looking spot.

Dom chokeslams Matt but gets caught with a heck of a backdrop driver for the group knockdown. Leo is up first and gets F5’d into a triangle choke but Dom powerbombs Evan onto his partner….after the hold was broken. Not that it matters as the Scoundrels are right back up with a reverse Magic Killer (the Royal Flush) for the pin at 11:56.

Rating: D. This was REALLY not good as it felt like two heel teams fighting and I had no idea who I was supposed to cheer for. On top of that there were several botches and the stuff they were doing felt sloppy and like it had no flow whatsoever. Just not a good match, even by lower level standards like this.

Tony Deppen vs. Rory Gulak

Deppen is a jerk who complains about everything while Gulak (Drew’s brother as you might have guessed) has a cape. They keep ducking early handshake attempts and yell at each other a lot with Rory waiting almost a minute and a half before hitting a chop. Some amateur exchanges go to Gulak so Deppen goes outside to grab….a broom? Back in and Rory easily takes him down before it’s time to circle each other some more.

They shout at each other with Deppen making fun of Rory’s gear, though Rory points out that Deppen is too poor to afford boots. An Octopus Hold has Deppen in some quickly escaped trouble and we hit the crisscross. Deppen goes even dirtier by blowing his nose on Rory’s face, earning himself some hard chops in the corner. It’s time for Deppen to head outside again, this time to grab a chair, because he wants this to be a “Jersey s***hole street fight”, which is a reference to Gulak appearing in the film The Trade with Nick Mondo.

The new rules are on with Deppen going low and forearming Gulak in the back of the head. The chair is loaded up but Deppen just has a seat before grabbing the chinlock. How teasing of him. Rory gets his nipples twisted so he dropkicks Deppen to the floor for the running flip dive. We get some choking with a macaroni necklace before Deppen is thrown through a bunch of chairs. The nipple twists are returned, followed by Deppen missing a running flip dive to send himself through the chairs again.

The chairs are thrown into Deppen’s face for a change but he’s fine enough to crotch Rory back inside. A Meteora in the corner gives Deppen two, followed by Rory’s superplex into a top rope splash for the same. Deppen is right back with a Shining Wizard for two more, only to have Rory drop toehold him onto the chair. The dragon sleeper makes Deppen tap at 15:56.

Rating: C. It was better because the two of them are more experienced and have wrestled on bigger shows but that doesn’t mean it was a very good match. The comedy wasn’t working for me, though Deppen being a complete jerk made up for it a lot. This felt like the biggest thing on the show so at least they got the choice for the main event right. Good action here, though the show was dragging by the end and it went a bit longer than it should have.

Rory poses a bit and we’re out without a sendoff.

Overall Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was kind of all over the place. The theme was only there for part of it and the big match involving it went to the heels, who get to destroy the camp. It’s certainly not terrible as it’s not even two hours long, but there were a lot of times on here that I was looking at the clock to see how much more of it I had to sit through.

That’s never a good sign and it was the case here more than once. I know it’s a very small company (there might have been 100 people there) and that’s what it felt like a lot of the time, which made for a long two hours. Don’t bother with this one and order pizza (of which there was very little) instead.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Prestige Wrestling

Attribute Of The Strong
Date: June 29, 2019
Location: Bossanova Ballroom, Portland, Oregon
Commentator: Joe Dumbrowski

It’s another show from Independentwrestling.TV as I get everything I can out of a free trial. This is from Prestige Wrestling, a promotion out of the northwest with some names I’ve actually heard of for a change. I’m not sure what to expect from this but that can make it more fun at times. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I have no idea what is going on here with characters or storylines so I’m sorry if I miss anything in advance.

Sweet there’s commentary on this one. That was a major problem last time.

Ethan HD vs. Sonico

I’ve seen Ethan before and Sonico is your local luchador. The ring looks rather big, probably WWE size at least. The fans immediately go with a BOTH THESE GUYS chant as the lighting looks like one of those recreation scenes on Dark Side Of The Ring, complete with the handheld camera work. Sonico takes him down into a front facelock so Ethan crawls backwards to escape. A test of strength goes a little better for Ethan as he takes Sonico down but can’t break his bridge.

Ethan’s jumping stomp misses, with Ethan saying it was that close. Fair enough and a smart warning as grown men stomping down onto the chest can be damaging. Sonico’s mask comes unhooked so Ethan helps put it back together, meaning we need a hug. A quick victory roll gives Sonico two and Ethan has to duck a swinging kick to the head so we can have a standoff. Another hug winds up being some shoving, allowing Sonico to bounce off the ropes into a wristdrag.

Ethan tries the same and can’t get up to the middle rope for a funny bit. It’s Sonico picking up the pace and hitting a springboard shoulder to put Ethan on the floor. The suicide dive nearly sends Ethan into the corner of the small arena and the fans are rather pleased. Sonico chops him around the ring, even having Ethan sit on a chair for a rather big one. Back in and Sonico hits a basement dropkick in the corner for two, followed by a quickly broken Figure Four.

Ethan tells him to bring it on so Sonico drops him with a left hand to the face. To be fair, he did ask for it. Some running knees in the corner have Sonico in trouble and a Death Valley Driver gives Ethan two. Things get a bit more aggressive with Ethan stomping him down in the corner, meaning it’s time to head to the floor. A chop nearly attaches a poster to Sonico’s chest and a bottom rope superplex gives Ethan two more. Ethan clotheslines his head off for another two but Sonico sends him throat first into the middle rope.

That means a top rope double stomp to the back and a missile dropkick as Ethan is rocked for a change. There’s a Sling Blade into a suplex (called a brainbuster) for two on Ethan but he’s right back up with a springboard kick to the head. Sonico rolls outside so it’s a springboard moonsault to take him out as this is getting WAY more time than I was expecting. Ethan returns the top rope double stomp to the back and hits a running shooting star press for two more.

Sonico’s reverse hurricanrana plants Ethan but he can’t follow up. It’s Ethan up first and a shot to the head sets up a tiger driver for the next near fall. Sonico is back up with a lifting DDT and Ethan flips him off and spits at him after the comeback. That’s too much for Sonico, who knees him in the back of the head for the pin at 19:30.

Rating: B. That was FAR longer than I was expecting but it was a rather entertaining back and forth match. Ethan started off being respectful and having fun but eventually got a lot angrier and more disrespectful. That told a nice story for the match and I had a good time with this. That’s how you need to open a show and I’m looking forward to seeing what else they have for the rest of the night. Nicely done.

They shake hands post match.

Cole Wright vs. Mike Santiago

So a bit of a weird thing here: they show a graphic for every match, which is perfectly fine. What’s strange is that it shows all of the show’s information, including where to go for tickets. To the show that you’re already watching. Santiago seems to be the villain here as he has been saying that Wright, who is new around here, isn’t in his league. The wristlock has Santiago in some early control as we hear about the Prestige Championship picture.

The battle of wristlocks goes to a standoff and Santiago chuckles from the corner. They fight over a top wristlock until Wright hits him in the face to make Santiago go a bit more serious. A running clothesline gets one and a Codebreaker gets double that, so Santiago gets smart and knocks him outside. That means a kick from the apron before squeezing Wright’s head against the post.

Back in and the chinlock keeps Wright down and a big forearm gets two. The running knee to the face misses but Santiago is fine with a dropkick to take Wright back down. Wright is back on his feet for the slugout with Santiago getting the better of it for two. A missed crossbody out of the corner makes it even worse for Wright but Santiago is getting frustrated off the near falls. Santiago’s tornado DDT gets a slightly delayed two so it’s time to punch Wright in the face.

Another near fall means it’s time to yell at the referee, which allows Wright to roll some German suplexes. Santiago runs him over for two more, but walks into a spinebuster for Wright’s first big shot in a good while. Wright grabs him by the waist to send Santiago bailing to the ropes out of fear of something unclear. With that broken up, Santiago nails a knee to the face and grabs a fisherman’s buster into a small package to put Wright away at 14:46.

Rating: C. This was another one with a story though the action wasn’t as entertaining. Santiago wasn’t all that impressed by Wright to start but had to worker harder to beat him. The problem was that I didn’t quite buy that Santiago was in any real danger as Wright was more surviving than competing. The spinebuster was good but other than that, there just wasn’t much going on here. Not bad, but it only went so far.

Post match Santiago says cut the music. He told everyone that Wright didn’t have a chance, which has been the case with so many people around here. Santiago wants better competition and he’s tired of being up local guys.

Black Sheep vs. Drexl vs. Jaiden vs. Nick Radford

One fall to a finish. Drexl has been mentioned a few times and seems to be a bigger deal around here. Radford has glasses and a book, with the fans not seemingly that into him. This seems to be a new look for him and while he wants to say something, Drexl, with a huge beard, cuts him off as we’re ready to go. The bell rings and Radford gets the mic but the fans cut him off this time.

Radford has something to read for us: erotic fan fiction poetry, which seems to please Drexl. The poem is about the four way and how the four of them could have a bit of fun. Jaiden takes the book away and the double teaming is on (make your own jokes). Sheep and Jaiden hammer away on him but Drexl is more interested in reading the book. Jaiden kicks Radford in the face but gets hit in the face with the book for his efforts. More book shots from Drexl set up a nasty paper cut for Jaiden as we’re in Jimmy Havoc world.

Sheep and Radford are fine with watching as Drexl cuts Jaiden’s mouth as well. With Sheep remembering he’s in the match, Drexl and Radford fight over the book on the floor as Jaiden, seemingly fine from the cuts, flips across the ring. That doesn’t go well as Sheep catches him for a slam into the corner, setting up a toss over the top onto the other two. Back in and Radford has the book again, with Drexl telling him to finish the story. He even brings Radford a chair so he can read more easily.

Radford gets to the part about Jaiden, who tries to break it up and gets sent face first into the chair for his efforts. Then Sheep is sent face first into Radford’s crotch and Drexl pelts the chair at Sheep’s head. Another chair is set up in the middle and it’s a Tower of Doom to send everyone but Radford through them. As a result, Radford loads up the book again but gets pulled into the Tree of Woe and then a trashcan. Sheep spears the trashcan, leaving Drexl to hit a sitout Death Valley Driver for the pin on Jaiden at 11:22.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to make of this, but I know I’m not a big fan of comedy like this. The book deal was more bizarre than funny which made for a rather different match. Maybe this is a match where I need to know the people a bit better, but this didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t the worst and it didn’t last that long (remember that the reading went for over two minutes at the beginning), but this mostly missed for me.

Post match Drexl hits himself in the head with a chair. Various others leave annoyed.

Juventud Guerrera vs. TJP

This could be interesting. Juvy, in his mask again, streams his entrance in one of those things that always seems cool, no matter how common it might be. Before the match, Juvy does his Rock impression, which has been going on longer than Rock’s entire career now. He also puts over TJP as the first modern Cruiserweight Champion and then goes with a LET’S GET JUICY chant. Uh, yeah. Anyway they shake hands and we’re ready to go.

Juvy snapmares him down early on but doesn’t follow up in a show of respect. A battle over wristlocks means a lot of spinning and flipping away until TJP anklescissors him down. TJP has to bounce out of a headscissors and a basement dropkick puts Juvy on the floor. An exchange of leapfrogs takes us to a standoff and the fans are rather pleased with what they’re seeing.

That means another handshake but Juvy takes a breather by laying across the ropes ala Eddie Guerrero. TJP does his own Eddie pose, but Juvy says HE loves Eddie more. One heck of a chop drops TJP and the double arm crank is on. Some running shots in the corner rock TJP again with Juvy throwing in some swearing for flavor. Now we pause so Juvy can yell at a fan, allowing TJP (known defender of fans) to hit a springboard hurricanrana to put them both down.

There’s a tornado DDT to plant Juvy and a high crossbody gets two. Juvy gets two of his own off a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle makes it even worse. An over the shoulder backbreaker is spun into a DDT to give Juvy two more and it’s time for the Juvy Driver (I know this as Juvy makes a motion and shouts JUVY DRIVER). The shouting isn’t the best idea as TJP reverses into the kneebar with Juvy tapping….and then shaking his head no. The referee counts it as the submission at 13:34 in a weird ending.

Rating: C+. This is why you bring in someone with a reputation like Juvy. TJP is a bigger name in modern wrestling but Juvy was a big deal during one of the most important eras and a win over him means something for TJP. You have to bring in the veterans to give the younger guys (though TJP is a veteran as well) a boost. Good match too as the show has been rather entertaining so far.

There’s some confusion over what happened but Juvy definitely tapped. A guy with a camera who I assume is an authority figure decides we’re getting five more minutes because SLAPPING THE MAT OVER AND OVER while in a hold doesn’t count as a tap for some reason. They kick away at each other as commentary tries to explain that it was a controversial ending. The Juvy Driver and Detonation Kick are both countered and Juvy rolls him up for the pin at 15:10 total. That had to be a botched finish earlier because otherwise there is no reason to do something so messy and so fast.

Post match Juvy raises his mask and praises TJP again. Juvy didn’t tap (yeah he did) and would love to face TJP again at some point. TJP says he knows Juvy didn’t tap but he’d want five more minutes with him even if he had. He left WWE to chase his freedom and he’s honored to face another former Cruiserweight Champion. Hugging ensues.

Team C4 vs. Eh Team vs. Konami Code vs. 4 Minutes of Heat

Elimination rules and the Konami Code is the only one I’ve heard of. The Eh Team (Lance Pearson/Chase James) are Canadians, 4 Minutes of Heat (Eddie Pearl/Ricky Gibson (not Robert’s brother, who was also a wrestler)) are rockers, Konami Code (Julian Whyt/CJ Edwards) are in Castlevania cosplay and Team C4 (Cody Chun/Guillermo Rosa) are….well they’re the last to enter. There is currently a Tag Team Title tournament going on/still be seeded so there is some jockeying for position going on here.

Chun and Whyt start things off as the fans chant what sounds like “SALTY B******”. Whyt and Chun trade some legsweeps and they both miss dropkicks for an early standoff. It’s off to Rosa vs. James, with the first round consisting of getting the fans to cheer louder. Instead of going after James, Guillermo chops Gibson to bring him in.

The other teams bail from a Gibson tag attempt, leaving him to get kicked in the face. James hits some chops in the corner and it’s Pearl coming in for a save, earning himself a trip to his partner’s crotch. That happens two more times as this isn’t as funny as they think it is. A neckbreaker/powerbomb combination gets two on Gibson but a powerslam/neckbreaker combination finishes Pearson for the first elimination at 5:45.

It’s Konami Code coming in to double team Pearl with an assisted dropkick putting him on the floor. Pearl gets dropkicked off the apron and there’s the suicide dive. Chun dives onto both of them but Gibson slips on the ropes and crotches himself. More dives ensue until it’s another powerslam/neckbreaker combination to get rid of the Konami Code at 8:59.

Rosa slugs away at both of them and it’s a German suplex with an O’Connor roll for a double near fall. Chun comes back in and Rosa tries to use him as a launchpad into a Canadian Destroyer but Rosa can’t get over. Instead it’s a regular piledriver to Pearl, leaving Chun to roll Gibson up for the pin at 11:25.

Rating: C-. This had the dives and fast pace but it felt like it should have been a lot longer. The eliminations came rather fast and furious at the end and I was surprised by the final pin. In this case that isn’t the best thing in the world, as nothing really had a chance to be set up. The match wasn’t terrible or anything, but no one had a chance to stand out.

Post match 4 Minutes of Heat beat them down with the same powerslam/neckbreaker combination. Cue the likely authority figure to say he’s tired of 4 Minutes of Heat acting like this, so he’s bringing in someone they think they are: the Rock N Roll Express. Well that works, though the Express in Oregon feels weird.

Super Crazy vs. Chavo Guerrero

Chavo gets checked for weapons but just to be fair, he checks the ref too. Crazy likes the idea but doesn’t listen to the fans’ demands that he check the ref as well. We get a BOTH THESE GUYS chant and Chavo says that’s the first time he’s ever gotten one of those. Crazy takes him into the corner but gets snapmared down into an early chinlock. Back up and a wristlock seems to annoy Crazy so he takes it to the mat for a front facelock. That impresses Chavo and it’s another standoff.

An ECW chant lets Crazy get in a few cheap shots, as for some reason the fans don’t seem to remember Chavo being ECW Champion. Chavo gets beaten down in the corner and Crazy wraps the knee around the post. Back in and Crazy kicks at the leg to keep Chavo in trouble. It’s already time to head back to the floor with Chavo being thrown into some chairs.

They head back inside again for more kicks to the leg as you can’t say Crazy isn’t focused here. The chinlock switches the pace a bit but doesn’t last long as Chavo is back up with a dropkick. A headscissors into the slingshot hilo gets two and the knee is fine enough to hit Three Amigos. The Eddie chants are rolling as Chavo goes up but he has to knock Crazy back down. Something like a frog crossbody finishes Crazy at 10:49.

Rating: C. Chavo sold the knee near the end but there wasn’t much in the way of his offense changing because of it. That being said, a match between two guys far past their primes but still more than watchable in the ring is a good addition to have on the card. Having someone like Chavo makes the show feel a little more legitimate and adds some star power. He’s not the biggest name ever but he’s the biggest name on the show and he had a good match. It gives the place a little more legitimacy and that’s very important.

Post match Chavo talks about coming to Portland dozens of times for a bunch of companies Then he came back here for a show called Grimm and he loves this city. Chavo talks about all the things he loves about the place, including the coffee and the weed. This kind of a show is why someone leaves WWE because they love to interact with the fans.

Ask any big band if they have more fun playing in a stadium or a bar and they’ll pick the bar every time. Chavo puts over Crazy and the company, plus Prestige Champion Tom Lawlor. Nice speech, capped off with an EDDIE chant. Hang on though as Crazy wants to talk about how special this is as well.

Prestige Wrestling Title: Tom Lawlor vs. Simon Grimm

Lawlor is defending and that is Simon Gotch. This is a rubber match as they have split a pair of matches before this one. These two are feuding in MLW as well so there is potential here. Grimm heads to the mat to start with Lawlor not being able to do much. He can get out of Grimm’s armbar attempt but gets pulled down into a headscissors for a breather. Lawlor’s armbar has Grimm in a bit of trouble and a hammerlock puts him on the mat. Lawlor switches over to the leg and gets in a Sharpshooter, possibly becoming an honorary Canadian in the process.

With that broken up, Lawlor switches to a Figure Four as he’s certainly sticking with the grappling and submissions so far. Grimm pulls on the ankle to escape but Lawlor switches it over to a Regal Stretch while on his back. Some shots to the head get Grimm out of trouble and he goes with shots to the champ’s face. Lawlor is fine with the striking and knocks Grimm to the apron, only to suplex him back in. The guillotine choke keeps Grimm in trouble but they fall outside for the break and a crash.

Grimm finally manages to drop Lawlor onto the apron for a breather, breaks the count, and then goes back outside to kick Lawlor in the chest. Lawlor has shown he can hang in the striking so he kicks right back, has a drink, and keeps kicking. Another kick sends Grimm through some chairs as the fire is starting to come out. The referee’s requests to come back in aren’t well received as Grimm would rather hit a suplex on the floor to a big reaction.

That’s only good for two back inside so it’s bottom rope superplex time for two more. The Kimura attempt is broken up and it’s time to slug it out again. Just like the previous two times, Lawlor gets the better of it and we hit an airplane spin of all things. Lawlor puts him on the top for some running knees to the ribs, including one after three forward rolls. They slug it out again, with the low lights showing the sweat that much better. Yet again Lawlor gets the better of a battle of strikes but misses a top rope elbow.

Grimm STILL doesn’t get it with the strikes, though this time stereo big hits to the head give us a double knockdown. A German suplex drops Grimm on his head and a running knee rocks him again. The rear naked choke is broken up but Grimm can’t get the armbreaker. Lawlor is right back with the choke but Grimm uses the underneath arm to reach the rope.

Grimm gets up again and hits a cradle piledriver for two as Grimm is looking frustrated. This time Grimm goes for a rollup, which is reversed into a triangle choke for two arm drops. Lawlor flips over though and it’s a series of forearms to the head. Another triangle makes Grimm tap at 21:19.

Rating: B. Other than Grimm not getting it with the strikes, this was a very interesting and entertaining battle of two people trying to outlast the other. Grimm was good but Lawlor kept grinding him down and eventually winning when Lawlor was able to use the skills and experience. Grimm looked good here and has done a great job of making me forget what he used to be. Very good main event.

Lawlor wants to show respect but Grimm collapses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I wasn’t expecting anything here and I got a very good show with some good action, a few nice surprises and only one match I didn’t care for, which was more that it wasn’t my taste than anything else. This was a lot better than I would have bet on and that’s not something you can say from an indy company. Yeah it’s small and they are limited on stories, but this was a two hour and thirty five minute show with nothing bad and enough good that I’d watch another show. It’s one of the better indies I’ve seen and there are a lot of them to beat to reach that point.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #69
Date: August 3, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

Things are getting wild around here with all kinds of things going on. That has made for some interesting setups and the nice thing is MLW has gotten a lot better at paying those things off. If they can do that again, we could be in for a nice setup as they head towards their first pay per view in the fall. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Bestia vs. Mance Warner last week as Mance loses another battle in the war against Salina de la Renta. The rather wild Von Erichs vs. Contra match gets a look as well.

Opening sequence.

Jimmy Yuta vs. Low Ki

Yuta drives him into the corner….and gets kicked in the head for the knockout at 30 seconds. Longer than usual for Low Ki lately.

Post match Low Ki says he’s got a lot of unfinished business.

Tom Lawlor is ready to go to war with Contra in the War Chamber.

Contra says bring it on, but it’s four on four. The match has since been confirmed as WarGames under a different name.

It’s time for the War Chamber Control Center. The only match set so far is the namesake match, meaning we hear the WarGames rules again, though you can win by pinfall or submission. That just sounds awesome no matter how you slice it.

We look back at Warner vs. Salina de la Renta and company.

Konnan has some demands for Salina. First up: he wants Jimmy Havoc vs. LA Park, loser leaves MLW. Both Salina and Havoc aren’t happy but the match is made. That sounds like writing Havoc off for AEW.

The Dynasty is at a car dealership and don’t like being told to wait. They like MJF’s watch and threaten a Yelp review for taking so long. It turns into a discussion of Teddy Hart failing the Wellness Policy, meaning he can’t cash in his rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Hammerstone freaks out over a Wellness Policy but they’ll get him some clean liquid.

MLW is going to be working with Pro Wrestling Noah.

Here are the Spirit Squad (Mikey/Kenny) to say they’re here because they earned it instead of their open name. That means an open challenge, which isn’t going to end well.

Spirit Squad vs. Von Erichs

The fight is on in a hurry with the Von Erichs beating them down while the music is still playing. A double dropkick and the threat of the Claw send the Squad bailing to the floor. The music keeps playing as it’s a double noggin knocker on the floor. We take a break and come back with Marshall beating up the Squad on his own and dropkicking Mikey to the floor. There’s a powerslam and a good looking moonsault for two on Kenny, followed by a claw slam/belly to back suplex combination for the pin at 5:25. They needed a break in this match? The music played through the entire match.

Post match here’s Contra for the brawl, with the Von Erichs holding their own for a good while. Cue a mystery man to spray mist in Marshall’s eyes as Contra has a fourth member. What a great time to mention that Marshall has a newborn. It worked in Mid-South.

Gringo Loco vs. Zenshi

This is from the Chicago tapings due to Low Ki’s match going so short. They flip around to start with Gringo shoving him away and saying not so fast. Zenshi climbs the ropes and gets a sunset flip for no count. A shooting star misses and Zenshi says bring it. Loco misses an enziguri as Jordan Oliver and Myron Reed are protesting in the crowd.

With Loco on the floor, Zenshi flips over the top, handstands on the apron until Loco gets to his feet, and then headscissors him down. We spend a good while looking at a replay and then a crowd shot (I can’t imagine the botch in there) before seeing Zenshi hit a bottom rope 450 for two. Zenshi tries a moonsault but gets caught in the Tombstone for the pin at 3:50.

Rating: C. This was fine for a quick filler with some exciting flips and that’s all it was supposed to be. Sometimes you can have something that is little more than a popcorn match and that’s what we got here. Loco is popular with the crowd and it’s easy to see why. It did its job and didn’t try to do anything else, which is how it should have gone.

We look at Marshall being blinded again.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. doesn’t want to talk about Alexander Hammerstone and his Georgia. Instead he’s ready for Timothy Thatcher tonight and knows it’s going to be strong style catch wrestling. Smith’s technique is too strong for Thatcher and ignores a question about Georgia. Brian Pillman Jr. comes in and seems to have a plan.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

They slap hands to start and it’s a slow pace to get things going. Davey throws him off of a headscissors on the mat and it’s time for some early grappling. Smith gets a hammerlock and you can see Thatcher playing this out in his head as he tries to find a way out. The hold is reversed into a half crab, with Thatcher’s eyes bugging out. That’s broken up so Thatcher kicks at the leg and grabs it again, this time sending Smith over to the ropes.

More kicks to the leg set up a belly to belly to put Davey back in the middle, setting up a legbar. With the grappling not working so well, Davey headbutts his way to freedom but can’t get a cross armbreaker. Thatcher switches into an ankle lock with a grapevine as the counters continue. Davey slaps the mat (not a tap) and turns it over into a Sharpshooter, sending Thatcher to the ropes for a change. They slug it out (Tony: “Like two rams butting heads on the side of the Rocky Mountains!” How long has he had that one saved up for?) until Thatcher gets two off a small package.

Another pinfall reversal sequence gives us some slick two counts and it’s time for a breather. Back up and Smith rolls some German suplexes, followed by a tiger suplex (Thatcher’s “OH DANG” look when he knows he can’t block it is great) for two. They fight over arm holds with Thatcher not being able to get a cross armbreaker this time. Smith isn’t having this and rolls out into a Crossface for the tap at 14:46.

Rating: B. This was almost all technical mat work, which is all the more impressive given Smith’s size and power. It makes him look like a complete package and all the more dangerous, which he’ll have to be to go after Hammerstone. Thatcher looked incredible as well, making me wonder why he hasn’t gotten a job in a big company yet. He isn’t the most interesting looking but there’s always a role for someone with his style.

Georgia comes out to interview Davey, who is thankful to the fans. He knows Georgia wants to keep her silence on Hammerstone but Hammerstone is playing her. Smith promises to use a crossface chickenwing on Hammerstone to become Openweight Title.

Overall Rating: B+. There are times where you just get the Fusion concept and this was one of those nights. You got enough of everything to make for a fun show which absolutely flew by. It was a knockout, an energetic squash, a lucha match and a technical clinic. That made for a very easy show to watch while stories were advanced and stuff was set up for the future. Well done all around and one of the best put together shows they’ve had to date.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: Party Hard Wrestling

Partymania III
Date: January 25, 2019
Location: The Nile, Mesa, Arizona

So here’s one you’ve probably never heard of, though somehow it’s the second show I’ve done from this same venue this year. This is from Party Hard Wrestling, which is one of the roughly 438 indy promotions with shows available on Independentwrestling.TV. I got a twenty day free trial so I thought I’d try some very random ones and see what they had. Let’s get to it.

Believe it or not, I have no idea what to expect, what’s going on or who these people are.

Opening sequence, with a song saying I WANT TO PARTY WITH YOU over and over.

Pizza Party Battle Royal

Jody Summers, Gourdin, Bradley Banister, Lucha Starr, Tank Engine Thomas, Macho Mouse, Thugnificent, Josh Carey, Ana May, Pete The Heat, Esgrima Gomez, JB2

It’s a battle royal but after each person is eliminated, they go to a table and get a pizza box containing further instructions. The prize to the winner: a golden fanny pack. Well what else were you expecting? As is the case with most low level indies, I can barely understand the entrances (thank goodness for lists of wrestlers on the title screen). There are a lot of masked men in this and I’m not sure which is which, save for some quick words from the announcer when he comes in clearly enough.

Thugnificent has a title on a chain around his neck. Gomez is in fencing gear for some reason and JB2 is Slater from Saved By The Bell, down to being billed from Bayside. And….there is no commentary on this show so I’m going to be even more lost than usual. Everyone gangs up on Thomas (the biggest guy in the match) to get rid of him, meaning we can get to the traditional fighting on the ropes.

Hang on though as Thomas’ further instructions are to GO BACK IN. Thomas: “THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!” Thugnificent grabs May (the only woman in the match) by the hair and tells her to say something else. Instead she hits him in the face as the regular battle royal brawling goes on around them. May punches Thugnificent out, with him shouting that she is on steroids. Hang on though as Thugnificent’s box also says go back in. We could be here for a long time at this rate.

Thugnificent gets put out again and I’m assuming this one is for good. Macho Mouse is tossed with Ana following him a few seconds later. Gourdin is out and Ana’s pizza box says she’s out. Gomez is tossed and both his and Gourdin’s boxes say they’re out. Summers and Banister are out but both get to go back in, as does Starr. Carey is tossed and he’s out for good. JB2 gets tossed with Banister following him out, as I’m trying as hard as I can to keep track of who is left.

Pete is out as JB2 is back in and Thomas eliminates Gomez, leaving us with Thomas, JB2 and Summers (I think that’s it at least.). All boxes have been delivered so it’s now just a regular battle royal. Thomas tosses JB2 and the rather tall Summers’ forearms have no effect. Naturally he leverages Thomas out a few seconds later for the win at 10:06.

Rating: D. Oh I’m in for a long one here. The camera work is a near nightmare as everything seems to be filmed on a handheld camera with nothing but closeups for the whole match. The lack of commentary isn’t helping either as I could barely keep track of who was in and who was going back in. This might have worked with a lot more structure, but what we had was so all over the place that it didn’t work.

Summers can’t believe he won and JB2 celebrates with him.

EJ Sparks vs. Spyder

EJ dances to the ring and seems to be the fun character. Spyder, with some weird triangle shaped sunglasses that he’ll be wrestling in, jumps him before the bell. The fans respond with a HEY! WE WANT SOME EJ chants as Spyder kicks him in the back. They get inside for the opening bell and EJ hits a jumping middle rope kick to the ribs to take over. The referee wants things to settle down and Spyder hits a Backstabber.

An uppercut to the back gets two and you can hear what sounds like a three year old with the WE WANT SOME EJ chant for a rather adorable moment. Spyder’s suplex gets two and he yells at the referee before hitting a running basement dropkick in the corner. Spyder says it’s time to go to sleep but EJ hits a jumping enziguri. A belly to back faceplant gets two but Spyder grabs the referee to get in a low blow. Spyder Rolls the Dice for the pin at 5:42.

Rating: D+. Neither of these two were even somewhat impressive as the only thing that stood out was Spyder’s glasses. Sparks seems fine for a fun character and the fans like him but it’s not like he’s doing anything that hasn’t been done better elsewhere. Spyder can swear a lot but neither of them were impressive in the ring. This show isn’t getting off to a good start and I don’t think I see it getting better.

Lethal Injection vs. Arrow Club vs. Team AF vs. Lunar Patrol

Elimination rules for the #1 contendership to the Tag Team Titles. This show really doesn’t need another multi person match right now. Since the audio isn’t great, I have no idea what their individual names are and it’s going to be hard enough to remember which team is which. Lethal Injection seem to be the only heels here. Since there are no individual names, we’ll go with Lethal 1 and AF 1 start things off, with AF 1 dancing a lot and giving Lethal 1 a quick spank.

After a lot of dancing, Lethal 1 grabs a wristlock but gets pulled into a waistlock for more dancing. Let’s do a quick summary of the next few seconds: headlock, dancing, shoulder, dancing, hiptoss, dancing, more dancing, neckbreaker, two. It’s off to AF 2 vs. the male member of the Lunar Patrol, the latter of whom seems to be wrestling at half speed. I’m not sure if it’s intentional and supposed to tie into the different gravity on the moon, but it’s really annoying.

Arrow 1 (the woman) and the female Patrol comes in with Arrow 1 grabbing a quick bearhug. That’s broken up so Lunar woman hits a headscissors. Lethal 2 tags himself in and shoves Arrow 1, who shoves him right back. AF 1 finds this HILARIOUS and it’s off to Arrow 2, who loudly shouts to suck his tomahawk. That earns him a hard chop but he’s right back with an even harder one, followed by a double hand chop for good measure. This is HIS reservation you see, though Lethal has some reservations about that and clotheslines him to the floor.

Almost everyone gets sent outside and AF 1 hits a suicide dive. Lunar 2 dives off the top onto everyone as well, leaving AF 2 to load up a dive of his own. Lethal Force double elbows him down though and we settle back into a regular (as regular as a four way can be) structure. A double back elbow sets up an assisted splash for two but AF 2 jawbreaks his way to freedom. Arrow 1 comes in off the hot tag but gets dropped with a double Regal Cutter.

The Lethals stop to flip off the crowd, allowing Arrow 1 to suplex both of them down. Lunar Patrol comes in and sends the Lethals into each other, setting up the female Luna with a rollup to get rid of them at 12:44. The Arrows hit a Russian legsweep/big boot combination for two on the female Lunar with the male Lunar making the save. That just gets him stomped down into the corner but the Lunars double bulldog Arrow 1 for two.

The Lunars get the Arrows into quickly broken stereo Rings of Saturn….as the female Lunar seems to go into a fit in the corner. She shouts that IT WON’T STOP as the Arrows launch the male Lunar into a German suplex for the double pin at 15:15. We’re down to AF vs. Arrow Club for the title shot, with the female Lunar screaming as she leaves. She yells at her partner and stomps him before leaving on her own as we seem to have a bit of insanity.

AF 2 and Arrow 1 slug it out with Arrow’s delayed vertical suplex being broken up with a knee to the head. Arrow 2 comes in for a wheelbarrow suplex into a cutter, followed by a spinning powerbomb for two. It’s off to AF 1 for some superkicks though, setting up a pumphandle powerslam on Arrow 2. AF hits a top rope splash for the pin and the title shot at 18:08.

Rating: C. Match of the night here, despite having no idea who any of these people were. The teams had unique enough gimmicks but they didn’t exactly do anything to make them stand out, save for the cringe inducing tomahawk line. The wrestling was nothing that hadn’t been done better before, but given the circumstances, this was perfectly watchable and didn’t feel long.

We go to the female Lunar’s apartment where the male Lunar comes in to check on her. She screams at him that they keep losing and it’s all his fault as the screen cuts to black. Could be interesting.

LJ Ramos vs. Starlos

Falls Count Anywhere. Ramos (who thankfully has an LJ hat on) comes to the ring in a half clown mask. Starlos is a bit bigger (with 305 on his vest) and the fight starts on the floor in a hurry, as should be the case in a gimmick match like this. They fight over by the merch tables and bar with Starlos stopping for a drink. I believe we get the opening bell as the fans want to know where the referee is. Did anyone check the bar?

Starlos throws him into and then hits him with some chairs before it’s into the ring for the first time. Ramos gets in a few right hands but Starlos crushes him with a splash. The near fall is enough for Starlos to yell at the referee for not being out in the crowd earlier. Some more right hands gives Ramos two as the pace slows down a lot. A running hip attack in the corner hits Starlos and it’s time to go outside again.

Starlos gets posted but avoids a chair shot, only to have Ramos slug away back inside. A sitout powerbomb gets two and a slam Starlos slams him onto a chair. The big elbow only hits chair though and Ramos grabs a double arm DDT onto the chair for a big crash. Ramos can’t cover though and Starlos rolls outside to save himself. With the chair not working, Ramos grabs a bat, only to get a chair pelted at his head. Cue Tank Engine Thomas to beat Starlos down though and a bat shot to the head gives Ramos the pin at 10:41.

Rating: D. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was a low motion fight with the Falls Count Anywhere part not adding much. It would have been fine as a street fight perhaps but I was expecting more from the gimmick. This is also a situation where commentary would have helped as we could have heard why Thomas interfered. I don’t know if it was expected or a surprise and that takes away whatever impact it could have had.

Tag Team Titles: Johnny Savoi/??? vs. Uninvited

The Uninvited (Oliver Grimsley Alex something I can’t make out) are challenging and Alex spits beer in Savoi’s face during the entrances. Savoi doesn’t have a partner to start so the beatdown is on with one VERY excited Alex fan cheering him on. They get inside for the opening bell and it’s a Backstabber into a Codebreaker for a double one finger cover. Cue someone named Jack Jameson to I’LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU from Mulan, making him the most awesome thing on the show so far.

Jameson cleans house and we even go old school with a double noggin knocker. Savoi is back up as well and posts Alex as Jameson works on a wristlock inside. We settle down to Savoi dropping an elbow for two on Grimsley but it’s quickly off to Alex. That means Savoi’s fingers are bent backwards and Grimsley’s elbow to the back of the head gets two. An enziguri hits Grimsley and a Falcon Arrow gives Savoi two of his own.

Jameson shouts for a tag, even giving Savoi some directions to get to the corner. It’s better than most places you try to get to. The tag goes through but the referee doesn’t see it for one of the classic tag tropes. Alex is right back in with the stomping and the suplex gets two. Like a true heel, Alex reaches Johnny’s hand over for a tag to taunt Jameson rather well. A bit too much trash talking (“Get up you Instagram w****!”) lets Johnny get in a right hand but Alex knocks him right back down.

Alex even yells at the referee in the corner but the power of rhythmic clapping starts Johnny’s comeback. An enziguri drops Alex but Grimsley is back in to knock Jack off the apron just in time. Another enziguri is enough for the hot tag to Jameson and house is cleaned in a hurry. Alex offers a quick low bridge though and it’s Jameson in trouble again. They must have a thing against face comebacks.

Jameson slugs away at Alex until it’s a quick tag off to Grimsley. Savoi low bridges Alex to the floor though and Jameson small packages Grimsley to retain out of nowhere at 12:10. The announcer isn’t sure if that means new champions or the champions retain but Savoi came in with a belt so we’ll say retaining.

Rating: C+. This was more like it as the company seems to be better at tag matches than singles. They told a story here with Savoi needing help and Jameson coming to his rescue, though the very sudden ending wasn’t the best thing they could have done. I’ve seen Grimsley before and he can do more than he did here. Alex was good at cutting off the ring and yelling here and he made me want to see the champs make a comeback. Rather nice match here, at least on a sliding scale.

Post match Alex yells at Grimsley for spending too much time painting his face and the brawl is on. Cue Ramos and Thomas to beat Grimsley down though and a lot of screaming ensues. Alex calls Grimsley selfish and lays him out with a quiet right hand. Grimsley is OFFICIALLY uninvited.

The trio leaves and Grimsley grabs the mic, saying that Alex isn’t Han Solo so he isn’t shooting first. He compares Thomas to Chewbacca and LJ to “Little Jar Jar” and the fans aren’t impressed. Grimsley started the Uninvited and promises to succeed without them. Where was Alex while Grimsley was fighting 2 Cold Scorpio and Adam Cole? Next month he wants Alex in a Loser Leaves Town match with the loser being permanently UNINVITED. The Star Wars stuff was horrible but he picked it up at the end.

Chairizona State Title: Ray Basura vs. Zicky Dice

Basura is defending and has an entourage including two masked men. He also wears a crown and looks like he’s the king of trash (which is what Rey Basura would mean in Spanish) so it’s certainly a unique gimmick. Zicky on the other hand is introduced as the Best Midcard Wrestler In The World. Indeed Basura is billed as the Trash King and I’m oddly fascinated by this guy. He’s even covered in dirt and mud for a nice bonus.

Basura gives him a chance to bow instead of fight but Dice invites him to his crotch. The forearms to Dice’s head start things off as the bespectacled (awesome word) referee can’t handle the stench from Basura. Dice pulls…..some tape out of his mouth? I think? Either way he knocks Basura outside and flip dives onto everyone. They fight up the merch area with Basura slamming him on the floor but Dice gets in a trashcan shot. Shouldn’t that make Basura feel better?

The trashcan goes over Basura’s head and gets hit with a chair as a fan shouts that this is No DQ. I mean, maybe that comes with the CHAIRizona part of the title but they might want to clarify things. Back in and Basura chokes on the ropes and hits some alternating back elbows in the corner. A missed charge lets Zicky get two off a German suplex but Basura gives him a slingshot wheelbarrow suplex for two of his own.

Dice is right back with a bridging northern lights suplex for two more. I never would have guessed that the King of Trash vs. a guy named Zicky Dice would turn into an exchange of suplexes but wrestling can surprise you that way. A powerslam gives Basura another two but he gets caught on top for a superplex.

The minions come in so Dice deals with them in a hurry, sending Basura into the corner to crush them. A triple Cannonball gets two on Basura but he rakes the eyes to slow Dice down. Basura’s chokeslam is broken up (Fan: “YOU AIN’T UNDERTAKER!”) and Zicky plants him for two. Zicky heads up top but gets shoved off by a minion, allowing Basura to hit White Noise to retain at 10:17.

Rating: C-. The gimmicks helped this a lot as Basura is a heck of a unique character and Dice has enough charisma to carry up the fact that he’s overweight and has a rather terrible look. That’s the kind of thing I love to get from a promotion like this as where else can you find a guy named TRASH KING? There’s something cool about that and it’s kind of awesome to see.

Post match the minions crown Basura again.

Mikey vs. Effy vs. Suede Thompson

Dang it with the multi person matches. Mikey runs around the ring and dives into some fans’ arms during his entrance. The fans seem split between Mikey and Suede (who I think I’ve seen before) here and it takes some time to get to the bell. Mikey bails to the floor to get a kiss on the cheek from a fan so Suede goes outside to get one of his own.

Effy goes outside to get is own, but instead pulls a dollar out of his trunks and tells the woman to go get him a Diet Coke. She puts the dollar back in the trunks but Suede shouts that we’re starting. Hold on again though as Suede goes outside and steals a fan’s Smoking Skull Title. That’s going to be on the line and the referee even holds it up….so we can have a second bell. There was no contact in the first three minutes so why not.

Smoking Skull Title: Mikey vs. Effy vs. Suede Thompson

The title is vacant coming in….I guess? It’s a three way test of strength to start, which is the first contact between any of them. That’s broken up and Suede kisses Effy to freak him out. Suede: “Is there a problem?” Mikey and Effy kick him in the ribs and tell him that they respect kisses before kissing him on the cheek. It’s a triple knockdown but none of them can do a nip up, at least not without the referee’s help.

Effy demands that Mikey chop him as hard as he can so Mikey obliges as Suede chills on the floor. Mikey hammers away in the corner and offers a spank when Effy tries a headscissors out of the corner. The referee gets headscissored instead, with Effy’s crotch rubbing against his face for a long time. Suede is back in for the big exchange of rollups and a bunch of near falls. Then the referee gets rolled up for two, with Suede getting two and thinking he won for some reason.

We take an informal crowd poll to determine if it was two or three as this is going WAY too long. Mikey finally starts punching the two of them but misses a top rope splash which took a long time to set up. The fans keep calling Effy “daddy” as he suplexes Mikey for two. Suede is back up with a clothesline for each of them before putting Mikey on top for some back raking. The referee says you can’t do that and it turns into the Thriller Dance as he explains what can’t be done.

In the next convoluted spot, Mikey gets tied in the Tree of Woe with Effy pulling Suede from the floor, meaning their faces wind up in each others’ crotches. Effy’s belly to back gets two on Mikey and a Rough Ryder gets the same on Suede. Mikey goes up top with Effy in front of him, so Suede runs at the corner and climbs onto Effy’s back for a superplex.

It’s Effy back up with a Fameasser for two on Mikey and a reverse Fameasser out of the corner gets the same on Suede. Good grief just END THIS THING already! Suede hits a hanging piledriver on Effy but gets small packaged by Mikey for the pin at 11:00 (or 14:01 if you count the first part).

Rating: D-. This was the kind of match where they might as well have had a big sign over their heads that said COMEDY in bright letters. It was funny in small doses but it went on far too long and just wasn’t funny for the most part. You can do comedy in certain doses but “HAHA THAT LOOKED GAY” gets old in a hurry. It was comedy but not good comedy, which is often a really bad idea, like it was here.

Party Hard Multiverse Title: Shane Marvel vs. Party Ranger

Marvel is defending and the Ranger is in a knockoff Power Ranger costume. Ranger tries to do a standing backflip during the Big Match Intros but Marvel jumps him from behind and the fight is on in a hurry. A dropkick puts Marvel on the floor and that means a big flip dive. Ranger hits a spinning kick to the head and they head back inside but Marvel rolls back outside to avoid a dive.

Therefore, Ranger flips over the top to take him down again as Marvel doesn’t seem too bright. Ranger has a bunch of fans clear out of their chairs so he can throw Marvel through them. Now that’s just being messy dude. A running shooting star off the balcony makes some glancing contact as the fans chant PARTY HARD. Back in and Marvel kicks the leg out, meaning the target is acquired.

That means some kicks to the leg and a leglock, with Marvel telling a fan to shut their f’ing mouth. Fan: “DON’T YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!” The leg gets crushed on the ropes but Ranger uses the good leg to hit an enziguri. Marvel is right back up and starts tearing at Ranger’s gear (dude that’s probably not cheap), including the mask. A shinbreaker takes Ranger right back down for two and it’s more of the gear being ripped up. With the leg stuff played out, Marvel takes him up top for the superplex and a double knockdown. That one crash, the lesser of the two, shouldn’t get them this close to even.

The mask is torn as Ranger wins a slugout and hits a German suplex. A Pele connects and it’s an ax handle to give Ranger two. What looks to be a reverse fisherman’s buster, the Party Foul, doesn’t work as the knee gives out so Ranger hits him in the face instead. Marvel is back up with a running White Noise for two and a neckbreaker for some trash talking.

Ranger slips out of a curb stomp attempt and sends Marvel into the corner. A shooting star press takes WAY too long to set up (with Marvel nearly standing up before it even launches) and Marvel catches it in a cutter for two. The curb stomp gets the same and the yelling at the referee lets Ranger get his own two off a rollup. Marvel goes right back to the knee though and another curb stomp retains the title at 16:17.

Rating: C+. I got into this one a lot more than I was expecting to as Marvel is a bigger (taller, not overweight) guy and played well against the smaller Ranger. Marvel isn’t a great heel or anything but he played his role here and made the match work. The ripping up different parts of the costume was a change of pace too as everyone goes for the mask most of the time. Good match here and it felt like a bigger deal.

Post match Marvel takes the mask as a trophy. Marvel grabs the mic and tells us to come to the pancake breakfast tomorrow when he massacres someone else. He doesn’t like people who like pancakes so he’ll destroy Mikey tomorrow. That sounds like a train wreck.

We see some clips of the pancake breakfast and…..yeah I’m good.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a VERY indy show and you have to keep something like that in mind for such a show. It’s not the worst I’ve ever seen or really close to it, but the lack of commentary and characters who only stand out at times made it a pretty long watch. The party aspect was rather light here too and the name didn’t do the show much good. This wasn’t a terrible show, but it’s nothing I’m going to want to come back to later.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: GCW

Orange Cassidy Is Doing Something Or Whatever Who Knows???
Date: April 6, 2019
Location: White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, New Jersey
Commentators: Denver Colorado, Sarah Shockey

I think it’s safe to say that this is one of the most unique titles I’ve ever seen. This is a replacement show from Wrestlemania weekend with a one off card to replace the Dragon Gate show after the promotion fell through. It feels like a bunch of shows that I’ve seen from the weekend but Cassidy is entertaining enough on his own. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Orange Cassidy to start things off and I don’t know if I’ve ever heard him talk. Cassidy slowly introduces himself and asks a fan at the bar to do the ring announcing. The fan gets in, is told that he’s the wrong guy, and the right one gets in. Cassidy can’t find the match card, which Sarah says is so indy wrestling. The announcer tells Cassidy to hold his jacket, which Cassidy throws at the ropes. As luck would have it, the guy just happens to be former Chikara ring announcer Gavin Loudspeaker. It’s like that time with Santino Marella being pulled out of the crowd. You never know how lucky you can get.

Allie Kat vs. Kris Statlander vs. Saraya Knight vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Statlander is like an old friend at this point. This is a Swamp Monster lumberjack elimination match and Saraya is better known as Paige’s mom. Naturally the lumberjacks are in swamp monster gear as the commentators rant about how worthless it is to be trending. The fans are behind Kat with the MEOW chants and she lays down, asking Saraya to pat her belly because it’s an honor to be in the ring with her.

Saraya kicks her instead and does the same to a concerned Kris. A slap to a swamp monster does very little as the announcers try to figure out why the monsters aren’t sending Kris and Allie back in. Saraya takes Shotzi to the top, punches her low, and throws them onto the monsters. Kris rolls Saraya up for two and is asked what the f*** she is doing. Saraya: “You’re a f****** alien, a f****** wolf and a f****** cat. Are you f****** kidding me?”

That earns her a triple teaming, which Sarah thinks is the spinach to her Popeye. A running forearm in the corner sets up a triple pin to get rid of Saraya at 3:13. Crowd: “BREXIT!” We’re down to three and Kris uses mind control to make the other two collide with each other. Everyone winds up outside and the swamp monsters continue to just stand around. Shotzi gets on the apron, tries a running start, and drops to her knee to punch Kris.

The monsters pick Shotzi up and walk her around so she can kick Shotzi in the face as commentary is ripping this apart (in a nice way). A running dive off the apron takes Allie and Kris down as the fans want to see something. Back in and Shotzi hits an enziguri on Kris (who is taking a beating here), followed by a top rope backsplash for the elimination at 7:04. We’re down to Allie vs. Shotzi, with the two of them colliding in the corner.

They forearm it out until Allie ties her in the ropes to claw at Shotzi’s chest. Allie teases a suicide dive but decides that she’s scared and stops. Crowd: “SCAREDY CAT!” She tries it again and slowly crawls onto the arms of the monsters, which the crowd declares PAWSOME. Back in and Shotzi hits a running splash in the corner and a DDT right back out of the corner gets two. The top rope backsplash misses though and Allie hits a piledriver for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: C. Oh this is going to be a long night and that’s a good thing. This was a lot of goofy fun, which is exactly what this show is supposed to be. You can’t have the most serious show in the world under these circumstances so don’t waste your time trying. Do something different and have a good time, which is what happened here. Except for Saraya, who seems rather angry about everything.

Bryce Remsburg gets a big introduction, as he should.

Logan Easton LaRoux vs. Chris Brookes

This is 7/13 falls and LaRoux is a rich guy. Brookes kicks him low for the DQ at 10 seconds. The second fall begins and Brookes’ partner Kid Lykos comes in for another low blow and the second DQ at 42 seconds. Brookes grabs something like an Octopus Hold for the tap at 1:24, which Sarah says is treating him Logan Easton LaRoux-edly.

Logan chops away (Sarah: “Trading chops like Pogs.”) before grabbing a sunset flip but Brookes sits down on it for the pin….and then Logan gets the flip for the pin….and then Brookes reverses for another pin….and then they alternate until it’s 6-6 (with one two count in the middle to freak the fans out) at 2:59. Logan hits a dropkick and a running kick in the corner sets up a suplex for two. Brookes is right back with a middle rope backsplash to the standing Logan for two as the announcers think it should be 6-5.

With Brookes caught in something like an abdominal stretch, Lykos puts a mask on Remsburg to blind him. Brookes’ low blow is blocked and Logan hits an enziguri for no count. Lykos comes in to cheat but gets kicked low as Remsburg is still fighting with the mask. As the mask comes off, Brookes feigns having been kicked low but Remsburg doesn’t buy it and throws the mask at Lykos. To keep the pace up, Brookes grabs a small package for the final pin at 6:55.

Rating: C+. What am I even supposed to say to this one? This was another very entertaining match as they’re not even trying to do anything serious on this show. That was the case again here and that pinfall exchange sequence was great stuff. They didn’t bother with anything stupid that would take too much time and just went with the fun idea instead. I’m wanting to see what they do next and that’s a nice feeling.

Tony Deppen vs. Lucky 13 vs. Jigsaw vs. Air Wolf vs. Dan Champion vs. Jake Atlas vs. Sonny Defarge

The winner gets a $16.34 Friendly’s gift card. At the same time, it is announced as the 3^rd Annual Jansport Backpack Orange Cassidy Invitational Scramble, meaning the announcers make Jansport jokes throughout the entrances. Champion gets sextuple dropkicked to the floor as the announcers laugh about some of the novelty Jansport products available. Deppen spins out of a headscissors attempt but gets taken down by a very springboardy wristdrag. Multiple F bombs are dropped as Atlas spins around him and cartwheels into a standoff.

Wolf and Jigsaw come back in for the stereo submission attempts but stop to slap each other. Jigsaw is sent outside and Defarge takes his place to kick Wolf outside. 13 comes in and kicks Defarge to set up moonsault knees to the chest. Defarge is back up with a spinning kick to the chest in the corner with Champion having to make the save. Champion backdrops 13 over the top for a messy DDT onto Defarge onto the apron, followed by a Nightmare Pendulum into a backbreaker.

A heck of a TKO plants 13 again and it’s a suplex to Jigsaw for a bonus. Atlas and Wolf get double chokeslammed but Deppen pulls Champion outside. Deppen hits a VERY hard suicide dive onto Defarge and Jigsaw, followed by 13 with a corkscrew moonsault onto everyone. Atlas isn’t being outdone and hits a springboard spinning dive of his own. Champion, the biggest guy in the match, dives onto everyone as well and that’s enough to even get him Champion cheered.

Back in and Champion powerbombs Atlas for two with Jigsaw making the save. Deppen gets suplexed for two but 13 comes off the top with a backsplash for another save. Atlas makes his own save and cartwheels into a cutter on Deppen, followed by a cartwheel on the top into a DDT for two more. Wolf makes the save this time and knees Atlas in the face. This time it’s Defarge making a save and clotheslining the heck out of Wolf.

Champion breaks that up and poses at Defarge with Deppen breaking that up for some posing of his own. Champion and Defarge have had it with Deppen and throw him to the floor, but an attempt to the same to Jigsaw is blocked. The Jig and Tonic (over the back kneeling piledriver) finishes Defarge at 11:54.

Rating: B-. In a way, this was the least interesting match of the night as it felt like it could have been on any given indy show this weekend. Actually that’s because there was a scramble in the same building the night before, featuring a group kick to the biggest guy to start and Atlas as one of the wrestlers. This was fun, but when they literally did something that similar the night before, it loses some effect.

Gavin talks about how awesome Wrestlemania will be, or as he calls it, Fastlane Part II.

Session Moth Martina vs. Nate Webb

This is the It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere Drunken Match, meaning that every thirty seconds, the wrestlers have to chug a beer. Webb gets a big entrance and sings his own theme, complete with playing Remsburg’s leg like a guitar. Webb even starts drinking on his way to the ring, seemingly without much of a tolerance. Remsburg starts dancing and is already the biggest star of the night.

Martina brings in even more beer and starts dancing in front of Remsburg as I don’t know if I’m old enough for this show. Remsburg: “God help us all. RING THE BELL!” They slug it out to start with Webb getting the better of things and a confused Martina swinging at Remsburg. Hang on though as we need to stop for the required beer. They stagger around and forearm each other with Martina slapping at Remsburg some more. And now, more beer. Sarah: “Why couldn’t this be a Gatorade chugging competition???”

They hit the ropes and collapse on their faces, meaning it’s time for another beer. Martina gets fired up as Webb goes outside, leaving her to….run the ropes to the point of exhaustion. Beer time ensues again and Martina falls down again. Webb brings in some chairs and they sit down for another beer. Martina gets knocked out of the chair but gets back up just in time for the next beer. A knee to Webb’s face sets up a half crab but they manage to drink even in the hold.

Webb is smart enough to spit his into Martina’s face for the break, leaving Martina to slam him down. Martina’s top rope Codebreaker gets two and of course, another beer. Webb hits a half nelson faceplant but Martina is up to spit beer in his face. As Martina loads up a superplex, they are still able to get some beers in. Martina plants him for two and they’re already needing to drink again. A double clothesline gives us a double pin at 7:41.

Rating: D-. And I hesitate to call this anything close to wrestling. This one completely missed for me, though that might be because I don’t drink so this is all completely foreign. It was the same joke over and over again and it didn’t really change anything in the, ahem, match. It didn’t work watching it, though the fans seemed to like it live, which seems to be the point.

And now, a dodge ball competition! There are ten people here (MJF with his scarf around his head is glorious) and I have a feeling a ten person tag is about to break out. We need captains to pick teams though so here are Veda Scott and Faye Jackson. It’s time for a quick draft with the following lineups:

Blue: Faye Jackson/Wheeler Yuta/Terra Calaway/Arik Royal/Red Eagle

Red: Veda Scott/Jeff Cannonball/Veda Scott/Daniel Makabe/Sage Phillips

MJF isn’t picked, with Jackson dropping a nice F bomb before picking Eagle to complete her team. Therefore, MJF grabs both dodge balls and leaves, making himself the most entertaining man on the show all over again. Since there are no dodge balls, let’s have a mixed tag! The fans boo and start a WRESTLING SUCKS chant. Denver: “WRESTLING FANS ARE STUPID!”

Team Blue vs. Team Red

Blue: Arik Royal/Faye Jackson/Red Eagle/Terra Calaway/Wheeler Yuta

Red: Daniel Makabe/Jeff Cannonball/Sage Phillips/Shazza McKenzie/Veda Scott

Fans: “DODGE BALL IS REAL!” The rather large Cannonball (who looks like King Kong Bundy’s son) and Calaway start things off and slug it out, with Denver saying that these two are engaged. Well that’s rather appropriate. Cannonball gets knocked down and sits in the corner so Calaway asks for a hug. That’s not happening as Cannonball ducks the hug and chops her.

Yuta comes in and rolls over Shazza, setting up a loud dropkick. It’s off to Sage, as Sarah seems to enjoy the mesh jerseys. Royal hits a claw slam as the lack of tags is strong here. Eagle dropkicks Makabe to the floor and it’s Scott coming in to take him down, only to get scared off by Jackson. Some running hip attacks from Faye crush Veda in the corner but a rake to the eyes gets Veda out of trouble.

With an assist from the ref, Veda walks the rope (Veda to ref: “Thank you!”) and dives onto everyone, triggering the parade of dives until the rather large Royal hits one of his own. Makabe cuts off Yuta’s dive with an abdominal stretch of all things but Terra pulls out a dodge ball for the save, triggering another chant.

Yuta grabs it and tosses it at the pile, followed by a big dive. Sarah: “Yuta utilized it to perfection!” Crowd: “STUPID SEXY YUTA!” Even Jackson hits a dive of her own but Cannonball can’t get over the top. Instead he hits the rope and gets Crossfaced by Terra. Cannonball: “I WANT TO DIVE!” Blue comes in for a quintuple submission at 9:43.

Rating: C. It was fun but it felt a bit like the scramble, meaning it wasn’t quite as entertaining as it could have been. I’ve seen a lot of matches like this before and it felt like it was following a formula for this style. The dodge ball stuff was entertaining, though that might have been MJF.

A fan wins…..a piece of swamp monster!

Gavin is glad we had a wrestling match because Ronda Rousey thinks dodge ball is BS.

And now, Teddy Hart with his cat, to the Reading Rainbow theme. The fans seem to be more interested in the cat. Teddy says that Mr. Velvet (the cat if that isn’t clear) has a black belt in making people smile. He talks about being divorced twice and being in jail twice but he wanted to come to Wrestlemania weekend.

This isn’t just a WWE event because it’s about all kinds of wrestling. He’s liking this place too because the crowd is intelligent and knows that wrestling is everything from dodge ball to him carrying a cat. Teddy talks about how he wants to put smiles on faces and wrestling isn’t about watching a screen, Vince McMahon cutting a promo and people in the back writing a script. He puts over Orange Cassidy and asks him to come out here, so here’s Orange to meet Mr. Velvet. Orange picks up the cat so Teddy can wrap a scarf around him. Now for the book: If I Was A Kitty.

Teddy gets one page (work with me here) in and gets cut off by a GCW chant. A line in the book says that if Teddy was a cat, his nose would be crinkly. Fans: “HOLY S***!” Teddy doesn’t quite know how to handle that a moonsault gets less of a reaction than “my nose would be crinkly.” Teddy: “Maybe less is more.” He finishes the book, which he admits he memorized because he can’t read. That’s one of the most bizarre moments I’ve ever seen and I think they’ve got something here. Just…..this. And then Teddy throws his cat in the air and catches it for the gasp of the night.

Shinjiro Otani vs. Jonathan Gresham

This is announced as a wrestling match, which is booed out of the building. A handshake starts us off and Otani grabs the arm. Gresham spins out without much trouble and Otani has to applaud. Another counter sequence gives us a second standoff but Gresham makes the mistake of chopping in the corner. Gresham takes him down a few times and starts kicking at the arm to take over. With the left arm in trouble, Gresham starts in on the right arm so Otani rolls away for a breather.

Otani can’t slam his way out of an armbar and the fans are rather impressed by that one. A legsweep takes Gresham down and it’s the signature facewash in the corner. The fans are rather pleased so we see it again, with Otani kicking his second in the face again as well. Actually we’ll make it three times for a bonus. Gresham trips him into the corner though and nails a running dropkick. That just ticks Otani off so he forearms Gresham in the face over and over. The slugout goes to Otani until a dragon suplex gives him two. A helicopter bomb finishes Gresham at 7:53.

Rating: B-. It was cool to see a legend like Otani here, even though he feels like he got lost and wound up on a show like this. You had to have a wrestling match here and putting someone like Gresham in there was the best idea they had. Otani was one of the best things about the show so far, mainly because he was something different. This was a rather solid match and the kind of thing the show needed.

Respect is shown post match.

Chuck Taylor vs. Trent?

One minute time limit. Chuck throws a shirt at him and they shove each other around as we’re halfway done. They lock up and the bell rings for the time limit at 1:03. Fans: “MATCH OF THE YEAR!”

Hang on though as we’re getting five more seconds.

Chuck Taylor vs. Trent?

Trent rolls him up for the pin at four seconds.

Post match Chuck yells at Remsburg, who snaps off a headscissors. Remsburg and Trent do the big hug, which is NOT cool with Chuck. They tease a fight and then hug, with Sarah being very pleased.

Nick Gage vs. Ultramantis Black

Gage’s GCW World Title isn’t on the line and this is a Yuletide Death Match because that’s all Gage can be asked to do. A bunch of wrestlers who haven’t been on the show and Air Wolf bring in all kinds of Christmas decorations/various weapons as I have a bad feeling about this one. Black runs him over and Gage gets annoyed at getting caught in the Christmas tree wrapped in barbed wire.

A running dropkick sends Black through the barbed wire board, allowing us to see his Christmas tattoos and mask. Black is tied up in the wire but manages to get untied and low bridge Gage to the floor. Gage throws a chair at his leg to break up a dive off the apron, followed by a whip through some chairs. Another chair is thrown at Black’s head and Gage takes another barbed wire board and drops it wire first on Black.

Somehow Black is right back with a DDT onto a chair but Gage posts him. They get back in with Black getting his knees up to block a middle rope elbow. A full nelson slam onto the barbed wire tree gives Black two and it’s time for the tacks. Of course Gage is right back up to DDT him onto the tacks for two, with the fans wanting the referee dead.

Now the middle rope elbow onto the tree onto Black connects, followed by a swinging neckbreaker onto the tacks. Gage grabs a pair of chairs and puts a board covered in ornaments between them. The superplex through them makes Black cringe and gets two. Black’s comeback goes nowhere and Gage hits a chokebreaker for the pin at 13:10.

Rating: D. I really can’t stand this kind of “wrestling” and I can’t stand Gage even more so this wasn’t exactly my favorite thing in the world. Gage never loses in these things so it wasn’t like there was much doubt. This has never been my style and Gage continues to feel like a lost relic from 2002 indy wrestling, making this pretty easily my least favorite thing on the show.

Post match MJF comes in to chair Gage in the head because I don’t like him enough yet. MJF isn’t happy about not being picked first or about this being fake HAHA nonsense. He’s the only real wrestler in the ring but here’s Cassidy to interrupt. MJF: “ARE YOU A F****** IDIOT???” He explains the idea of a sneak attack so Cassidy blows orange juice in his face. Gage is back up for another chokebreaker and Black lays MJF out as well. Gage and Black put on sunglasses of their own and they exchange hand signals. Cassidy says we can go home now to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The Jim Cornette fan in me is appalled but I had a great time watching this one. This show made no secrets about what they were going for and they ran with it. There are no long term stories here and it’s just a bunch of people throwing together a show for the sake of throwing together a show. The jokes were funny, the atmosphere was great and I was laughing more than once as I wanted to see what they came up with next. As a wrestling show it’s a nightmare but as two hours and forty five minutes of entertainment, it was a blast. Oh and Sarah Shockey is the most adorable commentator ever.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: CHIKARA Pro

Once Upon A Beginning
Date: April 5, 2019
Location: White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, New Jersey
Commentator: Mike Quackenbush

This is from Chikara and if you haven’t seen or heard of them….I’m not sure what to tell you. Imagine a comic book come to life as a wrestling promotion with the most ridiculous, over the top stories (mind control, cavemen, a colony of various ants and I don’t know where else to keep going) in the history of wrestling. I don’t follow the promotion enough to know what’s going on here so let’s get to it.

Cornelius Crummels/Sonny Defarge vs. CCK

CCK (Chris Brookes/Kid Lykos) are rather big in Europe. Defarge and Crummels look like they belong around 1915 and are former Tag Team Champions. Lykos (under a mask) and Defarge start things off with Lykos calling for a brainbuster less than thirty seconds in. That’s broken up but Defarge misses a big boot, allowing Lykos to snap off a hurricanrana. Crummels tags himself in and blocks a hiptoss attempt and it’s off to Brookes for the first time.

A basement dropkick gives Brookes one but a slobber covered finger won’t go into Crummels’ mouth. Crummels puts it in Brookes’ mouth instead and it’s Defarge coming in for some cheating. That’s fine with Brookes who sends Crummels over Defarge for a sunset flip, setting up a catapult to make Crummels hit Defarge low. Lykos comes back in and gets chop blocked, sending him face first into Crummels’ knees.

A dropkick puts Lykos down for two and a running version in the corner gets the same. Lykos finally rolls away from Crummels and it’s back to Brookes as the pace picks up. Everything breaks down and Brookes is pulled outside so Lykos hits his own dive. Back in and Lykos’ Diamond Dust gets two on Crummels but Defarge sends Lykos outside. One heck of a clothesline gets two on Brookes but Lykos comes back in for a distraction.

Brookes nails a slingshot cutter with Crummels making the save. Back up and Brookes charges at Defarge but gets caught in a hanging piledriver to drop him again. Defarge powerbombs Brookes onto Crummels’ knees with Lykos making a save this time. Lykos goes up top so Crummels uses Defarge as a launchpad for a super monkey flip for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: D+. Not great here with the action getting a little messy at times. It doesn’t help that Crummels and Defarge look enough alike that it was hard to keep them apart. The other problem is this didn’t feel like a Chikara match and could have been on just about any show over the weekend. Not terrible, but run of the mill at best.

Missile Assault Man vs. Boomer Hatfield

Assault Man is rather serious while Boomer (I’m assuming Dash’s brother/cousin/mystic spirit dragon given where we are) wears a baseball mask. Assault starts fast and throws him around, setting up a heck of a clothesline. It’s time to start stomping on Hatfield’s leg but the Sharpshooter attempt doesn’t work.

Instead it’s a northern lights suplex into an elbow as Assault isn’t wasting time here. Boomer armdrags his way out of a fireman’s carry and a headscissors sends Assault outside. Back in and Boomer’s high crossbody is countered into a reverse Razor’s Edge to send him face first into the buckle (looked rather awesome, though it could go badly at the same time) for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C-. Pretty much a squash here but I can see why Assault is considered a monster. It helps when Hatfield isn’t that big and can get beaten up so easily. They mentioned that he was a rookie as well so it was a rather simple formula. Sometimes you need a squash like this one to make someone look good and it worked well for Assault here.

The win gives Assault three points, meaning he can challenge for the World Title.

Cam Zigani/Arik Cannon/Hallowicked/Hermit Crab vs. Jigsaw/Razerhawk/Stokely Hathaway/Thunderfrog

Everyone here has held the Young Lions Cup before and this is going to be a match where I’m trying to tell who is who. Hathaway is Chuck Taylor, which must be a joke that they’re not going to explain. Zigani and Razerhawk start things off with Razerhawk hand walking into a headscissors, followed by a springboard armdrag (required around here). That’s enough to send Zigani over for a tag to Cannon, who gets to face Hathaway.

A wristlock nearly has Arik tapping until he reverses into one of his own, which has the fans chanting PLEASE DON’T TAP. The short form technical wrestling sets up a double tag to Jigsaw and Hallowicked, who have a long history together. They go to the mat to start with Hallowicked getting the better of the grappling but not being able to do anything against his bridge on the mat.

A pinfall reversal sequence gives us a standoff and the fans politely applaud. Jigsaw hits a middle rope hurricanrana into a double stomp for two and it’s off to Crab vs. Thunderfrog, complete with Thor style hammer. Crab goes with a nerve hold but gets caught in an airplane spin, plus one in the other direction ala Tyler Bate. Thunderfrog’s Cannonball (WAY too common of a move in so many promotions these days) looks to set up a Vader Bomb but everything breaks down for the big brawl instead.

That means Thunderfrog’s team hitting ten punches in every corner until quadruple atomic drops break it up. We settle down to Cam neckbreakering Thunderfrog and Jigsaw getting the two. Cannon’s snapmare gets two as the Thunderfrog beating continues in the corner. Crab gets two more off a suplex but Hallowicked walks into a Blue Thunder Bomb. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Jigsaw so things can pick up a bit.

Stokely comes in to take over but he has to beat up Cannon and Hallowicked at the same time. The Falcon Arrow gets two as the fans chant for Hathaway. Soul Food connects but a Sky High gives Hallowicked two. Cannon hits a brainbuster for two on Jigsaw but Thunderfrog sends him to the floor for a big flip dive.

Back in and it’s time for the parade of secondary finishers, with Razerhawk handspring elbowing Hallowicked and Hermit Crab. Things slow down a bit as we seem to be getting ready for the big spot. Cannon tells the referee something and the ring mostly clears out. Zigani can’t superplex Razerhawk so Thunderfrog grabs his big hammer and strikes the mat to knock everyone down. Razerhawk hits a Swanton to finish Zigani at 17:48.

Rating: C. I’m going to be as nice as I can here and say that this was messy. There were eight people there with a lot of stories and characters that aren’t explained, which makes this feel like a joke we’re not in on. This is one of those shows that should be designed to draw in some fans and it seemed that we were supposed to know everything that was going on coming in, including that Stokely/Taylor deal. It was a fun spot fest, but it could have been a lot better with a little less time and more explanation.

Hold on though as Thunderfrog forgets his hammer and since no one can lift it, we have to wait for him to come back and get the thing.

Air Wolf vs. A-Kid

This could be good and these two were very familiar faces over the weekend. They hit the mat to start with Wolf working on an armbar to limited avail due to a twisting escape. A-Kid goes with a headscissors on the mat before switching off to a headlock. Some quick flips let A-Kid hit a dropkick and we take a breather until Wolf can pull himself out of the corner. Wolf is fine enough to hit a kick to the chest and a snap suplex gets two.

The Rings of Saturn have A-Kid in more trouble and Wolf twists the wrist around to make it even worse. That’s broken up so Wolf hits a spinning gutbuster for two. Wolf tries some kicks to the chest but A-Kid blocks one and strikes away to take over. The triangle choke is broken up in a hurry and they hit stereo bicycle kicks for a double knockdown. Back up and A-Kid gets two off a northern lights suplex but Wolf kicks him into the ropes.

That means a 619 between the bottom ropes to send A-Kid outside. You know that means the big old dive to the floor and Wolf hits a somewhat messy dive back inside for two. Some attempts at a double underhook something don’t work as A-Kid is right back up with a sliding German suplex. A missile dropkick gives A-Kid two and the fans aren’t sure who to cheer for here.

The slugout goes to Wolf but A-Kid pulls him down into another triangle choke. Wolf powers him up but A-Kid jumps forward with a Canadian Destroyer in a sweet counter. A-Kid puts him on top, where Wolf hits a swinging butterfly superplex for another double knockdown. They head up top again but this time A-Kid catches him with a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a blast with both guys working as hard as they could and having a competitive match without going too nuts with the high flying. Sometimes a match like this is one high spot after another but they were trading spots here instead of going as crazy as they could. That was a very nice change of pace and I had a much better time with this one than I was expecting to.

Post match, respect is shown.

Here’s Juan Francisco de Coronado for a chat, though he breaks with his tradition of coming to the ring slower than Undertaker. He says his name is NOT Juan Francisco de Coronado and he has fallen on some hard times as of late. Fans: “YOU DESERVE IT!” He’s been having some personal and financial issues, including losing his Ecuadorian citizenship and has had to use his body to pay off debts. It has made him do some soul searching and there has been one constant in his brain: maybe he isn’t good enough. Maybe he would be better off if he just quit.

The fans are split on that one but one other thing has been on his mind: on this weekend, no one has come here to see him. Maybe it’s time for him to make a change. He is no longer Juan Francisco de Coronado. Now he is John Francis of Coronado. And that’s it. Given that it’s Chikara, I would expect this story to go on for the next three years.

Young Lions Cup: Still Life With Apricots and Pears vs. Carlos Romo

Still Life is defending and is basically an art project come to life, complete with being identified as “they” instead of he or she. The Cup is full of flowers to keep things a little off. Still Life pulls him in by the arm off a handshake offer and it’s an early start on Romo’s leg. Romo is right back up with a leg lariat for two as the announcers try to figure out where the bullseye is on Still Life considering all the other paint. It’s right back to Romo’s leg with some cranking on the mat.

Back up and Still Life kicks him in the ribs but Romo hits a chop in the corner, which just seems to hurt his own hand. Still Life dropkicks him in the leg for two but a spinning toehold is countered into a small package for two. A running knee to the head drops Still Life and it’s time to strike away at the champ. Romo hits a springboard spinning cutter (cool) but misses a moonsault that would have gone too far, even if Still Life hadn’t moved. Something close to a reverse/inverted Figure Four (a modified Venus Flytrap called Venus de Milo) retains the Cup at 5:53.

Rating: D+. This is the kind of stuff that I like to see from Chikara as you could never get away with something like Still Life elsewhere. That’s what makes it more interesting: it might not work elsewhere, but it works here. That takes some serious world building and Chikara has done it for a very long time now. Let that go somewhere and they’ll turn him into a star, because that’s what they know how to do around here.

Princess Kimber Lee vs. The Whisper

They’re the reigning Tag Team Champions who don’t get along and are fighting each other here. It worked for Mysterio and Guerrero. Whisper is the Innovator of Silence and Lee is from the Suplex Kingdom. Lee doesn’t wait for the bell and starts throwing the German suplexes as we have an unlikely Brock Lesnar inspired character. She is on about her twelfth German suplex in a row and Whisper is done.

Another is broken up but Whisper can’t hit his own German suplex. Instead Lee elbows him in the face and starts rolling more German suplexes. Whisper finally gets in his own German suplex….and Lee no sells it. A kick to the head sets up a bridging German suplex to give Lee the pin at 3:20.

Rating: D+. It’s another storyline match, though this one was a little more charming than most of what you would get out of a Lesnar match. Whisper is similar to Still Life in that he is his own thing who is probably a lot more interesting around here, though he wouldn’t work all that well anywhere else. Lee is someone who fits a lot better around here than she did in NXT, which is perfectly fine for a lot of people. Not a good match, but it seemed to advance their story.

FIST vs. The Colony

That would be Tony Deppen/Icarus/Travis Huckabee (Friends in Similar Tights, a stable which has been around for a LONG time with a bunch of different members) vs. Fire Ant/Green Ant/Thief Ant (same thing, but they’re humanoid bugs). The brawl is on in a hurry as these teams apparently have a deep history (that’s downright terrifying around here) until it’s Icarus driving Green into the corner as the proper match starts.

Huckabee misses a knee drop and it’s time to start in on some kind of arm hold with Deppen making the save. Thief comes in and starts slowly punching away in the corner but Deppen sends him outside for a nasty looking suicide dive. Green hits his own corkscrew dive onto Deppen and Huckabee, leaving Icarus vs. Fire Ant, with the announcers talking about the long history between the two of them.

Fire sends him outside to set up the launched dive (the Antapult), leaving Deppen to get superkicked for two. Green and Deppen chop it out with FIST hitting a triple running kick in the corner for another two. Thief and Fire break up a second attempt and it’s a triple dropkick in the corner for two on Huckabee. A rollup is reversed into a Brock Lock on Fire but Thief makes the save and puts on one of his own (with commentary explaining that he can steal moves but not do them as well, which is pretty clever).

The Wings of Icarus (Pedigree) gets two on Icarus but Deppen is back up with a jumping knee to Thief’s face. Green gets the Chikara Special (pull on an arm and leg at the same time in a specific way) but Icarus makes the save with the Blu Ray (it’s a Death Valley Driver, but more dangerous than a DVD) for two.

Something close to Bandido’s 21 Plex drops Fire, who no sells the whole thing and kicks Icarus in the face for two. Huckabee takes Fire up top but Green breaks up what looked to be a butterfly superplex. Fire is right back up with a super hurricanrana into a double suicide dive. That leaves Green to try the Chikara Special, which Travis reverses into a Brock Lock with a bodyscissors for the tap at 9:47.

Rating: B-. This is a match where it seems the history would make this better but what we got here was a rather entertaining match. Chikara knows its trios matches and even with commentary talking about FIST getting a Tag Team Title shot soon, I wasn’t sure who was winning. The Colony is a very fun act and FIST is a good counterpart to them so I had a good time.

Director of Fun Bryce Remsburg thanks the fans for coming out (Which he does every time you come to a show, including person to person. I’ve talked to him a few times and he’s an incredibly nice guy.) but doesn’t think he’s right for the job anymore. Therefore, we have a new Director of Fun (GM): Sydney Bakabella.

This doesn’t sit well with Bryce, who leaves after a forced hug. Bakabella (WHERE DO THEY GET THESE NAMES???) talks about calling some of the great wrestling presidents, including Jack Tunny, Stanley Blackburn and Jim Barnett, who told him to take the job. He’ll be here to have fun and you can take the to the pay window. Fans: “YOU’RE NOT FUN!”

We recap the main event, complete with a graphic of Kimber Lee vs. Whisper. Mark Angelosetti was Grand Champion but got hurt, meaning he was allowed to choose an interim champion. That would be Dasher Hatfield, his former partner. Hatfield got a lot more confident by winning over and over again, but now Angelosetti is healthy again. Hatfield hit him with the title to go heelish, meaning it’s time for the title match between the former friends.

Grand Championship: Dasher Hatfield vs. Mark Angelosetti

Angelosetti is challenging, even though he should still be the official champion and it’s a ladder match. Hatfield wears a baseball themed mask and his theme music starts like the SportsCenter jingle. Angelosetti is Mr. Touchdown and somehow doesn’t come out to anything resembling the Monday Night Football theme. He does however have a song that seems to be called Welcome To Touchdown City, saying he is “better than Favre in a pair of jeans.”

They go straight to the slugout to start as Bryce bails to the floor at the bell in a smart move. They’re on the floor with Dasher getting the better of his step cousin in-law (given wrestling relations, I’m fine with it). A chop off goes to Angelosetti and he forearms Dasher in the face. They fight near the ladder with Dasher sending him back inside and the ladder following. Angelosetti goes for the first climb but is smart enough to drop down when Dasher gets back in. Why do so few people figure that out?

Angelosetti whips him back first into the ladder and hits some splashes in the vein of football up downs. Instead of a big one though, Angelosetti puts the ladder onto Dasher and then hits the splash to put in some pain. That’s enough to get a hand on the ladder but Dasher tips it over, sending Angelosetti onto the buckles, with Angelosetti sticking the landing. Again, in a way of keeping things simple, Dasher shoves him out to the floor instead of doing something dumb.

Dasher slams him legs first onto the apron and kicks at the leg for a bonus. A backdrop on the floor gets Angelosetti out of trouble and it’s time for the big ladder (required really). Instead of climbing up, Angelosetti hits a Cannonball in the corner as we hear about the history of ladder matches around here. All two of them. Dasher gets whipped into the regular ladder in the corner, which Dasher throws at the big one.

They go up the big ladder at the same time with Angelosetti belly to back suplexing him down for the next big crash. Angelosetti is down as well so Dasher gets in a shot to the leg. A shinbreaker onto the ladder in the corner has Angelosetti in real trouble for the first time. Like a good heel, Dasher ties him in the Tree of Woe for more kicks to the leg, followed by a baseball slide to send a ladder into Angelosetti’s face.

Dasher goes up but takes too long (of course), allowing Angelosetti to hit him with the other ladder. They go up a ladder each and the fans request that they don’t die. That means a double crash and they both bounce off the ropes for the knockdowns. Dasher is up first and gets creative by tying the big ladder vertically in the ropes, allowing him to whip Angelosetti into it for a cool visual.

It’s time to bring in some chairs but Angelosetti manages a spinebuster onto them, leaving a line on Dasher’s back for a painful visual. The big ladder is set up in the middle of the ring but Angelosetti takes too long (the plague of ladder matches), allowing Dasher to wrap the leg around the ladder. In a creative spot, Dasher Pillmanizes the leg while Angelosetti is still standing on the ladder. Dasher grabs an elbow pad which apparently he used to cheat in a big tournament back in Season 15.

Instead of going for the belt, Dasher loads up a big elbow from the ladder, allowing Angelosetti to get up for a superplex off the ladder and the next big crash. The Flea Flicker (belly to back suplex into a pair of knees to the chest) knocks Dasher down again but hurts Angelosetti’s knee even more. Angelosetti climbs up the big ladder with the small one wedged in between to help with some bracing. Since that’s just dumb in a ladder match, Dasher Batista Bombs him through the regular ladder to kill Angelosetti for good. Dasher pulls down the title for the win at 24:35.

Rating: B+. This went a bit longer than it needed to and some of the spots took too long to set up, but the carnage and anger were both there. That’s what they were going for as these two seem to have been rather close before the title got between them. It’s worthy of a main event and it’s nice to have something of note happen on the show. What matters most here is how brutal this was and I had a good time watching it, though trimming five minutes would have helped a lot.

Overall Rating: B-. It took some time to get going but the big matches delivered and there was more than enough good stuff throughout to make the show work. Chikara is one of, if not the most, unique promotions out there and it’s really cool to see some of their ideas in action. The main event feels bigger than anything else as the rest of the show came off as more like a showcase than a major show. To be fair though, that’s kind of what Wrestlemania weekend is all about for the indies, and this show would make me keep watching.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6