For The Culture 2024
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: Penns Landing Caterers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Big Swole, AC Mack

This has become a tradition from GCW over Wrestlemania Weekend and the shows tend to be pretty good more often than not. The show focuses on Black wrestlers and there is quite a bit of talent on the card. GCW can do rather well when they try and hopefully that is the case again here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Team Myron vs. Team Dolla

Myron: Myron Reed, Ruckus, Devon Monroe, Darian Bengston, Calvin Tankman
Dolla: AJ Francis, Isaiah Broner, Keita, Mr. Danger, Terry Yaki

Francis yells at Reed to start with Reed not being able to do the test of strength. Instead Reed hits him in the face but gets taken down with a single shoulder. Tankman comes in for the rather large lockup with Francis taking him into into the corner but missing the big chop. Back up and Tankman hits something like a Pounce to send Francis into the corner. It’s off to Monroe for a bouncing hurricanrana to send Broner outside.

Keita comes in and kicks Monroe into the corner for a suplex right back out of it. It’s off to Bengston to take Keita down by the arm but Danger comes in with a springboard moonsault. Francis cleans house and everything breaks down, as you probably expected it to do. We get back to back stereo dives to leave almost everyone down.

That leaves Francis to tease a dive, only to flip the fans off instead. Danger busts out a big springboard corkscrew moonsault and NOW Francis busts out the big dive. Back in and we get the parade of big knockdowns until a hanging F5 hits Broner, followed by a sitout powerbomb from Ruckus to give Reed…the pin (it wasn’t quite clear) at 11:48.

Rating: C+. The problem here is there were so many wrestlers in there at once that it was hard to keep track of what was going on. It doesn’t help that they had so much going all over the place, with no one really getting to stand out. Francis was the biggest name in the whole thing and was only featured part of the time. Fun enough match, but not exactly focused.

Thick N Juicy vs. Kings Of The District vs. Killionaires Club vs. The Mane Event

That would be Brooke Valentine/Faye Jackson vs. Eel O’Neal/Jordan Blade vs. J Boujii/PB Smooth vs. Duke Davis/Ganon Jones Jr. Hold on though as we need to see if Jackson will give Smooth (a 6’9 giant) a Stinkface. That won’t be happening so it’s Blade starting with Valentine instead. Blade snapmares her down for a dropkick to the back before it’s off to the test of strength.

That goes nowhere so they trade running shoulders to limited avail. A double knockdown gives us a double tag to O’Neal and Jackson, with O’Neal’s headlock not getting him anywhere. Jackson runs him over with a shoulder and sits on his chest for two and O’Neal, dubbed Bad Brain, goes into the wrong corner in a not so bright move. Thick N Juicy hit running hip attacks on the Kings, who seem to approve. Stereo Cannonballs crush the Kings again but the Club comes in to clear the ring.

We get the big Club vs. Event showdown, with Boujii not being able to do much against the rather large Duke. Almost everyone heads to the floor, allowing Jones to hit a big dive onto the pile. Back in and Blade manages a German suplex on Jones but the Kings Club clears the ring again. O’Neal strikes away at Jones to limited success. Jackson goes up (taking over a minute due to a bunch of slipping) and dives onto almost everyone else, setting up a Banzai Drop to pin O’Neal at 12:45.

Rating: C+. This was a bit easier to keep track of than the opener, though that might have been due to having four teams instead of two. There were some short form showdowns in there and that helped a bit, though again there is only so much you can get out of a match with eight people involved at once. Thick N Juicy were the focal point here, which is impressive given a giant like Smooth being involved.

Man Like DeReiss vs. Sonny Kiss

Kiss grabs the wristlock to start and flips around to start to slip away. Some hip shaking has DeReiss out on the floor but he comes back in for some dancing of his own. Back in and Kiss does Naomi’s headscissors to ram him into the back of the trunks, only for DeReiss to hit a hard shoulder.

DeReiss works on the arm until Kiss flips out of a belly to back suplex and strikes away. A German suplex and a hard clothesline give DeReiss two and they trade rollups for two each. Natural Selection gives Kiss two but DeReiss is back with a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Kiss gets up and manages a gorilla press (that’s impressive) into a torture rack Stunner for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C. While it was rather nice to have a singles match and both of them have a good bit of charisma, the action was nothing special. It was mainly a power vs. speed match, though Kiss’ gorilla press at the end was quite the surprise. Perfectly fine match, but nothing that stood out much for what is supposed to be a special show.

Janai Kai vs. Jada Stone vs. Joseline Navarro vs. Maya World vs. Mazzerati vs. Tiara James

Elimination rules…or not actually as the ring announcer says there is a change of plans, making this one fall to a finish. It’s a brawl to start with Maya, Mazzerati and Stone hitting stereo dropkicks to the floor. Maya and Mazzerati hit dives, followed by Stone’s corkscrew moonsault onto the pile.

Back in and Stone strikes away on Maya until a German suplex drops Stone for two. Mazzerati comes in and gets kicked in the head and hits a sliding clothesline to the back of the head. Navarro avoids a charge in the corner and hits a basement DDT to put Mazzerati down. James comes back in and gets kicked in the face but catches a returning Kai with a gutbuster.

Everyone gets together for a suplex attempt, with Mazzerati, Maya and Stone managing to get the others over. Mazzerati goes for covers on a bunch of people but can’t get anywhere. Well she can get to two but that’s it. Everyone is back up Mazzerati hits a hurricanrana to send Kai into everyone else. We hit the parade of suplexes and throws until Navarro hits a running crossbody in the corner to pin Mazzerati at 10:32.

Rating: C+. Much like the first two matches, there was so much going on here with so many people that you can only get so much out of it. No one had a chance to stand out and it felt like who managed to get a pin first rather than whoever won. That’s the problem with these scramble matches and it was on full display again here.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Jah-C

They shake hands to start and fight over arm control, with Jah-C powering out of a top wristlock. We get a standoff, allowing Jah-C to yell at a woman in the crowd, which seems to be a bit of an overreaction. They go to the mat with Scorpio grabbing a front facelock, which is reversed into an armbar. Jah-C takes him down and seems to tell Scorpio to bring it, which works for him. An armdrag puts Jah-C down before Scorpio lures him into a fake handshake.

Scorpio kicks him down and grabs the chinlock, which doesn’t last long. They slug it out until Scorpio leverages him outside without too much effort. Back in and Scorpio kicks him down, setting up a springboard moonsault for two. Jah-C rakes the eyes though and hits his own springboard moonsault for his own two. Scorpio drops him and busts out the Tumbleweed for another near fall but Jah-C kicks him down again. A Lionsault gives Jah-C and a superkick finishes Scorpio off at 10:43, with Scorpio kicking out at 3.1 in a bit of a weird look.

Rating: C+. I’m always going to be interested in seeing Scorpio as I’ve been a fan for over thirty years. The guy has such a natural charisma and while he can’t quite go like he used to (as he’s 58), he still has enough ability to put on a good match. I’m curious about that ending though, as it definitely did not seem to go as it was supposed to.

Post match Scorpio gets to dance a bit.

Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Title: Suge D vs. Alex Kane

Kane is challenging and has Faye Jackson with him. The much bigger Kane blocks a whip into the ropes to start and Suge realizes he needs to do something else. Suge hits about ten straight running shoulders but can’t get anywhere, so he stomps on the foot and then runs Kane over. Back up and Kane shrugs off a shot to the face and grabs a German suplex. Kane fires off some knees to the head but Suge is back with a facebuster for two.

That just annoys Kane again as he ties Suge in the ropes for a running boot to the face and two of his own. Some rolling German suplexes set up a t-bone suplex to send Suge into the corner but Suge talks trash as he comes out. Some running clotheslines and forearms stagger Kane and Suge grabs his own German suplex. They trade more suplexes until Suge gets two but Kane is back up with a Crash Landing. A spear gives Kane two but Suge hits his own, setting up a piledriver to retain at 12:07.

Rating: C+. Suge seems to be more of the scrappy brawler while Kane is there to throw suplexes. It turned into a hard hitting fight and that helped a good bit, making it perhaps the best match on the show so far. Kane is a bigger deal in MLW so he has some status here, which made him feel like a stronger threat to take the title. Nice match here.

Darius Carter vs. Billy Dixon

Darius Lockhart is the guest referee. Commentary says this is five years in the making though doesn’t exactly explain how we got here. Carter shoves him to start and gets pummeled out to the floor, where Carter manages a quick posting. Back in and Dixon kicks away, setting up a middle rope elbow to the face for one. Carter’s dropkick puts Dixon down again though and the pace slows a lot.

Carter starts going after the leg and grabs a Hartbreaker, despite Lockhart’s protests. The Figure Four goes on back inside but Dixon makes the ropes in a hurry. That’s fine with Carter, who takes it to the apron for a piledriver, which is countered into a backdrop. Back in and Carter starts in on the finger so he can stomp away in the corner. For some reason Lockhart helps Dixon up and tells him to fight back, which is exactly what Dixon does. The comeback doesn’t last long as Carter knocks him outside but Dixon beats the count.

Carter hammers away at the forehead but Dixon runs him over with a shoulder. Dixon sits up ala Undertaker and gets two off a middle rope Thesz press. Another shot drops Dixon but Carter stops to yell at Lockhart, allowing Dixon to grab a Pedigree for two. Carter picks the leg again though and we hit the Figure Four again. Dixon fights up but gets his fingers snapped to put him back down…and he passes out for the pin at 19:14.

Rating: C. This is a match where commentary really hurt things, as it felt like it was supposed to be this big grudge match and we were never given any reason why. Was there some significance to the Figure Four? Or why do Lockhart and Carter not like each other? This was the main event and something treated as bigger than the rest of the show but you would never guess it based on most of the presentation.

Overall Rating: C-. For The Culture has been hit and miss over the years and this was on the latter side. The biggest problem here was a focus on quantity over quality, with three of the seven matches being multi-person messes in one form or another. The main event, while not bad, didn’t feel overly important and that hurt things even more. On top of that, the show didn’t start until around midnight so the main event was starting around 2:30 in the morning. Overall, this wasn’t a great show and it needed to be laid out a good bit better to really improve.

 

 

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Have Fun Be Sad
Date: April 9, 2021
Location: 81Bay Brewing, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Various

This is from Action Wrestling and Southern Underground Pro Wrestling coming together for a show. I have no idea what that is going to mean as I don’t know anything about either promotion, but there is always the chance that they could pull off something good. It’s certainly a different kind of show title. Let’s get to it.

Someone from Southern Underground welcomes us to the show and wants us to be loud.

Bonestorm Title: AJ Gray vs. JD Drake

Gray is defending and this is from Southern Underground. They chop it out to start and trade shoulders to no avail. Gray’s powerslam has more avail and they fight to the floor for another slugout. This time Drake gets the better of things and takes it back inside for a quick Vader Bomb. They trade snapmares into kicks to the back, followed by Drake hitting a quick splash for two.

A dropkick knocks Gray backwards but he is right back with a flurry of strikes of his own to even things up. They strike it out again until Drake kicks him into the corner for the Cannonball. The middle rope moonsault misses though and Gray hits a lariat….for the pin at 8:31, even though the referee stopped counting after two, then counted three, then didn’t call for the bell immediately.

Rating: C. Seemingly confusing ending aside, this was a completely acceptable hoss fight with two guys beating each other up. That is something that is always going to work and it worked well here. Drake is someone who has been around forever and Gray has quite the reputation of his own. Good choice for an opener here and a nice match.

Good Hand vs. Cabana Man Dan/Bret Ison

Before the match, Suge D of Good Hand (with Kevin Ryan) says he’s good to die today but Dan and Ison are going to have to earn it. It’s a huge brawl to start as commentary explains that Good Hand has attacked/tortured both Dan and Ison, because they are competent at their jobs.

We settle down to Dan working on Ryan’s arm but Suge snaps Dan’s throat across the top and takes him to the floor for a ram into a chair. Back in and Dan gets caught in a Gory Special, setting up a Gory Special for two. Suge comes in to hammer away and then Death Valley Drivers Ryan onto Dan for two more. A Swanton gets the same but Dan is back with the Kevin Owens swinging superplex.

That’s enough for the hot tag off to Ison and the pace picks up. Everything breaks down as Ison wrecks everything in sight. Dan is knocked to the floor though and Good Hand strikes away at Ison but can’t put him down. With Dan coming back in to take care of Ryan, Suge’s springboard…well it mostly slips but he hits Ison anyway. Ryan is back up with a knee to the back to finish Dan at 11:08.

Rating: C. There was definitely a story here and it was nice to have commentary explain what was going on. I got the story they were telling, but it was nice to have someone there to give me a bit of a backstory. It wasn’t much in the way of a match but they played the formula and kept it simple with energy, so well enough done.

Post match Suge gets in some WE TOLD YOU’s but Ison grabs him and takes him to the back. Dan chases Ryan off as well.

Adrian Alanis vs. Rob Killjoy vs. Graham Bell vs. Jaden Newman vs. Damyan Tangra vs. Liam Gray vs. Bobby Flaco

From Southern Underground Pro and one fall to a finish. I know they need to get people on the show but GOOD GRIEF STOP HAVING ALL THESE PEOPLE IN ONE MATCH. Alanis and Gray and Flaco and Killjoy are regular tag teams. Bell has a bazooka which shoots a puff of fire. Newman talks a lot of trash to start and says he is here to beat every one of them, earning himself a superkick to the floor.

Killjoy and Tangra are left alone in the ring and trade rollups for two each until Tangra hits a running uppercut. Alanis comes in for a running elbow in the corner and he suplexes Flaco into Tangra in the corner. Bell comes in to strike away and clean house but Grey is in with a top rope flip dive. Newman gets his turn to beat up whomever is in the ring with him until Killjoy catches him with a pop up Codebreaker.

Flaco has to fight off Alanis and Newman on his own and manages to clear the ring despite being rather small. Gray comes back in and hits a huge dive over the top onto a bunch of people. Killjoy adds a springboard flip dive but Bell is up with his bazooka….which is out of ammo. That’s fine though as he sends Newman outside and hits a springboard flip dive to take out a bunch of people.

Back in and Tangra gets a hold on three people at once (just go with it) until Gray makes the save. The ring is cleared again and we get a quick Killjoy vs. Flaco fight. The tower of doom is loaded up but falls apart, leaving Flaco to hurricanrana Gray into everyone else. Killjoy tosses Flaco at Newman for a DDT and then gets two off a brainbuster. Flaco hits a poisonrana on Killjoy but gets caught in electric chair Backstabber for two from Bell. Gray and Alanis team up on Newman but Tangra elbows Alanis out of the air. A scary looking jumping Downward Spiral gives Tangra the pin on Alanis at 11:29.

Rating: C+. Yes it was entertaining and yes it was all energy but egads I can’t stand this kind of match. It’s just a collection of spots with no real flow or anything to it and that gets annoying in a hurry. I’m not going to remember anything out of this because it is so all over the place until someone wins. It isn’t bad, but it is the kind of thing that comes and goes and doesn’t stand out whatsoever, just because of the calamity involved.

AC Mack vs. Myron Reed

Mack handles his own intro, taking credit for the entire show taking place at all. Mack takes him to the mat for an early hammerlock but Reed is up with a wristlock of his own. That’s reversed into an ankle crank but Reed is in the rope in a hurry. Back up and Reed misses a charge into the corner, allowing Mack to hit a hard dropkick to the back of the head. Reed is back with a boot to the face to send Mack outside, setting up a heck of a suicide dive.

Back in and Mack gets dropped throat first across the top, setting up a neckbreaker for two. The sleeper doesn’t last long as Mack fights up, where he gets caught in a Stundog Millionaire. Mack kicks him in the head though and hits some clotheslines to set up a spinning DDT for another near fall. They slug it out until Mack nails a leg lariat for the double knockdown.

Mack powerbombs him for two but can’t follow up and they’re both down again. Another Stundog Millionaire rocks Mack and the running slingshot cutter to the floor (despite Mack’s face not getting close to the floor) sets up a 450 to give Reed two back inside. Back in and Reed can’t hit a powerbomb but Mack can hit the Mack 10 (Pedigree) for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C+. Reed is someone who has gone from pretty much a goof in MLW to someone who looks sharp every time he is in there as his reputation continues to grow. That is rather cool to see and I could go for seeing more of him. The same is true of Mack, who I believe I remember seeing two years ago and liking then as well. Nice match between two talented people here.

One Called Manders vs. Logan Creed vs. Alex Kane vs. Derek Neal

Sure why not. Neal and Creed knock the other two outside at the bell, followed by the much bigger Creed chopping Neal outside. Kane comes back in to suplex Creed outside, followed by another belly to belly to Manders inside. A Warrior splash hits Manders’ raised knees though and a powerslam puts Kane on the floor. Creed comes back in to beat up Manders and Neal at the same time but a heck of a lariat puts him down.

Another double team puts Kane on the floor, leaving Manders and Neal to strike it out. Creed chokeslams Kane onto the apron but let’s get everyone in the corner for the Tower of Doom. You know, just for fun. Creed is back up for the huge no hands dive onto Manders and Neal but Kane is back up with a German suplex. Kane suplexes Manders down again for the fast pin at 6:29.

Rating: C. It was less hectic than the seven way match earlier and they were able to showcase themselves a little bit better, because, again, we didn’t have seven people in the match at once. Kane has been impressive in the two matches I’ve seen him in and it worked well here too. Creed it big and athletic but his left handed chops and chokeslams are a bit weird. Neal looked better in a singles match yesterday and Manders seemed more about his cowboy deal than anything in the ring.

Daniel Makabe vs. Arik Royal

Royal’s Action Title isn’t on the line. Apparently this has been teased for years now so it is kind of a big deal. Royal bails to the floor to start before heading back inside for the lockup. Neither can get anywhere with a grappling exchange so Makabe takes him to the mat to no avail. Royal gets a headscissors on the mat but Makabe bounces away to grab a headlock.

That’s reversed into a choke from Royal, who is right back up with a dropkick for two. Makabe tries a waistlock but gets hit in the head to cut him down again. They fight over a small package with neither being able to get the shoulders down so let’s get back up with Royal hitting a spinebuster instead.

Frustration is starting to set in and Makabe makes it worse by hitting his Big Unit right hand. Royal is back with a hard lariat to put them both down and we need a breather. A running dropkick staggers Royal again and Makabe snaps off a Saito suplex for two more. Royal pops up with a sitout powerbomb for a delayed two but Makabe is back with a German suplex for the same.

Makabe gets Cattle Mutilation so Royal has to get a foot over the rope for the break. That leaves Royal mostly done so Makabe goes up top and pulls the knee pads down. The exposed knees only hit mat though and Royal Pounces him (aiming at the knees) to knock him outside. That’s good for a nine and Makabe goes for the arm but Royal punches him in the knee. The claw STO finishes Makabe at 17:24.

Rating: B. This did feel like the kind of big match that they were hyping it up to be. Royal is someone who seemed like little more than a rather confident heel but he looked like someone worth seeing here. Makabe was rather good as well and they had a good match on a fairly big stage. The time helped as well, as you don’t get to see many matches get this kind of time on a show like this more often than not.

Adam Priest vs. Matt Makowski

Feeling out process to start with the smaller Priest not seeming scared to go after him. Makowski sends him into the corner and Priest has to bail to the rope to avoid an armbar attempt. More mat grappling has Priest in trouble as he can’t get away from someone as big as Makowski. A choke is broken up and Priest nails a clothesline, setting up a frog splash to the back. Priest steps on his head in the corner for a bit and hits an elbow to the face for two.

Something like a Scorpion Deathlock has Makowski in trouble but it starts breaking down so Priest ties up one of the arms for a bonus. Back up and Priest grabs the arm but Makowski snaps off a suplex. A hard collision puts both of them down and the referee starts the rather slow count. Makowski flips him into an attempt at a cross armbreaker but Priest stacks him up for two. That’s broken up as well so Priest stacks him up again for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. They were working hard here and it is nice to see Priest get a win given how much they had hyped him up over the last two days. I’m not sure how much of a difference this is going to make for either of them but at least they had a good back and forth match here. That alone should get them some attention, which is kind of the point of a weekend like this one.

O’Shay Edwards vs. Jon Davis

I’ve liked Edwards every time I’ve seen him. Davis isn’t wasting time here and kicks him in the face, setting up a German suplex. A Jackhammer gets two on Edwards and Davis can’t believe the kickout. Edwards gets knocked into the corner and Davis unloads on him with one heavy shot to the head after another.

Back to back slams make Edwards pop up so a sliding lariat gets two on Edwards instead. Edwards is back up with an Oklahoma Stampede for two, followed by some big forearms to the face. Davis grabs a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a Downward Spiral for another near fall but a quick spinebuster gives Edwards two more.

Back up and Davis hits a pop up powerbomb but Edwards counters a piledriver into an Air Raid Crash for two more. A torture rack powerbomb plants Davis for two more and they’re both banged up. Edwards flips him off so Davis kicks him in the chest, only to have Edwards tell him to bring it. Davis does just that but Edwards picks him up for a fire thunder driver and the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B-. Take two hosses and have them beat the fire out of each other for ten minutes. This is a formula that has worked for years and it always will. They knew exactly what they were doing with a match like this and it was fun to see how much both of them could take. Edwards continues to impress and hopefully someone notices that sooner rather than later.

We get the post match show of respect.

Nolan Edward vs. Angelus Lane

Unsanctioned. Nolan brings some friends with him and they have their weapons in hand. That would include barbed wire boards, chairs and let’s throw some thumbtacks in there before the bell too. They lock up to start and take turns rolling the other into the tacks. Back up and they trade forearms to the face until Edward suplexes her onto the tacks. Lane does the same to him and a Russian legsweep puts them both into the tacks.

They head outside to slug it out and let’s beat up security for a bonus. Lane gets in a posting and throws a chair at his head to bust him open. It’s time to go to the bar, where Lane pours water on his face for some waterboarding. With Lane off to find something else, Edward finds a chair to knock her silly again. Now Lane is busted open so Edwards goes after the cut and takes it inside.

Edward drags her through the tacks and slams her onto them for two, with commentary wondering why she would kick out. A door is set up on the bottom rope but Lane is back with a low blow. Something like a Stomp onto the tacks makes it worse for Edward and there is a suplex through the door. The barbed wire board is bridged over two chairs but Edward sends her into the tacks again.

That doesn’t do much good as Saito snaps off a Saito suplex onto the tacks. Lane picks up some wire and wraps it around her knee for a running knee to the head and a near fall. They fight up top but Edwards gets in a few shots to the face. One big one is enough to knock Lane through the barbed wire board and the pin at 11:28.

Rating: D+. I think I’ve made my thoughts on the extreme/this kind of hardcore stuff known before and it is the same today. I’m not big on seeing people doing this kind of thing over and over and it gets old seeing such similar spots over and over. It wasn’t the worst thing and they did a few impressive things, but I really don’t like this kind of thing and it absolutely was not for me.

FinJuice vs. Violence Is Forever

Both are champions but this is non-title and the latter would be Dominic Garrini/Kevin Ku. Garrini and Finlay feel each other out to start so Finlay headlock takeovers him down. That’s reversed into a headlock and Garrini switches into a triangle choke, only to slide over to tag Ku with the hold still on. Robinson comes in and scores with a belly to back before glaring at Garrini. A headlock takeover puts Robinson down for a bit but it’s quickly back to Garrini vs. Finlay.

Garrini hiptosses him into a cross armbreaker attempt but Finlay blocks the full thing. Robinson comes back in and gets slammed onto Garrini for two. It’s time to start in on Garrini’s arm and a double bulldog gives Finlay two. Ku gets knocked off the apron and a double suplex gives Robinson two on Garrini. Back up and Garrini is sent into the corner for some clotheslines and a side slam gets two.

An attempt at a heel hook doesn’t work either as Robinson comes in off the tag and drops an elbow. Robinson’s snap jabs connect but Garrini nails an enziguri, setting up the hot tag to Ku. Everything breaks down as house is cleaned, including Ku hitting a jumping knee off the apron. Garrini comes back in a bit too early and gets caught in something like a Magic Killer for two. A hiptoss sends Robinson into Finlay in the corner and Total Elimination gives Ku two.

FinJuice is back up to send Garrini outside and it’s a PowerPlex for two on Ku. Garrini shoves Robinson off the top though and it’s a jumping knee into Chasing the Dragon for a close two on Finlay. The slugout it on with Garrini sending Finlay outside and kicking Robinson in the head. Garrini chops FinJuice but Robinson gives him the big left, setting up a Dudley Dog into a Stunner to give Finlay the pin at 17:40.

Rating: B-. The match was pretty good but I’ve never been a fan of either team and it came at the end of a fairly long show. Garrini and Ku were the faces here so it was kind of a surprising result, though I can get why you wouldn’t want the bigger names losing here. They beat each other up rather well, but it just didn’t feel like some kind of dream match like they seemed to hype it up as being.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was good for the most part and while I wasn’t big on the hardcore match, most of the show worked out rather well. It was an entertaining event, but a show like this probably shouldn’t be going on for ten matches over three hours. Above all else, this show felt long and that is not the kind of feeling you want with a show like this one. It’s good, but cut out a scramble and another match somewhere in there to make it work better.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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IWTV Family Reunion 2021 Part 2
Date: April 8, 2021
Location: 81Bay Brewing, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Various

Must like the first part all those hours ago, this is something of a sampler of the various promotions offered by Independent Wrestling.TV. That means we are going to get a nice mixture of stuff, hopefully with mainly different offering than part one. This could be quite the collection so let’s get to it.

I don’t follow these promotions so I am coming in blind to characters or storylines.

Ashton Starr/Jared Evans vs. Erica Leigh/Boar vs. Kings of the District vs. MV Young/AC Mack

The Kings are Eel (yes Eel) O’Neal/Jordan Blade and this is one fall to a finish. Boar and Leigh were on Part 1 so I’m not sure how fresh the lineups are going to be here. Good for them for getting a pair of bookings though. Leigh and O’Neal start things off with O’Neal taking her to the mat to pull on some limbs. That’s reversed into an armdrag into a backsplash and Leigh kicks him into the corner.

Blade comes in to hammer away and there’s a suplex to drop Leigh. Back up and a big boot drops Blade and a spinning kick to the face drops her again. Boar comes in to slam Blade so it’s off to Evans, who isn’t the biggest guy. Leigh comes in to make the sizes match a bit and a pumphandle powerslam plants Evans for…no cover, as Leigh poses a bit too much. It’s off to Starr to kick Leigh in the face but Blade tags herself in to choke on the ropes. Blade brings O’Neal back in for a double suplex and it’s back to Leigh’s arm.

We hit the neck crank on Leigh before driving her face first into the mat. Leigh bridges back for two and the break so it’s time to crank on Leigh’s arm. Blade comes back in for some strikes to the face and two off a suplex. Evans tags himself in and superkicks Blade (Commentary: “WHAT THE F***?”) but what looked to be Old School into a splash only hits mat. The hot tag brings in Boar and the ring is cleared in a hurry. Young comes in to get in some shots of his own but gets sent outside.

Boar launches Starr into Leigh’s X Factor for two with Blade making the save. They fight to the floor with Leigh being sent into a post (off camera), leaving Starr to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a split legged moonsault on Mack. Young comes back in to take Starr down and spear Evans out of the air. A running knee to the back of the head connects….but Mack throws his partner throws his partner outside to steal the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C. This was your usual indy four way tag with all kinds of people flying around the ring at once, to the point where nothing really gets to stick out. The action was fine, but it was a very formula based match. They also telegraphed the ending, as Mack and Young did almost nothing for most of the match and then got active near the end. It was fine for an opener, but cutting out one of the teams would have helped a lot.

New Texas Pro Wrestling Title: Mysterious Q vs. Ryan Davidson

Q is defending and has some size to him. These two have wrestled in Booker T.’s promotion, though I don’t think he trained them. A fireman’s carry takeover puts Davidson down and it’s an early standoff. Back up and they trade shoulders with neither being able to get anywhere. Davidson shoulders him down but then Q does the same for another standoff. They strike it out until Q hits a missile dropkick to put Davidson down. Davidson knocks him into the corner again though and a swinging suplex gets two.

A fist drop rocks Q again and Davidson unloads with some chops. Q blocks a powerbomb attempt and hits a Sling Blade, followed by a German suplex. A Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Davidson but he’s right back with a pop up powerbomb for two of his own. Davidson misses a moonsault and Q grabs a cutter for two. A Falcon Arrow gives Davidson two more but Q gets in a shot to the face. Q gets to the apron for a rather twisty slingshot cutter to retain at 10:22.

Rating: C. Q is someone who seems like he could go somewhere one day but this felt like two people who needed a lot more seasoning. It felt pretty awkward at times, almost like they didn’t know what they were supposed to do next. Q looks great but that is only going to be able to get you so far. It was hardly a disaster, but this wasn’t much to see, at least at first.

Here’s Arik Royal, the Action Wrestling Champion, who isn’t happy with not being on the card. That means it’s open challenge time, because of course.

Action Wrestling Title: Marcus Mathers vs. Arik Royal

Mathers is challenging and starts fast with a series of strikes….so Royal breaks him in half with a backbreaker. Some knee drops keep Mathers in trouble and Royal sends him hard into the corner for two. Something like a Pounce to a kneeling Mathers has him rocked again and there’s a hard whip into the corner to turn Mathers upside down. A kick to the head staggers Royal and a cutter gets two. Some shots to the face give Mathers two but Royal punches him out of the air. A hard powerbomb sets up another hard powerbomb into a jumping….head slam I guess you would say, to retain the title at 5:25.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as it was little more than an extended squash for most of the time. Royal is someone who could be interesting with some promos and figuring out what he is about but Mathers was just kind of there. It was fine enough, but only Royal made any kind of an impression.

Bryan Keith vs. Alex Kane

Kane wrestles him down in a hurry to start and throws in a gator roll for a bonus. Back up and an exchange of shoulders goes nowhere so Keith tries a headlock. That earns him a heck of a belly to back suplex, followed by an overhead belly to belly for some more flying. Another belly to belly is blocked so Kane grabs a delayed vertical suplex for two instead. Keith gets smart by taking out the leg and they fight to the floor with Keith kicking at the legs some more.

Back in and another kick to the leg puts Kane down again, allowing Keith to slam the leg into the apron. Make that the post as well and another crank to the knee gives Keith two. Keith can’t quite get a half crab so Kane fights up with a German suplex. A release suplex gets two on Keith but he’s right back with a shinbreaker into a backdrop driver for two. Kane is back up with a grab of the arm into some kind of a suplex/toss for the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C+. Kane was rather impressive here and it wouldn’t surprise me to see someone giving him a shot later on. He had the technical aspect to go with the suplexes and the look, which is quite the mixture of talents. Keith made sense as well by going after the legs to take the power away. Good stuff here and maybe the match of the day so far.

Gary Jay vs. Billie Starkz

Starkz is a woman with blue hair who skips around a lot. Jay really doesn’t want to do this so Starkz snaps off a German suplex. That earns Starkz a forearm to the face and some chops in the corner, followed by a kick to the back of the head. The referee needs to check on Starkz, so Jay reminds us that this was her idea. Starkz gets in a kick to the head but Jay stomps on the feet to break up a German suplex. That’s fine with Starkz, who shoves him into the ropes for a snap German suplex to put them both down.

Some Kobashi chops in the corner have Jay in more trouble and a Swanton gives Starkz two. Back up and Jay kicks her in the arm, followed by a jumping kick to the back of the head. A Fujiwara armbar goes on but Starkz makes the rope and heads outside. The arm is fine enough for an AA onto the concrete and they’re both rocked. Back in and Jay wins a slugout but Starkz goes nuts with forearms to the face. A basement dropkick rocks Jay again….but he is right back with a heck of a clothesline for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C. There was a story here with Jay not wanting to fight but then realizing he was in for a fight and having to go. The harder stuff at the end was a good way to go, and Starkz got a lot out of what we saw here. She has a long way to go but you have to start somewhere, which is exactly what a show like this is for.

New South Heavyweight Title: Derrick Neal vs. Cabana Man Dan

Neal is defending and the belt is HUGE. The much bigger Neal drives him into the corner but Dan is back with a wristlock into an armbar. Neal misses a charge into the corner and gets hiptossed over into the armbar sequel. They head outside with Dan working on the arm again, only to have Neal blast him in the face back inside. A hard whip into the corner rocks Dan again and a knee drop gets two.

Dan chops his way out of the corner but Neal runs him over again. A running dropkick in the corner gets two on Dan but he avoids another dropkick for a breather. Dan strikes away and hits a running elbow to send Neal into the corner again and it’s time to head up. Neal catches him on top but Dan grabs a sunset bomb for a very close two. A running knee gives Neal two, followed by a brainbuster to retain at 10:34.

Rating: C+. I was getting way into this one near the end, which is rather surprising as Dan has been mainly a goofy comedy guy when I’ve seen him. It was nice to see a more serious side to him here and this worked out well. Neal is a big guy who can move and I could see him as a bodyguard or low level guy on a bigger stage in the future.

Post match Neal whips Dan with a belt but Adam Priest runs in for the save, which seems to be part of a big feud.

Limitless Wrestling Title/C4 Wrestling Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Kevin Ku

Garcia, with Kevin Blackwood (Maybe?) is defending both titles and Ku has Dominic Garrini in his corner. Garcia goes for the leg to start and they grapple around on the mat. Ku winds up on top as commentary talks about how the C4 Title is almost a guaranteed spot in a bigger company. More grappling goes to another standoff as neither has gotten any significant advantage so far. Garcia grabs a kneebar but they roll to the floor for the break.

Back in and Garcia cranks on the leg some more but Ku reverses into a failed choke attempt. They trade leapfrogs and shoulders with Ku getting the better of things so Garcia elbows him in the face. A backsplash gives Garcia two and he suplexes Ku into an armbar. Garcia hiptosses him for two and it’s time to crank on Ku’s arm a bit more. Ku finally fights back and unloads with shots to the face for a breather. Garcia hammers away with shots to the back, so Ku sits down to give him a free kick.

Back up and they trade clotheslines for a double knockdown and a needed breather. Ku wins a strike off and hits a snapdragon but Garcia dropkicks him into the corner and out to the floor. Back in and more grappling sets up Garcia’s piledriver for two. Garcia puts him on top but Ku reverses a belly to back superplex into a crossbody. A doctor bomb plants Garcia and we hit the half crab. That’s broken up as well and Garcia grabs a Sharpshooter to retain at 17:45.

Rating: B-. The extra time helped a lot here but they never hit a higher gear that it seemed they were shooting for. Neither really stood out all that much so while they beat the heck out of each other, it was still a good match and, in theory, a solid main event. Garcia looked slightly better than Ku, but they both did rather well in a match that got some extra time.

Post match Garcia says he’s the best and he just proved it again. Now he wants the Independent Wrestling TV Title.

A Very Good Professional Wrestling Team vs. Downey’s Drinking Team

Lucha rules and this would be Daniel Makabe/Tre LaMar/Wheeler Yuta/A Very Good Professional Wrestler vs. Dan Champion/Jigsaw/Lucky 13/Arik Cannon). They take their time getting ready and it’s Jigsaw, who has been out of wrestling for a bit, vs. Yuta to get things going. They trade armbars to start until Jigsaw puts on a rather nasty Gory Stretch. With that broken up, the rather large Champion comes in to shove Yuta around so Yuta gets in a few kicks to the ribs.

Champion muscles him up for a delayed vertical suplex so Yuta bails to the floor. That means Very Good can come in and escape Champion’s suplex, setting up some kind of freaky leglock. That’s broken up with a roll over so Cannon comes in to work on Very Good’s arm. Very Good reverses into an abdominal stretch and then a backslide for two, followed by a knee to the face.

Cannon connects with a neckbreaker to the floor, meaning Makabe can come in to go after some limbs. Makabe cranks on the leg but gets reversed into a hammerlock. That’s reversed into a nasty leglock with Makabe spinning around to twist the knee. A rope is grabbed so Makabe punches him out to the floor, allowing Lucky to come in and strike away. Lucky trips him down and kicks him in the face to send it outside. That means LaMar can come in and pick up the pace, including a kick to Lucky’s face.

Everything breaks down and it’s time for a bunch of people to get together and….not hit a triple suplex. Hold on though as Champion says it’s time for beers, which he has purchased at the bar. Drinking ensues so LaMar goes at them with a flip dive, which only kind of connects. Back in and Lucky has to avoid Makabe’s charge, allowing the rest of Lucky’s team to come in and crush Makabe in the corner.

Very Good is back in with a running sitout powerbomb for two on Lucky, who is right back with a suplex into the corner. Jigsaw comes back in to rapid fire kicks to LaMar for two of his own. Champion has to save Jigsaw from Makabe’s Cattle Mutilation and lays Makabe down with a TKO. Very Good tags himself in though and cradles Champion for the pin at 14:40.

Rating: C. Yeah they really should have swapped the last two matches because this wasn’t going to top the pretty good title match. It was another wild match with all kinds of stuff going on, which is only going to get you so far. It’s hard to stand out in something like this and no one really did for the most part. What we got was fun, but I was more confused by the fact that the show was continuing than anything else.

Very Good poses on his own to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I never know how to grade these things because there is so much going on and nothing really connecting the matches. There is enough here to keep you entertaining though and it clocked in at less than two hours and twenty minutes. There is nothing on here than you need to see, but for a very easy and light show without anything that goes too nuts, you will be fine watching this. You don’t need to watch both volumes as neither really surpasses the other, but this was good enough for a quick watch.

 

 

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