Ring Of Honor TV – March 9, 2023: It’s An Upgrade

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 9, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still on the first taping of this new show so things are likely to look like they did last week. The wrestling itself was pretty good, but the length of the show was quite the drag. They did offer something big at the end with Eddie Kingston showing up to challenge Claudio Castagnoli, so there is at least a path forward in the main event. Let’s get to it.

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

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Tony Deppen

Joe is defending and works on the wrist to start. For some reason Deppen strikes away, earning himself a beating in the corner. Deppen fights back though and hits a running corner dropkick. A knee gives Deppen two more but Joe Rock Bottoms him out of the corner. Joe blasts him with a clothesline though and the MuscleBuster retains the title at 5:26.

Rating: C+. Deppen was trying and they had the action going, but Joe isn’t about to lose to someone who has only made infrequent appearances in his first defense on this show. Joe doesn’t really need to get built up in Ring of Honor again but breaking a bit of a sweat against a former champion is a good thing. Now just get Joe a more serious challenger and we could be getting somewhere.

Post match Joe says that he always runs this place no matter what happens around here. If anyone wants a title shot, come see the champ. Cue Mark Briscoe (good call) to say that title is his destiny, with Joe saying bring it.

Dalton Castle and the Boys want the Six Man Tag Team Titles back. They’ve been moving furniture all weekend and want to face the Embassy. Castle: “Show them your teeth boys!” I have no idea why the Six Man Titles need to exist.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Marcus Kross/Cody Chhun/Guillermo Rosas

Chhun and Rosas are collectively known as C4. Castle and Cross poke each other in the chest to start, with Castle actually being knocked to the floor. The Boys fan him up before one…puts him in a full nelson and the other hits him in the stomach? I guess that is training of some sort as Castle goes back inside to wrestle Rosas down.

Brent comes in for a dropkick (the fans approve) and it’s time to go after Rosas’ knee. Rosas drives him into the corner though and it’s Chhun coming in for a dropkick into a suplex. Brent enziguris Kross though and Castle comes back in to start the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Boys are thrown outside for the crashes (that’s always cool). Back in and the Bang A Rang finishes Rosas at 5:30.

Rating: C. Just a squash here with Castle and the Boys proving that they are ready for the Six Man Tag Team Title shot. I’m not sure who else would get the shot, but the idea of throwing three people with little in common together would not be out of the question. Castle and the Boys are a fun team and crowd favorites, so this was a smart addition to the show.

Maria Kanellis introduces the OGK (Matt Taven/Mike Bennett) who say they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles. Maria: “We are the OGK but you can call us the Kingdom.” Or you could just pick one, preferably the Kingdom.

Angelico/Serpentico vs. Rush/Dralistico

Luther is here with Angelico/Serpentico, collectively known as the Spanish Announce Project and Jose the Assistant is with Rush/Dralistico. Rush isn’t interested in a handshake with Angelico as we are officially ready to go. They trade legsweeps into covers for no counts and it’s an early standoff.

Serpentico comes in to chop away at Rush for no avail before Dralistico comes in to take him down. Rush’s running splash in the corner sets up a pair of basement dropkicks to send Serpentico outside as the beating is on. The means a big flip dive from Dralistico and the Tranquilo pose from Rush. Angelico gets whipped with an electrical cord on the floor and Serpentico is draped over the top rope for a legdrop in a painful looking crash.

The double teaming continues until Rush accidentally knocks Dralistico off the apron. Serpentico gets knocked out of the air but Angelico breaks up the Bull’s Horns. With Angelico knocked outside, Dralistico hits a springboard spinning Canadian Destroyer to finish Serpentico at 9:16.

Rating: C. That was a pretty long squash as Dralistico and Rush were never in any real danger. They could wind up being a solid team around here as Rush has the World Title credentials and Dralistico looked good in a bit of a showcase here. Angelico and Serpentico did well as cannon fodder, but that’s all they were.

Post match Dralistico and Rush take Serpentico’s mask.

Trish Adora vs. Billie Starkz

Starkz is an 18 year old prodigy. Adora works on the arm to start and powers Starkz down without much trouble. Starkz gets knocked outside and dropped onto the apron before Adora la majistrals her for two back inside. A delayed bridging German suplex gets two and Adora grabs Cattle Mutilation, with Starkz having to go to the ropes. Starkz gets in a kick to the face but walks into a pump kick for two. They trade running shots to the face and then the big forearms until Starkz lands another kick. That doesn’t seem to matter as the Lariat Tubman (what a great name) finishes for Adora at 5:41.

Rating: C+. This was another near squash as Starkz only got in a few shots while Adora was running her over for the most part. Adora is someone who felt like she was ready to become a breakout star in the original Ring Of Honor, but the women’s division wasn’t nearly strong enough to make that work. The dominance was on strong here and it was already better than most of what Ring Of Honor’s women did in the past.

Christopher Daniels talks about his success around here and wants to win the Tag Team Titles with his new partner….Matt Sydal. Cue Sydal, who is willing to die flying or die trying. That feels like a “we have nothing else for these two to do” and that isn’t a bad thing.

Jake Crist/Jake Manning vs. Trustbusters

Yes the Trustbusters (with Mark Sterling) are back and no I don’t get it either. Manning is the Man Scout, which is like a Boy Scout but….I think you get the idea. Daivari throws Manning’s scout manual (which he reads during matches) outside and brings Manning into the corner for the tag off to Slim J. The Trustbusters start the alternating beatdowns but it’s off to Crist for a springboard forearm. Manning comes back in to hammer on Daivari but J gets in a cheap shot from the apron. The STF makes Manning tap at 2:55. At least it was short.

Post match Ari Daivari brags about beating Metalik on his own last week but Metalik runs in. That earns him a beatdown of his own but Blake Christian makes the save.

Pure Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Timothy Thatcher

Yuta is defending and has to use a rope break to escape the Fujiwara armbar less than ten seconds in. They fight over arm control on the mat with Thatcher taking over and slamming the fingers into the mat for two. Yuta reverses into an Octopus and Thatcher has to use his first rope break as well. The armbar keeps Thatcher down and a middle rope flying armbar makes it worse.

Back up and Thatcher manages a belly to belly but Yuta is right back with another armbar. Thatcher’s second rope break gets him out of trouble so they trade uppercuts for a change. Thatcher uppercuts him into the corner but gets punched off the ropes, earning an official warning (one more punch and he’s disqualified).

Another armbar sends Thatcher to the rope again and this time he pulls Yuta into the keylock, sending him to the ropes as well. A belly to back gives Thatcher two and he knees away at Yuta’s back, sending him to the ropes for the final break. So now holds and pins in the ropes are legal so Thatcher stomps him to the floor. With the referee holding Thatcher back, Yuta hits him in the face again and slaps on an armbar in the ropes to retain at 12:40.

Rating: B-. This match stood out as it had the talent, the intensity and the different feeling from everything else on the show. Thatcher was doing more stuff here but Yuta cheated just enough to retain the title. The Pure Title isn’t the best thing going in Ring Of Honor but Yuta does well enough to make it work. Giving him an opponent like Thatcher was a guaranteed hit and they delivered.

Post match Yuta complains about the LA Dojo so here is Clark Connors to say the Blackpool Combat Club wished they trained under Katsuyori Shibata (the Dojo’s head trainer). Connors issues the challenge for a title match next week and Yuta is in.

Aussie Open vs. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus

Titus wrestles Fletcher to the mat to start and it’s Williams coming in to scare Fletcher over for the tag to Davis. A few shots to Davis’ arm seem to wake him up enough to kick Titus in the face and the Aussies take over. Fletcher comes in for a rather delayed suplex, which he passes over to Davis for the actual drop on Titus. A missed charge lets Titus roll over Davis and bring in Williams to clean house.

The piledriver is blocked but everything breaks down, with the Aussies being sent outside. That’s fine with them, as they pick up Titus and Williams for a hard ram together. Back in and Williams gets planted to give Fletcher two but Williams is fine enough to pull Davis into a Crossface.

Titus adds a half crab on Fletcher at the same time but the Aussies go to the ropes to escape. There’s a belly to belly to drop Fletcher and a lariat gets two, with Davis having to make the save. Williams adds a top rope splash for two on Fletcher but he’s back with a spinning Tombstone. Davis pulls Titus from the mat up into a piledriver (that was awesome) and the Coriolis finishes Williams at 10:22.

Rating: B. Now this was a fun one as they cranked up the intensity here with one hot sequence after another. The Aussies needed a win and putting them over some former Ring Of Honor champions worked well. Williams always felt like someone who could move up to the next level and Titus seems to get better every time he’s out there. Very energized match and I had a lot of fun with it.

Respect is shown post match, but the Aussies don’t seem to mean it.

Eddie Kingston vs. Ben Dejo

Suplex and spinning Backfist To The Future finish for Kingston at 40 seconds.

Post match Kingston calls out Claudio Castagnoli to answer his challenge. Cue Castagnoli to say a man without honor will never be champion. Castagnoli leaves and we see Kingston giving chase backstage.

Willow Nightingale isn’t just here to be happy because she wants Athena’s Women’s Title.

Athena isn’t worried about Nightingale and the title isn’t going anywhere.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale is challenging and I would have bet on this one taking place at Supercard Of Honor. They fight over wrist control to start with Athena throwing her down and posing. Nightingale is back with a running crossbody for two and Two Amigos into a fisherman’s suplex. Athena gets sent to the apron, where she snaps the arm over the ropes, allowing her to kick Nightingale down.

More kicks let Athena pose again and we hit the seated armbar. They trade rollups for two each until Athena hammers her down. The running baseball slide sends Willow outside, where Athena sends her face first into the steps. Willow’s arm gets crushed in the steps but she still beats the count back in. the running hurricanrana is countered into an apron bomb though and a Death Valley Driver plants Athena on the floor.

Both of them make it back in at 18 (out of 20) and a spinebuster gives Nightingale two. The arm gives out on the doctor bomb though and Athena grabs a crossface. Make that the Fujiwara armbar, which Willow reverses into a rollup for two. Athena plants her for two more and the kickout leaves her panicking. The Pounce sends Athena flying and the doctor bomb gets two more. Athena bails up the ramp, where she grabs a Wasteland to knock Willow silly. Back in and the O Face retains the title at 14:47.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and the fans were way into it rather quickly, as Willow is as likable as you can get and Athena is starting to feel it as a villain. They had me thinking they might change the title here and maybe that is what they should have done. I’m not sure why Willow got the shot here and lost, as she could be built up as a potential new star in the division, including as the champion. Also, why not wait to do this at Supercard? Unless they’re running this back, I don’t know how much sense it made here, even as a rather good main event.

Post match Athena sends her arm first into the steps.

Overall Rating: B. Much better show this week as it was a bit shorter (about 15 minutes) and they kept things moving. The action was better as well, with a mixture of different kinds of things up and down the card. Three title matches is a bit much, but the TV Title defense was hardly a big deal.

The show is still too long though and that is going to get them in trouble when the matches aren’t as good. It’s ok to spread this stuff out a bit, but that has long, long since been one of the major problems with Tony Khan’s booking style. For now though, it’s an upgrade over last week, but I’m curious about how the second taping will go.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Tony Deppen – MuscleBuster
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Marcus Kross/Cody Chhun/Guillermo Rosas – Bang A Rang to Rosas
Rush/Dralistico b. Angelico/Serpentico – Springboard spinning Canadian Destroyer to Serpentico
Trish Adora b. Billie Starkz – Lariat Tubman
Trustbusters b. Jake Manning/Jake Crist – STF to Manning
Wheeler Yuta b. Timothy Thatcher – Armbar in the ropes
Aussie Open b. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus – Coriolis to Williams
Eddie Kingston b. Ben Dejo – Spinning Backfist To The Future

 

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Dark: Elevation – January 30, 2023 (100th Episode): It’s Not Bad

Dark: Elevation
Date: January 30, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Matt Menard, Paul Wight

It’s the 100th edition of the show and I happened to be in the house for it so let’s take a look at this show. Thankfully this is now just the series of dark matches before Dynamite and not the insane marathon sessions this/Dark had back in the day. If nothing else we should get a nice main event so let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the middle deck for this show with the big screen on my right. Traffic did cause me to miss the first ten or so minutes though.

Red Velvet vs. Billie Starkz

Velvet takes her down without much effort but Starkz is back with a German suplex. It wasn’t quite as good as the commentators made it seem, as Velvet Iconoclasms her off the top for two. A kick to the face out of the corner rocks Velvet again but Velvet hits a running knee to the back. Starkz tiger suplexes her for two and a Swanton is good for the same. Velvet is right back with a poisonrana into the Final Slice for the pin at 3:18.

Rating: C. Starkz impressed while she had the chance and that German suplex was pretty good. I can see why she has the hype that she has been receiving at this point in her career, though she needs something to set her apart. Velvet seems likely to be fed to Jade Cargill soon, because that is a feud the world has been waiting to see wrapped up.

Athena takes over her own interview as she looks for a tag partner for tonight. Diamante (with Athena being reminded of her name) will do, with Athena offering a future title shot in exchange for a win. That’s enough for Diamante.

Workhorsemen vs. Dark Order

John Silver and Alex Reynolds, with Evil Uno, for the Order here. Silver and Henry start things off with Silver running him over without much trouble. Drake comes in with a slingshot hilo on Silver and a falling headbutt gets two. Silver manages to roll away from Henry though and it’s off to Reynolds to clean house. A tiger driver gets two on Henry but he’s back up with a flipping faceplant. Drake kicks Reynolds in the face but accidentally gets dropkicked by Henry. That’s enough for a series of strikes to Henry, setting up the cutter into the German suplex into the flipping rollup to give Reynolds the pin at 4:23.

Rating: C. The Dark Order have settled into a nice role: the team who is there to do nothing more than fire up the crowd in a pretty nothing match. That is a valuable piece to have and what is left of the team plays it well. Just don’t try to make them too serious and everything should work out well for them.

Rush vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

I had forgotten Pillman Jr. was still here. Rush chops away to start and rakes the eyes over the top for a bonus. A hard right hand sends Pillman outside, with commentary getting to talk about the new barricades. Preston Vance gets in a few cheap shots and Rush is able to kick away at Pillman’s head back inside. Pillman actually wins a strike off and hits a dropkick, only to get knocked into the corner. The Bull’s Horns finishes Pillman at 4:06.

Rating: C. This show is already getting into a funk of having matches on a similar level over and over. This one at least had some more star power to it, as Rush certainly feels like a big deal, even if he hasn’t really done much around here. Pillman Jr…..dang I just don’t know what happened. He felt like he had the potential and it just never took off. It still could, but he might need to go somewhere else and build himself up first.

Post match Rush whips him with an electrical cord and bends Pillman’s arm.

Diamante/Athena vs. Yuka Sakazaki/Skye Blue

Madison Rayne is here with Blue/Sakazaki. Diamante runs Sakazaki over to start but Sakazaki pops up with a sliding lariat for two. The camera goes a bit nuts for a second as Blue comes in and headscissors Athena into the corner. A Diamante distraction lets Athena knock Blue off the top though and Athena pats Diamante on the head.

The villains take turns suplexing Blue until she kicks Athena away for the hot tag. Sakazaki gets to clean house, including a missile dropkick to Athena. Everything breaks down and Athena powerbombs Sakazaki. Back up and Sakazaki hits Diamante in the face, setting up a spinning armtrap faceplant for the pin at 7:08.

Rating: C+. They had some more time with this one and it helped let them flesh things out a bit. Sakazaki is a ball of energy and Blue has come a long way in her time around here. At the same time, Athena is growing into her heel role rather well and I’m curious to see how far she can take it after her previous pushes have stalled so often.

Top Flight vs. Ari Daivari/Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Daivari and Nese and offers free soap to everyone here. There is allegedly a bar of soap under their seat, but everyone who checks is declared guilty of breaking Kentucky’s showering laws. Darius dropkicks Nese down to start as we hear about Sterling’s toy podcast. Dante comes in with a slingshot hilo but Nese gets in a cheap shot from behind.

The springboard moonsault gives Nese two on Darius and the villains double team him down in the corner. A double hurricanrana is enough to get Darius over for the tag though and everything breaks down. Dante and Darius both hit big flip dives but the Nose Dive is countered back inside. Instead it’s a Dominator/sliding cutter for two on Dante but he is right back up with the Nose Dive for the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C+. This was another fun one as Top Flight continues to rack up wins. I could see the team getting somewhere in AEW and a title reign is not out of the question. The fact that they went from little more than an ok team to one of the most entertaining acts around. Go with that and have them do their thing here and there.

Yuka Sakazaki is asked about Athena but the Dark Order comes in to offer her a spot on the team. She says “hai” (yes in Japanese) but they don’t quite get it and leave.

Kings Of The Black Throne vs. Turbo Floyd/Truth Magnum

Floyd and Magnum have rather toothpaste colored gear. Black spins Magnum around to start and has a seat to wait on him, much to Magnum’s shock. Turbo and King come in, with King chopping away at Floyd and Magnum. Everything breaks down and the toss over the shoulder piledriver finishes for King at 2:52. The House Of Black is getting a bigger and bigger reaction every week. They’re going to be turned face sooner than later at this rate.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Blake Christian.

Castagnoli is defending and runs Christian over to start. A shot to the face drops Christian again but he manages to knock Castagnoli outside. That’s fine with the champ, who drops Christian chest first onto the apron. Back in and Castagnoli is not looking worried but an attempt at a Samoan drop changes things.

Christian gets a boot up in the corner though and Castagnoli gets kicked down. With Castagnoli on the apron, Christian cuts him down with a spear and adds a top rope double stomp for two back inside. Back in and Castagnoli tries the Swing but gets rolled up for two. Christian hits a springboard 450 for two but gets pulled into a powerbomb. The Swing makes Christian tap at 7:17.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t a classic but Castagnoli let Christian get in some nice stuff near the end. Castagnoli is one of the better things that AEW has been doing as of late, especially with the Ring Of Honor World Title not being the focus so often. Christian is someone who has looked good during his appearances so we should be in for something good when he gets to stick around.

Overall Rating: C+. This is another one of those shows that is almost entirely wrestling rather than advancing any stories. That makes a lot of sense as ultimately, it is the second internet show that AEW produces every week and it doesn’t mean much. For about an hour of action a week though, it is about as harmless as it could go, which is at least one way to go. This show was far from great and it’s still too long, but getting the stars out there to do something is better than having them sit at home. Pretty good show here.

Results
Red Velvet b. Billie Starkz – Final Slice
Dark Order b. Workhorsemen – Rollup to Henry
Rush b. Brian Pillman Jr. – Bull’s Horns
Yuka Sakazaki/Skye Blue b. Diamante/Athena – Spinning armtrap faceplant to Diamante
Top Flight b. Ari Daivari/Tony Nese – Nose Dive to Nese
Kings Of The Black Throne b. Turbo Floyd/Truth Magnum – Toss over the shoulder piledriver to Floyd
Claudio Castagnoli b. Blake Christian – Swing

 

 

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Texas Till I Die: Once More, With Feeling!

Texas Till I Die
Date: April 3, 2022
Location: St. Jude Hall, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Chris Russo, Sammy Cassel

This is from New Texas Pro, which as you might guess is a local Texas promotion which ran some events over Wrestlemania XXXVIII weekend. I’m not sure what to expect from this show but there are some talented names on the card. Shows like this can go in a few different ways and hopefully this one works out well. Let’s get to it.

As you might have gathered, I don’t follow the promotion so I apologize for not knowing plot or character points.

Hyan vs. Billie Starkz

For the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title. They hit stereo pump kicks to start and that means it’s already time for a standoff. Starks sends her outside and yells at a lot of empty seats, allowing Hyan to get back up for her own dive. Back in and Hyan rolls her down into a cravate for some knees to the face. A half crab with a boot on the back of Starkz’ head makes it even worse and it’s off to an armbar.

Back up and Hyan plants her with a Wasteland for two and we hit the chinlock. Starkz fights up and hits a kick to the head of her own. They slug it out for a double knockdown but Hyan blocks a third Amigo. Hyan hits a running knee in the corner to set up a Falcon Arrow for two but Starkz rolls her up for the same. A Gory Bomb and Swanton give Starkz two each, only to have Hyan pull her into something like a crucifix with both arms cranked back for the tap at 9:35.

Rating: C. Not bad for a starter and Hyan seems like a fairly polished star. Starkz is someone who has been around the indies for a bit now and has potential but still needs some work and experience to sharpen the edges. Not a great match, but they didn’t do anything horrible and it had enough energy.

Respect is shown post match.

Tag Team Titles: Fly Def vs. JJ Blake/Cam Cole

Fly Def (Warren Johnson/Zack Mason) is challenging. Mason drives Blake into the corner to start and it’s quickly off to Cole. Johnson dropkicks him down for two but Cole grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Cole gets his neck snapped across the top to put him back in trouble, setting up a slingshot elbow for two. Cole gets launched into the corner, where Blake is fine enough to not tag in.

Blake is willing to come in for an assist on a double clothesline and a neckbreaker gives Cole two. Back up and Mason grabs a German suplex on Blake, who cuts him off with a quick front facelock. As you might have guessed, Mason powers over for the tag but the referee is distracted, meaning the beating continues (that will always work and I love it). A Demolition Decapitator (with a knee instead of an elbow) gets two on Mason and we hit the one arm camel clutch.

Mason finally fights out and kicks Cole away, allowing the hot tag off to Johnson to start cleaning house. A sitout bulldog gives Johnson two but Cole comes in to cut him off. Cole hits a frog splash for two and a not very good looking Big Rig gets a delayed two. Everything breaks down again and a pair of running shots in the corner rock Blake.

A spinning high crossbody into a top rope splash gets two with Cole making a rather last minute save. What looks to be a Tower of Doom winds up as a sitout powerbomb to Cole, leaving Blake to get caught in a Gory Bomb/middle rope Codebreaker (doesn’t work so well but nice concept) for the pin and the titles at 13:16.

Rating: B-. I like Fly Def, but this one went on too long and the champs were in over their heads. This needed to wrap up a few saves earlier and the extra stuff didn’t really make it better. The title change is nice and Fly Def was a good enough young team, but the lack of audience noise is making this show a bit weird to watch, especially in a longer match like this one.

ASF vs. Stephen Wolf

That’s short for Antonio San Francisco. Feeling out process to start as Wolf takes him down in a front facelock with commentary talking about Wolf recovering from a horrible neck injury/surgery. ASF slips out of a rollup for two and we’re up to a standoff. Another takedown attempt is cut off by a standing backflip flip from ASF so Wolf tries a springboard wristdrag….which gets so high that he gets his feet caught in some of the drapes above the ring.

You don’t see anything like that happen very often and since Wolf is fine, ASF slips out of a powerbomb attempt and kicks him to the floor. There’s the big running flip dive to drop Wolf on the floor but he’s fine enough to avoid a 450 back inside. The Death Valley Driver into the corner gives Wolfe two and we hit the chinlock. ASF slips out and hits a springboard Sling Blade, with commentary possibly implying that was a bit more flippy than necessary.

Back up and Wolf kicks him in the face, setting up a running shooting star press for two. ASF isn’t going to be outdone with a Death Valley Driver of his own into a basement dropkick. A series of strikes from ASF looks to set up a handspring but Wolf grabs a sliding cutter (cool) for two more. Wolf misses a moonsault though and the 450 gives ASF the pin at 10:03.

Rating: C+. They had a bit of time here and while this was a very indy feeling style match with a bunch of flips and dives, it was entertaining enough to keep me interested in two guys I have barely heard of before. For a ten minute match on this kind of show, it worked out perfectly well.

Commentary compliments ASF’s…..cover. That’s a pretty rare one. Respect is shown as well.

Cole Radrick vs. Aaron Mercer

Radrick has been decent in the few matches I’ve seen from him before. We get a bit of a tentative handshake and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start and they trade some chops, with both of them standing still to maximize the shots. Mercer chops him so hard that blood is trickling down Radrick’s chest (dang) and a running kick to said chest gives Mercer two.

They head outside with Radrick being sent hard into the barricade to keep him in trouble. Back in and they strike it out with Radrick knocking him down for two of his own. Mercer gets knocked to the apron and grabs a triangle choke over the ropes. With that broken up, they slug it out again with Radrick getting the better of things until a running shot to the face cuts him off. Radrick gets caught with another right hand on the top and it’s Nigel McGuinness’ old Tower of London to give Mercer the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C. I’m still not big on the “you hit me and then I’ll hit you” stuff and there wasn’t much here besides that. I don’t know if Radrick was a bit tired after wrestling so much this weekend, but this didn’t exactly catch fire. Granted it doesn’t help when you are having a cold match in front of a small crowd so there is only so much that you can get going.

Post match Radrick grabs a mic and puts Mercer over. He thanks the fans for coming out and shakes Mercer’s hand, apparently finally getting to meet him.

Heather Monroe vs. Shazza McKenzie

This is McKenzie’s New Texas Pro debut. Monroe has a large fan (as in one she holds in her hand) and quite the feather boa so she’s more than a bit over the top. McKenzie cranks on the arm to start and takes it to the mat with an armbar. Monroe can’t get a Figure Four so McKenzie headlock takeovers her down. A running dropkick puts Monroe in the corner and a running shot to the face makes it worse.

Monroe is able to take her to the floor by the knee (egads) and makes fun of McKenzie’s face, which was damaged by Maven (yes that Maven, because there can be only one) over the weekend. Back in and something close to a dragon sleeper keeps McKenzie in trouble, setting up a running hip attack in the corner to make it worse. A double stomp to the back out of the corner gives Monroe two but McKenzie manages a knockdown of her own.

They’re both down for a bit, followed by a strike off. McKenzie ties her in the ropes for the rapid fire kicks to the chest and a high crossbody gets two. Monroe is fine enough to grab a half dragon suplex and a basement superkick connects for two more. They strike it out again until McKenzie hits a splits Stunner and goes up. The middle rope sunset flip is countered though and Monroe sits down and grabs the rope for the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. McKenzie is someone who feels like she should be ready to become a top star but never breaks through for whatever reason. You could definitely tell she had some more polish here than a lot of the other stars on the show and she did a nice job of putting over Monroe. Nice enough match here, and McKenzie still feels like she could have a lot of potential.

Six Shooter Challenge

This is a six person match with timed intervals, but a pin or submission can win the match at any time, even if everyone isn’t in yet. There is a two minute interval for the first two entrants and one minute intervals after that, with the winner gets a future title match. I’d assume six entrants but you never can tell with these things. At least it isn’t everyone at once though, with Max Heights (whose Lone Star Title isn’t on the line) in at #1 and Izzy James is in at #2.

Heights gets rolled up to start and bails to the floor for a quick breather. Back in and Heights gets some rollups of his own until he drops James pretty hard onto his shoulder. James pulls a springboard dive out of the air and grabs a Sharpshooter but Rudy Garza is in at #3 for the save. Garza snaps off Three Amigos on Heights, who is right back with a high crossbody to take both of them down. Sky de Lacrimosa (the Texas Chasinsaw, who has no chainsaw) with Cousin Otis, is in at #4 and knocks Garza out of the air.

There’s a Rock Bottom out of the corner to take out James but all three get on the monster. That doesn’t work very well and it’s Jerome Daniel Griffey (Dr. Sleep, who looks like an MMA fighter) in at #5 to go after Sky as well. Griffey gets to clean house and it’s a quadruple sleeper until T Ray is in at #6 to complete the field. It’s Griffey getting in Ray’s face, earning himself a quick T (F) 5 for two, with a group save needed.

Ray shrugs that off and sends them into the corner for some running clotheslines. A running hurricanrana drops Sky and a powerbomb gets two on Heights. Ray is knocked outside for a big flip dive from Heights, leaving Griffey to muscle Sky over for a suplex. Garza takes Griffey down but Ray is back in with a T5 to Garza….but Heights comes in to steal the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C. I liked the staggered entrances deal but yeah this was just another scramble match and nothing more. Heights seems like a good villain, but there is only so much to be gathered from a match with six people over ten minutes. T Ray felt like a good monster and Sky is probably going to be a threat to multiple people around here, but find a better way to showcase them than throwing everyone in at once.

Heights immediately runs off in a smart move.

Women’s Title: Raychell Rose vs. Willow Nightingale

Rose is defending and gets powered away to start. Nightingale’s headlock is broken up and they go to the grappling for a change. Back up and Nightingale flips to the middle of the ring for some quick dancing. Nightingale manages Two Amigos before the third is countered into a small package for two.

A fisherman’s buster plants Rose for two but she’s right back to work on Nightingale’s leg in the corner. The leg cranking stays on in the middle of the ring before a running knee in the corner rocks Nightingale again. Nightingale quickly fights out of a chinlock and scores with a heck of a clothesline for a double knockdown.

The clothesline comeback is on, setting up a spinebuster to give Nightingale two. There’s the Pounce into a Cannonball in the corner for two but Rose knocks her off the top. Rose’s spear connects for two but Nightingale knocks her off the top as well. Rose goes right back to the leg and a running knee to the back of the head (ala Adam Cole’s Last Shot) retains the title at 10:12.

Rating: C+. Nightingale is such fun to watch but she didn’t get to do as much of her thing here. She has so much charisma and it is so easy to like her so having her around helped a lot. Other than that, Rose was fine as a champion for Nightingale to go after, making this a perfectly fine title match.

Mysterious Q vs. Davey Richards

For a future New Japan Pro Title match. Feeling out process to start with Richards getting him down by the arm. An exchange of cradles gets two each and Richards takes a quick breather on the floor. Richards comes back in and kicks him down to set up the chinlock. With that not working, Richards kicks away at the arm before cranking away at it in various painful looking ways.

They head outside where Q cuts off the big kick to the chest, only to have Richards take out the leg again back inside. A running dropkick to the knee sets up the Figure Four, which Q turns over to send Richards to the rope. Richards is fine enough to kick him down again as commentary wonders why Q can’t get anything going. Back up and Q grabs a release German suplex, followed by the Q Cutter for a delayed two.

A dragon screw legwhip over the rope lets Richards go up, where he misses the double stomp. Richards instead grabs an Indian Deathlock to send Q bailing to the ropes again. They slug it out until Q’s handspring kick to the face is countered into an ankle lock. That’s broken up so Richards kicks him down and hits the top rope double stomp for two. A brainbuster gets two more so we hit the ankle lock again, which Q reverses into a cradle for the pin out of nowhere at 15:48.

Rating: B-. In case you were wondering, no, Richards has not gained the ability to show emotion or do much beyond striking people rather hard. I know he has an audience and some people are into this stuff, but I’ve never been a fan and Q didn’t get in much here, with even commentary acknowledging it. Q has a good look and some size, but this wasn’t a good showcase of him because of all the Richards dominance.

Respect is shown post match to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where the wrestling was pretty good for the most part but it was such a dry event that I was dreading watching most of it. Maybe it was the small crowd and venue, but there was almost nothing on here that would make me want to watch more from the promotion. There was no emotion here at all and it felt like a show that could be done better by other promotions. That doesn’t make it feel special, but rather just kind of there.

 

 

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Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Night Two: The Greatest Clusterf……Hey It’s My 8000th Review!

Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Night Two
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Kevin Gill

It’s the second half of the show and in this case, it needs to get a pretty big upgrade over the first half. Night one was a decent enough show, but it wasn’t memorable, which is the point of a show like this. Now that being being said, this show is built around the Clusterf*** Battle Royal, which could be quite the mess. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

We open with Joey Janela talking about beating Sean Waltman last night and wanting his flowers. He wonders why the fans hate him now but Spring Break needs a lethal dose of poison to turn it back into what it is supposed to be. This year, he is entering the Clusterf*** so he can end it once and for all. Maybe just don’t run it then?

Matt Cardona vs. Chris Dickinson

Chelsea Green is here with Cardona, who is currently the king, meaning yes he does have a Macho King crown. Green gets in an ALL HAIL THE DEATHMATCH KING and the fans are all over Cardona again. Cardona insults GCW and says they are the power couple of wrestling. Six years ago, he won the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania, but now he’s in this piece of garbage ring. If he was in WWE, like he should be, he would be celebrating his friend Mark Calaway, who he will see in the Hall of Fame one day.

Dickinson comes out with….MISSY HYATT to even things out, which is one of those names that makes this show feel fun. Both pairs share good luck kisses before the match, with Hyatt’s leaving Dickinson woozy. Dickinson wrestles him to the mat to start but Cardona is up to yell at Hyatt. That doesn’t work well for Dickinson, who grabs a cross armbreaker to send Cardona bailing to the floor.

Back in and Green grabs Dickinson’s foot for a distraction so Cardona can stomp away. After throwing his shirt at Hyatt, Cardona chokes with the wrist tape and then his hand for a bonus. The running forearm drops Dickinson again and a neckbreaker gives Cardona two. It’s already door time but Cardona spends too much time mocking the crowd, allowing Dickinson to backdrop him through the door in the corner.

The slugout is on with Cardona going to the eyes, only to get blasted with a running clothesline. The brainbuster gives Dickinson two but Green offers a distraction, allowing Cardona to nail a spear for two. Missy finally grabs Cardona’s boot and slaps Green, allowing Dickinson to hit a Death Valley Driver for two of his own.

Green offers another distraction so Cardona can hit a low blow into the Rough Ryder for two. Now it’s Green coming in and hitting Cardona with Missy’s loaded purse by mistake, allowing Dickinson to clothesline her down. The toss Razor’s Edge is enough for Dickinson to pin both of them at once at 12:43.

Rating: C+. You really can see why the GCW fans can’t stand Cardona in this run as he is one of the most annoying and obnoxious heels you could want to see. He is playing up the idea of being a big shot and that is one of the best ways to get heat from anyone. Dickinson is a decent power guy and looked good here, though Missy kind of disappeared for large chunks of the match.

Biff Busick vs. Tony Deppen

Feeling out process to start with Deppen trying to go to the mat to little success. Back up and Busick goes to the armbar, which has Deppen bailing to the ropes. Busick chops the heck out of Deppen, whose chops back have no effect. They head outside with Busick uppercutting away but a chop only hits the post. With Busick trying to shake it off, Deppen hits a flip dive off the apron and they head back inside.

Busick is fine enough to knee him down and the figure four necklock sends Deppen to the ropes again. Back up and Busick gets a little more violent by holding Deppen in place for some slaps to the face. Deppen is smart enough to go after Busick’s bad hand but Busick hits a running uppercut to take him down again.

Busick misses a charge though and Deppen hits a suicide flip dive for two back inside. Back up and the slugout goes to Busick until Deppen goes for the hand and grabs a Kimura of all things. With that broken up, Busick wins another strike off but Deppen avoids a charge in the corner. A running knee finishes Busick at 11:40.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need two people to hit each other really hard and you got at least half of that here with Busick’s beating. Busick might not be a star in the making, but he’s an established hard hitter in the middle of the card and that should be enough to get him quite a few jobs. At the same time, you have Deppen as one of the better heels I’ve seen in a bit, as he is just straight up unlikable. Keep going with that and he’ll be fine.

Post match Deppen thanks Busick for the match but tells anyone who doesn’t believe in him what they can kiss.

Mike Bailey vs. Jordan Oliver

Bailey does his bow and they shake hands to start. Oliver does his pose so Bailey kicks him in the face and strikes away but Oliver is back up with chops of his own. Bailey’s leapfrog is countered into a faceplant and Oliver sends him outside for a big dive. Some kicks send Oliver through some chairs though and Bailey knees him in the chest.

Back in and Bailey kicks him in the chest for two, followed by the YES Kicks to make it worse. Bailey hits a running kick to the face in the corner and they strike it out again. Oliver snaps off a release German suplex and a sitout powerbomb for two but Bailey sends him outside. There’s the springboard moonsault to the floor and they strike it out on the apron.

Bailey gets the better of things and hits the moonsault knees, setting up the bouncing kicks back inside. The big kick to the head looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon but Oliver counters it with a cutter. A handspring cutter gets two so Oliver goes up, only to get pulled down with something like a One Winged Angel for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. As is usually the case with Bailey, the action was good but he continues to have such a punchable face that it is hard to get into his matches. The good thing here was he didn’t have the stupid no selling that drags down every good thing he does, making this slightly easier to watch than most of his matches. Oliver has come a long way but still has a good bit to go before he moves up to the next level.

Effy says he shouldn’t be here but tonight he’ll beat Minoru Suzuki, have his own show tomorrow, and then maybe he’ll come for some gold.

Effy vs. Minoru Suzuki

Allie Katch is here with Effy. They both stick their jaws out with offers of a free shot but Effy’s attempt at a kiss gets him slapped. Suzuki slaps him down and then a kick to the face puts Effy on the floor. They head outside with Effy telling him to chop as hard as he can. That’s fine with Suzuki, who mocks Effy’s return chops.

A big boot sends Effy through the chairs and Suzuki cranks on the arm back inside. Effy tries some forearms but gets dropped with a single one from Suzuki. Then Effy bites Suzuki’s nipple and northern lights suplexes him for two. The big kiss staggers Suzuki but it’s a slap to the face and the Gotch style piledriver to give Suzuki the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Effy’s stuff may or may not be your cup of tea but Suzuki more or less squashed him here in a match with little to no doubt about the outcome. Effy was doing little more than comedy here so it isn’t like there was much to get annoyed about. They were going for the “wouldn’t it be funny if these two wrestled” idea here and I’ve seen worse versions.

Greatest Clusterf***

So this is basically a Royal Rumble, but only in the very loosest of terms. There are no set time intervals and I don’t believe there is a set number of entrants. I’m not going to be able to keep track of all of the eliminations, as I’ve never seen a version of this where they are all announced. This is going to be about total chaos and some surprise entrants and nothing more. You can be eliminated by pinfall, submission, over the top, leaving the building and…death?

Joey Janela is in at #1 and Buff Bagwell is in at #2 for your first surprise. Granted Buff is on a crutch but he has the American Males theme so this could be a lot worse. Janela wants to strut with him but it’s a superkick to get rid of Buff very quickly. George Gatton, with an unidentified title, is in at #3 and it’s a superkick into a piledriver to get rid of him too. Judas Judd Cassidy (I think?) is in at #4 and gets thrown over the top just as fast.

Yoya is in at #5 and suplexes Janela but gets caught in a heck of a package piledriver for the pin. Billie Starkz is in at #6 and a Gory Bomb takes Janela down but he raises knees to block her Swanton. That’s it for Starkz and it’s Juicy Finau (a big guy) in at #7. Janela can’t suplex him so Finau does it to Janela instead and it’s the even larger Sam Stackhouse, in Bam Bam Bigelow inspired gear, in at #8.

That leaves Janela to get crushed in the corner by back to back splashes but Stackhouse misses an ugly moonsault. Janela tosses both of them and it’s Rhett Titus in at #9 as Janela keeps up his Brock Lesnar-esque run. Titus wrestles him down and hits the running boot in the corner until it’s the Invisible Man in at #10.

So we have the Invisible Man, Janela and Titus with Titus and the Man slugging it out. The Man gets the better of both of them but an elbow to the face lets Janela and Titus beat him down. A double suplex lets the two of them pose but Man is back with a double low blow. The Man throws out Titus but gets stomped down until Dante Leon is in at #11. They waste no time in the next entrant with Ninja Mack in at #12.

Leon and Mack are long time rivals so they pose at each other before superkicking Janela down. A shooting star piledriver drops Mack and it’s a sick looking Jimmy Lloyd in at #13. Janela and Lloyd put on masks and they rehash their Social Distancing match, meaning they punch from a safe distance. Mack isn’t having that and kicks Lloyd down, setting up the running flip dive to drop Janela on the floor. Back in and Lloyd runs Mack over for the pin and Early Morning Guy Steele is in at #14.

Steele doesn’t seem to know what he is doing and falls off the top as Janela and Lloyd watch from the middle of the ring. Then Steele gives them a running double Blockbuster and a Canadian Destroyer each. Then he goes up top for a 450 to Lloyd, only to get rolled up for the pin from Janela. That was a weird one and it’s Blake Christian in at #15. House is cleaned but the Invisible Man hits Christian low. That earns him a dropkick and it’s Kevin Blackwood in at #16.

Blackwood’s suplex gets two on Leon and stomps on Janela in the corner until Hoodfoot is in at #17. Hoodfoot and Blackwood slug it out until Slade is in at #18. Young Dumb And Broke (Charlie Tiger and Ellis Taylor) are in at #19 and #20, giving us Janela, Invisible Man, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Hoodfoot, Slade, Tiger and Taylor as this is far more organized than I was expecting. Everyone hits everyone until Deranged is in at #21 to clean house. With that going nowhere, Grim Reefer is in at #22 and has a smoke.

We now pause for everyone to partake, including Janela, who says he isn’t with AEW anymore and can do what he wants. Janela runs to the back (I don’t think he’s been eliminated but who can tell around here?) and Sandra Moone is in at #23. Reefer clotheslines her down and it’s Parrow in at #24. House is cleaned with Deranged and Reefer being eliminated almost immediately.

Big F’N Vin is in at #25 as Janela is having some Cheetos. Vin kicks Parrow out without much trouble as Janela wants to know his next spot. Nate Webb is in at #26 and comes through the crowd, who sings his theme music. Lloyd gets dropped by the Invisible Man, who hammers on Webb in the corner. Janela superkicks the Invisible Man though and tosses him out, much to the fans’ annoyance. Webb misses a charge and gets low bridged to the floor and Hoodfoot is tossed as well.

Shazza McKenzie is in at #27 and goes after Janela to start the beating. Janela gets in a shot to the face though and grabs a door, only to have McKenzie spear him through it. Janai Kai is in at #28 and Jazzy Yang (Jimmy Wang’s daughter) follows her at #29. The four women in the match stare each other down and it’s Edith Surreal in at #30. That gives us Janela, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Tiger, Ellis, Moone, Vin, McKenzie, Kai, Yang and Surreal, assuming I didn’t miss any random eliminations.

Dark Sheik, another woman, is in at #31 and we have a six woman showdown. Uh make that seven as LuFisto is in at #32. Some of the guys come in to go after the women, with Leon and Taylor being tossed out. The women all beat up Tiger and toss him out with Vin joining him. Then the women get into it, with Kai kicking out LuFisto. Moone is out as well and McKenzie hits a Stunner on Kai for the elimination. Janela comes back in to superkick McKenzie for the pin and it’s Maven of all people in at #33.

Everyone stops to look at him so Maven hits a bunch of dropkicks….and then walks out for an elimination. Fans: “THANK YOU MAVEN!” With everyone else pairing off, Sean Ross Sapp, yes the dirt sheet writer, is in at #34, drawing a WE WANT MELTZER chant. Sapp gets a mic and begs people to subscribe to Fightful Select so they can read about GCW wrestlers getting fired by AEW. Josh Barnett, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is in at #35 but fellow writer Denise Salcedo (not in the match) comes in to low blow Sapp and toss him out.

Nasty Leroy is in at #36 and Barnett blasts him with a clothesline as Jimmy Wang Yang is in at #37. Yang manages to take him down (not the prettiest but it worked) so Jazzy (remember, Yang’s daughter) comes in to grab the leg, which apparently counts as a submission to get rid of Barnett. Jazzy rolls up Lloyd for an elimination and it’s Alec Price in at #38. Price tosses Yang and dances a bit before getting kicked in the face by Jazzy. That’s enough for Price to toss her as well and it’s Cole Radrick in at #39.

Radrick and Price wind up on the apron and it’s a double elimination. Brandon Kirk is in at #40, giving us Janela, Christian, Blackwood, Slade, Surreal, Sheik, Leroy and Kirk (I think at least). Sheik hits Kirk low as we’re told Slade has left the building. Janela runs the ropes a lot until Lord Adrean (a Wal-Mart Guy) is in at #41. Adrean cleans house and Tombstones Kirk for the elimination, only to get Death Valley Drivered by Janela for another elimination. Kevin Matthews (you might remember him as KM in Impact) is in at #42 and stares it down with Leroy.

A not great looking Rock Bottom plants Matthews and a worse Rock Bottom sets up a leglock for the tap as Janela busts a gut laughing. Then Janela hits Leroy low and pins him and it’s Nick Wayne in at #43 for a brawl on the apron with Janela. Wayne superkicks Janela out for one heck of a pop and here is B-Boy to introduce Team LA Fights, which are six unnamed people. The team (Jai Vidal and Jack Cartwheel are two of them) clean house and something like a Styles Clash into a sitout powerbomb gets rid of Blackwood.

With those six in at #44-49, the Second City Crew (AJ Gray/Mance Warner/Matthew Justice/1 Called Manders and Levi Everett) are in #50-#54. The Crew cleans house with Matt Vandagriff (of LA Fights) being tossed. Damian Drake and Ju Dizz (I think) are both out with Hunter Freeman joining them. Cartwheel gets knocked out but walks on his hands until Manders chairs him down for the elimination. Vidal is tossed out and the Crew is left alone until the others still in the match come in.

Christian and Wayne get together to toss Everett and Manders. Somehow Christian and Wayne are the last two with Christian hitting a quick Downward Spiral for the pin…and never mind as yeah there are some people still left. Sheik comes in off the top with a spinwheel kick and the rest of the Crew pile onto her for the pin. Christian goes after the Crew but gets taken down and superplexed into a top rope legdrop for the pin….and that’s it at 1:23:57 (I guess Surreal was tossed somewhere in there).

Rating: C+. To be clear, this match is not about something coherent or anything more than having one name after another. That being said, this was WAY more coherent than the previous edition and that helped a lot. This felt more like a very indy Royal Rumble and, save for Surreal, no one was getting lost in the whole thing. I had a good time with this and it did fly by with some fun moments. It’s the kind of match that I was expecting from a Spring Break and it went well, especially with all of the insanity that came with it.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like the Spring Breaks of the past and it worked out pretty well all things considered. It was a collection of some fun matches before we got to the big main event and that wound up working well. Good stuff here and it didn’t feel like a regular GCW show. While those can be fun, it’s not what I came into this wanting. The main event is all that mattered here and the other four matches were a nice bonus so we’ll call this a success.

 

 

 

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Mouse’s Wrestling Adventures – Fright Night: Little Flippy Doo Action

Mouse’s Wrestling Adventures: Fright Night
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: The Arena, Jeffersonville, Indiana
Commentators: Nick Miller, Chad Green

Assuming it is the same one, Mouse is someone who I have seen around on another show but don’t know much about him. Either way, this seems to be his (or someone named Mouse) show, which could go all over the place. I have no idea what is coming on this thing and that makes for a nice feeling. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind I have never seen this promotion before so I apologize if I miss any plot or character bits.

We open with a Halloween theme, including clips from Hocus Pocus and Ernest Scared Stupid. Oh yeah I’m in the right place.

Logan Stunt vs. Cole Radrick

Logan is Marko’s brother and Cole is a pretty basic looking guy who can do good things in the ring. Radrick takes him to the mat to start as commentary (I have absolutely no idea if those names are right but it’s the closest I could get to what they were saying is in need of an early fix as it is BADLY distorted). A suplex sends Stunt into the corner but he’s back with a jumping knee to knock Radrick to the floor. The big suicide dive knocks Radrick into the fans, as there are no barricades here.

Back in and Radrick’s bridging butterfly suplex gets two but he misses a middle rope moonsault (commentary: “Little flippy doo action.”). A running knee gives Stunt two and it’s time for the slugout. Radrick knocks him into the ropes for a big running boot but Stunt manages to knock him outside. Back in and Radrick grabs a backpack Stunner into a running knee to the back of the head (BOOM!) for a rather near fall. A butterfly powerbomb finally puts Stunt away at 7:15.

Rating: C. They certainly started fast here and the fans are VERY hot for this show. Stunt is similar enough to his brother that he can get the sympathy while also being a bit bigger to keep things from being entirely ridiculous. Throw in a lack of floss dancing and this was an instant upgrade over most Marko matches.

The house band plays, because we have a house band.

Tom Hanks Memorial Battle Scramble

This is a Royal Rumble with thirty second intervals, but once we get down to five, a special entrant comes in to turn it into a six way scramble with pinfalls for eliminations. Also there might have been something about fans being allowed to throw people back in but it wasn’t easy to understand. Ace Perry is in at #1 and the Arena Phantom is in at #2 with the rather small Phantom sending him outside (not out) and backflipping into a pose back inside.

Back in and a big boot and suplex rock the Phantom as Levi Everett (he looks Amish) is in at #3. He takes his sweet time going around the ring to shake every hand he can though, leaving Perry to hit a low superkick on the Phantom. The claw has the Phantom down again but…some unnamed wrestler comes in to take Perry down. Reilly MaGuire is in at #4 and gets German suplexed by Perry.

The Phantom manages to skin the cat to stay alive and it’s Hoodfoot (Maybe) (that’s what the graphic says) in at #5, even as Levi is still on the floor shaking hands. Reilly tornado DDTs the unnamed guy and Trigga Travis is in at #6. Levi and another unnamed wrestler get in at the same time, but here is Adam Slade in at #8 (I guess?). Levi, the second unnamed guy and Slade seem to be part of the Lost Boys and it’s Levi snapping Reilly’s arm.

Step Stool Sarah, who might be a backstage worker, is in at #9 and hits a Stunner (because she’s in a Steve Austin jersey) before trying to eliminate herself….but she gets stuck on the top. Chris Copeland is in at #10 and the brawling continues until Jack Andrews is in at #11. The Phantom is eliminated off camera and it’s Loki Havok (Commentary: “He’s an odd bird.”) in at #12 to clean house.

Patrick Heeter is in at #13 as commentary has no idea who is in or how many are left. Nolan Edward is in at #14 and with nothing happening, Righteous Jesse is in at #15. Heeter knocks him straight down and puts him in the Tree of Woe for….us to cut to another wrestler who doesn’t get a graphic on his entrance. Whoever he is he’s in at #16 as there might be another entrant drinking in the crowd. Someone carrying a bag walks back through the entrance and it’s Danhausen in at #17.

We haven’t had commentary for a few minutes now and the handheld camera work isn’t helping. Lord Crewe is in at #18 and eliminates two unnamed guys in similar tights. Havok goes Joey Ryan by no selling a testicular claw, only to be tossed a second later. Another unnamed guy is tossed and a clothesline puts the original unnamed guy out, all at the hands of Crewe. There goes Heeter as well as the ring is rapidly clearing out. A toss powerbomb sends someone else onto the pile but Danhausen rallies the troops to go after Crewe.

Danhausen pours teeth into Crewe’s mouth and boots him out, leaving us with five. That means the special entrant can come in and it’s….the Wilson volleyball from Cast Away. This freaks Crewe out and has him in tears of apology, but Wilson starts talking to him. Wilson is thrown inside, where he chokeslams Everett. Then Wilson breaks up a superplex attempt and hits a super hurricanrana, followed by what I think is a Canadian Destroyer on Reilly.

Danhausen sizes him up, inserts a tooth, and stomps away. Now it’s time for the piano mat from Big, allowing Danhausen to dance and hit people in the head with Wilson. That’s enough piano and Wilson is chucked over the top and onto some of the wrestlers at ringside. Slade hits a springboard dive to take everyone down on the floor again, followed by Reilly moonsaulting off the top to take them all down again. Back in and a superplex sends Slade into the pile again, leaving a fan to ask “what the f*** is happening”.

Danhausen hits a slingshot German suplex and a running knee for two on Perry but Reilly kicks Wilson into him. Slade gives Reilly a running Canadian Destroyer but Perry hits him with a running Death Valley Driver into the corner for another two. Then Wilson Stuns Danhausen, leaving Levi to hit a top rope headbutt for two on Wilson, as this really needs to wrap up already. Another top rope headbutt is enough to finish Wilson and give Levi the pin at 32:00.

Rating: D+. There were a lot of fun moments, but this was WAY too long and it hurt things a lot. There were also far too many people, with a lot of them only there so Crewe could toss them out. I’ve seen matches like this one several times before and they almost all wind up having the same issues. I didn’t hate it, but I was ready for it to end about ten minutes early. Throw in commentary being gone for over half of the match and I was more lost than anything else.

Lee Moriarty vs. Shawn Kemp

Kemp is a rather good sized guy with a bunch of dog nicknames. Commentary is back as Moriarty hits a big springboard armdrag into a dropkick to put Kemp on the floor. Back in and Kemp runs him over with a crossbody, setting up the chinlock. Moriarty gets a boot up in the corner though and a top rope stomp to the arm lets him strike away. A suplex doesn’t work on Kemp, who hits a Judas Effect into a Psycho Driver for two.

Another shot to the arm slow Kemp down and a quick suplex gives Moriarty two more. A clothesline sets up a Fujiwara armbar (with finger twisting) but Kemp is in the ropes. With the holds not working, Moriarty takes him up top but a swinging fisherman’s buster brings him right back down. Back up and Kemp hits an enziguri into…something that doesn’t work as the arm gives out. What looked to be an F5 gives Moriarty the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but eventually they settled down into Moriarty picking him apart with the focus on the arm. I can always go for someone being that solid technically and Moriarty was on it here. Kemp is another big yet athletic guy, though he is going to need a bit more tho make him stand out.

Brett Ison vs. Calvin Tankman vs. Dominic Garrini

Hoss battle so it’s a chop circle to start. We’ll make that a punch circle as things get a little more intense early on. Ison gets double teamed down but Tankman Pounces Garrini to send him outside. A backbreaker into a clothesline drops Ison again but he dives back in to make a save.

Tankman BLASTS Garrini with a chop, only to have Garrini triangle choke him down. Ison is back up so Garrini gives him a German suplex, which doesn’t have much effect. Ison mixes things up with a Styles Clash, drawing Tankman back in for the save. Back up and Ison elbows the heck out of Tankman for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: C+. They didn’t try to do anything out of the ordinary here, as you had three big monsters hitting each other until one of them couldn’t kick out. That’s all it was supposed to be and I had fun watching them beat on each other. Those chops were great and I liked it ending with a shot to the face instead of something more complicated, as it kind of fits the theme.

Baka Gaijin vs. Naturally Gifted

That would be Madman Pondo/2 Tuff Tony (from Juggalo Championship Wrestling) vs. Bradley Prescott IV/Chase Holliday. Naturally Gifted seems to be part of the Lost Boys, and come out to the theme Rich Swann uses when he isn’t in Impact. Prescott has quite a bit of beer on his way to the ring and we get in-ring entrances, with Pondo and Tony insisting that they go first. It’s a brawl to start with Prescott and Holliday being beaten down on the floor as this is rather one sided early on.

Back in and a barbed wire bat to the back has Holliday screaming but Prescott is back up with a beer. That’s fine with Tony, who comes up with a bottle of vodka. There’s a pumpkin rolling around on the floor as Tony and Prescott try each others’ drinks (that’s just not sanitary). They trade sides and it’s Holiday avoiding a stop sign shot. An STO and basement dropkick get two on Pondo, followed by Prescott adding a jumping Stunner.

A Van Daminator (with a case of beer instead of a chair) gets two on Tony, who is back up with Pondo for a double elbow. Holliday is hung over the top for a flipping legdrop, drawing Prescott over for a save this time. The stop sign shot rocks Prescott and Tony hits (mostly) a Lionsault to make it worse. Pondo brings in a cinder block and a sledgehammer (commentary: “Somebody gonna die.”). The block is put between Holliday’s legs and crushed by the sledgehammer, setting up a fireball to finish Prescott at 9:50.

Rating: D-. I can’t stand this kind of stuff and it was little more than a squash for Pondo and Tony. They’re big guys who can’t move very well but they’re TOUGH, meaning they can do a bunch of stuff and not sell anything. The match wasn’t funny and was a way for the two of them to look great at the others’ expense, which isn’t so much interesting as much as it is annoying. Really not a fan of these guys and this didn’t make that any better.

Billie Starkz vs. Hawlee Cromwell

Cromwell jumps her during her entrance but Starks gets in a few kicks to take over. A clothesline gives Starkz two but Cromwell sends her into the corner for a running kick to the head. They slug it out on the apron with Cromwell getting the better of things, setting up a dropkick to the side of the head for two. Some forearms rock Cromwell in the corner and she charges into a boot to the face to make it worse.

I think they try a suplex to the floor but land on the ropes, resulting in a nasty looking fall to the floor. Back in and Cromwell grabs a swinging facebuster for two, followed by something like a Death Valley Driver/Air Raid Crash for the same. Starkz grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two and a sunset driver (with Cromwell’s head not even approaching the mat) for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one again as they weren’t exactly the most polished out there. Starkz is someone I’ve seen a few times before and she can have a good enough match but that wasn’t the case here. The execution didn’t quite work here and it was one of those matches that lost me pretty quickly, which is never a good sign.

The Carnies vs. The Night Ryderz

That would be Kerry Awful/Nick Iggy/Tripp Cassidy vs. Aaron Williams/Alex Colon/Dustin Rayz. The brawl is on before the bell with the Carnies beating them down both in and outside. We settle down to Colon getting crotched on the post and the choking in the corner drawing in the rest of the Ryderz for a failed save attempt. Everything breaks down with Colon getting kneed and suplexed for two.

The brawl heads to the floor as commentary hasn’t bothered to tell us who these people are, so we’re stuck with wild brawling and general insanity. The Carnies choke Colon in the corner and kick Williams (thanks commentary) in the head. Colon and Williams are back with double kicks and stereo suicide dives, leaving Rayz to clean house inside.

A DDT plants Iggy for two with Cassidy shoving the referee for the save. Awful is back in with a chokebomb to Colon, who pops up with a piledriver and a crucifix for two on Iggy. Colon and Iggy chop it out until Awful plants Williams for two, with Colon making the save. A hanging DDT/top rope double stomp drops Iggy on his head for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: C. This was the kind of brawl that you knew was coming on a show like this and that may or may not be a good thing. The lack of knowing who was who didn’t really matter in the end but it’s nice to at least know their names as they’re brawling. Either way, it was a good enough brawl, even if there have been a lot of wild fights on the show so far tonight.

Before the main event, Marko and Logan Stunt get in the ring to goof around a bit.

Grindhouse Pro Title: Freddie Hudson vs. Tyler Matrix vs. The Kenway

Hudson is defending. Matrix jumps both of them to start fast, including a belt shot to Hudson. They head outside where Hudson loses his shirt but Kenway is back in with a fisherman’s….something, which is countered into a small package for two. Hudson and Kenway slug it out until Matrix comes back in to run them over. Matrix superkicks Kenway to the floor and tells the fans to move, setting up the suicide dive.

Another dive drops Matrix and Kenway, leaving everyone down on the floor. Back in and Matrix hits a Canadian Destroyer on Hudson, followed by Kenway hitting one on Matrix. Not to be outdone, Hudson is up with a middle rope Canadian Destroyer to Kenway to leave everyone down. Back up and we get the circle slugout with Hudson being knocked down first.

Back up and Hudson slugs it out with Matrix, setting up a standing Sliced Bread for two. Kenway is back in with a rolling German suplex on Hudson, setting up a pumphandle suplex for two more. Matrix grabs a reverse fireman’s carry backbreaker on Kenway, with Hudson having to make a save. Matrix shrugs off Hudson’s poisonrana so Hudson does it again. Kenway is back in with a powerbomb to Hudson, who pops up with a Shining Wizard to retain at 8:24.

Rating: C+. They had me until the ending, when it became a bunch of no selling that always drives me crazy. Matrix has been around the circuit for a bit, including a long time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, and he has had some nice stuff before. Hudson and Kenway were both fine enough, though not exactly standing out from the larger pack.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. There were some good parts here but the bad ones had me losing any reason to care. That battle royal and that Pongo/Tony tag match were death for the show and at least the battle royal overshadowed a lot of the good things going on. The atmosphere was fun though and I had a nice enough time in parts to keep it from being a disaster, but not a very good show for the most part. Also, where was Mouse?

 

 

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GCW rSpring Break 2021: There’s Something Here

rSpring Break
Date: April 9, 2021
Location: Cuban Club, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Emil Jay, Kevin Gill

This is arguably the indy weekend main event and the show is hit and miss to say the least. You never know what you are going to see at something like this and that could go multiple ways. I’ve had a good time at these things before, but those were all the Joey Janela versions. Janela is on the card, but his name is no longer on the show. Let’s get to it.

No entrances or anything, as tends to be the case with a show like this.

Dave Penzer is ring announcer. Well that’s an upgrade.

Starboy Charlie vs. Billie Starkz

Charlie just turned 18 and is billed at 145lbs, which commentary says is AFTER he put some size on. Tony Deppen joins commentary because he worked with both of them before and wanted to see the match. Fair enough reason. In your “that’s not normal” stat, Gill says that Billie is closer in age to his four and a half month old son that she is to Gill himself. Feeling out process to start and they go to the mat for the technical off.

Charlie works on a hammerlock but gets leveraged outside without much effort. Back in and Charlie can’t get a Sharpshooter so Billie kicks him in the head. They trade some rollups for two each until Charlie snaps off an armdrag to take over. A dropkick into a standing shooting star press (Deppen: “If I did that, I’d throw my back out.”) gets two on Billie, who blocks the third Amigo.

Billie rolls some German suplexes, giving us the now ultra rare Chris Benoit name drop. Back up and Charlie gets sent into the corner for a kick to the face and an Ocean Cycle suplex (electric chair dropped backwards into something close to a German suplex) gets two. The eternally teased German suplex off the apron continues to be teased but Charlie takes her down in the corner.

The running corkscrew moonsault gets two and Charlie sends her flying with a t-bone suplex. They trade shots to the face for a double knockdown and a breather. Back up again and Charlie suplexes her into the Tree of Woe, setting up the running boot. Billie gets her knees up to block a 450, only to miss a Swanton. They glare at each other a bit until Charlie snaps off a Michinoku Driver (dropping Billie on her head) for the pin at 9:56.

Rating: C. This was action packed but a VERY indy style match. You could feel that they were trying to figure out where to go next after each spot because it didn’t have much of a flow. It was certainly entertaining, but these two need a lot more seasoning (fair enough given their age). That being said, opening a show like this is a good thing for them as the more ring time they get is going to help them out.

Post match 44OH (Bobby Beverly/Eric Ryan) come in for the double beatdown. That means we need a save, and probably a tag match.

44OH vs. Ironbeast

Ironbeast is KTB/Shane Mercer and this feels like a hoss fight. Mercer picks both of them up to start and KTB comes off the top with a high crossbody for the big crash. KTB feeds Beverly back inside for a powerbomb (over the ropes) to plant him down hard. That’s not enough as Only is put on KTB’s shoulders so Mercer can superplex him into the middle. It’s time for the doors but KTB takes too long and gets knocked outside.

Back in and Mercer gets double teamed with forearms to the back and kicks to the face. A tiger driver gets two on KTB but Mercer breaks up the drive through the table. Beverly Cannonballs Mercer against (not through) the table but KTB sends Only through the table without much effort. KTB hits a big dive to take Beverly out on the floor, leaving Mercer to take Only up.

That means a super gorilla press, dropped into a super flipping World’s Strongest Slam (good freaking grief). That’s not it either as KTB adds a powerbomb before throwing Only into a bridging German suplex to give Mercer (ignore his shoulders being down too) for the pin at 6:49.

Rating: C+. Nearly total destruction here, with 44OH (modern names can be really dumb) only getting in a little bit in the middle. Ironbeast is great for a team at this level, as they can do all of their crazy athletic power stuff without giving up much of anything. This was fun and completely different from the opener, which is what you expect on a show like this one.

Penzer says he’s old so Emil Jay can handle the rest of the announcing. Well that’s a downgrade.

Arez/Gringo Loco/Black Taurus vs. Aramis/Dragon Bane/Laredo Kid

Lucha rules of course and yeah I’m going to get lost in a hurry. The latter team comes out to Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz so they can’t be all bad (or they might not be bad at all). Loco drives Laredo into the corner to start and takes him down with a test of strength. Commentary talks about how this could be similar to what used to happen on Monday Nitro as a great introduction to lucha libre. If you’re watching GCW Spring Break, you know lucha libre and probably most of these people.

Loco cartwheels his way out of a headscissors and we get a staredown. A front flip lets Loco flip off his opponents and everyone comes in for the big staredown. Aramis and company snap off a bunch of headscissors to the floor with Arez getting knocked onto Taurus’ shoulders. That’s fine with Kid and Aramais, who hit stereo suicide dives for the double knockdowns.

Back in and a triple 450 has the villains (I think?) in more trouble but Arez scores with three straight tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. Aramis is fine enough to drop Arez onto the turnbuckle but Loco and Taurus are back in to take over with the triple teaming. Kid’s crazy high springboard is speared out of the air and Loco adds a heck of a moonsault for two. Bane’s save doesn’t work either and the triple stomping ensues.

Somehow he’s fine enough to kick Loco in the head and grab a spinning DDT on Taurus for a breather. Taurus isn’t having that and clotheslines a bunch of people but Bane and Aramais save Kid from something on top. That’s fine for the good guys, who hit a crazy stereo triple dive from the top to the floor. Back in and Aramis chops it out with Arez until Bane hits a brainbuster onto the knee.

Taurus kicks Bane in the head and drops him with a torture rack backbreaker, leaving Loco to hit a super Falcon Arrow to plant Aramis. Kid hits back to back moonsaults on Loco but Arez makes the save. A belly to back backbreaker gets two on Kid and it’s a double Old School, until Kid snaps off a springboard hurricanrana to drop Arez because of course they can do that. Loco walks the ropes for a flying cutter, leaving Aramis to hit a poisonrana on Taurus.

Since they haven’t gone insane enough, Loco puts Aramis on his shoulders with Kid on Aramis’ shoulders for a super cutter from Arez, because DANG. Taurus plants Aramis with a pop up Samoan drop and another one plants Bane. Aramis is back up with a very, very, very long spinning torture rack to Bane, which lasts so long that Kid can beat up Loco and go up top for a moonsault frog splash onto Arez and Bane can hit a springboard corkscrew dive onto Taurus. After THIRTY EIGHT SECONDS of spinning, Armais powerbombs Arez for the pin at 13:46.

Rating: B. Yep, what else are you expecting here? These matches are not designed to be anything more than a crazy exchange of spots coming one after another. There is no way to call something like this other than just listing stuff because these matches are not supposed to have any kind of a story. I had a blast with this though as I kept saying “sure why not” because people shouldn’t be able to do this kind of stuff. Awesome fun.

Post match the money is thrown into the ring to keep with tradition.

Joey Janela has sent Jordan Oliver a creepy Lio Rush tape. Then someone slips a note under Oliver’s door with the date of this show written on it.

Jordan Oliver vs. Lio Rush

Oliver is still called Big Breakfast and I still don’t know why. Rush has a very over the top entrance, with some kind of a contortionist moving around a lot to a rather slow song. Then Rush staggers out to what sounds like a rap he is performing himself and is called the Blackheart. The (few) fans are split before the bell and commentary talks about how they’re scared of this version of Rush.

They stare each other down for over a minute before Oliver kicks him out to the floor. Oliver’s suicide cutter drops Rush hard and we need a breather as they both have to get back up. A standing choke doesn’t get Oliver very far as Rush hits him in the face again. Oliver puts him in a chair and gets a running start around the ring, which takes far too long and lets Rush nail a jumping knee to the face. To mix things up, Rush puts him in the chair and hits his own running dive, which actually connects.

Back in and Rush hammers away, including a boot to the face in the corner. An ax kick gives Rush two so let’s bring in a door (which commentary thinks might be FORBIDDEN). Hold on though as Rush needs to stop and yell at a fan, allowing Oliver to strike away. Some kicks to the head rock Oliver but he’s fine enough to suplex Rush hard through the door for two.

It’s time for another door but Oliver takes too long and gets caught with rolling German suplexes. An overhead belly to belly sends Oliver through the door for a slightly delayed two as commentary doesn’t exactly get emotional with these near falls. Back up and the standing C4 cuts off Oliver’s comeback attempt as commentary hypes up Oliver being undefeated in GCW this year.

A superplex to the floor is broken up and a double knockdown puts them outside at the same time. Back in and they go with the big slugout, with commentary bringing up Karate Fighters. Oliver’s tiger driver gets two and a running kick to the face is good for the same. With Rush down, it’s time for more furniture, this time in the form of doors and chairs. Two of the doors are laid over a quartet of chairs at ringside but Rush stares at Oliver to….I guess possess him?

Either way, Oliver forearms him for two with Rush bridging up for the kickout. Rush is right back with some more rolling German suplexes but Oliver rolls through the last one and grabs a German suplex of his own. Oliver sends him to the apron, where Rush (barely) muscles him over for the Falcon Arrow outside through the doors. Back in and Rush takes WAY too long to set up a frog splash (Oliver was half sitting up) and dives into a cutter.

A springboard cutter gets a very close two on Rush and we get the big shocked face. Another cutter (without much impact) drops Rush onto the apron and they’re both down on the floor again. That’s only good for two back inside with Rush bridging up for the kickout again. Oliver loads up a super cutter but gets shoved off, allowing Rush to nail the frog splash. Something close to a Gargano Escape makes Oliver tap at 22:24.

Rating: B-. This was a very indy style big match, with the tables and a bunch of different versions of the same move. Rush is a bigger star, but Oliver has gotten a lot out of this whole weekend. Given that this loss makes him 3-1 on the day, it is pretty clear that he is putting in the ring time to get a good deal of experience. He is a long way from being signed by a big promotion, but this kind of match will get him some needed notice.

Atticus Cougar (great name, though apparently it is pronounced “Co-Gar”) talks about being a Masada fan since he was a kid and now he’s facing Masada in a death (erg) match. This match has been one of his top priorities and now it is time to prove himself. At some point, Cougar used Masada’s signature skewers on Masada’s head, which seems to be an act of war.

Atticus Cougar vs. Masada

Death match with commentary promising a lot of violence. There are weapons, including barbed wire, all around the ring to start. The brawl is on to start with Masada sending Cougar into a skewer board in the corner. Masada finds a piece of a broken door but Cougar kicks him in the face to break it up. A suicide dive is countered into a belly to back drop onto the apron and Masda doors him. Part of the door is raked over Cougar’s head but he is right back with some kendo stick shots.

Masada is back with a bed of toothpicks, which he puts on Cougar’s back and pounds it in. Said board is raked over Cougar’s head to draw the blood and then pulls some toothpicks out of his back. Something that looks like a kendo stick to the head knocks Cougar down again and it’s time for the skewers to the head. Cougar manages to dropkick him into a skewer covered board in the corner, some of which are then pounded into Masada’s head.

They fight outside where Masada can’t hit a powerbomb so Cougar gets in a shot to the face. Back in and the door is set onto two chairs, but first Cougar stabs him in the shoulder with the skewers. Masada is back with some mini skewers into Cougar’s head (where they stick) and now the powerbomb through the door gets two. The skewers go into Cougar’s mouth for another stomping and that means it’s time for a breather (and skewer removal) on the floor. A few fans try an ULTRAVIOLENCE chant as both guys stand around for a bit.

Back in and Masada grabs a powerbomb into the STF but Cougar uses a piece of wood to the hand to break it up. Cougar’s top rope double stomp gives him his own two so he puts Masada on a chair. It takes too long for him to go up top though and Masada is right there, only to get caught with a super headlock driver onto a chair. Say it with me: for two.

Cougar whips out a board with a gusset plate attached but Masada takes it away and hits him in the arm. A Death Valley Driver gets two and Masada drives said plate into the arm. Cougar hits him low and puts more skewers into the head, setting up the headlock driver to drive the skewers even further in, again, for two. A low superkick sets up a third headlock driver to finally finish Masada at 18:40.

Rating: D-. Somehow, this featured more wrestling than usual in these matches, though that didn’t exactly make it better. This was more mindless carnage and violence with all of the blood they could manage, but they used the skewers so it was awesome (allegedly). As usual, they weren’t exactly building to anything here and kept repeating the same weapons over and over. Yeah they used skewers earlier, but now they’re using them AGAIN! More nonsense and thankfully we get to move on.

Rich Swann vs. Lee Moriarty

Ok this could be good. Swann’s entrance has the fans dancing for a cool visual, with commentary talking about how wrestling brings people together and Twitter tears them apart. I guess we’re to ignore him asking fans to get the show trending on Twitter before the match. Moriarty comes in with taped up ribs and they go technical to start, including an exchange of armdrags.

Both of them try dropkicks at the same time and it’s an early standoff. They trade some flips until Swann hits the dropkick to take over for the first time. An armbar brings Moriarty back to his feet and he grabs a Codebreaker onto the arm. Swann needs a breather on the floor so Moriarty goes after him to sent the arm into various things. Back in and the arm is sent into the corner as commentary talks about the (pretty good) For The Culture show late last night.

Swann grabs a neckbreaker for a breather and the rolling splash gets two. Moriarty is right back on the arm and snaps off a heck of a DDT for two of his own. A double underhook tiger driver drops Swann again but he’s back up with a one armed handspring cutter for a very near fall. The frog splash gets two more so it’s time for the big slugout.

An exchange of kicks to the head puts both of them down and the fans are pleased. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for multiple two’s each until Moriarty grabs a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up as well so Moriarty keeps hold of the arm and nails a lariat for another two. Moriarty takes him up top, where Swann bites the bad ribs (that’s a new one) to take him back down. The 450 finishes for Swann at 12:14.

Rating: B-. Oh sure, these two can only get twelve minutes while a fight over skewers to the head gets nearly twenty. Swann winning is completely fine, though Moriarty continues to be one of the real stars of the weekend. He is going to get a good chance somewhere in the future and matches like this one are only going to make it happen faster.

Chris Dickinson talks about how Joey Janela has been living off of his reputation for years now. He isn’t going to stand for Janela turning wrestling into a circus and now it is time to knock some sense into Janela. The snake’s head is coming off and Janela better come ready to go. Dickinson loves him though.

Chris Dickinson vs. Joey Janela

Janela is in Bam Bam Bigelow inspired gear and they go straight at it with the slugout. Dickinson grabs a powerbomb and then throws in a second to make it worse. Commentary recaps the feud here: they were stablemates and Janela agreed to put up the naming rights for the show for a World Title shot, where Dickinson turned on him, presumably for being too goofy. I’ve heard worse ideas. Dickinson throws in a door, which he breaks in some smaller pieces to go after Janela’s head.

With Janela busted open, Dickinson drives the wood into his head even more, as a proper monster should. The rest of the door goes onto Janela’s head and a running basement dropkick drives the door into him again. A half nelson suplex plants Janela for two so Dickinson takes him up top. It’s desperation time though and Janela grabs a top rope superplex for the much needed breather. Janela stomps away in the corner but Dickinson is back with some hard rolling German suplexes.

Somehow Janela pops back up with a roaring elbow for two of his own, setting up a broken door over the head. Dickinson suplexes him down again as commentary talks about Dickinson getting annoyed at putting in the effort while Janela gets everything handed to him. Dickinson heads outside and asks for a chair so the fans throw in a few dozen, with commentary being VERY against this, as they should be.

A chair to the head in the corner rocks Janela but he comes back with a superkick and DDT (yep, it’s an indy match). Dickinson clotheslines the heck out of him and they’re both down for a double breather. They head up top again, with Janela fighting out of another superplex attempt and hits a tornado DDT onto the pile of chairs. Dickinson rolls outside though, as this needs to keep going. A suicide dive sends the now bleeding Dickinson down again (Commentary: “Dickinson is F*****!”) and a top rope double stomp onto the chest gives Janela two back inside.

Janela blasts him in the head with a chair but Dickinson wants more. The delay lets Dickinson go low, setting up Death Valley Driver onto a chair for one (of course). They slug it out until Janela grabs his own Death Valley Driver for two. Dickinson catches him on top with a super Razor’s Edge toss for two more. Therefore, let’s bring in a ladder and a door, though Dickinson is smart enough to pause for a running boot to Janela’s head.

The really big ladder is set up in the corner and Dickinson bridges the door over four chairs. Janela comes back with a low blow and chair shot before climbing up. Dickinson meets him on top though and it’s a super Death Valley Driver through the door, say it with me, for two. The fans chant for JOEY KICKOUT as Dickinson is favoring his knee. The knee is good enough for some dragon screw legwhips to drop Janela, who shrugs it off to grab a Figure Four. Dickinson almost turns it over but finally taps at 21:57.

Rating: C. It was violent (with the blood thankfully only being a focus at the beginning) and it did tell a story of Janela fighting back against the powerhouse, but EGADS the kickouts were insane. That seems to be Janela’s thing and it works with this audience, though that doesn’t quite make it the easiest thing to watch. The action and high spots were good, but the eye rolling over the kickouts brought it right back down, as tends to be the case with these matches.

Post match Dickinson pulls himself up so Janela offers a handshake, only to have Dickinson spit in his hands and walk away. Janela says he’s back in GCW and gets a rather limited reaction. Some of the fans do seem to like him though, with commentary saying it means the internet doesn’t matter. They then tell us to go get GCW merch online.

Effy vs. Gregory Iron

Iron is a wrestler with cerebral palsy and has Virgil of all people (you knew he would pop up somewhere) with him. Ring announcer: “Being accompanied to the ring by……VIRGIL???”. Iron gives Virgil a big introduction, dubbing him a Spring Break Hall of Famer and the newest member of 44OH. This is billed as Brunch vs. B****, with Effy putting up the naming rights to his Big Gay Brunch (the actual title). Effy’s entrance lets commentary talk about how little Effy cares about what anyone thinks of him and how he is for everyone. He gets in Virgil’s face to start but Virgil has a bottle of vodka.

The distraction lets Iron get in some chair shots to take over in a hurry as commentary wonders how Virgil got that bottle (which is apparently for drinking, not product placement). Effy comes back with some chops in the corner as commentary wonders what Iron would serve at his brunch. Iron is back with a Thesz press and shots to the face as we talk about Iron appearing on Steve Austin’s podcast.

Something like a reverse Fameasser out of the corner gives Effy two, which has Virgil fairly disinterested (as he stands on the apron instead of the floor). A Codebreaker gets Iron out of trouble but Effy grabs a sunset flip and pulls Iron’s trunks down in the process. There’s a backsplash for two on Iron, whose trunks are still down so Effy gives it some spanks.

Virgil comes in for a distraction so Iron can get in a low blow, only to have Virgil hit him in the head with the vodka bottle by mistake (with Virgil flinching before hitting him to make it look pretty awful). Hold on though as Effy grabs some scissors to cut off Virgil’s 44OH shirt to reveal an Effy shirt. The fans are pleased as Iron (still with the trunks down) gets powerbombed for the pin at 5:59.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure how much drama there was here and the match was more about comedy with some action thrown in. Effy seems to be a fan favorite and Iron seems to be quite the nasty heel, so the story worked out well enough. The problem is that it wasn’t very good and felt like a low level TV main event more than anything else. Granted I can appreciate that as we are almost at three hours on this show.

Post match Effy pulls Iron’s trunks back up, making him even more of a face.

A scafflold has to be built for the main event so here are some commercials.

Video on Rickey Shane Page vs. Nick Gage, with Page saying he came here, stole Gage’s manhood and title, so now it’s time to do it one more time.

We pause for a good while to put up enough light tubes to make half of a cage.

GCW World Title: Rickey Shane Page vs. Nick Gage

Page (apparently the leader of 44OH) is defending and it’s a deathmatch with nearly an hour to go in the show (oh boy). The entrances take the better part of ever as commentary REALLY hypes up the war between Gage and 44OH. Gage gets his Big Match Intro and then jumps Page with a light tube during his own, because Gage isn’t that nice. Page is whipped into a wall of light tubes and it’s time for Gage to stab him in the back with a piece of broken tube.

Another whip into the corner sends Page through a sheet of glass and Gage shrugs off a whip into tubes. The Facewash into the light tubes hits Page in the corner as Page is already busted badly. Gage can’t quite get out of the ring but eventually manages a springboard backsplash to drive him through a barbed wire/glass board. Some fans hold up chairs so Gage can send him face first into them as commentary talks about the glory that is Nick Gage. Page is finally able to score with a light tube of his own (my goodness it feels dumb to say things like this) and it’s time to gouge Gage’s forehead.

That’s a bit more than Gage is willing to sell though and Page is whipped through another glass panel. Back in and another light tube goes over Page’s head and Gage does it again for good measure. Gage gets whipped hard into the other wall of light tubes and Page breaks another one over Gage’s face. A comeback is countered with a backdrop over the top and through another sheet of glass, with Gage nearly landing on his head.

Page starts going after Gage’s injured ankle (which has been a problem for months) before taking him to the apron for a toss suplex through a bed of light tubes. That’s only good for two back inside, because it’s only been about 50 light tubes so far. Gage is a bit blinded from….well everything really, and hits the referee by mistake (BECAUSE A REFEREE MATTERS SO MUCH IN THIS THING) setting up a DDT and spinebuster. Another light tube connects with Page’s head and then Gage uses a jagged piece of tube to start carving MDK into Page’s back.

Page climbs the scaffold and here is Gregory Iron to slow Gage down. That earns him a piledriver onto various pieces of glass as Effy comes out to take care of Iron. Cue more 44OH members to go after Gage, with Page directing traffic while down on the scaffold. A table is loaded up and here’s a big package of light tubes wrapped around whatever is inside the thing.

44OH takes forever to load up more glass so here are Joey Janela and some more guys (to Walk by Pantera, making me think that that we were getting a Rob Van Dam cameo) to even things up. Gage gets up and points at Page on top of the scaffold, with Gage following (as we hear a production worker talking about having Gage’s music ready).

Page is tossed through the glass and most of the tubes, completely missing the table they are on. The rest of the tubs are smashed over Page’s back as we have a new referee. Gage finishes carving the M into Page’s back but gets hit low, setting up a chokebreaker for two. The referee gets a chokebreaker as well so here is Atticus Cougar to load up ANOTHER sheet of glass over some chairs.

Some skewers go into Gage’s head and now it’s time to put more chairs and another sheet of glass onto the first sheet of glass. Cue promoter Brett Lauderdale to hit Cougar with some tubes, allowing Gage to powerbomb himself through the two sheets (with Page landing on the mat and Gage going through everything) for two. A chokebreaker gives Gage the title back at 24:37.

Rating: D-. Ignoring the rather sickening worship of Gage by commentary, the insane blood, all of the interference and the ridiculous amount of missed spots, this was full of a lot of the same problems you often have from a deathmatch: it was so repetitive that none of it had any impact. See, they used a light tube, but then they used like A HUNDRED light tubes. They put him through a sheet of glass? Well how awesome would it be if they did it five times??? This was a big story for this audience, but dang these things are not for me and the actual content of the matches is one of the least problems.

Post match Lauderdale hands Gage some spray paint so he can paint MDK on the old belt (which had been painted by Page). Hold on though as some music plays and we have Jon Moxley for the big staredown with Gage. They go nose to nose, with some of Gage’s blood getting on Moxley’s face. Moxley goes to leave but Gage shouts some expletives and now the fight is on (like Donkey Kong, according to commentary).

Moxley lays him out with the Paradigm Shift and then hits another onto the light tubes. Gage is down so Moxley gets to pose a lot and leaves, with Gage popping back up because he doesn’t stay down. Gage asks where his motherf****** gang is and calls Moxley a variety of bad names. He thanks the fans for having his back and worrying about him while he was out with an injury.

What matters is that he is the best deathmatch wrestler in the world and he and Moxley will have a REAL deathmatch. Everything around here is real and none of these weapons are fake so we’ll see who is really tough. Gage hits the catchphrase, wants one of his friends let out of prison, and hits the catchphrase again to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The thing that needs to be understood here is that there are a lot of good matches on here. A lot of this stuff had nothing to do with the violence or the hardcore and was just about having some solid action. They had a good mixture of action with various kinds of wrestling and a lot of it is watchable at best and very entertaining at worst.

Then you have the deathmatch stuff and simply put, you’re either into it or you’re not and there isn’t much of a middle ground. One thing that does help is that (possible quality aside), there is certainly a main story going on through GCW, with 44OH seemingly feuding with most of the promotion. That’s fine for a story to have going on and it does seem like the deathmatches were set up, but they’re absolutely not my thing and it brings the rest of the show down. If you’re into some rather watchable indy stuff, this is absolutely worth a look, but you might want to have the fast forward ready for two of the longer matches.

 

 

 

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IWTV Family Reunion 2021 Part 2: They’re Doing A Sequel

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.

 

 

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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