Stardom American Dream 2026: The Sampler Platter

American Dream 2026
Date: April 17, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jordan Castle, Veda Scott

This is Stardom, which is the big Japanese women’s promotion and home to some incredibly talented stars. I’ve added this one to my regular rotation of Wrestlemania Weekend shows as you always get something awesome out of them. I’m not overly familiar with them, but their track record, uh, tracks. Let’s get to it.

The opening video runs down the card, in order. And never mind as the ring announcer says the card will be changed and they’ll announce it as they go. Ok then.

Cosmic Angels vs. Brittnie Brooks/Saki

That would be Aya Sakura/Natsupoi for the former and Sakura has an unnamed title. Brooks (in her debut) takes Natsupoi up against the ropes to start but Natsupoi easily bridges out of a cover. A running forearm in the corner and bulldog back out of it give Brooks two and it’s off to Saki for something like a surfboard with her feet in Natsupoi’s back.

Natsupoi is back up for a running Blockbuster so it’s off to Sakura, who dropkicks both of them down at once. Saki’s suplex drops Sakura and it’s back to Brooks for a basement clothesline. A quick shot from Sakura allows Natsupoi to come back in with a high crossbody to Brooks as the back and forth continues. Back up and they trade the big forearms until Natsupoi hits a running dropkick against the ropes. Brooks fights up but gets a bit too cocky, earning herself a kicking down. Natsupoi goes up and hits a Twisted Bliss for the pin at 8:29.

Rating: C+. Nice opener here, with the established team beating the newcomer and Saki as Brooks gets her feet wet. That’s not a bad way to go and gives the fans something of a taste of what to expect. Then again, if you’re watching this there is a good chance you already know about Stardom so it’s just a good match to start the night.

Hazuki/Mi Vida Loca vs. Hanako/Maika/Mina Shirakawa

Mi Vida Loca is Rina Yamashita/Suzu Suzuki. Shirakawa and Suzuki start things off with the much stronger Suzuki backing her up against the ropes. Shirakawa manages to knock her down and hits a slingshot splash, only to stop for some shaking. That earns her a kick to the back, allowing the three of them to pose on Shirakawa, much to the fans’ annoyance

Back up and Suzuki slugs it out with Shirakawa, the latter of whom grabs a headscissors. It’s off to Hanako (the powerhouse) to clean house, with a running boot to the face getting two on Suzuki. Yamashita can’t slam Hanako so they trade forearms as well. Hanako’s forearms put her down….well almost as Yamashita does a near Matrix move to get back up. Yamashita hammers away until Hanako gets in a suplex to put them both down.

Maika is back in as Hanako slams Shirakawa onto Hazuki for two. A triple kick gets two on Maika, who catches Suzuki with a short powerbomb. The Tequila Shot (Cemetery Drive) gets two on Maika and Shirakawa’s step up splash gets the same on Suzuki. Maika is back up with a Michinoku Driver for two on Suzuki, followed by a hammerlock Michinoku Driver for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: B-. This was more of an action based match as once it broke down, it stayed broken down. It makes sense as you didn’t have a rookie in there this time and they were able to have a more traditional match. This worked well and gave a bit of a better idea of what you get from Stardom.

Athena vs. Rina

Neither’s title is on the line. Rina spits on her rather than shake hands so Athena comes back with a heck of a forearm. Athena knocks her outside but the suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. Some knees off the apron rocks Athena and she’s in trouble early. Back in and Rina knocks the referee away, allowing Athena to grab a rollup for two.

Rina offers some cocky kicks to the head but Athena is up with some right hands. A legsweep looks to set up moonsault knees but Rina slips away and knocks her down again. Athena kicks her into the corner and a springboard spinning crossbody gets two. Rina kicks her in the face and it’s a northern lights suplex for two.

Back up and Rina grabs an octopus, with Athena escaping and elbowing her in the face. They knock each other down and forearm it out from their knees with Athena knocking her outside. Now the suicide dive can connect, followed by a tombstone for two back inside. Rina is back up with a Gory Bomb for the same but she can’t hit a Vertebreaker. Instead Athena gives her a powerbomb and rolls her into the reverse Kofi Clutch for the win at 13:08.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up rather well and it’s always great to see Athena getting to showcase herself out side of Ring Of Honor. She’s been one of the most consistent stars in ROH/AEW but for some reason she’s doing the same stuff for literal years now. Let her see what else she can do in other places, because you get results like this.

We get an intermission (which is a stretch on a five match show) and look at the setup for an upcoming title shot, with the future of the Cosmic Angels on the line.

A woman named Cinderella Hanan is going to challenge Kanami for a title. Kanami came out and sprayed paint on Hanan and her Cinderella dress. Hanan broke down in the back.

Here is the company’s president but AEW Women’s Champion Thekla interrupts. She shoves him down and yells at him for invading her territory. She’s the biggest mistake Stardom ever made and there is no Forbidden Door. If he shows up again, she’ll come to Japan and give him a beating. Thekla takes off her belt to do it now but security comes in, allowing the president to sprint away. If he’s the president, he might want to get a suit jacket that fits him better.

NJPW Strong Women’s Title: Alex Windsor vs. Saya Iida

Windsor is defending. They fight over arm control to start until Windsor grabs a running headlock to slow things down. Back up and Windsor wins an exchange of running shoulders before armdragging her into a basement dropkick. Windsor ties the legs up and gets her modified Sharpshooter, sending Iida crawling to the rope.

Back up and Iida wins a battle over a suplex and starts firing off the chops in the corner. They trade the big forearms with Windsor getting the better of things until Iida collapses. A double clothesline leaves them both down and they get a breather. Iida is back up with a spinebuster, followed by a top rope shoulder for two. A Blue Thunder Bomb cuts Iida off and Windsor gets the Sharpshooter again, with Iida making the rope again. Windsor superkicks her down and hits Made In Japan to retain at 11:58.

Rating: B. This turned into a question of who could survive the exchange of big shots and that’s a great way to go. The match what you would want it to be and Windsor felt like she was in a fight. I got into this one well enough, as Windsor is carving out a rather nice place for herself in AEW and beyond.

Babes Of Wrath/Kris Statlander vs. Neo Genesis

That would be AZM/Mei Seira/Starlight Kid. Seira and Cameron start things off with Seira tripping her down for a running shot to the head. Genesis gets together for a triple dropkick but Cameron manages a quick belly to back suplex. Statlander and Nightingale hit some running splashes in the corner, followed by Statlander’s delayed vertical suplex to AZM. Nightingale is back in for the spinebuster and a near fall before dropping Cameron onto AZM for a splash.

AZM knees her way out of another Statlander suplex and a basement dropkick connects as everything breaks down. Kid knocks Statlander down for a standing moonsault before it’s back to Nightingale. A missed seated senton lets Kid bring Seira in to escape an Oklahoma Stampede. Seira sends Nightingale into the corner and a crucifix bomb brings her back down.

Back up and Nightingale gets in a knockdown of her own, allowing the tag off to Cameron to slug away. Everything breaks down again though and Cameron is caught in the wrong corner for a triple dropkick. Statlander is back in for the save and it’s time for the parade of kicks to the face. Nightingale throws Seira from the apron onto the pile at ringside, leaving Cameron to hit a Shining Wizard for two. AZM Canadian Destroyers Statlander and then rolls Cameron up for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B. This got going and turned into a fast paced tag match that made for a rather fun main event. It makes sense to put a team known to American audiences in this spot, as it shows what the Stardom women can do. Cameron is fine as a choice to take the fall, though it was nice to see her back with Nightingale, even with a one off appearance.

Post match AZM gets the mic to thank the fans and say WE ARE STARDOM before the team leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Stardom’s shows from Wrestlemania Weekend have a tendency to feel more like previews rather than shows that make a big difference. They kept hyping up other things and bigger shows, which is fine, but it would be nice to see something that felt like it mattered here. Throw in the show only having five matches and needing an intermission to still be beneath two hours and it’s a very short show. The action is rather good, but it flies by and feels like a bonus show more than anything else. Still though, worth a look while it lasts.

Results
Cosmic Angels b. Brittnie Brooks/Saki – Spinning top rope splash to Brooks
Mina Shirakawa/Hanako/Maika b. Hazuki/Mi Vida Loca – Hammerlock Michinoku Driver to Suzuki
Athena b. Rina – Reverse Koji Clutch
Alex Windsor b. Saya Iida – Made In Japan
Neo Genesis b. Babes Of Wrath/Kris Statlander – Rollup to Cameron

 

 

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Ladies Night Out XVI: Should Have Stayed In

Ladies Night Out XVI
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: HyperX Arena Las Vegas At The Luxor, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Emily Mae, Rae Lyn

This is a women’s supershow and seems to be part of at least a somewhat recurring promotion. That could go in a lot of ways but it is great that we have reached the point where women’s wrestling can have this kind of a show. I’ve seen enough good women’s wrestling this week to think that this could work rather well so let’s get to it.

The hosts welcome us to the show and ask who is here to see some professional wrestling. You mean they’re not here for an Amway presentation?

Vipress vs. Lacey Lane

They shove each other to start until Lane ties the arms back and slaps her in the chest. Back up and the threat of a right hand lets Vipress dance a bit, only to get dropkicked out to the floor. Vipress gets back in and snapmares her for a dancing kick to the chest. Some chops have Lane in more trouble but she avoids a charge. A spinning springboard legdrop connects but Vipress Death Valley Drivers her into the corner for two. Vipress goes for the hair but gets backdropped into a cradle for two more. Lane sends her to the apron and a hanging Pedigree finishes Vipress off at 5:05.

Rating: C. They didn’t have a ton of time but they kept things moving here for a fast paced opener. Lane is someone who can work in just about any spot and it makes sense to spotlight her here after her time in WWE. I could go for having her back in a bigger promotion, as she definitely has the talent to be a player somewhere. You also have Vipress, who has been around a lot over these last few and has quite a bit of potential of her own.

Madisyn Maxxwell vs. Brittnie Brooks vs. Carolina Cruz vs. Mazzerati vs. Tiffany Nieves

Maxxwell seems to be a news anchor. Nieves chills on the floor but gets back in due to a lack of attention and the brawl is on. Everyone goes out to the floor and it’s Mazzerati vs. Cruz back inside in a battle between the two wearing checkered flags. Nieves comes back in to sit on Brooks’ back but gets broken up, allowing Brooks to bulldog Maxxwell. All of them get inside to slug it out for a five way knockdown and a breather. Mazzerati gives Cruz a spinning side slam but Brooks throws her outside…and Maxxwell throws Brooks outside to steal the pin at 5:04.

Rating: D+. You can only get so much out of this kind of a match and this really didn’t work. It was a big mess of a match with too much going on and pretty much no structure to the thing. In other words it came off like “yeah go do your thing for a few minutes and you win”, which doesn’t make for a great match.

Lexa Valo vs. Lili La Pescadita

Valo powers her into the corner to start and grinds away on a headlock while commentary babbles on (they’re bad about that) about how strong these two are. Lila muscles her over with a suplex but stops to dance before the cover. Valo goes with the power to put her down again and Lili can’t muscle her way up. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Valo hits a full nelson slam for two. Lili comes back with some clotheslines and a slam gets two, only for Valo to DDT her into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:27.

Rating: C. This show isn’t exactly giving me hope as these matches aren’t getting a bunch of time and it feels like they’re going more for quantity than quality. I get the thinking, but we barely heard anything about these two other than Valo is from Europe and Lili’s full name means Lili “little fish”, which commentary went on about for most of the match. At least there was a fresh pair of names in there, as it’s often fun to see some new stars.

WrestleLit Rumble

Raeven Marie, La Spooky, Kolbe Max, Kayla Lopez, Jem, Jazmyne Hao, Gema, Diamond Virago, Christyan XO

This is your standard battle royal and everyone comes to the ring at once so I have pretty much no idea whom is whom. Jem grabs some nipples (as commentary puts it) and gets tossed as a result. As the other women (who aren’t important enough for commentary to identify) brawl, XO comes in to tower over everyone.

XO hits a double chokeslam (minus the elevation) and dumps both of them. Another woman is out and XO gets a fourth (commentary isn’t saying names either) but for some reason, an attempt to toss XO is cut off. XO gets rid of the woman who tries to toss her and we’re down to three. Spooky clotheslines Marie (hey names) out and goes after XO, even managing to get her to the apron. XO knocks her out for the win at 7:58.

Rating: D. Oh yeah this show is going downhill in a hurry as there was nothing to this one either. The fact that commentary didn’t bother telling me who most of these people were didn’t help, nor did XO coming off like she was this match’s Andre. It makes sense as XO is already in ROH, but that doesn’t make her the most interesting person to watch. Pretty terrible stuff here.

Alexis Littlefoot vs. Monica Monroe

Littlefoot is from Lexington so she’s off to a good start. Monroe grabs a headlock to start and flips over Littlefoot in the corner but gets hammered down rather quickly. An ax kick (or faceplant according to commentary) gets two on Monroe and Littlefoot gives her a spinning back elbow for two. Littlefoot’s DDT out of the corner gets two more and we hit the chinlock. Monroe fights up and drops down onto her for the break, followed by a powerslam. A non-running Lionsault finishes Littlefoot at 4:34.

Rating: C. That might be the best match of the show thus far, which is mainly due to them finally slowing down a bit and having a match. It helps that it was just the two of them rather than trying to squeeze in everyone they could. This wasn’t great by any means, but I’ll take what I can get on a show like this.

Poder Title: Brittany Blake vs. Jazzy Yang vs. Kristin Blaze vs. Sai Perez

Blake is defending. Blaze and Blake hit hurricanrana and dropkicks to put the other two on the floor, leaving Blaze to grab an armbar. Yang and Perez pull Blaze outside for stereo superkicks before going after Blake back inside. That’s enough working together though as Yang and Perez go after each other, allowing Blaze to high crossbody both of them. Blake is back in with a top rope double stomp to Perez’s back to retain at 4:05.

Rating: C-. So the theme here seems to be “get everyone in as fast as you can and don’t worry about anything else”. That’s not helping much as the matches are hardly getting the chance to be set up. There are talented people in here and I’ve seen them do good things this week and otherwise, but this isn’t a good way to showcase them.

Myka Madria/Selene Hysteria vs. Joseline Navarro/Vanity

Commentary goes away to start this match as Navarro and Vanity take turns tagging before starting in with action. Vanity drops Madria and gives her a legdrop, followed by a running low blow in the corner. Some double stomping has Madria down again but it’s an enziguri for the tag off to Hysteria. Everything breaks down and Navarro grabs a Tombstone for the pin at 4:12.

Rating: C-. Well the problem doesn’t seem to be the commentary, but rather four mostly unknown stars fighting rather quickly for about four minutes. There’s just not much that can be done in such a match and they didn’t really pull it off here. As has been the case, it’s not that they aren’t trying or that it’s terrible, but rather it’s just in and out so fast that it doesn’t have a chance.

Sofia Sivan vs. Rachel Ley vs. Corrine Joy vs. Fallyn Grey

Grey is WWE ID Prospect Veronica Haven and she has quite the set of wings, which feels a bit too high level for this show. We get a handshake to start and Sivan and Joy clear the ring rather easily. Sivan flips around a lot and suplexes Grey onto Joy. They go outside with Sivan diving off the ramp to take out the other three. Back in and Ley gives Sivan a handspring elbow in the corner and Grey adds a Bronco Buster. Grey rolls over to give Ley an X Factor but gets brainbustered by Sivan. Ley moonsaults onto Sivan but Grey is up with a spinning full nelson faceplant to pin Ley at 5:46.

Rating: C+. The best thing here is they were actually doing something different for a change. That helps quite a bit as you don’t want the same stuff every single match, especially with a previous four way on the card. If nothing else, it was nice to see them go out of the ring, just for a change of pace. Mixing it up a bit is a good thing, which hasn’t been the case very often thus far.

J-Rod vs. Notorious Mimi

Mimi is WWE ID Prospect Sloane Jacobs. The rather strong J-Rod shoves her down to start so Mimi goes to the apron and fires off a string of knees to the chest. Back in and a fall away slam sends Mimi flying and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. Mimi’s forearms don’t do much good as J-Rod is right back with a spinebuster.

A big boot puts Mimi down for two and J-Rod puts her in the torture rack. With that broken up, Mimi grabs a hurricanrana and uses it to ram J-Rod’s head into the corner over and over (that’s a new one). Mimi kicks her in the face a few times, followed by a high crossbody for two. Back up and J-Rod sends her hard into the corner, setting up a spear for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C+. That was a nice surprise, as I wasn’t going to expect Mimi, a WWE prospect, to lose here. That being said, J-Rod has stood out quite a bit over the week as she looks like one of the best athletes you’ll see anywhere in wrestling and can do the power game rather well. This was one of the better matches on the show thus far and that is nice to see.

Frankie B./Kingsley vs. Shazza McKenzie/Laynie Luck

Frankie and Kingsley jump them to start and a double suplex drops McKenzie for an early two. A basement dropkick/running kick to the back combination gets two and we settle down a bit. McKenzie gets choked in the corner, which draws Luck in for a failed save attempt.

Luck gets drawn in again so McKenzie can be sent into the corner again (kind of a cause and effect thing there). McKenzie hurricanranas her way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to Luck to clean house. Everything breaks down and a faceplant sets up a slam to send Frankie onto McKenzie’s raised knees. McKenzie Stunners Kingsley into a middle rope cutter from Luck for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C+. They’re on a bit of an upward swing here as this was another match where the talent involved helped. Luck and McKenzie are a regular team so they know each other well enough. It’s still too short to be much more than a midcard match, but the star power and in-ring chemistry boosted this up a bit more.

Angelica Risk vs. Sirena Veil vs. Lady Leigh

The ring announcer gets the entrances wrong and has to introduce Risk again. Risk hits an early hip attack on Veil, which has Veil running at both of them with corner forearms. Leigh kicks Veil down and plants Risk with a Michinoku Driver for two. Leigh loads up a DDT on Risk but Veil neckbreakers Leigh to drive her down as well. Risk jumps off of Leigh’s back for a Codebreaker and Veil gives Risk a Sister Abigail. Leigh is back up with some kind of weird Crossface variation to make Veil tap at 4:31.

Rating: C. This felt like a match that belonged on a low level independent show that wanted to make sure it had something involving women. It just felt like they were trying to have a match and didn’t really care what they did or how it lasted. Risk is someone who has been on various shows and I’ve seen Veil before. Leigh is fairly tall but that’s about all I can tell you about her after this match.

Jada Stone vs. Ruthie Jay

Stone works on the wristlock to start and grabs a headlock takeover. That’s reversed into a headscissors but Stone sends her outside for a baseball slide. Back in and Jay chops away before grabbing a rolling X Factor for two. Stone’s comeback attempt is easily cut off but she’s back up to chop away.

A kick to the head out of the corner puts Jay down and a moonsault hits Jay for two. Jay is right back with a northern lights suplex for two but Stone grabs a quick tornado DDT for the needed breather. Stone sends her outside for a moonsault to take Jay down again. Back in and the Spark (handspring) Stunner finishes Jay at 7:21.

Rating: C+. Stone has been turning into something better almost every week on Impact Wrestling and it’s cool to see her having some success elsewhere. The good thing is that she’s still in the ring and figuring out what she can do, which is how you become a better star. This was a slightly longer match than usual and it allowed Stone to build towards her comeback a bit more, which did help things out.

Su Yung/Lindsay Snow/Mickie Knuckles/Tara Zep vs. Freya The Slaya/Gypsy Mac/Haley J/Sammi Chaos

Yung and company (the PWO and I’ll let you guess what the P stands for) jump them from behind to start and it’s a brawl on the floor until Knuckles suplexes Freya back inside. Freya sends Knuckles into the corner and flips Zep into her. Back up and Knuckles rakes Freya’s eyes and a Saito suplex finishes at 3:14.

Rating: D-. And so much for that. This was a big brawl and about thirty seconds of action, which isn’t quite enough for an eight person match. It was a case where I actually knew some of the people involved and had some hope but again, there is only so much you can do with about twenty five seconds per participant.

Steph de Lander vs. Airica Demia

Demia is WWE ID Prospect Anya Rune. Before the match, de Lander says she was injured last year but this time she’s back to beat this stupid anime “b****”. De Lander shoves her around to start but Demia avoids a charge and strikes away. That’s enough for de Lander to be sent outside, where she catches Demia for a face first drop onto the apron. De Lander’s chop only hits post though but she’s fine enough to grab a snap suplex for two back inside

Demia tries to fight back but gets caught on top with a running big boot. A suplex out of the corner sets up a chinlock, followed by the driving shoulders to keep Demia in the corner. Demia fights out and they trade forearms, followed by Eat Defeat and a neckbreaker to give Demia two. De Lander’s spear gets two more and the frustration is setting in. Back up and Demia puts her in the corner for a palm strike, only for de Lander to grab an F5 for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C+. De Lander has the power and size to be a threat to anyone and it’s good to have her back in the ring after such a long time away. She still tends to work better when she has someone to play off of though, which is likely why she works so well with Matt Cardona and Mance Warner. Demia is an interesting prospect, though a lot of that might be due to her fairly unique look.

Violent Romance vs. Ray Lyn/Alejandra Quintanilla

Violent Romance are Nixon Newell/Miranda Alize. Quintanilla and Alize start things off and they trade early armdrags. Alize can’t do anything with Quintanilla so it’s off to Newell vs. Lynn for an aggressive lockup. Newell runs her over but Lyn is back up with a running dropkick. The hip attack connects in the corner and Alize is thrown into the same corner for another hip attack, with some bonus shaking. It’s back to Quintanilla to rake Alize’s back but Newell takes over without much trouble.

Quintanilla gets sent into the corner and stomped down, with Lyn’s failed save attempt allowing the double teaming to continue. Some running shots in the corner keep Quintanilla down but she manages a reverse Sling Blade to Alize. Lyn is back in to kick away at Newell and a high crossbody gets two. Everything breaks down and a bunch of kicks to the face leaves them all down. Back up and Alize rakes Lyn’s eyes and it’s a cutter into the Shiniest Wizard for the pin on Lyn at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Well I’ll be danged they actually got to double digits. Newell and Alize work well together and, for the most part, this was playing to the standard formula. At the same time, it might have just been the best match out of so many by default. The extra time helped (imagine that) but Lyn was more of the “fun” style which is only going to work so well.

Ladies Night Out Title: Jazmin Allure vs. Izzy Moreno vs. La Rosa Negra

Allure is defending…here is Jazz as a special guest referee. Moreno starts fast by suplexing both of them for an early two each. With Moreno sent outside, Allure and Rosa slap it out, with Allure getting the better of things. A northern lights suplex gets two, with Moreno coming back in for the save. Rosa is back up with some shoulders in the corner, followed by some rolling suplexes for two on Moreno. An airplane spin gets two on Moreno and she is almost sent into Jazz.

Allure is back up on top and we get a Tower Of Doom to leave everyone down. Moreno is the least banged up and fires off some clotheslines, followed by a dive for two each. Rosa powerslams Moreno and drops a leg for two on Allure. Rosa’s frog splash misses though and Allure hits a cutter, with Moreno making a save. Moreno almost runs into Jazz again and Jazz won’t count a cover as a result. Allure grabs something like a Cemetery Drive to pin Moreno at 8:57.

Rating: C. The action was better as they kept things moving, but the Jazz stuff brought it right back down. Do they really need to run something close to an angle between Moreno and the retired Jazz when the promotion runs about one show a year? I don’t get this one, but this wasn’t much to see, even with some more familiar names involved.

Thunder Rosa vs. Vert Vixen

They fight over a lockup to no avail to start, with Vixen eventually driving her into the corner for a chop. Rosa chops her even harder and it’s a dropkick to put Vixen down. A clothesline gets two on Vixen but she sends Rosa into the corner. Vixen’s big boot gets two but Rosa sunset flips her out of the corner for two more. Commentary calls Vixen’s Michinoku Driver a “sitout bodyslam” and “pretty cool”, even as it gets two.

Vixen sends her into the corner for a sliding dropkick and knocks Rosa down for two more. Rosa is right back up with the clothesline comeback and some slingshot knees in the corner. Back up and Rosa’s charge is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two but a brainbuster is countered into a small package for two more. Rosa hurricanranas her into the corner and a Death Valley Driver plants Vixen for a rather near fall. A double stomp sets up a seated cobra clutch to make Vixen tap at 8:46.

Rating: B-. Vixen continues to be someone who can work well in there but she has never gotten the chance to do anything on the bigger stage. It’s nice to see her hanging in there against an established name like Rosa, but there was no doubt about the result here. The other problem is it came at the end of this marathon and it was hard to get interested in what they were doing.

Rosa thanks the fans to wrap up the night.

Overall Rating: D+. Well dang that was a lot. By my count, we had 62 wrestlers over 17 matches, which is quite a lot for any night, let alone a show that ran less than three hours. This was a show that absolutely went with the idea of getting as many people on the show as possible and that really didn’t work. They had talented people here and could have done a lot with some of them, but instead it was more about cranking out content. It doesn’t work in Ring Of Honor and it didn’t work here either as this was a miss via complete overload.

Results
Lacey Lane b. Vipress – Hanging Pedigree
Madisyn Maxwell b. Brittnie Brooks, Carolina Cruz, Mazzerati and Tiffany Nieves – Spinning side slam to Cruz
Lexa Valo b. Lili La Pescadita – Dragon sleeper
Christian XO won the WrestleLit Rumble last eliminating La Spooky
Monica Monroe b. Alexis Littlefoot – Lionsault
Brittany Blake b. Jazzy Yang, Kristin Blaze and Sai Perez – Top rope double stomp to Perez
Joseline Navarro/Vanity b. Myka Madria/Selene Hysteria – Tombstone to Hysteria
Fallyn Grey b. Sofia Sivan, Rachel Ley and Corrine Jay – Spinning full nelson faceplant to Ley
J-Rod b. Notorious Mimi – Spear
Shazza McKenzie/Laynie Luck b. Kingsley/Frankie B. – Middle rope cutter to Kingsley
Lady Leigh b. Angelica Risk and Sirena Veil – Crossface to Veil
Jada Stone b. Ruthie Jay – Spark Stunner
Su Yung/Lindsay Snow/Mickie Knuckles/Tara Zep b. Freya The Slaya/Gypsy Mac/Haley J/Sammi Chaos – Saito suplex to Slaya
Steph de Lander b. Airica Demia – F5
Violent Romance b. Ray Lyn/Alexander Quintanilla – Shiniest Wizard to Lyn
Jazmin Allure b. La Rosa Negra and Izzy Moreno – Cemetery Drive to Moreno
Thunder Rosa b. Vert Vixen – Seated cobra clutch

 

 

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

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Hybrid Wrestling/PWU Midnight Xpress: Bombastic And Bodacious

Midnight Xpress
Date: April 15, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Emil Jay, Mo, Righteous Reg

What would Wrestlemania Week be without some cross promoted shows? That’s what we’re getting here, with Hybrid Wrestling teaming up with Pro Wrestling Unplugged. I’m really not sure what that is going to mean as I don’t follow either promotion, but that can make for some interesting results. Let’s get to it.

Opening video, featuring a bunch of people in rather shiny pants.

The ring announcer welcomes us to the show.

BackSeat Boyz vs. Effy/Joey Janela vs. Jordan Oliver/Ryan O’Neil

O’Neil is filling in for Alec Price, who was apparently injured earlier tonight while he…walked down some stairs. Effy on the other hand is apparently going a bit insane. Janela annoys JP to start and JP flips out of a wristlock. Effy comes in for a double atomic drop and a double hip shot to the head.

Oliver and O’Neil come in to clean house but the Boyz come in to clean house. A Devil’s Kiss has O’Neil in trouble and a spinning top rope splash gets two. Oliver makes the save and grabs a German suplex/rollup combination for two on both of the Boyz. Back up and the Boyz hit a Hart Attack into the Dream Sequence but Janela and Effy suplex them down.

Some clotheslines leave everyone on the mat for a breather and the fans get to count. The Boyz are up for a middle rope G9 and Tommy gives Effy an Air Raid Crash. O’Neil hits a Swanton for the ave but he walks into a double spinebuster to give the Boyz the quick pin at 10:18.

Rating: B-. Pretty nice three way tag with everyone going all over the place until the finish. The Boyz aren’t quite as good as the originals (shocking) but they do well enough for what they are. It’s a shame that Price is hurt as he and Oliver work well together and make for a good team. Effy being on the brink of snapping is interesting and you can all but guarantee to see more of that in the coming days.

Hybrid Women’s Title: Mia Friday vs. Brittnie Brooks vs. Ruthie Jay vs. Jazmin Allure

Jay is defending and Kiera Hogan is guest referee. We get a four way test of strength to start until Jay and Allure are knocked outside. Friday springboard armdrags Brooks down and sends her outside, only for Allure to trip Friday from the floor. Allure’s neckbreaker gets two on Friday but Brooks is back in with a double high crossbody.

Jay is back in with a rolling X Factor to Brooks, followed by an airplane spin of all things. Friday’s running neckbreaker makes Jay DDT Allure for two each but Brooks drops Friday with a belly to back. Jay sunset flips Allure for two but Hogan sees a rope being grabbed to cut it off. That has Jay yelling at Hogan so Friday grabs a rollup for the pin and the title at 6:51.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here and that hurt things a bit, especially with the ending being built around the guest referee. That being said, it’s nice to see a title change on a show like this, as you don’t often get such a thing. Unfortunately I still don’t know much about Friday, as storytelling is not quite the focal point of such a match. They did good spots in the time they had here, but they only had so much time in the first place.

Video on BLKOUT vs. VNDL48. They hate each other and keep attacking each other with lots of threats ensuing.

BLKOUT vs. VNDL48

That would be JGeorge/Robby Illuminati/Face (with Skillz da Great) vs. Atticus Cogar/Christian Napier/Otis Cogar. It’s a big brawl on the floor to start with 48 cleaning house and sending JGeorge inside for a triple beating. A moonsault and hilo hit JGeorge, who is busted open and favoring his ankle. Atticus gives him an Air Raid Crash but Face is back in to send the Cogars into each other.

Naturally it’s time for a door but Napier is back up to dropkick it into Face’s face. Atticus saves Napier from being suplexed through the door so Napier takes over on Illuminati. That doesn’t last long as Illuminati spears him through the door. The Cogars are back in to tie Face up with some rope in the ropes and of course it’s time for some skewers to JGeorge’s head. Otis loads up a chair to Face but Matt Tremont (who got the same thing before) runs in to cut it off…and the match just ends at we’ll say 10:00.

Rating: D+. What am I supposed to say here? It’s the hardcore/weapons match of the night (at least the first one) and they didn’t even have an ending. I’m still not sure why they’re fighting but they certainly did, though it wasn’t exactly much of a match. This felt more like a fight in a long running feud, and it would have helped if I had known why they were fighting. Or if someone won.

Post match Tremont takes his jacket off and he’s ready for his scheduled match as the other people leave. It’s as random as it sounds.

Matt Tremont vs. Gangrel

They start fighting in the aisle before the bell and chop it out at ringside. Gangrel goes to the eyes to cut him off and grabs a door before opting for a kendo stick. They go inside with Tremont using the kendo stick before grabbing the chairs. That means they both get to sit down and slug it out until Gangrel throws a chair at his head. Tremont misses a fork shot, which hits the door instead. A spear puts Gangrel through a door and the big splash gives Tremont the pin at 1:57. It might be better to keep it that short.

Post match, respect is shown.

Billy Gold/Kidd Legend/LiveDanger vs. Channing Decker/Corazon/Juni Underwood/Simon Gotch

The latter has a manager named Amadeus with them and LiveDanger is the team of LiveWire Charlie and Danger Ross (doing an 80s throwback). Danger and Decker lock up to start with Danger knocking him down. Charlie comes in to gorilla press Corazon into a fall away slam (that looked great) and it’s already off to Gotch vs. Legend for a slugout. Legend is sent into the wrong corner and triple teamed, which lasts all of a few seconds before he gets over to Gold.

Underwood gets taken into the wrong corner for a double gorilla press and everything breaks down (I’m stunned it took this long). That actually doesn’t last as it’s Charlie sending Corazon flying for the tag back to Danger. Everything breaks down and Corazon gets backdropped into a powerslam from LiveDanger (not bad) for the pin at 8:20.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is only so much to be gained out of this many people having so little time, though LiveDanger were a fun team with some nice combinations. If the Outrunners weren’t a thing, they could become a nice act on the circuit. The rest of the people didn’t have a chance to showcase themselves, but that’s how matches like this tend to go.

PWU Silver Skywalker Title: Deklan Grant vs. Angel Metro vs. Angel Orsini vs. Don Freeze vs. Jazmyne Hao vs. JJ Doze vs. Mickie Knuckles vs. Tarzan Duran

Grant is defending in an eight person scramble. Grant is sent outside fast to start and the other men join him. That leaves the four women in the ring but they would rather dive than fight each other. Doze is back in for some dives but Hao gives him a Samoan drop. Freeze drops Hao with a spinning belly to back suplex so Duran flips in with a slingshot double faceplant.

The door is set up on the floor, leaving Orsini to chop away at Duran. Orsini manages to get up top for a moonsault onto the pile so Knuckles gives her a suplex back inside. A door is broken over Knuckles’ head and Grant wraps a bag over her head. That and a piledriver is enough for Grant to pin Knuckles and retain at 7:59.

Rating: D. Between the random lineup, everyone going everywhere at once and the rather horrible ending, there was nothing to see here. I get why these scramble matches have to take place but my goodness they can be a wreck. At the same time, this show could really use some more one on one matches, as this was another mess of a match, but without the good parts.

1 Called Manders vs. Thomas Shire

Apparently PCO isn’t here so they’re fighting each other despite being partners and friends. Manders takes him into the corner for a…nice pat on the trunks. They trade big strikes in the corner until Manders hits a springboard (off the bottom rope) elbow of all things. Shire is back with an ax handle and they clothesline each other down.

They get back up for a slugout from their knees until Shire drops him with a German suplex. Manders hits a lariat from his knees and they go outside, which can’t end well. Shire cuts him off with a jumping knee and a spinning torture rack slam drops Manders for two back inside. Back up and Manders slips away from…something, setting up a heck of a lariat to pin Shire at 6:39.

Rating: B-. Maybe it was just the previous match being such a mess, but this was two big, strong guys beating the fire out of each other. Manders is not a complicated gimmick but he does it pretty well. I’m still not sure why he’s never gotten a chance elsewhere but he certainly gets the idea well enough. I haven’t seen much of Shire but he fits in well with Manders.

PWU Women’s Title: Lacey Lane vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Priscilla Kelly

For the inaugural title and Kiera Hogan is guest referee. Martinez is sent outside early to start but comes back in to break up the cover. Lane rolls Kelly up for two but Martinez is back in to throw both of them down. Martinez is knocked into the corner, allowing Lane to Death Valley Driver Kelly into her.

Kelly knocks Martinez outside and kicks away at Lane, followed by a nasty looking suplex. Lane is knocked outside so Kelly teases a dive, only for Martinez to catch her with a spider superplex. Back up and Lane is sent outside again, leaving Martinez to spinebuster Kelly for the pin and the title at 7:02.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time out there but they were going as fast as they could with the time that they had. That’s not easy to do but it worked well here, with Martinez being the one who stayed in the ring most of the time. She doesn’t have much time left in the ring, though she can still more than hang in there. Lane did well too, as she’s quite the athlete who looks natural in the ring. That leaves Kelly, who more than held her own and will probably be back in a bigger promotion one day.

PWU Title: Jack Evans vs. Pat Dynamite

Dynamite is defending. They go with the grappling to start until Dynamite hits a quick dropkick to knock him outside. Back in and Evans gives him a handshake before posing on the ropes. An enziguri hits Dynamite to cut him off though and Evans sends him outside. Dynamite gets tossed into the steps and suplexed on the stage to make it even worse. Back in and a Falcon Arrow sets up a chinlock.

That’s switched into a Muta Lock but Dynamite makes the rope in a hurry. A brainbuster onto the knee has Evans down for a change, setting up a top rope clothesline for two. Evans is back up to send him outside for the tumbling flip dive, followed by a 450 back inside. Another 450 is loaded up (Evans loves his flips) but Dynamite gets the knees up and small packages him to retain at 10:33.

Rating: C+. Evans is someone who has been around for the better part of ever and you know what you’re getting with him. He’s going to run his mouth and flip a lot, but the good thing is he still knows how to do that style pretty well. The ending didn’t offer much, though at least the match had some time for a change.

Overall Rating: C. There are some talented wrestlers on here and some of the matches were pretty nice. At the same time, there were multiple parts that felt either dumb or almost incomplete, including the weird ending to the six person tag. I’ve seen far worse shows, but this felt like it needed more planning and structure, as it’s kind of all over the place otherwise.

Results
BackSeat Boyz b. Effy/Joey Janela and Jordan Oliver/Ryan O’Neil – Double spinebuster to O’Neil
Mia Friday b. Brittnie Brooks, Jazmin Allure and Ruthie Jay – Rollup to Jay
BLKOUT vs. VNDL48 went to a no contest
Matt Tremont b. Gangrel – Splash
Billy Gold/Kidd Legend/LiveDanger b. Channing Decker/Corazon/Juni Underwood/Simon Gotch – Backdrop into a powerslam to Corazon
Deklan Grant b. Angelo Metro, Angel Orsini, Don Freeze, Jazmyne Hao, JJ Doze, Mickie Knuckles and Tarzan Duran – Piledriver to Knuckles
1 Called Manders b. Thomas Shire – Lariat
Mercedes Martinez b. Lacey Lane and Priscilla Kelly – Spinebuster to Kelly

 

 

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Podermania 2026: Hurry Hurry Hurry!

Podermania 2026
Date: April 15, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Veda Scott, Val Capone

I’ve seen this show on the Wrestlemania schedule year after year and it’s time to give it a shot. As usual I have no idea what to expect from the show but apparently it is a self-described “mostly” female wrestling company. That could mean quite the good results given the available talent so let’s get to it.

There’s an anime opening video and I have no idea if this sword fight has anything to do with the show.

Su Yung/Leva Bates vs. Joseline Navarro/Mazzerati

Yung and Bates are Team Demonslayer. Mazzerati poses at Bates to start so it’s off to Yung, who scares Mazzerati off to Navarro. Bates comes right back in and goes after Navarro’s leg so we’ll try Yung again. Some double teaming has Yung in trouble and Mazzerati gives her a spinning middle rope crossbody.

Bates comes in for the save and Yung (described as the Demon, despite being on Team DEMONSLAYER) has the big staredown with Navarro. Yung gets knocked down but Bated tagged herself in and gets kicked in the face for two. Yung’s Arachnarana (cool name) send Navarro into the corner and it’s the Panic Switch (Samoan driver) into a basement superkick to pin Mazzerati at 8:41.

Rating: C+. Good enough opener here with a nice, fast paced tag match. That’s often a smart way to start things off and while the pairings felt a bit random, it wound up working well enough. I didn’t know much about the women (I’ve seen them all before but that’s about it) but they got me into the match and I’ll call that a win.

Post match Tara Zep (another odd looking woman) runs in to beat on Mazzerati before leaving with Yung.

The ring announcer thanks various people for making the show possible.

Amira/Lil Marz vs. Jazzy Yang/Toga

Amira works on Toga’s arm to start with Toga reversing into a headlock. A running shoulder gives Toga one and Amira is back up with a dropkick. Marz comes in for a running basement elbow in the corner but it’s quickly off to Yang. Amira elbows her down and grabs a suplex, followed by a running clothesline in the corner.

Marz’s suplex gets two and a Cannonball in the corner gets two. Yang finally gets up for a crossbody though and it’s back to Toga for a heck of a forearm to Amira. Everything breaks down and Yang fires off some superkicks before going outside with Amira. That leaves Toga to hit a kind of Rock Bottom to pin Marz at 8:47.

Rating: B-. This match was similar to the opener but in this case I had no idea who anyone was and they pulled me into it again. It was a good enough showing between what felt like (again, not sure if they are) a match between two makeshift teams and that’s hard to do. I liked this well enough and Marz and Amira could be worth following going forward.

Some weapons are brought in, which can’t go well.

Nixi XS vs. Shazza McKenzie

This is a street fight. They sit down at a table…and start to play poker. Even the referee is playing (and dealing, while partially dressed like Elvis) and I’m more curious about the brand of card they have (my collection continues to grow). The fight breaks out and they go outside to find a fringe covered kendo stick. Nixi (who is apparently an evil bride) finds her own (non-fringed) kendo stick and hammers away but gets sent back inside. McKenzie finds a chair…and Blair Onyx (feuding with McKenzie) is attached to it.

The distraction lets Nixi fights back and cut McKenzie’s mouth with a card before pouring liquid into the cut. The bag of rhinestones are poured out and McKenzie is sent face first into them for a near fall. Nixi pulls out…what looks to be some powder, which McKenzie grabs and puts near her nose, triggering an energized comeback (I’m going to assume it was Hulk Hogan Python Powder and move on). Onyx gets on the apron though and the distraction lets Nixi hit McKenzie in the head with a bottle. A tornado DDT finishes McKenzie at 6:45.

Rating: B-. This was certainly a change of pace from the first two matches and, possible cocaine inspired comeback aside, I liked it well enough. I’ve seen McKenzie over the years and she always seems to put in a lot of effort. Nixi has popped up in AEW/ROH a few times but it wasn’t quite like this, which granted wouldn’t make sense when she’s out there as a jobber.

Gypsy Mac vs. Brittnie Brooks vs. Izzy Moreno

Mac grabs a rollup to start and Moreno sends her outside. Brooks takes Moreno down and drops Mac on the floor before throwing her back inside. Moreno is knocked to the floor again and it’s a running hip attack to give Brooks two. Brooks gives Mac a faceplant but gets tripped down by Moreno, who comes back inside. Mac hip checks Brooks in the corner but gets Falcon Arrowed by Moreno for two.

Moreno northern lights suplexes Mac but Brooks’ slingshot save doesn’t work, leaving Mac to kick out on her own. Mac is back up with a spear to Brooks, who manages a wheelbarrow bulldog. Moreno grabs a DDT but gets dropped by Mac. Brooks offers a distraction so Moreno can slam Mac off the top. Brooks comes back in to plant Mac for two but Moreno sends Brooks outside and steals the pin at 8:17.

Rating: C+. Brooks continues to feel like a star in the making (as she did last year) but Moreno continues to be the interesting aspect. She’s by no means ready for it yet, but can you imagine if she managed to get to WWE for a run with Bayley? It would be one of the coolest super long term stories in wrestling and dang it’s somehow a possibility.

Post match Moreno thanks the fans for helping her get better.

Kaia McKenna vs. Allie Katch

McKenna is rather tall. They fight over a test of strength to start with neither getting very far so McKenna knees her in the ribs. A suplex gives McKenna two but Katch is back with a Pele kick. Katch whips her hard into the corner for two and it’s a hip attack into the Cannonball for two. McKenna belly to back suplexes her for the same but Katch is right back with a quick piledriver for the pin out of nowhere at 8:01.

Rating: C+. Katch continues to feel like one of the more polished independent women in the industry and she was doing well here again. She seems to be more of a permanent star on the indy circuit rather than doing anything in a big company. At the same time, McKenna had an interesting look and I could go for seeing her again.

Journey Burke/Sirena Veil/Valentina Rossi vs. Dani Mo/Emily Jaye/Rachel Ley

Jaye and Rossi (who is now Gianna Capri in Evolve) start things off with Jaye slapping her in the face, setting up a running faceplant. It’s off to Ley for a handspring elbow in the corner to Burke. A neckbreaker cuts Ley off for two but she kicks Journey in the face, allowing the double tag to Mo and Veil.

Mo gets knocked down rather quickly and a Vader Bomb elbow gives Veil two as the other four are in a chase around ringside. Mo is right back up to strike away and a Code Red gets two on Burke. Everything breaks down and Burke gives Ley an Air Raid Crash. Mo’s Michinoku Driver drops Burke for two and Veil gets planted with a double chokeslam. Ley’s 450 is good for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: B-. They had a tough task with getting everyone a chance to shine with so many people involved. It wound up working out pretty well though, with the winners feeling like interesting prospects. Rossi is already more than a prospect and the other two were far from bad. Nice job here, even with a bunch of less than familiar (not a bad thing as it applies to everyone at some point) names.

Alex Gracia vs. Aleah James

They fight over a lockup to start with Gracia using the hair to pull her into the corner. James spins out of a wristlock and kicks Gracia into the corner. Gracia trips her down though and gets in some rams to the apron but the referee catches the feet on the ropes. Back in and Gracia’s belly to back suplex gets two but James breaks out of the double arm crank. James strikes away and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two, only for Gracia to go for the eyes. A knee lift and headplant put James away at 5:05.

Rating: C. This didn’t have a ton of time to go anywhere but Gracia, who has been on some bigger shows before, was a solid hand out there. James was fine enough on her own, but there is only so much you can do in so little time. Maybe they’re running long or something, because this barely felt like it was getting started.

Poder Title: Brittany Blake vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Blackheart is challenging. They go to the mat to start with Blake getting two off a quick jackknife rollup. Back up and Blackheart gets the better of a test of strength before hitting a quick dropkick. Blake snaps off some armdrags before sending Blackheart out to the floor. They slug it out on the apron with Blake getting the better of things and hitting a suicide dive. Back in and Blackheart suplexes her into the corner for two, followed by a Boston crab.

Brooks makes the rope rather quickly and sends Blackheart into the corner for two. Blackheart tries a superplex but Blake blocks that and manages to reverse into a powerbomb. A hard knee sends Blackheart out to the floor…and now we both have kendo sticks. Blackheart gets the better of a strike off and puts her in a chair for a running knee. The top rope backsplash hits raised knees back inside though and a Texas Cloverleaf Gangsta’s Paradise finishes Blackheart at 10:55.

Rating: B-. Blackheart is a star and on a roll in the independent scene as of late and it’s good to see her getting a high profile spot on a show like this. She has a lot of matches scheduled this weekend and there is a good chance she’ll be in something pretty big over the next few days. Blake has been champion for going on two years though and certainly got to show off a bit here. Nice match and it did feel more important.

Post match Blake says…I’m not sure as the audio isn’t great.

Carolina Cruz vs. Miranda Alize

Alize’s headlock takeover starts things off but Cruz is back up with a running shoulder. After a quick dance, Cruz snaps off some armdrags but Alize pulls her down out of the corner. The double arm crank goes on for a few moments before Alize switches to hammering away in the corner. Cruz fights back with a Stunner to start the clothesline comeback, followed by a dropkick. A sliding clothesline gives Cruz two but Alize slaps on a crossface. With that broken up, Cruz grabs a jumping Downward Spiral for two but Alize is back with a Shining Wizard for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: C+. It was good while it lasted, but it just didn’t last long. That’s kind of a problem as you can only just so much into a match so short. I’ve seen both of them before and they’re both talented, but there was only so much to get out of a match that was going up against this kind of limitations.

Ladies Night Out Title: Alexandra Le Leona vs. Jazmin Allure

Allure is defending. Leona takes her down by the arm to start and they trade legsweeps for two each. That means we’re off to an early standoff until Leona rolls some suplexes. A 619 misses and Allure is right back with a neckbreaker. Leona’s reverse Sling Blade drops Allure again though and now the 619 connects. The springboard splash gives Leona two and an Angel’s Wings connects for the same. Allure hits the ropes and grabs Tatum Paxley’s Cemetery Drive to retain at 4:34.

Rating: C. Are they just really short on time or something? The previous match didn’t get much time and this match, a title match, was about a third shorter. I’m not sure what’s going on with that but they could only do much here. Allure is good at what she does and Leona is good at doing a lot of Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio stuff.

Charli Evans vs. Billie Starkz

Starkz doesn’t seem serious about a handshake to start so they clothesline each other down less than a minute in. An exchange of German suplexes are both shrugged off so Starkz brainbusters her onto the knee. Evans catches her on top and hits a Death Valley Driver for two, followed by a sliding kick to the head for the same. They slug it out with Evans raining down right hands in the corner, only for Starkz to ram her into the buckle. Evans tries a victory roll but Starkz reverses into a cradle of her own for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C. Yeah they must be running long here as there is no reason for your main event to run about four and a half minutes with pretty much nothing going on. They started fast and just blitzed through everything, which isn’t the greatest way to go. This could have wound up being a good match, but I need a good bit more than what they had here.

Post match Evans chases Starkz to the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I love the idea of a show like this where the incredibly talented women are given the chance to showcase themselves. At the same time though, everything after Blackheart vs. Blake felt like a dark match where the wrestlers were hoping to beat the traffic. There was good action here, but they would have been better off cutting a match or two and letting some of the latter stuff breathe.

Results
Su Yung/Leva Bates b. Joseline Navarro/Mazzerati – Basement superkick to Mazzerati
Togo/Jazzy Yang b. Amira/Lil Marz – Rock Bottom to Marz
Nixi XS b. Shazza McKenzie – Tornado DDT
Izzi Moreno b. Gypsy Mac and Brittnie Brooks – Nightmare On Helm Street to Mac
Allie Katch b. Kaia McKenna – Piledriver
Dani Mo/Emily Jaye/Rachel Ley b. Journey Burke/Sirena Veil/Valentina Rossi – 450 to Veil
Alex Gracia b. Aleah James – Headplant
Brittany Blake b. Shotzi Blackheart – Arm trap Texas Cloverleaf
Miranda Alize b. Carolina Cruz – Shining Wizard
Jazmin Allure b. Alexandra Le Leona – Cemetery Drive

 

 

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Future Stars Of Wrestling Future Women’s Legends Tournament: For The Fast Viewer

Future Legends Women’s Tournament
Date: April 20, 2025
Location: FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: CLAS, MJ Holiday

I’ve been wanting to see more from Future Stars Of Wrestling as it’s a local promotion in Las Vegas but it has mainly been hosting other events this Wrestlemania Weekend. This might not be the best way to look at the promotion but it’s as good as we’re getting here. I’m not sure what to expect here other than some women having a tournament so let’s get to it.

Apparently everyone in the tournament is 25 or under for a bit of a nice touch.

The ring announcer introduces the show but her microphone is very low and I can barely understand a word she is saying.

Future Women’s Legends Tournament First Round: Carolina Cruz vs. Alice Blair vs. Zamaya

MK Bandit is here with Zamaya. Blair sends the two of them together so Cruz stops to dance, followed by a rollup for two each. Cruz’s double bulldog is countered into a double belly to back suplex and it’s Blair basement dropkicking Zamaya for two. Back up and Zamaya stacks them up in the corner for a double running hip attack and a Samoan drop gets two on Cruz.

A clothesline gives Blair two on Zamaya with Blair having to make the save. Cruz hits a double dropkick and a double DDT before taking Bandit out on the floor. Zamaya gets dropped outside as well, leaving Cruz to grab a stretch muffler with a bodyscissors to make Blair tap at 8:20.

Rating: C. This was the Cruz show and that’s not the worst thing to see. She is a former NXT star and it makes sense to put her out there as a focal point. Blair didn’t do much here and Zamaya felt like a monster. It’s not a great match but it made Cruz feel like a bigger star than the other two, which was likely the point.

Future Women’s Legends Tournament First Round: Jazmin Allure vs. Maggie Lee

Allure has been in AEW before while Lee recently debuted in TNA. Lee isn’t having this waiting thing and knocks her off the top during the posing, which is what a villain should do. The beating continues on the floor and they go inside, where Lee gets two at the opening bell. Allure sends her flying for a crash into the corner and a basement dropkick gets two. Lee gets in a cheap shot though and chokes on the ropes before choking on the ropes some more.

The surfboard keeps Allure in trouble and Lee has the evil grin going strong. That’s broken up and Allure hits a quick faceplant for two so she goes up top. A Samoan driver pulls Allure down for two as commentary is already complaining about the speed of the count. Allure is back up with a knockdown into a nice frog splash for two and it’s time to strike it out. Lee staggers her into a kneeling tombstone for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. It isn’t hard to see why these two are getting attention from other promotions as they have the talent to get noticed. Lee has enough of a look to her and was good enough in the ring to back it up. On the other hand, you have Allure, who seemed to be a fairly well rounded star, or at least as well rounded as you can show yourself being in a relatively short match.

Future Women’s Legends Tournament First Round: Jada Stone vs. Maya World

In something you don’t often see, half of the commentary team leaves because they have a flight to catch to get back home after Wrestlemania Weekend. Someone else jumps in to take his place as they trade wrist control and headlocks to get things going. Stone ducks a clothesline but World flips out of a headscissors. They go to the mat for an exchange of near falls, with World hitting a northern lights suplex for two.

Stone misses a charge into the corner but comes back with a kick to the head for two. A running dropkick in the corner gives Stone two but World fights up and strikes away for a breather. Stone comes back with a cutter though and they’re both down. Back up and World misses a split legged moonsault, with Stone missing a Spiral Tap to keep things even. World hits a missile dropkick into a sitout powerbomb for two and they’re both down again. They forearm it out until Stone sends her throat first into the ropes. A handspring Stunner finishes World at 9:01.

Rating: B-. These two got a bit more time and that isn’t a bit surprise either. Stone has done well in the matches where I’ve seen her show up, with World doing well enough at the same time. This was treated as a bigger match than the others so far and it isn’t a surprise to see her moving on to the title match.

Future Women’s Legends Tournament First Round: Brittnie Brooks vs. Kiah Dream

Dream takes her down with a headlock to start but Brooks reverses into an armbar. Back up and an armdrag sends Dream into the corner and a big boot sends her outside. Rather than follow her out though, Brooks lets Dream get back inside for a Russian legsweep. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Brooks fights up, only to be pulled into a full nelson with the legs. Brooks fights up again and hits a running hip attack in the corner for two but the Dream Catcher (jumping cutter) puts Brooks down for two. Back up and Brooks hits a quick Nightmare On Helms Street for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C+. Brooks is someone else who has been featured quite a bit this weekend and that makes a good deal of sense. She has a good look to her and feels like a star no matter what she is doing. Dream didn’t get to do as much here, but Brooks feels like someone that will be getting a chance as an underdog fighting from beneath.

Futures Title: Marcus Mathers vs. Bryce Saturn vs. Bodhi Young Prodigy vs. Matt Vandagriff

Vandagriff is defending and this is a non-tournament men’s match. Saturn gets triple teamed to start, which is enough for him to get knocked to the floor. The remaining three trade armdrags and then try stereo dropkicks for a standoff. Vandagriff snaps off a double hurricanrana to send them to the floor but Saturn breaks up the dive. Saturn won’t dive of course but here is Bodhi with a high crossbody to put him down.

Mathers comes back in so Saturn can take him down, followed by a neckbreaker/DDT/big boot combination (that wasn’t bad). A suplex gets two on Bodhi but Mathers is back up for the comeback. Mathers hits a middle rope Stunner for two on Saturn, only for Vandagriff to come in with a top rope forearm.

Bodhi makes the save this time, followed by a top rope cutter on Saturn. Vandagriff pulls Bodhi out of the air for a buckle bomb, followed by Saturn’s powerbomb for two. All four get back in and Bodhi tornado DDTs Vandagriff, kicking the other two to the floor at the same time. A big flip dive takes out Saturn and Mathers, followed by a 450 to Vandagriff for the pin and the title at 10:05.

Rating: B-. This was your usual four way match with everyone flying around and doing their stuff as fast as they could. Bodhi is someone who has been making some appearances throughout the weekend and given that his name is “Young Prodigy”, it would seem that there is something to him. Saturn was a decent heel and the fans seemed to be against him, so he is doing something well enough.

Future Women’s Legends Title: Brittnie Brooks vs. Jada Stone vs. Maggie Lee vs. Carolina Cruz

Elimination rules for the vacant title. Cruz and Brooks are knocked to the floor to start with Stone and Lee following to keep up the beatings. All four are back inside and, after a handshake, Cruz grabs a handshake on Brooks. Stone pulls Brooks outside and hammers away, leaving Lee to roll Cruz up for the elimination at 2:50.

Back in and Brooks gets double teamed by Stone and Lee. A double suplex is broken up though and everyone is down for a breather. Lee goes after Stone and gets kicked in the face, setting up the handspring Stunner (which doesn’t really work as Stone springboards but then stops for the Stunner) to get rid of Lee at 5:55. Stone hits a basement dropkick to the back for two and she stomps away for two more. A kick to the head in the corner gives Stone two more but Brooks fights back. Some shots to the face set up the Nightmare On Helm Street to give Brooks the title at 8:29.

Rating: C+. There isn’t much to be said here as this was about making Brooks look like a star, which went well enough. Cruz was barely a factor, Lee felt like someone I could go for more of (and I can get that in TNA) and Stone appears to be a star who has already started to move beyond shows at this level. That’s quite the collection of talent and it made for a decent main event.

Brooks gets her belt and we’re out fast.

Overall Rating: B-. There wasn’t much to see here, but they were in and out with the whole show in less than an hour and a half. That’s quite the speed for any show and they had a full tournament (maybe not your traditional one but it worked) with a bonus match. I’ll take that over a bunch of nothing singles matches so points for making this work. Not exactly a must see show, but it’s nice if you have less time to watch something this weekend.

Results
Carolina Cruz b. Alice Blair and Zamaya – Stretch muffler with bodyscissors to Blair
Maggie Lee b. Jazmin Allure – Kneeling tombstone
Jada Stone b. Maya World – Handspring Stunner
Brittnie Brooks b. Kiah Dream – Nightmare On Helm Street
Bodhi Young Prodigy b. Matt Vandagriff, Bryce Saturn and Marcus Mathers – 450 to Vandagriff
Brittnie Brooks b. Jada Stone, Maggie Lee and Carolina Cruz last eliminating Stone

 

 

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FSW WWE ID Championship Tournament: You May Have Seen This Before

FSW WWE ID Championship Tournament
Date: April 18, 2025
Location: FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jake Black, Trevin Adams

It’s pretty much what the name says, as we started the tournament on Wednesday and now we get the second day here. There is a men’s and women’s version, which means we are going to be seeing some of the prominent ID names getting their chance. The first night wasn’t bad at all and hopefully this lives up that standard. Let’s get to it.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Cappuccino Jones vs. It’s Gal

This is a double elimination tournament and Gal powers him around to start. A headlock doesn’t work for Jones so Gal pulls him into a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up and Jones hits a big dropkick before chopping away. Gal shrugs that off and powers him down, meaning it’s time for some pushups with choking included. A legdrop gives Gal two and he grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back.

Back up and Gal chokes in the corner before slapping Jones in the face. That seems to wake Jones up enough to fight back, only for Gal to kick him in the face. Jones manages a quick Stunner into a springboard elbow to the face, followed by a pop up cutter for two. Hold on though as Gal comes up holding his elbow but the referee catches him using the medals. Jones hits him in the face and grabs the Decaffinator for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty nice match actually with Gal getting in the offense but posing too much, leading to him trying to cheat to no avail. Jones is someone with a goofy but simple gimmick and it is starting to take off for him. Both of them are entertaining enough and this was a good way to open the show.

Post match Jones thanks the fans for being here to support them tonight. He would have done anything to get here and now he has a big pot brewing for anyone who wants some. Cue Swipe Right, Jackson Drake and Zayda Steele to lay Jones out. Drake brags about the team’s success so far and more success is coming. He’s ready for Marcus Mathers and Ricky Smokes is ready for Sean Legacy and Brad Baylor is ready for Ice Williams. Even Zayda Williams is ready to win her match! These people don’t have much to say.

Zayda Steele/Mazzerati vs. Brittnie Brooks/Zara Zakher

Steele wants to face Brooks but immediately bails out to the floor, allowing Mazzerati to headlock Brooks instead. Brooks reverses into an armbar, which is broken up just as quickly. Back up and Brooks grabs some armdrags into a snap suplex for two. Zakher comes in for an elbow to the face and a running kick to the back for two. Mazzerati is back with a gutbuster and Steele slaps her in the back for a tag, meaning it’s time to hammer on Zakher. Steele knocks her onto the floor and stomps away but stops to blow a kiss to the camera.

Back in and a dropkick knocks Zakher out of the Tree of Woe but Steele accidentally knocks Mazzerati off the apron. It’s back to Brooks and Mazzerati tags herself back in, only to get forearmed in the face. Brooks grabs a DDT for two but Mazzerati fights up. Steele grabs her by the hair and tags herself back in though, setting up a Gory Bomb for two on Zakher. Mazzerati won’t tag in so Steele shoves her off the apron, which has Mazzerati leaving. Zakher RKOs Steele for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see a story in a match like this, as you have Steele dealing with Mazzerati, complete with commentary pointing out how Mazzerati has recently changed her attitude. Other than that, it wasn’t much of a match but at least it got some time and they were able to showcase themselves. Steele continues to look like a star and if she can back it up in the ring, she’ll be a big deal.

Bodhi Young Prodigy vs. Freedom Ramsey

Bodhi tries a quick sunset flip for two and holds the ropes to avoid the dropkick. Ramsey comes back with an atomic drop and a middle rope faceplant gets two. A jumping legdrop gives Ramsey two but Bodhi comes back with a DDT for a needed breather. The comeback is on and Bodhi hits a high crossbody for two. A Pele drops Ramsey again but he avoids the 450. Ramsey hits a Blockbuster for the pin at 5:47.

Rating: C+. I’ve only seen a bit of these two so I didn’t have much of an idea of what is going on but they pulled me in to Bodhi making his comeback. That’s an impressive thing to do as I don’t have any reason to care about these two but it worked anyway. Bodhi’s comeback was engaging and the fans got into it, which made things even that much better.

Respect is shown post match.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Sam Holloway vs. Aaron Rourke

They’ve both lost once so the loser is eliminated. The bigger Holloway shoves him into the corner to start so Rourke grabs a lockup and climbs the ropes. That doesn’t work either so Rourke just opts to hammer away in the corner. A running boot in the corner rocks Holloway and Rourke sends him to the floor for a dive. This works a bit better for Holloway, who crotches Rourke on the barricade and then chops the heck out of him.

Back in and we hit the chinlock to keep Rourke down, only for him to reverse into an Octopus. That’s broken up as well so Holloway cuts him off with a running dropkick (impressive given his size). A top rope splash gives Holloway two and he can’t believe the kickout. Rourke gets up again but gets caught in a powerbomb, which he reverses into a Code Red for the pin to eliminate Holloway at 9:28.

Rating: B-. Rourke got to stand out a bit more here than he did yesterday and that’s nice to see. That’s kind of the point of what you’re supposed to see from these matches as they’re still making themselves known on the bigger stages. Rourke doesn’t have much that makes him stand out but at least he was out there with a bigger guy who gave him a solid opponent.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Aaron Roberts vs. Jordan Oasis

Oasis starts fast and knocks him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Roberts drops him with a clothesline before ramming Oasis’ head into the mat. Roberts slowly hammers away in the corner before dropping down onto Oasis’ back. Oasis finally fights out and manages a good spinebuster. Roberts’ chokeslam gets two but a Vader Bomb is countered into a powerbomb to give Oasis two more. Back up and Roberts pulls out a foreign object for a cheap shot, setting up the Vader Bomb for the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C+. Oasis feels like someone who turn into something so while it’s annoying to see him lose, it might mean that they have a little more for him to do. Seeing him face some adversity could make for a good story and hopefully that is where they’re going. At the same time, Roberts is a pretty standard big man and hasn’t shown me much so far. There will always be a place for someone like him in wrestling, but so far he hasn’t shown me much.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Jackson Drake vs. Marcus Mathers

They fight over a lockup to start until Drake pulls him down into a headscissors. That’s broken up and Mathers knocks him outside, followed by some leg cranking back inside. Drake fights up and is dropkicked down almost immediately. Mathers charges into a boot in the corner though and Drake gets in a middle rope knee to the arm to take over. The arm is tied up and Drake gets creative by using his wrist tape to pull back on the arm even more.

The referee sees Drake using the ropes on a cover to give Mathers a breather but Drake is right back on the arm. Mathers’ arm is fine enough to slam him down, followed by a spinning high crossbody. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Mathers two but Drake pulls him into a Kimura. That’s broken up with a quick slam but the arm gives out and Drake gets a cross armbreaker.

Mathers survives that as well and fights up for a superkick. That means it’s time to go up top, where Drake’s superplex brings him back down in a big crash. Back up and the frustrated Drake hammers away in the corner, setting up a bridging German suplex for two. Mathers blocks the running knee though and a dragon screw legwhip takes Drake down again. A middle rope Canadian Destroyer hits Drake and the Broad Street Buster (fisherman’s buster) gets another near fall. Cue Swipe Right for a distraction, allowing Sam Holloway to post Mathers. Drake adds the running knee for the pin at 18:32.

Rating: B-. Well that was…long. I’m not sure I’d say it was especially good, but it’s nice to see them being able to hold it together for a longer match. Drake is a decent enough villain and Mathers certainly feels like someone who could turn into a bigger star if he is properly developed. For now though, they had a nice match, even if it went on for quite awhile.

Post match, Drake brags about how great he and Swipe Right are. Again.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Sean Legacy vs. Ricky Smokes

Legacy isn’t waiting here and dropkicks Smokes to the floor to start. Some chops rock Smokes even more and they head back inside where Smokes can keep chopping away. Smokes gets in a shot of his own in the corner and starts in with his own chops, followed by a kick into the ropes. Legacy fights up and goes to the top but gets dropkicked out to the floor in a heap.

Back in and Smokes drops a knee, followed by the required chinlock. That’s broken up and Legacy strikes away, setting up a middle rope Spanish Fly to leave both of them down. Legacy moonsaults into a lifting reverse DDT for two before grabbing the torture rack, only to have to go after Swipe Right. Smokes kicks him in the head but dives into a Codebreaker. The torture rack flipped into the swinging neckbreaker gives Legacy the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. Legacy has definitely felt like the biggest star in the ID program so far and it seems like he’s the centerpiece, at least in the early stages. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him as the first champion, but he’s almost guaranteed to at least make a deep run. Smokes is one half of the annoying heel tag team so Legacy had a reason to beat him, though I’m not sure if there was much drama.

Post match Swipe Right comes in for the beatdown but Ice Williams and Cappuccino Jokes make the save. And now, the main event.

Men’s WWE ID Championship Tournament: Ice Williams vs. Brad Baylor

Williams starts fast and hammers away, including knocking Baylor to the floor for some uppercuts. Baylor gets in a shot of his own and they head back inside, where Baylor starts going after Williams’ neck. The pace slows again as Baylor hammers away and then grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and Williams spins around to hit a quick DDT. Williams ties him in the ropes for a kick tot he face and an elbow to the back for two.

Baylor comes back with a snapdragon for two before going up top, where he reverses a superplex into a swinging superplex (ala Kevin Owens). Back up and Williams hits a good looking superkick for two, plus a good shocked kickout face. Baylor brainbusters him onto the knee for two more and goes for a turnbuckle pad. With the referee taking care of that, it’s a low blow for two on Williams. Back up and they slug it out until Williams superkicks him down again. A brainbuster finishes Baylor off at 11:13.

Rating: C+. Baylor feels like the bigger star of Swipe Right, which is quite a big deal at this point given how much they have been featured. At the same time, Williams is another guy who might wind up becoming a star and certainly has the look. He’s already doing well with his early tournament appearances and that should give him a nice next few appearances.

Post match Williams says he’s going to be the first ID Champion and thanks the fans for coming out.

Overall Rating: C+. The show isn’t bad and the action is good enough, but the ID people are starting to lose their charm. They’ve been all over the weekend and you can only see Swipe Right and company run in so many times to do their thing before it stops working. I know we’ll get to the title stuff and some better stories later, but two long shows from these same people in a few days is a bit much. It’s not bad, but there’s a reason these people are prospects rather than the featured stars.

On top of that, the tournament is kind of all over the place. You have some people with one loss, one guy already eliminated and in theory some wrestlers who haven’t debuted yet. What we didn’t have was any kind of graphic or standings showing where people were. Maybe they don’t know all of the entrants yet or they haven’t been announced, but it doesn’t make for the easiest thing to follow, especially with the double elimination aspect. It makes the show feel all over the place and hard to keep track of, which isn’t the kind of feeling you want fans to have. Good enough wrestling, but it needs to be tightened up.

Results
Cappuccino Jones b. It’s Gal – Decaffinator
Brittnie Brooks/Zara Zakher b. Zayda Steele/Mazzerati – RKO to Steele
Freedom Ramsey b. Bodhi Young Prodigy – Blockbuster
Aaron Rourke b. Sam Holloway – Code Red
Aaron Roberts b. Jordan Oasis – Vader Bomb
Jackson Drake b. Marcus Mathers – Running knee
Sean Legacy b. Ricky Smokes – Torture rack swinging neckbreaker
Ice Williams b. Brad Baylor – Brainbuster

 

 

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Pandemonium Pro Wrestling: The House Always Wins: I’d Call That A Win

The House Always Wins
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Freemont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Elliot Tyler, Jordan Castle

So this is Pandemonium Pro, which is an independent promotion that I know nothing about. I wanted to do one of their shows a few years ago but could never actually find it so we’ll try it again here. I’m always a sucker for a gambling themed named and what are the odds of seeing one of them in Las Vegas? Let’s get to it.

Note that I know nothing about this promotion so I apologize in advance if I miss any plot or character points.

Apparently there was a pre-show battle royal but it does not seem to have been broadcast.

Sean Legacy vs. Tommy Billington

For some reason this is a separate video from the YouTube stream of the show so I’m not sure if it’s officially part of the show or some kind of pre-show. Legacy takes him to the mat to start as commentary is at very different levels, with one of them sounding like they are in a different location. A victory roll gives Legacy two and he grabs a headlock takeover.

Billington flips out of a wristlock and takes him down into an armbar. Legacy is right back with a standing moonsault for two so Billington drops him with a clothesline. Back up and Billington stomps away in the corner but gets caught with a DDT for two more. They slug it out….and the video ends without a winner. Another video on the page shows Legacy leaving after a win, though there are no details about how he got there. No rating due to the incomplete match, but they were starting to pick it up when the video ended.

Here is Miu Watanabe to sing a song. I’m not sure what she’s saying but the fans seem into it and it’s rather fast paced.

Jordan Cruz/Sonico/Wicked Wickett vs. Alan Angels/Duke/Fuego del Sol

Duke is better known as Duke Hudson. Angels and Sonico start things off as we lose commentary for a bit. Sonico rolls him up for some near falls and it’s already off to del Sol vs. Wickett. They trade hurricanranas for a standoff…and the video ends again after just over two minutes. Apparently Cruz and company went on to win, though again I have no idea how they did it or how long it took.

Mao vs. Masha Slamovich

Neither gets an introduction and we’re seemingly joined in progress. Slamovich’s headlock doesn’t last long and they’re quickly on the mat, which goes to a standoff. Mao flips her off as commentary reads off some sponsors and then apologizes to them. A hiptoss takes her down before Mao teases a hanging DDT, only to drop her face first instead. The half crab keeps Slamovich in trouble before a split legged moonsault (with Mao grabbing the lighting rig) gets two.

Slamovich is back up with a rolling kick to the face and the rear naked choke goes on. Mao slips out but gets it again, only for Mao to fight up with a cutter for two. They trade enziguris until Slamovich knocks him out of the air for a crash. An exchange of German suplexes doesn’t get either of them anywhere so they trade kicks to the head…and Slamovich falls onto him for the fluke pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was a nice enough back and forth match, with Slamovich being able to hang with Mao fairly well. Granted it helps when Mao’s big offense is flipping off the crowd, so Slamovich only had so much to keep up with here. Slamovich’s star continues to rise and she got a good win here on the big weekend.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ninja Mack

Ali has no interest in shaking hands to start so he drives Mack into the corner. Back up and Ali grabs an armbar, only for Mack to flip away and nip up into a standoff. Mack flips out of a hurricanrana but Ali does Mack’s own pose with quite the big grin. That’s fine with Mack, who hits a spinning kick to the head and they head outside, where Mack’s sliding dive is countered into a DDT onto the floor (ouch).

Back in and Mack seems to be having trouble seeing so Ali knocks him down again and hits a standing moonsault. Mack catches him on top with a kick to the head, only to get German suplexed down. Ali mocks Mack again and they trade rollups until Ali backslides him with feet on the ropes for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: B-. What were you expecting here? Ali is one of the better stars on the independent circuit and Mack is a rather entertaining high flier. Getting Ali on the show makes things feel more important and he got to showcase his talents rather well. Mack is going to be fine as well as he’s that good of a high flier and this worked well enough.

Hyan vs. Kingsley

Kingsley is apparently replacing WWE ID Prospect Zara Zakher and is the lead singer of the Backslide Girls. Which is apparently a thing. They circle each other to start and then trade legsweeps for a quick cover each. A dropkick sends Kingsley outside and Hyan drags her back in by the hair, which isn’t very nice.

Back in and Kingsley kicks away as commentary throws us to a commercial on the local TV broadcast as this is a rather odd production. Kingsley stacks her up for two and grabs a chinlock to keep things slow. Back up and Hyan sends her to the floor and a dive takes Kingsley down again. They get back inside with Kingsley grabbing an STF variation until Hyan makes the rope. Hyan’s CT Knee gets two and it’s a spear into Beauty Sleep (Glam Slam) to end Kingsley at 10:09.

Rating: C+. This was a match where the production brought down the enjoyment as there were issues in telling which of them was which or what was going on. That’s an annoying detail as the match was good enough, though it was kind of just trading moves without building towards much of anything.

Miu Watanabe vs. Maya World

Watanabe wrestles her down to start before Maya misses a swinging kick. Maya manages to send her to the apron for a basement dropkick and it’s time for a bit of a breather. Back in and Watanabe is fine enough to hit a running shoulder, only to get caught in a gory stretch spun into a knee to the face. Watanabe pops up with a comeback so sudden that commentary sounds surprised, including with World being driven into the corner.

The giant swing is broken up though and World superkicks her into a crossface. Watanabe fights up and hits a big backbreaker, which is enough to set up the giant swing. World slips out of an over the shoulder backbreaker and grabs a sunset bomb out of the corner for two. Back up and Watanabe misses a right hand and gets cuttered, only to shrug it off for a powerslam. The Tear Drop (flapjack) finishes World at 11:28.

Rating: B-. This was good enough, though Watanabe seemed to survive a good bit of offense and just pop up to take over again. That’s not the best way to go, but World definitely got to showcase herself for a bit. Watanabe definitely has star power, though it was nice to see World doing well too.

Kzy vs. Cappuccino Jones

Kzy is from Dragon Gate. Jones takes him down by the arm to start and they fight over a hammerlock. Back up and Jones cranks away on the arm, only for Kzy to Worm his way out. Jones isn’t sure what to make of that so he has some coffee and dances a bit as well. Kzy has some of said coffee and they both do indeed dance. Jones does a reverse Worm and then gets kneed in the ribs, only to come back with a dropkick for two.

They run the ropes until Kzy hits a running Blockbuster for a big smile. Jones hammers him down and drops a fist for two, setting up the neck crank. Kzy fights up and hits a running shoulder in the corner, setting up a fireman’s carry sitout powerbomb for two. A frog splash misses for Kzy and a half and half (clever) suplex gives Jones two more.

The Macchiato Driver gives Jones another near fall and they slug it out. Back up and Kzy hits a running clothesline and they’re both down. A sliding lariat gives Kzy two but Jones gets to the coffee and hits a Decaffinator for two. Kzy is back with another basement clothesline into a frog splash for two of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Kzy piledrives him for the pin at 13:14.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as Jones has turned what should be a pretty basic gimmick into something rather entertaining. You wouldn’t expect to see someone whose entire deal is “he drinks a lot of coffee” get somewhere but he has the in-ring talent to back it up. Kzy has looked good in his time in the ring this weekend and he got to do well again here.

Barbaro Cavernario/Yamato vs. Ben-K/Titan

Cavernario and Ben-K start things off and they go to the grappling, with Cavernario taking him to the mat. That’s broken up and they circle each other again before heading right back down. Ben-K drops him with a running shoulder and it’s off to Yamato vs. Titan, with commentary going into a discussion of wrestlers’ hair. Yamato gets taken down and Ben-K comes in to work on the ribs.

A gutwrench suplex gets two and it’s time to tie up the legs for something like a reverse surfboard (that’s a weird one). Yamato fights up and sends him into the corner for the running dropkick, allowing the tag off to Cavernario. Everything breaks down and Cavernario hits a big dive out to the floor.

Back in and Cavernario gets faceplanted for two, leaving Yamato and Ben-K to go at it for a change. Yamato can’t hit a brainbuster but he can forearm Ben-K a few times, setting up a suplex for two. Titan is back in to kick Yamato in the face and everyone is down for a bit. Back up and Titan hits a top rope double stomp on Yamato with Cavernario breaking it up. Yamato kicks Ben-K in the face and gets German suplexed for two. A quick hurricanrana gives Yamato the pin at 14:05.

Rating: B. Another match designed to be a bunch of people getting in some fast spots and hard hits, which worked rather well. It was a mixture of different styles but they meshed together, likely due to familiarity. Good, fast paced match here and all of them got a chance to showcase themselves.

Ella Envy/Brittnie Brooks vs. B3cca/Joseline Navarro

B3cca, a singer, dances to start and Envy joins in before decking B3cca from behind. Navarro comes in to take Brooks down but gets dropped with a quick shot to the face for two. Everything breaks down and B3cca and Navarro drop them, meaning we get tandem dancing. Envy fights out of the corner and hits a running hip attack in the corner to B3cca. Brooks comes back in and gets caught with a superkick, only to get kicked in the back for two.

A slightly aggressive tag brings Envy back in but she’s fine enough to grab a snap suplex. Envy accidentally drops Brooks and B3cca crossbodies both of them at the same time. Navarro comes back in to clean house but Envy drops her from the apron. B3cca hits a Death Valley Driver onto the knee but she gets sent outside. A catapult into a clothesline gets two on Navarro with B3cca making the save. Navarro takes Brooks outside and B3cca hits….something we don’t see off the top for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B-. This was a nice showcase from four women who might not be as well known and that’s one of the best things that can happen int his kind of a weekend. B3cca has a gimmick that can get your attention rather quickly and Envy/Brooks were both good as the pink obsessed stars. Nice match here, though the missed ending hurt it a bit.

Hechicero vs. Kevin Blackwood

We get an anxious handshake to start before Blackwood grabs a hammerlock. Hechicero grabs a leglock and they go to the mat with Blackwood having to take it to the ropes. Blackwood’s choke sends Hechicero over to the ropes as well and they get up for the chop off. Blackwood gets the better of things and hits some clotheslines but Hechicero pulls him into a swinging backbreaker for two.

Hechicero pulls him into a leglock in the ropes and a top rope forearm gets two more. That’s broken up and Blackwood kicks away, setting up an exploder suplex. The running corner dropkick rocks Hechicero again but he pulls Blackwood out of the air, setting up the surfboard. Blackwood powers out of that and pulls him into a leglock.

Hechicero gets out of that as well and a spinning slam gets two. They chop it out from their knees until Blackwood hits a running knee. The brainbuster gets two more but Hechicero dropkicks him into the corner. The headscissors driver plants Blackwood again and something like an Octopus on the mat makes him tap at 13:45.

Rating: B. This was the technical showcase match and it worked well, with Hechicero getting to work his magic and finally put Blackwood away. Blackwood was presented as a mixture of skilled and tough, which was going to give Hechicero a difficult out. Good main event here, with Hechicero feeling like a star throughout the whole thing.

Post match Blackwood shows respect and Hechicero says…something the microphone is far too low to understand.

The ring announcer thanks us for coming out to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a lot of good stuff on here and the biggest problem was the production, with the lighting being not so great and the camera angles having issues. That being said, this was a nice mixture of styles and stuff throughout, which made for a fun show. It flew by and was certainly entertaining, with enough star power to make things interesting. Maybe not a classic, but certainly a fun enough way to spend about two hours and fifteen minutes.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Tommy Billington
Jordan Cruz/Sonico/Wicked Wickett b. Alan Angels/Duke/Fuego del Sol
Masha Slamovich b. Mao – Kick to the head
Hyan b. Kingsley – Beauty Sleep
Miu Watanabe b. Maya World – Tear Drop
Kzy b. Cappuccino Jones – Piledriver
Yamato/Barbaro Cavernario b. Ben-K/Titan – Hurricanrana to Yamato
B3cca/Joseline Navarro b. Brittnie Brooks/Ella Envy
Hechicero b. Kevin Blackwood – Seated Octopus

 

 

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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