FTF X
Date: October 4, 2019
Location: Oakland Metro Operahouse, Oakland, California
Commentator: Joe Brody

This is from Hoodslam, and to give you an idea of what is going on here, one of the company’s mottos is “don’t bring your f****** kids”. In this case, the FTF stands for F*** THE FANS and this card features Drugz Bunny and the Stoner Brothers (Rick and Scott). I have no idea what I’m getting myself into here so let’s get to it.

Note that I have never seen anything from this promotion before so I have no idea on storylines or characters.

A masked man in black and white tells us about an upcoming show in Sacramento.

The opening video talks about reality and features people smoking, uh, something illegal in various states, and lifting weights. This however, I believe meaning the show, is real.

The house band wants us to be censored excited. Music is played.

Here is our host, Broseph Joe Brody, who loves Axe body spray and Nickelback. You might remember him as AJ Kirsch from one of the last seasons of Tough Enough but he’s a bit better suited here. Middle fingers and F*** YOU BROs ensue as the fans either love the guy or want to kill him. He welcomes us to F*** THE FANS, which is what the fans start chanting. After running down the main event, he introduces the band (Squad Stewart), which has to be cut off from singing Rod Stewart. This is the accidental phenomenon, because this is HOODSLAM!

Broseph gives the fans some booze as the band plays some more, this time about how you shouldn’t bring your f****** kids.

Our first match is a drowning match so here is Otto Von Clutch as our special lifeguard.

Stoner Brothers vs. The Caution

That would be Rick Scott/Scott Rick (I said that right) Stoner (I think you get the idea) vs. Anton Vorhees/Dark Sheik. The Brothers come out to a song called Stonerized and are both smoking in and out of the ring. Since the referee is a lifeguard, we’ll start with a whistle instead of a bell. The Caution is knocked down to start and Vorhees is tossed into a powerbomb. They head outside to keep up the beating but it’s too early for the drowning (in one of the water filled buckets).

Anton gets some water in his mouth to spit in the Brothers’ eyes (Brody: “Do you know how badly water in the eyes burns? Shut up.”) and uses Scott as a launchpad for a hurricanrana to Rick. The drowning attempt is blocked but so is Rick’s double chokeslam attempt. Scott gets his brother’s head out of the water, allowing Rick to toss Sheik back into the ring but she sticks the landing and kicks Rick in the head.

Sheik gets powerbombed over the top into a German suplex as Brody insists on safety third. Back up and Sheik hits a top rope stomp onto Scott, setting up a Codebreaker to Rick. Multiple elbow drops keep the Brothers down but Scott is up with a double clothesline to the back of the head. Anton fights out of the water bucket and the Brothers hit each other by mistake.

Hold on though as he has an idea: a trip to the back lets him come back with a blue tunic and Link hat, which lets him breathe underwater (if you’re not a Zelda fan, ignore this). After the Zora splash, Anton has to save Sheik from being drowned, allowing her to hit a low blow. Scott is drowned for the win at 11:12.

Rating: C+. The stoner stuff isn’t for me, but the Zelda references had me cracking up more than once. If nothing else, this gives me an idea of what to expect from the show and I’m looking forward to it a lot more, so well done on the opener. The blue tunic was the icing on the cake and I had a great time with this, as ridiculous as it was.

Post match, Rick gives Scott the Heimlich to bring him back to life, with even Brody not being sure about that.

Brody gives the fans the code word in case the cops show up.

Best Athlete In The East Bay Title: Sweet Boone vs. Matt Carlos

Boone is defending (the golden fanny pack) and this is an I Quit match. Brody doesn’t seem to get Carlos, who waves his arms and head around a lot. On the other hand, he does get Boone dog Little BJ, who happens to be invisible. Boone is also the sheriff so he deputizes some fans. Carlos drives him into the ropes to start but gets hit in the face for his efforts.

Thankfully the referee remembers that grabbing the rope means nothing, with Brody talking about how there are no pinfalls or countouts, before realizing that they never have countouts around here. Boone pulls him down into a pretty bad looking ankle lock, which is countered into a headlock with some right hands to the face. A crucifix doesn’t get Boone anywhere so he switches to something like a reverse Koji Clutch. Boone switches to a half nelson, which is pretty easily reversed into a Crossface.

Boone says Booners Never Quit so he slips out and grabs the bad (I think we might have an intentional pattern here) ankle lock again. Back up and they go to the apron, with the fans shoving Boone back up from falling into the crowd. Boone switches places with him and dropkicks Carlos tot he floor, where there is no catch. A flip dive from the apron (complete with finger guns) drops Carlos again (Brody: “And f*** the fans, not of them can’t see.”). Carlos is back up with a DDT onto the apron and steps on Boone’s head for another NO.

Brody laughs at a fan for trying a CARLOS chant as Carlos goes to get something. This time it’s lighter fluid but Boone takes it away….and pours it on himself. Carlos is a bit freaked out but gets more annoyed when the referee gets knocked down. With Boone knocked down again, Carlos heads backstage and comes back with….a knife. They fight over said knife, but it eventually gets knocked to the floor.

The referee is FINALLY helped up and here is a former champion (Richard Schhhary. Get it?), whose arm is bandaged (after Little BJ bit him). Therefore, Schhhary steals Little BJ and puts him in a bag, which he then covers in lighter fluid. Brody: “YOU CAN’T! YOU WON’T! YOU WOULDN’T!” Boone begs him not to do it but since he can’t go through the ropes for the save, Carlos grabs a Crossface and Boone quits at 18:48 so he can save the dog.

Rating: C. This went WAY too long and it killed what momentum they had. You knew the dog was going to be involved in the finish in some way and they telegraphed the heck out of it. Granted on a show like this, teasing the invisible dog being lit on fire is something that fits perfectly. Boone and Carlos didn’t do much for me and the match needed to be shorter, but it could have been worse.

Schhhary steals the dog anyway and Carlos celebrates for a LONG time. Boone isn’t done though, and wants Schhhary in a beard vs. mustache match in two weeks.

Golden Gig Title: El Chupacabra vs. Joey Nuggs

Chupacabra is defending (with the title represented by a golden razor blade necklace), I believe the top title in the promotion. The referee, named Wiggles, gets a special entrance as well. Nuggs is a rather large karate guy, who doesn’t look like he does much karate. Chupacabra has a long entrance but hold on as here is Da Squaaad (that’s how it’s spelled).

They want to make this a bit bigger, so let’s make it a Dog Collar match. After a long time spent setting up the collar, Chupacabra chops away to start but gets powered into the corner without much effort. A knee to the ribs cuts Chupacabra down and it’s already time to choke on the ropes. Chupacabra slugs away but gets dropped with an elbow (or COMBO BREAKER according to Brody) as a fight breaks out in the crowd.

Nuggs takes him outside for a slam on the floor but Chupacabra is right back in to slug away. Some Cannonballs in the corner crush Nuggs and Chupacabra goes up, only to get pulled down by the collar. Chupacabra is able to send him back out to the apron but gets knocked down hard.

Nuggs goes up (with Brody telling the fans not to touch him) and misses a splash 9with the camera cutting away on the lack of impact for some reason. The referee starts the count, with Brody telling fans to shout random number to confuse him. Chupacabra is back up with Sliced Bread for two so he chokes Nuggs with the collar for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: C-. Much like the previous match, this one went on too long and it overstayed its welcome. The collar stuff was used, but they could have had a similar match without the gimmick in place. I’m not sure if this feels like a top level title match, but then again I don’t think this is your normal promotion. Neither guy looked particularly impressive though, and that hurt things a good bit.

Post match Nuggs, with his throat all messed up, yells at Brody and the fans for daring to try to talk to him after he got choked out. A lot of swearing ensues, with even Brody thinking it’s a bit much.

The referee comes out for the next match and apparently has to dance whenever Brody sings James Brown.

Intergalactic Tag Team Titles: Drugz Bunny/Cereal Man vs. Da Squaaad

Bunny/Man are defending (the titles have skulls in the middle) and the Squaaad is Hip Hop Harry/D-Rogue/Kenny K/Shakira Spears. Cereal is about five cereal mascots mixed together, and comes out to a song about holding out for a hero with several cereal properties. Bunny on the other hand is The Rabbit With A Habit and pours out some white powder before the match.

Hold on though, as the Squaaad says that since this is their show (I guess?), we’re doing this 4-2. The champs start fast and hit Harry with a double flapjack, followed by a DDT from Cereal. A legdrop hits Harry so the rest of the Squaaad comes in for the save. Brody: “All these f****** gimmicks.” Kenny comes in with a backbreaker to Bunny and it’s D-Rogue coming in to run him over again. Harry adds a springboard back elbow and Shakira comes in for some stomping.

A backdrop finally gets Bunny out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Cereal to clean house. Cereal hits a sidewalk slam on Harry and bulldogs Kenny onto him as everything breaks down. Bunny bicycle kicks Kenny down and Cereal Stuns Harry for…..not the pin as the Squaaad says not so fast. See, D-Rogue forgot: it’s elimination rules (for Da Squaaad, not for the champs). Kenny stands on Cereal’s back and then drops down on him with a splash for two. A running knee in the corner sets up a Cannonball for two more on Cereal as frustration is setting in.

Cereal gets up a boot in the corner though and it’s a butterfly suplex to give him a breather. The double tag brings in Bunny and Spears, the latter of whom gets kicked down. D-Rogue comes in for the save and slams Bunny, setting up a moonsault from Kenny (which lands on Bunny’s head) for two, with Cereal making the save. A Hart Attack gets rid of Spears though and we’re down to 2-2. We get the big staredown and Bunny gives Kenny an RKO. Cereal is taken down though and the Big Rig hits Bunny for the pin and the titles at 14:05.

Rating: B-. This is the same idea you have seen time after time and that is not a bad idea. It has been done for years because it is something that works so well. This is a case of screwing the fans over and it worked well, because it is a classic concept. Fans are not going to like cheaters and that is what happened here, especially after they lost in the first place. Good stuff here, even with the joke from the champs losing its spark pretty fast.

Oh and one more thing: Hip Hop Harry only has one leg. Not too shabby.

Post match Brody is a big scared of the Squaaad but does give a bit of serious analysis to what we just saw.

With Da Squaaad gone, Brody thanks the ban and gets a big barrel and beach ball for some beer pong with the fans. Some fans shoot from the crowd and get a beer if they hit. Nice way to fill in some time as the band plays. Brody has some beer of his own and suggests that he’ll have more later.

Since the main event is big, he brings out Wonder Dave as his guest commentator.

Rumble Of Rankings Ramifications

This is a Royal Rumble with 30(ish, Brody’s term) entities involved and the winner getting a Golden Gig shot next month. Glorious Banana a man in a banana suit who comes out to Robert Roode’s old theme, is in at #1 and Funnybone, a guy in skeleton paint, is in at #2 and we have 90 second intervals. They forearm it out and trade shoulders with Funnybone getting the better of things. Otto Von Clutch is in at #3 and gets in a staredown with Funnybone. That’s fine with Funnybone, who knocks him down but Banana is back up for some double teaming in the corner.

Batmanuel (I think you get the idea) is in at #4 and gets in a staredown with Von Clutch, whose offer of an alliance isn’t accepted. A running shoulder in the corner has Von Clutch in trouble and it’s Marcelo Montoya in at #5 (with the fans providing the buzzer sounds) for a springboard knee to Batmanuel. The fans chant SAFETY THIRD as everyone brawls until D-Rogue is in at #6.

Batmanuel was put out somewhere in there and Joey Smoak is in at #7. Brody: “I just heard a fan say don’t bruise the banana. That joke was a lot of things but one thing it wasn’t was appealing.” Smoak is sent to the apron but not out and it’s James C (thankfully not a Jim Cornette parody) in at #8. The smoking James comes in and offers fans his cigarette until it’s Johnny Drinko Butabi is in at #9 as the ring is getting way too full.

Smoak is on the floor, though it isn’t clear if he is out, even as Funnybone chops at a bunch of people. Batmanuel is back in and it’s Juice Lee at in #10 as Banana is out. Von Clutch is out as well as the ring is a bit less full. Brittany Wonder (no word on if she is any relation to Wonder Dave, or Wonder Boy, the latter of whom has nothing to do with wrestling) is in at #11 and gets to clean house, including a spinning DDT to James C.

Big B is in at #12 and Batmanuel is kicked out for an elimination. The fans are VERY happy with that, though not so enthusiastic when they find out Montoya was eliminated off camera. Neil “The Thrill” Harper is in at #13 and everything settles back down. Otis The Gimp is in at #14 as this match is starting to die a bit. After another batch of nothing, Christopher Torres is in at #15.

HBKen (and yes he has his own version of Shawn Michaels’ theme) is in at #16 and yes, he is based on the Ken from Street Fighter. Commentary thinks someone might have been eliminated but isn’t sure who so we’ll move on to Brutal Bob Hands in at #17. Hands, who is rather small, hits a chokeslam and then tosses Torres. Brittany is left laying on the mat and it’s Master Eriks (a ringmaster) in at #18.

Harper is tossed as there must have been some eliminations off camera as the ring is nowhere near full enough. Hands and James are tossed and it’s Matt Carlos in at #19. Funnybone is still in and hits a bid give onto a bunch of people. Then he does it again for a bonus but makes sure to go through the ropes. Then he grabs Banana, who is still at ringside with a bunch of other people, as Lee is knocked off the top and into a moonsault onto the pile on the floor. That’s not an elimination as he went through the ropes, even as it’s Hip Hop Harry in at #20.

Eriks is out and it’s Kenny K in at #21 to keep Da Squaaad strong. Bison Braddock is in at #22 and commentary makes a correction by saying that Lee WAS eliminated earlier. Brody says Braddock is #21 and I can’t imagine it matters that much. Shakira Spears is in at #23 to complete Da Squaaad as you can tell the people in the ring are getting a bit tired. Richard Schhhary is in at #24 and starts in with some paper cuts to be a real….never mind.

Drugs Bunny is in at #25 and maybe he can get things hopping. Big B is out and commentary ignores it as Bart-Man is in at #26. Simpsons jokes about as Bart-Man chokes Carlos and it’s Sweet Boone in at #27. He goes straight after Schhhary and gets rid of him, only to give chance and eliminate himself. Steven Tresario is in at #28 and Otis likes Shakira chopping him. Things slow down again….and it’s Team Rocket (Jesse and James, complete with Pokemon speech and costumes) in at #29/30.

As the Pokemon jokes abound, Thicc Martel, the Plus Sized Model (I laughed) is in at #31 to complete the field (I think?). Tersario is out and it’s….Broseph Joe Brody in at #32. He jumps over the top rope and is thrown out by James, sending him into a great rant. Team Rocket tossed out Martel and there’s a 3D to Carlos. Spears eliminates Drinko but and there goes Carlos with him.

There goes Bart-Man but Spears spears Team Rocket down. Bunny tosses Spears though and we’re down to Bunny, Jesse, James and Funnybone. A low blow isn’t enough to get rid of Bunny as he skins the cat back in, only to have James stomp him in the face. James actually tosses Bunny but it’s Funnybone up with a double noggin knocker. A double clothesline finally gets rid of Funnybone though and Team Rocket shares the win at 53:03.

Rating: D. I love a good Royal Rumble but that was not the case here. This went on WAY too long and the lack of acknowledging a bunch of the eliminations didn’t help. There were a few jokes that worked (Thicc Martel was hilarious) and Brody’s rant after being eliminated was great, but this went far too long and the jokes weren’t frequent enough to keep my interest. Cut the intervals down to a minute (at most) and it’s better, but for a show that is supposed to be a lot of fun, I was badly tuning out by the end out of pure boredom.

Brody thanks us for coming out and hits the catchphrase one more time to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a weird one, as the concept is a lot of fun and there were some genuine laugh/cheer out loud moments on this show. The Zelda stuff and Thicc Martel were good gags and the Steinerized parody was downright inspired. It is a feeling that works really well, though then you get to the problem: this show is three hours and twenty minutes long.

Now I can get that this would be very different as it’s a party atmosphere (and the booze/various substances probably helped) and way more fun in person, but my goodness this show needed to be about 30 (or more) minutes shorter. That main event was pretty close to horrible and I was begging for the thing to end. At some point the thing needs to wrap up and this show didn’t seem to get that at times. There is a lot of fun to be had, but this needed to be about two and a half hours max, not pushing three and a half.

One more thing: if this is something that you might want to check out (and it is REALLY fun at times), note that it is absolutely an adult show with a lot of language and crude jokes. It’s definitely something you need to be in the right company for, as hearing/seeing some of this out of context/by someone you might not want seeing it could be quite the problem.

 

 

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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For The Culture 2021
Date: April 8, 2021
Location: Cuban Club, Tampa, Florida
Commentator: Big Perc

We continue the Wrestlemania weekend run with our first offering from the Collective. This is from Game Changer Wrestling which has some rather unique options at times. They have a rather solid collection of talent from what I’ve seen so far, which could make for a pretty awesome show. Let’s get to it.

No intro video (as expected with an indy show) and we’re already on the ring.

AC Mack vs. Mysterious Q vs. D-Rogue vs. Rob Martyr vs. Alpha Zo vs. Troy Hollywood

Scramble match, meaning one fall to a finish. Mack isn’t happy with not getting to do his own entrance so he handles it himself and we starts in a hurry with only Mack being named. Mack gets knocked down to start and Q takes nails a running hurricanrana. We settle down to Mack not being able to hit his weird Pedigree on Martyr. Instead he elbows Martyr to the floor but Q is back in with a German suplex.

Zo comes in to suplex Q for a change as I keep trying to figure out who all is in this. Rogue starts to clean house with a bunch of slaps and the big dive takes everyone out on the floor. Commentary gets in the eternal debate over whether the apron or the post is the harder part of the ring (it’s the post) as Zo and Martyr get inside on their own. Martyr German suplexes Zo down but Rogue is in with a heck of a clothesline to take Martyr’s head off.

Rogue loads Martyr up in an electric chair but here is Q with a springboard cutter, which mostly makes contact. Hollywood is back in for the running knees in the corner, followed by a frog splash for two on Q with Mack and Zo making the save. Zo blasts Mack with a rolling forearm but Q is back up with a torture rack airplane spin before changing directions to powerbomb Zo for another near fall. Hollywood gives Q a fireman’s carry gutbuster for the pin at 8:22. Commentary is STUNNED at the result.

Rating: C. What are you supposed to say here? They had six people flying around all over the place and it isn’t like anyone really got to showcase themselves. To be fair though, it was not supposed to be anything more than a bunch of spots with one person after another getting to do their thing. It might not be the highest quality, but it was an entertaining match and that’s all it was supposed to be.

Thick N Juicy 2.0 vs. Fire N Flava

Fire N Flava’s Impact Knockouts Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and this would be Willow Nightingale/Brooke Valentine vs. Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz. Before the match, Fire N Flava insult the other two, including Faye Jackson, who is injured and planning to retire. Actually they’ll even do us a favor and make this a title match.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Fire N Flava vs. Thick N Juicy 2.0

Fire N Flava is defending and jump Thick N Juicy before the bell. Some big boots put the champs down and Hogan is slammed onto Steelz for two. Nightingale grabs a front facelock on Steelz as we hear about how strong Nightingale is. Commentary: “The hood version of that: she will f*** anybody up.” A very delayed suplex gets two on Steelz but she is back up with some chops in the corner.

Nightingale kicks her in the face for two more and some running hip attacks in the corner crush Steelz again. Hogan comes in and rakes the eyes to take over and a neckbreaker gets two on Valentine. A running basement dropkick in the corner hits Valentine for two more and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so Steelz tags herself back in, allowing Valentine to fall away slam Hogan into her. Steelz catches her and since Valentine is laying down on the mat, Hogan gets dropped onto her for a splash.

Valentine powers out of a camel clutch into an electric chair and the hot tag brings in Nightingale to clean house. A Pounce sends Steelz outside and gives us a record for Monty Brown references in a five second span. Valentine spears Steelz in half but Hogan is back with a kick to the head. A Death Valley Driver plants Hogan but Steelz is back with a cutter for two on Nightingale. Hogan superkicks Nightingale and the fisherman’s neckbreaker is enough to retain the titles at 10:00.

Rating: D+. This was pretty messy and that should not be such a problem with a team from Impact. It doesn’t help that Fire N Flava are only so good in the first place and were in there against two women who have never teamed before. The match wasn’t terrible but they really needed to cut out about two minutes to make it work a good bit better.

Fire N Flava dance A LOT to celebrate.

PB Smooth vs. Jon Davis

Smooth is about 6’9 and a playboy while Davis is a monster and formerly part of the Dark City Fight Club a LONG time ago. They shove each other around to start as commentary puts over a battle of the generations, which is a lot more than you would expect to get out of a one off indy show. Davis gets the better of things and stomps him down, setting up the big clubbing shots to the back.

Smooth manages to get in a heck of a big boot to drop Davis and some kind of slam gets two on Davis. Some big shots to the head rock Smooth and Davis grabs a heck of a spinebuster (with commentary quoting Batista’s theme song for a nice touch). Smooth can’t hit a chokeslam but he can hit a claw STO for two, followed by a sitout chokebomb for two. Back up and Davis slugs away, including a stomp to the head to break up a sunset flip. A piledriver finishes Smooth at 8:17.

Rating: C. It wasn’t meant to be anything more than a power brawl and that’s what we got. They even told a story with Smooth being too cocky to deal with the much more seasoned and serious Davis. The piledriver at the end was a bit scary as Davis didn’t have him incredibly secured, but it was a nice change of pace after everything else they have been doing for the rest of the show.

Calvin Tankman vs. Andy Brown vs. Myron Reed vs. Jah-C

Tankman and Reed are both from MLW. The rather large Tankman shoves people around to start but some triple teaming puts him down. Reed dropkicks Brown to the floor and Jah is back in with a dropkick to Brown. That gives us the staredown between Reed and Jah with Reed missing a double stomp but hitting something like a reverse Sling Blade. Tankman is back in to clear the ring in a hurry but Jah manages to superkick him down.

Two more superkicks have Tankman in trouble so he rolls to the floor for a breather. Brown is back in with a Superman forearm to Jah but Reed knocks him to the floor. Reed’s suicide dive drops Brown again and he brings Brown back in for an F5, with Brown’s feet (intentionally) getting caught on top to make it a hanging drop.

Brown is right back up with an AA into a backbreaker for two on Reed but Jah spears Brown to the floor. They head to the apron with Brown hitting a piledriver but Reed is back with a slingshot cutter. Back in and Reed misses the 450, leaving Tankman to spinebuster Brown, setting up the spinning backfist to the back of the head. The Tankman Driver (something like a Steiner Screwdriver) finishes Brown at 8:43.

Rating: C. I can see why Tankman would get this much of a push as the guy is a monster who can move and you will always see someone like that get pushed. Reed is going to get a job somewhere a lot bigger than MLW one day with the potential he has and that was on display here. Fun match, but again you’re only getting so much out of a four way like this.

Bryan Keith vs. Darius Lockhart

Keith misses a big right hand to start and Lockhart waves his finger no. Lockhart takes him down into an armbar and they go to an exchange of submission attempts on the mat. Back up and Keith blasts him with a kick to the chest to take over. A Rock Bottom backbreaker gives Keith two as we hear about the wrestlers these people have faced before.

More kicks have Lockhart in crumbling in the corner but he comes back with a chop. A heck of a clothesline drops Keith again and the comeback is on in a hurry. Back to back t-bone suplexes send Keith flying and a high crossbody gets two more. An enziguri sends Keith into the corner but he comes out with a DDT. Lockhart hits a running knee in the corner into a belly to back flipped into a faceplant for the pin at 11:28.

Rating: C+. Nice stuff here and probably the best match of the night so far. Lockhart is rather smooth in the ring and Keith looked rather good as well. It was nice to see a run of the mill and much more traditional match after all of the fast paced stuff so far and that is what we got here. I could go for a bit more of both of these guys and that is after seeing Keith twice today.

Post match, Keith won’t shake hands but he will give the black power salute, a Lockhart signature.

Tre LaMar vs. Eli Knight

LaMar starts in on the arm but gets knocked down, allowing Knight to load up a superkick. Said superkick doesn’t actually launch though as Knight pats him on the head instead. LaMar is ready for a dropkick so Knight enziguris him to the floor again. Back in and LaMar kicks him down, setting up a quick splash for two. A seated abdominal stretch has Knight in more trouble but he counters a crossbody into a gutbuster.

An exploder suplex puts LaMar down again but Knight is favoring his back. They strike it out until Knight hits a springboard moonsault press. LaMar sends him outside for a suicide dive but Knight is back in with a springboard dropkick from the bottom rope. That sends LaMar outside again and there’s the running flip dive. Back in and Knight hits a moonsault for two and he doesn’t seem sure what to do next.

LaMar nails a Pele kick for another double knockdown and they both seem a bit banged up. They go up top with Knight being backdropped down but sticking the landing, allowing him to hit a running enziguri. A super poisonrana doesn’t work as LaMar lands on his feet (mostly) and hits a running Mushroom Stomp. LaMar puts him in a torture rack into a backbreaker, setting up a Liontamer for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C+. These guys were working hard and putting in the effort, which worked out rather well for both of them. They are both rather young but they did their things well enough and the ending with a submission was kind of a surprise. It was nice to see them mix it up a bit, even if most of the match was your usual indy fair.

JTG vs. AJ Gray

You probably would not recognize JTG here as he is in regular gear and has put on all kinds of muscle. This is Gray’s show and he starts fast with a heck of a clothesline for two. JTG needs a breather on the floor because he does not seem to know what he got himself into. Back in and JTG takes him down to hammer away with right hands to the face. A hard whip into the corner drops Gray again and JTG drives in some shoulders to the ribs in the corner.

There’s the reverse Sling Blade for two and JTG starts hammering away. The chinlock doesn’t last long so JTG tries it again, only to have Gray jawbreak his way to freedom. Gray is back with a few right hands to set up a nice moonsault for two more. Back up and JTG hits a ripcord lariat for two of his own but Gray slips out of a Razor’s Edge. An enziguri sets up a leg lariat and Gray nails a superplex for two more. Another lariat blasts JTG for one so Gray hits another. That’s not enough for a cover as Gray grabs an Emerald Flosion for the pin at 13:55.

Rating: B-. I’m sorry what now? JTG could do this and looks like that? I’m not sure I can get my head around something like this and I’m rather confused by the idea that the only thing they could do with him is the Cryme Tyme stuff. His employment was a running joke for years and then he can pull off a match like this while looking like that? I really don’t get it and that’s a nice feeling to have.

Post match, one of the commentators named Billy gets in and chairs Gray down. They’re facing each other at another show this weekend so Billy yells about Gray disrespecting him by not being in some match. Billy rants about Gray not paying attention to the right talent and wants to prove that the Truth (Gray) is a lie. This was a fine way to set up a match, but it’s 2am and we have two matches left so can we pick up the pace a bit?

Lio Rush vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is a heck of a technician. Feeling out process to start and they take their time to get going here. Moriarty grabs the hammerlock and Rush can’t spin his way to freedom. Rush makes the rope instead and heads outside for a breather. That makes Moriarty give chase and they change places, with Rush hitting a dive. Back in and Moriarty starts going after the arm but Rush starts doing his rather cool dodges.

Moriarty manages to get hold of the arm and ties his legs around it for some cranking. The cranking continues with Moriarty using his own arms for a change and then bending backwards to pull on the arm even more. Rush comes back with some shots to the face and a belly to back suplex puts Moriarty down again. An ax kick has Rush in trouble but Moriarty hits a sliding kick to the face to break up a handspring.

Rush uses a Tajiri style kick to send him to the floor though and a VERY fast suicide dive connects (which scaring the heck out of a fan on their phone). Back in and Rush’s springboard Stunner is countered into a rear naked choke, which is broken up again so Rush can hit a cutter. Back up and they slug it out, with Rush looking very frustrated that he can’t put Moriarty down.

Moriarty grabs the arm and pulls him into a mousetrap for…..well about seven or eight but the referee says no. You can hear the fans booing as Rush goes up top and kicks Moriarty down, setting up the Rush Hour frog splash for two. Moriarty is right back with a rather aggressive rollup for the pin at 16:50.

Rating: C+. This was a match where you could see both guys being at a higher level than most wrestlers on the show. Moriarty winning is a good idea as it isn’t like Rush is going to be hurt by losing a competitive match on a show like this. Rush is someone who has been a star on the big stage and will be fine in the future. On the other hand, Moriarty needs some attention and given how talented he is, odds are he will be getting it sooner than later.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Rich Swann

The entrances involve a lot of dancing, as you might expect. Scorpio drives him up against the ropes and dances away a bit. They settle down again and Scorpio spins around into a cravate as commentary tries to figure out why Scorpio doesn’t have a coaching job somewhere (fair question).

Swann is sent outside and the hip swiveling begins from Scorpio, which has commentary rather excited. Back in and Scorpio works on a headlock to grind Swann down a bit. Swann sends him outside for a change and it’s time for some Alex Wright style dancing. Back in again and Swann grabs a DDT to take over, followed by the required armbarring.

Scorpio fights that off and nails some German suplexes to send Swann flying, followed by the two count. One heck of a clothesline drops Swann again and there’s a spinwheel kick to put Swann down again. The flipping legdrop sets up a middle rope Tumbleweed for two. Swann is back up and manages to knock Scorpio outside, setting up something like the Phoenix splash to the apron.

Back in and a frog splash gives Swann two more but Scorpio knocks him down again. The Tumbleweed, with Scorpio landing on Swann’s face, only gets two. Swann has had it and kicks him down, setting up a middle rope 450 for two. The Phoenix splash to the back finishes Scorpio at 17:45.

Rating: C. This was a good main event in a battle of the generations but there is something to be said about matches that start before 2:30AM. You could tell that the crowd was completely done, even though they were seeing something special. I have been a fan of Scorpio for the better part of thirty years and it is always cool to see him, especially when he can still go pretty well in the ring. The match was longer than it needed to be though and that hurt things a good bit.

Overall Rating: C+. I had a better time than I was expecting with this show and there was some good stuff throughout. You had cool stuff like Scorpio to the downright bizarre like JTG looking like/having a good match and that’s a nice mixture for any show. Again though, starting it at midnight was a bit too much, as things didn’t wrap up until nearly 3AM and that’s a bit late to be having a match. Good show though, and I had some fun with the whole thing.

 

 

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IWTV Family Reunion 2021 Part 1
Date: April 8, 2021
Location: 81Bay Brewing, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Various

We’ll start the marathon wrestling weekend with this, part of the Showcase of the Independents. I watched the Family Reunion show two years ago and had a good enough time with it to try another version. IWTV is a wrestling streaming service with all kinds of indy promotions available and this is kind of a sampler of some of their bigger names and promotions. Let’s get to it.

I do not follow any of these promotions so I am coming into this completely blind on all angles and stories.

As you might have expected, the show doesn’t start on time, kicking off about ten minutes late.

The show is dedicated to Shannon Place, a member of the TV crew, who passed away yesterday.

A Very Good Professional Wrestling Team vs. Boomer Hatfield/Boar/Erica Leigh

This is from Camp Leapfrog (which is apparently some offshoot of Chikara) under lucha rules and the trio is Matt Makowski/Travis Huckabee/A Very Good Professional Wrestler. In a clever/annoying idea, the former team comes out to Foo Fighter’s Best Of You but it stays on THE BEST, which repeats on a loop. Hatfield and Very Good start things off and apparently are father and son, meaning Very Good would seem to be the unmasked Dasher Hatfield of Chikara fame.

Feeling out process to start with the expected technical exchange. Hatfield gets in an armdrag into an armbar, which doesn’t sit well with Very Good. The brawling begins so it’s off to Erica vs. Huckabee with Erica booting him out to the floor. Makowski and the rather large Boar come in with Makowski reversing a fireman’s carry into a cross armbreaker. Erica comes back in and gets knocked away from trying to whip Makowski in, allowing Huckabee to come back in and work on the arm.

A not great looking running knee in the corner hits Erica’s arm again and Makowski adds a slam for two. Makowski’s butterfly suplex can’t set up an armbar so Boomer goes up top, gets the tag from there, and comes in with a high crossbody. House is cleaned until Very Good is left to German suplex Hatfield. Another running knee in the corner gets two but Hatfield grabs a rather spinning armdrag to put Very Good down. Hatfield has to get out of a reverse chinlock and hits some running elbows in the corner.

Very Good catches one such charge and Gory Bombs him into the buckle for two. They both flip to their feet and Hatfield hits a Saito suplex, allowing the hot tag off to Boar. Everything breaks down and Boar tosses Huckabee onto the other two. Boar hits a rather impressive no hands dive over the top, leaving Erica to roll Very Good up for two.

Hatfield is back in with a tornado DDT on Very Good but Huckabee plants Hatfield with a swinging cutter. Total Elimination drops Boar for two but Hatfield is back in with a top rope Meteora on Huckabee. Very Good plants Hatfield but Boar tosses a few people at them for the save. Boar hits something like a Bitter End to finish Huckabee at 17:12.

Rating: C. This went a bit longer than it should have but what we got was good enough, with everyone flying around and doing their thing as well as they could have. The idea here is a Showcase and that is exactly what we got, with six people who have done this for a bit getting to do their thing. Of course it was a bit messy, but what else are you expecting from a Boar fighting in a brewery?

Daniel Makabe vs. Jaden Newman

From Scenic City Invitational and Makabe won their most recent big tournament. They go technical to start (makes sense for Makabe, who is billed as the Wrestling Genius) with Newman grabbing a cravate to little effect. A sunset flip doesn’t work for Newman as he has to bail to the ropes to escape an STF. Makabe can’t get Cattle Mutilation so he settles for two off a German suplex instead.

Newman is right back with a powerslam into a chinlock, followed by a heck of a left hand to the ear. A northern lights suplex gives Newman two as Makabe is bleeding from the….somewhere. Newman hits a cravate driver for two and the cravate goes on again. Makabe is back up to lay him over the middle rope for some choking. That earns him a ram into the buckle though and Newman cravates him over the rope for a change.

That’s broken up and Makabe hits a running kick to the face, setting up a superplex for the double knockdown. It’s Makabe up first with a tiger driver for two but Newman pulls him into a hangman’s clutch (STF with a cravate) but Makabe slips out. Instead Newman elbows him in the head, only to get pulled into a rear naked choke. That’s broken up as well so Makabe snaps off a dragon screw legwhip. The Fujiwara armbar makes Newman tap at 9:53.

Rating: C+. This was a little bit more my speed as Makabe picked him apart with Newman focusing on the cravate a bit too much. Sometimes you need a good technical exchange and that’s what you got here. Both guys looked fairly good here and I could go for more of both of them, so well done throughout.

Will Wrestle vs. Judge Hugo Lexington Black

From Olde Wrestling, which is designed to be out of the 1800s or whatever other era you picture as being rather old. I’ve heard about this promotion before and it did sound a bit fun. Before the match, (Rickey Shane Page as a corrupt judge) says he doesn’t want to wrestle and hates all of the fans. He would rather sit on the beach and drink some sweet tea because….well that’s what a southern man does. Will is a panhandler who would do a headlock for a handout.

We get started with Will, who only has one shoe, being rather pleased with being given a dollar. Then Black takes it away so Will wrestles him around and gets it again. The bill is tucked away so Black grabs a spinning release slam to take over. A stomp to the socked foot has Will in trouble but he manages to get his dollar back.

Black suplexes him down and stomps on the foot again, which certainly does make sense. After a bite of the foot, we hit the spinning toehold but Will steals Page’s shoe to put it on the other foot. Will pops up with a tornado DDT and goes up but Black throws more money for a distraction. A sunset flip doesn’t work for Will, but he reaches into Black’s pocket to pull out a five dollar bill. The shock is enough to pin Black at 6:21.

Rating: C. I thought it was fun and I’ve been wanting to see a full show from this promotion for awhile now. That’s the point of a show like this so I’ll check one of their full things out later. Good little match here with a funny story throughout. They didn’t overstay their welcome and were entertaining as well, which is as good as you can get.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Adam Priest

The winner gets an Independent Wrestling TV Title shot. Yuta bails to the floor to start but comes back in to take Priest down with a waistlock. Priest slips out but Yuta gets two off a sunset flip. A right hand rocks Priest but seems to wake him up, meaning it’s a gutwrench suplex for two. They trade some loud chops with Priest getting the better of it and tying the leg up into the strange cousin of a Tequila Sunrise.

Priest can’t switch it into a Sharpshooter as Yuta grabs the ear for a break. A trip sends Yuta outside for a loud chop off until Yuta sends his shoulder into the post. Back in and Yuta hits a slam into a top rope splash for two, with Priest going into the corner to favor his shoulder. Yuta is smart enough to go after the arm, including the rather nasty stomp. The armbar goes on (makes sense) for a bit, followed by a German suplex for two on Priest.

Another German suplex gets two on Yuta and another German suplex gets another two on Yuta. Priest grabs a brainbuster for two more but he still can’t get a Sharpshooter. Yuta is back up with a backfist into a nasty looking middle rope DDT to the arm. The Fujiwara armbar has Priest in trouble but Yuta lets go and kicks the arm. Zack Sabre Jr.’s European Clutch pins Priest at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Another nice match with Yuta being the more polished of the two. Working on the arm is something that is always going to work and it went fine here. Priest looked like someone who could go somewhere in the future with some more seasoning and having matches with slightly bigger stars like Yuta is a good idea. Good stuff here and Yuta continues to grow.

Robert Martyr vs. Dominic Garrini

From Paradigm Pro Wrestling and under UWFI rules, with Garrini being billed as the UWFIcon. This match has a points system with both wrestlers starting with fifteen points. If you run out of points, it’s an automatic loss, though you can also lose by submission or knockout. Garrini goes for the arm to start and Martyr goes to the rope to lose a point. The attempted triangle choke sends him to the ropes again so it’s already 15-13 (assuming commentary knows what they’re talking about, as we aren’t getting any announcements). Garrini snaps off a German suplex, which seems to be another point off for Martyr.

Garrini’s Kimura attempt is blocked and Martyr fires off elbows to the head. Martyr has to slip out of a guillotine choke so Garrini grabs a cross armbreaker, meaning it’s another Martyr rope break. Back up and Garrini blasts him in the head but Martyr is back up with a crossface chickenwing, sending Garrini to the ropes for a change. A slap off goes to Garrini but Martyr suplexes him down, which apparently is points off too (we need a scoreboard or something). Garrini pulls him into a Crossface for the tap at 4:44.

Rating: C-. This is just not my style and the points system was more confusing than anything else. Garrini is someone I’ve seen a few times in MLW and he is fine enough for what he does, but I don’t usually care for this kind of stuff. Martyr was decent in a short match here, but this was all about Garrini and it showed.

Funny Bone/Nurse Ratchet/Super Beast vs. D-Rogue/James C/Willow Nightingale

This is from Hoodslam, meaning the wrestlers are going to be about as gimmicky as you can get. Beast brings Ratchet to the ring in a body bag for some extra flavor. Nightingale seems rather happy to be here, which seems to be the case with a lot of wrestlers these days. Beast offers Nightingale a spot in said body bag but she’ll pass for now. Ratchet, who staggers around like a zombie, starts with Nightingale, who is a bit terrified.

A test of strength is teased but Ratchet grabs her by the throat. Nightingale headbutts her way out but seems scared to follow up. There’s a slam to put Ratchet down but she does an Undertaker sit up. Another slam lets her do the Bray Wyatt spider walk, meaning it’s off to the much bigger C. Eat Defeat knocks Ratchet….almost off her feet but not quite. Ratchet goes up for Old School and walks around the corner before coming down on the arm.

Bone (in a skull mask) comes in to work on the arm, setting up an exchange of middle fingers. A cross between a neckbreaker/Backstabber puts Bone down and it’s off to Rogue. Bone blasts him with some jumping knees and Rogue goes into a rather slow motion fall. The rather muscular Beast comes in to send Rogue flying, setting up some running strikes in the corner.

Rogue manages to send him outside so Ratchet comes back in with a high crossbody. That’s pulled out of the air and countered into a slam, allowing Rogue to dive onto Beast and Bone. Back in and Nightingale Rock Bottoms Ratchet but misses a moonsault. James slips in with a pumphandle piledriver on Ratchet but Beast plants him with a powerslam. Bone adds a top rope elbow for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C. Oh yeah this was heavy on the gimmicks, which worked out well enough. Hoodslam is not exactly my taste (though I do want to see Drugs Bunny) but you could get the idea of the weird trio here. They didn’t hide who was going to win here and that is ok for something like this. Again, it’s meant to be a showcase and I got a bit of an idea of what I would get out of these people, which is how it is supposed to go.

IWA-Mid South Title: Jake Crist vs. John Wayne Murdoch

Crist is defending and there are no rules (you knew they would get something like this in). The bell rings and Crist throws a door at Murdoch’s face. A high crossbody connects and Crist fires off the kicks to the head for two. They head outside with Crist being sent face first into the bar to put him in some trouble. It’s time to sit in some chairs and hit each other in the face, which is always a bit of an odd visual.

Back in and Murdoch chairs him between the shoulders, setting up a neckbreaker for two. We hit the chinlock early on but Crist is back up, only to get kneed in the ribs. Crist is back up with some chops into a Death Valley Driver for two of his own. A powerslam into a chair in the corner gets two on Murdoch so Crist bridges a door between two chairs.

They go up top and Crist hits a super cutter through the door, setting up a backslide for two. Murdoch is back with a Canadian Destroyer but Crist backslides him again for two more. A brainbuster gives Murdoch his own two and it’s time to bridge another door over the chairs. Murdoch hits a super Canadian Destroyer through the door for the pin and the title at 7:35.

Rating: D+. They flew through this and it felt like it was clipped a bit on time. Much like the UWFI stuff, this is totally not my style but at least they didn’t go into the full hardcore nonsense. I mean, yeah they were breaking doors and such but there is a big difference between that and the blood and such, which is just annoying instead of something with some value.

Independent Wrestling TV Title: Edith Surreal vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is defending and Surreal is better known as Still Life With Apricots And Pears, meaning we have a bunch of paintings set up around the ring (if you’re not familiar, don’t bother trying to figure it out because this is one of the weirdest gimmicks you’ll see). They go technical to start with Moriarty working on the arm. A quick trip to the mat doesn’t go anywhere so it’s time for another exchange of arm control. Surreal switches over to the leg but Moriarty slips out in a hurry.

Back up and Surreal cranks on the arm, setting up a crucifix for two, with Moriarty bouncing out, which seems to hurt Surreal’s ribs. They run the ropes until Surreal snaps off a hurricanrana into an elbow to the face for two more. Moriarty gets in a shot to the ribs and puts on a bodyscissors, complete with an arm crank for a bonus. That’s broken up so Moriarty shouts at her a lot as frustration is setting in.

Some shoulders to the ribs in the corner and an arm snap have Surreal in more trouble, followed by an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Surreal ties up the limbs into a rollup for two. They trade some rollups for two each until Surreal knocks him down again. A guillotine legdrop gets two on Moriarty and it’s time to go back to the rollups, with Moriarty trapping the legs and kicking the ribs to retain at 10:37.

Rating: C+. This was another rather entertaining, back and forth exchange with both of them getting to shine. Surreal is someone who is about as unique as you can get today and that is always worth a look. Then you have Moriarty, who is a lot more traditional of a star but is rather good at the technical stuff. You can never see enough of that and Moriarty got to stand out rather well here.

Post match they shake hands but a masked man comes in to chair them both down. It’s Wheeler Yuta of course and we’re off the air in a hurry.

Overall Rating: C+. You have to consider what they were going for here and that was a nice success. This was about looking at a little bit of all kinds of wrestling from different places while also setting up something for tomorrow. It was a completely watchable show and ran about two hours flat, which is hardly wasting time. If you haven’t seen that much indy stuff, you might want to check this out and see what they have to pick from, because there were a lot of choices here.

 

 

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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AND

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