Spring Break In Sellersville
Date: March 7, 2020
Location: Forrest Lodge VFW, Sellersville, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Billy Avery, Doc Diamondfire

This is from Star Pro and seems to be another combination of former Chikara and indy wrestlers. These shows can be fun, but it depends on how much they lean into the goofy. The former Chikara wrestlers have some completely insane gimmicks, but you never know what you might be getting. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I have no idea on any characters or plot points coming in so please bear with me if I miss something.

Our unnamed and tuxedoed host welcomes us to the show, though I can barely understand anything he is saying.

Fenix Fury vs. Icarus

Oh yeah it’s a former Chikara crowd alright. Feeling out process to start until Icarus takes him into the corner and comes out with a belly to back suplex. We hit the seated abdominal stretch, followed by a belly to back suplex to drop Fury again. The neck crank goes on for a bit before Icarus chokes away in the corner. Fury finally gets back up for some flying forearms and a tornado DDT gets two. Back up and Icarus ducks a right hand, setting up a quick Wings Of Icarus (Pedigree) for the pin at 7:23.

Rating: C. Nice stuff here, though Fury doing some more high flying might have been a better idea. Icarus is someone who has been around this area for a very long time and it makes sense to start with someone the fans are going to know. I haven’t seen much of Icarus as a heel, but he was certainly getting on the fans’ nerves here. Maybe not the best choice for an opener, but a good enough match.

South Philly’s Finest vs. Shinobi Shadow Squad

That would be Jimmy Konway/Luca Brazzi vs. Eli Isom/Ryan Nova, the latter of whom were regulars in the last few years of Ring Of Honor. Before the match, the Finest want to know why Nova is missing part of his pants. Brazzi takes Nova into the corner to start and it’s an early standoff. Nova takes Brazzi down but lets him go and chills on the top rope. That doesn’t work for Brazzi, who slaps him in the back of the head, causing Nova to…throw a ninja star? Eh it brought Edge and Christian together.

Since that didn’t work (I’m as shocked as you are), it’s off to Isom, who gets elbowed in the face and has his nipples twisted in the corner (yep). Nova is dragged in as well and send into Isom in the corner to put them both down. Another shoulder to the ribs puts Nova on the floor but Isom is back up with a dropkick to send Brazzi outside. Isom chokes Brazzi a bit so Nova can get in a suplex as I’m not sure who the fans are supposed to be behind here.

The chinlock goes on, with Isom even stomping his feet on the mat for…well ok it doesn’t add anything. Other than maybe some percussion. Brazzi fights up and tries to dive over for the tag but gets caught in a release northern lights suplex. Some headbutts to the ribs aren’t enough to get Brazzi over to the ropes and a dive through Isom’s legs is cut off as well. Brazzi FINALLY kicks Isom away….but Nova pulls Konway to the floor. That leaves Isom to hit a release German suplex for a rather arrogant two as the beating continues.

The arrogance wakes Brazzi up enough (make your own Rick Martel jokes) for him to get over to gag in Konway, meaning house can be cleaned. Isom breaks up Sliced Garlic Bread (awesome) but Brazzi punches both of them in the face over and over. A wheelbarrow faceplant with a Stomp gets two on Brazzi with Konway making the save. Konway is sent outside, leaving Brazzi tho hit Sliced Garlic Bread to finish Nova at 13:45.

Rating: B-. This was your straight formula tag match and once I figured out that the Squad were the villains, the match got a lot better. I wouldn’t have bet on the two of them being effective heels but they managed to make it work well enough here. The Finest have been around for a few years but I haven’t seen them before, which is kind of a surprise as they’re not bad.

Isom has to carry Nova out.

Star Pro has a dojo. Well of course they do.

Frightmare vs. Dan Champion

Frightmare is a bit supernatural and Champion is a rather muscular guy. The much smaller Frightmare’s running clotheslines have no effect so Frightmare goes to the eyes to stagger Champion. A running shot knocks Champion to the floor and Frightmare follows him out with some sauntering in between each shot. Back in and Champion cuts off a crossbody, setting up a rather delayed suplex (that’s what you get for sauntering).

The running corner clotheslines work a bit better for Champion, at least until Frightmare kicks him in the shoulder. For some reason Frightmare tries a suplex, even though Champion has about eight inches and a hundred pounds on him. Frightmare goes after the knee to take Champion down and there’s the standing moonsault for two.

A running boot in the corner rocks Champion again and his knee gives out on a whip from corner to corner. The Kneecalepsy (moonsault knees) misses for Frightmare though and Champion low bridges him to the floor. Back in and a heck of a TKO gets two on Frightmare, leaving Champion a bit stunned. Some more kicks to the leg put him down and now Kneecalepsy can finish for Frightmare at 9:20.

Rating: C. Another completely watchable match here, though the smaller Frightmare as the villain was a little odd. Granted that is because Champion is bigger than Drew McIntyre, which makes for some limited options. Frightmare was one of the top heels in Chikara, but it doesn’t work as well without the complete insanity that the company could offer. Champion is an ok big man, but I’m not sure I can imagine him going much further.

Veda Scott vs. Logan Easton LaRoux

LaRoux is a rather obnoxious (and rather rich) heel who I’ve seen good things from before. He is from “a gated community inside a gated community surrounded by a gated community” and is billed as the Champion of the 1% in case you need a better idea. Feeling out process to start, with LaRoux working on the finger for some small joint manipulation.

Scott sends him to the floor, only to have LaRoux snap the throat across the rope. Back in and some arm cranking on the ropes ensues, setting up the chinlock. Scott fights up and kicks him in the head a few times, setting up a bulldog for two. Back up and LaRoux hits a spear for two, followed by Scott hitting one of her own for the same. LaRoux misses a charge into the corner and it’s a fisherman’s suplex to give Scott the pin at 7:03.

Rating: C-. This was one of those intergender matches where you could tell that things weren’t going at top speed and it hurt things a bit. The good thing is that Scott is talented enough to make something like this work. I haven’t seen her in the ring in a bit and I had forgotten how good she can be when she is out there. LaRoux is someone I could go with seeing more of as well, but he might need to change things up a bit in a world where MJF exists.

Junior Heavyweight Title: Billy Avery vs. Jixx vs. Joe Clyde vs. Markus Skyler

Jixx, with his painted face, is defending and it is one fall to a finish. Avery left the commentary booth for the match and appears to weigh about 130lbs. Skyler has a large bag with him and seems to be popular. Clyde on the other hand looks like Trevor Murdoch if you deflated him a bit. Before the bell, Jixx, who seems to be about Rey Mysterio’s height, grabs the mic and insults Sellersville. He then turns around and has all three challengers waiting on him with a triple dropkick.

That’s enough to send Jixx to the floor, with Clyde joining him for…uh, a beer. Avery takes Skyler down but it’s Clyde coming back in to tackle Avery up against the ropes. Jixx is back in with a dropkick to Clyde and it’s a moonsault onto all three challengers on the floor at once. Back in and Jixx gets two on Skyler before they both head back in. That leaves Clyde to suplex Avery for two, followed by a DDT for the same. They switch off again, leaving Jixx to rake Skyler’s eyes and choke in the corner.

A running shot in said corner gets two and Jixx is frustrated, at least partially due to losing his face paint. Clyde comes back in to take Jixx down for a change, meaning it’s time to go up for the required Tower Of Doom. It’s Avery up first and getting to clean house, including a chop off with Jixx. Avery knocks Jixx down but gets F5’d by Clyde, who is taken down by a Canadian Destroyer from Jixx. Skyler is back up as well though and it’s a bridging northern lights suplex to pin Jixx for the title at 11:48.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match with some good high flying, but it’s also the kind of match that you have seen done a hundred times. Skyler stood out a bit here, while Avery is just WAY too small to take seriously and Clyde feels like he should be a heavyweight. Jixx felt like the latest in a long line of spooky/supernatural characters and seeing him lose was kind of nice as a result.

Razerhawk/Green Ant/Wheeler Yuta vs. Young Dumb N Broke

That would be Ellis Taylor/Griffin McCoy/Jordan Oliver with manager Charlie Tiger. Ant sends Taylor running to the floor to start before grabbing a full nelson back inside. A springboard armdrag takes Ant down but it’s quickly off to the technical stuff. That doesn’t go well for Taylor, so we’ll try McCoy vs. Yuta instead. The technical off goes to Yuta again (shocking I know) before they do a weird mirroring sequence.

Yuta rolls him up for two so it’s off to Razerhawk vs. Oliver to complete the trilogy. Razerhawk takes him down by the arm and cranks on the wrist so it can be back to Yuta. Tiger offers a quick distraction though, allowing the villains to collectively drop Yuta and take over. McCoy stomps on the mat and in the corner and it’s Oliver coming back in with a front facelock. Yuta can’t slip through Oliver’s legs but he can catch Oliver’s kick…only to get poked in the eye.

Taylor and McCoy start taking turns on Yuta’s arm, causing Razerhawk and Ant to have to be held back. The chinlock goes on but Yuta fights up and FINALLY dives over to Ant for the hot tag. House is cleaned rather quickly, at least until Taylor knees him in the face. Everything breaks down and Razerhawk hits a missile dropkick on McCoy. A splash off of Yuta’s shoulders gets two and Yuta Angle Slams Oliver for a bonus.

The villains fight up and clear Ant out, leaving McCoy and Yuta to slut it out. Taylor is back in with a kick to Yuta and a brainbuster onto the knee puts him down. Ant grabs a Samoan driver on Taylor but gets Tombstoned by Oliver. Back in and Razerhawk hits a backslide slam for two on Oliver. McCoy gets pulled into Yuta’s Sharpshooter, which draws in Tiger. That’s broken up as well and it’s a running Meltzer Driver (minus the springboard) for the pin on Yuta at 18:01.

Rating: C+. This got some time to make the match work a bit better, but it was a bit much to watch that long of a sequence without anything resembling a tag. I know it’s the style and expected and all that jazz, but couldn’t you at least pay it some lip service? Oliver will be getting better at his size, though the other five are all so small that it is difficult to get that invested.

Ophidian vs. Danny Duggan

During the entrances, Duggan says he hopes the ring announcers gets the Coronavirus so he never has to see him again. Duggan, who looks like an Anderson, bails to the ropes to start but powers Ophidian into the corner. Ophidian misses a spinning kick to the face but is fine enough to take it to the mat for the required arm control exchange. Back up and Duggan grabs a headlock before chopping him into the corner. Duggan grabs him by the throat but Ophidian tries a sleeper of his own.

That isn’t working so some spinwheel kicks rock Duggan instead. The middle rope broke somewhere in there so Duggan is easily sent outside. As Duggan staggers a bit on the floor, Ophidian grabs a chair and has a seat, which doesn’t sit well with Duggan. Back in and Duggan chokes on what is left of the middle rope before slapping on the chinlock. Ophidian fights up and gets a sunset flip, meaning Duggan’s trunks come most of the way down.

Some kicks rock Duggan again but thankfully he gets a clothesline in and fixes the gear. Duggan grabs a spinebuster (again, Anderson) for two and now his arm (which was bandaged coming in) is busted open. A suplex into the corner (which is broken as well) FINALLY finished Ophidian at 13:29, even though the referee didn’t seem to get the count right.

Rating: C-. The fact that the ring literally broke kind of holds this back but it wasn’t a great match in the first place. You can only get so far when things are this limited, though I kept getting bored by the match anyway. Maybe they could do better under the proper circumstances, but dang this wasn’t a great main event.

Post match Duggan thanks the fans for coming out, even if his native Canada is that much better.

Ophidian says something I can’t understand to really wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: C. As you can clearly see, this show feels like the end of the movie The Producers. After nearly doing everything they hoped for, the main stars’ plan falls apart and they lose everything. That doesn’t stop them from trying the same thing again, at least on a smaller budget. That’s what I was feeling here, as this came off like the latest example of trying to put together a Chikara style show without the Chikara presentation. In other words, you’re left with a pretty ok show that I feel like I’ve seen a half dozen times now, often with a similar lineup. Check it out if that’s your thing, but you’re better off finding Chikara.

 

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War Of The Felines
Date: October 13, 2018
Location: Forrest Lodge, Sellersville, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tim Taylor, Brad Demayo

This is Excellence Professional Wrestling and for reasons I don’t think I want to know, its shows have cat themes. I’m not sure what that is going to mean here but you never know what you are going to find in the indies. I know some of the names on this show and that might not be a bad thing, as this feels VERY Chikara style. Let’s get to it.

A woman is at her desk when a masked man comes in and brings Felina (said woman) her lunch and the posters for upcoming events. She says she knows his secret but she’ll keep it as long as he plays nice with her cats. Ok then.

Chat D’Kroger/Cornelius Crummels vs. Too Many Cooks

I think D’Kroger was the masked man from the opening segment and Too Many Cooks are Sloppy Joe and Assistant Chef Smoothie Blackmon (there’s an indy name for you). The Cooks have very oversized spatulas and the fans seem REALLY happy with them. Granted it might be their snappy theme song, which says Too Many Cooks over and over. Joe mocks Crummels with the spatula before the bell as the referee tries to get two in and two out. Crummels takes his jacket off and apparently smells rather horribly.

Blackmon and Crummels start things off and fight over wrist control, with Crummels handing it off to D’Kroger. That doesn’t go well for D’Kroger, as he gets taken into the corner so Joe can take him into the corner as commentary talks about their love of gumbo. The Cooks double team D’Kroger down so Joe can roll over him (the Rolling Pin, which is rolling but not a pin) but Crummels throws his horrible jacket at Joe’s face.

With Joe panicking over the germs and smell, Crummels gets to come in and stomp away. D’Kroger grabs an armbar before it’s time for some stomping/choking in the corner. Crummels adds a running elbow as commentary tries to figure out if D’Kroger is a wrestler named Buck Gunderson. A leg lariat gives Crummels two but Joe fights up and it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Blackmon so house can get cleaned….which lasts for about two seconds as D’Kroger rakes his chest. Everything breaks down and a Hart Attack finishes D’Kroger at 9:35.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t great but the Cooks were a lot of fun and that is why you put them in the opener. They are an entertaining team with a unique gimmick and the fans liked them. Putting them out there in the opener against some heels is a great way to go and this worked well. Not a great match, but a good start to the show.

Hold on though as here is someone named Blaxstrom to help jump Joe. Cat #2 and Johnny Moran run in for the save and here is Felina to make the six man tag.

Chat D’Kroger/Cornelius Crummels/Blaxstrom vs. Cat #2/Johnny Moran/Assistant Chef Smoothie Blackmon

Cat #2 and Blaxstrom start things off as commentary talks about the cat-like things everyone does. Blaxstrom gets armdragged into an armbar as commentary remembers it is Spanish Heritage Month and starts speaking in stereotypical Spanglish. Moran and D’Kroger come in with the latter being shoved down in a heap. D’Kroger pulls up and then takes down his strap, setting up a lowing effort in a test of strength.

With that going nowhere, it’s off to Crummels vs. Blackmon, with the latter taking him down and hammering away. Crummels gets him into the corner so the villains can start the alternating stomps. Blackmon finally gets an elbow up in the corner but Blaxstrom clotheslines him right back down. That means the stomping can continue, with D’Kroger adding a headbutt for two as commentary dubs him the Nickelback of cats.

Blackmon finally rolls over and makes the hot tag off to Cat #2, who is cut off almost immediately with a jumping knee to the face. A release gordbuster gives D’Kroger two and it’s back to Crummels to slowly stomp Cat #2 down. D’Kroger comes in and….starts playing with Cat #2 like they’re both cats, leaving commentary confused until Crummels gets him out of there.

With that bizarre exchange out of the way, Blaxstrom comes in to work on Cat #2’s arm. That doesn’t last long as Crummels comes in and gets crossbodied down, allowing the double tag to Moran and Blaxstrom. Moran’s sunset flip is countered into a sliding knee to the face and it’s D’Kroger grabbing a crossface chickenwing. Cat #2 comes in to pull D’Kroger’s mask for the save and Moran hits a Widowmaker to finish D’Kroger at 14:20.

Rating: C-. This didn’t work as well as the opener as Blackmon wasn’t a factor, leaving the charisma down. Blackmon could have been dropped here and nothing would have changed, which doesn’t make for the most thrilling match. It also doesn’t help that the cat stuff is already starting to get a little old, as it is the running theme throughout the entire show. Not a terrible match, but it felt long and not that interesting.

Will Goonet vs. Icarus

Goonet is a hockey player and Icarus is a Chikara mainstay who runs around the ring a lot before getting inside. Icarus slingshots into the ring and the fans want him to do it one more time for no apparent reason, though he does it anyway. Goonet jumps him from behind before the bell (maybe because Icarus had to do a dozen things first) but Icarus comes back with a shot of his own for an early two.

That earns Icarus a trip into the corner and there’s a loud forearm to the chest. A suplex gives Goonet two, with commentary wondering why he even bothered to cover after a single suplex. There’s a kick to the back for the same, as commentary is talking about a wrestler named Danger Jameson.

We hit the chinlock for a bit before Goonet takes him into the corner for some right hands. The referee actually breaks it up and the beating is on, complete with Icarus pulling Goonet’s jersey over his head to make it worse. A shot to the back of the head takes Icarus down again but he’s right back with a Russian legsweep. Icarus grabs a top wristlock as we hear about Barry Darsow for some reason. A legdrop gives Icarus two (Taylor: “That would have put him away in 84.”) but Goonet’s belly to back suplex gets the same. Goonet puts on a chinlock of his own but Icarus is right back up with Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C. Goonet was just a gimmick guy and that’s all he needed to be in a spot like this. At the same time, you have Icarus, who is probably going to be one of the more solid performers on this show. Sometimes you need a solid enough match like this one and this worked out fine, as Icarus shrugged off what Goonet threw at him and then won in the end, nice and clean.

Post match, commentary explains that Icarus gets a title shot if Danger Jameson wins a match later tonight. See how easy it is to explain something like that?

Frightmare vs. MC Hardbody

Hardbody seems rather popular with the fans, possibly because he doesn’t even weigh 150lbs. They pose at each other to start before going to the test of strength. You don’t do that with someone named Frightmare, who knocks him down to frustrate Hardbody a bit. This sends us to the required Toy Story discussion as Frightmare grabs an armbar, which is reversed into an armbar.

Hardbody grabs a chinlock, with commentary suggesting that him leaning on Frightmare won’t do much good. Frightmare fights up without much trouble but gets wristdragged into the corner, setting up a slingshot Stunner. A springboard….snapmare leaves Frightmare sitting down, where he covers his eyes. Hardbody sits in front of him for a shot to the face but a 619 is blocked. Instead Frightmare kicks him in the face to send us out to the floor, where Frightmare offers to let some young girls chop Hardbody.

That won’t be happening so they go back inside where Frightmare gets to stand on him n the corner. A slam gives Frightmare two and a standing moonsault is good for the same. Hardbody fights out of a headlock so Frightmare runs him over with a shoulder. There’s a release German suplex for two on Hardbody, with commentary criticizing the cover technique in their best Gorilla Monsoon impressions (minus the impressions).

Hardbody is back up with a kick to the face into the 619 to put Frightmare on the floor. The big dive connects and now some young fans will chop Frightmare in a funny bit. The camera operator gets in a chop before a boy hits Frightmare in the face. Back in again and Hardbody hits a missile dropkick for two but Frightmare plants him with a Pentagon Driver for the same.

The standing moonsault misses though and Hardbody scores with a Death Valley Driver for two more. A running basement DDT…is badly mistimed, as Hardbody doesn’t get his arm around the head so Frightmare kind of DDTs himself. Hardbody misses a Swanton though and it’s the Kneecolepsy (standing moonsault knees to the chest) to give Frightmare the pin at 12:08.

Rating: C. This one falls more into the entertaining but not exactly great category, as there is only so much you can get out of someone as small as Hardbody who isn’t flying all over the place. The stuff with the fans slapping Frightmare was fun, but that’s about the highlight of the match. It wasn’t awful, though I never got into it very well.

Green Ant and Johnny Moran interrupt a chat with Tim Taylor to say they’re not done with Blaxstrom and Hermit Crab.

Green Ant vs. Hermit Crab

Hold on though as there is no Hermit Crab to start so we’ll go with Green Ant instead….but he doesn’t come out either. Then both of them fight through the curtain and the bell rings so Ant can start in on Crab’s arm. A spinebuster gets Crab out of trouble as commentary tries to figure out what kind of a shirt he is wearing. Crab hits a suplex but misses a middle rope crab walk (just go with it) elbow.

Ant can’t quite grab an octopus stretch so he settles for a springboard spinning crossbody for two. A gutwrench powerbomb gets Crab out of trouble but he can’t get a Boston crab. The nerve hold goes on, with Crab not exactly appearing to put on too much pressure. That means it isn’t hard for Ant to get up and hit a superkick for two, only to have Crab come back with a teardrop suplex. Now the Boston crab can go on, though again Crab isn’t great at putting on a hold. Ant slips out and grabs the octopus for the tap at 5:58.

Rating: D+. The match was short (like the two of them) but the bigger problem here was they didn’t exactly seem to be laying it in. That nerve hold was embarrassing and for two guys who started fighting in the back, they didn’t seem like people who wanted to hurt each other. I wasn’t feeling this one and it was pretty disappointing.

Post match Ant keeps the hold on for a bit too long. After letting it go and being joined by Johnny Moran, Ant gets a mic and says it isn’t over between the two of them and Blaxstrom/Hermit Crab. They want a tag match next month.

We see Icarus training when someone in a helmet surprises him with a tap on the shoulder. The helmet guy asks Icarus to train him, but Icarus thinks that’s as good of an idea as running the Boston marathon with one leg. Icarus agrees to accompany him to the ring though, which has helmet guy rather pleased. Apparently Felina has granted helmet guy a title shot next month. Icarus: “WHAT THE F***???” I’m going to assume this is Danger Jameson in a segment that might have made more sense if we saw it earlier in the show.

We go to Icarus training Jameson, who seems to be a bit of a clueless putz. Icarus gives him a training regimen, involving listening to the Lion King soundtrack twice a day. Icarus wants to hear five of Jameson’s holds but isn’t sure what he picks. Two guys come in with their bags and tells Jameson to train hard because they have 61 days left. They leave, so Icarus asks Jameson who the man is. Jameson lists off a bunch of superheroes and Icarus facepalms. After a little help, Jameson gets the idea and they celebrate, with Jameson being knocked out.

Hallowicked (Excellence Champion) praises Blaxstrom for his match but isn’t pleased with Hermit Crab. Hallowicked and Blaxstrom leave so Crab consults a doll.

One note: there were no graphics or recaps or explanations for those segments and I had to figure out who some of the people were. That’s not a good idea as it can get confusing quickly if you are a first time viewer.

Excellence Title: Hallowicked vs. Danger Jameson

Hallowicked is defending and has Blaxstrom, Frightmare and Hermit Crab (apparently they’re part of some kind of a cult) with him. The four kneel in prayer but here is Felina to say Wicked’s Army will do anything to keep the title. Therefore, she is going to even the odds a bit by making this a No DQ match. That works for the Army, who quadruple team Jameson down in the corner until Hermit Crab runs to the back. He comes back to the ring with, I kid you not, Quadruple Strength Poison Powder (that’s what the label on the big jar says) so here is Icarus for the save.

House is cleaned in a hurry and the bell rings, only to have Jameson miss a top rope splash. Hallowicked slowly starts beating on him, setting up a Fujiwara armbar. With that let go, Hallowicked hits a fall away slam as the dominance is on. Jameson grabs a rollup for two but gets knocked down again, setting up a middle rope double stomp. A half crab makes it even worse for Jameson before Hallowicked switches to a chokebomb.

Icarus comes back in to Pedigree Hallowicked but Jameson’s top rope splash is broken up with some powder to the eyes. Instead Jameson hits a double arm DDT and some running splashes in the corner stagger Hallowicked again. A Russian legsweep puts Hallowicked down and the top rope splash finally connects, only to have Frightmare come in for the save. Icarus takes Frightmare to the back so Hallowicked throws more powder at James. A leg trap DDT retains Hallowicked’s title at 7:31.

Rating: C. This could have been worse as it was almost all smoke and mirrors since Jameson isn’t exactly supposed to be a polished star. The majority of the match was spent with Hallowicked and company beating up Jameson until Icarus came in and did a few things to even it up. Not good, but it was entertaining enough while it lasted.

Dan Champion and the Boar of Moldova are leaving when Cornelius Crummels come up. They congratulate Crummels on his match and offer him dinner out of a trashcan. Crummels turns them down and they all decide to go to Applebees. Again: Champion and the Boar, who are scheduled for the main event, are not identified here and the only reason I know them is from shows in other promotions. Also, why are they leaving if they haven’t wrestled yet?

Havoc/Oleg the Usurper vs. Boar of Moldova/Dan Champion

Tables, doors and boards match. It’s a brawl on the floor to start with Boar running over Oleg and Champion chopping Havoc up against the wall. Champion can’t suplex Havoc through some chairs as the other two fight around the arena. Instead Havoc gets thrown through the chairs as Oleg is hog tying the Boar. Havoc keeps hammering away as Boar kicks Oleg away.

Champion gets kicked in the stomach as….something loud that we can’t see happen with the other two. Havoc and Champion get inside and set up a door in the corner as Oleg has tied up the Boar’s legs and is dragging him around the ring. As Havoc punches Champion with a fist wrapped in a belt, Oleg has been buried under a bunch of chairs. Boar gets back in to save Champion and slowly stomp on Havoc.

That’s broken up with a German suplex but it’s Champion coming back in to cut havoc off again. Oleg comes back in for the save but here is Cornelius Crummels to go after Oleg and Havoc. That doesn’t go well for Crummels, who gets kicked in the head and thrown outside, as Oleg has something in mind. A double chokeslam puts Crummels through a table and it’s time to go back to ringside for trashcan shots to Champion and Boar.

Oleg puts the trashcan over Boar’s head and adds a superkick, with Havoc smashing the can with the lid. Champion gets back up for the save and Boar is able to side slam Havoc through the trashcan. Havoc’s hands get tied up with a belt and Boar drops a top rope elbow on Oleg. Champion knocks Oleg outside and apparently we miss a door being thrown at Havoc back inside. That leaves Champion and Boar to powerbomb Oleg through a merch table, which is apparently an elimination, because apparently this is a tables/doors/boards ELIMINATION match. Who knew?

Havoc is back up with some trashcan shots but Boar kicks him low. Boar’s spear misses though and he drives himself through the table, meaning it’s Champion vs. Havoc. A Champion Breaker (Irish Curse) drops Havoc and they fight up the ramp with Havoc in trouble. Champion hits him in the head with a belt (the Life Championship, which he brought with him) but Havoc comes back with his own belt shots.

Havoc can’t slam him off the stage though as his back gives out. It’s fine enough for a backdrop though and another belt shot rocks Champion. An Island Driver off the stage puts Champion through a table at 26:19….but it’s a draw because they both went through a table at the same time.

Rating: D+. Oh they can screw right off with that ending. They went the better part of half an hour for a lame draw in a match with no explanation? I get that the teams hated each other but there was no explanation whatsoever for WHY they hated each other. Then you have that ending, which made the lack of a story that much worse. The ending made me mad and that is never the way to go.

The fans are not happy as the wrestlers are checked on/taken out to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. The show had some fun moments (Too Many Cooks were a blast) but this was one of the weaker shows I’ve seen in this series of indy events. Nothing on here was worth seeing, but the bigger problem was with the presentation. There was very little in the way of explaining what was going on, who these people were or why fans should care. It doesn’t help that this was a bunch of characters from Chikara, which isn’t the easiest thing to get into in the first place. Not exactly a good show and I was disappointed based on how promising some of this seemed on paper.

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Action Wrestling Title: Marcus Mathers vs. Arik Royal

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

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

Bryan Keith vs. Alex Kane

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

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

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

Gary Jay vs. Billie Starkz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Very Good poses on his own to end the show.

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

 

 

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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