TJPW vs. DDT vs. GCW
Date: April 19, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Veda Scott

So I think the title of this one kind of speaks for itself, as we’ll be seeing three different promotions come together for something of a three way dance. That offers a variety of different options, with some of the names being a bit less than familiar. These shows have done well before, even if they’re as standalone as you can get. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Hyper Misao/Jada Stone/Mizuki/Raku/Yuki Aino (TJPW) vs. Arisu Endo/Miu Watanabe/Shino Suzuki/Suzume/Yuki Arai (TJPW)

So this isn’t so much three promotions against each other as all ten of these women are from TJPW. Before the match, Misao (the resident superhero) says they are all friends and requests a clean fight. That earns her a kick in the ribs and we’re ready to start fast. Suzume dropkicks Stone down for two and then rolls her up for the same. A springboard armdrag takes Suzume down but she sends Stone into the corner.

It’s off to Endo, who is dropped with a sitout gordbuster but we pause for Raku to put Endo on her pillow for a nap. Then Raku and company run over her in some improper napping etiquette. A five woman cover gets two with all of Endo’s partners making the save. Arai comes in to kick Raku in the face a few times, followed by a running clothesline for two. It’s off to Misao for a heroic running crotch attack against the ropes but Arai gets in a big boot. Misao’s high crossbody gets two and it’s off to Aino for something like a spinning Vader Bomb.

Arai dropkicks her way out of trouble and it’s off to Watanabe, who catches Aino in a giant swing. An over the shoulder backbreaker is escaped and they trade shoulders until Aino grabs a suplex. A Polish hammer drops Aino and it’s off to Suzuki vs. Mizuki to pick up the pace. Mizuki wastes no time in sending her against the ropes for a running dropkick, followed by a high crossbody for two.

Arai comes in with a full nelson slam and everything breaks down, with Suzume grabbing a sleeper on Mizuki. That’s broken up and they trade rollups for two each. A double reverse DDT puts Arai down and a pair of top rope bulldogs connect. Stone hits a Lethal Injection on Suzume but Watanabe slams Stone and Misao at the same time. Yeah she’s time but she thinks she’s a monster so she’s strong. Or something. Mizuki is back up for her tabletop suplex (the Cutie Special, because of course) to pin Suzuki at 10:14.

Rating: B-. They did a nice job of getting this many people into the match when they had so much going on. It’s always hard to get ten people active in a match and they only had so much time to start. It was a nice way to get all of these people onto the card and as usual, Misao is just so likable. Good opener here, with quite a bit of fun to be had.

Kidd Bandit/Shota (GCW/DDT) vs. Antonio Honda/Rika Tatsumi (TJPW/DDT)

Bandit and Tatsumi start things off with Tatsumi snapping off an armdrag and then avoiding some spinning kicks. Honda comes in and gets his leg caught in the ropes on the way in, which seems to be par for the course for him. Shota comes in and drops down, with Honda almost falling over him. Some bad looking Steve Austin tributes (Honda is bald so….he’s a klutzy Austin?) have Shota down but Honda gets sent to the floor.

Shota rakes Honda’s back, causing Honda to steal a woman’s hat (making him about the fourth person to do so this week, with commentary mentioning the hat’s history). Back in and Bandit kicks Honda down for two as commentary says the plan is to keep beating Honda up and the team will win.

A rake to the back of the head puts Honda down again but he gets a boot up in the corner. Naturally Honda takes too long going up top and gets punched out of the air but he does manage to bring Tatsumi back in. A flying hip attack drops Shota and a running elbow gets two. Shota’s neckbreaker gets him out of trouble and it’s back to Bandit for an airplane spin. A hard knee gives Bandit two but Tatsumi fires off a jumping hip attack.

Honda comes in, trips again, and then trips over Bandit as well…so he needs the mic? Honda says his retirement is near and he can’t do this anymore, but first he wants to tell us a fairy tale. He holds up a Too Sweet sign and says he wants to meet a famous TikTok influencer. Apparently he called said influencer but found out that it was d*** talk and then pokes Tatsumi in the eye (I’m going to assume I missed something in that joke). Everything breaks down and Honda goes up, only to dive into some raised feet. Bandit rolls Honda up for the pin at 10:02.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of this but I hadn’t seen Honda before and he amused me enough. I’m really not sure what the point of that story/joke thing was and I think that might be the best for me. Another goofy comedy match and that’s perfectly fine on a show like this one.

Bandit and Shota dance in celebration.

Starboy Charlie/Yuni (GCW/DDT) vs. Los Desperados (GCW)

Los Desperados are Arez/Gringo Loco, likely in search of 1 Called Manders. Loco and Charlie start things off with the fans rather behind the former. They go to a test of strength with the bigger Loco getting the better of things and they take turns diving over each other. Charlie backflips over him and hits a spinwheel kick, setting up some hip swiveling. Yuni and Arez come in to trade wrist control until they switch to the flips.

Arez gets taken down with a headscissors and then a spinning armdrag, with commentary thinking Arez underestimated him. Loco comes in with a gorilla press into a sitout powerslam (that looked good) for two and we settle down so Arez can hit a loud chop. The Falcon Arrow sets up a flipping Fameasser (cool) so Charlie comes in for the save. That’s fine with Arez, who dives onto Loco and they roll over until Arez can hit a tornado DDT on Charlie.

A nice Swanton crushes Yuni for two but it’s time to open his shirt so the chops are even worse. Arez loads up another chop but flips the fans off for daring to ask for ONE MORE TIME. Nice guy. Charlie gets chopped as well but manages to get some feet up in the corner. A top rope headscissors takes Loco down and stereo moonsaults to the floor drop Arez and Loco.

Back in and a double bulldog gets two on Arez, followed by Charlie’s double Pele. A poisonrana plants Loco and Yuni’s hurricanrana gets two. Charlie’s shooting star hits raised knees though and a pair of powerbombs (including a top rope helicopter bomb to Yuni) gives Los Desperadoes the double pin at 11:22.

Rating: B-. This was a much more story based match and I got into it well enough. Charlie and Yuni were outmatched but fought from underneath like a pair of underdogs are supposed to do. It worked well and was a more serious match than most of what we’ve seen on the show so far.

We look at Atticus Cougar beating Fuego del Sol yesterday at Joey Janela’s Spring Break to take Fuego’s mask and seemingly end his career.

Wanaka Uehara/Yuki Kamifuku (TJPW) vs. Brooke Havok/Sandra Moone (GCW)

Yuki has some rather long legs. Uehara and Havok start things off with a battle over arm control. Havok knocks her back and hits a middle rope dropkick for two, only to get dropkicked into the corner. Yuki is in for a Helluva Kick for two but Havok grabs a facebuster into a neckbreaker.

That’s enough for Moone to come in and kick away, only for Yuki to grab something like an Octopus. That’s broken up and everything breaks down, with Moone hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Yuki is back up with an STO into a leg lariat. The middle rope Fameasser finishes Moone at 7:02 (appropriately enough, the area code for Las Vegas).

Rating: C+. Pretty simple and to the point tag match here and that’s a fine way to go. Sometimes you can just slow things down a bit and let them do their thing, which is what they did here. I don’t believe I’ve seen much of Havok and Moore before but they did a nice job here, even against what seemed to be a more experienced team.

Marcus Mathers/Shoko Nakajima/Super Crazy (TJPW/GCW) vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Ilusion/Dark Sheik (DDT/GCW)

It’s a brawl to start with Mathers leapfrogging Ilusion before he can even take his ring jacket off. A spinning high crossbody gives Mathers two and he slams Sheik down for a bonus. Mathers goes up top but dives into a low blow to cut him off in a hurry. Ilusion missile dropkicks Mathers down and it’s off to Sheik to hammer away. Sasaki drops a leg between the legs but Mathers would rather slug it out than tag.

That earns him another knockdown due to general stubbonrness but he gets over to Nakajima for the tag anyway. Nakajima comes in with a running boot in the corner and a springboard kick to the Sasaki’s head. That just earns her an escaped crossface so it’s off to Sheik for a suplex. A way too long guillotine legdrop misses and it’s off to Crazy vs. Ilusion. Crazy gets to clean house, including a sitout powerbomb for two. Something like a lifting abdominal stretch matches Ilusion tap out at 8:50.

Rating: B-. Mathers is starting to show me something on these shows and that’s a good sign for his ID future. He’s a talented guy who can do some impressive stuff in the ring. At the same time you have Nakajima being fine enough and Crazy somehow still being good enough to overcome his gain in size.

1 Called Manders/Maki Itoh (GCW/TJPW) vs. Microman/Yukio Naya (GCW/DDT)

Itoh has a cowboy hat on and does part of Manders’ Dead Or Alive entrance. Microman and Itoh start things off and the fans are very impressed. They trade the cute poses and Itoh isn’t sure what to make of this…so she kicks him down. The ten right hands in the corner don’t work because Itoh can’t reach his head (that’s funny).

Microman hits a right hand of his own into a dropkick for two, earning himself a facewash in the corner. It’s off to Manders to knock Naya off the apron and Microman gets stomped down. Manders and Itoh take turns biting his fingers but Manders misses a basement lariat. A rake to the eyes lets Microman hit a 619 and a legsweep suplex puts Manders down. Naya comes in for a running splash in the corner and loads up a chokeslam but Manders….points finger guns into his chest.

That makes Naya drop to his knees so Manders can drop him, allowing Itoh to come in with a high crossbody. Naya scares Itoh, who tells her to bring it on and yells her back into the corner. That makes Itoh break down in tears…and Microman is crying too. Even Manders cries and we get a group hug, with Naya having to cry too.

They all hug (the fans approve), and then the fighting is on again. Itoh puts her hat back on for a double cover on Naya but Manders accidentally lariats her down. Naya plants Manders and Microman adds a bottom rope splash. An assisted splash from Microman pins Itoh (who was begging him not to do it rather than rolling away) at 11:29.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of goofy fun and that’s all it needed to be. They clearly weren’t trying to do anything serious with this match and it still went fine enough. The crying spot was funny and it’s not like most of these people are supposed to be taken seriously in the first place. Goofy comedy can be fun and that’s what they had here.

We look at part of Sabu vs. Joey Janela at Spring Break. There was A LOT of barbed wire.

John Wayne Murdoch/Matt Tremont (GCW) vs. Mance Warner/Shunma Katsumata (GCW/DDT)

Hardcore and the weapons are in the ring before they get going. Murdoch and Katsumata slug it out to start and it’s already time for the skewer sticks…which they use to stab themselves in the head. Tremont and Warner come in and it’s time for a door, which is slingshotted to Tremont’s head to bust him open. The fight heads outside (commentary is shocked) and Warner gets crotched on the post. Katsumata hits a crossbody onto Murdoch and Tremont and they actually go back inside.

Murdoch chairs Katsumata down and then throws him head first into a chair in the corner for two. Some rams into the steps give Tremont two but Katsumata dropkicks a chair into Murdoch’s face. Warner gets the tag (because a match with this many weapons need tags) and sets up four chairs so they can sit down and hit each other in the face. Warner and Katsumata are sent through doors and a Death Valley Driver finishes Katsumata at 9:36.

Rating: C-. Yeah I’m never sure what to make of a match like this, as you had people spiking themselves to start the show. That doesn’t exactly make for my kind of match and I’m not wild on what I had to see. Trying to have actual tagging was a bit of a relief but that’s about all there was here. Just not my thing at all.

Konosuke Takeshita/Masha Slamovich (DDT/GCW) vs. Miyu Yamashita/Shinya Aoki (GCW/TJPW)

Slamovich and Aoki get things going with Aoki getting two off an early rollup. That’s not going to work for Slamovich, who gets to kick Yamashita down without much trouble. It’s off to Takeshita and Aoki for some grappling on the mat with Aoki getting two off a cradle. The fans are behind Aoki as they trade rollups for two each. Aoki’s Figure Four is turned over and they’re quickly back up again.

They trade European clutches for two each and then take turns escaping chokes. Yamashita comes in to forearm away at Takeshita to no avail. Everything breaks down and Slamovich and Takeshita slam their way out of chokes. Takeshita forearms Yamashita out of the air but can’t hit Raging Fire.

Yamashita manages a skull kick and they’re both down. Slamovich comes back in for an exchange of kicks and everything breaks down again. Aoki’s dive onto the floor is pulled out of the air for a brainbuster, leaving Yamashita to hit an AA for no cover. Slamovich is back up to kick her down, setting up the White Knight Driver for the pin at 11:10.

Rating: B. Pretty easily the best match of the night and that’s not surprising seeing who was in there. I’m not overly familiar with Aoki but he held his own in there with someone as good as Takeshita. It was an entertaining match and well done without much in the way of screwiness so we’ll call this a win.

We look at the GCW Tag Team Title match from Spring Break with Alec Price and Jordan Oliver winning the titles.

BZW Tag Team Titles: Mao/Yoshihiko vs. Alec Price/Jimmy Lloyd vs. Jack Cartwheel/Kazuma Sumi

Mao/Yoshihiko (the latter of whom is a doll and sporting a taped up head after getting busted open at a recent show) are defending (from BodyZoi Wrestling, a Belgian promotion). We start with a three way test of strength between Yoshihiko, Lloyd and Cartwheel and I don’t like where this is going. Naturally Yoshihiko takes over and grabs a hurricanrana but they all throw dropkicks for a standoff.

A triple tag brings in Price, Sumi and Mao, with Sumi getting chopped down over and over. Sumi grabs a pop up hurricanrana on Price but Mao grabs Yoshihiko to trip Cartwheel down. A double hurricanrana drops Cartwheel again and it’s time to hammer away in the corner. Mao and Yoshihiko hit some double Cannonballs in the corner but Price is back up with a kick to the head, forcing Yoshihiko to poisonrana Mao.

Yoshihiko gets launched into the crowd for the big crash and Lloyd Lionsaults Cartwheel and Sumi. Mao is back up with a double northern lights suplex to Price and Lloyd but gets caught with a double moonsault. Yoshihiko makes the save and everything breaks down, with Mao bringing Yoshihiko in off the tag. Yoshihiko is spun around into a hurricanrana and everyone is down. A string of DDTs leave Yoshihiko to suplex Cartwheel and Sumi at the same time.

Price takes Yoshihiko up and naturally we get a Tower Of Doom. Mao’s top rope splash gets two on Price and everyone is down again. The big brawl is on and it’s Yoshihiko getting to fire off some superkicks and most of the people wind up on the floor, meaning it’s time for some dives. This includes a multi flip dive from Yoshihiko who mostly overshoots the pile. Back in and Mao gives Sumi a reverse superplex faceplant (that’s cool) to retain at 13:48. Commentary complains about Yoshihiko not having a Cagematch profile because wrestling is weird.

Rating: C+. I never know what to make of the Yoshihiko stuff but it certainly has an audience. The biggest thing here though is that the match went fairly long and the joke started to get old. You can only do so much when you have to wrestle yourselves and that can make for a tricky situation. The rest of the match was fine enough, but this was just wasn’t my thing (again).

And we’re off the air really fast.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the kind of show that can be a lot of fun as it wasn’t meant to be anything more than a bunch of people getting together and having matches. That’s all it needed to be and it worked well enough. The good thing is they had a big mixture of styles instead of doing the same stuff over and over. I had fun with it and that’s the idea of a show like this one.

Results
Hyper Misao/Jada Stone/Mizuki/Raku/Yuki Aino b. Arisu Endo/Miu Watanabe/Shino Suzuki/Suzume/Yuki Arai – Cutie Special to Suzuki
Kidd Bandit/Shota b. Antonio Honda/Rika Tatsumi – Rollup to Honda
Los Desperadoes b. Starboy Charlie/Yuni – Double pin
Wanaka Uehara/Yuki Famifuki b. Brooke Havok/Sandra Moone – Middle rope Fameasser to Moone
Marcus Mathers/Shoka Nakajima/Super Crazy b. Daisuke Sasaki/Ilusion/Dark Sheik – Lifting abdominal stretch to Ilusion
Microman/Yukio Naya b. 1 Called Manders/Maki Itoh – Splash to Itoh
John Wayne Murdoch/Matt Tremont b. Mance Warner/Shunma Katsumata – Death Valley Driver to Katsumata
Mao/Yoshihiko b. Alec Price/Jimmy Lloyd and Jack Cartwheel/Kazuma Sumi – Reverse superplex faceplant to Sumi

 

 

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California Love
Date: March 30, 2023
Location: Ukranian Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Jack Farmer, Slice Boogie

This is from Santino (not Marella) Brothers Wrestling, which I have at least heard of, making it worthy of a look this weekend. That could make for a variety of possibilities here, though I have no idea what to expect coming in. We could be in for almost anything here and hopefully that makes for a good show. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow the promotion so I’m coming in blind. I apologize in advance for anything I miss involving backstory, character details etc.

The ring announcer welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Eli Everfly vs. Kidd Bandit

Everfly wears a fly mask to the ring and Bandit is the Techno Witch. This is teacher vs. student with Everfly (teacher) jumping Bandit to start. The big dive to the floor drops Bandit but a DDT plants Everfly back inside. Everfly is fine enough to kick Bandit in the face but charges into a kick to the head as well. Sliced Bread on the apron drops Bandit though and a jumping knee gets two.

An exchange of kicks rock each other inside until Bandit’s Angel Killer (something out of an electric chair) is countered into a tiger suplex for two. A double underhook destroyer (ouch) gives Everfly two more but Bandit gives him a spinning kick to the head. The Angel Killer (One Winged Angel) onto the knee finishes Everfly at 7:24, despite the referee stopping for some reason between two and three.

Rating: C. Pretty standard independent style match here and that’s all it needed to be. Having a bit of a story with the student vs. teacher thing worked well, but it was more about two people doing moves to each other until one of them won. Bandit is booked all over the weekend so there might be something there, though this was just an ok showcase.

Big Dick Hoss vs. Koto Hiro vs. El Primohenio vs. Alec Tomas vs. Richie Coy vs. Ray Rosas

For an Inner City Title shot. Hoss is a monster cowboy, Hiro looks like Ultimo Dragon if you deflated him to about 80% size, Tomas is proud of being Armenian, Coy is flamboyant and Rosas is a former champion (and a replacement for the injured Rob S*** (yes I said Rob S***)). It’s a brawl to start with Hoss planting Rosas and tossing Tomas for a bonus.

Hoss is sent to the floor though and Coy comes in with a high crossbody to Primohenio. La Mistica into a Fujiwara armbar has Primohenio in trouble but Rosas makes the save. Hiro sweeps Rosas’ leg out and a springboard spinning bulldog makes it worse. Tomas plants Hiro though and adds a tiger bomb for two. Primohenio comes back in with a top rope Sling Blade and a dropkick hits Tomas for a bonus.

Hoss has to pull the referee out (no DQ in a scramble) so Rosas goes after him for a change. Hoss cleans house until everyone goes after him one after another. Five stereo knees to the face has Hoss knocked silly before it’s time for the parade of suplexes and drops on the head. Tomas Blue Thunder Bombs Coy for two with Rosas making the save. Rosas moonsaults onto almost everyone else at ringside, followed by a spear to Primohenio. A top rope elbow connects to give Rosas the pin at 7:55.

Rating: C+. I’m not big on scramble matches but it is nice to see one where you could see people standing out a bit, with Rosas feeling like a star. Other than that, Hoss felt like a monster but he only had one rush of dominance. That left four people who didn’t really make an impression, but at least Rosas, who felt like the most complete star here, got to look good.

Raunchy Rico vs. Tyler Bateman

Rico has his manager Damien Arsenick in his corner. Before the match, Arsenick does an Andy Kaufman bit of introducing the fans to soap and deodorant. This goes well with the water that Arsenick keeps spraying on Rico so they have a gimmick! Rico says that he respects Bateman and goes into Spanish, seemingly saying he’ll win. Thankfully commentary gives us a quick backstory (Rico cost Bateman a title shot) to give us a reason for this to be taking place. A lot of places don’t do that so well done on the important touch.

We get the Big Match Intros and Arsenick DOES NOT want to be called the water boy. They go to the mat to start (commentary is surprised) and Rico needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Bateman knocks him to the apron for a strike off, with Arsenick offering a quick leg trip.

Bateman is fine enough to chop away in the corner but Rico hits a running shoulder to the ribs. A neckbreaker keeps Bateman down but we do pause for a quick water break. Bateman grabs a suplex for a breather and an elbow to the face puts Rico down again. This Is A Kill (Tombstone) gives Bateman the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. They beat each other up well enough, with the Water Boy stuff being a cute enough bonus. Bateman feels like a monster and the Tombstone was good enough to look like an appropriate finisher. Rico didn’t exactly show much, though he hit hard and had enough of a presence. Nice slightly more violent match here and it worked.

Bomb Squad vs. Lucas Riley/Dom Kubrick

The Squad is Cameron Gates/DKC, with Gates talking about how special it is for him to be back with his best friend. Riley and Kubrick come out to Dancing Queen so they’re already awesome. DKC goes with the grappling to Kubrick to start but Kubrick takes him into the corner for some chops. Gates comes in and misses a charge at Riley, who dropkicks him down without much trouble.

It’s back to DKC to take Riley down and crank on the arms, only to have Riley slip out fast. Kubrick comes in and is promptly double flapjacked and dropkicked as the Squad is way ahead on continuity here. Another tag brings Riley back in and some kicks start to work on DKC’s arms in an effort to slow down the chops. DKC gets flipped into a faceplant but Kubrick can’t decide to cover or tag. Instead Kubrick goes up and misses a moonsault Swanton (that looked cool, minus the crash).

Gates comes in to pick up the pace with a wacky double takedown, meaning it’s already time to go back to DKC. Everything breaks down and DKC gets monkey flipped into a sitout powebomb (that was sweet) for another near fall. Gates has to save DKC on top and it’s a powerbomb/top rope Rough Ryder combination for two on Riley. Kubrick and Riley fire off superkicks to Gates but DKC takes a big one himself, taking the bullet for Gates in a way. The Cutter 99 (assisted springboard cutter and I believe that’s the name) finishes DKC at 14:11.

Rating: B-. This was an interesting dynamic as Riley and Kubrick weren’t full time partners (though they did have a history) while the Squad was trying to get back on the same page after time apart. It was good action throughout and that assisted cutter was a good looking finisher. Nice match here with Riley and Kubrick having a chance to move up the ladder to a bigger stage at some point.

Post match Gates and DKC are upset but ok, only to have Big Dick Hoss (Gates’ former stablemate) come out for a distraction. Gates decks DKC from behind to end the team again.

Matt Vandergriff vs. Bad Dude Tito

Tito certainly has charisma as they roll around to start, with Vandergriff getting two off a rollup. The smaller (but still tall) Vandergriff snaps off a hurricanrana to send Tito outside, where the big dive connects as well. Back in and Vandergriff’s dive doesn’t quite work and bangs up his knee. Tito unloads with chops and a cannonball gets two, leaving Tito a bit frustrated.

Vandergriff is fine enough to start striking and flipping away, including knocking Tito down. A top rope dive is speared out of the air though and Vandergriff is down again. A hurricanrana and brainbuster get two on Tito but he’s back up with an enziguri. Vandergriff is sent outside for a dive, followed by a heck of a lariat back inside. The Low Down gives Tito the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C+. This was power vs. speed and both of them looked good throughout. Vandergriff is a nice flier and Tito is someone who can run you over with straight power. Power vs. speed is something that has worked forever in wrestling and it works here too, with a pair of guys who might get another look from someone slightly higher up after some more matches like this one.

We recap the Inner City Title match, with Delilah Doom defending in a triple threat. As well as I can tell, Doom won the title and two other women (Heather Monroe/Johnnie Robbie) want to take it from here. Simple yet effective enough.

Inner City Title: Delilah Doom vs. Johnnie Robbie vs. Heather Monroe

Doom is defending and Monroe earned her title shot before the Coronavirus pandemic so this is a long time in the making. Everyone tries a rollup to start and Robbie is sent outside fast. Monroe sends Doom throat first into the rope though and a neckbreaker gets two. Robbie is back in to send Monroe outside as we’re in the two in/one out formula. Monroe comes back in and gets dropped just as fast, leaving the other two to slug it out.

Everyone is back in now with Robbie hitting some double knees on Doom in the corner. Monroe gets back up and is taken down by Doom’s springboard Codebreaker to put everyone down again. They slug it out from their knees with Doom getting the better of things as they get back to their feet. A double Stunner drops both challengers and it’s a double 619 to send Monroe and Robbie outside.

Back to back suicide dives send them into the chairs, followed by a double missile dropkick back inside. Something close to a Widow’s Peak hits Monroe but Robbie is up with a neckbreaker for two on Doom. Monroe is back up and gets German suplexed back down to give Robbie two.

Doom goes up but gets caught in a Tower of Doom, with Monroe slamming Robbie onto Doom for a double two (which would have given Robbie the title as she was covering Doom without the shoulders being on the mat). Robbie knocks Monroe off the top so Doom takes her place, setting up a super victory roll to retain the title at 13:03.

Rating: B. This was a hard fought match with some rather strong action throughout. All three of them stood out and there were times where I wasn’t sure who was going to win. All three of them got to show off a bit here and I could go for seeing more of all three. Best match of the show so far and it was a rather nice surprise.

Post match Ray Rosas comes out to hold up the title….and then lay Doom out. The fans are NOT pleased but Rosas says it’s all their fault. He gives them everything he had and then when he took some time off to heal up, the fans moved on. Rosas puts on a seated full nelson (kind of like a Crossface) until security breaks it up.

Che Cabrera (Santino Brothers Champion) and Damien Arsenick are ready for Willie Mack.

Santino Brothers Title: Che Cabrera vs. Willie Mack

Mack is challenging and Cabrera has Damien Arsenick. Feeling out process to start with Mack moving around until Cabrera works on a wristlock. That’s reversed into a headlock, which is reversed into Cabrerea’s hammerlock. Back up and an armdrag sends Cabrera into the corner, followed by a middle rope armdrag to put him down again. They fight outside with Cabrera getting some water, earning himself some hard chops into the crowd.

Back in and Cabrera jumps over Mack to set up a heck of a running shoulder. An eye poke has Mack in more trouble but he sends Cabrera outside again. The suicide dive sends Mack flying into a chair though and we pause for more water spraying. Back in and Mack starts getting fired up and drops Cabrera with a spinwheel kick.

Mack’s spinning back elbow sets up the swinging slam and there’s the running reverse cannonball (which didn’t seem to make much contact). The Samoan drop into the standing moonsault but the Stunner is countered into a Death Valley Driver. Cabrera drapes him over the top for a swinging neckbreaker and the kickout means it’s time for the frustration.

A nasty slingshot DDT plants Mack for two more (with the referee’s hand hitting the mat as Mack’s shoulder was up at the very last second). Mack manages a high collar suplex and sends Cabrera outside for the running flip dive. Back in and Arsenick sprays water in Mack’s eyes, allowing Cabrera to snap off a super hurricanrana. A Jackhammer retains the title at 16:20.

Rating: B-. This was a hard hitting match with both of them working hard, though it went a bit longer than it needed to as they had gotten the point across. Arsenick interfering wasn’t exactly a hot finish, but I do like Cabrera having to do his own big moves after the cheating to retain. Cabrera didn’t exactly let the world on fire but for a tough champion, I’ve seen worse options.

Post match the beatdown is on with Raunchy Rico coming in for the beatdown. Matt Vandergriff and Tyler Bateman come in but get taken down as well. Arsenick yells about how no one can hang with Cabrera, including Slice Boogie on commentary. Boogie’s bad leg can’t help him but he grabs a chair and runs in to piledrive Arsenick. Boogie says he had to vacate the title because of his injury so on July 29, he’s coming for Cabrera.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s cool to see a promotion with so many of its own unique stars and only a handful who have been around in any prominent spot. Outside of Mack, there were only so many names who have been around elsewhere and that made things more fun. There wasn’t anything bad on the show and some of the matches were quite good, so well done on a showcase from a promotion that doesn’t get a lot of attention. The women’s triple threat was especially good and they even set up something for their next big show. Nice job all around here.

 

 

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Relentless Wrestling
Date: March 29, 2023
Location: Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Maddox Ryan, Heather

We’ll kick off the Wrestlemania weekend with this promotion from the Pacific northwest. This is one of the shows that I was hoping to find and they’re streaming it on their Twitch channel so it’s worth a look. I’ve heard of a few names on the card and there is some potential here. Let’s get to it.

Note that I am coming into this completely blind and have no idea about storylines, history or anything else. I apologize in advance for anything I get wrong.

Also note that the camera appears to be a handheld from the balcony and nothing more, so the production value isn’t the highest.

The unnamed host comes out to welcome the fans, who are amazed that the fans came out on a Wednesday night. He thanks the fans here and back home in Spokane, Washington and lists off their local sponsors, plus the venue. The host (Maddox Ryan? Maybe?) brings out his co-host and ring announcer, Arya Blake, who used to work in MLW as MJF’s girlfriend.

Andrew Everett vs. Danny Limelight vs. Keita vs. Robert Martyr vs. Jai Vidal vs. Adam Brooks

So this is a six way elimination match for a Championship Contract (I’m assuming #1 contender). The fans certainly seem into Keita, who is announced as a former champion. On the other hand, Everett is a former Impact Wrestling star who is dressed liked the Giant of WCW fame and billed from Grenoble in the French Alps. Limelight praises Los Angeles and gets beaten down as a result.

Everett’s double chokeslam is broken up and I guess we’re off without a bell. Brooks starts cleaning house but stops to dance, only to counter an Everett chokeslam into a DDT. Everett gets knocked down again and it’s Vidal taking Limelight over the top to clear the ring. Back in and Vidal hits some running knees in the corner as apparently Brooks tapped out somewhere in there (even commentary, as limited as it is, seems surprised).

Keita grabs a kneebar to make Vidal tap and is announced as the winner with his music playing, but he grabs the mic to say this is elimination rules. I think we can call that a botch and move on to Keita diving onto everyone else at ringside. Back in and Everett takes out Martyr and Limelight hits a piledriver for the elimination.

A sitout powerbomb gets two on Keita before Martyr and Limelight slug it out. Martyr gets choked out and it’s down to Keita vs. Limelight. Keita gets fired up and slugs it out with Limelight again before having to backflip out of a choke. An ankle lock gives Keita the win and the title shot (Commentary: “Wait did he just win?”) at 11:22.

Rating: C. I do appreciate the elimination rules and the match certainly wasn’t bad, but this production is taking some getting used to. It’s hard to keep track of what is going on and commentary is only talking about the match here and there. The action worked well enough though and the fans were way into Keita so they certainly went with the popular star. As for the rest, the Giant thing feels more than a bit out of date and only Vidal really stood out, but for what we were seeing here, it could have been a lot worse.

Wrestling With Wregret Internet Title: Zicky Dice vs. ???

Yes it’s the title from Brian Zane’s webseries on the line. Dice, with former champion Levi Shapiro is defending in an open challenge and Simon Miller from Whatculture answers. The rather strong Miller sends him into the ropes to start but Dice comes up with some streamers to knock him back. That works as well as streamers to the face are going to go and Dice bails to the floor. Dice: “Who trained this guy???”

Shapiro comes in and offers a distraction (and a trip) so Dice can punch Miller down, setting up the Arn Anderson eye rake on the ropes. Dice gets two off a bridging northern lights suplex and a clothesline gets the same. Back up and Miller hits him in the face, causing Dice to throw up his own X….and pull another streamer from his mouth, Phantasmo style. The streamer clotheslines Miller down and Dice gets in a hip swivel into a reverse chinlock.

Miller fights up and runs Dice over, which is enough for Shapiro to pull Dice outside. Some silly string to the face (and near the referee) drops Miller, who is fine enough to do a not great tilt-a-whirl slam. Miller misses a middle rope splash as Ryan starts talking a lot more on commentary. Dice sprays something else at Miller but here’s a masked man to belt Dice in the head….for a double DQ at 9:10.

Rating: D. Yeah this really didn’t work and commentary/fans asking “what just happened” isn’t a good sign. The match was all about the comedy, which wasn’t exactly funny and the ending was even worse. This was quite the step down from the opener and felt more like a way to have a title match without having any kind of a serious ending. Miller didn’t help himself here either, and this was a hard sit.

Post match everyone leaves and the mask stays on.

Team Slim Jim vs. Thrussy

That would be Drexl/Warhorse/Chase James vs. Allie Katch/Effy/Dark Sheik. Upon a fan request, commentary tries to start a DADDY EFFY chant, even as Warhorse and Katch chop it out. Katch is rather confused but is fine enough to shrug off Warhorse’s shoulder. Warhorse is allowed to roll Katch up for two and they stop to pose at each other. Sheik (a hardcore woman) and Drexl (a hardcore guy) come in, with the fans thinking Sheik is going to kill him.

They stare at each other a bit until Sheik chops him in the corner to no avail. The fans think Drexl is a sick f*** as he offers to let Sheik chop him…so she drops down for a low blow. Drexl seems to approve so Sheik kicks him into the corner. Effy and James come in to complete the trilogy of pairings and they strike it out. Effy blocks a kiss attempt though and hits an atomic drop before dropping onto all fours.

With that not going anywhere, Effy hits some running kicks in the corner for two and Sheik adds a slingshot legdrop. James is sent face first into the back of Katch’s trunks (wiggling ensues) and we hit a front facelock to slow things down. Effy comes back in and…I think bites James’ nipple, earning himself a knockdown. James finally gets over to Warhorse to pick up the pace as everything breaks down.

Drexl paper cuts Effy and cuts Katch in the corner, only to get dropped by Effy. Sheik’s top rope spinning legdrop gets two on Drexl….and here’s a giant Slim Jim. Said Slim Jim beats up Thrussy but they get together and make him eat a regular Slim Jim. Sheik hits a top rope spinwheel kick to Warhorse and Effy hits a Rough Ryder to finish Drexl at 15:55.

Rating: C. This was oddly entertaining, as they went pretty straightforward with the Slim Jim, even if it’s a rather strange gimmick. The action was much more comedy based but in this case it actually worked a bit better. Effy and Katch are bigger names here and it makes sense to have them go over, especially over Drexl, who didn’t seem that well received.

Post match the fans get Slim Jims.

Pacific Northwest Relentless Title: Alan Angels vs. Chris Bey

Angels is defending and does not seem to be the most popular. They go with the grappling to start and Bey gets to dance, only to get caught in a headlock. Bey is back up and sweeps the leg a few times, sending Angels outside. Back in and Bey hits a double stomp to the back as commentary talks about the character development needed to be a manager.

Bey chops him down and adds a kick to the back as the giant Slim Jim jumps in on commentary for a minute (he is also NOT Jackson Price, despite their apparent similar sizes). Angels manages a kick to the back as commentary switches to Keita eating burritos. A hard clothesline gives Angels two and we hit the abdominal stretch. Bey fights out and hits a running clothesline, followed by a kick to the head for two.

Angels’ standing Sliced Bread gets the same but he misses a top rope…we’ll say knee, allowing Bey to grab a Code Red for two (should have gone Baja Blast, or at least not Pitch Black). Bey can’t hit the Art of Finesse (springboard cutter) and Angels drops him hard with a clothesline for two more. They’re both down…and here’s Keita with his contract from earlier. Keita pins Angels to win the title at 12:29.

Rating: C+. I was getting into this one and wanted to see who was going to win before the screwy finish. That being said, I can get not wanting to pin a bigger name like Bey while also not wanting to give him the title. This gets the belt back on what feels more like a promotion regular while also giving us a pretty nice match. You could tell that these guys were on another level and that was a good boost for the show.

The host thanks a camera woman who has been at all of their shows.

POW Pro Wrestling Title: Vin Massaro vs. Funnybone

This is from the POW promotion and Massaro (with Mr. Ooh-La-La) is challenging. The funny part is that Massaro’s music has been played twice by mistake throughout the night and commentary said something like “HE’S REALLY COMING OUT THIS TIME”. Funnybone is a scary yet popular clown/demon who enziguris Massaro to start but a cheap shot sends Funnybone into the corner.

Stomping and choking ensue but Funnybone fights up and sends him outside for the suicide dive. Back in and Funnybone misses something from the top, allowing Massaro to suplex him into the corner. Some running knees to the face give Funnybone two but he accidentally kicks the referee down. Massaro grabs a chair but cue a rather large man to spear Massaro down. Funnybone adds a top rope double stomp to retain at 8:26.

Rating: C. I feel like I’ve seen Funnybone before and Massaro has been around for a bit, so this match had some experience. It felt like more of a showcase for the promotion and its title, which is a good enough way to get something else on the card. Granted I’m not sure why you would want to do that when you’re having your highest profile show to date, but maybe it was some agreement.

Kidd Bandit vs. Brooke Havok vs. Act Yasukawa vs. Billie Starkz

No word on if this is elimination or one fall to a finish, as commentary would rather say Bandit is “so pushy as a heel”. Havok and Starkz are sent outside fast and Act ties Bandid’s legs in the ropes for a running dropkick. Bandit is back up with a rollup and the two of them go outside. Starkz and Havok come back in with Havok grabbing a headscissors as we lose audio for a second. Act is back in with a missile dropkick to Bandit, setting up Starkz’ flip dive onto all three.

Back in and Bandit gives Starkz a backbreaker into a spinning Downward Spiral for two. Starks is fine enough to pick up for a Doomsday crossbody from Havok, who gets to slug it out with Act. Bandit kicks Act down so Starkz has to Swanton in for the save. Back in and Starks grabs a quick rollup to pin Havok, leaving everyone seeming a bit surprised.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much on the nose for the standard format four way and it worked well enough. Starkz is someone whose name has been getting out there more and more as of late, including an AEW appearance, making her the biggest name here. The ending came a bit out of nowhere, but that’s kind of the idea behind a match like this. Quick and to the point, but the action made it work.

Here is Tom Lawlor for the main event but he doesn’t have Team Filthy (his usual partners) with him. Instead, he is willing to let two men have a chance to join. This brings out Matt Vandergriff and Cal Jack, who seems rather patriotic. It seems we have a six man.

Tom Lawlor/Matt Vandergriff/Cal Jack vs. TJP/Jacob Austin Young/Mike Bailey

TJP is the hometown boy so I think we have a hero (thought he fans seem to like Bailey more). The villains jump the good guys to start but TJP and company send them outside for stereo triple dives. We settle down to Vandergriff getting taken into the corner for the early beating, including TJP’s corner handstand into a headscissors. TJP ties him up in the Muta Lock but has to let go because that’s not a normal way to bend.

Jack gets in a cheap shot from the apron to Young though and it’s Lawlor (who has his fans) coming in to take over. Hold on though as Lawlor needs to stop and take off his shorts to reveal his signature cutoff jean shorts. There’s a Stink Face to Young and Vandergriff comes in to keep up the beating. Jack’s gutwrench suplexes give him two but Young is able to hit Lawlor with some loud chops.

The comeback is cut off by a Jack bearhug until Young manages to slip out and grab a sleeper. That’s broken up, but the hot tag brings in Bailey to loudly kick away. Jack gets in a low superkick and brings Vandergriff back in to send Bailey into the middle buckle. Bailey catches him on top for a super hurricanrana though and it’s off to TJP vs. Lawlor. A discus forearm cuts TJP off but he does his swing through the ropes into a….broken Sharpshooter.

Lawlor reverses into a cross armbreaker, which is reversed into some weird Sharpshooter cousin. That’s broken up as well and a Side Effect gives Lawlor two. Bailey comes back in to kick away, including the bouncing series into an enziguri on Vandergriff. Everything breaks down and Vandergriff moonsaults onto everyone not named TJP. Lawlor breaks up TJP’s dive though, only to have TJP kick him down.

A frog splash gives TJP a rather close two but Bailey is back in with his spinning kick in the corner. Jack cuts Bailey off so Vandergriff can hit a 450 for two of his own but TJP cleans house. TJP guillotines Jack so Bailey can add the Ultimate Weapon, allowing the good guys to grab triple submissions for the stereo triple tap at 17:30.

Rating: B. This was absolutely the match that should have headlined the show as it was easily the best thing all night. It’s another case of having the most talented stars in the ring and getting to see just how good they are. Bailey and TJP are both very talented and Lawlor should be in a bigger spot somewhere. I got into this one and it was a heck of a way to end the show, so well done all around.

The winners celebrate and Blake thanks the fans to wrap up the night.

Overall Rating: C+. While it had a VERY rocky start, this got better as it went along and the bigger stars helped a lot. What matters is they had an entertaining enough night when more people are probably going to see them than ever before. There are better indies out there that are more worth your time, but this was a nice mixture of their own talent and people who were around to make for a nice night.

They need to fix A LOT of stuff, with commentary being at the top (granted it was more people filming the show and trying to talk about it rather than traditional commentary so fair enough), but for what it was, it’s a nice enough use of two and a half hours. Cut out the Dice/Miller stuff and it’s that much better, but nothing else was close to bad all night. The main event is worth seeing if you’re in for some lower scale but still good indy action though and for a show like this, that’s a solid result.

 

 

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.