Joey Janela’s Spring Break: The Immortal Cluster****
Date: April 18, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: John Mosley, Veda Scott, Jordan Castle

Ah this show. I have no idea what to expect from this show and that is what makes it so fun. This show is more or less the big song and dance medley to end Wrestlemania Weekend as there are probably 50 or more people thrown into a totally ridiculous battle royal, which will probably last about an hour and a half at minimum. Other than that there is a violent cage match and that’s the whole card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at Otis Cogar attacking Matt Tremont, who swore revenge. Tonight, they’re in a cage.

Opening sequence.

Ultraviolent Title: Otis Cogar vs. Matt Tremont

Cogar is defending in a cage with a bunch of weapons available. They slug it out to start instead of going for the weapons, with Cogar being sent into a pane of glass. Cogar is whipped face first into some light tubes and it’s already time for the fork to the head. It works so well that Tremont does it again and again but Cogar gets in a light tube shot. Tremont gets sent through a barbed wire board and then has a pane of glass broken over his back.

Some plastic baseball bats, covered with tacks, whack Tremont some more to draw even more blood. Cogar whips out a blade to pick the tacks out of Tremont’s head and then slices the webbing of Tremont’s fingers. The chair is put on Tremont’s head and Cogar goes up, only to get knocked back down. Cogar is Death Valley Drivered through a door and Tremont tapes him to the rope.

Tremont breaks a bunch of light tubes over Cogar’s head, which brings out Atticus Cogar and Christian Napier. The former’s distraction lets Napier get inside to chair Tremont down. Tremont fights back but Otis chairs Tremont in the head. Otis goes up top but misses a moonsault into the glass. Atticus and Napier get taped into the corner and Tremont chairs them in the head for a bonus. Tremont puts a bundle of light tubes on Otis’ chest and hits a frog splash for the pin and the title at 16:25.

Rating: D+. Yeah…not my thing. It was pretty much exactly the kind of stuff I can’t stand with this with blood and gore for the sake of blood and gore. That’s exactly how it was advertised, but dang this stuff plays into every stereotype this genre has. Tremont is a big star in this world and it’s a big win for him, but it’s just not for me.

Since cleanup takes a long time, we look at a bunch of stuff from Spring Break X, including:

The Invisible Man defeating Sandman in Sandman’s retirement match

Marko Stunt/Jack Perry beating KJ Orso/Sam Stackhouse, with ring announcer Emil J getting involved

Effy beating Allie Katch to end her GCW career

Atticus Cogar beating Hayabusa to retain the World Title

Brodie Lee Jr. beating Joey Janela in the main event

We get highlights of Bear Bronson winning the Nick Gage Invitational over Otis Cogar in December 2025.

We look at John Wayne Murdoch beating Vipress in a death match in March 2025.

We look at shows from last year.

We look at Brodie Lee Jr. winning last year’s Cluster.

We look at a six person tag in July 2025 with Megan Bayne beating up some men.

We look at 1 Called Manders losing a match in Japan in July 2025.

We look at Bustah And The Brain winning the Tag Team Titles last year at Spring Break.

We look at more of the six person tag.

We take a quick look at one match in the two day JCW vs. GCW war.

We look at the last two Tag Team Title changes.

We look at a six person lucha tag from December 2025.

We look at Jordan Oliver vs. Frankie Kazarian from September 2025.

The Tournament Of Survival is coming.

We look at a show in Japan in July 2025.

We look at a show in Japan in August 2024.

We look at another show in Japan in August 2024.

We look at the first Cluster.

We look at a third show in Japan in August 2024.

We look at a show in Japan in July 2025.

We look at the first August 2024 Japan show again.

And now, about fifty minutes after the previous match ended, we cluster.

Immortal Clusterf***

There are an unknown number of entrants with unspecified times. You are eliminated via pinfall, submission, over the top, leaving the building or death. Also note that the numbers are likely to be all over the place as you’ll see groups of wrestlers enter together. The eliminations will be a mess too as you’ll see people sitting around for long, long stretches without doing anything and then getting back in.

Man Like DeReiss is in at #1 and Marcus Mathers is in at #2, with the former rapping himself to the ring and the latter being carried. They go with a pinfall reversal sequence for one each before running the rope rather quickly. Mathers hits a dropkick and they both go through/underneath the ropes to the floor. Sam Holloway, with Alex Abrahantes, is in at #3 and starts kicking away. Bustah And The Brain are listed at #4 and come in about ten seconds after Holloway.

Everyone but DeReiss goes after Holloway and knock him to the floor as the Backseat Boyz are in at #5. The tag teams get in a double brawl as Holloway beats Mathers around the arena. JP double Blockbusters Bustah And The Brain as the Boyz’s manager gets inside. She moonsaults onto a bunch of people on the floor and Tom Shire is in at #6. A double chokeslam gets rid of the Boyz and it’s Holloway vs. Shire as Shotzi Blackheart is in at #7. Mathers clotheslines Holloway out and Blackheart gives DeReiss an X Factor.

Brick Savage, also with Abrahantes (who says almost the same thing) is in at #8. Savage beats up DeReiss and Mathers before powerbombing the heck out of Blackheart. Shire comes back in to boot Savage in the face and everyone is down as Nate Webb is in at #9, meaning we get the Teenage Dirtbag entrance, always a highlight of this thing. He’s just getting going though and it’s B3cca and her tag team in at #10 to beat up Webb. Kingsley and I want to say Shay Kassidy are in at #11 and do their own singing entrance to cut off B3cca’s song.

Ro and Jui (Mariachis) are in at #12 to clear the ring and give B3cca a swinging Boss Man Slam. DeReiss grabs the mic and asks what in the name of gimmick infringement is this. Kingsley says they need to stop fighting because they’re all in this together. And then they sing We’re All In This Together from High School Musical. KJ Orso is in at # 13 and says no one wants to hear them sing and dance so everyone beats on him. Blackheart knocks DeReiss out by mistake though and it’s Sam Stackhouse in at #14.

Ro Jui are out, with Stackhouse also getting rid of B3cca’s goons. B3cca eliminates herself and Orso gets rid of Webb. Kingsley and Kassidy are out, the latter off a kick to the head/piledriver combination. Savage comes back in to plant Orso but Stackhouse dumps Savage out. Savage is back up to get rid of Stackhouse though and it’s 1 Called Manders in at #15. Manders and Shire get in the ring as a bunch of people get back in, including Bustah And The Brain. The teams slug it out and it’s Flyin Ryan O’Neil in at #16 to beat up Orso.

Wyatt/Wayne Rhodes, the nephews of Cody/Dustin Rhodes, are in at #17. They start fast with Shattered Dreams to O’Neil and Mathers before staring down Manders and Shire. Fans: “COWBOY S***!” O’Neil keeps messing with them and gets tossed out, with Stackhouse still there to catch him. Mathers is out and it’s Bustah And The Brain beating up the Rhodes, with Wyatt eliminating Wayne by mistake. An assisted Blockbuster pins Wyatt and the Rhodes are gone.

Brook Havok is in at #18 and strikes away at Shire. Manders is back in to take Havok down and it’s Dark Sheik in at #19. They team up to beat on Manders, stop to kiss, and then beat up Orso. Matt Mako is in at #20 to strike away at Orso, with an elbow getting two. A powerbomb gets two on Sheik and Beastman is in at #21. Beastman powerbombs Havok onto Mako for a double pin and Sheik’s top rope dive bounces off of him. Sheik manages to knock him to the apron though and a 619 to the back of the head gets rid of Beastman.

Sean Ross Sapp of all people is in at at #22 and yells at Bryan Alvarez, who is in the front row. Alvarez is in at #23 and chops away at Sapp. Alvarez hits a superkick to pin Sapp but Orso kicks Alvarez for the pin and then throws him over the top (Emil J: “Bryan Alvarez has been eliminated. Twice.”). Blackheart kicks Orso low and tosses him out and it’s Stunt Marshall (from freaking Power Slap) in at #24.

Juicy Finau is in at #25 and teases a slap off with Marshall, who pokes him in the eye. That earns Marshall a slap out of the ring so Manders gives Finau a slap on the back of the fights. Finau eliminates Manders and Hollyhood Haley J is in at #26. Marshall gets back in to eliminate Finau and Killer Kelly is in at #27. Airica Demia is back in at #28 and goes after Sheik as Gisele Shaw is in at #29. The women all get together to kick each other down, with Shaw getting up first to toss Demia.

Kelly gets up and starts biting people before leaning over the ropes to offer herself for some biting as well. The other four oblige her but also eliminate her, which shouldn’t be a surprise. Shaw and Sheik eliminate each other and it’s Jazzy Yang/Terry Yaki/Jay Lucas/Bobby Flacco in at #30. Alex Abrahantes is back and introduces his third entrant: thee Invisible Man.

The Man beats up Yang and company before tossing out Bustah And The Brain. Manders gets lariated and tossed as well but Shire gets Man in the airplane spin. A big boot misses though and Shire is tossed. Man drops Yang for the pin and tosses Lucas out before getting rid of Flacco as well. The Man flies through the air for a DDT to Yaki for the elimination. Helix/Channing Decker/Ian Maxwell/Emily Jaye are in at #31 and get beaten up by the Man, who knocks Maxwell out.

Helix is tossed but Jaye hits Man low. Jaye and Decker double team the Man but he ducks a shot, causing them to kiss. A rollup finishes Jaye and a chair shot gets rid of Decker. Enter Sandman starts up but it’s Joey Janea in at #32 instead. Janela slams the Man down and a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle gets two. Man is back with four straight Canadian Destroyers for two. Janela says I’m sorry, I love you and superkicks Man for the pin.

Starman, who was at the WrestleCon Supershow and seemed to be portrayed by Janela, is in at #33. Starman gets frozen though and gets unmasked as Starboy Charlie, which wakes him up. A kick to the face and standing corkscrew moonsault gets two on Janela. Charlie’s standing hurricanrana pins Janela as Blackheart comes back in. A powerbomb plants Charlie for two and it’s Jimmy Lloyd (who is apparently rather different than usual) to beat up Charlie and flip him down for the pin.

Don Freeze is in at #34 and crushes Lloyd in the corner, followed by a northern lights suplex. Maya World is in at #35 and puts some sunglasses on Freeze but can’t roll him up. World hits a superkick and moonsault for two on Freeze as Lloyd is back in. LJ Cleary is in at #36 and hits Freeze low. Monomoth is in at #37 and hits a Thesz press on Cleary to hammer away. D’Lo Brown, doing guest commentary, is in a #38 and eliminates Cleary. The Sky High plants Freeze and Brown tosses him out.

Monomoth says he doesn’t know Brown, which isn’t working for Brown, who tosses Monomoth out. Brown isn’t sure what to do with World, who slaps Brown in the face. She tries a hurricanrana, which is blocked at first but eventually gets rid of Brown, leaving World alone in the ring (I have no idea who else might be left). Nixi XS is in at #39 and kicks World out underneath the ropes.

Sleepy Ed is in at #40 and everyone starts whispering as he takes his nap. XS tries to cover him but has to fight out of his sleeper (I sense a theme here). Then she tells him to wake up and stomps in the corner as Sam Osborne and about five others from Australia are in at #41. Blackheart is back up as the team is already fighting among themselves. And now…here are three dinosaurs in at #42.

The dinosaurs slug it out with the Aussies and toss two of them before pinning Osborne. Thee other Aussies are out and Ed is up to spit Nyquil at two dinosaurs. A third tries a full nelson but doesn’t have the arms. Instead Ed Nyquils that one too and “the dinosaurs have gone extinct.” Parrow is in at #43 so Ed goes to sleep. That leaves Parrow to slowly roll him over for a VERY quiet near fall. Logan Cavazos is in at #44 as “the twink gauntlet” (their words, not mine) has begun.

Juni Underwood is in at #45 and pokes Parrow in the eye to little avail. Anakin Murphy is in at #46 (Parrow: “GIVE ME ANOTHER TWINK!”) and Cass (I think) is in at #47. Emil J: “THE TWINKS HAVE BEEN UNLEASHED!” They go after Parrow, who tosses them all in a row. Classy Ali is in at #48 and is tossed just as fast. Sal Mistretta, with his football, is in at #49 and gets the same treatment. Cereal Man (with a head made of box of cereal) is in at #50. Parrow gets some Frosted Flakes poured in his mouth but Cereal loses his gear and gets tossed.

XS comes in to go after Parrow’s nipples and hits some gyrating knees in the corner. Parrow tosses her as well and it’s CPA in at #51. Parrow goes to toss him but only steals his tie. CPA puts a tie on Parrow’s tights and is quickly knocked down. Bear Bronson is in at #52 for a Black Hole Slam to Parrow and it’s Debbie Forza in at #53. They get together and dump Parrow, with Forza kissing Bronson and then Jackhammering him for the pin. Haley J (Remember what I said about people doing nothing for long stretches?) is back in to knock Forza down and it’s 25 Cent in at #54.

A stomp to Haley’s foot lets Cent roll her up for the pin and it’s Jimmy Lloyd (The…original? Commentary is confused too.) in at #55. A Michinoku Driver gets rid of Cent…and the other Lloyd gets in for a fight. A flipping slam pins the “real” Lloyd (the one who was in first) and it’s Heath in at #56. The Zig Zag gets rid of “the fake Jimmy Lloyd” and it’s Mullet Man in at #57. Heath kicks him down and hits a big boot and legdrop for two. Tombstone Jesus (oh dear) is in at #58 and teams up with Mullet Man to get rid of Heath.

Forza gets back up to spear Jesus out and Shotzi helps her get rid of Mullet Man. Vipress is in at #59 and kisses Blackheart while loading up Sister Abigail. Forza breaks that up so Vipress and Blackheart kick her down as Frank The Clown is in at #60. Since he’s one of the most annoying commentators I’ve ever heard, he gets a mic to complain about how he’s been treated so badly over the years. The three women hit him low and give him a big stomping as Slade is in at #61. Slade throws Frank in a trashcan and Frank is declared “dead”.

Slade goes after CPA (who takes off his first shirt) and a team called the Production is in at #62. The three women toss them out rather quickly and then jump Slade. Tara Zep is in at #63 and grabs a chair to beat on the bleeding Slade. Zep DDTs her way out of Forza’s gorilla press and it’s Toby Klein in at #64. That means a slow entrance and it’s Connor Claxton, with his own chair, in at #65.

Claxton slams Zep for the elimination and it’s Dr. Redacted, with his barbed wire board, in at #66 as the final entrant. Commentary says he’s #69 and after almost two and a half hours, I’ll go with that. Redacted gets rid of Claxton and hits Forza with a chair. Forza is out and Redacted goes up to dive…and eliminates himself. CPA loses his second shirt and gets kicked low, with Blackheart being chokeslammed onto him. Slade tosses CPA and Vipress, leaving him alone with Blackheart. Some chair shots to the back have Blackheart in trouble but she tosses him out for the win at 2:30:00.

Rating: B-. I mean…it’s the Cluster. What in the world do you want me to say about something like this? The whole point is just to have every wrestler or gimmick that they can find and throw them out there and yeah of course it works. It’s just goofy fun and while it goes on for the better part of ever, I still enjoy it every year. Fun stuff, as always, with the winner being little more than a detail.

Overall Rating: C+. Again, this isn’t a show where the rating means a single thing and I think you know that by now. The point of this show is to do something ridiculous as the big GCW show was over last night. I had enough fun with this and that’s all I can ask for. It’s nothing that would work most of the time but in this spot, it worked rather well. If you like this stuff, you’ll like this and if not, I totally get it.

Results
Matt Tremont b. Otis Cogar – Frog splash onto a bundle of light tubes
Shotzi Blackheart won the Immortal Clusterf*** last eliminating Slade

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

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Joey Janela’s Spring Break X
Date: April 17, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Veda Scott, John Mosley, Jordan Castle

This has become the biggest independent show of the weekend (or at least close to it) and I kind of find myself looking forward to it. Unfortunately some of that is due to seeing how ridiculous the show can get. That might be what we’ll be seeing here, with the main event featuring Joey Janela vs. a fourteen year old. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look back at the show’s history (I still need to see the first one), which really has become a big deal over the years. And now it’s the tenth edition, which thankfully does use the Wrestlemania X logo.

Opening video, which seems to be a generic GCW video.

Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match

Vipress, Masato Tanaka, Gringo Loco, Shotzi Blackheart, Bear Bronson, 1 Called Manders, Man Like DeReiss, Sidney Akeem, Charles Manson, Terry Yaki, Vengador

For a guaranteed title shot and I’m sure this will be nice and orderly. DeReiss gets jumped during his entrance and the fight starts on the floor, meaning Loco has to moonsault onto everyone else. Akeem is taken up top for a Spanish Fly onto the pile and everyone is down again. Mason takes Yaki inside for…two, as I don’t think I quite get the rules. Mason stands up and some music plays as Tanaka joins us as the final entrant. DeReiss and Tanaka have a standoff and shout DeReiss’ 01-21 catchphrase until DeReiss grabs a cutter.

Vengador comes in to go after Akeem…and breaks the top rope on a flip attempt. Blackheart comes in and gets slammed by Loco, who goes…well as high up as he can. Tanaka hurricanranas him down but Blackheart dropkicks a ladder into Tanaka’s face. Bronson goes after Mason, who dropkicks him through a door in the corner for two. Tanaka and Bronson take turns blasting the other in the head with chairs (oh dear) and forearm it out until Bronson’s Black Hole Slam gets one.

The two of them brawl into the crowd as Blackheart sets up a ladder. The ring crew comes in to repair the top rope (fans: “SAFETY FIRST!”) and Blackheart climbs the ladder. Vipress joins her so Blackheart…kisses Vipress and removes her shirt before they both dive off. DeReiss goes up to the middle rope (still no top rope) for a 450 but Yaki kind of Angle Slam bombs him for two.

A regular ladder is bridged into the standing one…and Loco base bombs Vengador off one ladder and through the door for the huge crash. Vipress piledrives Mason off the apron and through a door but Christian Napier runs in to take Vipress out. Cue Matt Tremont to go after Napier and brawl with him to the back. Manders (hey he’s in this too) gets cuttered by Vengador, who goes up for a splash off the ladder for two. Manders lariats the heck out of Vengador for the pin at 21:42.

Rating: B-. Well it wasn’t boring. I’m not sure if it was good, but it wasn’t boring. This is their version of Money In The Bank, though they could have done a better job of explaining the rules. In short, a match with a ladder tends to have something to grab above the ring but this was just a weapons scramble match. It’s good enough, but with fifteen people involved, it was a bit much.

Post match San Francisco 49ers star and wrestling superfan George Kittle celebrates with Manders.

We get a video of GCW wrestlers who have passed away over the years. Well that’s depressing.

Atticus Cogar talks about everything he has done to get here and hates that someone is impersonating Hayabusa. This isn’t a game to him and he is the World Champion. The new Hayabusa is just an invader and the mask means nothing. The reality is scars carry rank and the fake Hayabusa is about to learn it. That’s an intense promo and I’m not surprised Cogar is the top heel around here after last year.

Rascalz vs. Marcus Mathers/Bustah And The Brain

Mathers and Reed start things off and miss kicks/clotheslines to start. A pinfall reversal sequence gets two each until Mathers kicks him into the corner. Reed misses a legsweep but comes back with a quick dropkick. Mathers is sent into the wrong corner and the Rascalz get in the rapid fire kicks for two. Price comes in and gets a running start into a jump to escape an early wristlock.

Oliver comes in to double team Xavier into the corner for some triple boots. Xavier is able to get up for a tag off to Wentz though and the unaware Mathers gets taken down. Wentz grabs a chinlock and kicks him down for two before it’s back to Reed. Some shots to the back keep Mathers down before it’s back to Wentz for a slingshot hilo.

Mathers fights up and brings Oliver in to clean house. A German suplex gets two on Wentz and cradles Reed at the same time, followed by an assisted Blockbuster for two. Wentz fights up and brings Reed back in for a slingshot belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination. Everything breaks down and Oliver hits a springboard clothesline to take over.

Xavier gets double teamed down and Price and Mathers hit a running dive each. Back in and Mathers’ 450 gets two on Xavier with Reed and Wentz making the save. Reed is back up with the running diving cutter and the Cardiac Kick hits Price. A Swanton into a 450 into Spiral Tap finishes Price at 16:04.

Rating: B+. This has been the week of the six man tags and this was yet another rather awesome edition. It’s a good example of a match that takes people and lets them do their thing from start to end, which was quite the treat. The Rascalz are great when they aren’t doing their comedy stuff and I like the other three more than enough for them to carry their side. Very entertaining match.

We get a video on Atticus Cogar vs. Hayabusa. Cogar is the big bad around here and Hayabusa is basically a tribute to the original. Cogar doesn’t think Hayabusa has the heart and scars though so it’s time for Hayabusa to earn them.

Game Changer Wrestling World Title: Hayabusa vs. Atticus Cogar

Cogar is defending. The fans seem to like Cogar a lot, despite him seemingly being the big villain. Cogar tries an early skewers shot so Hayabusa hammers away before avoiding a charge. Hayabusa’s Asai moonsault hits Cogar on the floor but Cogar ties him in the ropes for a moonsault back inside. The chinlock goes on and Hayabusa actually has to go to the ropes, meaning it’s time for the weapons.

Back in and Cogar starts chairing the knee down before getting the skewers for some stabbing. A back elbow gives Cogar two but Hayabusa knocks him off the top for a missile dropkick. Hayabusa’s suplex into a moonsault gets two and he grabs the Figure Four. The rope is grabbed and the fans are split between them, though the opt for Sabu after Hayabusa does one of his dives. Cogar is back up and kicks a chair into Hayabusa’s leg for two so it’s time to open a bunch of chairs.

Hayabusa is laid on the chairs but Cogar’s moonsault stomp only hits said chairs to leave him down. Back up and Hayabusa bridges a door over some chairs and a 450 drives Cogar through it for a slightly delayed two. Cogar pulls him off the top though and the Brain Hemorrhage (bulldog driver) gets two more. With that not working, Cogar grabs the skewers but Hayabusa takes them away and stabs him in the head instead. Hayabusa misses a moonsault (Cogar moved, but he was three feet from where Hayabusa landed anyway) and another Brain Hemorrhage retains at 13:35.

Rating: C+. I hate the skewers thing, but thankfully they didn’t go too crazy with them here. Instead it was more about chairs and the doors, though I never got to the point where I thought the title was in trouble. This felt more like a challenger of the month more than anything else, as they never got into the idea of hurting Hayabusa to cause the scars that Cogar talked about. It’s not a bad match, but I was hoping for more.

We recap Marko Stunt/Jack Perry vs. Sam Stackhouse/KJ Orso. Stunt announced his retirement and Orso attacked him. Orso’s former friend Stackhouse came out to save Stunt and then turned on him, joining Orso on the side of evil. Stunt wanted revenge and Perry was back to team with him, setting up the match.

Sam Stackhouse/KJ Orso vs. Marko Stunt/Jack Perry

Yes Perry arrives in his bus and yes Luchasaurus is still driving despite having one good…I guess it would be an arm. Stackhouse (who weights around 400lbs) is dressed as One Man Gang and Orso is in Ric Flair gear. We get a bunch of posing to start until Perry shoulders Orso down. With that not working, it’s off to Stackhouse, with Stunt wanting to come in as well. Stackhouse even drops to his knees before handing it back to Orso. They run the ropes a bit until Stunt grabs a rollup and scores with a basement dropkick.

Perry comes back in for a slam and has Stunt stand on his shoulders for a big splash. It’s back to Stackhouse for the spinwheel kick in the corner and Perry I knocked off the apron as well. Perry gets dropkicked off the apron as well but Stackhouse misses a charge, allowing Perry to get the tag. A quick sitout powerbomb gives Perry two and it’s already back to Stunt, who gets planted by Orso.

Stackhouse’s basement crossbody hits Stunt for two with Perry having to make the save. Orso dropkicks Stackhouse by mistake so he rakes Stunt in the eyes. Perry is back up with a poisonrana to Orso and a moonsault to the floor to drop Stackhouse. Back in and Stunt gives Orso a heck of a tornado Codebreaker but Stackhouse drops Stunt with ease. Perry is back in with a tornado DDT to Stackhouse, allowing Stunt to hit a 450. Stackhouse is ticked and clotheslines both of them and Stunt gets planted with a fire thunder driver.

Somehow Stunt pops up at two and slaps away at the monster Stackhouse and gives him a Codebreaker. Orso is back up to send Perry into Stunt in the corner and then kicks Perry low for a bonus. The Character Assassination (something like the House Call) gets two on Perry and it’s time to grab Perry’s title. Ring announcer Emil J grabs the title and gets pulled inside, with Perry having to make the save. Stunt dives onto Stackhouse on the floor and J gives Orso a tornado DDT. Perry picks Orso onto his shoulder for a top rope flipping cutter from Stunt and the pin at 16:14.

Rating: B. They played this one mostly straight, with Emil J’s deal being the only thing that was a bit silly. The idea here was to have the fans see Stunt get his revenge with help from his old friend. It’s a great example of a story where they didn’t screw it up and went with what they should have done. I liked this more than I expected to and that’s a nice feeling to have.

Post match Stunt says he’s back.

We recap The Sandman in his retirement match against…the Invisible Man. This involved Sandman on a talk show, attempting to run Invisible Man over, and Man winning matches on the way here. This has…I have no idea what it has really.

Sandman vs. The Invisible Man

Sandman gets to do the full Enter Sandman entrance, complete with beer and cigarettes, which will never stop being awesome. This of course takes its sweet time but hang on because here is Bill Alfonso…to be in Man’s corner. Man knocks the beer out of Sandman’s hand to start and knocks him down, with Sandman begging off to start. Sandman fights out of the corner, gives Man a kiss, and throws the left hands to drop him.

The Singapore cane shots connect but Man is back with a low blow. Sandman fights back but Alfonso gets in for a distraction…and a bunch of zombies come out for revenge of the ECW On Sci Fi debut (WOW that’s amazing and no I’m not being sarcastic). Cue the Insane Clown Posse and Vampiro to take out the zombies (the Outbreak) but the Man rams them together. Richard Holiday comes out to load up a low blow on Sandman, which brings out…someone in overalls named Guy Steel.

Holiday gets beaten up but Steel gets dropped by Man. A Canadian Destroyer takes Steel down so Sandman asks a woman at ringside named Kendra Lust to hand in the cane. Naturally she turns on Sandman, which brings out Missy Hyatt to beat Lust down with her own cane. The women fight off so Man spears Sandman through a door in the corner, only to hit the referee by mistake.

Another referee comes in and Sandman beats him up, which brings out a third referee, who gets beaten up by Man. Five more referees (WHY DO THEY HAVE SO MANY REFEREES???) get taken out and let’s just keep it going, with Sandman and Man pingponging one of them back and forth. Even Fonzie beats up a referee, leaving Sandman and the Man to slug it out. Sandman falls on him for….the biggest group near fall you’ll ever see, as about ten referees count two.

Man kicks a ladder into Sandman’s face…but INVISIBLE STAN is back! Somehow Fonzie gets them to work together….so MICK FOLEY IS HERE TO SAVE THE DAY! After taking out Stan with a double arm DDT, Foley throws Mr. Socko to Sandman and we get a big hug. Stan and Man are back up though and a low blow gives Man the pin on Sandman at 20:49.

Rating: A+. If you don’t get why this was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in a long time, you need to pay better attention. Where else are you going to see two invis ok never mind on that one. But it had Foley and Sandman, plus a horde of zombies and Bill Alfonso, with Sandman going out on his back. I’m sold.

Post match Man and Stan leave together and Foley says he’s here for free because he and Sandman may not have liked each other, but they meant a lot to each other’s careers. With that, Foley leaves and Sandman toasts the crowd and leaves a beer in the ring for a nice moment.

Sandman might not have been a polished in-ring star, but he was the perfect choice for ECW at that time in front of that audience. He has turned that into a heck of a post in-ring career and this was just goofy fun to wrap it up. I got to be in the ECW Arena for a Sandman entrance once and it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Sandman deserves this and it’s awesome to see him get this big sendoff.

We recap Effy vs. Allie Katch. They were friends and partners, but Effy lost the World Title and snapped under the pressure, even turning on Katch. She can’t see him like this and now it’s time for them to fight one on one, loser leaves GCW. This is another case where building up characters and relationships makes things feel important. Yes their team was often silly, but this feels important and emotional and that’s great to see.

Effy vs. Allie Katch

Loser leaves GCW. Effy shows off his g-string to start and starts a BUSSY chant, earning him a shot to the face. Katch can’t bring herself to dive after getting hurt doing it before so instead she hits a baseball slide. They go up to the stage with Effy being sent to the floor and taken down with a dive. Back in and a piledriver gives Katch two but Effy is back with something like a full nelson with his legs in the ropes. That doesn’t last long so Effy grabs the chair, followed by a running boot in the corner.

Effy takes too long going up though and gets a chair pelted at him for two. A top rope Fameasser sends Effy’s face into the chair for two so Effy asks her to hit him with the chair. Since she can’t do that, it’s a TKO flipped over into a dragon sleeper to put Katch in more trouble. Effy curb stomps her face first into the chair, leaving Katch busted open. Some hips to the head and a running seated senton gives Effy two.

The door is thrown in and stomped onto Katch but she’s back up with a powerbomb. A Muta Lock has Effy in more trouble but it doesn’t last long. Effy drops his trunks and hits another hip attack to the face, only to get pulled into a Pele Kick. Back up and Effy hits a spear for two before breaking the door over her head. A chokeslam onto a bunch of stuff gives Effy two and it’s time for a screwdriver (which was used on both of them over the years).

Cue the 1 Called Manders so Effy stabs him instead. Katch is back with a splash but the Cannonball misses. Effy grabs the bell so here is Parrow, who gets hit with the bell and stabbed with the screwdriver. Katch is busted open but keeps fighting back so Effy grabs a turnbuckle. Now it’s Dark Sheik coming out to take the wrench from Effy and hit him in the head. She hands Katch the wrench and leaves, so Effy starts begging off. Katch throws it down and hugs him…so Effy headbutts her. The screwdriver to the head has Katch screaming and the piledriver finishes her off at 25:50.

Rating: B. This was all about the emotions and that works because these two have been built up as people we should care about. Yes you had stuff that wasn’t as serious like Effy with his trunks and the screwdriver which is so over the top that it’s hard to care about, but the relationship is there. It’s a case of “personal issues draw money” and that’s why this worked, just like it would anywhere if it was treated as something that mattered.

We recap Steph de Lander/Mance Warner vs. Megan Bayne/??? Bayne had attacked the injured de Lander so Warner made the save and issued the challenge for Spring Break. Naturally, game on.

Mance Warner/Steph de Lander vs. Megan Bayne/???

Warner and de Lander have Las Vegas showgirls with her due to…well we’re in Vegas at a show. Warner jumps Bayne from behind and de Lander hammer away as there’s no partner yet. Bayne is down…and it’s Nick Gage. The brawl is on with Gage taking Mancer out and then giving de Lander a DDT. The introduction goes on as Gage and Bayne beat Warner up, with Gage switching off to de Lander.

Warner is back up to cut Gage off and we settle down to de Lander and Warner taking turns beating on Bayne. That’s reversed and Bayne chops away at de Lander, only to get choked by Warner. Bayne gets back up to fire off the forearms to de Lander and they knock each other down. Gage gets the tag and spears Warner through a piece of a door, followed by stereo falcon arrows to give Gage and Bayne two each.

It’s time for the weapons (you knew they were coming), with Warner chairing Gage down but getting speared by Bayne. Back up and Warner slugs away at Gage, who gets tornado DDT…well not through a door as the thing doesn’t break. The four of them sit in the chairs and slug it out until Bayne is up with a double clothesline. A piledriver onto the chair gets two on Warner, with de Lander pulling the referee. The required pizza cutter sliced Warner up and Bayne powerbombs him into Gage’s piledriver for the pin at 15:00.

Rating: C+. Your mileage may vary here and that’s just how it’s going to work with stuff involving Gage. I’m not big on the guy, though I do appreciate the idea of Bayne and Gage talking backstage to set the team up. The match was the usual violent brawling, though I do still like Warner, even if he does some out there stuff in the ring.

We recap Joey Janela vs. 14 year old Brodie Lee Jr. Lee wanted to wrestle Janela, who wasn’t interested, at least until Lee called him “Megan Bayne’s b****”. That was enough as Janela went hard on him and beat him up. The match was set, with Janela invoking Lee’s father dying to get his mother to sign a waiver for the match. And yes, this is the main event.

Joey Janela vs. Brodie Lee Jr.

Lee has a bunch of wrestlers to fire him up and we’re ready to go. Janela backs him into the corner and then hits a running shoulder, allowing Janela to get in some mockery. Lee rolls out of a wristlock and trips Janela down, earning himself a sucker punch. A headscissors takes Janela down so he grabs a crucifix, only to get caught with a PK. Janela knocks him down again but Lee is back up with a jumping back elbow. The chase is on with Janela decking him on the way back inside.

Janela’s backbreaker connects as Lee is bleeding from the nose. They go outside again where Janela chops the post by mistake and Lee gets two off a sunset flip back inside. Janela knocks him down again and hits another backbreaker, only to miss the moonsault. Lee is back up to stomp away in the corner, followed by the clotheslines. A nice hurricanrana out of the corner brings Janela down and Lee hits a good looking jumping knee.

Lee’s high crossbody gets two and Janela bails out to the floor. That just earns him a diving tornado DDT off the apron and Lee grabs the papers (ala his father) to throw at Janela. A Heatseeker (which Lee says is for MJF) gets two but Janela gets in a chair to the knee. Janela even Pillmanizes the leg, followed by an ankle lock. Lee rolls out and gets two off a rollup before getting his own ankle lock.

Janela makes the rope so the referee starts the five count, despite commentary saying there are no DQ’s in GCW. Janela is back up with a Figure Four but Lee manages to turn it over. They get back up and slug it out, with Janela doing as Lee asks and hitting him harder. Janela’s tombstone attempt is countered into a headscissor driver for two. A Death Valley Driver gets two on Lee…but Janela won’t piledrive him.

Cue Chris Bey, who isn’t allowed at ringside (like everyone else), allowing Lee to roll him up for two. The Death Valley Driver onto the apron is countered into a DDT and they get back inside. The slugout results in them both knocking the other down, but Lee nips up. A sliding kick to the head looks gives Lee two but Janela drops him again.

Janela loads up Lee’s discus lariat, which is countered into a Sister Abigail for two. A cutter hits Janela, who is right back with a piledriver for two. Janela takes Lee up top but a dragon superplex is broken up. Lee rolls into a Cross Rhodes for two on Janela and his father’s discus lariat sets up…another discus lariat. Lee pulls him up at two though and grabs the Sharpshooter (as he was trained in the Dungeon) for the tap at 28:49.

Rating: C. Where in the world do I begin? First of all, no, of course I’m not grading this on a normal scale because Lee is 14 and not a regular wrestler and no I’m not going to say this was some embarrassment to wrestling as I was having a blast with the Sandman and the Invisible Man on the same show. That’s all fine. The problem is the charm of this match wore out its welcome WAY before they wrapped it up, as suspension of disbelief only got me so far. It’s Lee getting to honor his father and the company trying to help him deal with things, which is great, but this needed to be WAY shorter than Janela’s regular far too long matches.

Post match Lee’s mother comes in to hug him and his little brother comes in. Lee’s trainer gets in and the brother says he’s coming for Janela next. Janela’s eyes bug out to end the show (ok they made up for some of it there).

Overall Rating: B. I’m never going to be a full time GCW fan, as they’re a bit too all over the place for me. I’m not big on the death match stuff and a lot of their content is fairly low rent. That being said, every so often, when they’ve had the chance to put something together and have the right people and I’m in the right mood, it can be incredibly entertaining stuff.

I do like the Spring Break shows and they’re the kind of insane fun that only wrestling can provide. This might not be the best wrestling, but it’s some of the most entertaining at times and that’s worth quite a bit. You might love this or hate it, but they know their audience and that’s a good thing to see, as you can get fun nights like this one.

Results
1 Called Manders won the Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match
Rascalz b. Marcus Mathers/Bustah And The Brain – Spiral Tap to Price
Atticus Cogar b. Hayabusa – Brain Hemorrhage
Marko Stunt/Jack Perry b. Sam Stackhouse/KJ Orso – Elevated top rope twisting cutter
Invisible Man b. Sandman – Rollup
Effy b. Allie Katch – Piledriver
Nick Gage/Megan Bayne b. Mance Warner/Steph de Lander – Piledriver to Warner
Brodie Lee Jr. b. Joey Janela – Sharpshooter

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

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WrestleCon Supershow 2026
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Joe Dombrowski, Veda Scott

Here we have one of the featured attractions of the week, with a bunch of independent wrestlers getting together and having a show. That’s the kind of thing that can make for some fun moments, though it can also lead to some absolute headscratchers as well. This could go anywhere so let’s get to it.

We open with the traditional tribute video to Mark Hitchcock, a Highspots employee who died on his honeymoon and as a result, the show has been named in his honor. This year’s also includes some of his friends talking about how much this would mean to Hitchcock.

The ring announcer is ready for the opening match but here is Teddy Long as a surprise. He’s going to make the first match a TAG TEAM MATCH PLAYA! Nice moment there as the surprises can often be good.

Heath/Rhino vs. Headbangers

Hold on as Mosh has a big brace on his arm due to a recent torn bicep so he can’t wrestle tonight. He does however have a replacement tonight in the form of…Headbanger Swoggle! Heath and Thrasher start things off and that’s good for an early standoff. A hiptoss puts Heath down but he’s back up with a flying shoulder. Thrasher is fine enough for a hiptoss but Swoggle wants in. He does indeed come in and thrusts his hips a lot, to the point of wearing himself out.

After not being able to nip up, Swoggle wants Rhino and…no he can’t slam Rhino. Some kicks to the leg don’t work either (Swoggle: “Son of a b****!”) so Swoggle bites the back of Rhino’s tights to send him outside. Heath comes back in and gets sent into the corner for some swats at the top of his head. Thrasher gets to hammer on Heath for a bit before it’s back to Swoggle for the same.

A big boot finally cuts Swoggle down and Rhino comes in to hammer on him as well. Heath even gets in a cheap shot from the floor before coming back in for a clothesline from his knees. Heath’s right hands in the corner are countered into a powerbomb and it’s back to Thrasher to clean house. Everything breaks down and Swoggle chokeslams Heath…but gets Gored by Rhino. Thrasher is right back with a rollup to pin Rhino at 12:00.

Rating: C+. Now this is what I was hoping to see from this show (fair enough on Mosh’s injury as there’s nothing you can do about that) as it’s just goofy fun. They weren’t trying to do anything here besides have a good time and tie back into a story from ten years ago (when Heath and Rhino first teamed together against the Headbangers) and it went as well as it could have. Swoggle was was a great choice for a replacement and I liked this a lot.

Mala Fama vs. Love And Peace vs. The StarMen vs. CPF

That would be, in order, Latigo/Toxin vs. Ben-K/Hyo vs. Starboy Charlie/Starman vs. Danny Black/Joe Lando and this is elimination rules. Starman is a guy in very generic gear (it’s based on an NES character) and has to be someone surprising. Lando and Charlie start things off with an exchange of legsweeps before they trade missed dropkicks. Mala Fama runs in to clear the ring and everything breaks down.

Starman is double teamed down but manages a double suplex into a backsplash. Charlie’s running shooting star press gets two on Ben-K and it’s Mala Fama back in to put Charlie in trouble. Mala Fama collide by mistake though and Charlie is back in with a springboard headscissors. Starman gets to come back in and chop away, followed by a cutter. CPF come in and get dropped by Starman as well but he freezes (ala NES).

With nothing working on him, Charlie picks him up and puts him in the corner before going after Mala Fama. That doesn’t work either so here are Love And Peace to take Mala Fama outside. Starman wakes up but misses a charge into the corner (ignore that no one was in the corner), only to pop up for a moonsault onto the pile. Charlie is sent outside though and Starman gets double kicked in the corner. Black dives onto the floor and Lando’s shooting star elbow finishes Starman at 9:50.

Starman rapidly walks off like he (probably) does in the game as we’re down to three. Love And Peace take over on Latigo, with Toxin making a save. Ben-K spears Toxin though and Hyo adds the middle rope backsplash for the pin at 11:54. So we’re down to CPF vs. Love And Peace and they start fast with a pulling piledriver dropping Hyo before all four collide for a double down. They slug it out from their knees and Hyo hits a middle rope cutter, setting up Ben-K’s spear to pin Lando for the win at 15:44.

Rating: B. Starman of course stole the show (I would bet on that being Joey Janela, as it’s the kind of goofy stuff he would do) and as usual, Dragon Gate guys get to look awesome. The other teams got to showcase themselves as well, which is great to see as they aren’t the most well known teams. The fans get to see some new (or at least new to them) stars and that is a great thing, as it was here.

Here is our official WrestleCon ambassador: Sgt. Slaughter. His job is to basically to tell us to have fun and come see him at WrestleCon. Nothing wrong with that.

Mark Davis vs. Masato Tanaka

Tanaka rams into him to start and gets dropped with an even bigger shoulder. Back up and Tanaka hammers away in the corner but Davis knocks him back down for a big slam. The knees to the chest have Tanaka in more trouble and it’s a backbreaker into a Boston crab. That’s broken up with a rope though and Tanaka snaps off a big suplex. Back up and Davis puts him on the apron for a running shoulder to the floor, followed by another beating in the corner.

Tanaka fights back and grabs a superplex, but Davis pops up for a jumping enziguri. That’s not enough to keep him down either though and it’s a clothesline to leave them both down. Back up and they slug it out, with Davis missing an enziguri and getting caught with a sliding lariat. Tanaka tries it again but gets rolled up for two, allowing Davis to hit another enziguri. A big lariat gives Davis two and the piledriver finishes Tanaka at 8:26.

Rating: B. I appreciate a match where it is exactly what you would expect it to be. This was two guys beating on each other very hard until one of them couldn’t get up again. Tanaka has been around for the better part of ever and it still means something for him to get beat. Davis is getting somewhere with that piledriver and it’s cool to see him win a match like this. The lack of Don Callis helps a lot too.

Subculture vs. The Swirl

Webster and Johnson go to the mat to start, with Johnson grabbing a headlock. That’s broken up and it’s off to Andrews vs. Christian as the pace picks up. That doesn’t last long either as they go to a staredown, with Andrews knocking Christian into the corner. A standing moonsault gives Andrews two and Webster’s imploding Swanton gets two.

Johnson comes back in and Andrews is knocked outside, leaving Webster to get 619ed in the corner. Christian makes Webster clap before it’s an enziguri into a dragon screw legwhip. Webster elbows his way to freedom though and moonsaults onto both of them. That’s enough for the diving tag to Andrews, who Falcon Arrows Johnson for two.

Johnson is sent face first into Christian’s knees in the corner and it’s a top rope flipping Stunner to put Christian down. Webster’s Swanton to the back gets two but Johnson is back in for the brainbuster/enziguri combination. Andrews makes a save of his own and they strike it out until a quadruple clothesline leaves everyone down again. A Meltzer Driver hits Andrews and the Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination finishes Webster at 12:14.

Rating: B+. This got rolling near the end and that’s not a problem. These teams have a history of working very well together, with the Swirl being rather underrated as they almost never get out of Ring Of Honor. On the other hand you have Subculture, who are a rather good team that I would love to see get back in a bigger company. They’re more than good enough to do it and can hang with anyone. If they’re interested, it would be great to see.

Team Mancer vs. Team Beast

Mancer: Mancer Warner, Steph de Lander, Vaughn Vertigo, Gravity, LJ Cleary
Beast: The Beast Mortos, Danny Jones, Derek Dillinger, Jimmy Townsend, Lacey Lane

This is the ten person tag, the show’s signature match. De Lander and Lane start things off with Lane charging into a boot in the corner and getting side slammed for two. Dillinger and Warner come in to chop it out with Warner getting the better of things. Vertigo comes in and avoids a basement dropkick, allowing Townsend to avoid a kick on the apron.

Townsend gets in and is kicked in the chest for the standing moonsault. Jones and Cleary come in, with Cleary begging off from the much bigger Jones, who isn’t impressed. Jones hits a discus lariat and Cleary is right over for the tag to Gravity. It’s off to Mortos for the exchange of armdrags but gets kicked out to the floor.

Lane can’t shoulder Cleary down and he finds the attempt rather amusing. Instead it’s Gravity coming back in to argue with Dillinger before all ten get in for the slow motion Gravity walk. With almost everyone on the floor, Warner teases a dive but goes outside to poke the other five in the eyes. Mortos powerbombs Gravity into a backbreaker but Vaughn plants him with a tornado DDT.

We hit the parade of knockdowns, with Warner hitting his lariat but walking into Jones’ Falcon Arrow. De Lander spears Jones and Warner chairs him in the back a few times. Gravity’s top rope splash gets two but Mortos is back up with the spear to Cleary. The spinning piledriver finishes for Mortos at 19:37.

Rating: B-. This is the usual insane tag match that you would expect in this spot and that’s a great thing to see. What matters the most is that they got some new names in there and it wasn’t just some wild scramble. I liked the match well enough and was surprised at how long it went so well done on not getting dull.

Bandido vs. Galeno del Mal

Bandido’s Ring Of Honor World Title isn’t on the line (of course). We get a nice handshake to start and Bandido is a bit slow to go after the much bigger Mal. They trade headlocks to little effect until Bandido hits a dropkick. A top rope hurricanrana brings Mal down but he sends Bandido to the apron and then out to the floor. Mal sends him crashing into the chairs and then into the post, allowing Mal to grab some water.

A big boot staggers Bandido but he avoids a character to send Mal into the seats for a change. Back in and Mal rips off part of Bandido’s mask, followed by a big boot to put him down again. They trade running corner clotheslines and Bandido scores with a leg lariat. A tornado DDT drops Mal to the floor and Bandido is right there to take him down with a dive. Back in and Bandido rips at Mal’s mask for a change, followed by a high crossbody for two.

Mal mixes it up with a reverse suplex and a discus lariat cuts off Bandido’s comeback. Mal goes up…and gets pulled out of the air for a World’s Strongest Slam (that looked amazing). Somehow Mal is up first for a backsplash for two, setting up a Michinoku Driver for the same. Back up and Bandido shrugs off a big boot and muscles him up for a suplex. The 21 Plex finishes Mal off at 16:27.

Rating: B. I’ve seen Mal a few times now and the guy definitely has something to him. He’s a bigger guy and can go out there and keep up with the athleticism, which isn’t something you would expect. On the other hand you have Bandido, who feels like a star and should be a much bigger deal than he’s presented as being. Like maybe having him defend the title at some point.

Post match Bandido thanks everyone for coming and praises Mal, his former student, calling him the next big Mexican superstar.

Progress World Title: Man Like DeReiss vs. Ethan Allen

DeReiss is defending in a bonus match. They start fast with Allen missing some kicks and going outside to yell at a fan. Back in and DeReiss hits some running shoulders but Allen pulls him off the top. Allen slows the pace down and they fight over a suplex with DeReiss finally getting him up. Allen knocks him out of the corner though and hits a falling top rope elbow. They fight over a pinfall reversal sequence until DeReiss catches him with an elbow to the face. A spinning belly to back suplex sets up a 450 to retain the title at 8:40.

Rating: C+. For a bonus match, I’ve seen far worse. That’s one of the great perks of this weekend, as you can get random matches like this thrown on and it makes things that much more interesting. DeReiss got in a quick title defense and the fans got the cool moment of his entrance. It’s no classic, but it certainly didn’t hurt anything.

Jet Speed/Michael Oku vs. The Demand

Oku and Ricochet start things off with Ricochet flipping over him and blocking an O’Connor roll. They both miss dropkicks until Ricochet sends him out to the floor. Everything breaks down and Jet Speed hit some dives to the floor as they pair off on the outside. Oku is back in to try the Fosbury Flop but Liona kicks him out of the air, with Oku’s leg getting tied in the ropes.

Liona throws Knight through the entrance (off camera) as Oku is taken into the corner for some hard shoulders to the ribs. Ricochet comes in to get the two count as Knight is finally starting to come back towards the ring. Oku gets beaten down in the corner again as the villains get to take more turns on him.

A missile dropkick finally gets Oku out of trouble and Knight is back up for the tag to start the comeback. Some uppercuts knock Liona down and a twisting splash gives Knight two. Back up and Kaun hits a heck of a clothesline, allowing Liona to come back in for a backsplash. Knight gets knocked into the tag off to Bailey for the rapid fire strikes and he avoids a backsplash.

It’s back to Oku for the moonsault as everything breaks down. Liona tosses Jet Speed without much trouble but Oku is back up. We get the parade of knockdowns and Ricochet kicks at Bailey, who moonsaults onto the Gates on the floor. Back in and Oku half crabs Ricochet for the tap but the referee doesn’t see it. The Gates get back in for Galaxy Impact (double Doomsday Device) for the pin on Oku at 18:51.

Rating: B+. These six man tags have been the recurring theme of the weekend and this was another good one. That shouldn’t be a surprise as the people involved are rather good with Oku being more than talented enough to hang in there. The Gates were a good choice as well as they add in something different than just the same people flying around. Rather strong main event here.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a nice flashback to some of the better Supershows as it felt fun. That’s been missing a bit in recent years as this show isn’t supposed to be anything more than a fun night of wrestling. Adding in a bunch of surprises and having one match after another is a good thing and they made that work here. Stuff like Swoggle and Starman and the rather good tag matches made this work, as did having DeReiss as a surprise. I had a great time with this and it’s nice to be able to say that again.

Results
Thrasher/Swoggle b. Heath/Rhino – Rollup to Rhino
Love And Peace b. The StarMen, CPF and Mala Fama last eliminating Mala Fama
Mark Davis b. Masato Tanaka – Piledriver
The Swirl b. Subculture – Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to Webster
Team Beast b. Team Mancer – Spinning piledriver to Cleary
Bandido b. Galeno del Mal – 21 Plex
Man Like DeReiss b. Ethan Allen – 450
The Demand b. Michael Oku/Jet Speed – Galaxy Impact to Oku

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

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Progress Chapter 193: Las Vegas II
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Joe Dombrowski, D’Lo Brown

We’re back in Las Vegas with the British promotion that you might have heard of before. I’ve only seen a bit from this place over the years so I’m not sure what to expect this time around. Believe it or not, the main event is for the World Title, which is a pretty safe way to go. Let’s get to it.

The opening video seems to be a standard one for the promotion rather than this show.

Subculture vs. Kuro/LJ Cleary

Kuro is a replacement for Tommy Tanner who isn’t here because…I’m guessing aliens. Cleary ties up Webster for two off la majistral and it’s off to Andrews for a change. Kuro snaps off a dropkick and faceplant to drop Andrews, who cuts him right back off. An inverted flipping backsplash gives Andrews two and it’s back to Cleary for a slam.

Cleary poses a bit and drops an elbow before sending Andrews into the corner. A dropkick into a leg trap Tombstone gets two, with Webster not getting in for the save. Andrews’ double Pele misses and everything breaks down. Clearly’s tornado DDT takes out Kuro by mistake and it’s a poisonrana/big boot combination to pin Cleary at 7:55.

Rating: C+. They had a quick but fine match with a story being told as well. The idea here was rather simple: Subculture are a regular team and know each other while Kuro and Cleary were thrown together and didn’t have the same chemistry. That’s more than I was expecting and the match wound up going pretty well. Subculture has done well almost every time I’ve seen them and that was the case again here.

Video on the Super Strong Style 16 tournament, which will have a men’s and women’s edition this year.

Simon Miller vs. Danny Jones

Miller works on a headlock to start and mocks Jones a bit. Jones gets low bridged to the floor, where he can slam the knee into the apron to take over. Back in and Jones chops him down before slapping the top of Miller’s head for some disrespect. Miller picks him up and puts him down with a belly to back suplex and the straps come down. Jones pulls him into a Falcon Arrow for two but takes WAY too long going up. Miller avoids a charge and hits a spear into the Jackhammer for the pin at 7:29.

Rating: C+. Miller is a rare case where he went from a celebrity to someone who was actually making a run out of an in-ring career. He’s not bad at all and works well as a power guy with some charisma. While I can’t imagine him getting much further than a star in Progress and similar promotions, he’s doing rather well with what he’s doing and that’s pretty impressive.

Super Strong Styles 16 First Round: Ethan Allen vs. Lio Rush

Rush is in full on Gollum mode and talks to himself in the corner at the opening bell. Allen goes after him and gets attacked in the corner but whips Rush in instead. Rush blocks a kick though and hits an enziguri to send Allen outside. That’s fine with Allen, who drops Rush hard onto the apron.

Back in and a kick to the back sets up Allen’s chinlock, with Allen punching him in the face to make it worse. Rush fights up and gets the speed going, with a flip into an enziguri dropping Allen for two more. Allen slaps on a quick rear naked choke before switching to a double arm crank. With nothing else working, Rush bites the rope to make the escape. Rush sends him outside and does his weird crawl thing, setting up a suicide dive. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Rush the pin at 10:08.

Rating: C+. The more I see of Rush’s new character, the less necessary it seems to be. Rush is an athletic star and has a good look in the first place. This just makes him seem more goofy than anything else and that isn’t a good sign. Hopefully it doesn’t last long, though I have a bad feeling it is going to be around for the foreseeable future.

Emersyn Jayne vs. Lena Kross vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Renee Michelle vs. Shotzi Blackheart

Jayne is “the Mother Teresa Of Workrate”. It’s a brawl to start of course and Blackheart is sent outside. She’s right back in to break up stereo delayed suplexes, followed by a dropkick to break up a Doomsday Device. We get a four way Devil’s Kiss until Martinez kicks them in the head to cut that off.

Kross gets to snap off some suplexes but Jayne takes over on Michelle. Back up and Michelle hits a dive, leaving Martinez to German superplex Jayne. Blackheart ties Martinez in the Tree Of Woe for a stomp but she’s right back with a spinebuster to Michelle. Jayne rolls Martinez up for the pin at 6:43.

Rating: C+. Take a bunch of people, put them in the ring at the same time and let them go nuts. There isn’t much else you can do for a match like this, though having five people in there rather than almost double that many is a nice relief. As usual, no one really got to stand out but there were some familiar names so at least it wasn’t a bunch of random spots from strangers.

Proteus Title: Paul Walter Hauser vs. Big Damo

Hauser (the actor) is defending and is putting up $100,000 for a bonus. In addition, Hauser has been champion for over a year but refuses to defend the title on British soil, making him a big heel for a change. Damo chases him to the floor but Hauser…slaps him, which doesn’t seem to be a good idea.

Some big forearms put Hauser down but a backsplash misses. Hauser’s rather weak chops just tick Damo off and he puts Hauser down with a single shot. A spinebuster and elbow give Damo two and he plants Hauser with a superplex. The gets pulled into the corner so Damo can crush him with a splash. Hauser gets in a low blow to retain the title at 6:48.

Rating: C. I remember Hauser winning the title last year and I’m kind of stunned to see him still holding the thing. If nothing else, making him a heel is quite the move and he did it well enough. Hauser isn’t a great worker or anything, but it’s cool to see him taking this seriously and trying something new. Not a great match, but I got what they were going for here.

Post match Hauser praises the American fans and mocks the British fans. Simon Miller, the former champion, shows up to chase Hauser back inside, where Damo gives him the Belfast Blitz. Then he does it again..and Miller goes to steal the $100,000. There’s no money in the suitcase though so Hauser gets hit in the head with the case.

Women’s Super Strong Style 16 First Round: Rhio vs. Vert Vixen

Rhio avoids a charge into the corner to start and they go out to the apron. A package piledriver doesn’t work so Rhio hits a belly to back suplex instead. Back in and Vixen takes her down for an early chinlock, followed by a choke in the corner. Rhio gets kicked out to the floor, where Vixen drops her again and poses a bit.

As usual that takes too long and Rhio is back with a dive to take over. They get back in and slug it out with Vixen getting the better of things, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Rhio’s MuscleBuster gets the same and a crossbody puts Vixen down again. A fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Rhio two but she still can’t hit the package piledriver. Vixen’s charge misses and now the package piledriver finishes for Rhio at 10:55.

Rating: B-. It’s no surprise that Rhio is on so many radars, as she checks a lot of boxes. She has the size, a nice look, and is a heck of an athlete. Having her move on is a smart idea as she seems like a favorite to win the whole tournament. Vixen is an interesting case as well, as she’s quite the star outside of AEW, which is a shame as she rarely gets a chance to do anything there.

Progress World Title: Michael Oku vs. Man Like DeReiss

Oku, with Amira, is challenging and DeReiss (with Brodie Lee Jr.) raps his way to the ring as usual. Oku dropkicks him in the corner at the bell, setting up a frog splash for two. A backdrop puts Oku down but he’s right back with something like a Sling Blade over the top. Back in and Oku grabs a snapmare but has to bail out on a top rope moonsault.

DeReiss knocks him down again though and an elbow to the face gets two. They trade shots for a double down and Lee slides in the title. DeReiss doesn’t want it that way so Amira goes after Oku. DeReiss has to save Lee from a half crab but misses Cool Runnings (450). Instead DeReiss kicks him into the corner for a very spinning Blue Thunder Bomb.

Oku escapes a leg lock and gets the half crab, with Lee teasing throwing in the towel. That’s broken up and Oku sends DeReiss outside, setting up the Fosbury Flop. Back in and DeReiss pulls a dive out of the air for a swinging Downward Spiral, setting up Cool Runnings for two. A piledriver gets two more and DeReiss Sharpshooters him to retain at 13:46.

Rating: B. This was more like it, as it came off like a main event World Title showdown between two rather talented wrestlers. You don’t get to see that very often, and it’s nice to see DeReiss being able to back up his cool entrance in the ring. Oku is slowly growing on me and his in-ring abilities are more than good enough to keep him around for a long while to come. Good main event here.

Post match Lee makes amends with Oku and Amira. DeReiss celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual, Progress puts on a good show with a solid main event and enough hard work from a talented roster. It’s not a classic or anything (though the main event is worth a look) but for a show that runs just over two hours, it’s worth your time. I could go for more of Progress, as they’re always worth a look when they come stateside.

Results
Subculture b. Kuro/LJ Cleary – Big boot/poisonrana combination to Cleary
Simon Miller b. Danny Jones – Jackhammer
Lio Rush b. Ethan Allen – Blue Thunder Bomb
Emersyn Jayne b. Lena Kross, Mercedes Martinez, Renee Michelle and Shotzi Blackheart – Rollup to Martinez
Paul Walter Hauser b. Big Damo – Low blow
Rhio b. Vert Vixen – Package piledriver
Man Like DeReiss b. Michael Oku – Sharpshooter

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 18, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s another week of the show and we’re back to a regular edition after last year’s Action Dean edition. That means we should be back to the same style that we tend to get around here and hopefully the action is there to back it up. At the same time, it would be nice to see some bigger storyline developments. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Mistico vs. Mansoor

The rest of MxM TV is here with Mansoor, who kicks him down to start, followed by a running shoulder. Mistico is right back with a running hurricanrana to take over. Hold on though as Mansoor claims a cheap shot from Alex Abrahantes, allowing him to jump Mistico and take over again. Mansoor misses a moonsault though and Mistico powerslams him down for two. Taya Valkyrie gets caught interfering and Mistico fights back with a kick to the face. A springboard high crossbody into La Mistica finishes Mansoor at 5:22.

Rating: C+. Mistico is set for a big title match against MJF in CMLL this week and this is his last boost up before the show. At the same time, I’m not sure how much that really matters as this match was barely (if at all) advertised in advance and it’s not like Mansoor means much. I’m still not sure why you would waste Mistico like this, but it’s what they keep doing.

We recap the Women’s Pure Rules Title tournament.

Olympia vs. Viva Van

Pure Rules. Olympia hits a clothesline to start and adds a basement dropkick but Van knocks her into the corner. That’s broken up and Van is back with a slingshot Bronco Buster for two. Van gets in another running shot but Olympia is back with a fireman’s carry and does some squats. That’s escaped as well and Van hits a springboard crossbody. Olympia is right back up with a German suplex into a swinging Side Effect for the pin at 4:49.

Rating: C-. Olympia was impressive here, but there was zero reason for this to be a Pure Rules match other than getting to say it was a special match. There wasn’t even a rope break here, which is often the big focal point of the Pure Rules. We’re getting a lot more of these things and it still feels like they’re just trying to validate having another title that doesn’t need to be around.

Alan Angels vs. The Beast Mortos

Angels actually drops him with a quick dropkick and kicks Mortos out to the floor. A suicide dive connects as well but Mortos is back in with a backbreaker. The Samoan drop finishes for Mortos at 1:52.

MJF’s Abraham Lincoln looking associate threatens MJF in English and Spanish.

Matt Mako vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Pure Rules. Shibata works on the wrist to start and pulls him down into an armbar. The cross armbreaker is switched into a Figure Four, which Mako turns over, but Shibata turns it right back over. The first rope break gets Mako out of trouble so it’s back to the armbar, with Mako’s attempt at a counter getting pulled into a triangle choke. That’s escaped as well and Mako kicks him into a suplex for two. Mako’s choke is countered into a legbar, with Mako going to the second rope. Another legbar makes Mako use his final rope break so Shibata sleepers him into the PK for the win at 7:27.

Rating: C. At least they seemed to understand what kind of match they were having. At the same time, this was another match that felt like it was tacked onto the card for the sake of putting people on the show. Shibata has nothing going on in Ring Of Honor but here he is anyway, doing just about the same thing he always does.

Respect is shown post match.

We look at the Premiere Athletes’ contingency plan, who will join them in the ring next week.

Death Riders vs. Aleah James/Man Like Dereiss

James is sent outside, leaving Yuta to take over on Dereiss. That’s broken up and Dereiss gets to stomp away in the corner. It’s off to the women, with Shafir kicking James down without much trouble. James snaps off a headscissors but Shafir ties up all of her limbs in quite the painful visual.

James gets thrown down again so it’s off to Dereiss for a 619 to Yuta, who kicks Dereiss in the head. Dereiss ducks a clothesline though and comes back with a jumping cutter. A high crossbody gives James two on Shafir, who judo throws her down into Mother’s Milk to make James tap at 5:22.

Rating: C. The Death Riders showing up to wreck people on here isn’t exactly interesting but at least they’re important on another show. At the same time, it would be nice to see Dereiss used for something better than a way to make Yuta look good. He’s a talented star but he didn’t get to show much of that here for the sake of the Death Riders.

Lance Archer beats up various people backstage, including Beef.

The Frat House do frat things.

Satnam Singh vs. CPA

Yes he’s a wrestling accountant. For some reason CPA goes for the leg and loses his tie as a result. Singh finishes with a chokeslam at 1:07.

We go to QTV, where the cast is a bit confused about QT Marshall’s match with Paul Walter Hauser. He’s also not sure what is up with the Costco Guys.

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Janai Kai

Pure Rules. Again. The grappling doesn’t go anywhere to start and they trade armdrags. Sakazaki sends her outside for a dive but Kai nails a big kick to the head back inside. Kai grabs a dragon sleeper and Sakazaki has to use her first rope break. A running hurricanrana and dropkick put Kai down and Sakazaki’s spinning hammerlock slam finishes at 4:42.

Rating: C. Yeah it’s another one, as we have Sakazaki in the tournament so she needs to beat someone who isn’t around very often in a Pure Rules match. It’s still not a particularly good match as they barely had time to do anything and the Pure Rules didn’t change anything. Why should that matter though when we have another tournament for a new title? That’s what matters most right?

Shane Taylor Promotions wants competition.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kingdom/AR Fox vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Fox and the Kingdom are challenging and they’ve at least won a match as a trio before. The champs clear the ring to start until Bennett gets caught in the corner for some running forearms from the Infantry. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s off to Taylor for a loud chop in the corner.

Bennett fights out of trouble and shrugs off a knee, setting up a bit clothesline to put Taylor down. Taven comes in to clean house but misses the Lionsault. Fox is in with a spinning suplex, followed by Taven and Fox hitting big dives to the floor. Back in and Rockstar Supernova into a 450 gets two on Bravo with Dean making the save. Taylor knees Fox into the double stomp to give Bravo the pin to retain at 6:38.

Rating: C+. That’s one of the best parts of the show, as if nothing else it had something of a story to build upon and that helped. Fox and the Kingdom worked well together, though it still only means so much when they’ve barely teamed up before. At least it wasn’t more Pure Rules for a change.

Overall Rating: D+. This was the latest edition of Ring Of Honor where they threw a bunch of matches out there and tried to act like there was some reason to have them out there. Instead, it was a bunch of people having matches which mean very little, with a big focus on the Pure Rules stuff. As in the tournament that took months to be set up, started, and is now getting what feel like preview matches because we have to stretch this out longer and longer. Just more matches to fill in time that doesn’t need to be done and that’s going to be the case most of the time.

Results
Mistico b. Mansoor – La Mistica
Olympia b. Viva Van – Swinging Side Effect
The Beast Mortos b. Alan Angels – Samoan drop
Katsuyori Shibata b. Matt Mako – PK
Death Riders b. Aleah James/Man Like Dereiss – Mother’s Milk to James
Satnam Singh b. CPA – Chokeslam
Yuka Sakazaki b. Janai Kai – Spinning hammerlock slam
Shane Taylor Promotions b. AR Fox/Kingdom – Double stomp to Bravo

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Joey Janela’s Spring Break: Clusterf*** Forever 2025
Date: April 19, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jordan Castle, Dave Prazak, Veda Scott

And then we have this thing, which is going to be complete insanity and that is entirely by design. The show’s namesake match is going to be a huge battle royal with people running all over the place and pretty much no semblance of order. That makes for one of the most entertaining matches you will see all year and they know exactly what they’re doing. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We get an opening video set to I’m So Excited in a pretty awesome troll jab at AEW.

Doug Gentry Memorial Scramble Cage Match

Gringo Loco, Ciclope, Facade, Jimmy Lloyd, Man Like DeReiss, Marcus Mathers, Mike D. Vecchio, Ninja Mack, Sidney Akeem

One fall to a finish and everyone is in the cage (which has weapons, plus platforms on the top for the purpose of diving) the whole time. Gentry is apparently someone who worked backstage in the early days of Ring Of Honor and is getting a match named in his honor. Akeem dives off one of the platforms to start and gets speared through a door by Vecchio for his efforts.

Mack goes up with a kendo stick but has to pull Lloyd and Mathers down with a Tower Of Doom. Various Canadian Destroyers ensue before Vecchio sends various people into the cage. One heck of a helicopter bomb plants Akeem for two and DeReiss superplexes Vecchio off one of the platforms. Facade one ups them by walking the cage for a big dive of his own. Mathers ties Facade in the Tree Of Woe for some chair shots but Lloyd is up with a bunch of chair throws.

Mack and Akeem have their big showdown but stop to beat up Loco and Mathers instead. Ciclope is up with a double spear but gets clotheslined by Lloyd. DeReiss and Mathers hit 450s (after arguing over whose would be better) before Vecchio hits a shooting star off the platform for the big wipe out. A masked man comes into the cage and cleans some house before revealing himself as Miedo Extremo, Ciclope’s former partner.

Miedo sends Ciclope off the platform and through a barbed wire net and some doors at ringside. Back in and a door is bridged over two chairs as Ciclope is carried out. Another door is bridged over the first as Vecchio and Loco climb to the platform. Loco powerbombs Vecchino through said doors and gets the pin for the win at 11:33.

Rating: C+. There were nine people in the cage for most of the match and, as has been proven in various other promotions over the years, that isn’t going to work. There are too many people in there to do anything other than big spots and while those were entertaining, it only went so far. The big spot at the end was fun though and this could have been worse.

The cage has to be taken down so we look at Jordan Oliver returning last night at Spring Break to team with Alec Price to win the Tag Team Titles.

We look at Atticus Cogar defeating Fuego del Sol, winning Fuego’s match and seemingly ending his career. That was way better than I would have expected.

Next recap is the main event of Spring Break, with Sabu defeating Joey Janela in Sabu’s retirement match.

Long upcoming events rundown.

We look at The People vs. GCW in January.

We look at Tournament Of Survival 9.

We look at GCW in Kouraken Hall as I wonder how long it takes to get that cage down.

We look at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 12 in November.

We look at a show in Hawaii in November.

We look at the Wrld On Lucha from…sometime.

And now, we Cluster****.

2025 Cluster****

It’s a Royal Rumble with random intervals, pinfall, submission, leaving the arena or death for eliminations (yeah this whole thing is supposed to be a total mess so don’t bother keeping track of the rules). The Up Up Girls (the TJPW singers, all three of them) are in at #1, #2 and #3 and do their song but Kerry Morton interrupts at #4 and calls the song stupid (with some additional expletives). He’s going to throw them out and show them what it’s like to be with a real American man, complete with hip thrusts. Morton insists on being introduced again and he’s #2.

The Girls beat him up, including a pillow to the head (Prazak wants to borrow it) and Morton is out. Morton freaks out and leaves so we get an encore song. B3cca, a pop singer, is in at #3 and sings about her attractiveness. Then she tries to sing with the Up Up Girls but kicks them down. Another dance takes too long though and the fight is on, with B3cca missing a high crossbody. Zayda Steele in at #3 and begs off from the Girls as Swipe Right and Jackson Drake are in at #4.

The distraction lets Steele and B3cca eliminate the Up Up Girls. Steele Unprettiers B3cca for the elimination and Steven Crow (a cowboy in pink) is in at #5. Swipe Right jumps him for the elimination and it’s MBM and his Friend (a masked man) in at #6. They want to make peace until the Friend full nelsons Steele. MBM tries to kiss her but kisses the Friend by mistake and they’re easily tossed.

The Warlord (yes that Warlord) is in at #7 and everyone in Swipe Right and Drake (just make him an official member already) runs off, with Steele bailing without being eliminated. Shreddy is in at #8 (he’s in great shape and likes to brag about going to Japan) and can’t knock Warlord down. Instead he asks for a test of strength as Tombstone Jesus (ok then) is in at #9. Warlord tosses Shreddy and goes after Tombstone but Steele comes in to try her luck. This goes as well as you would expect but they manage to toss Warlord. Steele slaps Tombstone for some reason…and low bridges him out.

Human Tornado (there’s a name from the past) is in at #10 and dances a bit so Steele goes after him. That earns her some dancing stomps in the corner and Nate Webb (with his arm in a sling) is in at #11, giving us Teenage Dirtbag for the crowd participation. The dancing stomps continue (going close to two minutes now) as Webb goes through the crowd for the singing. Then Yoshihiko is in at #12 and the fans go nuts as expected. A high crossbody gets two on Tornado, who sends Yoshihiko into the corner, where Steele chokes away. Santana (and Blanket) Jackson are in at #13, because we need a Michael Jackson impersonator.

Webb gets in the ring and a three way test of strength is teased, with Webb’s arm injury leading to his elimination. Jackson tosses Tornado and we get a showdown between Yoshihiko and Blanket (a stuffed baby)….and Snitsky is in at #14 (Veda Scott: “NO! NO! NO!”). The fans want Snitsky to kick the baby (Prazak: “What is this, South Park”?) but he chokeslams Jackson instead. Snitsky grabs Jackson’s hat and sunglasses instead, makes the out cold Jackson dance, and then tosses him.

Yoshihiko gets eliminated, leaving Snitsky alone with Blanket (and Steele, who is on the floor). Snitsky picks up Blanket and asks the crowd where he should punt, with a fan catching Blanket for the elimination. Then Snitsky leaves the building, leaving Steele alone in the ring as Tara Zep is in at #15. They brawl out to the floor (both still in) and then go back inside with an Unprettier giving Steele the elimination. Kidd Bandit is in at #16 and wastes no time in kicking Steele in the head for the elimination.

Unagi Sayaka is in at #17 and Bandit kicks her to the apron, where Sayaka pulls out a big band. They fight over it until it snaps into Bandit’s face to knock her down as Jai Vidal is in at #18. Sayaka gets slapped down and rolls out to the floor, and Ashley Vox is in at #19. That goes nowhere so Vipress is in at #20 as the entrances are starting to come faster. Viva Van is in at #21 and trades some forearms until Sonny Kiss is in at #22.

Van is sent to the apron but slingshots back in for a spinwheel kick. Parrow is in at #23 and Vidal immediately joins his team (assuming a team exists). Vipress gets in Parrow’s face and is tossed out, as is Van. There goes Kiss and Sayaka is allowed to eliminate herself to avoid pain. Vidal is tossed and we’re down to Vox and Parrow. Vow says they both just got married (not to each other) so he can’t eliminate her. They try the Dirty Dancing lift…and Parrow tosses her. Bodhi Young Prodigy is in at #24 as commentary wonders if Blanket died earlier.

Bodhi chops away to no effect and gets tossed just as fast. Channing Decker is in at #25 and decks Vox and Vidal on the way out. Parrow: “THAT WAS A LITTLE F****** MUCH!” A fall away slam drops Decker and he’s out. Sonico is in at #26 and it’s his birthday. Parrow takes his chair away and hammers him down for the elimination. Randy Myers (he’s weird) is in at #27 and goes to the throat before twisting Parrow’s nipples. An over the shoulder piledriver gives Parrow the pin and he’s alone again.

CPA is in at #28 and takes off his button down shirt to reveal an identical shirt. A drop toehold sets up the 1099 and Parrow pulls off the tie. Dustin Thomas (he doesn’t have legs) is in at #29. A drunk Kidd Bandit is apparently still in and some triple teaming staggers Parrow, who is eliminated by the trio. Sleepy Ed is in at #30 and brings out a bed for a nap on the stage. Everyone gets quiet in a nice moment until Jeffrey John is in at #31. John comes in with a top rope cutter to CPA (on his fourth shirt) as the drunk Bandit falls down.

Rhys Maddox is in at #32 and doesn’t do much until THE MEXICOOLS (Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and Microman, the latter with bubble mower) are in at #33. The Juvy Driver eliminates Maddox, Crazy pins CPA and another Juvy Driver gets rid of John. That leaves us with (I think) Guerrera, Crazy, Microman, Thomas and the drunk Bandit (on the floor). We get a bizarre Microman vs. Thomas showdown and a 619 hits Thomas. He’s right back with an ankle lock to Microman as Team Juggalo Championship Wrestling (about 7 people) are in at #34.

Crazy gets tickled with a rubber chicken and a double team is enough to pin him. The new Backseat Boyz get rid of Guerrera and Bandit follows him out. Microman realizes he’s in trouble and tries to slug away but gets tossed out. So Team JCW is all alone (technically with Sleepy Ed) and it’s New Roy (formerly known as Nasty Leroy but now inspired by New Jack) in at #35.

Some trashcan lid shots do a bit of damage but he gets caught with a low blow. The beating is on, including the clowns (there are clowns) popping balloons off his head. Roy gets pinned and Team GCW (another 6 or 7 people) are in at #36 to mostly even it up and the fight is on. The brawl heads to the floor and I’m not going to try to tell who is in and who isn’t, partially because I have no idea who some of these people are. The blood is flowing and some people go into the crowd as the weapons (including a barbed wire board) are pulled out. Veda Scott: “We bring this on ourselves.”

The clowns powerbomb Dr. Redacted through the barbed wire board and 2 Tuff Tony lights his fist on fire to punch John Wayne Murdoch. Redacted gets a trashcan and puts it on himself for the big dive onto the pile. Just about everyone brawls to the back and they’re all out so the ring is empty, with Sleepy Ed on the stage. The arena goes quiet and we have something of a lullaby playing…and the Invisible Man is in at #37. He takes Ed into the ring and tosses him out before Dan Barry is in at #38.

Barry works on the arm but gets reversed into a wristlock. That’s reversed into a headlock but some headscissors take Barry down. They run the ropes and miss some clotheslines before trading armdrags for a standoff. Respect is shown before Barry gets in a cheap shot (and flips off the crowd) but Man’s DDT gets two. Barry is sent to the apron and gets crotched on top, where it’s a superplex for the elimination. Frank The Clown is in at #39 and doesn’t think much of the Invisible Man.

Apparently Man starts a F*** THAT CLOWN chant but Frank insists he is NOT a Mark A** B****! Frank charges in and gets dropped for the fast pin. Dan The Dad is in at #40 but Man won’t shake his hand. They won’t hug either and Man knocks the cup off coffee out of his hand. Dan blocks a right hand and gives him a spanking for rudeness before taking off his belt. The whip is blocked and Dan gets rolled up for the pin. Cheeseburger is in at #41 and they slug it out. A superkick is blocked and Cheeseburger gets pulled into a Figure Four for the tap.

Jack Cartwheel is in at #42 and they trade cartwheels until Cartwheel cartwheels away. A Death Valley Driver sets up a shooting star press to raised knees. Cartwheel is knocked out and Tommy Invincible is in at #43. They take turns grappling and neither can get very far as Harlan Abbott is in at #44. Abbott and Invincible slug it out until Abbott shifts over to the Man. A Jay Driller plants Man and Manny Lemons is in at #45.

Abbott and Lemons knock each other down and it’s GCW World Champion Effy in at #46. Effy fires off some running shots into the corner to all three (save for Invincible, still on the floor) and knocks Lemons out. Abbott hits a Jay Driller on Effy but gets reversed into a rollup for the pin. Invincible is back in but the Man hits Effy low and tosses him out. Invincible plants the Man though and gets the pin, leaving him alone for a bit. JGeorge (he makes movies) and Lady Killjoy are in at #47, with Invincible taking him down for a YOU CAN’T HURT ME Five Knuckle Shuffle.

Megan Bayne is in at #48 and gives JGeorge Fate’s Descent onto Killjoy for the double pin. Invincible gets back inside and Bayne hits Fate’s Descent to get rid of him. Frankie B is in at #49 and another Fate’s Descent is good for another elimination. Brittnie Brooks is in at #50 and avoids a splash in the corner. Not that it matters as Bayne hits a tombstone for the elimination. Leina Kross, a tall powerhouse in her own right, is in at #51.

They forearm it out and trade running shots to the face, followed by an exchange of German suplexes. Sam Holloway is in at #52 and gives the two of them a double chokeslam. Bayne and Kross roll outside (not eliminated) and it’s 1 Called Manders in at #53. They slap it out and Holloway is clotheslined out without much trouble. Thomas Shire, Manders’ tag partner, is in at #54 so they hug before trading forearms. Shire manages to get him into a torture rack but Manders slips out and gets the elimination.

Action Mike Jackson (75 years old) is in at #55 and after a handshake, it’s Old School to Manders. Masha Slamovich is in at #56 and Jackson takes both her and Manders over at once. Manders tosses Jackson but Kross is back in to snap Slamovich with a German suplex. Back in and Slamovich kicks Kross out for the elimination and Alec Price is in at #57. Price hits a top rope seated senton on Manders and a tornado DDT to Slamovich. Paul London, now a lounge singer, is in at #58 and suplexes Price.

Starboy Charlie is in at #58 and goes mirror images with London. That’s broken up and the Bob Squad (about 6 people) are in at #59. Hold on though as some of them realize that one of the members isn’t from Atlanta, meaning they turn on each other. Two of them members get confused and dive over the top to eliminate themselves. Bobby Flacco, the team’s leader, is eliminated and Manders tosses the rest of the Squad and is left alone in the ring, with a bunch of people on the floor.

Man Like DeReiss is in at #60 and runs the ropes with Charlie while still rapping his entrance. He even eliminates Charlie with a big boot and stops for a staredown with Slamovich. Then DeReiss requests a Stinkface but makes the mistake of covering his face, allowing London to do it instead. DeReiss realizes what happens and goes to the floor, leaving Slamovich to toss London. Price gets back inside and they trade rollups for two each, only for Price to roll Slamovich up again for the pin.

Manders is back in and, after shrugging off a Blockbuster, lariats Price out. Bayne gets back in for a weird showdown and hits a running clothesline to get rid of Manders. DeReiss is back in and sends Bayne into the corner but Joey Janela is in at #61 to cut off a Stinkface. Bayne and Janela beat up DeReiss, including a Doomsday Device for two. Cue Chris Bey who says he isn’t in the match…but Brodie Lee Jr. (AEW’s Negative One) is in at #62 to complete the field.

Lee superkicks Bayne (in the arm) and poses a bit as we seem to be down to four. Bayne Falcon Arrows DeReiss for the elimination so Janela and Bayne go after Lee. Janela’s chair shot hits Bayne by mistake though and he accidentally eliminates her. Lee rolls Janela up for two but he pulls Janela into an ankle lock. That’s broken up and a Death Valley Driver gives Janela two. Lee nips up and hits a clothesline into a Stunner to eliminate Janela and win at 2:19:47.

Rating: B. This is the definition of “you’re not supposed to take this seriously” and that’s what happened. A 13 year old won the match, which also involved the Invisible Man going on a run, a pop trio singing and a stuffed baby being punted into the crowd. This match is not going to be for everyone, but if you want to just unwind and embrace the insanity/silliness that is professional wrestling, it doesn’t get much more fun than this right here.

Overall Rating: B-. As you can probably tell, the whole thing is about the Cluster and that was about as entertaining as it could have been. I had a good time with the show and it’s the perfect way to wrap up the big wrestling weekend. Just have fun, enjoy how insane it is, and go from there. It’s not for everyone, but I had a blast with a lot of this and I can imagine people getting together and wondering who could possibly be next.

Results
Gringo Loco won the Doug Gentry Memorial Scramble Cage Match
Brody Lee Jr. won the Cluster**** last eliminating Joey Janela

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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Nothing To Lose
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: MEET Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jordan Castle, Brian Zane

This is from Prestige Wrestling, a promotion from the Pacific northwest. I’m not sure what that is going to mean this time around but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen from the promotion before. Hopefully they can live up to the hype as I’m watching them based on that reputation. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow the promotion so I apologize in advance for any plot or character points I miss.

Lykos Gym vs. Sinner And Saint

Lykos II and Icarus start things off but all four come in for the staredown. With that broken up, Lykos II takes over on Williams and it’s quickly back to Icarus. An armdrag into an armbar takes Icarus down as Zane talks about his high school e-fed (I love independent wrestling). Lykos gets taken into the corner and dropped with a clothesline but he manages to get up top.

That means a roll over to Lykos II and the pace picks way up. A brainbuster gives Lykos II two but some rapid fire strikes to the face knock him down. Ode To The Fallen is broken up and it’s back to Lykos as everything breaks down. Lo Mein Pain gets two on Icarus but a double brainbuster is broken up. Lykos II is sent outside (and hard too) and it’s the Ode To The Fallen to give Williams the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C+. Perfectly watchable tag match here between two teams who have been around the independent scene for a good while. Sinner And Saint are getting a focus in TNA so they might be on their way somewhere. I’m not sure I get the appeal of Lykos Gym, but they are far from bad in the ring.

Arez/El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr./Galeno del Mal vs. Z-Brats

Lucha libre vs. Dragon Gate here. Arez and Shun Skywalker start things off with Arez spinning around to get some early near falls. An armdrag takes Skywalker down again and the other Z-Brats come in to hammer Arez down into the corner. Everything breaks down and Galeno and Wagner gets sent into each other and Skywalker gets to pose. Back up and Galeno and Wagner (who are apparently brothers) double team Ishin and a pair of splashes get two, with Skywalker making the save.

Wagner chops at Skywalker in the corner but he’s back with a sitout butterfly suplex for two. Back up and a double suplex gets two on Galeno but Arez is back in for a PK to Minoura. A step up Asai moonsault takes him out again but Ishin is there for a running flip dive. The much bigger Galeno hits his own dive before Ishin manages to suplex him back inside. Galeno is right back up with the Galeno Special to plant Ishin for the pin at 10:34.

Rating: B-. This week has featured quite a few matches similar to this one and that’s not a bad thing. These people know how to work well together and this was no exception. They mixed things up a bit here with some bigger guys and that helped a good bit. It’s another fast paced tag match with people getting to do their thing and it’s on the card over and over for a reason.

Jordan Cruz vs. Bodhi Young Prodigy

The smaller Bodhi tries to start fast but his high crossbody is pulled out of the air. Cruz knees him in the face in the corner and grabs a Falcon Arrow to drop Bodhi again. Quite the lariat turns Bodhi inside out but he comes back with a high crossbody. A Pele kick rocks Cruz and a pop up hurricanrana gives Bodhi two. Bodhi’s 450 is countered with a grab of the throat and a superplex into a Shining Wizard…gets two as Cruz pulls him up. No More Sorrow (a brainbuster onto the knee) finishes Bodhi at 4:54.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but there wasn’t supposed to be. Bodhi is literally named “Young Prodigy” so seeing him take that kind of a beating makes good sense. Cruz got to show off well enough here too, though it’s almost strange to see this kind of a match on such a featured show.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Adam Priest

Suzuki gets a heck of a reaction and Priest heads straight to the floor for some stalling. Back in and a kick to the leg has Priest in more trouble as the fans get in a MURDER GRANDPA chant. Priest’s chops just annoy Suzuki and he’s smart enough before Suzuki can retaliate. The stalling is on again but this time Suzuki follows him outside and it’s time to throw some chops.

Suzuki even puts him in front of a fan for a big chop and let’s have a chair. Apparently that’s a ringside chair so it doesn’t count as a DQ, at least according to commentary. Back in and Suzuki starts working on the hand before switching over to a half crab. That’s switched into a crossface but Priest gets up and goes after the leg.

A Figure Four has the leg in more trouble but Suzuki cranks on the ankle to make Priest go to the ropes, despite still having the hold on. That’s some amazing pain innovation. Back up and they strike it out with Suzuki getting even angrier. Suzuki knocks him down and does it again, with the fans thinking Priest’s time is limited. The sleeper into the Gotch style piledriver finishes for Suzuki at 12:28.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that Suzuki can still do well, as it was more a case of him being goofy/intimidating at the same time while using some smoke and mirrors to get through the match. Suzuki can’t move nearly as well as he did before and it’s smart to let him do something easier like this. The fans still love him so let him go do something a bit less than serious.

Post match Suzuki teases a piledriver on the referee but lets him escape.

Kevin Blackwood vs. Leon Slater

Man Like DeReiss is here with Slater. They go with the grappling to start until Blackwood grabs a headlock into a shoulder. Slater is back up with a running clothesline for a knockdown, with Blackwood nipping up. A bouncing kick to the face sends Blackwood to the floor and there’s the slingshot dive. Back up and a slingshot Fameasser over the middle rope has Blackwood in more trouble. Blackwood drops him onto the apron though and a knee to the ribs cuts him off again.

Slater’s rollup seems to annoy Blackwood, who drops him with a belly to back suplex. The abdominal stretch goes on the banged up ribs but Slater powers out and hits a leg lariat. Slater hits a running boot to the face for two so Blackwood German suplexes him down for the same. They go up top, where Slater gets shoved down but he avoids a dive. Slater hits a Blue Thunder Bomb, only to miss a 450. Another top rope double stomp is kicked out of the air but Slater’s Swanton 450 hits raised knees. Now Blackwood’s double stomp can finish at 12:21.

Rating: B. Blackwood has impressed me in the few matches I’ve seen him in and that’s a cool thing to see. He wrestles an intense style and Slater’s high flying fits in well with him. I’ve liked Slater during his time in TNA and hopefully he gets a chance to keep going, as that could take him a long way.

Evan Rivers/Tate Mayfairs/Vaughn Vertigo/Xia Brookside vs. Drexl/Jaiden/Amira/Matt Brannigan

Rivers and company have matching costumes….though I have no idea what they are. Jaiden strikes away at Vaughn to start before it’s off to Brookside vs. the rather odd Drexl. Mayfair comes in to chop away at Drexl, who rubs his nipples in appreciation. Brannigan comes in and gets taken into the wrong corner and it’s time for some wind up spanks. Brookside comes in and gets dropkicked down by Amira, sending her and her team outside for a huddle. Brannigan and company stop for a drink and everyone but Mayfairs do match pose.

Instead, Brannigan gets suplexed down so it’s time for CPR. Amira gets taken into the corner for a kick to the back of the head but manages a quick shot of her own. Jaiden comes in to clean house for all of five seconds before getting stomped down in the corner. Jaiden’s suplex gets him out of trouble and it’s Drexl coming in to clothesline and grab various things. Everything breaks down and most of the people head out to the floor. Amira gets caught in the Tree Of Woe for a coast to coast ax handle. That sets up Mayfairs’ moonsault for the pin at 11:56.

Rating: C+. This was little more than goofy fun with the heroic team getting to do their entertaining stuff and the villains cutting them off here and there. It was a good example of taking a bunch of people and letting them entertain the fans, which is going to work every time. If nothing else else, Brookside getting a bit more featured time is a nice bonus too.

We get a pretty basic highlight package on the promotion.

Michael Oku vs. El Phantasmo

Amira (not the one from the previous match) is here with Oku. Feeling out process to start and they take turns shaking Amira’s hand. Phantasmo shoulders him down and grabs a hurricanrana to send Oku outside. Some chops have Oku in more trouble and a whip into the corner has him in trouble back inside. Oku is sent outside, where his chop almost hits Amira by mistake.

Back in and Oku wins a slugout and grabs a tornado DDT for two. The top rope Lionsault misses though, leaving Phantasmo to hit a regular version for two more. Oku kicks him down though and now the top rope Lionsault can hit the leg, setting up the half crab. The rope is grabbed so Oku knocks him outside, setting up the Fosbury Flop. Phantasmo is able to catch him on top for a superplex and a cutthroat driver gets two. They trade big shots to the head until Phantasmo’s clothesline gets two. Oku’s backslide gets two so Phantasmo hits a Canadian Revolution II for the same. Thunder Kiss 86 finishes Oku at 13:30.

Rating: B-. Oku continues to grow on me and that’s nice to see after so long of being relatively indifferent to him. This was a good mixture of technical and high flying stuff, with Phantasmo looking rather smooth in the ring. You can see how talented these two are and they had a good match, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Respect is shown post match.

IInspiration vs. Kylie Rae/Nicole Matthews

This is the IInspiration’s first American independent match ever and the fans give them quite the reception. Matthews runs Lee over and mocks her dancing, only for Lee to do the exact same thing in a nice moment. Rae comes in and gets caught with a middle rope ax handle to the arm. It’s back to Matthews, who gets rolled up for a quick two. With Matthews on the floor, Rae gets caught with some running shots in the corner. Stereo kicks drop Rae again and it’s time for Matthews and Rae to leave.

The IInspiration isn’t having that and drag them back for the right hands in the corner. Matthews gets in a shot to McKay’s knee though and it’s time to start the double teaming on the leg. Matthews cranks on McKay’s leg but she sends Rae and Matthews into each other. It’s back to Lee to pick up the pace, including a tornado DDT for two. Everything breaks down and Matthews gets a half crab on McKay. Lee does the same thing to Rae and it’s a powerbomb/spinning faceplant combination to give Lee the pin at 10:54.

Rating: C+. This was the feel good match as having the IInspiration got to have their big moment as they have been away for a long time. They get to come in and beat some known names, which is a fine way to use them. I’m not sure I can imagine them being around long term, but it was perfectly fine for a one off appearance.

Prestige Wrestling World Title: Alan Angels vs. Calvin Tankman

Angels is defending and it’s No DQ so he jumps Tankman with a trashcan to start. They get inside for the opening bell and the much bigger Tankman fights back to take them out to the floor. An exchange of chairs to the back goes to Tankman, who knocks him around ringside and drops him onto the apron. The door is loaded up but Angels dropkicks it into Tankman’s face for the big crash.

Angels chokes away with a chain and puts a trashcan over Tankman’s head for a heck of a chair shot. Tankman drops him with a single forearm and Angels’ chair shot bounces off the rope and hits him in the head. Angels blocks a powerbomb though and hammers away with forearms to the back of the head.

The Rings Of Saturn with a chain has Tankman in more trouble but he powers out for two of his own. Tankman makes a door bridge, with a super sitout powerbomb putting Angels through them for two. With that not working, Tankman takes him up again but cue Jordan Cruz to powerbomb Tankman through the chairs. The Halo Strike (basically a Van Daminator) retains the title at 16:01.

Rating: B-. The ending felt like a big deal as Angels now has some muscle to help fight against the forces of good. Tankman is a big guy who can move and that makes for a good challenger for a smaller champion like Angels. The weapons stuff helped make the match feel special, as we hadn’t seen it throughout the show. Nice main event here with the surprise angle at the end.

Overall Rating: B-. This was about all you can ask for out of such a show, as they had good matches with some storyline changes taking place as well. It’s a perfectly watchable show with some familiar faces and a few names who are probably more local to Prestige. I had a good time with this one as it’s a perfectly acceptable show.

Results
Sinner And Saint b. Lykos Gym – Ode To The Fallen to Lykos
Arez/Galeno del Mal/El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. b. Z-Brats – Galeno Special to Ishin
Jordan Cruz b. Bodhi Young Prodigy – No More Sorrow
Minoru Suzuki b. Adam Priest – Gotch style piledriver
Kevin Blackwood b. Leon Slater – Double stomp
Evan Rivers/Tate Mayfairs/Vaughn Vertigo/Xia Brookside b. Drexl/Jaiden/Amira/Matt Brannigan – Moonsault to Amira
El Phantasmo b. Michael Oku – Thunder Kiss 86
IInspiration b. Kylie Rae/Nicole Matthews – Powerbomb/spinning faceplant combination to Rae
Alan Angels b. Calvin Tankman – Halo Strike

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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WrestlLiving Proof
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Ethan HD

This is from Defy Wrestling, a promotion based out of the Pacific northwest. The promotion has been around for a long time and I’ve liked most of their stuff that I’ve seen over the years. This show is likely going to include the usual array of guest stars that you see in Wrestlemania Week so that should be a nice bonus. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow the promotion so I apologize in advance for any plot or character points I miss.

Some women, possibly Vert Vixen and Rhio, get in a fight backstage.

Bollywood Boyz/Galeno del Mal vs. C4/Negro Casas

The Boyz and C4 (Cody Chhun and Guillermo Rosas) have been feuding for a good while now. The bell rings and we pause for a Bollywood dance off, because, well, that’s what the Bollywood Boyz (Harv and Gurv) do. We settle down to Harv small packaging Chhun for two before handing it off to Gurv. The bigger Rosas comes in to run Gurv over with a shoulder and a double dropkick sends Harv outside. Casas (65 years old) comes in to chop away at the far bigger del Mal, who drops him with a single chop.

We settle back down to Rosas working on Gurv’s arm and it’s back to Casas for some chops of his own. Del Mal comes in and Rosas gets crushed in the corner with some splashes. The Bollywood Blast hits Rosas and it’s back to del Mal for a very big running splash. Harv’s chinlock is broken up with a chinlock and it’s back to Chhun to clean house. A double suplex drops del Mal but the Boyz are back in with stereo Sharpshooters to C4. Casas breaks those up and, along with C4, grab stereo la majistrals for a triple pin at 10:09.

Rating: C+. This was right out of the modern six man tag playbook and that only made for such an interesting match. It was a bunch of people running in and doing various spots until the ending. What we got wasn’t bad and the fans were into the dancing at the beginning, but this never got to a very high level.

Here is Ravenous Randy Myers (the Weirdo Hero) for a surprise chat, though he does kiss some fans on the way in. He welcomes the darling fans to the 11am show and says we should make some magic. Myers parades around the ring a bit and here is Evan Rivers to go after him. Myers fights back and chases him through the crowd.

Amira/Vert Vixen/Viva Van vs. Liiza Hall/Nicole Matthews/Rhio

Vixen and Rhio start things off but Hall tags herself in to make us wait for what seems to be the big fight. They fight over wrist control and get nowhere until Vixen takes her down for an elbow to the back. Van comes in for a double basement dropkick for two on Hall, who pulls her down to work on the arm for a bit. Rhio comes in to trade rollups for two each with Van, who comes back with a spinwheel kick.

It’s off to Amira, who charges into a raised boot in the corner, allowing Matthews to come in. A quick armdrag takes Matthews down but she’s right back with a quickly broken rear naked choke. They trade kicks from the mat with Matthews getting the better of things, meaning it’s off to Hall for some kicks to the back. A double knockdown keeps Amira in trouble but she counter’s Hall’s kick to the head into a powerbomb for a needed breather.

Now we get the big showdown between Vixen and Rhio with an exchange of kicks to the head. The fight gets intense enough that Amira and Matthews come in to try and pull them back to the corners. Instead everything breaks down, with Vixen and Rhio slugging it out on the floor. They fight into the crowd, leaving Hall to suplex Van. Amira gets taken up to and crashes back down off a spider suplex. Van and Matthews kind of fall out of the corner (not sure what they were trying there) before Van hits an Ocean Cyclone suplex (ah that’s what they were trying) for the pin on Matthews at 14:07.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one as they made Rhio vs. Vixen feel like a showdown between people who wanted to hurt each other. That’s what it needed to be and it made for a good match. The other four were doing their thing as well and I got into a match between people I don’t particularly know. I’ll call that a good sign, as you should be able to tell that kind of a story.

Michael Oku vs. Evil

Amira (not the one from the previous match) is here with Oku. Of note: during the entrances we get a graphic for upcoming events, including the one we’re currently watching. Evil goes for a cheap shot off the handshake to start (because of course) and grabs a headlock. Oku sends him to the floor for a suicide dive though, only for Evil to be ready for the Fosbury Flop.

It’s already time to choke with the tag rope (and Evil even ripped it off to be extra ev…well you get the idea) and Evil gets some near falls. A rake to the eyes has Oku in more trouble but he comes back with a quick middle rope dropkick. Oku plants him down for some near falls but it’s way too early for the half crab. Evil throws the referee at Oku and gets in a low blow, setting up a suplex neckbreaker (with an assist from the referee) for two.

Amira won’t let Evil bring in a chair though and Oku sends him to the floor for the flip dive. Back in and a frog splash high crossbody gets two on Evil and the half crab goes on. That’s broken up rather quickly and another low blow sets up a fisherman’s suplex for two on Oku. Back up and Oku’s running knee sets up a spinning frog splash for two more. Another frog splash hits raised knees though and Evil hits a hard clothesline for his own near fall. A fireman’s carry into a sitout powerbomb gets two more on Oku, followed by Everything Is Evil (STO) for the clean pin at 10:10.

Rating: B-. Oku has changed just enough of his style that I’m liking him a bit more and it’s nice to see someone with his skills in the ring. On the other hand you have Evil, who isn’t exactly worth seeing most of the time. I was a bit surprised to see Evil get a clean win as Oku is a fairly big star, though I guess he isn’t annoying New Japan stable big.

Post match Evil puts on a Scorpion Deathlock, with Amira helping the referee to break it up.

Tag Team Titles: Lykos Gym vs. Susumu Yokosuka/Hyo vs. Sinner And Saint

Sinner And Saint, with Evan Rivers, are defending. We pause for Hyo, who seems to be a male stripper, to get money stuck into his gear. Hyo and Kid Lykos II (partner of Kid Lykos) with Hyo missing a dropkick, allowing Lykos to grab a quick rollup for two. Icarus (Sinner) comes in and gets caught with a basement dropkick but Williams (Saint) cuts off a whip into the corner.

Lykos comes in to take over on Williams and a double back elbow sets up a basement dropkick for two. Williams is back up to take over on Lykos II’s arm and it’s back to Icarus for a clothesline. Lykos II gets in a shot of his own though and it’s off to Hyo and a double stomp to Williams. Rivers gets on the apron for a cheap shot so here is Randy Myers to get some revenge from earlier and chase Rivers into the crowd.

Yokosuka remembers that he’s in the match but can’t get a powerbomb on Icarus. Instead Icarus is sent into the corner but it’s Lykos II getting suplexed down. Hyo takes down the suspenders and hits a middle rope backsplash, with Sinner and Saint making the save. The Lykoses hit something like a Motor City Machine Guns Skull & Bones and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Williams sends Hyo into a low blow, setting up Ode To The Fallen (Angel’s Wings/kick to the head combination) to retain the titles at 11:07.

Rating: B-. It was a pretty wild match where they gave up on the tagging about halfway through. That’s what happens most of the time in matches like this and while it was still entertaining, it turned into a bunch of near falls and saves. Sinner And Saint still don’t do much for me, though it was certainly not a boring match.

Kenta vs. Mance Warner

Kenta is trying to get back to the top after losing the World Title and this is one of his big steps. They forearm and then slap it out before going outside for Kenta’s kicks to the chest. Kenta even steals a fan’s hat, though he is nice enough to give it back. Warner gets in a few shots of his own, only to get kicked in the face for his efforts. Commentary tries to pinpoint Bucksnort, Tennessee as Warner and Kenta go to the stage for a chair duel. Then they sit in the chairs and trade slaps, as wrestlers tend to do.

Warner gets the better of things and takes the chairs back to the ring, with Kenta joining them shortly thereafter. Kenta powerslams him through an open chair but Warner is back up with the running lariat for two. They trade shots to the head until Kenta grabs a Falcon Arrow, followed by a top rope double stomp for two. The GTS is broken up and Warner hits a rather hard chokeslam for two of his own. Back up and they trade forearms until Warner drops him with a right hand. That’s shrugged off though and a quick GTS finishes Warner at 13:11.

Rating: B-. This started good good and then slowed down a bit, with things thankfully not getting too far into the hardcore/violent stuff that Warner tends to do. Instead it was more of a straight fight and Kenta felt like he earned the win. This was a nice change of pace after having so many tag matches thus far.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Midnight Heat

Midnight Heat is Eddie Pearl/Ricky Gibson (not Robert Gibson’s former partner). For the sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to Robert Gibson as “Robert”, Ricky Gibson as “Ricky” and Ricky Morton as “Morton”. The fans really do not like Midnight Heat and Ricky makes it even worse, saying that the fans are here to see if the Express are still actually alive. They are for now, but this match hasn’t started yet. The Express has the chance to take their boots off and get out of here right now.

Morton mocks the Heat for taking so long to say anything. Yeah the Express is old but in their day, the Heat couldn’t beat either one of them. Morton thanks the fans for always being there for them and it’s time to get it on. Robert sends the Heat into each other to start and a double right hand sends them outside for a needed breather.

Back in and Morton hits a running knee lift to Pearl before taking him into the corner. Pearl manages to knock Morton into the corner and it’s off to Ricky for an assisted kick to the ribs. Morton avoids a charge in the corner though and Robert comes in (ignore that he was half in before the tag) as everything breaks down. Gibson hits Pearl by mistake and Morton busts out a Canadian Destroyer. Robert’s right hand of all things finishes Gibson at 7:34.

Rating: C. The thing to remember about the Express is that they aren’t going to be the fast paced stars like they were forty years ago. The point of having them around is getting to show off their charisma and the nostalgic, which is not a bad idea. That’s what they did here, and they still look good enough in the ring to get by. They’re a fun team and it was nice to see that they still have enough of it to be entertaining.

Defy World Title: Clark Connors vs. El Phantasmo vs. Man Like DeReiss

Connors is defending and DeReiss raps his way to the ring, as is his custom. The challengers yell at each other to start so Connors flips both of them off and bails to the floor. Back in and Connors stomps away on DeReiss but Phantasmo is back up to hammer on Connors in the corner. Phantasmo bends Connors’ finger back but the long form Old School is broken up.

Instead Connors is knocked out to the floor, where DeReiss gets beaten up too. Connors teases chopping a fan who is sitting on Phantasmo’s lap but then just pokes Phantasmo in the eyes instead. Back in and Connors grabs a chinlock on Phantasmo but DeReiss comes off the top with a Blockbuster to take Connors down. The Tower Of Doom brings DeReiss crashing down and Connors gets two each.

DeReiss and Phantasmo get sick of Connors and superkick him down before Phantasmo drops DeReiss with a forearm. Phantasmo misses a kick to the face and a cutter drops him for a change. DeReiss’ 450 connects but Connors comes back in to steal the near fall. Phantasmo is back with a superkick each and something like a Pedigree gets two on Connors. DeReiss tries another 450 but hits Connors’ raised knees. Connors hits a spear each and No Chaser (implant DDT) pins DeReiss to retain the title at 12:38.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if there was some kind of a personal issue here, but it never felt like they were really angry at each other. Maybe that’s not what they were going for, but it didn’t make for the most exciting match. All three of them did look good in the ring, though Connors is still relatively early in his title reign so having him keep the belt is a good move. Let him get a nice win and move on, which is what he pulled off here.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case with Defy that I’ve seen, this was a perfectly fine wrestling show without anything really standing out. The action was good and it felt like there was enough of a history that I got some of the points of the matches. While there will be better independent shows over the weekend, there are going to be far worse picks. Nice enough show here.

Results
C4/Negro Casas b. Bollywood Boyz/Galeno del Mal – Triple pin
Amira/Vert Vixen/Viva Van b. Liiza Hall/Nicole Matthews/Rhio – Ocean Cyclone suplex to Matthews
Evil b. Michael Oku – Everything Is Evil
Sinner And Saint b. Lykos Gym and Hyo/Susumu Yokosuka – Ode To The Fallen to Hyo
Kenta b. Mance Warner – GTS
Rock N Roll Express b. Midnight Heat – Right hand to Gibson
Clark Connors b. Man Like DeReiss and El Phantasmo – No Chaser to DeReiss

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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Progress Chapter 166: Freedom Walks Again
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: Penns Landing Caterers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jack Farmer

So this is the British Progress Wrestling promotion, which isn’t quite what it used to be but it’s still a big enough deal to warrant a Wrestlemania weekend spot. There are some familiar names around here but there will also likely be some guest stars, as tends to be the case over the weekend. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow Progress so I apologize in advance for any storylines or character points that I miss.

I was in attendance for this show, sitting in the fourth row with the entrance on my right.

Opening sequence, which doesn’t seem to be specific to this show.

Leon Slater vs. Cody Chhun vs. Simon Miller vs. Marcus Mathers vs. Gringo Loco vs. Lykos II vs. Tate Mayfairs

One fall to a finish. Hold on though as Mayfairs brags about his greatness on the way to the ring, saying that the fans only know what Dave Meltzer tells them about British wrestling. We get the usual “I’m awesome” speech, with the expected WHAT’s to make it even longer. Mayfairs gets inside and manages to drop everyone until Mathers (in old school Philadelphia Phillies gear) takes him down with a springboard high crossbody.

Loco counters Lykos’ running hurricanrana but Chhun is back in with a dropkick to put Lykos down. Slater clears the ring and hits a dive onto Chhun before Miller gets to clean house to quite the reaction. Back in and Mayfairs gets to clean house and pose again (he has a tendency to do that). Lykos gets sent outside but walks into a spear from Miller, who gets kicked down by Slater.

Loco catches Slater on top with a super Spanish Fly before side slamming Mayfairs for two. Lykos’ slingshot Code Red gets two and he slugs it out with Mathers. Slater is back in for the big running flip dive over the post before it’s time for a run of cutters. Slater’s Swanton 450 (that looks awesome) gets two but Lykos is back up with a running flip dive of his own. A brainbuster to Chhun gives Lykos the pin at 9:20.

Rating: B-. If you watch an independent show, especially around this weekend, you know you’re going to see something like this as it’s a guaranteed way to get a bunch of people into the ring at once. That doesn’t mean it’s high quality, but it’s often fun and that was the case again here. Lykos winning is fine, as it’s not like the result is what matters in something like this. Good, fast paced opener.

Atlas Title: Yoichi vs. Ricky Knight Jr.

Yoichi, on excursion from Pro Wrestling Noah, is challenging and this seems to be something like the Hoss Fight Title. They trade running shoulders to start with Yoichi getting the better of things until Knight sends him outside. There’s the big dive, followed by the rather hard chop back inside. A testicular claw and a belly to back suplex have Yoichi in trouble but he slams his way to freedom (which Walks Again).

Something like a Vader Bomb gets two but Knight Death Valley Drives him into the corner for the big crash. A hanging DDT gives Knight two but Yoichi slips out of a slam and nails a discus lariat for the double knockdown. They chop it out (Yoichi’s chest is red in a hurry) until Yoichi grabs a belly to belly for two. Knight is back with a Razor’s Edge toss for two, meaning frustration is setting in (fans: “YOU CAN’T BEAT HIM!/YES HE CAN!”).

Yoichi shoulders him down and goes up, only to dive into a cutter. A MuscleBuster gives Knight two and now he’s really stunned. Knight grabs an over the shoulder sitout Tombstone but Yoichi rolls into the corner in a smart move. Knight brainbusters him hard onto the apron and drops a 450 for two more and NOW the fans are into this as Yoichi keeps hanging on. Back up and Yoichi hits a hard clothesline for two but Knight staggers him with a superkick. Knight tries a springboard, only to dive into something like a high angle spinebuster to give Yoichi the pin and the title at 13:36.

Rating: B. This was pretty much as advertised, with two good sized guys beating the fire out of each other with one big shot after another. The fans got into the idea with Knight not being able to finish him, resulting in Knight trying one too many big moves. Yoichi could have done more to get the win in the end but they drew me into the story with people I don’t know so well done indeed.

Respect is shown post match.

Bussy vs. Session Moth Martina/Gene Munny

Bussy is Effy/Allie Katch, while Munny seems to think he’s a dog. That leaves you with Martina, who really, really, REALLY likes beer and comes out to Cascada’s Every Time We Touch. That would be a rather jazzy number (giving me high school flashbacks) and Bussy starts dancing in the ring as Martina takes a rather long time getting to the ring. Munny is not impressed as the dancing continues when Martina gets in as well.

Then Martina passes out, only to be woken up with a beer. Munny and Martina don’t get along before the bell and argue over who starts with Effy. They both try to get on the apron, then both try to get in, then do it again. Munny: “On the count of three, one of us is going to make an adult decision!” By the time he gets to two, Martina is in the ring and dancing with Effy as the bell rings.

Munny isn’t having that and pulls Martina to the corner for the tag before headlocking a still dancing Effy. We pause for Effy to drop to his knees in front of Mummy with quite the look on his face. Munny: “SIR! I am flattered! But I am a married man!” Instead Munny pulls the bandanna down over Effy’s face and tries a low blow but gets blocked (the HI-YAH didn’t help).

Instead, Munny settles for two off a Regal roll into a falling splash and it’s off to Martina. Munny and Martina agree to use “TAG TEAM MANEUVERS”….but can’t decide on which one to use, with one trying a Russian legsweep and the other a suplex. Effy tells them to focus so they hit him in the face but still can’t figure it out. Allie comes in and does a mirror bit with Martina before they both grab beers for a drink.

They toast and ask “DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS???” before Munny tags himself in. That isn’t going to work for Allie….who decides that this is now Allie/Martina vs. Effy/Munny. Effy doesn’t approve of the attempted Bronco Buster and even calls her Allison, which is enough to set up a double hip attack to Munny as the original partnerships are back. A double hip thrust and a seated senton gets two on Munny before Effy sits on his arm to give us a focus.

Bussy takes over on said arm as Martina has strolled over to the bar. Martina is sitting with the fans and cheering as Effy slams Munny down. Munny manages to go up and dives onto both of them, much to Martina’s disturbance. Martina gets back on the apron for the tag, is rather fired up…and falls flat on her face as she gets in. Bussy stomps away again and Allie adds a running Cannonball for two. Martina is back with a Codebreaker into a tornado DDT and the tag brings Munny back in to take over.

There’s a double spear to drop Bussy but we pause for Munny to twist Effy’s nipples. Martina is back in and NOW the “TAG TEAM MANEUVERS” work far better, with the double Russian legsweep setting up Martina’s Bronco Buster on Effy. Munny goes coast to coast for a low headbutt to Effy in the corner but walks into an accidental middle rope Codebreaker from Martina. Effy hits a Rough Ryder on Martina and a top rope Hart Attack (with another Rough Ryder) finishes Munny at 11:34.

Rating: B. As you might have guessed, this absolutely was not about the quality, but rather the pure entertainment value. In short, this match was FUN with Munny and Marina being hilarious together and Bussy more than holding up their end. They weren’t trying to do anything remotely serious here and it wound up being one of the most entertaining matches I’ve ever seen in person. Heck of a fun match here.

Danhausen makes a random cameo to celebrate with Bussy.

Spike Trivet vs. Luke Jacobs

Trivet (pronounced Trivay) is a former World Champion and was the top heel for a long time. Jacobs on the other hand is just a straight powerhouse. Trivet takes him up against the ropes to start and hits a headbutt, only to be dropped with a heck of a running shoulder. They trade chops in the corner until Jacobs is low bridged to the apron and Codebreakered to the floor.

Back in and Trivet starts in on the hand/arm but Jacobs fights up and hits a Rock Bottom out of the corner for a breather. A suplex into a brainbuster gets two on Trivet, who is right back with a middle rope Codebreaker for two. Jacobs catches him on top for a superplex and a sitout powerbomb gives Jacobs two of his own. They slug it out until Trivet suplexes him into the corner. A double stomp gets two on Jacobs, who is right back with a heck of a lariat for two. The Drill Claw finishes Trivet at 10:33.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t bad, but it was pretty easily the weakest on the show so far. Trivet is a rather generic looking heel and Jacobs is a run of the mill power guy. What we got was good enough, but I didn’t find this overly interesting during the show and that was still the case watching it back.

Women’s Title: Rhio vs. Lana Austin

Austin, the former champion who is described as annoying, is challenging. They fight over a lockup to start and that gets them absolutely nowhere. Austin stops to flip her off, earning a shotgun dropkick into the corner. Rhio sends her outside and hits a suicide dive, only to have Austin suplex her on the floor. Hold on though as Austin needs a microphone for “Lana-oke”.

This involves talking/singing (badly) as she beats on Rhio, who blocks a kick to send Austin face first into the mat. Austin is back up with a dropkick for two and there’s a suplex into the corner for the same. The trash talk takes too long for Austin, allowing Rhio to superkick her down for two. The package piledriver is blocked though and Austin sends her face first into the buckle for the big crash.

A hurricanrana attempt is countered into a powerbomb to give Austin two more and Rhio rolls to the apron. That works rather well as she comes back with a springboard Stunner but Austin blasts her with a discus forearm. What looks to be a powerbomb is countered into an Air Raid Crash but Austin grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes, only to get caught. The arguing with the referee lets Rhio come back with a package piledriver to retain at 13:51.

Rating: C+. They were trading moves and you could get an easy sense of the idea here (the talented champion against the more showy challenger) but it never quite hit that next gear. Rhio is someone who could be a pretty intriguing prospect with some more coaching due to her natural athleticism, but she’ll need more time against better opponents. Nice match, though like the previous one, it wasn’t exactly must see.

Tag Team Titles: Cheeky Little Buggers vs. Sanity vs. Sunshine Machine

The Buggers (Alexxis Ferguson/Charles Crowley) are defending against Sanity (Axel Tischer/Big Damo) and Sunshine Machine (Chuck Mambo/TK Cooper). Ferguson takes Mambo down with a top wristlock to start…but Mambo says “RING RING!” He holds his hand up to Ferguson’s ear, where she says “Hello.” Mambo: “IT’S A WRISTLOCK!” Ferguson then tries the same thing but Mambo sends her into the corner and rolls her up for two.

Crowley comes in for a small package, followed by a springboard Downward Spiral for two more. It’s off to Cooper, but hold on because Crowley asks if we want to see a magic trick. He reaches into a hat (because he has a hat, complete with horns) but finds nothing inside. Instead he reaches into the back of Ferguson’s tights (oh dear) and finds….a fist, which he uses to punch Cooper.

Back up and Cooper gets two off a dropkick before Mambo comes back in for some stereo knees to the arms. Crowley manages to get over to the monster Damo though and house is quickly cleaned, including a double fall away slam to Sunshine Machine. Axel comes in for a release suplex to Cooper, who manages to send Sanity into each other for a breather. Mambo’s springboard wristdrag sets up a frog splash to give Cooper two but it’s Axel hitting a Backstabber to cut Mambo down.

Mambo kind of slips off the top to forearm Damo and it’s off to Ferguson, who gets caught in the Sanity corner (that’s not good). The neck crank goes on but Ferguson fights up and brings Crowley back in to pick the pace way up. A big flip dive to the floor takes out Sanity, leaving Ferguson to slug it out with Sunshine Machine. That doesn’t go so well as it’s a double headbutt to put Ferguson down, followed by a double suplex for two.

Cooper dives onto the pile at ringside and Mambo’s frog splash to the back gets two on Ferguson. Axel is back in to clear out Sunshine Machine and snap Ferguson’s finger. Ferguson manages a spinning suplex to Damo and Crowley adds a top rope backsplash. Cooper gets tossed into a sitout powerbomb from Ferguson as even commentary thinks there is too much going on at the moment.

Ferguson gets sent into the corner so Crowley tries to make a save, only to get kicked in the face a few times. The Death Valley Driver onto the apron plants Crowley again but Sunshine Machine is back in to take out Sanity. Cooper’s shooting star press gets two on Damo but he tosses Mambo into a German suplex from Axel. A powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Copper is enough to give Axel the pin and the titles at 18:52.

Rating: B-. The match was definitely entertaining due to the pure insanity, but there was so much going on and the last ten minutes or so were spent on one big wild brawl. There was too much going on to really have a good match, which tends to be the case with this many people involved. Sanity did feel like the bigger stars here though and it’s nice to see them winning the titles, as they were the best option.

Progress World Title: Man Like Dereiss vs. Kid Lykos

Lykos, with Lykos II, is defending and Dereiss raps himself to the ring, as tends to be his custom. They stare at each other for a bit as the fans are rather divided. We get a handshake and they lock up over a minute in, with Dereiss backing him up against the ropes. A shoulder drops Lykos and we pause again as he takes a breather in the corner. Lykos is back up with a quickly broken Octopus hold before dropkicking Dereiss outside.

Back in and Dereiss snaps off some slams, followed by some dancing and a whip into the corner for two. More dancing and right hands give Dereiss two as commentary talks about social media. Lykos is back up with a kick to the head and some rolling suplexes to put Dereiss down for a change. The corkscrew shooting star press gives Lykos two but calling out the name of a brainbuster lets Dereiss shove him away.

A Michinoku Driver gives Dereiss two but Lykos rolls away before Dereiss can do something from the top. They knock each other down for a double breather before an exchange of rollups gets two each. Stereo nip ups lets Lykos try a victory roll but Dereiss puts him down and hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two more.

Back up and Lykos hits a superkick for two before the Octopus goes on again. Dereiss powers out and they’re both down for another breather. Lykos’ springboard flip dive is countered into a powerbomb, followed by another to set up Dereiss’ 450 for two more. Dereiss loads up another powerbomb but Lykos reverses into a suplex. A springboard Swanton retains the title at 17:07. Bocchini in something of a deadpan voice: “Lykos retains.”

Rating: B-. That dull reaction to the result sums up the match. The action itself was perfectly fine, but there didn’t seem to be a story to the match and they were just trading moves at the end. I’m not sure I get the appeal of Lykos either, as he was just kind of there for the most part. Maybe there is a better backstory to him, but if that is the case, I didn’t see it here.

Overall Rating: B. This show was starting red hot and then hit a wall hard about halfway through. You could feel the energy go out as it went from a fun show to a good show that was just kind of happening in front of you. If this was all about the first half, I’d watch every Progress show but the second half made it feel like pretty much every solid independent event you’ll find. It was one of the better shows I watched over the weekend, but it loses its steam fast.

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For The Culture 2024
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: Penns Landing Caterers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Big Swole, AC Mack

This has become a tradition from GCW over Wrestlemania Weekend and the shows tend to be pretty good more often than not. The show focuses on Black wrestlers and there is quite a bit of talent on the card. GCW can do rather well when they try and hopefully that is the case again here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Team Myron vs. Team Dolla

Myron: Myron Reed, Ruckus, Devon Monroe, Darian Bengston, Calvin Tankman
Dolla: AJ Francis, Isaiah Broner, Keita, Mr. Danger, Terry Yaki

Francis yells at Reed to start with Reed not being able to do the test of strength. Instead Reed hits him in the face but gets taken down with a single shoulder. Tankman comes in for the rather large lockup with Francis taking him into into the corner but missing the big chop. Back up and Tankman hits something like a Pounce to send Francis into the corner. It’s off to Monroe for a bouncing hurricanrana to send Broner outside.

Keita comes in and kicks Monroe into the corner for a suplex right back out of it. It’s off to Bengston to take Keita down by the arm but Danger comes in with a springboard moonsault. Francis cleans house and everything breaks down, as you probably expected it to do. We get back to back stereo dives to leave almost everyone down.

That leaves Francis to tease a dive, only to flip the fans off instead. Danger busts out a big springboard corkscrew moonsault and NOW Francis busts out the big dive. Back in and we get the parade of big knockdowns until a hanging F5 hits Broner, followed by a sitout powerbomb from Ruckus to give Reed…the pin (it wasn’t quite clear) at 11:48.

Rating: C+. The problem here is there were so many wrestlers in there at once that it was hard to keep track of what was going on. It doesn’t help that they had so much going all over the place, with no one really getting to stand out. Francis was the biggest name in the whole thing and was only featured part of the time. Fun enough match, but not exactly focused.

Thick N Juicy vs. Kings Of The District vs. Killionaires Club vs. The Mane Event

That would be Brooke Valentine/Faye Jackson vs. Eel O’Neal/Jordan Blade vs. J Boujii/PB Smooth vs. Duke Davis/Ganon Jones Jr. Hold on though as we need to see if Jackson will give Smooth (a 6’9 giant) a Stinkface. That won’t be happening so it’s Blade starting with Valentine instead. Blade snapmares her down for a dropkick to the back before it’s off to the test of strength.

That goes nowhere so they trade running shoulders to limited avail. A double knockdown gives us a double tag to O’Neal and Jackson, with O’Neal’s headlock not getting him anywhere. Jackson runs him over with a shoulder and sits on his chest for two and O’Neal, dubbed Bad Brain, goes into the wrong corner in a not so bright move. Thick N Juicy hit running hip attacks on the Kings, who seem to approve. Stereo Cannonballs crush the Kings again but the Club comes in to clear the ring.

We get the big Club vs. Event showdown, with Boujii not being able to do much against the rather large Duke. Almost everyone heads to the floor, allowing Jones to hit a big dive onto the pile. Back in and Blade manages a German suplex on Jones but the Kings Club clears the ring again. O’Neal strikes away at Jones to limited success. Jackson goes up (taking over a minute due to a bunch of slipping) and dives onto almost everyone else, setting up a Banzai Drop to pin O’Neal at 12:45.

Rating: C+. This was a bit easier to keep track of than the opener, though that might have been due to having four teams instead of two. There were some short form showdowns in there and that helped a bit, though again there is only so much you can get out of a match with eight people involved at once. Thick N Juicy were the focal point here, which is impressive given a giant like Smooth being involved.

Man Like DeReiss vs. Sonny Kiss

Kiss grabs the wristlock to start and flips around to start to slip away. Some hip shaking has DeReiss out on the floor but he comes back in for some dancing of his own. Back in and Kiss does Naomi’s headscissors to ram him into the back of the trunks, only for DeReiss to hit a hard shoulder.

DeReiss works on the arm until Kiss flips out of a belly to back suplex and strikes away. A German suplex and a hard clothesline give DeReiss two and they trade rollups for two each. Natural Selection gives Kiss two but DeReiss is back with a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Kiss gets up and manages a gorilla press (that’s impressive) into a torture rack Stunner for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C. While it was rather nice to have a singles match and both of them have a good bit of charisma, the action was nothing special. It was mainly a power vs. speed match, though Kiss’ gorilla press at the end was quite the surprise. Perfectly fine match, but nothing that stood out much for what is supposed to be a special show.

Janai Kai vs. Jada Stone vs. Joseline Navarro vs. Maya World vs. Mazzerati vs. Tiara James

Elimination rules…or not actually as the ring announcer says there is a change of plans, making this one fall to a finish. It’s a brawl to start with Maya, Mazzerati and Stone hitting stereo dropkicks to the floor. Maya and Mazzerati hit dives, followed by Stone’s corkscrew moonsault onto the pile.

Back in and Stone strikes away on Maya until a German suplex drops Stone for two. Mazzerati comes in and gets kicked in the head and hits a sliding clothesline to the back of the head. Navarro avoids a charge in the corner and hits a basement DDT to put Mazzerati down. James comes back in and gets kicked in the face but catches a returning Kai with a gutbuster.

Everyone gets together for a suplex attempt, with Mazzerati, Maya and Stone managing to get the others over. Mazzerati goes for covers on a bunch of people but can’t get anywhere. Well she can get to two but that’s it. Everyone is back up Mazzerati hits a hurricanrana to send Kai into everyone else. We hit the parade of suplexes and throws until Navarro hits a running crossbody in the corner to pin Mazzerati at 10:32.

Rating: C+. Much like the first two matches, there was so much going on here with so many people that you can only get so much out of it. No one had a chance to stand out and it felt like who managed to get a pin first rather than whoever won. That’s the problem with these scramble matches and it was on full display again here.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Jah-C

They shake hands to start and fight over arm control, with Jah-C powering out of a top wristlock. We get a standoff, allowing Jah-C to yell at a woman in the crowd, which seems to be a bit of an overreaction. They go to the mat with Scorpio grabbing a front facelock, which is reversed into an armbar. Jah-C takes him down and seems to tell Scorpio to bring it, which works for him. An armdrag puts Jah-C down before Scorpio lures him into a fake handshake.

Scorpio kicks him down and grabs the chinlock, which doesn’t last long. They slug it out until Scorpio leverages him outside without too much effort. Back in and Scorpio kicks him down, setting up a springboard moonsault for two. Jah-C rakes the eyes though and hits his own springboard moonsault for his own two. Scorpio drops him and busts out the Tumbleweed for another near fall but Jah-C kicks him down again. A Lionsault gives Jah-C and a superkick finishes Scorpio off at 10:43, with Scorpio kicking out at 3.1 in a bit of a weird look.

Rating: C+. I’m always going to be interested in seeing Scorpio as I’ve been a fan for over thirty years. The guy has such a natural charisma and while he can’t quite go like he used to (as he’s 58), he still has enough ability to put on a good match. I’m curious about that ending though, as it definitely did not seem to go as it was supposed to.

Post match Scorpio gets to dance a bit.

Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Title: Suge D vs. Alex Kane

Kane is challenging and has Faye Jackson with him. The much bigger Kane blocks a whip into the ropes to start and Suge realizes he needs to do something else. Suge hits about ten straight running shoulders but can’t get anywhere, so he stomps on the foot and then runs Kane over. Back up and Kane shrugs off a shot to the face and grabs a German suplex. Kane fires off some knees to the head but Suge is back with a facebuster for two.

That just annoys Kane again as he ties Suge in the ropes for a running boot to the face and two of his own. Some rolling German suplexes set up a t-bone suplex to send Suge into the corner but Suge talks trash as he comes out. Some running clotheslines and forearms stagger Kane and Suge grabs his own German suplex. They trade more suplexes until Suge gets two but Kane is back up with a Crash Landing. A spear gives Kane two but Suge hits his own, setting up a piledriver to retain at 12:07.

Rating: C+. Suge seems to be more of the scrappy brawler while Kane is there to throw suplexes. It turned into a hard hitting fight and that helped a good bit, making it perhaps the best match on the show so far. Kane is a bigger deal in MLW so he has some status here, which made him feel like a stronger threat to take the title. Nice match here.

Darius Carter vs. Billy Dixon

Darius Lockhart is the guest referee. Commentary says this is five years in the making though doesn’t exactly explain how we got here. Carter shoves him to start and gets pummeled out to the floor, where Carter manages a quick posting. Back in and Dixon kicks away, setting up a middle rope elbow to the face for one. Carter’s dropkick puts Dixon down again though and the pace slows a lot.

Carter starts going after the leg and grabs a Hartbreaker, despite Lockhart’s protests. The Figure Four goes on back inside but Dixon makes the ropes in a hurry. That’s fine with Carter, who takes it to the apron for a piledriver, which is countered into a backdrop. Back in and Carter starts in on the finger so he can stomp away in the corner. For some reason Lockhart helps Dixon up and tells him to fight back, which is exactly what Dixon does. The comeback doesn’t last long as Carter knocks him outside but Dixon beats the count.

Carter hammers away at the forehead but Dixon runs him over with a shoulder. Dixon sits up ala Undertaker and gets two off a middle rope Thesz press. Another shot drops Dixon but Carter stops to yell at Lockhart, allowing Dixon to grab a Pedigree for two. Carter picks the leg again though and we hit the Figure Four again. Dixon fights up but gets his fingers snapped to put him back down…and he passes out for the pin at 19:14.

Rating: C. This is a match where commentary really hurt things, as it felt like it was supposed to be this big grudge match and we were never given any reason why. Was there some significance to the Figure Four? Or why do Lockhart and Carter not like each other? This was the main event and something treated as bigger than the rest of the show but you would never guess it based on most of the presentation.

Overall Rating: C-. For The Culture has been hit and miss over the years and this was on the latter side. The biggest problem here was a focus on quantity over quality, with three of the seven matches being multi-person messes in one form or another. The main event, while not bad, didn’t feel overly important and that hurt things even more. On top of that, the show didn’t start until around midnight so the main event was starting around 2:30 in the morning. Overall, this wasn’t a great show and it needed to be laid out a good bit better to really improve.

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