WrestleFest XV
Date: January 15, 2011
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Attendance: 1,700
Commentator: Jerry Strauss
Hosts: Jerry Strauss, Reby Sky

This is from Northeast Wrestling and is the latest in the long line of shows I picked up from the big Highspots sale. I’ve looked at Northeast Wrestling before and they have been around for a very long time now, so it could be interesting to see what they had a pretty long time ago. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind that I am coming into this blind so I apologize in advance for not knowing anything about characters or plot points coming in.

Our hosts welcome us to the show and run down the card before throwing us backstage for an interview.

Romeo Roselli (formerly of the Heartthrobs/breakers) and Max Bauer interrupt an interview and promise to take out Sgt. Slaughter, Private Jeff Star and….a local DJ named Boris?

We’re still in the pre-show so we go to the fan meet and greet for some promos from various people on the card.

Brian Anthony is ready to find Hurricane Helms’ Kryptonite and prove that he is the only lime green superhero the northeast needs.

Roxxi (better known as Roxxi Levoux in TNA) is ready for Mia Yim and can’t wait to show what she can do. Since talking doesn’t seem to be Roxxi’s strong suit, here is Yim to mock her a bit. This was really not good.

Hurricane Helms vs. Brian Anthony

Thankfully Hurricane doesn’t have that weird Hurribelt with him. The fans are behind Hurricane and Anthony isn’t sure about that. Hurricane grabs an armdrag but gets punched in the face coming out of the corner. A shoulder drops Hurricane but he’s right back up with the superhero pose for quite the reaction. The threat of a chokeslam sends Anthony bailing to the floor, only to have him come back in for Hurricane’s leg lariat.

Anthony is sent outside for the slingshot dive but he knocks Hurricane out of the air back inside. Hurricane gets sent hard into the corner and we’re off to the chinlock. With that broken up, Anthony hits a running knee for two and they’re back to the floor. This time it’s Hurricane chopping away against the ropes, only to have Anthony come back with a hard clothesline inside.

The nerve hold doesn’t last long as Hurricane starts the comeback, including something like a reverse Unprettier for two. Hurricane’s Shining Wizard is countered into a spinebuster for two more. The moonsault misses for Anthony though and it’s a chokeslam to give Hurricane the pin at 9:27.

Rating: C+. That’s a good choice for an opener as Hurricane has enough star power to feel like a big deal but he can also wrestle a completely fine match. Anthony is someone I’ve seen before and he continues to show talent, even much earlier in his career. This worked just fine as a way to start the show and it wound up being a rather nice mix for the situation.

Sabu vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Vik Dalishus vs. Ryan McBride vs. Hale Collins

Ladder match (of course) for a title shot later tonight. The fans want tables before anyone even comes out so you might know what you’re in for here. Everyone but Sabu goes outside to start so Sabu hits a baseball slide to start the fighting on the floor. Sabu punches Ciampa as Collins and McBride fight inside. Dalishus and Collins, collectively known as the Now, take out McBride with a Smoking Gunns Sidewinder but Ciampa makes the save.

Ciampa hits the running knee to Collins as we hear about Sabu’s ECW days. Everyone gets back inside and Collins’ Air Sabu only hits ladder instead of McBride. Sabu gets back up to beat on Dalishus with a chair as McBride drops Collins HARD onto the ladder. Another ladder is brought in and Collins drops an elbow onto the ladder onto McBride. It’s Sabu coming in for the save but getting powerbombed off the ladder.

This time McBride comes up for a safe of his own but Ciampa pulls him off the ladder into the yet to be named Project Ciampa. Dalishus hits a big springboard moonsault to the floor to take out McBride as the greedy fans want tables. The Now gets together to throw things at Ciampa but Sabu one ups them by pelting some chairs. An Arabian Facebuster through a table knocks Dalishus silly but Collins cuts off a climbing Ciampa.

The Now loads up the ladder but Ciampa comes back with a rope to hang Dalishus. A big ladder is set up on the floor and Collins uses it to elbow McBride through a table. Ciampa moonsaults off the top onto Sabu and Dalishus to put everyone down. Collins and Ciampa go up but Dalishus pulls Ciampa down, allowing Collins to win at 13:50.

Rating: B-. You had five people, they did a bunch of flips and dives, then one of them won the match. There is only so much that you are going to be able to get out of a match like this and we hit it pretty firmly. Collins didn’t really get to show off or anything, but he can do that later on tonight in his title match. Sabu was the star power here and was just kind of here being Sabu without going too far in any way. So yeah: indy ladder match with one then famous name.

Post match NEW Champion Matt Taven comes out to hold up the belt for the showdown.

Here is MVP, in the show’s main event, for a chat. MVP hits the catchphrases and says this is his first post-WWE show. He asked for his release from WWE and that gets a PG SUCKS chant. MVP says PG does suck but what matters is that there are some talented professional wrestlers in that locker room. Tonight he is here to face Matt Hardy, so how many people remember their feud from Smackdown?

Love him or hate him, Matt is talented and won quite a few titles. One of them was the WWE Tag Team Titles with MVP, who carried him to the gold. They have fought all over the world and tonight it is about respect, but there is no WWE telling them what to do. Instead, they’ll be doing it themselves as they do best, and MVP will be balling. MVP felt like a star here and that is what he should be on this show.

Roxxi vs. Mia Yim

Yim comes out swinging but gets dropkicked down for a quick two. A crossbody (which looked like a botched cartwheel) misses for Roxxi though and Yim slows it down with the clubbing forearms. The front facelock and a pull of the hair put Roxxi down and a kick to the back gives Yim two. Back up and Roxxi gets a boot up in the corner, setting up the exchange of forearms. A fall away slam gives Roxxi her own two but Yim kicks her in the face (simple yet effective) for two. Roxxi gets in another shot of her own though and the Voodoo Drop (arm trap suplex drop, which wasn’t a great finisher) puts Yim away at 4:17.

Rating: D+. This was a strange time for women’s wrestling as there was a level far ahead of the Divas, but this one came off like “hey we have a women’s match”. Yim and Roxxi are talented, but they only got to do so much here. It was a short match and mainly trading strikes, which left it pretty low on the scale.

Sgt. Slaughter/Private Starr vs. Romeo Roselli/Max Bauer

Kurt Adonis is here with Roselli and Bauer and is ready to deal with local DJ Boris, who is nowhere to be seen. Before the match, Roselli mocks the crowd and brags about his abs. They certainly aren’t worried about the Cobra Clutch either, as Adonis has given the Clutch evading lessons. The fans do seem to like Slaughter so the star power is still strong. Slaughter brags about Starr’s “gun rack” and we’re ready to go. Starr (whose first name is Jeff, not Private) is after after a rather long time away due to an injury so the fans are rather happy to see him.

Roselli and Starr, apparently old rivals start, with the fans chanting USA, presumably for Starr. Roselli: “I’M FROM THE USA TOO!!!” I never got that logic from the fans so it’s nice for Roselli have the same line of thinking. Feeling out process to start until Roselli elbows him in the face. Back up and Starr hits a dropkick before handing it off to Slaughter to work on the arm. By that I mean a few arm cranks before it’s back to Starr less than fifteen seconds later.

A slugout goes to Roselli but Slaughter is back with a left arm clothesline. It’s too early for the Cobra Clutch though and Bauer comes in to choke Slaughter in the corner. Adonis gets in a cheap shot like a good evil manager should and we hit the chinlock. Bauer comes back in and elbows Slaughter, who is so out of it that he goes to the wrong corner for a tag.

It’s back to Roselli, who gets punched out of the air so Slaughter can bring Starr back in to clean house. A superkick drops Roselli but Bauer is back in to toss Starr outside. Cue Boris to go after Adonis as Roselli knocks Bauer down by mistake. The Cobra Clutch holds Roselli back as Starr Cannonballs Bauer for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C. This was a perfectly fine tag match with Slaughter adding the star (not Starr, but star) power to make it feel important. Starr looked good and felt like someone who could be a big deal in the promotion. Bauer felt like a heavy and while it’s weird seeing Roselli as what felt like a singles guy with a monster, he worked well as a heel. They didn’t reinvent the wheel here but what they did worked out just fine.

Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer

In a cage (which is maybe six and a half feet above the apron) and this is hyped up as old school/WWE vs. ECW. Thankfully commentary mentions that they had another fight last year at WrestleFest XIV, so this isn’t something entirely based on something from the original ECW.

Before the match, Lawler talks about how he has been asked for years if all of the wrestlers are really friends behind the scenes. It’s true that a lot of the wrestlers are friends, at least to an extent. That being said, it’s like any job: there are people you like and people you don’t like, but then there are people you just despise.

Above all of them is Terry Funk, who is the toughest guy Lawler has ever faced, but Lawler couldn’t warm up to him if they were cremated together. He doesn’t like the Miz and Michael Cole isn’t too far behind him, as Cole cost him the WWE Title. Then there is one guy who he can’t stand, and their problems started back when ECW invaded WWE.

Lawler was never an ECW fan and Dreamer was the one who caused the most of his problems. Tonight is the final battle between the two of them, and no it isn’t the last one until he gets a bigger payday. With that rather lengthy speech out of the way, we’re ready to go. If nothing else, hearing Man In The Box is always worth a smile.

Feeling out process to start with Lawler driving him into the corner for a quick standoff. They trade kicks to the ribs and stare at each other before locking up. Neither can send the other into the cage so they stare at each other again. Lawler takes over with rights and lefts before hitting a Stunner of all things.

Back up and Dreamer blocks a ram into the cage, meaning Lawler can go face first into it a few times instead. Dreamer opens the door and….shoves Lawler out, with the fight heading to the floor. A crutch shot to the back staggers Lawler but he comes back with a chair to drop Dreamer. They fight around the cage with Lawler being sent into the timekeeper’s table, only to come back up with a chair shot. The table is set up against the cage and Dreamer is sent face first but he does the same to Lawler to even it up.

They head back inside with Dreamer putting something between Lawler’s legs and smashing it with a kendo stick. Dreamer misses a dive though and Lawler chokes with the ring bell before having his fist drop hit a chair. A piledriver plants Lawler (apparently a callback to their previous match) but Lawler gets a foot on the rope.

As I shake my head at that working in a cage match, Lawler manages a few shots of his own and ties Dreamer to the cage with some cable. Some kendo shots knock Dreamer free so he grabs the stick and beats the heck out of Lawler. Dreamer picks up a chair but walks into a fireball for the pin at 16:00.

Rating: C+. They did a good job of building up the hatred and anger between the two of them, but I wasn’t wild on the trip outside or the weapons inside. One would think a cage match would be extreme and violent enough, but it felt more like they were trying to have an ECW match and a cage match at the same time. That only kind of worked, but these two have probably done something similar a hundred times (or probably ten times that in Lawler’s case) so they could likely do this in their sleep. And yes, they would wrestle again in this promotion the following year.

Medics check on Dreamer as Lawler celebrates.

Northeast Wrestling Title: Hale Collins vs. Matt Taven

Taven is defending and apparently the two of them are friends. We get the Big Match Intros and Collins is the hometown boy to make this even more interesting. Taven poses to start and the fans don’t seem thrilled with him. Collins poses as well and gets dropkicked, allowing Taven to start in on the heavily bandaged arm.

A DDT onto the arm has Collins in more trouble, with an arm snap across the rope making it worse. We hit the armbar but Collins grabs a rollup, only to get dropkicked right back down. Collins fights up and forearms with the good arm before managing to roll some suplexes. Taven is right back with a cross armbreaker and Collins is in trouble all over again.

The armbar goes on again but Collins fights up and hits a quick Fameasser. Collins’ superkick hits the referee so the second one that hits Taven gets no count. Taven gets up and kicks Collins low, setting up a flipping neckbreaker and a frog splash for….two from a second referee. They get back up and it’s Collins grabbing a small package for the pin and the title out of nowhere at 11:50.

Rating: C-. This is a good example of a match that makes sense on paper but isn’t that good in execution. Instead you have Taven working on the arm in various ways for most of the match before the shenanigansy ending. Collins winning the title in the end is a good way to go and a cool moment that makes the show feel special, even if it came after a pretty lame match.

And never mind as the original referee calls it a DQ and Taven retains. Well that was fun for about ten seconds. Taven leaves so Vik Dalishus and Collins beat up the referee. Collins even gets a pin counted by the first referee.

Matt Hardy vs. MVP

Hardy is looking a bit more muscular than usual. MVP grabs a headlock to start but Matt slips out and they fight over a lockup. A headlock takeover brings Matt down and they trade counters until Matt gets up. MVP grabs an armdrag but has to block a Side Effect. The Twist of Fate is countered as well and we’re at a standoff. They go to a lockup and roll outside without letting it go.

That doesn’t really go anywhere so it’s back inside for what looks to be a bit of miscommunication on a Side Effect attempt. Matt hits the middle rope elbow to the back of the head and we hit the chinlock. MVP powers up and grabs a fireman’s carry drop before kicking Hardy outside. After an exchange of ramming each other into things, MVP takes him back inside for the running boot in the corner and a near fall.

Ballin sets up the Play Of The Day for two and MVP is stunned at the kickout. Hardy fights back up and gets planted with a jumping Downward Spiral for two more. MVP rolls some German suplexes before going up, only to get slammed off the top for two. The Twist of Fate gets two more, meaning it’s frustration/shock time. Hardy tries another Twist but gets reversed into a backslide to give MVP the pin at 14:06.

Rating: B. Believe it or not, two talented, veteran wrestlers who have fought each other a hundred times can have a good match. This felt more polished than anything else on the show and it came off like a big time main event. Hardy and MVP might be a bit past their primes here but they’re names fans will know and they can still work very well with each other. This is exactly what I was expecting and in this case that isn’t a bad thing.

Post match Hardy congratulates MVP and says they’ll meet again down the road. For now though, they can get a beer and celebrate a great match.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a rather fun show and I’ll absolutely take that from an independent event. They had a nice mixture here with star power in the forms of the main event, the cage match and Slaughter, plus young up and comers with local stars mixed in. There were a few weak points throughout but even the worst wasn’t all that awful.

What mattered here was how organized and planned things felt. There was never a point where I was wondering what they were doing or why they were doing it and that is nice for a change. NEW is a company I’ve seen good things from over the years and that was true here too, so you might try the place out, as they seem to know what they are doing.

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

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

AND

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

Classic All Star Wrestling
Date: October 30, 2022
Host: Adam Parsons

I’ve been having more and more fun with this show every week for more than one reasons. One of the fun things about this show is trying to figure out what I’m actually watching, as some of the labeling isn’t exactly correct. That very well may be the situation again here and that makes for some fun times. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Parsons runs down the card.

From Memphis from some time in the 80s, possibly February 5, 1983.

Fabulous Ones/Bill Dundee/Dutch Mantell vs. Destroyers/Marauder/Invader

2/3 falls. Dundee slams Destroyer #1 down to start and then grabs a headlock takeover to put him down. Stan Lane comes in and snapmares #1 over as the pace picks up. Well as much as it is going to pick up in an eight man tag in Memphis. Steve Keirn slams #1 into the corner so Marauder can come in and get forearmed in the face. Er, mask. It’s back to Dundee for another slam and Invader comes in to punch him in the face. Er, fa…never mind. The eternally hairy Mantell comes in for all of three seconds before the Fabs hit a double clothesline to give Dundee the pin and the first fall at 2:48.

The second fall begins with Dundee stomping on the Marauder’s ribs as the dominance continues in full. Dundee even messes with Marauder’s mask so we pause for an adjustment before Lane comes in for a backbreaker. There’s a side suplex and Mantell comes in, only to have Dundee cut off an invading, uh, Invader.

Commentary says we have about a minute left as Dundee takes Marauder down with ease. Invader comes in and gets punched in the face over and over, allowing Keirn to come in for a jumping right hand. It’s back to Marauder so the Fabs can hit a hot shot for the fast pin and the two fall sweep at 6:16 total.

Rating: C-. This was a match where the idea was to get some stars in the ring and in front of a camera rather than anything competitive. As such, it was little more than target practice for the big names, which is what you would get in a lot of these matches. It was perfectly fine for what it was and it’s always cool to see some of these legends back when they were just the stars of the day for a change.

From Portland, likely in 1983-84.

Chris Colt vs. Brian Adidas

Colt is a name that you might not have heard of but he WAY ahead of his time with the weird, oddball style. They trade waistlocks to start as we hear about Buddy Rose sending a hitman (apparently at ringside) to go after Curt Hennig. Colt grabs a full nelson but Adidas sends him into the corner as we keep talking about Hennig and the hitman. With that going nowhere, Colt grabs a headlock as commentary talks about beverages. A backdrop sends Colt bailing to the floor for a breather as it’s kind of amazing to see how banged up the ring posts and ropes really are.

Back in and some dropkicks rock Colt, whose arms get tied up in the ropes. Colt needs a breather as we hear about an upcoming live event. A missed charge in the corner lets Colt start in on the arm until a headlock takeover….doesn’t really work that well for Adidas. Back up and Colt grabs the referee so he breaks it up, even holding Colt’s arms so Adidas can punch him to the floor. The referee raises Adidas’ arm for the win, presumably by DQ at 6:21.

Rating: C. And this is why I love this show. Where else are you going to see a Chris Colt match on TV these days? This was a total out of nowhere match with a pretty simple story of cheating vs. skill and it worked out well enough. I could have gone for some better commentary but for what we got here, I was invested in a short TV match from about 40 years ago so I’d call it a success.

Here’s the preview for next week.

From Memphis again. No date given but a little research seems to suggest around 1987.

Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Manny Fernandez

It’s a fight to start with Fernandez missing a dropkick and getting dropped throat first across the top for his efforts. Funk drops a fist to the head for two but Fernandez runs him over for a double knockdown. There’s a knee drop for two on Funk and the Flying Burrito gets two as Teijo Khan comes in to jump Fernandez for the DQ at 2:58. I’ve always liked Fernandez and it’s cool to see him here.

Post match Jack and Khan destroy Fernandez with a loaded glove. Jeff Jarrett makes the save with a broom, which would put this in late 1987/early 1988.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a nice mixture of stuff and a good example of why I look forward to this show every week. Sometimes you just need some random wrestling to have some fun and that is what you got here. It’s a really easy show to watch and the research of finding out what I’m seeing is a lot of fun. Check this out, if you can ever find it, or just throw something old on Youtube.

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

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

AND

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

Texas Till I Die
Date: April 3, 2022
Location: St. Jude Hall, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Chris Russo, Sammy Cassel

This is from New Texas Pro, which as you might guess is a local Texas promotion which ran some events over Wrestlemania XXXVIII weekend. I’m not sure what to expect from this show but there are some talented names on the card. Shows like this can go in a few different ways and hopefully this one works out well. Let’s get to it.

As you might have gathered, I don’t follow the promotion so I apologize for not knowing plot or character points.

Hyan vs. Billie Starkz

For the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title. They hit stereo pump kicks to start and that means it’s already time for a standoff. Starks sends her outside and yells at a lot of empty seats, allowing Hyan to get back up for her own dive. Back in and Hyan rolls her down into a cravate for some knees to the face. A half crab with a boot on the back of Starkz’ head makes it even worse and it’s off to an armbar.

Back up and Hyan plants her with a Wasteland for two and we hit the chinlock. Starkz fights up and hits a kick to the head of her own. They slug it out for a double knockdown but Hyan blocks a third Amigo. Hyan hits a running knee in the corner to set up a Falcon Arrow for two but Starkz rolls her up for the same. A Gory Bomb and Swanton give Starkz two each, only to have Hyan pull her into something like a crucifix with both arms cranked back for the tap at 9:35.

Rating: C. Not bad for a starter and Hyan seems like a fairly polished star. Starkz is someone who has been around the indies for a bit now and has potential but still needs some work and experience to sharpen the edges. Not a great match, but they didn’t do anything horrible and it had enough energy.

Respect is shown post match.

Tag Team Titles: Fly Def vs. JJ Blake/Cam Cole

Fly Def (Warren Johnson/Zack Mason) is challenging. Mason drives Blake into the corner to start and it’s quickly off to Cole. Johnson dropkicks him down for two but Cole grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Cole gets his neck snapped across the top to put him back in trouble, setting up a slingshot elbow for two. Cole gets launched into the corner, where Blake is fine enough to not tag in.

Blake is willing to come in for an assist on a double clothesline and a neckbreaker gives Cole two. Back up and Mason grabs a German suplex on Blake, who cuts him off with a quick front facelock. As you might have guessed, Mason powers over for the tag but the referee is distracted, meaning the beating continues (that will always work and I love it). A Demolition Decapitator (with a knee instead of an elbow) gets two on Mason and we hit the one arm camel clutch.

Mason finally fights out and kicks Cole away, allowing the hot tag off to Johnson to start cleaning house. A sitout bulldog gives Johnson two but Cole comes in to cut him off. Cole hits a frog splash for two and a not very good looking Big Rig gets a delayed two. Everything breaks down again and a pair of running shots in the corner rock Blake.

A spinning high crossbody into a top rope splash gets two with Cole making a rather last minute save. What looks to be a Tower of Doom winds up as a sitout powerbomb to Cole, leaving Blake to get caught in a Gory Bomb/middle rope Codebreaker (doesn’t work so well but nice concept) for the pin and the titles at 13:16.

Rating: B-. I like Fly Def, but this one went on too long and the champs were in over their heads. This needed to wrap up a few saves earlier and the extra stuff didn’t really make it better. The title change is nice and Fly Def was a good enough young team, but the lack of audience noise is making this show a bit weird to watch, especially in a longer match like this one.

ASF vs. Stephen Wolf

That’s short for Antonio San Francisco. Feeling out process to start as Wolf takes him down in a front facelock with commentary talking about Wolf recovering from a horrible neck injury/surgery. ASF slips out of a rollup for two and we’re up to a standoff. Another takedown attempt is cut off by a standing backflip flip from ASF so Wolf tries a springboard wristdrag….which gets so high that he gets his feet caught in some of the drapes above the ring.

You don’t see anything like that happen very often and since Wolf is fine, ASF slips out of a powerbomb attempt and kicks him to the floor. There’s the big running flip dive to drop Wolf on the floor but he’s fine enough to avoid a 450 back inside. The Death Valley Driver into the corner gives Wolfe two and we hit the chinlock. ASF slips out and hits a springboard Sling Blade, with commentary possibly implying that was a bit more flippy than necessary.

Back up and Wolf kicks him in the face, setting up a running shooting star press for two. ASF isn’t going to be outdone with a Death Valley Driver of his own into a basement dropkick. A series of strikes from ASF looks to set up a handspring but Wolf grabs a sliding cutter (cool) for two more. Wolf misses a moonsault though and the 450 gives ASF the pin at 10:03.

Rating: C+. They had a bit of time here and while this was a very indy feeling style match with a bunch of flips and dives, it was entertaining enough to keep me interested in two guys I have barely heard of before. For a ten minute match on this kind of show, it worked out perfectly well.

Commentary compliments ASF’s…..cover. That’s a pretty rare one. Respect is shown as well.

Cole Radrick vs. Aaron Mercer

Radrick has been decent in the few matches I’ve seen from him before. We get a bit of a tentative handshake and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start and they trade some chops, with both of them standing still to maximize the shots. Mercer chops him so hard that blood is trickling down Radrick’s chest (dang) and a running kick to said chest gives Mercer two.

They head outside with Radrick being sent hard into the barricade to keep him in trouble. Back in and they strike it out with Radrick knocking him down for two of his own. Mercer gets knocked to the apron and grabs a triangle choke over the ropes. With that broken up, they slug it out again with Radrick getting the better of things until a running shot to the face cuts him off. Radrick gets caught with another right hand on the top and it’s Nigel McGuinness’ old Tower of London to give Mercer the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C. I’m still not big on the “you hit me and then I’ll hit you” stuff and there wasn’t much here besides that. I don’t know if Radrick was a bit tired after wrestling so much this weekend, but this didn’t exactly catch fire. Granted it doesn’t help when you are having a cold match in front of a small crowd so there is only so much that you can get going.

Post match Radrick grabs a mic and puts Mercer over. He thanks the fans for coming out and shakes Mercer’s hand, apparently finally getting to meet him.

Heather Monroe vs. Shazza McKenzie

This is McKenzie’s New Texas Pro debut. Monroe has a large fan (as in one she holds in her hand) and quite the feather boa so she’s more than a bit over the top. McKenzie cranks on the arm to start and takes it to the mat with an armbar. Monroe can’t get a Figure Four so McKenzie headlock takeovers her down. A running dropkick puts Monroe in the corner and a running shot to the face makes it worse.

Monroe is able to take her to the floor by the knee (egads) and makes fun of McKenzie’s face, which was damaged by Maven (yes that Maven, because there can be only one) over the weekend. Back in and something close to a dragon sleeper keeps McKenzie in trouble, setting up a running hip attack in the corner to make it worse. A double stomp to the back out of the corner gives Monroe two but McKenzie manages a knockdown of her own.

They’re both down for a bit, followed by a strike off. McKenzie ties her in the ropes for the rapid fire kicks to the chest and a high crossbody gets two. Monroe is fine enough to grab a half dragon suplex and a basement superkick connects for two more. They strike it out again until McKenzie hits a splits Stunner and goes up. The middle rope sunset flip is countered though and Monroe sits down and grabs the rope for the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. McKenzie is someone who feels like she should be ready to become a top star but never breaks through for whatever reason. You could definitely tell she had some more polish here than a lot of the other stars on the show and she did a nice job of putting over Monroe. Nice enough match here, and McKenzie still feels like she could have a lot of potential.

Six Shooter Challenge

This is a six person match with timed intervals, but a pin or submission can win the match at any time, even if everyone isn’t in yet. There is a two minute interval for the first two entrants and one minute intervals after that, with the winner gets a future title match. I’d assume six entrants but you never can tell with these things. At least it isn’t everyone at once though, with Max Heights (whose Lone Star Title isn’t on the line) in at #1 and Izzy James is in at #2.

Heights gets rolled up to start and bails to the floor for a quick breather. Back in and Heights gets some rollups of his own until he drops James pretty hard onto his shoulder. James pulls a springboard dive out of the air and grabs a Sharpshooter but Rudy Garza is in at #3 for the save. Garza snaps off Three Amigos on Heights, who is right back with a high crossbody to take both of them down. Sky de Lacrimosa (the Texas Chasinsaw, who has no chainsaw) with Cousin Otis, is in at #4 and knocks Garza out of the air.

There’s a Rock Bottom out of the corner to take out James but all three get on the monster. That doesn’t work very well and it’s Jerome Daniel Griffey (Dr. Sleep, who looks like an MMA fighter) in at #5 to go after Sky as well. Griffey gets to clean house and it’s a quadruple sleeper until T Ray is in at #6 to complete the field. It’s Griffey getting in Ray’s face, earning himself a quick T (F) 5 for two, with a group save needed.

Ray shrugs that off and sends them into the corner for some running clotheslines. A running hurricanrana drops Sky and a powerbomb gets two on Heights. Ray is knocked outside for a big flip dive from Heights, leaving Griffey to muscle Sky over for a suplex. Garza takes Griffey down but Ray is back in with a T5 to Garza….but Heights comes in to steal the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C. I liked the staggered entrances deal but yeah this was just another scramble match and nothing more. Heights seems like a good villain, but there is only so much to be gathered from a match with six people over ten minutes. T Ray felt like a good monster and Sky is probably going to be a threat to multiple people around here, but find a better way to showcase them than throwing everyone in at once.

Heights immediately runs off in a smart move.

Women’s Title: Raychell Rose vs. Willow Nightingale

Rose is defending and gets powered away to start. Nightingale’s headlock is broken up and they go to the grappling for a change. Back up and Nightingale flips to the middle of the ring for some quick dancing. Nightingale manages Two Amigos before the third is countered into a small package for two.

A fisherman’s buster plants Rose for two but she’s right back to work on Nightingale’s leg in the corner. The leg cranking stays on in the middle of the ring before a running knee in the corner rocks Nightingale again. Nightingale quickly fights out of a chinlock and scores with a heck of a clothesline for a double knockdown.

The clothesline comeback is on, setting up a spinebuster to give Nightingale two. There’s the Pounce into a Cannonball in the corner for two but Rose knocks her off the top. Rose’s spear connects for two but Nightingale knocks her off the top as well. Rose goes right back to the leg and a running knee to the back of the head (ala Adam Cole’s Last Shot) retains the title at 10:12.

Rating: C+. Nightingale is such fun to watch but she didn’t get to do as much of her thing here. She has so much charisma and it is so easy to like her so having her around helped a lot. Other than that, Rose was fine as a champion for Nightingale to go after, making this a perfectly fine title match.

Mysterious Q vs. Davey Richards

For a future New Japan Pro Title match. Feeling out process to start with Richards getting him down by the arm. An exchange of cradles gets two each and Richards takes a quick breather on the floor. Richards comes back in and kicks him down to set up the chinlock. With that not working, Richards kicks away at the arm before cranking away at it in various painful looking ways.

They head outside where Q cuts off the big kick to the chest, only to have Richards take out the leg again back inside. A running dropkick to the knee sets up the Figure Four, which Q turns over to send Richards to the rope. Richards is fine enough to kick him down again as commentary wonders why Q can’t get anything going. Back up and Q grabs a release German suplex, followed by the Q Cutter for a delayed two.

A dragon screw legwhip over the rope lets Richards go up, where he misses the double stomp. Richards instead grabs an Indian Deathlock to send Q bailing to the ropes again. They slug it out until Q’s handspring kick to the face is countered into an ankle lock. That’s broken up so Richards kicks him down and hits the top rope double stomp for two. A brainbuster gets two more so we hit the ankle lock again, which Q reverses into a cradle for the pin out of nowhere at 15:48.

Rating: B-. In case you were wondering, no, Richards has not gained the ability to show emotion or do much beyond striking people rather hard. I know he has an audience and some people are into this stuff, but I’ve never been a fan and Q didn’t get in much here, with even commentary acknowledging it. Q has a good look and some size, but this wasn’t a good showcase of him because of all the Richards dominance.

Respect is shown post match to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where the wrestling was pretty good for the most part but it was such a dry event that I was dreading watching most of it. Maybe it was the small crowd and venue, but there was almost nothing on here that would make me want to watch more from the promotion. There was no emotion here at all and it felt like a show that could be done better by other promotions. That doesn’t make it feel special, but rather just kind of there.

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Classic All Star Wrestling
Date: October 23, 2022
Host: Adam Parsons

We’re back with another week of random classic matches which in some cases are more old than classic. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of this as I don’t know what’s coming and that’s a great feeling to have. If nothing else, it’s cool to try to figure out what I’m seeing most weeks, which is quite the mystery to solve in some cases. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Adam Parsons runs down the card.

We’re starting with a bit of a confusing one, as Parsons says this is from Southwest Championship Wrestling (San Antonio). Now this is billed as being from San Antonio, but the ring is rather Memphis, the commentary is rather Memphis, the referee is from Memphis and the only record I can see of these two having a match is in Memphis on January 4, 1986, so I’m thinking Parsons slipped up with the announcement.

Rick Casey vs. Benny Trailer

Casey (better known as Wendell Cooley) works on the arm to start and grabs a quick suplex. Arm cranking ensues and the bulldog finishes Trailer at 3:04.

Rating: D+. The match was nothing more than a squash but I was having fun trying to figure out where this took place. All signs point to Memphis and I’m all but certain it was just a quick mistake from commentary. That’s the fun part of this show and they made it work again here, even if it was a pretty lame match.

Next up is from International Championship Wrestling, likely from the early 1980s.

Tojo Yamamoto vs. Kenny Harris

Yamamoto was a longtime star in Memphis so this is a rare excursion for him. The graphic says Harris but commentary (which sounds like Lanny Poffo) says Hall. A chop has Yamamoto in trouble so he goes into his tights for what is likely a phantom foreign object. Yamamoto gets his arm cranked so it’s a pull of the hair to get himself out of trouble.

Another shot sends Yamamoto into the corner and we pause again as he keeps trying to find something in his tights. Back up and Yamamoto goes to the eyes to take over and some chops in the corner keep him in trouble. Some chops put Harris down and the stomach claw is enough for the submission at 5:20.

Rating: D+. You know, if you want to have Yamamoto go with the foreign object deal, he might want to actually find one (even if it doesn’t exist) at some point. I’m not sure what else you could expect here, but they were doing quite a bit of stalling for a payoff that didn’t really come. That being said, you don’t get to see much Yamamoto but he knew how to do the villainy things. There are better examples than this though as it wasn’t the most interesting deal.

I’m assuming we’re staying in in International Championship Wrestling, as I can’t imagine anywhere else going here, from Frankfort, Kentucky, again in the early 1980s.

Pez Whatley vs. Walter Johnson

We’re joined in progress and Johnson, a former NFL player, misses a headbutt as the referee is down. Whatley dives into a bearhug as Rip Rogers comes in to throw powder in Johnson’s eyes to give Whatley the pin at 1:00 shown. Just the finish instead of the match here.

Post match, Whatley yells about Ronnie Garvin and yes this is ICW.

Finally, from Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, likely on July 1, 1984.

Parsons gives us the preview for next week and signs off before the main event. Ok then.

Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher

We’re joined in progress again with the two fighting on the floor. Back in and Butcher kicks him low so Butcher beats up the referee (in case you thought the referee mattered here). The brawling continues as we get a second referee, who is shoved down almost immediately. They fight to the floor again and then into the crowd where they find a piece of wood. A bunch of fans run off as they fight to a high rise area and choke/rake eyes. Brody grabs a chair and Butcher wanders off at 4:58 shown.

Rating: C. I have no idea how much of that was part of the actual match as it was just a big brawl rather than anything resembling a match. Brody and Butcher were there to do this kind of thing over and over and that is why they would always be able to find work around the country and world. It’s a total freak show, but dang they could make it feel exciting.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t one of their better shows, but what matters is still the fun from just seeing what we might get that week. It’s the point of a show like this and it worked very well again here. Getting to go around the wrestling world and get away from the WWF or Crockett is great for a change as there is so much talent that you just won’t see most of the time. Not a great edition, but dang this is a fun concept.

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Classic All Star Wrestling
Date: October 16, 2022
Host: Adam Parsons

So it’s back to this show, which should be a lot of fun if they do things like they did last week. Granted that seems to be the format of the show and that should make for a lot of fun every week. Last week’s preview mentioned a battle royal featuring Andre the Giant, which could be anything. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Adam Parsons runs down the card.

We’re going to Big Time Wrestling to start. The promotion is based out of Detroit but I believe this is from Toronto in 1975. Or at least something close to that.

North American Title: Stan Stasiak vs. Ron Doner

Stasiak is defending and the name is Doner, not Donner as the graphic says. Doner takes him down by the arm but Stasiak is back up with a thumb to the throat to cut that off in a hurry. Stasiak takes him into the corner but misses a charge, which is enough to send him outside and give the fans a BIG reaction for Doner. Back in and Stasiak takes hi into the corner again, only to get forearmed into the ropes for his efforts. Doner is back on the arm that got hurt in the missed charge and then leapfrogs the referee (that was cool) to stay on Stasiak. With the arms freed, Stasiak is done with this and finishes with the heart punch at 4:18.

Rating: C. Stasiak is a guy who could have been quite the monster for someone to slay at the right point and Doner seems to be the latest person to go after him here. Stasiak was a former WWWF Champion at this point so he was already a big deal in the sport and being a champion here wasn’t a surprise. It wasn’t exactly a good match, but the fans were into Doner so it was fine for a one off match.

From ICW in Lexington, Kentucky (likely at Henry Clay High School). Based on who is holding a title coming in, we’re looking at late 1981 or late 1982.

TV Title: Great Tio vs. Ron Strunk

Tio is defending and he is managed by Ox Baker. Strunk elbows him down to start and Tio needs a breather in the corner. Some chops put Strunk in trouble but he blocks a ram into the buckle to send Tio outside. Back in and Tio sends him outside as the video goes black for some reason, but commentary suggests that Baker got in a cheap shot. Back in again and Strunk slams him down, only to be sent into the corner. A suplex retains Tio’s title at 3:46.

Rating: C-. Strunk didn’t exactly do much here but at least he put up a short term fight until Tio beat him. Tio is fine for a monster and you could see him being the kind of monster for a classic good guy to take down (there’s a theme with this show). Nice, short match here and Tio wasn’t half bad.

Post match Baker brags about his champion winning and promises to get even better because of some changes coming with Tio’s training regimen.

Parsons talks about the dangers of the battle royal.

From Polynesian Pro Wrestling in Hawaii, I believe on December 19, 1984.

Battle Royal

There are twenty people in this and we’re joined in progress so I’m not even going to hope to figure out everyone involved. Some notable names would include Andre the Giant, Jimmy Snuka, Don Muraco and Masa Sasito. Andre cleans house and everyone brawls on the ropes as we hear about Dusty Rhodes and Magnum TA coming to Hawaii. Commentary keeps going on about an upcoming show as the camera just goes around the ring with various brawls. We’re nearly four minutes in and we’ve heard all of ten seconds of discussion about the match.

Back to back wrestlers are tossed out and Snuka pairs off with Muraco for a double elimination. We’re down to six with Andre, four other people not important enough to mention. One of them is tossed and Andre dumps two more….which is enough for Andre to be declared the winner at 6:17 shown. The other two just don’t count because….I don’t know why.

Rating: D. I’m not sure if this was normal for Polynesian Pro Wrestling but it felt like a bit of a waste of time. I get the idea of talking about an upcoming show (and the show they were talking about was the biggest show the promotion ever had, but my goodness the match they were airing was nothing but background noise. Andre winning a battle royal is no surprise and is always fun to see. I just could have gone with it getting some kind of attention.

The preview for next week wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C. The not so great main event aside, I could still go for a lot more of this show and I will be sticking around for a long time. Just seeing the random stuff that pops up is cool as it isn’t a bunch of famous or classic matches, but rather a sample of the run of the mill stuff that you would see, plus a bigger main event. It’s a very fun half hour and I will take that every week.

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Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Night Two
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Kevin Gill

It’s the second half of the show and in this case, it needs to get a pretty big upgrade over the first half. Night one was a decent enough show, but it wasn’t memorable, which is the point of a show like this. Now that being being said, this show is built around the Clusterf*** Battle Royal, which could be quite the mess. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

We open with Joey Janela talking about beating Sean Waltman last night and wanting his flowers. He wonders why the fans hate him now but Spring Break needs a lethal dose of poison to turn it back into what it is supposed to be. This year, he is entering the Clusterf*** so he can end it once and for all. Maybe just don’t run it then?

Matt Cardona vs. Chris Dickinson

Chelsea Green is here with Cardona, who is currently the king, meaning yes he does have a Macho King crown. Green gets in an ALL HAIL THE DEATHMATCH KING and the fans are all over Cardona again. Cardona insults GCW and says they are the power couple of wrestling. Six years ago, he won the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania, but now he’s in this piece of garbage ring. If he was in WWE, like he should be, he would be celebrating his friend Mark Calaway, who he will see in the Hall of Fame one day.

Dickinson comes out with….MISSY HYATT to even things out, which is one of those names that makes this show feel fun. Both pairs share good luck kisses before the match, with Hyatt’s leaving Dickinson woozy. Dickinson wrestles him to the mat to start but Cardona is up to yell at Hyatt. That doesn’t work well for Dickinson, who grabs a cross armbreaker to send Cardona bailing to the floor.

Back in and Green grabs Dickinson’s foot for a distraction so Cardona can stomp away. After throwing his shirt at Hyatt, Cardona chokes with the wrist tape and then his hand for a bonus. The running forearm drops Dickinson again and a neckbreaker gives Cardona two. It’s already door time but Cardona spends too much time mocking the crowd, allowing Dickinson to backdrop him through the door in the corner.

The slugout is on with Cardona going to the eyes, only to get blasted with a running clothesline. The brainbuster gives Dickinson two but Green offers a distraction, allowing Cardona to nail a spear for two. Missy finally grabs Cardona’s boot and slaps Green, allowing Dickinson to hit a Death Valley Driver for two of his own.

Green offers another distraction so Cardona can hit a low blow into the Rough Ryder for two. Now it’s Green coming in and hitting Cardona with Missy’s loaded purse by mistake, allowing Dickinson to clothesline her down. The toss Razor’s Edge is enough for Dickinson to pin both of them at once at 12:43.

Rating: C+. You really can see why the GCW fans can’t stand Cardona in this run as he is one of the most annoying and obnoxious heels you could want to see. He is playing up the idea of being a big shot and that is one of the best ways to get heat from anyone. Dickinson is a decent power guy and looked good here, though Missy kind of disappeared for large chunks of the match.

Biff Busick vs. Tony Deppen

Feeling out process to start with Deppen trying to go to the mat to little success. Back up and Busick goes to the armbar, which has Deppen bailing to the ropes. Busick chops the heck out of Deppen, whose chops back have no effect. They head outside with Busick uppercutting away but a chop only hits the post. With Busick trying to shake it off, Deppen hits a flip dive off the apron and they head back inside.

Busick is fine enough to knee him down and the figure four necklock sends Deppen to the ropes again. Back up and Busick gets a little more violent by holding Deppen in place for some slaps to the face. Deppen is smart enough to go after Busick’s bad hand but Busick hits a running uppercut to take him down again.

Busick misses a charge though and Deppen hits a suicide flip dive for two back inside. Back up and the slugout goes to Busick until Deppen goes for the hand and grabs a Kimura of all things. With that broken up, Busick wins another strike off but Deppen avoids a charge in the corner. A running knee finishes Busick at 11:40.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need two people to hit each other really hard and you got at least half of that here with Busick’s beating. Busick might not be a star in the making, but he’s an established hard hitter in the middle of the card and that should be enough to get him quite a few jobs. At the same time, you have Deppen as one of the better heels I’ve seen in a bit, as he is just straight up unlikable. Keep going with that and he’ll be fine.

Post match Deppen thanks Busick for the match but tells anyone who doesn’t believe in him what they can kiss.

Mike Bailey vs. Jordan Oliver

Bailey does his bow and they shake hands to start. Oliver does his pose so Bailey kicks him in the face and strikes away but Oliver is back up with chops of his own. Bailey’s leapfrog is countered into a faceplant and Oliver sends him outside for a big dive. Some kicks send Oliver through some chairs though and Bailey knees him in the chest.

Back in and Bailey kicks him in the chest for two, followed by the YES Kicks to make it worse. Bailey hits a running kick to the face in the corner and they strike it out again. Oliver snaps off a release German suplex and a sitout powerbomb for two but Bailey sends him outside. There’s the springboard moonsault to the floor and they strike it out on the apron.

Bailey gets the better of things and hits the moonsault knees, setting up the bouncing kicks back inside. The big kick to the head looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon but Oliver counters it with a cutter. A handspring cutter gets two so Oliver goes up, only to get pulled down with something like a One Winged Angel for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. As is usually the case with Bailey, the action was good but he continues to have such a punchable face that it is hard to get into his matches. The good thing here was he didn’t have the stupid no selling that drags down every good thing he does, making this slightly easier to watch than most of his matches. Oliver has come a long way but still has a good bit to go before he moves up to the next level.

Effy says he shouldn’t be here but tonight he’ll beat Minoru Suzuki, have his own show tomorrow, and then maybe he’ll come for some gold.

Effy vs. Minoru Suzuki

Allie Katch is here with Effy. They both stick their jaws out with offers of a free shot but Effy’s attempt at a kiss gets him slapped. Suzuki slaps him down and then a kick to the face puts Effy on the floor. They head outside with Effy telling him to chop as hard as he can. That’s fine with Suzuki, who mocks Effy’s return chops.

A big boot sends Effy through the chairs and Suzuki cranks on the arm back inside. Effy tries some forearms but gets dropped with a single one from Suzuki. Then Effy bites Suzuki’s nipple and northern lights suplexes him for two. The big kiss staggers Suzuki but it’s a slap to the face and the Gotch style piledriver to give Suzuki the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Effy’s stuff may or may not be your cup of tea but Suzuki more or less squashed him here in a match with little to no doubt about the outcome. Effy was doing little more than comedy here so it isn’t like there was much to get annoyed about. They were going for the “wouldn’t it be funny if these two wrestled” idea here and I’ve seen worse versions.

Greatest Clusterf***

So this is basically a Royal Rumble, but only in the very loosest of terms. There are no set time intervals and I don’t believe there is a set number of entrants. I’m not going to be able to keep track of all of the eliminations, as I’ve never seen a version of this where they are all announced. This is going to be about total chaos and some surprise entrants and nothing more. You can be eliminated by pinfall, submission, over the top, leaving the building and…death?

Joey Janela is in at #1 and Buff Bagwell is in at #2 for your first surprise. Granted Buff is on a crutch but he has the American Males theme so this could be a lot worse. Janela wants to strut with him but it’s a superkick to get rid of Buff very quickly. George Gatton, with an unidentified title, is in at #3 and it’s a superkick into a piledriver to get rid of him too. Judas Judd Cassidy (I think?) is in at #4 and gets thrown over the top just as fast.

Yoya is in at #5 and suplexes Janela but gets caught in a heck of a package piledriver for the pin. Billie Starkz is in at #6 and a Gory Bomb takes Janela down but he raises knees to block her Swanton. That’s it for Starkz and it’s Juicy Finau (a big guy) in at #7. Janela can’t suplex him so Finau does it to Janela instead and it’s the even larger Sam Stackhouse, in Bam Bam Bigelow inspired gear, in at #8.

That leaves Janela to get crushed in the corner by back to back splashes but Stackhouse misses an ugly moonsault. Janela tosses both of them and it’s Rhett Titus in at #9 as Janela keeps up his Brock Lesnar-esque run. Titus wrestles him down and hits the running boot in the corner until it’s the Invisible Man in at #10.

So we have the Invisible Man, Janela and Titus with Titus and the Man slugging it out. The Man gets the better of both of them but an elbow to the face lets Janela and Titus beat him down. A double suplex lets the two of them pose but Man is back with a double low blow. The Man throws out Titus but gets stomped down until Dante Leon is in at #11. They waste no time in the next entrant with Ninja Mack in at #12.

Leon and Mack are long time rivals so they pose at each other before superkicking Janela down. A shooting star piledriver drops Mack and it’s a sick looking Jimmy Lloyd in at #13. Janela and Lloyd put on masks and they rehash their Social Distancing match, meaning they punch from a safe distance. Mack isn’t having that and kicks Lloyd down, setting up the running flip dive to drop Janela on the floor. Back in and Lloyd runs Mack over for the pin and Early Morning Guy Steele is in at #14.

Steele doesn’t seem to know what he is doing and falls off the top as Janela and Lloyd watch from the middle of the ring. Then Steele gives them a running double Blockbuster and a Canadian Destroyer each. Then he goes up top for a 450 to Lloyd, only to get rolled up for the pin from Janela. That was a weird one and it’s Blake Christian in at #15. House is cleaned but the Invisible Man hits Christian low. That earns him a dropkick and it’s Kevin Blackwood in at #16.

Blackwood’s suplex gets two on Leon and stomps on Janela in the corner until Hoodfoot is in at #17. Hoodfoot and Blackwood slug it out until Slade is in at #18. Young Dumb And Broke (Charlie Tiger and Ellis Taylor) are in at #19 and #20, giving us Janela, Invisible Man, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Hoodfoot, Slade, Tiger and Taylor as this is far more organized than I was expecting. Everyone hits everyone until Deranged is in at #21 to clean house. With that going nowhere, Grim Reefer is in at #22 and has a smoke.

We now pause for everyone to partake, including Janela, who says he isn’t with AEW anymore and can do what he wants. Janela runs to the back (I don’t think he’s been eliminated but who can tell around here?) and Sandra Moone is in at #23. Reefer clotheslines her down and it’s Parrow in at #24. House is cleaned with Deranged and Reefer being eliminated almost immediately.

Big F’N Vin is in at #25 as Janela is having some Cheetos. Vin kicks Parrow out without much trouble as Janela wants to know his next spot. Nate Webb is in at #26 and comes through the crowd, who sings his theme music. Lloyd gets dropped by the Invisible Man, who hammers on Webb in the corner. Janela superkicks the Invisible Man though and tosses him out, much to the fans’ annoyance. Webb misses a charge and gets low bridged to the floor and Hoodfoot is tossed as well.

Shazza McKenzie is in at #27 and goes after Janela to start the beating. Janela gets in a shot to the face though and grabs a door, only to have McKenzie spear him through it. Janai Kai is in at #28 and Jazzy Yang (Jimmy Wang’s daughter) follows her at #29. The four women in the match stare each other down and it’s Edith Surreal in at #30. That gives us Janela, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Tiger, Ellis, Moone, Vin, McKenzie, Kai, Yang and Surreal, assuming I didn’t miss any random eliminations.

Dark Sheik, another woman, is in at #31 and we have a six woman showdown. Uh make that seven as LuFisto is in at #32. Some of the guys come in to go after the women, with Leon and Taylor being tossed out. The women all beat up Tiger and toss him out with Vin joining him. Then the women get into it, with Kai kicking out LuFisto. Moone is out as well and McKenzie hits a Stunner on Kai for the elimination. Janela comes back in to superkick McKenzie for the pin and it’s Maven of all people in at #33.

Everyone stops to look at him so Maven hits a bunch of dropkicks….and then walks out for an elimination. Fans: “THANK YOU MAVEN!” With everyone else pairing off, Sean Ross Sapp, yes the dirt sheet writer, is in at #34, drawing a WE WANT MELTZER chant. Sapp gets a mic and begs people to subscribe to Fightful Select so they can read about GCW wrestlers getting fired by AEW. Josh Barnett, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is in at #35 but fellow writer Denise Salcedo (not in the match) comes in to low blow Sapp and toss him out.

Nasty Leroy is in at #36 and Barnett blasts him with a clothesline as Jimmy Wang Yang is in at #37. Yang manages to take him down (not the prettiest but it worked) so Jazzy (remember, Yang’s daughter) comes in to grab the leg, which apparently counts as a submission to get rid of Barnett. Jazzy rolls up Lloyd for an elimination and it’s Alec Price in at #38. Price tosses Yang and dances a bit before getting kicked in the face by Jazzy. That’s enough for Price to toss her as well and it’s Cole Radrick in at #39.

Radrick and Price wind up on the apron and it’s a double elimination. Brandon Kirk is in at #40, giving us Janela, Christian, Blackwood, Slade, Surreal, Sheik, Leroy and Kirk (I think at least). Sheik hits Kirk low as we’re told Slade has left the building. Janela runs the ropes a lot until Lord Adrean (a Wal-Mart Guy) is in at #41. Adrean cleans house and Tombstones Kirk for the elimination, only to get Death Valley Drivered by Janela for another elimination. Kevin Matthews (you might remember him as KM in Impact) is in at #42 and stares it down with Leroy.

A not great looking Rock Bottom plants Matthews and a worse Rock Bottom sets up a leglock for the tap as Janela busts a gut laughing. Then Janela hits Leroy low and pins him and it’s Nick Wayne in at #43 for a brawl on the apron with Janela. Wayne superkicks Janela out for one heck of a pop and here is B-Boy to introduce Team LA Fights, which are six unnamed people. The team (Jai Vidal and Jack Cartwheel are two of them) clean house and something like a Styles Clash into a sitout powerbomb gets rid of Blackwood.

With those six in at #44-49, the Second City Crew (AJ Gray/Mance Warner/Matthew Justice/1 Called Manders and Levi Everett) are in #50-#54. The Crew cleans house with Matt Vandagriff (of LA Fights) being tossed. Damian Drake and Ju Dizz (I think) are both out with Hunter Freeman joining them. Cartwheel gets knocked out but walks on his hands until Manders chairs him down for the elimination. Vidal is tossed out and the Crew is left alone until the others still in the match come in.

Christian and Wayne get together to toss Everett and Manders. Somehow Christian and Wayne are the last two with Christian hitting a quick Downward Spiral for the pin…and never mind as yeah there are some people still left. Sheik comes in off the top with a spinwheel kick and the rest of the Crew pile onto her for the pin. Christian goes after the Crew but gets taken down and superplexed into a top rope legdrop for the pin….and that’s it at 1:23:57 (I guess Surreal was tossed somewhere in there).

Rating: C+. To be clear, this match is not about something coherent or anything more than having one name after another. That being said, this was WAY more coherent than the previous edition and that helped a lot. This felt more like a very indy Royal Rumble and, save for Surreal, no one was getting lost in the whole thing. I had a good time with this and it did fly by with some fun moments. It’s the kind of match that I was expecting from a Spring Break and it went well, especially with all of the insanity that came with it.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like the Spring Breaks of the past and it worked out pretty well all things considered. It was a collection of some fun matches before we got to the big main event and that wound up working well. Good stuff here and it didn’t feel like a regular GCW show. While those can be fun, it’s not what I came into this wanting. The main event is all that mattered here and the other four matches were a nice bonus so we’ll call this a success.

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Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Night One
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Gill, Lenny Leonard

This is probably the crown jewel of the indy shows over Wrestlemania Weekend, just because of how insane it can get. Janela’s shows have a tendency to be completely nuts with some incredibly fun stuff and surprises. I’m actually looking forward to this one just for the atmosphere so let’s get to it.

Tag Team Titles: Second Gear Crew vs. Briscoes vs. Nick Gage

Gage is defending on his own as his partner, Matt Tremont, couldn’t make the show. Like him or not, Gage continues to be over like free beer in a frat house. It’s a big brawl to start and the doors are already brought in. The Briscoes bring in some chairs as well but Warner chokeslams Jay through a door for two. Mark is back up and Swantons Warner, sitting in a chair, down for a big crash.

Gage grabs the broken door and drops a twisting Vader Bomb onto Warner before stopping for the MDK chants. A piece of the table is used to carve up Warner’s head….and here is Slade to throw Gage a pizza cutter. Apparently Slade is Gage’s partner and he’ll carve up Warner’s head as well. Then Slade cuts himself because these people are not normal. Jay is back up to clean house, including Redneck Boogie to Slade.

Justice comes in with some chair shots and let’s bridge a door over some open chairs. Gage is up with some chair shots and now it’s time for a staple gun. Warner’s tongue is stapled to the door (good grief) but a piledriver through the door rips it free. Back in and Jay hits a Jay Driller into a Froggy Bow to give Mark two, with Slade making the save. Slade tries to fight off the Briscoes but it’s a Doomsday Device to give Jay the pin and the titles at 11:15.

Rating: C+. The nutty violence aside (hopefully far aside), this was an energetic match with the Briscoes adding some credibility to the whole thing. As much as I can’t stand Gage, he is the biggest star in the world to this audience and starting the show with him is a smart thing to do. Let him go out there and pop the crowd like no one else in GCW and get the show off to a hot start, especially if he is going to lose the titles with an out.

Post match the Briscoes celebrate before leaving Gage to get a hero’s applause.

Allie Katch is sitting in a room with candles around. Tonight she is facing Mickie James, who isn’t her dream match, but rather her fantasy. We get the infamous Mickie finger lick from the Trish Stratus match as this took a sharp turn.

Jeff Jarrett gets in his car, thinks he sees someone behind him, gets out to check, finds nothing, and gets back in.

AR Fox vs. Blake Christian

This should be fun and Fox’s wife Ayla is here with him. The fans are behind Christian as he flips out of a headscissors to start. Fox kicks him away and we get a staredown into a handshake. A dropkick sends Christian into the corner for a running clothesline but Christian picks the pace right back up. Christian’s dropkick into a nipup but Fox sends him outside for a heck of a running dive.

Fox gets a running charge for a boot to the face in the chairs but Christian drops him with a hard shot of his own. Back in and Christian hits a low superkick but can’t get a Border City Stretch. Instead Fox bails to the floor, allowing Christian to take him down with a dive of his own. Fox is fine enough to hit a twisting suplex for two and it’s time to slug it out.

Both of them try a cutter at the same time and we get a double breather. It’s Fox up with a rolling cutter into a rolling cutter for two but Christian hits Three Amigos, because Eddie Guerrero. A frog splash, also because Eddie Guerrero, gives Christian two but Fox is back up with Lo Mein Pain (middle rope Spanish Fly, which I’m guessing is somehow connected to Eddie Guerrero is well). Fox hits a 450 for two but Christian grabs a Spanish Fly into a wind up double arm DDT (that’s different, and called the Golden Trident) for the pin at 12:37.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was a fun one as Fox is about as much of a guaranteed good match as you’ll find on the indies. He’s just smooth in the ring and works well with anyone so this couldn’t have gone much better. Christian has been popping up more and more lately and you can see the talent in him. He’ll need something to make him stand out more but so far so pretty good.

Mickie James vs. Allie Katch

Effy is here with Katch. They fight over a lockup to start as we talk about what James has done so far this year. Katch takes her down but James flips up and we have a standoff. Mickie grabs a snapmare to set up a running kick to the chest but Katch is right back for the chop exchange.

The hurricanrana out of the corner is countered with a (rather enthusiastic) Katch powerbomb for two so Mickie kicks her low. Katch is fine enough to kick her down in the corner for a Cannonball and let’s bring in a door. Instead of, you know, using it, Katch knees her in the face to knock Mickie silly.

That means it’s time to load up two chairs and a door over them but Mickie flapjacks her through it instead. The top rope Thesz press gives Mickie two but the MickieDT is broken up. With neither going anywhere, they trade crotch grabs until a headbutt drops Mickie for two more. Back up and Mickie kisses Katch, kicks her in the face, and grabs the MickieDT for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: C+. Katch is someone who shows her potential every time she’s in there and it’s good for her to work with a legend like James, who can make her that much better. The match was pretty good as well, with the two of them hitting each other rather hard, though the violence was out of place. They also went a bit too far with the callbacks to Mickie vs. Trish Stratus, but the good parts were good enough to carry this far enough.

Post match Katch gets on the fans for booing James, because there is no Katch without James. Oh and that was the first ever women’s match at Spring Break. How is that possible?

Ninja Mack vs. Alec Price vs. Gringo Loco vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Jordan Oliver vs. Nick Wayne

One fall to a finish because we need a scramble match. They stare each other down to start and lock knuckles before going into the big series of kicks to the head. Everyone misses some kind of running splash and it’s another seven way staredown a minute in. The dives to the floor take some people down, setting up Loco’s big dive onto everyone else. Back in and Price hits an Alberto double stomp on Loco, followed by Cartwheel sweeping Lloyd’s legs.

Wayne tries to flip back in but gets sent ribs first into the corner by Lloyd. We settle down to Wayne vs. Oliver in a slugout until Oliver blocks a moonsault with raised knees. Cartwheel comes in to clear the ring but gets taken down by Mack for a twisting moonsault. Loco dives onto a bunch of people, leaving Cartwheel to knock Price outside as well. Cartwheel hits his own dive and Wayne is back in with a springboard Ace Cutter for the pin on Lloyd at 8:11.

Rating: C+. This was every scramble match you’ve seen in a long time, as there is little that anyone can do to make themselves stand out in a match like this one. There are seven people in a match that got just over eight minutes. Wayne is someone I’ve heard a good deal about for the last few months and I haven’t seen much of him. After this, I still haven’t as he barely got any time to shine with everyone else in there at the same time.

Joey Janela vs. X-Pac

This should be….something. X-Pac looks great and Janela is in Razor Ramon style gear, as a rather horrible way to get into X-Pac’s head. Janela knocks him into the corner to start and chops away but has to duck a spinning kick to the head. The Bronco Buster misses as well so Janela heads outside, where X-Pac hits a running seated senton off the apron.

Janela is fine enough to post X-Pac seems rather pleased with the fans hating him (makes you wonder why they bought tickets to JOEY JANELA’S Spring Break but oh well). The boos turn into dueling chants as Janela grabs a chair and pulls X-Pac back inside. X-Pac fights out of the chinlock and grabs a tornado DDT for a much needed breather. Now the spinning kick to the head connects and they head to the apron, where Janela is fine enough to grab a Death Valley Driver.

It’s time to set up a door over a pair of chairs but Janela takes too long, allowing X-Pac to come back with a slingshot flip dive to put him through the door instead. The X-Factor gets two back inside but Janela pulls him into a Crossface. With that broken up, Janela pulls in a bunch of other plunder, meaning it’s another door bridged over two chairs, because that worked so well earlier.

Janela takes WAY too long setting that up and going to the top, meaning it’s a super X-Factor through the door….for two as Janela gets a foot on the rope. Back up and Janela hits a super brainbuster for two and a double stomp through the door gets two more. Janela goes up again and gets shoved off the top and through another door at ringside. Back in and X-Pac chairs Janela down but a low blow and superkick lets Janela get the pin at 19:23.

Rating: C. This match just got on my nerves as X-Pac was doing his thing and trying to have a match while Janela was doing every stupid stunt that he could, none of which he bothered to sell. I know Janela is a big deal around here but you could see the difference in quality here and it was annoying seeing this be all about Janela. X-Pac might not be some all time legend (though he was very good), but he deserved better than this.

Post match X-Pac thanks the fans and puts over GCW, which he says is his family today. If you’re not down with X-Pac and GCW, he has two words for you.

GCW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. AJ Gray

Moxley is defending and Gray’s Extreme Title isn’t on the line. They start a bit slowly with Moxley taking him into the corner but getting shoved away. Gray takes the leg out and nails a spinwheel kick to the face to drop the champ (at least the one defending). A slugout goes to Gray and they head outside where Moxley suckers him in and takes the fight into the crowd.

You can’t actually see what they’re doing for a bit until Moxley gets into an open space and poses a bit before being knocked back to ringside by a bloody Gray. Moxley is fine enough to suplex Gray at ringside and it’s time for a barbed wire door. A release suplex drops Gray onto said barbed wire onto said door before Moxley stabs him with some barbed wire sheers. The barbed wire is used for a low blow and then wrapped around Gray’s face to make it worse.

A neckbreaker, with barbed wire, gives Moxley two and it’s off to an STF, complete with more barbed wire. Since that isn’t violent enough, Moxley puts the barbed wire door up in the corner and is speared (or kind of shoved) through it, due to wrestling rule #37. Gray hits a moonsault, mainly on Moxley’s face, for two and it’s ladder time, because of course it is. That’s not enough so here’s a door to go with it, with the ladder set at ringside and the door on some chairs close enough to it.

An STO on the apron rocks Moxley again and Gray elbows him off the ladder through the door. Back in and they get up to slug it out, because that kind of a spot is just there in a match like this. Gray blasts him with a lariat for two and it’s time for some….light tubes wrapped in barbed wire. That’s so stupid it even has Moxley backing up, only to come back with a jumping cutter onto the tubes for two. That and a piledriver get two, followed by a Death Rider onto more light tubes to retain the title at 22:18.

Rating: C. The match felt big, but every time they started to get something going, the violence got to be too much. The bigger thing here though was Moxley’s star power, which was more than enough to carry the match. Gray is someone who has impressed me just about every time I’ve seen him and he was good here, but as usual, the light tubes and doors were too much for it to be that great.

Post match they shake hands and respect is show.

Ultraviolent Title: John Wayne Murdoch vs. Alex Colon

Murdoch is challenging and Colon has beaten him a few times before. Colon has a bunch of belts around his waist and shoulders, most of which aren’t identified. Murdoch isn’t about to wait and hits him in the head with some light tubes during the Big Match Intros so we’re starting fast. Some whips send Colon into a variety of things in the corner and against the ropes before tossing him off the top, through a table covered with more light tubes.

Colon is already busted so Murdoch drives more glass into the head. Back in and Colon whips him through a door in the corner, followed by a running knee to drive light tubes into Murdoch’s chest. Then Colon stabs himself with broken tubes, which he then drives into Murdoch’s head. They headbutt it out on the floor before coming back inside, where Colon hits him with another light tube.

More light tubes do the same thing as the previous light tubes but Murdoch pops up and hits a piledriver. Colon pops back up and sends Murdoch outside, setting up a suicide dive with a light tube. Murdoch avoids a charge into the post and we pause as Colon might be seriously injured. Colon’s bloody arm is covered in a towel so Murdoch suplexes him onto more light tubes for two. A board to the arm sets up a cross armbreaker to give Murdoch the title at 13:48.

Rating: D. I can’t stand this kind of match as it’s the same stuff over and over. How many times are you supposed to hit someone with a light tube before it stops meaning anything? In this case it would be about two out of the thirty or so tubes they probably used before a dumb ending. What is there to say here? You had two guys hit each other with light tubes over and over until someone won. Rather downer of a main event and that’s never a good thing.

Post match Murdoch talks a lot of trash and tells Colon to get out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was actually pretty ok for the most part, save for a terrible main event. Swap in Moxley, who felt like a much bigger star, into that spot and the show is better, but still not great. Spring Break has always been one of the more fun shows over Wrestlemania weekend and that really wasn’t the case here. It’s not an awful show, but there is nothing memorable or overly fun here and that hurt things a lot. Mickie James and X-Pac are cool, but they aren’t enough to make the show feel all that important. Hopefully night two is better though, because this was the least memorable Spring Break show to date.

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Classic All Star Wrestling
Date: October 9, 2022
Host: Adam Parsons

I have absolutely no idea what this is but it aired on a local station on a Sunday afternoon so I had to check it out. This is a weird situation as there is no promotion or stars listed so not only do I not know where it is coming from but I’m completely lost going in. That’s a new way to go so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence featuring clips of Andre the Giant, an old Bam Bam Bigelow, Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Lawler, so I’m guessing this is some Memphis deal…..and then there’s a ring skirt that says HAWAII. What in the world is this?

Adam Parsons (who looks like he’s in a tiny room for a studio) welcomes us to the show and says we’re going to Portland to start. Parsons explains that this isn’t the famous Destroyer (Dick Beyer) but rather Fidel Sierra under a mask. Seriously I am totally lost as to what this is but it’s kind of great.

Brett Sawyer/Buzz Wayne Sawyer vs. Destroyer/Igor Volkoff

From what I can find, this is from April 11, 1981 at the Sports Arena in Portland, Oregon. Buzz and Destroyer start things off with Buzz picking up the pace, setting up a crisscross. Buzz slams him down for two but Volkoff makes a rather fast save. It’s Volkoff coming in and dropping Buzz with a knee to the ribs as we’re told there are four minutes left. There was either some slick editing in there or this has a five and a half minute time limit.

Destroyer comes back in to drop a knee as we hear about how Destroyer and Rip Oliver are the Tag Team Champions. The beating on Buzz continues as we’re down to three minutes. Buzz dives through the ropes for the hot tag to Brett though and house is quickly cleaned. A running forearm drops Volkoff and a knee drop gets two. Buzz…..seems to fall off the top in an attempt to take out Volkoff so instead it’s a small package to give Buzz the pin at 3:31.

Rating: C. The time didn’t help things but they did what they could with what they had. The Sawyers were a regular tag team all over the place so it was natural that they had some chemistry together. I’m not sure why Volkoff was here instead of Destroyer’s regular partner but they worked fine as a pair of villains. Brett was good enough in the ring, despite being one of the most horrible people in wrestling outside of it.

We’re off to Memphis, probably around 1986/1987.

MOD Squad vs. David Haskin/Ken Johnson

The Squad (Spike/Basher) are probably best known as being a low level team in Jim Crockett Promotions. But hang on as commentary says that this is the MOD Squad against….David Johnson and Thunderbolt (Larry) Hamilton? I have no idea what is going on here but I’ll trust Lance Russell over Adam Parsons.

MOD Squad vs. David Johnson/Thunderbolt Hamilton

We’re joined in progress with Hamilton taking Spike down and working on the arm. Spike gets up without much trouble and hands it off to Basher, who brings Johnson in to beat on him instead. The Squad’s manager is walking around ringside with a book called MOD RULES as Basher grabs a chinlock. A suplex drops Johnson again and Basher drops Spike onto him with a legdrop for two, with Spike pulling up from the cover. Something like a hart Attack from the top finishes Johnson at 5:21 shown….and apparently this is a 2/3 falls match (normal in Memphis)…and we’re not going to see the second or third fall. Ok then.

Rating: C-. Kind of a dull match, but the Squad was never exactly known as a great team. This was pretty much a squash as Hamilton got in some offense before Johnson got crushed. I’m not sure what the deal was with the wrong names, but this doesn’t exactly seem to be the most detail oriented setup in the first place.

From the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia, October 2, 1988. This seems to be from Southern Championship Wrestling, a Georgia promotion.

AWA World Title: Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Rich

Lawler is defending and Parsons seems to say they aired the setup to this match last week. We’re joined in progress with Lawler in trouble as Rich hits a bulldog for two. A second bulldog is broken up though and Rich takes out a camera man in the corner by mistake. Rich cuts off a comeback attempt and hits a clothesline into a piledriver but doesn’t cover. Instead, Rich snaps him throat first across the top and takes it outside.

A right hand only hits post though and Lawler is able to take down the strap. They get back inside with Lawler hitting a backdrop as the ring announcer sounds like he said we’re eight minutes in. Lawler hits a suplex and drops a fist for two but the middle rope fist misses. Rich loads up the foreign object to knock Lawler silly for the pin at 6:02 shown, despite Lawler’s foot being on the rope.

Rating: C. Given that rich was never AWA World Champion, I don’t think this is going to count. They trimmed off a lot here and this seemed to be much more about setting up something for a rematch later on. What we got was pretty standard Lawler, but having it in Georgia didn’t quite fit as well as in Memphis. Fine enough match, even if it was so clipped.

Parsons tells us that the result was overturned so no worries. We hear about Rich’s heel run in the south in the late 80s and we get a preview for next week’s show.

Roll credits, featuring multiple Parsons (no Iceman) as part of the production crew.

Overall Rating: C. I’m assuming that Parson and the Wrestling Legends Network (seems to be a parent company/distribution label) has bought up a bunch of old territory footage and is airing it on local television, half an hour a week. Well if you insist I guess, as I’ll certainly be doing this every week. This was a short collection but this is going to be a show where it’s a question of what do we have on any given show. I’m absolutely sold and this was a GREAT surprise treat.

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Mystery Vortex III
Date: June 26, 2015
Location: American Legion Post #308, Reseda, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Rick Knox, Chris Hero, Joey Ryan, Ethan Page

This is another PWG show that someone requested I do….a few years back now, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a bad one. From what I understand, the gimmick of this show is that the card isn’t announced until the wrestlers are coming out of the curtain. That should make for a fun match so let’s get to it.

As usual, I don’t really follow PWG so I’m sorry for not knowing any plot or character details coming in.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano

Yeah this works, though a clean faced Ciampa is a bizarre visual. Feeling out process to start with Gargano working on the wrist until Ciampa makes the rope. Back up and Ciampa tries a quick Air Raid Crash but Gargano slips out, setting up an exchange into a standoff. Fans: “THAT WAS WRESTLING!” Some chops rock Gargano but he’s right back with the rolling kick to the head.

A neckbreaker puts Ciampa on the floor and Gargano follows him for some left hands to the head. With Ciampa sitting in a chair, Gargano hits a big (but not running) chop to pop his eyes a bit. It works so well that Gargano loads it up again but gets hit in the face this time. One heck of a running knee rocks Gargano so Ciampa tries it again, only to get tornado DDTed into…well pretty much into a fan.

Back in and Ciampa hits a hanging Downward Spiral and they both need a breather. A battle over a suplex goes to Gargano (after about five blocks each) but Ciampa knees him right back down again. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Gargano is back with a running basement cutter. The Lawn Dart sets up the Gargano Escape which Ciampa, uh, escapes.

They trade some thigh slapping shots to the face until Ciampa blasts him down with a clothesline for a double knockdown. Ciampa goes up but gets caught as well, setting up another Lawn Dart. That’s enough to send them to the apron, and since this is a modern wrestling match, we need a big spot on that apron. In this case it’s an Air Raid Crash from Ciampa but Gargano is out again.

A super Air Raid Crash is reversed into a super Liger Bomb for the crash (non-Air Raid variety), sending Ciampa outside. The suicide dive sends them into the chairs and they’re right back up and inside. The slingshot spear is kneed out of the air though and it’s Project Ciampa for a VERY close two. Back up again and they chop it out until Gargano pulls him into an STF. Ciampa slips out and lifts Gargano up for a suplex but drops him onto the knee for a nasty landing. Project Ciampa is enough to finish Gargano at 18:37.

Rating: A-. This is the kind of match that you expect from PWG, as they threw two people out there for the better part of twenty minutes and let them tear the house down. These two have always had some great chemistry together and this was no exception. It’s a hidden gem compared to their NXT classics and I had a blast with the whole thing.

World’s Cutest Tag Team vs. Monster Mafia

That would be Joey Ryan/Candice LeRae vs. Josh Alexander/Ethan Page. The Mafia jumps Ryan before the bell but miss a charge at LeRae in the corner. A DDT drops Alexander and Candice ties her hair back, allowing her to slam Page. Back in and Ryan throws LeRae on his shoulders to swing her feet at people’s face. It only kind of works on Page, who is right back to run Ryan over as we get down to a regular tag match.

Alexander grabs a butterfly suplex into a headscissors and it’s Page coming in for a headbutt. Hold on though as Page pauses to tease stripping, allowing Ryan to come back with a right hand. You do not break up Page’s dancing though and it’s a tilt-a-whirl faceplant for two. Alexander is back in with a chinlock but Ryan fights up and avoids a charge. The tag brings in LeRae to clean house, including a double DDT for two on Alexander.

It’s back to Ryan who gets caught in a northern lights suplex, only to have LeRae come in off the top with a double stomp (which isn’t as low as commentary thinks it is). Ryan and Page trade kicks to the face until a suplex sends Page outside. LeRae comes back in with a good looking top rope hurricanrana. Page cuts off LeRae’s hurricanrana so Alexander hits his crossbody to the back dive.

Back in and a faceplant gets two on LeRae as commentary wants to know who is legal. The double superplex is broken up so Ryan hits a super swinging neckbreaker on Alexander, setting up LeRae’s top rope splash for two. The exchange of strikes to the face leaves Page standing but LeRae grabs a Stunner. Not that it stops Page as he shoves LeRae down and drops his trunks, earning a, quote, ballsplex, unquote, from LeRae. Alexander is back up and takes LeRae up, where she is right back with a super poisonrana for the surprise pin at 12:20.

Rating: B-. I’ve head a lot of good things about LeRae and Ryan together and yeah they do work well as a team. LeRae isn’t someone who has ever really broken out as an in-ring star but she can do some good things when she is given the chance. The Mafia would go on to much better success as the North in Impact, which took me a lot longer to remember than it should have. Fun match here, even if it is WEIRD to see Alexander as a pretty nothing tag guy. And with hair!

Post match Alexander seems a bit shaken up but gets a big ovation from the crowd. Apparently was his sendoff to go have neck surgery….and Page lays him out with a swinging Rock Bottom.

Biff Busick vs. Timothy Thatcher

This could be good and it’s Thatcher’s PWG debut. They fight over a lockup to start until Thatcher’s attempt at an ankle pick is thwarted. After a quick standoff, Thatcher takes him to the mat and cranks on an armbar but Busick reverses into a rather aggressive headlock. That’s reversed into a Kimura, sending Busick over to the rope. With the holds not quite working, Thatcher blasts him with an uppercut and grabs a chinlock.

There’s the required finger snap but Busick is back up with one heck of a slap and some uppercuts to make it worse. Thatcher isn’t having that and knocks him hard to the floor, but does stop to check his own ear after that slap. Busick has to try to get out of an armbar but Thatcher bends the arm at a VERY scary angle to keep him in trouble. The big stomp to the arm makes it even worse for Busick, who gets suplexed down again.

Back up and Busick grabs the half and half suplex, meaning it’s time to slug it out from their knees. The slugout continues from their feet until both of them are knocked down again. Busick fires himself up though and grabs a reverse headlock takeover into a bulldog choke for the tap at 11:36.

Rating: B. This is a good example of “what you see is what you get” as these two beat the living fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t keep going. These two are both known for their incredible intensity and that was on display here. Throw in some painful looking holds and people hurting each other and this was a lot of fun.

Here is PWG World Champion Roderick Strong to issue an open challenge. Well he was going to but he hates the fans so much that he isn’t going to wrestle. Cue Mike Bailey to answer the challenge but Strong isn’t interested. Eh we’ll do it anyway.

PWG World Title: Roderick Strong vs. Mike Bailey

Strong is defending and my goodness I can’t get away from Bailey lately. Bailey has a really farmer’s tan and isn’t exactly a big guy. The fans get on Bailey over said tan but him kicking Strong in the head for a fast two cuts that off fast. Bailey unloads with strikes against the ropes and Strong is needing a breather on the floor. That means Bailey can hit a corkscrew Asai moonsault, pulls out a bouquet of flowers (like a magician) and then kick Strong a few more times.

Strong is back with the jumping knee to the face and the End Of Heartache onto the apron (Commentary: “That is how you stop someone’s momentum!”) and Bailey is rocked fast. Some chops send Bailey around ringside before he is thrown back inside for a kick to the back of the head. A gutwrench suplex sets up a camel clutch to send Bailey over to the ropes and Strong isn’t pleased.

Bailey comes back with a knee of his own and a spinning kick to the face drops the champ. A buzzsaw kick to the head gets two on Strong but he’s back with a kick of his own out of the corner. The fans, who were insulted by Strong before the match, are split here as Bailey kicks away again. The standing Sliced Bread and another kick give Bailey two so he kicks Strong down some more.

Strong is able to catch him on top though and it’s a hard running knee in the corner. A torture rack into a backbreaker gives Strong two so he goes right to the Stronghold. Bailey makes the rope though and the champ is frustrated again. More kicks drop Strong so the moonsault knees can connect for two. Back up and the strike it out, setting up Bailey’s running corkscrew shooting star press for two.

Bailey gets caught with a jumping knee up top, meaning a top rope superplex with Strong floating over into a gutbuster. That’s reversed into a hurricanrana and the Ultimate Weapon gets a VERY hot near fall with Strong having to grab the rope. Another slugout lets Strong hit the Sick Kick but the End of Heartache is countered into a small package for a white hot near fall (which the crowd totally bought). Strong is done with this and knees him in the head, setting up End of Heartache into another End of Heartache to retain the title at 18:55.

Rating: A-. It took me some time to get into this one but the crowd reactions alone carried it over the line. Strong’s knees and forearms were loud enough to get your attention and that small package at the end was one of the best near falls I’ve seen in a long time. Bailey takes some getting used to but he was great as a one off challenger here. Great match with the crowd carrying it that extra stretch.

Brian Cage vs. John Silver

Cage has taped up ribs coming in. We get the natural pose down to start before Silver wants a test of strength. That’s fine with Cage, who holds his hand too high, causing Silver to pull it down before locking hands. Silver actually takes over and lifts Cage into the air before flipping him down. After a bit of a celebration, Cage runs him over with a shoulder and snaps off a headscissors.

What looks to be a fall away slam, with curls, doesn’t work as Silver sticks the landing and then fall away slams, with curls, Cage for an impressive feat. Back up and Cage sends him outside for the running flip dive, which doesn’t look quite as impressive on someone Silver’s size. The kind of clothesline you would expect Cage to throw for a near fall gives Cage a near fall and something like a Boss Man Slam gets the same.

Somehow the Drill Claw is countered into a Jackhammer to give Silver two and the fans are right back into things. A powerslam gives Silver two but Cage is back with a spinebuster to cut him off fast. Cage’s tornado DDT is blocked and Silver hits a northern lights suplex for another near fall.

Back up and a hanging neckbreaker out of the corner gives Cage two more but Silver strikes away and hits the Spin Doctor. The F5 plants Silver hard and Cage grabs a Texas Cloverleaf but doesn’t step over, allowing Silver to small package him for two. A Diamond Cutter and crucifix bomb gives Cage two more before a discus lariat finishes Silver at 14:00.

Rating: B. This was a fun showdown as Cage did his usual stuff and Silver was there to have all kinds of fun with his wild charisma. Silver is six inches in height away from being a major star but unfortunately this is about as far as he is going to get. Cage is still someone who looks like he should be a major star but just isn’t for a variety of reasons.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chris Hero

They shake hands to start and tentatively go into the grappling for a standoff. Hero gets him down by the leg and twists away a bit but Sabre bridges out of a crucifix. That’s broken up and Sabre starts twisting the wrist, setting up some rather nasty cranking (Page: “That’s some Exorcist s***!” Hero flips out and drops a backsplash but Sabre is fine enough to pull him right back into more arm cranking.

With the grappling not working, Hero kicks him in the face but Sabre uses his feet to snap hero’s arm. Back up and Hero uses the good arm to send him face first into the buckle, only to get caught with some running shots to the face. Sabre tries a German suplex but only gets laughed at by Hero for thinking he can lift him up. With that being a miserable failure, Sabre goes back to the arm and hits the big stomp on Hero’s now bleeding fingers.

Hero is fine enough to backdrop Sabre outside and through some chairs, meaning Sabre can get a breather on the floor. Back in and Hero blasts him with the good elbow to put him on the floor again. Back in again and a dropkick Sabre’s arm even things up a bit and they’re outside for the third time in less than two minutes. This time Sabre grabs an octopus but Hero gets smart by climbing back inside for the break. Sabre fires off uppercuts but gets cut off with one heck of a right hand.

A staggered Sabre comes right back with a hard running kick to the chest but Hero kicks Sabre out of the air for two. Hero still can’t follow up so Sabre pulls him into a Kimura, which is reversed into a suplex neckbreaker for another near fall. Hero, looking like an inflated Adam Cole, gets pulled into a cross armbreaker, only to roll over to the ropes for a last second break.

Another kick to the arm has Hero clutching the ropes for mercy but he’s able to grab a hard belly to back suplex for the double knockdown. Back up and Hero loads up some kind of a piledriver but gets reversed into another quickly broken armbar. Hero elbows the heck out of him for two more and then kicks him square in the head.

Sabre gets back up so Hero kicks him, followed by the rolling boot to the face for one. With nothing else working, Sabre Pele kicks the hand (cool) but Hero is right back with an attempt at a cradle piledriver. That’s countered into the Kimura and then a double arm crank with Sabre kicking him in the head for the knockout win at 24:01.

Rating: A-. This was hard hitting, violent, well told and exactly what I wanted to see from these two. The story here made perfect sense as you had Sabre who was going to go after a limb and do everything he could to tear it apart, while Hero went through every style he knew to try to fight Sabre off. I was cringing at some of the things that Sabre was doing to the arm and got way into the match so we’ll certainly call this a success.

Here are Tag Team Champions Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett to find out who they’re facing for the titles they won at Mystery Vortex II. The fans want the Young Bucks but instead Everett and Lee are going to face each other. The singles match starts but here are the Bucks, who were wrestling in Japan just the day before.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Trevor Lee/Andrew Everett

The Bucks are challenging and, after some insults from the floor, the champs dive onto them to start things off fast. The brawl starts on the floor but the Bucks are right back up with stereo moonsaults off the apron. They get inside with Matt hitting some running corner clotheslines but a duck allows Lee to bring Everett in. Everything breaks down and the Bucks clear the ring, setting up the required running flip dive. Fans: “THAT WAS TOO SWEET!”

The Bucks hit stereo powerbombs on the apron, drawing a FIGHT OWENS FIGHT chant. Back in and a slingshot splash/fist drop hit Everett again as this is rapidly becoming one sided. Matt has way too much fun telling people to suck it before grabbing the chinlock with an expected result. Lee raises his knees to block a moonsault though and the hot tag brings in Everett for a high crossbody to both Bucks. Matt’s slingshot X Factor is countered into an atomic drop and Lee drops both Bucks again.

Everett teases a moonsault to the floor but it’s Lee hitting one instead. That’s not good enough though as Everett hits moonsault knees to drop Matt again and the fans certainly approve. Since Nick Jackson doesn’t sell very long though, he’s right back up to take down both champions without much effort. Everett’s shooting star press hits raised knees and the Bucks hit an enziguri/cannonball in the corner combination. The hanging Swanton gets two on Everett but Nick’s running kick hits post by mistake, allowing Lee to cutter him on the apron.

The double tag brings in Lee and Matt to slug it out until Lee’s flipping powerslam connects. Not that it matters as the Bucks are up with double superkicks, followed by a low superkick to break up Everett’s standing moonsault. Lee gets superkicked out of the air as well and a package piledriver/superkick combination gets two, with Everett shoving Nick into the pin for the save.

The champs fight up again with a Cave In and standing hurricanrana, setting up Everett’s 630 for two on Matt. The referee gets dropped so Matt can kick Everett low. Cue Roderick Strong to Sick Kick Lee silly, setting up the Meltzer Driver (with commentary saying “Nick doesn’t give a s***” about the bad ankle) for the pin and the titles at 14:12.

Rating: B. This is the kind of tag match that you would expect here, but there was never a time where it felt like Lee and Everett had a chance to retain the titles. Granted it’s a Young Bucks match so you had to know it was coming, as annoying as it might be. This was around the time when the Bucks were the biggest team in the indies and there was no way they weren’t getting these titles from the second they were revealed as the “surprise” partners.

Post match Joey Ryan and Candice LeRae go after Strong but get superkicked down. Johnny Gargano runs in and gets superkicked down. Strong and the Bucks hug to quite the negative reaction. Referee Rick Knox comes in to chair the Bucks down but Strong takes him out and gets another chair.

The lights go out and come back up to reveal company founder Super Dragon…..and Psycho Drivers Knox through the open chairs instead. LeRae gets Psycho Drivered too so Excalibur goes after Super Dragon and is laid out. The Bucks add some superkicks and the beating continues with more Psycho Drivers as we have Mount Rushmore (former heel stable) 2.0. The fans of course love this even as Biff Busick comes in to stare down Super Dragon.

Commentary bills it as a showdown of tough guys, so of course the Bucks drop Busick with superkicks. Chuck Taylor is beaten down as well, which is finally enough carnage to let the new team unveil their shirts. Oh and Dragon small packages Lee for a three count and a bell (I’m sure that means something). Strong officially christens the new team to end the show (which cuts off after Rushmo).

Overall Rating: A. This was the PWG show I have been waiting on as they tore the house down with nothing close to a bad match on the nearly two and a half hour show. They didn’t bother trying to do anything more than an all-star style show with some variety and I had a blast with this. Great show, well worth seeing, and the kind of show that would make me want to see a lot more from this company.

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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Threemendous
Date: July 16, 2006
Location: Hollywood-Los Feliz JCC, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 350
Commentators: Disco Machine, Excalibur

So someone requested that I do this show…..oh seven or eight years ago now but I’ve finally gotten around to/remembered to do it. It’s back in the earlier days of PWG and I’m not sure if there is some kind of gimmick for the show. PWG has a history of some rather awesome show names and the tradition holds up in their earlier days too. Let’s get to it.

An unnamed man is in the ring and talks about how amazing it is for PWG to have been around for three years. He’s a bit hard to understand but he talks about fixing some problem and promises a special show tonight. Oh and buy concessions.

Disco Machine vs. Excalibur

Before the match, Excalibur talks (of course) talks about seeing some familiar faces around here but there are some people who might not know the history between these two. They have been together for a long time now and there have been questions about who is the better commentator. Excalibur says he can talk at length about absolutely nothing so he proposes a title match tonight: the winner earns the title of Best PWG DVD Commentator.

We get a guest referee who….is not named, which probably has something to do with the massive clipping that PWG releases have to do due to various rights issues. Commentary does let us know that the referee is named Patrick Hernandez. Good to know. Anyway they fight over arm control to start with Excalibur grabbing a top wristlock and flipping over. That’s broken up and it’s a standoff until Disco twists Excalibur’s fingers.

That’s broken up with a hiptoss and Excalibur drops some knees as the two of them talk about the referee allegedly being the inspiration for the Robin Williams movie RV. Disco gets red carded for a headbutt to the chest which lets Excalibur come back with a suplex for two. A catapult sends Excalibur outside for the big dive (which Disco said he didn’t know was coming) and they’re both down on the floor, leaving commentary to go over the company’s history.

Back in and Disco grabs a camel clutch before a suplex gets two. As Disco hits a backbreaker, commentary talks about airline experiences, including the lack of peanuts and package deliveries. Excalibur rakes the eyes to come back and grabs something close to a cobra clutch, setting up a German suplex for two. Disco chokes him to block a heart punch and a chokebreaker finishes Excalibur at 8:30.

Rating: C. I wouldn’t have bet on this having a definitive winner as it would have seemed destined to go to a draw. It wasn’t a match that meant much of anything as it was all about playing into the company’s history, which makes sense on an anniversary show. Excalibur never was much in the ring and he didn’t show me anything else here, but for a fun way to open the show and give the fans something to like, it worked well enough.

Ronin vs. Nemesis

Nemesis grabs a wristlock to start and armdrags him down, meaning it’s time to pose. Back up and Nemesis kicks him into the corner as the fans chant HELLO KITTY at Ronin in an old school callback. I mean, as old school as you can get in a promotion that is three years old. Nemesis sends him outside, teases the pose, and then misses a baseball slide.

Ronin gets in a shot to the ribs and sends him back inside for two off a suplex. Back up and Nemesis grabs a Cradle Shock for two and hammers away in the corner. What looks to be a running monkey flip out of the corner doesn’t go so well and Ronin is back with a swinging brainbuster for two. One heck of a lariat into a Death Valley Driver finishes Nemesis at 7:09.

Rating: C. Another just ok match here with two PWG regulars. The lack of story behind the match made it a bit difficult to get invested in what they were doing though, as they were just doing moves until someone won. Ronin has been on a lot of these PWG shows but has never really done much to get my interest up. Nemesis was just another guy here and while the match was watchable, it kind of came and went.

Top Gun Talwar vs. Colt Cabana

Cabana, who isn’t a very big guy, towers over Talwar. As a bonus, Cabana has two formal photos of some couples. Commentary says Cabana doesn’t know who they are, but that’s the pretty run of the mill for him. Then Talwar offers to fight from his knees….and seems to do a line of cocaine (commentary’s word). Cabana fights from his knees as well and scares Talwar outside, where he circles the ring on his knees.

Back in and they fight over wrist control as commentary talks about stabbing your leg after drunkenly staggering around your apartment. They lock hands and roll around until Talwar finally breaks out, leaving them to sit next to each other on the mat. Now it’s time to lay on each other for some near falls before Talwar’s rollup is countered with a crawl across the ring. Cabana sweeps the legs so Talwar winds up on all fours, where he crawls around with Cabana on his back. Yeah it’s that kind of a match people.

They tease a test of strength but Talwar stops to smell Cabana’s fingers. Now it’s a lockup with Talwar climbing the ropes without breaking contact. Said lockup stays on as they go outside, around the ring and through the entrance curtain. We can hear a bunch of stuff….and then the curtain is pulled back to reveal them having some tea. The referee grabs both of them by the ear and brings them back to the ring, where Cabana picks the ankle. The tease of a low blow is switched into a leg stretch, with Cabana talking until Talwar bites the fingers.

That’s not enough to escape so Cabana rocks them back and forth to make Talwar angrier. Back up and they gently slap it out (Excalibur: “Shades of Moe and Shemp.”) before heading outside again. Talwar is whipped towards the barricade but keeps running, only to trip over the steps. Cabana finds some resistance bands to tie around Talwar’s throat while getting in some exercise, only to have Talwar tie it around Cabana’s wrist.

The tug of war is on until Talwar pulls him in for a clothesline to take over. Back in and Talwar hits a spinning reverse DDT (the Chipolte) for two on Cabana as commentary makes fun of Ike Turner beating Tina Turner. Cabana misses the Flying Apple but counters another Chipolte into an inverted bearhug (meaning Cabana picks him up for a Tombstone and shakes him back and forth) for the win at 12:02.

Rating: C+. This match wasn’t for me and I’m not big on the comedy stuff, but they also didn’t do anything so stupid that it was ridiculous. Cabana doing his comedy stuff is his bread and butter and Talwar is one of those wacky guys who can make something like this work well enough. Not something I’d ever want to see again, but it could have been FAR worse.

Post match Cabana leaves and World Champion Joey Ryan runs in to beat up Talwar. A piledriver on the chair leaves Talwar laid out and Ryan brags about being the best PWG Champion of all time. The fans don’t like it, so Ryan piledrives Talwar on the chair again. Ryan wants Excalibur out here so here he is, just after Ryan hits a third piledriver on the chair. Good beatdown, but those sideburns make Ryan look like a joke rather than a serious guy.

Davey Richards/Kevin Steen/Human Tornado vs. Dynasty

Richards and company have Candice LeRae with them and the Dynasty is Chris Bosh/Scott Lost/Scorpio Sky, with Jade Chung. It’s a big brawl before (I think?) the bell and it all heads outside until the Dynasty is left laying. Back in and Davey kicks at Lost but the tiger driver 98 is blocked. Sky comes in to dance a bit so Richards shoulders him down as well. Tornado and Steen clear the ring with the Dynasty needing a breather on the floor.

After teasing leaving, the Dynasty comes back and slows it down a bit until we get to Tornado vs. Lost. A crossbody puts Lost down and his attempt at a low blow fails (that’s difficult to do). It’s off to Richards to strike away as commentary discusses why a low blow didn’t affect Tornado (I’ll let you figure that one out). Tornado comes back in for a dancing low blow on Scott and Bosh’s attempt at a low blow just hurts his hand. A leg trip takes Tornado down though and it’s Sky getting to stomp away in the corner.

Bosh and Steen (on the apron) exchange nipple twists before Tornado is sent face first into Sky’s rock hard abs. They certainly have some unique spots around here. Figure out if that is a good thing on your own. Sky heads outside where he gets beaten up by Steen and Richards, who have to be pulled off. Back in and Tornado gets elbowed in the face and Lost grabs a chinlock. Tornado fights up and this a neckbreaker, allowing the hot tag to Steen to pick up the pace. Richards comes in with a missile dropkick and it’s a German suplex for two on Lost.

Bosh and Steen slug it out but it’s right back to Sky to leg lariat Richards. With everyone else on the floor, Tornado hits a HUGE flip dive to wipe out the pile. Back in and Richards rolls Lost up for two but Sky takes Richards down with a jumping cutter. Bosh’s clothesline into a backbreaker gets two on Tornado and there’s a Stunner to Steen. That doesn’t work for Steen, who is back with a Rock Bottom to Bosh. Richards gives Sky a gutbuster and Lost has to break up a stretch muffler. Steen hits a great looking moonsault for two on Bosh but Sky clears them out and knocks Tornado silly with an implant DDT for the pin at 20:05.

Rating: B. Now this felt more like a PWG match as you had six guys in there starting off with a regular tag before going into the wild fight that it needed to be. The Dynasty looked like a team but since commentary isn’t about to offer any kind of insight into what is going on, they were just people who had somewhat matching gear. The other three were people who happened to be teaming together, as backstory or drawing people in isn’t exactly PWG’s strong suit.

Post match Steen grabs the mic and yells something at Richards that is kind of hard to understand but it doesn’t seem to go well. Richards grabs the mic and rants about a variety of things, including slipping in a gay slur. He seems ready for the Battle Of Los Angeles and is ready to take someone out. Steen appears to apologize to Tornado and they hug it out. I think that was a heel promo? Maybe?

Roderick Strong vs. TJ Perkins

Perkins is only 21 here and looks even younger than that. They start slowly with Strong tying him up, only to get pulled down into a cross arm choke. That’s reversed into the same thing from Strong. With that broken up, Perkins needs to tie his boot and Strong is nice enough to let him. Perkins wins a battle over wrist control but gets flipped over into an armbar. That’s reversed into a hammerlock from Perkins as the technical start continues.

Perkins fights out again and it’s another standoff, this time with Strong bailing to the floor for a seat in the first row. Back in and Perkins goes right back to the arm as commentary explains why it might not be great business for Strong to be a heel. Strong fights up and tries a kick to the ribs, which Perkins stops and spins around to drop Strong again. The front facelock goes on and is switched into a cravate as Strong can’t get anything going here.

The chop off goes a bit better for Strong, who manages to hit his first backbreaker. We hit the full nelson with Strong’s legs, followed by a less painful looking (for both of them) camel clutch. A torture rack backbreaker drops Perkins again but Strong pauses to yell at the fans. Strong hits a suplex for two and then slams him on the apron to make it worse. Back in and Strong ties their legs together and pulls on the arm for a rather nasty looking hold.

Perkins gets out and avoids a charge in the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. Strong is back with an enziguri into a Falcon Arrow for two more but Perkins pulls him into a cross armbreaker. With that broken up, Strong hits the fireman’s carry gutbuster into the Sick Kick into the tiger driver for….two, in quite the kickout. Not that it matters as the Strong Hold makes Perkins tap at 18:56.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that would fit in PWG or Ring Of Honor as they kept it straight and went with one move after another until Strong, the bigger star, got the win. That is all you needed to do here and it was the lengthy match that didn’t feel boring or long despite getting a lot of time. Good stuff here as both guys are always worth at least a look.

Kings Of Wrestling vs. Cape Fear

That would be Claudio Castagnoli/Chris Hero vs. El Generico/Quicksilver. This is announced as impromptu, but there is no story given for why it was thrown together. Hero and Generico start things off with the fans WAY behind the Kings. Generico works on the arm but Hero cravates him down and it’s off to Quicksilver vs. Castagnoli. Some leg cranking has Quicksilver in even more trouble but he’s back up with a hurricanrana for two.

Hero comes back in and has to counter a monkey flip so it’s right back to Castagnoli to clothesline Generico. This time it’s Generico grabbing a hurricanrana of his own and Castagnoli is frustrated. Hero comes in without a tag and the Kings chop each other by mistake. Generico sends them outside for some dives as Castagnoli is busted open bad (via a gash from the previous night).

Back in and Hero makes a blind (but not deaf) tag to take Generico down. Hero chops him in the throat and Castagnoli adds an uppercut for two. A gorilla (appropriate) press drop onto the turnbuckle has Generico in more trouble and Hero comes in for a dropkick for two. Generico finally manages to armdrag Castagnoli into Hero and a flip over allows the hot tag to Quicksilver.

A middle rope spin into a Black Widow has Hero in big trouble as Generico hits a heck of a dive onto Castagnoli on the floor. Hero falls over to the ropes and suplexes Quicksilver down hard for the break. It’s back to Generico, whose corner run tornado DDT is countered into an uppercut from Castagnoli for two more.

Hero ducks the Yakuza Kick and hits Generico with one of his own but back to back dropkicks take him down. Castagnoli gets taken down by a hurricanrana on the floor and a brainbuster gives Generico two on Hero. That’s too far for Castagnoli, who LAUNCHES Quicksilver into some chairs at ringside. Back in and Hero flips Generico into a powerbomb from Castagnoli (cool) for the pin at 20:48.

Rating: B. This got going near the end but there were some long stretches of dull to get there. Generico is someone who can work well with anyone but the Kings were much better as a team. Good match here and it ate up a lot of time, though it never reached that point of being a classic or into a higher gear.

PWG World Title: B-Boy vs. Joey Ryan

Ryan is defending in a Battledome, meaning a TLC match inside a cage (though you win via pinfall/submission). The weapons are already in the cage and Ryan goes for the climb at the bell, only to have B-Boy throw a chair at the wall to cut him off. Ryan’s elbows are broken up and cut off with a single elbow to the face, followed by a heck of a kick to the chest.

There’s a clothesline to drop Ryan again and Excalibur gets in a jab at Konnan for some reason. Ryan gets blasted with a chair to the head and the blood is flowing early. The blood works well for B-Boy, who sends Ryan face first into the cage. Back up and Ryan sends him into the cage for a change (and his first major offense) to bust B-Boy open as well.

Ryan snapmares him down, sits in a chair, and grabs the chinlock to slow things down a bit. With that broken up like a drop toehold should be, Ryan drop toeholds him into the chair to make the bleeding even worse. A chair to the face lets Ryan grab a ladder, which is slammed back with a chair. Some ladder shots to the face have Ryan in more trouble and another shot takes out a cameraman.

The chairs are piled up for a Death Valley Driver to give B-Boy two more but the referee gets bumped. Therefore, Ryan tapping to B-Boy’s Crossface means nothing, allowing Ryan to come back with a spinebuster onto a chair for two. The table is set up near the corner and a superbomb through it gives Ryan two of his own. Ryan slaps the referee for the slow count so they slug it out (just go with it) until Ryan sends him into the cage over and over.

A Go To Sleep connects but there is no referee again. A second referee slides in to count two before checking on the bloody original referee. Ryan and B-Boy fight to the floor (escape doesn’t matter in this match) with B-Boy getting the better of things by throwing Ryan into the chairs. A cheap shot slows B-Boy down but he gets in a low blow. A double stomp onto some chairs keep Ryan in trouble as they have been on the floor for a good while now.

Ryan is back with a low blow and they climb the side of the cage until Ryan elbows him down through the table at ringside. Back in and B-Boy fights back and puts Ryan on a ladder, setting up a top rope cutter for the double knockdown. A VERY delayed cover gets two so B-Boy puts Ryan’s head through the ladder rungs. With a chair over Ryan’s head, B-Boy goes to the top of the ladder and double stomps down onto the chair.

Since Ryan is done, Scott Lost runs in to beat down B-Boy, including a Vertebreaker onto the pile of chairs. B-Boy is up at two so here is Human Tornado to take out Lost. Scorpio Sky and Chris Bosh run in to beat on Tornado so Kevin Steen, Davey Richards and Excalibur run in to clear some of them out. Everyone fights at ringside and Tornado sets up a table in the ring.

Tornado goes up top but flip dives onto the pile at ringside instead of moonsaulting onto Ryan through the table. B-Boy goes up top for a Superfly Splash through Ryan through the table for two (with the fans popping BIG for the near fall). With both of them down, Jade Chung comes in but Candice LeRae is right there to take her out. Ryan sends LeRae into the cage so B-Boy hits him with a chair. Chung makes the save this time so B-Boy gives her a GTS. That’s enough for Ryan to pour something on a cloth to smother B-Boy and knock him out to retain the title at 34:47.

Rating: C-. I don’t often get to say this, but you could have easily cut half of this off and had a better match. This was A LOT of filler, plus all of the insanity at the end. It doesn’t help that Ryan isn’t very good in the ring and seems to be more about reputation than anything else. The brawling was good but I was checked out about halfway through and just wanting this to end. B-Boy was ok here but he didn’t exactly feel like a top star. Good enough match, though its flaws are really bad.

We’re off the air with the ring announcer only getting to AND STILL.

Overall Rating: B-. This show hit a nice stretch near the middle but the main event didn’t work and the first few matches weren’t exactly great. Maybe this is just too early in its history, but the show didn’t have me wanting to race out to see more PWG. While it certainly isn’t a bad show, there is almost nothing on here that blew me away. Maybe jumping ahead a bit will help, but this was closer to mediocre than good.

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

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AND

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