GCW For The Culture 2022
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: AC Mack, Suge D, Faye Jackson, Robert Martyr

This is part of GCW’s annual collection of shows and hopefully this year’s is a bit better than last time. Granted not having the show deep into the night in front of a few dozen fans when everyone was already burned out should help. I’m not sure what to expect from the show and I kind of like it that way. Let’s get to it.

No intro for the show, which is normal for something like this.

The unnamed ring announcer introduces us to commentary and it’s time for the opener.

Impact Wrestling Knockouts Title: Big Swole vs. Tasha Steelz

Steelz is defending and commentary really likes her hair. Swole knocks her down to start and it’s a cutter for an early two. They’re already on the floor with Steelz getting in her first shot and taking it back inside. Steelz hits a running kick to the face for two and hits some suplexes for the same.

Swole (eventually) fights out of a chinlock and gets two off an uppercut. That’s fine with Steelz, who slides between her legs but can’t grab a cutter. Swole hits something like Happy Corbin’s Deep Six for two more and they strike it out until Steelz hits a Stunner. Back up and Dirty Dancing drops Steelz to the floor so Swole throws her back in, only to get caught with a cutter to retain Steelz’s title at 8:02.

Rating: C. Commentary is going to be an annoying factor throughout the show as it seems that they are trying to pop each other rather than focus on the match. That being said, this isn’t a show that needs to be treated as the most serious thing so it’s hardly a match killer. Steelz and Swole are talented but they aren’t exactly ready for a match on their own, meaning this was just ok.

Keita vs. Ju Dizz vs. PB Smooth vs. Michael Oku vs. Carlie Bravo vs. Andino vs. Trey Shaw

Well what would a show like this be without a scramble? Everyone goes after the big Smooth to start but he throws everyone but Andino out to the floor. A reverse World’s Strongest Slam into a legdrop gives Smooth two as I try to keep track of who everyone is. Smooth misses a charge and falls out to the apron, setting up Oku vs. Shaw. With Shaw down, Andino takes out Oku, leaving Andino to stare it down with Bravo.

Oku is back in but his half crab is kicked to the floor and it’s Andino cleaning house again. There’s the big dive to the floor, followed by an even bigger flip version from Oku. Smooth breaks up another dive and hits something like a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Shaw. Everyone goes after Smooth again until Oku missile dropkicks him down. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until Oku misses a Lionsault. Back up and Oku hits some running knees on Shaw, setting up the half crab for the tap at 9:57.

Rating: C. As is almost always the case with these scrambles, I have no idea what I’m supposed to get out of them. The match is all over the place with a bunch of people doing their thing and hopefully someone stands out. Oku and Smooth did to an extent, but I was regularly forgetting who was who here because it’s seven guys trying to stand out in about ten minutes. How could that possibly work?

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. HitMakerZ

That would be O’Shay Edwards/Shane Taylor with Ron Hunt vs. AJ Francis/Tehuti Miles (better known as Top Dolla/Ashante Thee Adonis) with Briana Brandy (B-Fab) of Hit Row fame. Taylor and Francis shove each other to start before fighting over a power lockup. Edwards comes in and gets shouldered hard into the corner, leaving him rather surprised. Commentary bills this as Performance Center vs. the indies for a rather insightful concept.

Miles comes in and gets suplexed by Edwards, who hands it off to Taylor for the actual suplex (that’s always cool). One heck of a beal sends Miles flying and Taylor runs him over for two more. Miles manages to get over for the tag to Francis to clean house but it’s time for the managers to get in a fight. Francis gets caught in the corner and a double superplex is loaded up, only to have Miles turn it into a double powerbomb.

With Edwards thankfully not out cold with Taylor almost landing on his head, Francis hits a standing moonsault to Taylor for the showoff move. That’s not enough though so it’s a World’s Strongest Slam to Taylor and something like a forward Samoan drop/Wasteland to Edwards at the same time, but Taylor isn’t legal so there’s no count (point for a competent referee). The seconds get into it on the floor, which allows Edwards to hit a spinebuster on Francis. Taylor’s running knee into the Marcus Garvey Driver finishes Miles at 11:29.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty decent tag match and I could go for more of both teams. The HitMakerZ are still pretty good minus Swerve Strickland, but neither of them have wrestled so far since this match. I’m still not sure why Taylor hasn’t gotten regular work somewhere, as he is far too talented to go from one independent show to another. Edwards is the same, though he seems to be more of a regular on the indy circuit. Anyway, nice match here and I was getting into it by the end.

Respect is shown post match.

Pan-Afrikan World Dispora Wrestling World Title: Trish Adora vs. MJ Jenkins

Jenkins is challenging and yes that is what the title is called. They fight over a lockup to start and neither can get anywhere. Adora takes her to the mat and works on the armbar, complete with pushups. Jenkins isn’t having that and forearms her down, setting up some running shots to the face in the corner. The Tree of Woe stomping is on, followed by the chinlock to keep things on Adora.

A Backpack Stunner gets her out of trouble though and there’s a Hennig necksnap for two. Jenkins forearms her back and hits a swinging slam for two, meaning frustration is setting in. Lariat Tubman misses for Adora so Jenkins kicks her in the head and loads up her own Lariat Tubman (I like that name more every time I hear it). That takes too long though and Adora hits a Bubba Bomb into a rollup for the pin to retain at 11:31.

Rating: C+. Adora is someone who seems to be one of the potential breakout stars that you see in various women’s divisions so it makes sense to put her on here. Jenkins seemed like a bit of a hoss and having her beat on Adora before getting rolled up at the end made sense. Good match, and Adora continues to grow on me.

Darius Lockhart vs. AJ Gray

Feeling out process to start as commentary talks about this being a dream match. Lockhart gets an armbar on the mat but Gray rolls him into the ropes without much trouble. Lockhart goes right back to the arm so Gray goes right back to the rope before kicking him down. A running backsplash gives Gray two and it’s time to strike it out.

Gray’s powerslam is countered into a crossbody for two (kind of an odd one) and a running knee in the corner gives Lockhart two. Back up and Lockhart grabs a suplex for two, followed by a running shot to the face for two more. A jumping knee to the face connects and Lockhart grabs what looks to be a headlock takeover, which is reversed into a cradle to give Gray the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C. It was nice while it lasted but this didn’t really build anywhere until Gray rolled him up for the pin. Lockhart got in some good shots and those knees were pretty good, but I was expecting at least another five minutes and it was a sudden ending. I’ve seen Gray multiple times before and he’s very good, though this wasn’t the best way to use his talents.

JTG vs. Mysterious Q vs. Zenshi vs. Bryan Keith

One fall to a finish. They stare each other down to start until Q rolls Keith up for two. JTG comes in for the staredown with Q but gets pulled outside. That leaves Kelly to come back in and miss a springboard…something, meaning Q slams Keith. Q calls JTG in for the slugout until JTG hits the reverse Sling Blade for two. Everyone gets back in and it’s a double suplex into a powerbomb to drop JTG.

Zenshi and JTG are sent outside, leaving Q to hit a slingshot corkscrew splash. Q is back up with a spinning torture rack bomb for two on Zenshi with JTG having to make the save. JTG plants Q with a very spinning Rock Bottom but gets low bridged to the floor by Keith. Back in and Zenshi gets buckle bombed by JTG, who takes Zenshi up top. Keith shoves JTG outside and gets Zenzhi in an electric chair, only to have Q run the ropes and hit a springboard….bulldog I think to finish Zenshi at 8:09.

Rating: C. I’ve seen Q be good enough before so he was no surprise, with Zenshi being about the same. Keith didn’t get much of a chance to shine here but was decent enough. Then, as usual, you have JTG, whose physical transformation continues to blow my mind, even a year after I saw it in the first place. The match was your usual “here’s a spot while some people are on the floor, repeat until finish”, which was all you probably should have expected it to be.

The ring is filled with weapons for the death match main event, with the announcer giving the fans directions on what happens if the wrestlers come near them: “Grab your s*** and move!”

Hoodfoot vs. Billy Dixon

Death match and Dixon is a rather large man in overalls. There is talk about these two having a big feud but an explanation of what that feud may be about isn’t important enough to explain. They circle each other to start before going for the light tubes. Dixon ducks the first shot but gets blasted in the head to put him in trouble. They head outside with Hoodfoot hitting him in the head a few times, only to have Dixon get in a shot of his own.

Hold on though as Dixon has to stop to yell at someone in the crowd (who seems to be part of their feud), allowing Hoodfoot to get in a barbed wire 2×4 shot. A powerbomb off the apron and three a table is blocked as Dixon kicks him in the head, meaning it’s time to slug it out on the apron. They both fall through the table to leave them both down, with commentary thinking it might be a countout.

We’re not that lucky as Hoodfoot takes him back inside for a bunch of light tubes to the back. More tubs are put over Dixon’s throat and stomped on for two so it’s time to go up. Since it’s a death match, Dixon is right back up to catch him on top. A chair to the head sets up a slam through a door for two on Hoodfoot and Dixon is warming up. Something like an Unprettier onto the light tube gets two and a spinebuster onto the glass is good for the same.

More light tubs to the back have Hoodfoot down but Dixon stops to pose on the ropes, meaning more light tubes to his back bring him down. Commentary apologizes for the slower pace but hypes up all of the violence. We get some more violence as Dixon is kind of pumphandle powerbombed through a door for one, with Dixon getting all fired up. That’s fine with Hoodfoot, who hits him with a bunch of light tube shots and grabs a Border City Stretch for the tap at 17:01.

Rating: D. This was a lot of the problems with a death match thrown into one match. The guys were both rather large and not exactly moving well and their offense mainly consisted of hitting each other with light tubes. That’s about all of the death match stuff that we had here, as instead of hitting someone with one light tube, they kept using one tube after another. It was slow, it wasn’t interesting violence and the story was barely touched on. Rather awful main event, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Post match they look at each other but leave without a handshake or the far more important nod of respect. And then the show just ends without much of in the way of fanfare.

Overall Rating: D+. This show was really not very good and I’m not surprised it took me so long to get through it. There were a few ok enough matches but nothing on here stood out and the main event was dreadful. Last year’s For The Culture was a heck of a lot better than this as the show can go well, but this was a big miss and one of the worse shows from Wrestlemania weekend so far.

 

 

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Ring Of Honor
Date: November 3, 2021
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the Halloween edition, which did air on time in some of the markets so this isn’t that far out of place. I have no idea what to expect around here now that everything has changed, but that kind of fits how Ring of Honor has worked for years. I could go for some more of what they have been doing so this is kind of appropriate. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay gives us the welcome. She also gets to draw the names for the Trick Or Treat match…but we only hear EC3, with the rest of the picks in fast forward. Moderately intriguing, save for EC3 that is. She has her own match this week and needs a replacement, but it needs to be ANYONE but Brian Johnson.

Delirious runs down the card. Let’s say it’s a bit more nuanced.

Commentary is in costumes as well, with Ian as a Teletubby, Coleman as Don Cornelius from Soul Train and Maria Kanellis-Bennett as…a woman in a dress?

Max The Impaler/Miranda Alize vs. Rok-C/Quinn McKay

Amy Rose is here with Max. Rok-C doesn’t think much of Miranda but Quinn insists that neither are left alone with the monster that is Max. Alize swats away Rok-C’s offer of a handshake and Rok-C isn’t happy. McKay comes in to take it to the mat with Alize and we take an early break.

Back with Alize cranking on Rok-C’s arms as we get the always appreciated/quick recap of what happened during the break. That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s back to McKay, who cuts off the tag attempt and hits a powerslam. Alize gets over for the tag off to Max anyway though and it’s time to wreck people. With Rok-C and McKay down, Alize is willing to come back in, where McKay rolls her up for two. Max suplexes McKay and Rok-C at the same time and then plants McKay again. Alize comes in to steal the pin at 6:37.

Rating: C-. They went with a rather basic and simple match here, though it would have been nice to not see McKay lose again. That being said, it’s better than having Rok-C take a pin and it makes sense to push Max as the unstoppable monster. Not the best match, but it is something that made sense.

Demonic Flamita/O’Shay Edwards vs. Silas Young/Rey Horus vs. World Famous CB/EC3 vs. Flip Gordon/Matt Taven

This is under Lucha Rules and the winners get $10,000. This is something I can get behind: a match where it feels like the drawing was actually random, as it makes things more fun. CB and Young go technical to start, with CB managing an armdrag to take over to start. Some rollups give them two each and it’s a standoff, with Young looking impressed. Flamita and Horus come in, with Flamita running him over and dropping an elbow to the back.

Horus jumps onto Flamita’s shoulders and spins around into a headscissors out to the floor. That means Gordon can come in and strike away at Horus, whose running hurricanrana doesn’t quite work. EC3 comes in and gets a handshake from Flip, who he already knows. Gordon stops to pose at Taven and gets punched down by EC3. It’s off to Taven, who gets taken over by a headlock takeover. Back up and a dropkick puts EC3 on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Edwards blocking Taven’s Climax and getting caught in a bearhug. Flamita comes in with a running kick to the face for two as Horus comes in. We get a quick Mexisquad reunion, which lasts all of ten seconds before Flamita jumps Horus. Gordon comes in but can’t hit the Kinder Surprise on Horus.

It’s off to EC3, who does have his Kinder Surprised as everything breaks down. We wind up with Flamita vs. EC3 for a rather odd pairing. The fireman’s carry spun onto the knee drops Flamita and Taven hits Edwards with the Flight of the Conqueror. Horus flip dives onto CB and Taven, setting up Gordon’s big running flip dive. Back in and Horus hits a 450 on CB but Young comes in and steals the pin at 11:41.

Rating: C+. This was fun and that’s all it needed to be. Throw a bunch of people out there and let them have an energetic match which didn’t mean anything. It didn’t matter who won, but rather having a good time in a different kind of match. This worked out rather well and the flipping/diving helped as usual.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Danhausen/PCO/Sledge vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Danhausen and company are challenging and Danhausen thinks this is a good team to help him gain money and power. Khan and a scared looking Danhausen start things off, with Khan sending him flying. Moses comes in and actually gets taken down for a second, allowing Danhausen to hit a basement dropkick. Danhausen actually wants Shane, who isn’t having any of this being Irish whipped thing.

The chokeslam attempt just annoys Shane so he punches Danhausen in the face. Sledge comes in for the slugout with Shane instead, with Shane knocking him down as we take a break. Back with Sledge hitting a slingshot spear on Shane, allowing the hot tag to PCO to clean house. The referee gets bumped so PCO rips off a turnbuckle pad and sends Shane into the steel. Hold on though as PCO malfunctions again and falls outside.

That’s enough for Shane to take over on PCO, who comes out of the corner with a clothesline to Moses. The hot tag brings in Sledge, though Danhausen doesn’t seem pleased. Danhausen tags himself in and hits a running boot on Shane but gets run over by Khan. Everything breaks down and PCO gets knocked outside, setting up the assisted DDT to Danhausen. The Marcus Garvey Driver retains the titles at 8:33.

Rating: C. How could you not have Danhausen in this spot on a Halloween show? The Six Man Tag Team Titles don’t have much use around here, but they do a nice job of filling in a spot like this. The show needed a somewhat special main event so let Shane Taylor Promotions beat up someone smaller like Danhausen while having to deal with the bigger monsters. It was completely acceptable, with Danhausen continuing to be one of the most entertaining things about Ring of Honor today.

Post match Sledge jumps PCO and the brawl is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I had fun and that’s exactly what they were shooting for with this show. Sometimes you need to just relax and have a good time, which is what they were trying to do here. The wrestling was fine enough and they had a lot of people on the show doing some different things. Nice job, as it’s good to enjoy this place while you can.

 

 

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Ring of Honor
Date: June 16, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are well on the way to Best In The World and that means it is time to start getting a card together. That is in theory at least, as Ring of Honor doesn’t not usually run on the same schedule that most promotions use. We are also on the way towards Survival of the Fittest, meaning it is time for at least one more qualifying match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and recaps the first Survival of the Fittest qualifying matches. We also run down the card, including the Tag Team Titles being defended. That will be under Pure Rules, so we go over the tag version of the rules (as you should).

Eli Isom is ready to beat Dak Draper to advance to the Survival of the Fittest finals. They have met before and went to a time limit draw. Isom knows he could have won in five more minutes, so Draper needs to bring everything he had plus more to win this time.

Dak Draper knows Eli Isom and knew that their paths would intertwine. He isn’t worried about Dalton Castle because it is time to be on to bigger and better things, like winning the tournament and winning the World Title.

Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Dak Draper vs. Eli Isom

Hold on though as the lights go out and here is dancing Dalton Castle with the clapping Boys. Castle says he’s just here to look at Draper so Isom sends Draper outside in a hurry and hits the big flip dive. Back in and Isom strikes away at the head, including a few right hands and a jumping kick to the face. Draper punches him out to the apron and manages a deadlift superplex, which is always the impressive sight.

Castle and the Boys start walking around as Draper drops a knee for two. A hard clothesline puts Isom down again and we take a break. Back with Draper hitting a top rope forearm to the head to send Isom outside. Isom gets thrown hard into the barricade, sending Castle into hysterics.

Back in and a waistlock has Isom in trouble until he rolls over to the rope. Draper is smart enough to put the hold right back on and it’s the Doctor Bomb for two. A monkey flip sends Draper into the corner and a spinning belly to back suplex gives Isom two of his own. Draper is right back with a powerslam and Castle starts the cheers. The Magnum Drop is loaded up but instead Draper takes Isom up top but Castle and the Boys walk away. The distraction lets Isom grab the Promise for the pin at 11:17.

Rating: C. The Castle stuff is interesting but this is a good example of one of Ring of Honor’s bigger issues. Draper and Isom feels like it started months ago and it is still going at such a slow pace. Stories take so long to advance around here so the good stuff that they have at the start is going to fade away by the time they get anywhere. As for the match, either of them could have won here, but Isom winning is a good way to go as he has been pushed pretty heavily as of late.

O’Shay Edwards talks about taking Sledge out and now it is time to beat Chris Dickinson in the Survival of the Fittest. Edwards has impressed me almost every time I’ve seen him so this has me interested.

Chris Dickinson has survived against everyone and he is ready to do it to Edwards again, just to stick it to everyone here.

Tag Team Titles: Dragon Lee/Kenny King vs. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus

Williams and Titus are defending and this is under Pure Rules. Titus takes King to the mat to start and it’s time for the exchange of holds. King gets the better of things with a hammerlock and a front facelock but gets reversed into Titus’ own hammerlock. Williams comes in for some knees to the ribs and the Cloverleaf goes on, sending King bailing to the ropes. A Fujiwara armbar almost makes King use another break but he rolls out instead and brings Lee in to pick up the pace.

Williams welcomes the chop off until Lee snaps off a running hurricanrana to send him outside. That means a hard whip into the barricade to put Williams in trouble and we take a break. Back with Williams suplexing Lee down for two but King comes in to pound Williams down. King and Lee start taking turns hammering away until Williams gets over for the tag off to Titus. Some rolling neckbreakers have Lee in trouble as everything breaks down. King kicks Williams off the apron as Titus grabs a suplex for two on Lee.

The hot tag brings in Williams for a discus lariat on King, who has to use the final rope break to escape. King pulls Williams into something like an Indian Deathlock, meaning Williams has to use his first break. Lee is back in for a slingshot kick to Titus in the corner, followed by the running dropkick in the corner.

Back up and Titus loads up a superplex on Lee but gets caught in the Tree of Woe for Lee’s top rope double stomp. Titus is back up with the dropkick to put all four down. Lee’s running knee is countered and Williams hits a discus forearm in the corner. The super driver plants Lee and King comes in for the save….but that’s a DQ at 16:09 because King and Lee are out of rope breaks.

Rating: B. Now that is a good way to use the rules as you should. This is the kind of thing that you do not get to see very often and they set it up rather well. At the end of the day, the rules are established and they built the finish up throughout the match. It was all action as well, which is what you would see every time with these teams. Good match here and I really like the ending.

Post match La Faccion Ingobernable runs in for the beatdown but the Foundation makes the save. Violent Unlimited comes out to watch approvingly as the show ends. Why yes, these faction battles are still continuing.

Overall Rating: B-. Another good show here, but they do need to get to the pay per view card so something can actually happen with these stories. You’re only getting so far with the stories not advancing over and over. Now the good thing is the fact that the they have a pay per view in less than a month, but a good amount of stuff needs to happen there. It’s still a good weekly show, but you can only stay in the same place for so long.

 

 

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Have Fun Be Sad
Date: April 9, 2021
Location: 81Bay Brewing, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Various

This is from Action Wrestling and Southern Underground Pro Wrestling coming together for a show. I have no idea what that is going to mean as I don’t know anything about either promotion, but there is always the chance that they could pull off something good. It’s certainly a different kind of show title. Let’s get to it.

Someone from Southern Underground welcomes us to the show and wants us to be loud.

Bonestorm Title: AJ Gray vs. JD Drake

Gray is defending and this is from Southern Underground. They chop it out to start and trade shoulders to no avail. Gray’s powerslam has more avail and they fight to the floor for another slugout. This time Drake gets the better of things and takes it back inside for a quick Vader Bomb. They trade snapmares into kicks to the back, followed by Drake hitting a quick splash for two.

A dropkick knocks Gray backwards but he is right back with a flurry of strikes of his own to even things up. They strike it out again until Drake kicks him into the corner for the Cannonball. The middle rope moonsault misses though and Gray hits a lariat….for the pin at 8:31, even though the referee stopped counting after two, then counted three, then didn’t call for the bell immediately.

Rating: C. Seemingly confusing ending aside, this was a completely acceptable hoss fight with two guys beating each other up. That is something that is always going to work and it worked well here. Drake is someone who has been around forever and Gray has quite the reputation of his own. Good choice for an opener here and a nice match.

Good Hand vs. Cabana Man Dan/Bret Ison

Before the match, Suge D of Good Hand (with Kevin Ryan) says he’s good to die today but Dan and Ison are going to have to earn it. It’s a huge brawl to start as commentary explains that Good Hand has attacked/tortured both Dan and Ison, because they are competent at their jobs.

We settle down to Dan working on Ryan’s arm but Suge snaps Dan’s throat across the top and takes him to the floor for a ram into a chair. Back in and Dan gets caught in a Gory Special, setting up a Gory Special for two. Suge comes in to hammer away and then Death Valley Drivers Ryan onto Dan for two more. A Swanton gets the same but Dan is back with the Kevin Owens swinging superplex.

That’s enough for the hot tag off to Ison and the pace picks up. Everything breaks down as Ison wrecks everything in sight. Dan is knocked to the floor though and Good Hand strikes away at Ison but can’t put him down. With Dan coming back in to take care of Ryan, Suge’s springboard…well it mostly slips but he hits Ison anyway. Ryan is back up with a knee to the back to finish Dan at 11:08.

Rating: C. There was definitely a story here and it was nice to have commentary explain what was going on. I got the story they were telling, but it was nice to have someone there to give me a bit of a backstory. It wasn’t much in the way of a match but they played the formula and kept it simple with energy, so well enough done.

Post match Suge gets in some WE TOLD YOU’s but Ison grabs him and takes him to the back. Dan chases Ryan off as well.

Adrian Alanis vs. Rob Killjoy vs. Graham Bell vs. Jaden Newman vs. Damyan Tangra vs. Liam Gray vs. Bobby Flaco

From Southern Underground Pro and one fall to a finish. I know they need to get people on the show but GOOD GRIEF STOP HAVING ALL THESE PEOPLE IN ONE MATCH. Alanis and Gray and Flaco and Killjoy are regular tag teams. Bell has a bazooka which shoots a puff of fire. Newman talks a lot of trash to start and says he is here to beat every one of them, earning himself a superkick to the floor.

Killjoy and Tangra are left alone in the ring and trade rollups for two each until Tangra hits a running uppercut. Alanis comes in for a running elbow in the corner and he suplexes Flaco into Tangra in the corner. Bell comes in to strike away and clean house but Grey is in with a top rope flip dive. Newman gets his turn to beat up whomever is in the ring with him until Killjoy catches him with a pop up Codebreaker.

Flaco has to fight off Alanis and Newman on his own and manages to clear the ring despite being rather small. Gray comes back in and hits a huge dive over the top onto a bunch of people. Killjoy adds a springboard flip dive but Bell is up with his bazooka….which is out of ammo. That’s fine though as he sends Newman outside and hits a springboard flip dive to take out a bunch of people.

Back in and Tangra gets a hold on three people at once (just go with it) until Gray makes the save. The ring is cleared again and we get a quick Killjoy vs. Flaco fight. The tower of doom is loaded up but falls apart, leaving Flaco to hurricanrana Gray into everyone else. Killjoy tosses Flaco at Newman for a DDT and then gets two off a brainbuster. Flaco hits a poisonrana on Killjoy but gets caught in electric chair Backstabber for two from Bell. Gray and Alanis team up on Newman but Tangra elbows Alanis out of the air. A scary looking jumping Downward Spiral gives Tangra the pin on Alanis at 11:29.

Rating: C+. Yes it was entertaining and yes it was all energy but egads I can’t stand this kind of match. It’s just a collection of spots with no real flow or anything to it and that gets annoying in a hurry. I’m not going to remember anything out of this because it is so all over the place until someone wins. It isn’t bad, but it is the kind of thing that comes and goes and doesn’t stand out whatsoever, just because of the calamity involved.

AC Mack vs. Myron Reed

Mack handles his own intro, taking credit for the entire show taking place at all. Mack takes him to the mat for an early hammerlock but Reed is up with a wristlock of his own. That’s reversed into an ankle crank but Reed is in the rope in a hurry. Back up and Reed misses a charge into the corner, allowing Mack to hit a hard dropkick to the back of the head. Reed is back with a boot to the face to send Mack outside, setting up a heck of a suicide dive.

Back in and Mack gets dropped throat first across the top, setting up a neckbreaker for two. The sleeper doesn’t last long as Mack fights up, where he gets caught in a Stundog Millionaire. Mack kicks him in the head though and hits some clotheslines to set up a spinning DDT for another near fall. They slug it out until Mack nails a leg lariat for the double knockdown.

Mack powerbombs him for two but can’t follow up and they’re both down again. Another Stundog Millionaire rocks Mack and the running slingshot cutter to the floor (despite Mack’s face not getting close to the floor) sets up a 450 to give Reed two back inside. Back in and Reed can’t hit a powerbomb but Mack can hit the Mack 10 (Pedigree) for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C+. Reed is someone who has gone from pretty much a goof in MLW to someone who looks sharp every time he is in there as his reputation continues to grow. That is rather cool to see and I could go for seeing more of him. The same is true of Mack, who I believe I remember seeing two years ago and liking then as well. Nice match between two talented people here.

One Called Manders vs. Logan Creed vs. Alex Kane vs. Derek Neal

Sure why not. Neal and Creed knock the other two outside at the bell, followed by the much bigger Creed chopping Neal outside. Kane comes back in to suplex Creed outside, followed by another belly to belly to Manders inside. A Warrior splash hits Manders’ raised knees though and a powerslam puts Kane on the floor. Creed comes back in to beat up Manders and Neal at the same time but a heck of a lariat puts him down.

Another double team puts Kane on the floor, leaving Manders and Neal to strike it out. Creed chokeslams Kane onto the apron but let’s get everyone in the corner for the Tower of Doom. You know, just for fun. Creed is back up for the huge no hands dive onto Manders and Neal but Kane is back up with a German suplex. Kane suplexes Manders down again for the fast pin at 6:29.

Rating: C. It was less hectic than the seven way match earlier and they were able to showcase themselves a little bit better, because, again, we didn’t have seven people in the match at once. Kane has been impressive in the two matches I’ve seen him in and it worked well here too. Creed it big and athletic but his left handed chops and chokeslams are a bit weird. Neal looked better in a singles match yesterday and Manders seemed more about his cowboy deal than anything in the ring.

Daniel Makabe vs. Arik Royal

Royal’s Action Title isn’t on the line. Apparently this has been teased for years now so it is kind of a big deal. Royal bails to the floor to start before heading back inside for the lockup. Neither can get anywhere with a grappling exchange so Makabe takes him to the mat to no avail. Royal gets a headscissors on the mat but Makabe bounces away to grab a headlock.

That’s reversed into a choke from Royal, who is right back up with a dropkick for two. Makabe tries a waistlock but gets hit in the head to cut him down again. They fight over a small package with neither being able to get the shoulders down so let’s get back up with Royal hitting a spinebuster instead.

Frustration is starting to set in and Makabe makes it worse by hitting his Big Unit right hand. Royal is back with a hard lariat to put them both down and we need a breather. A running dropkick staggers Royal again and Makabe snaps off a Saito suplex for two more. Royal pops up with a sitout powerbomb for a delayed two but Makabe is back with a German suplex for the same.

Makabe gets Cattle Mutilation so Royal has to get a foot over the rope for the break. That leaves Royal mostly done so Makabe goes up top and pulls the knee pads down. The exposed knees only hit mat though and Royal Pounces him (aiming at the knees) to knock him outside. That’s good for a nine and Makabe goes for the arm but Royal punches him in the knee. The claw STO finishes Makabe at 17:24.

Rating: B. This did feel like the kind of big match that they were hyping it up to be. Royal is someone who seemed like little more than a rather confident heel but he looked like someone worth seeing here. Makabe was rather good as well and they had a good match on a fairly big stage. The time helped as well, as you don’t get to see many matches get this kind of time on a show like this more often than not.

Adam Priest vs. Matt Makowski

Feeling out process to start with the smaller Priest not seeming scared to go after him. Makowski sends him into the corner and Priest has to bail to the rope to avoid an armbar attempt. More mat grappling has Priest in trouble as he can’t get away from someone as big as Makowski. A choke is broken up and Priest nails a clothesline, setting up a frog splash to the back. Priest steps on his head in the corner for a bit and hits an elbow to the face for two.

Something like a Scorpion Deathlock has Makowski in trouble but it starts breaking down so Priest ties up one of the arms for a bonus. Back up and Priest grabs the arm but Makowski snaps off a suplex. A hard collision puts both of them down and the referee starts the rather slow count. Makowski flips him into an attempt at a cross armbreaker but Priest stacks him up for two. That’s broken up as well so Priest stacks him up again for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. They were working hard here and it is nice to see Priest get a win given how much they had hyped him up over the last two days. I’m not sure how much of a difference this is going to make for either of them but at least they had a good back and forth match here. That alone should get them some attention, which is kind of the point of a weekend like this one.

O’Shay Edwards vs. Jon Davis

I’ve liked Edwards every time I’ve seen him. Davis isn’t wasting time here and kicks him in the face, setting up a German suplex. A Jackhammer gets two on Edwards and Davis can’t believe the kickout. Edwards gets knocked into the corner and Davis unloads on him with one heavy shot to the head after another.

Back to back slams make Edwards pop up so a sliding lariat gets two on Edwards instead. Edwards is back up with an Oklahoma Stampede for two, followed by some big forearms to the face. Davis grabs a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a Downward Spiral for another near fall but a quick spinebuster gives Edwards two more.

Back up and Davis hits a pop up powerbomb but Edwards counters a piledriver into an Air Raid Crash for two more. A torture rack powerbomb plants Davis for two more and they’re both banged up. Edwards flips him off so Davis kicks him in the chest, only to have Edwards tell him to bring it. Davis does just that but Edwards picks him up for a fire thunder driver and the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B-. Take two hosses and have them beat the fire out of each other for ten minutes. This is a formula that has worked for years and it always will. They knew exactly what they were doing with a match like this and it was fun to see how much both of them could take. Edwards continues to impress and hopefully someone notices that sooner rather than later.

We get the post match show of respect.

Nolan Edward vs. Angelus Lane

Unsanctioned. Nolan brings some friends with him and they have their weapons in hand. That would include barbed wire boards, chairs and let’s throw some thumbtacks in there before the bell too. They lock up to start and take turns rolling the other into the tacks. Back up and they trade forearms to the face until Edward suplexes her onto the tacks. Lane does the same to him and a Russian legsweep puts them both into the tacks.

They head outside to slug it out and let’s beat up security for a bonus. Lane gets in a posting and throws a chair at his head to bust him open. It’s time to go to the bar, where Lane pours water on his face for some waterboarding. With Lane off to find something else, Edward finds a chair to knock her silly again. Now Lane is busted open so Edwards goes after the cut and takes it inside.

Edward drags her through the tacks and slams her onto them for two, with commentary wondering why she would kick out. A door is set up on the bottom rope but Lane is back with a low blow. Something like a Stomp onto the tacks makes it worse for Edward and there is a suplex through the door. The barbed wire board is bridged over two chairs but Edward sends her into the tacks again.

That doesn’t do much good as Saito snaps off a Saito suplex onto the tacks. Lane picks up some wire and wraps it around her knee for a running knee to the head and a near fall. They fight up top but Edwards gets in a few shots to the face. One big one is enough to knock Lane through the barbed wire board and the pin at 11:28.

Rating: D+. I think I’ve made my thoughts on the extreme/this kind of hardcore stuff known before and it is the same today. I’m not big on seeing people doing this kind of thing over and over and it gets old seeing such similar spots over and over. It wasn’t the worst thing and they did a few impressive things, but I really don’t like this kind of thing and it absolutely was not for me.

FinJuice vs. Violence Is Forever

Both are champions but this is non-title and the latter would be Dominic Garrini/Kevin Ku. Garrini and Finlay feel each other out to start so Finlay headlock takeovers him down. That’s reversed into a headlock and Garrini switches into a triangle choke, only to slide over to tag Ku with the hold still on. Robinson comes in and scores with a belly to back before glaring at Garrini. A headlock takeover puts Robinson down for a bit but it’s quickly back to Garrini vs. Finlay.

Garrini hiptosses him into a cross armbreaker attempt but Finlay blocks the full thing. Robinson comes back in and gets slammed onto Garrini for two. It’s time to start in on Garrini’s arm and a double bulldog gives Finlay two. Ku gets knocked off the apron and a double suplex gives Robinson two on Garrini. Back up and Garrini is sent into the corner for some clotheslines and a side slam gets two.

An attempt at a heel hook doesn’t work either as Robinson comes in off the tag and drops an elbow. Robinson’s snap jabs connect but Garrini nails an enziguri, setting up the hot tag to Ku. Everything breaks down as house is cleaned, including Ku hitting a jumping knee off the apron. Garrini comes back in a bit too early and gets caught in something like a Magic Killer for two. A hiptoss sends Robinson into Finlay in the corner and Total Elimination gives Ku two.

FinJuice is back up to send Garrini outside and it’s a PowerPlex for two on Ku. Garrini shoves Robinson off the top though and it’s a jumping knee into Chasing the Dragon for a close two on Finlay. The slugout it on with Garrini sending Finlay outside and kicking Robinson in the head. Garrini chops FinJuice but Robinson gives him the big left, setting up a Dudley Dog into a Stunner to give Finlay the pin at 17:40.

Rating: B-. The match was pretty good but I’ve never been a fan of either team and it came at the end of a fairly long show. Garrini and Ku were the faces here so it was kind of a surprising result, though I can get why you wouldn’t want the bigger names losing here. They beat each other up rather well, but it just didn’t feel like some kind of dream match like they seemed to hype it up as being.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was good for the most part and while I wasn’t big on the hardcore match, most of the show worked out rather well. It was an entertaining event, but a show like this probably shouldn’t be going on for ten matches over three hours. Above all else, this show felt long and that is not the kind of feeling you want with a show like this one. It’s good, but cut out a scramble and another match somewhere in there to make it work better.

 

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Camp Moonsault
Date: June 21, 2019
Location: Boonton Elks Lodge #1405, Boonton, New Jersey
Commentators: Joey Emmitt, Russell Kayfest

It’s the third show from Independentwrestling.TV as I looked through a bunch of their offerings and picked out a few (all of which began with P for some reason). This is from Pizza Party Wrestling, because I needed to watch a show called Pizza Party Wrestling: Camp Moonsault. This looks like a tiny indy and that can go either way. Let’s get to it.

Commentary is done by different people in each match and that’s as close as I can get to figuring out any of their names.

We open in a hurry with the aftermath of a pre-show match, which means someone named Zachary Struts is on the mat and trying to get out of what seems to be a sleeping bag. This brings out “Tyrannosaurus Flex” Ezekiel James with his manager Jimmy Wayward for some shouting that I can’t understand. Commentary keeps talking over him too as Flex beats up the counselor (presumably the referee) and then stomps on Struts. A pumphandle powerslam plants Struts and more counselors show up to yell at James and Jimmy. None of this can be understood but it seems that we’re getting a match.

Ezekiel James vs. Oswald Project vs. Champagne Douglas vs. Suzaku

Apparently this is taking place instead of the camp talent show (oh sweet goodness it’s a theme show). Oswald, who commentary was made in a Petri dish in Wyoming, flips out of a headscissors attempt but gets his already small shirt ripped up. A big clothesline into a corkscrew moonsault misses James but Oswald muscles him up into a powerbomb. That’s broken up as well but Oswald bridges up ala Bray Wyatt.

A pinfall reversal sequence sees Oswald kicked outside so it’s Suzaku vs. Douglas taking their places. Suzaku hits a northern lights suplex into a Falcon Arrow for two with James making the save. That means a pop up uppercut to Suzaku and a hard clothesline to Douglas. The announcers make reference to James (the Tyrannosaurus) having short arms except….he doesn’t so it’s kind of weird. James holds up Suzaku and Douglas at the same time so Oswald hits a running moonsault into a reverse DDT to put everyone down.

Wayward grabs Oswald’s foot and gets kicked to the floor drawing over both James and Oswald to check on him. Well maybe you shouldn’t have kicked him. Douglas ducks a jumping knee from Suzaku and hits a Pele for the big knockdown. What was supposed to be a Phoenix splash is a Phoenix double knees to the chest to nearly kill Suzaku, with Oswald running in for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: D+. The gimmickery is strong with this one, but Oswald certainly got your attention with all of the bending and flipping he could do. Yeah it’s been done better before but it’s also something that is rather impressive because it stands out around here. James was intense but looks very standard. The other two are your run of the mill indy fare and nothing worth seeing.

Post match James beats everyone up but one of the counselors comes in to suplex him. Wayward leaves with the counselor.

Commentary and the ring announcer talk over each other again.

Camp Rich Jerks vs. Camp Moonsault

Rich Jerks: Matt Knicks/Craig Mitchell/Chris Castro

Moonsault: The Whisper/Van Valley/Matthew Aalon

The losers’ camp is turned into condos (sounds like something Maxwell Jacob Friedman would book). The Rich Jerks try to buy Moonsault off but the big brawl is on instead. The Jerks are sent into each other and run over, leaving Knicks to get crushed in the corner by the rather large Valley. Aalon and Whisper superkick Valley by mistake though and the Jerks take over.

We settle down into a normal match with Aalon getting caught in the wrong corner for some alternating beatdowns. Castro pulls at Aalon’s nose as the announcers try to figure out how much swearing they can do. Mitchell hits a standing moonsault and it’s back to Knicks for double knees to the back. It’s back to Castro to sit on Aalon’s chest and choke a lot, followed by a single forearm to put him down.

Mitchell comes back in and is so confident that he stands in the Moonsault corner and yells before charging across the ring into a pair of raised boots. The Jerks are smart enough to pull Whisper and Valley off the apron to block a tag though, meaning it’s a triple boot to the face for two on Aalon. More raised boots in the corner get Aalon out of trouble and he uses Castro’s back for a flipping hurricanrana to Castro. NOW the hot tag can bring Valley in to wreck some Jerks.

Whisper Aalon hit stereo flip dives to the floor, leaving Valley to try his own. Since that would be deadly, it’s a regular dive off the apron instead. Back in and it’s a series of suplexes, including a sleeper version from Valley. A running clothesline drops Valley and everyone is down. Back up and it’s the slugout between Valley and Castro until some superkicks from Aalon and Whisper take the latter down. An assisted flip dive from Aalon gives Valley two as Mitchell shoves Whisper into them for the break. And then Valley turns on his partners, leaving them to take stereo package piledriver for the double pin at 11:52.

Rating: C+. This was much better than the previous match, just due to the amount of action involved. That being said, the rest of the show is apparently shut down for the sake of building condos so we can all go home early. I’m not sure what the point is in this as it seemed to be as much of a layup as you could have, but never let it be said that this show makes sense.

Post match the Jerks try to take the Camp Moonsault sign….but it’s bolted to the wall so they can’t.

Faye Jackson vs. Johnny Cockstrong

Jackson has wrestled in ROH before and egads with the name here (whose singlet features a flexing chicken). There’s something funny about having the wrestlers come in through a door where you can see the parking lot outside. Before the match, Johnny wants a weapons check between his legs. Is he a Joey Ryan tribute wrestler? The referee decides that there will be, and I quote, “No dickqualifications”.

Jackson reaches down and Johnny bails into the corner as we’re in for, ahem, comedy here. Faye grabs a waistlock and gets pretty close to a certain area, much to Johnny’s annoyances. Johnny bails to the floor and the slow motion chase is on until Jackson somehow gets behind him for a low blow. A twerking Stinkface onto his crotch ensues in the front row is kicked away and they head back inside. Johnny goes his own dance, rubs himself, and then puts his hands on her face.

Some running hip attacks in the corner have little effect so Jackson tries a low blow, only to hurt her own knee. Johnny tries a running crotch attack but gets hit with the hip attack for a double knockdown. They trade knee/hip strikes to the face until Jackson gets two off a seated senton out of the corner. Johnny takes her down again and gives her a slow motion steam roller, including laying his crotch on her face. Jackson’s face goes inside his trunks but she slips out and hits a Michinoku Driver for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: F. I need a Joey Ryan match to pick up the dignity. Moving on to ANYTHING else.

KTB vs. O’Shay Edwards

Edwards has impressed me before. KTB is just a guy in a black tank top while Edwards looks like a monster. They do the big lockup to start with neither going anywhere off a shoulder. KTB knocks him outside and they slug it out on the floor for a change. Edwards gets caught in the ropes for a kick to the head but is right back with a good spinebuster. Back up and Edwards hits a rolling shoulder to the ribs in the corner, followed by a clothesline for two.

Rating: C-. It was fun for the hoss battle stuff but it went on for a bit too long and KTB was completely outshined by Edwards, who looked a lot more polished. Then he lost anyway, which would suggest that KTB is the local guy and Edwards is there as a low level name. It needed to be about three minutes shorter, but what we got was acceptable enough.

The post match celebration would suggest that KTB is known around here so the ending makes some more sense.

Alex Zayne vs. Brad Rush

Rush is a dirty farm boy in suspenders and carrying a jug of moonshine (naturally he’s billed from Kentucky). Zayne is about as stereotypical of an indy wrestler as you can imagine (not the worst thing), though his gear looks better than some of the usuals. He’s also introduced “from the nearest Taco Bell commentary”, which makes me want some lunch. Rush jumps him with a running knee at the bell and low bridges Zayne outside for the big dive.

Zayne catches him n the air though and the fight is on outside. The count is broken (with Rush flipping off the referee) and they keep fighting on the floor. A dive off of the announcers’ area takes Zayne down again and it’s back inside for two. Zayne, on his bad knee, sweeps the leg to put Rush down and a standing moonsault gets two more. Slingshot knees to the back keep Rush down and a standing shooting star press makes it even worse.

Rush gets smart by taking out the knee as the announcers speculate on a change in Zayne’s taco order messing up his timing. Zayne is right back up with the Baha Blast (starts as a side slam but he flips forward into a faceplant) for two. Rush gets two of his own with his feet on the ropes but since the referees are competent, he gets caught. Announcer: “NO MAS!” A buckle bomb is blocked with a poke to the eye as Rush was busted open in there somewhere.

They slug it out with Zayne saying bring it on, earning a hard slap to the face. That means Rush gets his head knocked off and a Saito suplex makes it even worse. Zayne misses a 450 and tweaks the knee, allowing Rush to hit a running knee to the knee (not something you often see). The logical leglock follows and the bell rings….for no apparent reason as the time hasn’t expired and Zayne didn’t tap. Zayne grabs the rope and we keep going as that seemed to be a miscue. With the knee suddenly fine, Zayne grabs a pumphandle into a spinning powerbomb for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: C. Zayne was moderately impressive while Rush was trying but not quite making me buy what he was doing. It was clear that Zayne was the more polished guy and what we got worked well enough. There were even some unique moves in there and the match went by pretty quickly. Zayne could be something with a lot more experience so it’s cool to see a prospect like this.

Here’s Still Life With Apricots And Pears (the current Chikara Young Lions Cup holder, a non-binary wrestler and I guess you would say a modern artist) to give us an arts and crafts demonstration. He talks about Galapagos tortoises before being offered magic markers for a drawing. That’s not cool but it seems that we’ll be having a match instead.

Still Life With Apricots And Pears vs. Sean Henderson

Henderson is a “modern day gangster” and the Interspecies Wrestling International Food Fight Invitational Champion. Indy wrestling is weird in case you were wondering. Also note that he is wearing pink and black tights with a skull logo and is named SEAN as 1996 explodes. Henderson starts with a springboard headscissors as Pears’ easel falls over in the corner. Pears is sent outside but Henderson’s dive gets caught in the ropes so Pears can take over. Referee: “GET IN THIS RING!” Commentators: “As opposed to the other ring.”

A kick to Henderson’s leg gets one and it’s off to the variety pack of leglocks. Pears even bridges back with one of them to bend the leg at a rather disturbing angle. A small package gets Henderson out of trouble for two but Pears slams him down and grabs the markers. Sean’s face is colored on and the leg gets bent around the ropes as Pears gets back on track. Henderson elbows him in the face and tries a slingshot but the knee is done.

It’s fine enough for some German suplexes (onto a marker), followed by an easel to Pears’ head for two. Back up and Pears throws something in Henderson’s face, meaning it’s time for COLORED MACARONI PIECES. Henderson backdrops him onto the macaroni though but his bulldog headlock is countered with a toss onto the macaroni, with the knee going straight in. A bulldog onto the macaroni gives Pears the pin at 7:12.

Rating: D+. Pears is someone who seems like he would be better with more promo time or a backstory (which I know exists but it isn’t something you can get here). The arts and crafts deal fit the theme of the show well enough, but it wasn’t long enough to go very far with all the comedy involved. Henderson was passable enough but really no one I’m going to remember anytime soon.

Atlantic City Scoundrels vs. The Crucible

The Scoundrels (Leo Zukko/Dom Truex) get annoyed when their music shuts down mid entrance. The Crucible (Evan Matthew Demorest/Matt Makowski) have nothing setting them apart but I needed a place to write their individual names. Zukko shoulders Matt down to start but has to fight out of an early cross armbreaker attempt. Matt isn’t done and suplexes him into another armbreaker, which is broken up just as fast.

Dom and Evan come in with the bigger Dom hitting an early shoulder and countering a leapfrog into an atomic drop. Evan headscissors him down and gets two off a standing moonsault. It’s back to Matt who is STILL going for that armbreaker and STILL can’t get it. Leo comes in to knee Matt in the back of the head and Truex adds an ax kick for two. We get the fourth failed cross armbreaker attempt from Matt as Dom makes a save, though a crossbody works a bit better for two.

The tag brings in Evan, who can’t hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Dom. They head outside with Evan going up top, only to get crotched when Matt gets posted. Back in and Leo snaps off a DDT for two on Evan, who is right back with a belly to back flip into a DDT of his own. Evan completely misses a dragon rana, with Dom having to flip himself into the corner in a terrible looking spot.

Dom chokeslams Matt but gets caught with a heck of a backdrop driver for the group knockdown. Leo is up first and gets F5’d into a triangle choke but Dom powerbombs Evan onto his partner….after the hold was broken. Not that it matters as the Scoundrels are right back up with a reverse Magic Killer (the Royal Flush) for the pin at 11:56.

Rating: D. This was REALLY not good as it felt like two heel teams fighting and I had no idea who I was supposed to cheer for. On top of that there were several botches and the stuff they were doing felt sloppy and like it had no flow whatsoever. Just not a good match, even by lower level standards like this.

Tony Deppen vs. Rory Gulak

Deppen is a jerk who complains about everything while Gulak (Drew’s brother as you might have guessed) has a cape. They keep ducking early handshake attempts and yell at each other a lot with Rory waiting almost a minute and a half before hitting a chop. Some amateur exchanges go to Gulak so Deppen goes outside to grab….a broom? Back in and Rory easily takes him down before it’s time to circle each other some more.

They shout at each other with Deppen making fun of Rory’s gear, though Rory points out that Deppen is too poor to afford boots. An Octopus Hold has Deppen in some quickly escaped trouble and we hit the crisscross. Deppen goes even dirtier by blowing his nose on Rory’s face, earning himself some hard chops in the corner. It’s time for Deppen to head outside again, this time to grab a chair, because he wants this to be a “Jersey s***hole street fight”, which is a reference to Gulak appearing in the film The Trade with Nick Mondo.

The new rules are on with Deppen going low and forearming Gulak in the back of the head. The chair is loaded up but Deppen just has a seat before grabbing the chinlock. How teasing of him. Rory gets his nipples twisted so he dropkicks Deppen to the floor for the running flip dive. We get some choking with a macaroni necklace before Deppen is thrown through a bunch of chairs. The nipple twists are returned, followed by Deppen missing a running flip dive to send himself through the chairs again.

The chairs are thrown into Deppen’s face for a change but he’s fine enough to crotch Rory back inside. A Meteora in the corner gives Deppen two, followed by Rory’s superplex into a top rope splash for the same. Deppen is right back with a Shining Wizard for two more, only to have Rory drop toehold him onto the chair. The dragon sleeper makes Deppen tap at 15:56.

Rating: C. It was better because the two of them are more experienced and have wrestled on bigger shows but that doesn’t mean it was a very good match. The comedy wasn’t working for me, though Deppen being a complete jerk made up for it a lot. This felt like the biggest thing on the show so at least they got the choice for the main event right. Good action here, though the show was dragging by the end and it went a bit longer than it should have.

Rory poses a bit and we’re out without a sendoff.

Overall Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was kind of all over the place. The theme was only there for part of it and the big match involving it went to the heels, who get to destroy the camp. It’s certainly not terrible as it’s not even two hours long, but there were a lot of times on here that I was looking at the clock to see how much more of it I had to sit through.

That’s never a good sign and it was the case here more than once. I know it’s a very small company (there might have been 100 people there) and that’s what it felt like a lot of the time, which made for a long two hours. Don’t bother with this one and order pizza (of which there was very little) instead.

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