Mouse’s Wrestling Adventures: Fright Night
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: The Arena, Jeffersonville, Indiana
Commentators: Nick Miller, Chad Green

Assuming it is the same one, Mouse is someone who I have seen around on another show but don’t know much about him. Either way, this seems to be his (or someone named Mouse) show, which could go all over the place. I have no idea what is coming on this thing and that makes for a nice feeling. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind I have never seen this promotion before so I apologize if I miss any plot or character bits.

We open with a Halloween theme, including clips from Hocus Pocus and Ernest Scared Stupid. Oh yeah I’m in the right place.

Logan Stunt vs. Cole Radrick

Logan is Marko’s brother and Cole is a pretty basic looking guy who can do good things in the ring. Radrick takes him to the mat to start as commentary (I have absolutely no idea if those names are right but it’s the closest I could get to what they were saying is in need of an early fix as it is BADLY distorted). A suplex sends Stunt into the corner but he’s back with a jumping knee to knock Radrick to the floor. The big suicide dive knocks Radrick into the fans, as there are no barricades here.

Back in and Radrick’s bridging butterfly suplex gets two but he misses a middle rope moonsault (commentary: “Little flippy doo action.”). A running knee gives Stunt two and it’s time for the slugout. Radrick knocks him into the ropes for a big running boot but Stunt manages to knock him outside. Back in and Radrick grabs a backpack Stunner into a running knee to the back of the head (BOOM!) for a rather near fall. A butterfly powerbomb finally puts Stunt away at 7:15.

Rating: C. They certainly started fast here and the fans are VERY hot for this show. Stunt is similar enough to his brother that he can get the sympathy while also being a bit bigger to keep things from being entirely ridiculous. Throw in a lack of floss dancing and this was an instant upgrade over most Marko matches.

The house band plays, because we have a house band.

Tom Hanks Memorial Battle Scramble

This is a Royal Rumble with thirty second intervals, but once we get down to five, a special entrant comes in to turn it into a six way scramble with pinfalls for eliminations. Also there might have been something about fans being allowed to throw people back in but it wasn’t easy to understand. Ace Perry is in at #1 and the Arena Phantom is in at #2 with the rather small Phantom sending him outside (not out) and backflipping into a pose back inside.

Back in and a big boot and suplex rock the Phantom as Levi Everett (he looks Amish) is in at #3. He takes his sweet time going around the ring to shake every hand he can though, leaving Perry to hit a low superkick on the Phantom. The claw has the Phantom down again but…some unnamed wrestler comes in to take Perry down. Reilly MaGuire is in at #4 and gets German suplexed by Perry.

The Phantom manages to skin the cat to stay alive and it’s Hoodfoot (Maybe) (that’s what the graphic says) in at #5, even as Levi is still on the floor shaking hands. Reilly tornado DDTs the unnamed guy and Trigga Travis is in at #6. Levi and another unnamed wrestler get in at the same time, but here is Adam Slade in at #8 (I guess?). Levi, the second unnamed guy and Slade seem to be part of the Lost Boys and it’s Levi snapping Reilly’s arm.

Step Stool Sarah, who might be a backstage worker, is in at #9 and hits a Stunner (because she’s in a Steve Austin jersey) before trying to eliminate herself….but she gets stuck on the top. Chris Copeland is in at #10 and the brawling continues until Jack Andrews is in at #11. The Phantom is eliminated off camera and it’s Loki Havok (Commentary: “He’s an odd bird.”) in at #12 to clean house.

Patrick Heeter is in at #13 as commentary has no idea who is in or how many are left. Nolan Edward is in at #14 and with nothing happening, Righteous Jesse is in at #15. Heeter knocks him straight down and puts him in the Tree of Woe for….us to cut to another wrestler who doesn’t get a graphic on his entrance. Whoever he is he’s in at #16 as there might be another entrant drinking in the crowd. Someone carrying a bag walks back through the entrance and it’s Danhausen in at #17.

We haven’t had commentary for a few minutes now and the handheld camera work isn’t helping. Lord Crewe is in at #18 and eliminates two unnamed guys in similar tights. Havok goes Joey Ryan by no selling a testicular claw, only to be tossed a second later. Another unnamed guy is tossed and a clothesline puts the original unnamed guy out, all at the hands of Crewe. There goes Heeter as well as the ring is rapidly clearing out. A toss powerbomb sends someone else onto the pile but Danhausen rallies the troops to go after Crewe.

Danhausen pours teeth into Crewe’s mouth and boots him out, leaving us with five. That means the special entrant can come in and it’s….the Wilson volleyball from Cast Away. This freaks Crewe out and has him in tears of apology, but Wilson starts talking to him. Wilson is thrown inside, where he chokeslams Everett. Then Wilson breaks up a superplex attempt and hits a super hurricanrana, followed by what I think is a Canadian Destroyer on Reilly.

Danhausen sizes him up, inserts a tooth, and stomps away. Now it’s time for the piano mat from Big, allowing Danhausen to dance and hit people in the head with Wilson. That’s enough piano and Wilson is chucked over the top and onto some of the wrestlers at ringside. Slade hits a springboard dive to take everyone down on the floor again, followed by Reilly moonsaulting off the top to take them all down again. Back in and a superplex sends Slade into the pile again, leaving a fan to ask “what the f*** is happening”.

Danhausen hits a slingshot German suplex and a running knee for two on Perry but Reilly kicks Wilson into him. Slade gives Reilly a running Canadian Destroyer but Perry hits him with a running Death Valley Driver into the corner for another two. Then Wilson Stuns Danhausen, leaving Levi to hit a top rope headbutt for two on Wilson, as this really needs to wrap up already. Another top rope headbutt is enough to finish Wilson and give Levi the pin at 32:00.

Rating: D+. There were a lot of fun moments, but this was WAY too long and it hurt things a lot. There were also far too many people, with a lot of them only there so Crewe could toss them out. I’ve seen matches like this one several times before and they almost all wind up having the same issues. I didn’t hate it, but I was ready for it to end about ten minutes early. Throw in commentary being gone for over half of the match and I was more lost than anything else.

Lee Moriarty vs. Shawn Kemp

Kemp is a rather good sized guy with a bunch of dog nicknames. Commentary is back as Moriarty hits a big springboard armdrag into a dropkick to put Kemp on the floor. Back in and Kemp runs him over with a crossbody, setting up the chinlock. Moriarty gets a boot up in the corner though and a top rope stomp to the arm lets him strike away. A suplex doesn’t work on Kemp, who hits a Judas Effect into a Psycho Driver for two.

Another shot to the arm slow Kemp down and a quick suplex gives Moriarty two more. A clothesline sets up a Fujiwara armbar (with finger twisting) but Kemp is in the ropes. With the holds not working, Moriarty takes him up top but a swinging fisherman’s buster brings him right back down. Back up and Kemp hits an enziguri into…something that doesn’t work as the arm gives out. What looked to be an F5 gives Moriarty the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but eventually they settled down into Moriarty picking him apart with the focus on the arm. I can always go for someone being that solid technically and Moriarty was on it here. Kemp is another big yet athletic guy, though he is going to need a bit more tho make him stand out.

Brett Ison vs. Calvin Tankman vs. Dominic Garrini

Hoss battle so it’s a chop circle to start. We’ll make that a punch circle as things get a little more intense early on. Ison gets double teamed down but Tankman Pounces Garrini to send him outside. A backbreaker into a clothesline drops Ison again but he dives back in to make a save.

Tankman BLASTS Garrini with a chop, only to have Garrini triangle choke him down. Ison is back up so Garrini gives him a German suplex, which doesn’t have much effect. Ison mixes things up with a Styles Clash, drawing Tankman back in for the save. Back up and Ison elbows the heck out of Tankman for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: C+. They didn’t try to do anything out of the ordinary here, as you had three big monsters hitting each other until one of them couldn’t kick out. That’s all it was supposed to be and I had fun watching them beat on each other. Those chops were great and I liked it ending with a shot to the face instead of something more complicated, as it kind of fits the theme.

Baka Gaijin vs. Naturally Gifted

That would be Madman Pondo/2 Tuff Tony (from Juggalo Championship Wrestling) vs. Bradley Prescott IV/Chase Holliday. Naturally Gifted seems to be part of the Lost Boys, and come out to the theme Rich Swann uses when he isn’t in Impact. Prescott has quite a bit of beer on his way to the ring and we get in-ring entrances, with Pondo and Tony insisting that they go first. It’s a brawl to start with Prescott and Holliday being beaten down on the floor as this is rather one sided early on.

Back in and a barbed wire bat to the back has Holliday screaming but Prescott is back up with a beer. That’s fine with Tony, who comes up with a bottle of vodka. There’s a pumpkin rolling around on the floor as Tony and Prescott try each others’ drinks (that’s just not sanitary). They trade sides and it’s Holiday avoiding a stop sign shot. An STO and basement dropkick get two on Pondo, followed by Prescott adding a jumping Stunner.

A Van Daminator (with a case of beer instead of a chair) gets two on Tony, who is back up with Pondo for a double elbow. Holliday is hung over the top for a flipping legdrop, drawing Prescott over for a save this time. The stop sign shot rocks Prescott and Tony hits (mostly) a Lionsault to make it worse. Pondo brings in a cinder block and a sledgehammer (commentary: “Somebody gonna die.”). The block is put between Holliday’s legs and crushed by the sledgehammer, setting up a fireball to finish Prescott at 9:50.

Rating: D-. I can’t stand this kind of stuff and it was little more than a squash for Pondo and Tony. They’re big guys who can’t move very well but they’re TOUGH, meaning they can do a bunch of stuff and not sell anything. The match wasn’t funny and was a way for the two of them to look great at the others’ expense, which isn’t so much interesting as much as it is annoying. Really not a fan of these guys and this didn’t make that any better.

Billie Starkz vs. Hawlee Cromwell

Cromwell jumps her during her entrance but Starks gets in a few kicks to take over. A clothesline gives Starkz two but Cromwell sends her into the corner for a running kick to the head. They slug it out on the apron with Cromwell getting the better of things, setting up a dropkick to the side of the head for two. Some forearms rock Cromwell in the corner and she charges into a boot to the face to make it worse.

I think they try a suplex to the floor but land on the ropes, resulting in a nasty looking fall to the floor. Back in and Cromwell grabs a swinging facebuster for two, followed by something like a Death Valley Driver/Air Raid Crash for the same. Starkz grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two and a sunset driver (with Cromwell’s head not even approaching the mat) for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one again as they weren’t exactly the most polished out there. Starkz is someone I’ve seen a few times before and she can have a good enough match but that wasn’t the case here. The execution didn’t quite work here and it was one of those matches that lost me pretty quickly, which is never a good sign.

The Carnies vs. The Night Ryderz

That would be Kerry Awful/Nick Iggy/Tripp Cassidy vs. Aaron Williams/Alex Colon/Dustin Rayz. The brawl is on before the bell with the Carnies beating them down both in and outside. We settle down to Colon getting crotched on the post and the choking in the corner drawing in the rest of the Ryderz for a failed save attempt. Everything breaks down with Colon getting kneed and suplexed for two.

The brawl heads to the floor as commentary hasn’t bothered to tell us who these people are, so we’re stuck with wild brawling and general insanity. The Carnies choke Colon in the corner and kick Williams (thanks commentary) in the head. Colon and Williams are back with double kicks and stereo suicide dives, leaving Rayz to clean house inside.

A DDT plants Iggy for two with Cassidy shoving the referee for the save. Awful is back in with a chokebomb to Colon, who pops up with a piledriver and a crucifix for two on Iggy. Colon and Iggy chop it out until Awful plants Williams for two, with Colon making the save. A hanging DDT/top rope double stomp drops Iggy on his head for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: C. This was the kind of brawl that you knew was coming on a show like this and that may or may not be a good thing. The lack of knowing who was who didn’t really matter in the end but it’s nice to at least know their names as they’re brawling. Either way, it was a good enough brawl, even if there have been a lot of wild fights on the show so far tonight.

Before the main event, Marko and Logan Stunt get in the ring to goof around a bit.

Grindhouse Pro Title: Freddie Hudson vs. Tyler Matrix vs. The Kenway

Hudson is defending. Matrix jumps both of them to start fast, including a belt shot to Hudson. They head outside where Hudson loses his shirt but Kenway is back in with a fisherman’s….something, which is countered into a small package for two. Hudson and Kenway slug it out until Matrix comes back in to run them over. Matrix superkicks Kenway to the floor and tells the fans to move, setting up the suicide dive.

Another dive drops Matrix and Kenway, leaving everyone down on the floor. Back in and Matrix hits a Canadian Destroyer on Hudson, followed by Kenway hitting one on Matrix. Not to be outdone, Hudson is up with a middle rope Canadian Destroyer to Kenway to leave everyone down. Back up and we get the circle slugout with Hudson being knocked down first.

Back up and Hudson slugs it out with Matrix, setting up a standing Sliced Bread for two. Kenway is back in with a rolling German suplex on Hudson, setting up a pumphandle suplex for two more. Matrix grabs a reverse fireman’s carry backbreaker on Kenway, with Hudson having to make a save. Matrix shrugs off Hudson’s poisonrana so Hudson does it again. Kenway is back in with a powerbomb to Hudson, who pops up with a Shining Wizard to retain at 8:24.

Rating: C+. They had me until the ending, when it became a bunch of no selling that always drives me crazy. Matrix has been around the circuit for a bit, including a long time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, and he has had some nice stuff before. Hudson and Kenway were both fine enough, though not exactly standing out from the larger pack.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. There were some good parts here but the bad ones had me losing any reason to care. That battle royal and that Pongo/Tony tag match were death for the show and at least the battle royal overshadowed a lot of the good things going on. The atmosphere was fun though and I had a nice enough time in parts to keep it from being a disaster, but not a very good show for the most part. Also, where was Mouse?

 

 

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And Out Come The Wolves
Date: April 20, 2019
Location: National Guard Armory, Bloomington, Indiana
Commentators: Bob Nugent, Tony Brewer

We’re going to Rival Showdown Pro Wrestling, another promotion on a seemingly endless list of companies I’ve been checking out lately. This show has a bunch of names I have at least heard of so we might be in for something a bit easier to follow this time around. Then again, you never can tell with something like this. Let’s get to it.

Bad sign to start: you can barely hear commentary over the entrance music.

Gringo Loco vs. Jake Something

They shake hands and lock up to start before Loco flips over him and flips forward out of the corner. A running headscissors drops Something so he tries one of his own, only to have Loco stick the landing. Something tries to drop down off a whip but Loco hits a standing moonsault for a nice counter. With nothing else working, Something blasts him with a clothesline and Loco is rocked hard. A whip into the corner gives Something two and he doesn’t seem overly nervous here.

Another chop rocks Loco again but he comes back with a quick middle rope dropkick. That sets up the big running flip dive to take Something down on the floor in the huge crash. Back in and Something knocks him right back to the floor, setting up his own crazy dive to crush Loco. It also lets Something do his WHAT’S MY NAME shout for the third time in less than eight minutes, just in case you didn’t get the idea.

A running crossbody against the apron gives Something two back inside and they’re both down for a bit. It’s Loco to his feet first and he runs the corner for a diving cutter (that looked good) and a near fall of his own. A top rope moonsault gives Loco two more as they are into the one big move at a time territory.

Something is back up with a running spear in the corner and a Michinoku Driver gets two. Loco escapes a superbomb and hits a super Falcon Arrow for the huge double knockdown. A delayed cover gives Loco two but Something turns him inside out with a clothesline. One heck of a sitout powerbomb finishes Loco at 13:46.

Rating: B-. This was a solid choice for an opener as they beat each other up with one big move after another. It was a classic power vs. speed match and that is going to work almost every time. Something is strong enough with the power game and Loco’s big dives and speed balanced it out well. You can always go with an opener like this and they are starting smart.

Post match here is a manager in a suit and a hat (Jason Bowler maybe?), with commentary trying to talk over him but again, you can’t hear a word of it. The manager has a client named Russ Jones who will face anyone at the next show and he wants Something. The match is on, but the manager won’t shake hands with someone from Detroit. Something knocks him down and shakes his hand anyway.

The ring announcer hypes up tonight’s double main event, including Abyss’ final match. He also hypes up a raffle, concessions and tonight’s charity.

The Carnies vs. Lethal Injection

This would be Kerry Awful/Nicky Iggy vs. Brad/Briar Mercury (in South Park shirts). The rather tattoed and masked Awful and Brad have a pose off to start before Iggy grabs a headlock. Awful takes off his mask as commentary needs security to get rid of some fans standing in front of them, which isn’t something you often hear. Brad and Awful chop the heck out of each other before they take turns bouncing off the same rope in a circle change.

Awful stomps on the arm and starts working on it (Bob: “That was a disarming move.”) before handing it off to Iggy for more arm cranking. Briar comes in and gets armdragged into an armbar of his own before it’s a double fishhook, because no one leaves the Carnies’ circus without a smile. A slam puts Briar down but Brad grabs Iggy from the apron so a dropkick can put him in trouble for the first time.

There’s a double back elbow to put Iggy down again and he gets tossed hard into the corner. Iggy’s escape attempt is cut off and Brad launches Briar into the air for a splash. A stomp out of the corner finally gets Iggy out of trouble and the double tag brings in Awful to chop away at Brad.

Awful hits a butterfly powerbomb into a crossthroat but Briar makes the save. Some superkicks to the….general area of Awful knock him back but Iggy comes back in for the save. A stomp/wheelbarrow faceplant combination plants Iggy as commentary actually tries to remember who is legal. Iggy is left alone with Briar and it’s a chokebomb to give Iggy two. Everyone gets back in and a bit of contrivance lets the Carnies force Brad to Canadian Destroy Brian for the pin at 11:16.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as the Carnies’ deal kind of goes away as soon as the bell rings and they’re just a team. The same is true with Lethal Injection, who were neither lethal nor injecting anything. The ending was not good either, as it takes a lot to make me believe that you can make someone give someone else a Canadian Destroyer and it didn’t work. Not the best match here and I was wanting it to end more than once.

The Carnies take their sweet time in leaving.

Abyss vs. Mojo McQueen

Monster’s Ball and this is Abyss’ final match. McQueen has a smoking box and a horned mask, which makes it less surprising to see him jump Abyss before the bell. Some whipping with the jacket has Abyss in trouble but he’s back up with a shoulder. A clothesline drops McQueen and another sends him out to the floor sot he real fight can begin.

McQueen sends him into the barricade and the slow beating takes Abyss around the ring. Some crutch shots rock Abyss again, including having the crutch knocked into his throat. McQueen’s chop only hits post though and Abyss hits some not so rapid chops against the barricade. They get back inside but Abyss takes too long to hit him with a trashcan. Instead McQueen trashcans him down into the corner, followed by a posting to make it worse.

We’ll get creative with a voodoo doll….but first it’s time to wedge a chair in the corner. McQueen stabs the doll in the head to put Abyss in pain, followed by more stabbings to make it worse. That’s not cool with Abyss, who grabs Janice (the spiked 2×4) from underneath the ring. As is ALWAYS THE CASE, it gets stuck in the turnbuckle pad so Abyss settles for whipping him head first into the chair in the corner. McQueen gets in a knee to the face and it’s time to bring in the table. Abyss breaks that up and pulls out the thumbtacks to put on said table. A chokeslam through both of them gives Abyss the pin at 8:38.

Rating: C. This wasn’t about the match being a big showdown but rather having Abyss in the ring one more time and that worked out well enough. Let him play the hits (or misses like Janice) and get a nice pop. It isn’t like McQueen feels like some top star so having him out there as a victim is a fine enough way to go, even if the match was only so good because they kept things moving.

Post match Abyss thanks the fans and says he couldn’t have picked a better crowd to go out in front of. Nice little moment there that you don’t get from Abyss very often.

Intermission.

Craig Mitchell vs. Eye Candy Elliott vs. Isaias Velazquez

I’ve seen Velazquez in MLW and Mitchell has some size to him. Mitchell lives up to the Eye Candy idea by having two attractive women with him. They hit the stall button to start with Mitchell heading outside for a breather with the women. The two lock up with Mitchell running him over but Velazquez hits a rolling kicks to the head. A dropkick sends Mitchell outside and hits a dive, only to be distracted by the women.

That’s enough to earn them an ejection so Elliott gets inside to start the double teaming of Velazquez in the corner. Velazquez gets double suplexed down and the villains take over. Some loud chops in the corner keep Velazquez in trouble but he ducks a clothesline so that Mitchell gets hit instead. Elliott is tied in the Tree of Woe so Velazquez can suplex Mitchell into him for a clever spot that actually made sense for a change.

A fireman’s carry swung into a faceplant rocks Elliott and a Sliced Bread to Mitchell makes him DDT Elliott for two (I still can’t stand those spots) to leave everyone down. Everyone is back up for a three way slugout until Elliott rakes their eyes. Elliott gets knocked down again though and it’s something like a Deep Six to drop Velazquez. Mitchell’s running forearm to the back of the head gets two but Elliott is back up with a running neckbreaker. Velazquez hits a Cheeky Nandos kick on Elliott, which has commentary and some fans losing it.

Mitchell is back with a World’s Strongest Slam/powerbomb combination at the same time (always looks cool) for two but he misses a charge. That means a middle rope double stomp/hanging DDT combination can put Mitchell down for a change so Elliott hits a swinging suplex for two on Velazquez. Back up and Mitchell hits a rolling Downward Spiral on Elliott but Velazquez runs Mitchell over. A Jay Driller gives Velazquez the pin on Elliott at 13:16.

Rating: C+. I had more fun with this one as they were out there doing their things, which made for an easier match to watch. You could easily get what everyone in this was about and that is not something you get to see very often. Velazquez felt like the biggest star out of the three so the win isn’t a surprise, but it came after an entertaining match.

Mance Warner vs. Mikey

Warner has been around for a bit and comes out to Freebird so he can’t be that bad. Mikey on the other hand has big hair and a big mustache. He also hugs a baby on the way to the ring, which does not go well with our evil commentator. Hold on though as Warner says he’s here to hit someone in the face instead of wrestling them, so let’s make this a Mancer Rules match, meaning falls count anywhere and anything goes.

Mikey is in so here we go, with Mikey posing on the ropes a lot before they go to the slugout. Some rather slow right hands in the corner rock Mance but he avoids a springboard moonsault. Warner heads outside so Mikey drills him with a suicide dive, only to get his skin ripped off by some chops. There’s the hard whip to send Mikey into the barricade but he does the same to Mance to even things up.

They head out over the barricade, with Warner throwing some chairs back to ringside because he’s a bit off. Warner wraps a purse around Mikey’s neck and beats on him some more, only to be taken to the merchandise table. Mikey strikes away but gets caught with a chair shot. A backdrop sends Mikey back to ringside and they finally get back into the ring. Mikey isn’t about to be suplexed onto an open chair so he sends Warner face first into it for two instead.

Warner knocks him back down but takes a bit too long going up, allowing Mikey to roll away before he can do anything. Instead Mikey misses a nip up and kicks Warner on the face to take him off the ropes. A dropkick drives a chair into Warner’s face and a rolling splash onto a chair onto Warner gets two. They sit next to each other and chop it out before getting to their feet for the right hands.

Both of them wind up their fists for about thirty seconds until Warner punches him down for two. Back up and Mikey slides between his legs but can’t get a sunset flip. Instead he kicks Warner in the face so Warner grabs a chair, which is kicked into the head for two more. Mikey slowly goes up top, with the delay allowing Warner to pelt him with a chair to bring him back down. A huge lariat finishes for Warner at 14:43.

Rating: D+. This was every hardcore, weapons brawl you could imagine and that is not a good thing. It doesn’t help that Abyss had a better (or at least faster) brawl earlier on and it didn’t make this look very good. Warner is someone who can talk rather well but the repetitive brawling can be a bit much to take.

Post match Warner talks about how they beat each other up and asks for some beers to celebrate. Mikey celebrates to Warner’s music and seems buzzed off one beer.

Jaylee vs. Elayna Black

Jaylee was in OVW for a bit and shoulders Black down to start. Black is back up with a cradle for two but Jaylee tosses her to the apron. Back in and Jaylee kicks her down and steps on the hair. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Black fights out in a hurry. Not that it matters as Jaylee grabs a standing armbar for the tap at 3:24, which seems to confuse commentary.

Rating: C-. Well that was quick and mostly painless, though they didn’t exactly seem polished out there. Jaylee certain had a look, but Black is the one who would get the attention, as she wound up signing with NXT under the name Cora Jade. She would get better, but she didn’t have time to showcase her talents here.

The ring announcer talks about the sponsors again. As a bonus, a kid gets in the ring to draw the raffle winner. It turns out that it is the kid’s birthday so we get a cake brought in, with the fans singing Happy Birthday. While this is going on, commentary points out other great days on this date in history….like the Columbine massacre….and the birthday of a certain German dictator.

Cue GT Vega (in the main event) to interrupt because he wants to know why he wasn’t invited. Vega has the candles lit again so the kid can blow them out….and then he hits the kid with the cake (pretty hard too). Vega wants someone to come out here and tell him that it isn’t his ring. No one is going to take him out, but here is someone to interrupt. That’s all well and good, but I’m going to need more on what that commentator said because WHAT THE HECK MAN???

GT Vega vs. Eddie Edwards

This is hardcore Eddie so he throws a chair at Vega’s head to knock him off the apron before the bell. Eddie: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Vega gets whipped up against the barricade and chopped a lot, only to have Vega chop the post by mistake. A headbutt with a birthday hat makes Vega stagger but Vega sends him inside, only to be taken down by a suicide dive. Kid to Vega: “NO ONE LIKES YOU! NO ONE LIKES YOU!”

Eddie crotches him on the barricade and leads the crowd in HAPPY BIRTHDAY again. Vega fights back and sends Edwards throat first into the barricade before sending him into a garage door. That’s broken up and Eddie sends him into a wall, followed by a trip to the merch table. As luck would have it, Eddie’s children’s book is on sale so he hits Vega in the head with it. Vega comes back and chokes with a chair, though he does stop to pose.

Eddie gets whipped through some chairs and kicked in the face as commentary apparently can’t see over the fans. They go back to ringside, with Vega sending him face first into the apron. A Roman Reigns apron dropkick rocks Eddie but he comes back with an overhead belly to belly inside (where they bothered to go for once). Eddie gets up a boot in the corner but gets dropkicked off the middle rope to put it on the floor again.

Back in and Vega chokes on the ropes some more, followed by a spinebuster for two. Eddie gets in a kick to the face though and they head outside, where fans are BEGGING Eddie to hit Vega with the cake. That’s exactly what he does, making Eddie the biggest hero on the show so far. Back in and Vega kicks him down again as Edwards just can’t keep anything going. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two on Eddie, who catches him on top with a crotching.

The top rope superplex brings Vega back down and the backpack Stunner gives Eddie two. A fireman’s carry faceplant drops Vega again but the Boston Knee Party is countered into a powerbomb backbreaker for a rather near fall. Vega’s TKO gets two more and he kicks Eddie in the face a few times.

Edwards is right back with a powerbomb for two but Vega kicks the referee down by mistake. That lets Eddie grab a chair but Vega hits him low. A chair to the head finishes Eddie at 18:31 (or so, as I didn’t hear an opening bell)….but they keep going anyway as Eddie seemed to kick out just in time. Vega hits Roderick Strong’s End of Heartache for the real pin at 18:58.

Rating: B-. The big brawl at the start wasn’t my favorite, but what mattered here was how it felt like an important match. Eddie is someone who can work well with anyone and it was nice to see him getting a spot like this. Vega looked polished as well, but from what I can tell, this was his second to last match to date. That’s a shame too, as he was a pretty solid heel here and could have gone on to a bigger stage.

Post match Vega yells at the birthday kid again but Eddie hits him low. Eddie hands the kid the cake to hit Vega again for the happy ending.

Overall Rating: C+. For a show that didn’t exactly look great on paper, this wound up working pretty well. You can tell when the bigger stars are carrying things here and that is always a plus. There were a few too many hardcore/weapons brawls and some of the matches were weaker, but it was a step or so above a lot of regular independent shows. The company didn’t seem to last long, though they did seem to have some potential. Just get better commentary though, as it was pretty terrible. Overall pretty good, but it needed some adjustments.

 

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