Monday, December 11, 2017
Indy Wrestling mish mash.
XICW from last night in Warren, MI: Jackson Stone b Jamal Kyng, Travis Titan b Johnny Devine, Dre Jacobs & Jack Price & Alex Weir b El Ridiculoso & Cyrus Satin & Louie Perez, Malcolm Monroe III won four-way over Blake Acumen, George Mac and Juntai, Willy Watts b Mark Gjoka, Alex Beardslee b Justin Mane, DBA & Marcus Everette & Isiaih Broner b Jay Maynard & Aaron Orion & Matt Hagen, Caleb Stills b Zachary Main, Jaimy Coxxx NC Gavin Quinn. Truth Martnii was at the show, his first appearnce at a show in nearly two years.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Thursday night in Omaha: Purple won over Paul Daniels & Joey Daniels in a handicap match, Willy Sweet b Carson Rockwell, Con Artiest b Robert Storm, Pat Powers & Devin Carter b Moonshine Russell & Duke Cornell, Zac James b Dalton Lee Roth, Brooke Valentine b Valentina Loca, Preston Maxwell b Branden Juarez-DQ, Clay Cooper & Nathen Edwards b Lars Metzger & Johnny Ruckus in a last team standing match. Next show is 1/5 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.
NWL from yesterday in O'Fallon, MO: Christian Rose b Mike Outlaw, Everett Connors & Rasheed Ali b Buddy Shepherd & Javy Torres, Dak Draper b Lionel Howlett, Davey Vega & Mat Fithcett b Jet Royal & Anthony Gutierrez, Thor Theriot b Thomas Shire, Jack Foster b Maverick-DQ, Savanna Stone won three-way over Marti Belle and Carolina Rodriguez, Gary Jay b Jeremy Wyatt-DQ.
Former WWE wrestler Sawyer Fulton, who will use the name Madman Fulton, made his first indie appearance since his release over the weekend for the ASWA group in Ohio. He'[ll face Toby Cline for the ASWA title on 2/10 in Mansfield, OH. He also appears for Pro Wrestling Magic on 1/29.
Eli Drake will headline for Best of the World on 12/16 at Fresno City College at 6 p.m. Funnybone vs. Mike Rayne is the main event. The group will return to local television in Fresno on KAIL TV-53 on Sundays at 10 a.m. starting on 1/7.
Smash Wrestling on 1/28 in London, ONT at the Music Hall for a 4 p.m. show with Royal Rumble on closed-circuit after the show.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Thursday night in Omaha: Purple won over Paul Daniels & Joey Daniels in a handicap match, Willy Sweet b Carson Rockwell, Con Artiest b Robert Storm, Pat Powers & Devin Carter b Moonshine Russell & Duke Cornell, Zac James b Dalton Lee Roth, Brooke Valentine b Valentina Loca, Preston Maxwell b Branden Juarez-DQ, Clay Cooper & Nathen Edwards b Lars Metzger & Johnny Ruckus in a last team standing match. Next show is 1/5 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.
NWL from yesterday in O'Fallon, MO: Christian Rose b Mike Outlaw, Everett Connors & Rasheed Ali b Buddy Shepherd & Javy Torres, Dak Draper b Lionel Howlett, Davey Vega & Mat Fithcett b Jet Royal & Anthony Gutierrez, Thor Theriot b Thomas Shire, Jack Foster b Maverick-DQ, Savanna Stone won three-way over Marti Belle and Carolina Rodriguez, Gary Jay b Jeremy Wyatt-DQ.
Former WWE wrestler Sawyer Fulton, who will use the name Madman Fulton, made his first indie appearance since his release over the weekend for the ASWA group in Ohio. He'[ll face Toby Cline for the ASWA title on 2/10 in Mansfield, OH. He also appears for Pro Wrestling Magic on 1/29.
Eli Drake will headline for Best of the World on 12/16 at Fresno City College at 6 p.m. Funnybone vs. Mike Rayne is the main event. The group will return to local television in Fresno on KAIL TV-53 on Sundays at 10 a.m. starting on 1/7.
Smash Wrestling on 1/28 in London, ONT at the Music Hall for a 4 p.m. show with Royal Rumble on closed-circuit after the show.
Ok, who thought this was a great idea?, a moron maybe? RICH SWANN UPDATE
First the statement says Swann can't have any Direct or indirect hostile contact with his wife, but YET, he can live with her and still have contact. After he's been arrested you don't THINK there's going to be any arguments? DUH! Who made that agreement up? A fucking moron obviously.
WWE 205 Live star Rich Swann was released from Alachua County Jail in Gainesville, Florida yesterday on his own recognizance.
As a stipulation of his release, Swann had to sign a statement agreeing he would abide to an order that he would have "no direct or indirect hostile contact" with his wife, Vannarah Riggs, aka independent wrestler Su Yung. What that means is that Swann can be in contact with (and even live with) Riggs, but he cannot argue with, belittle, threaten, etc. her.
Swann was told he had to be in contact with court services within 24 hours of his release. A Judge has been assigned to Swann's case, but there has yet to be a court hearing officially set.
Swann was arrested early Sunday morning 12/10 for false imprisonment/kidnapping and a misdemeanor charge of battery- touching or striking against his wife. According to the arrest report, the two had been traveling from an event in Gainesville, Florida that Yung had performed at, discussing her match. Yung had wrestled last night for Fest Wrestling, which ran a venue titled Eight-Seconds. According to the report, Swann had been criticizing Yung's performance and "began getting angry with her." Yung, feeling the argument was "going to escalate," got out of their car at 1500 East University Avenue as Swann, who was driving, was in traffic. Swann yelled for her to return to the car, but she refused and walked away.
At this point, the arrest report claims that Swann, who had left the car as well, grabbed Yung by the arm, then around the neck, putting her in a headlock and bringing her back to the car as she screamed for help. A witness to the incident told police that Yung was beating on the window trying to get out of the car as it pulled away and that she "seemed very afraid of the Defendant and was trying to get away from him."
A second witness claimed that after Swann exited his car, he failed to put it in park, leaving the car to lurch forward, where it struck a telephone pole on the corner of East University Avenue and Northeast 15th Street.
Based on the location of the arrest (2400 SE Hawthorne Street in Gainesville, Florida), Swann and Yung traveled about a mile away from where the incident took place before Swann's car was stopped and he was placed under arrest.
In the arrest report, authorities stated that Yung told them she was afraid of Swann "because he has a temper sometimes" and that she was scared their argument would escalate into a physical confrontation. Yung stated that she asked Swann to pull the car over so she could leave the vehicle but he refused, so she waited until the car slowed to jump out of the car. She told authorities that she was grabbed by the arm and brought back to the car.
After being arrested and having been read his rights, Swann (according to the report) denied ever physically touching Yung and forcing her to return to the car, stating that she did so on her own. Swann claimed that he only wanted to return home and that they were using the GPS that was on Yung's phone and he "needed her to come with it." Swann also told authorities that the couple had been together five years and have been married nine months.
WWE immediately Swann indefinitely, citing their domestic abuse
WWE 205 Live star Rich Swann was released from Alachua County Jail in Gainesville, Florida yesterday on his own recognizance.
As a stipulation of his release, Swann had to sign a statement agreeing he would abide to an order that he would have "no direct or indirect hostile contact" with his wife, Vannarah Riggs, aka independent wrestler Su Yung. What that means is that Swann can be in contact with (and even live with) Riggs, but he cannot argue with, belittle, threaten, etc. her.
Swann was told he had to be in contact with court services within 24 hours of his release. A Judge has been assigned to Swann's case, but there has yet to be a court hearing officially set.
Swann was arrested early Sunday morning 12/10 for false imprisonment/kidnapping and a misdemeanor charge of battery- touching or striking against his wife. According to the arrest report, the two had been traveling from an event in Gainesville, Florida that Yung had performed at, discussing her match. Yung had wrestled last night for Fest Wrestling, which ran a venue titled Eight-Seconds. According to the report, Swann had been criticizing Yung's performance and "began getting angry with her." Yung, feeling the argument was "going to escalate," got out of their car at 1500 East University Avenue as Swann, who was driving, was in traffic. Swann yelled for her to return to the car, but she refused and walked away.
At this point, the arrest report claims that Swann, who had left the car as well, grabbed Yung by the arm, then around the neck, putting her in a headlock and bringing her back to the car as she screamed for help. A witness to the incident told police that Yung was beating on the window trying to get out of the car as it pulled away and that she "seemed very afraid of the Defendant and was trying to get away from him."
A second witness claimed that after Swann exited his car, he failed to put it in park, leaving the car to lurch forward, where it struck a telephone pole on the corner of East University Avenue and Northeast 15th Street.
Based on the location of the arrest (2400 SE Hawthorne Street in Gainesville, Florida), Swann and Yung traveled about a mile away from where the incident took place before Swann's car was stopped and he was placed under arrest.
In the arrest report, authorities stated that Yung told them she was afraid of Swann "because he has a temper sometimes" and that she was scared their argument would escalate into a physical confrontation. Yung stated that she asked Swann to pull the car over so she could leave the vehicle but he refused, so she waited until the car slowed to jump out of the car. She told authorities that she was grabbed by the arm and brought back to the car.
After being arrested and having been read his rights, Swann (according to the report) denied ever physically touching Yung and forcing her to return to the car, stating that she did so on her own. Swann claimed that he only wanted to return home and that they were using the GPS that was on Yung's phone and he "needed her to come with it." Swann also told authorities that the couple had been together five years and have been married nine months.
WWE immediately Swann indefinitely, citing their domestic abuse
Chris Jericho makes surprise appearance at NJPW Tag League finals
Ahead of their match at the Tokyo Dome, Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance and got into it with Kenny Omega in an angle at this morning's World Tag League finals.
Omega & The Young Bucks defeated Rocky Romero, Sho & Yoh at the show, with Omega pinning Romero with the One Winged Angel after the others had fought to the back. A video of Jericho aired following the match. He congratulated Omega, asked if he's ready for Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome and said we'll find out who the best in the world is then, and told Omega he's going to beat the hell out of him.
When the video stopped playing, Jericho appeared inside the ring and gave Omega the Codebreaker. Jericho continued to beat Omega down and hit him with the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. He laid out the referee and one of the young lions before continuing to attack Omega, who had been bloodied by this point. Omega briefly fought back until being hit with another Codebreaker.
Don Callis went into the ring to check on Omega as Jericho started to walk away, but Jericho came back and gave Callis a Codebreaker. Jericho continued to attack Omega before holding the US title up, then The Young Bucks ran out with a baseball bat to chase him off. As he went to leave, Jericho got on the mic to say he'll see everyone at the Tokyo Dome.
Callis was taken out on a stretcher to close the angle. Jericho later cut a brief promo on Instagram, saying the attack was his way of introducing himself to Omega ahead of their match.
This morning's show marked the biggest remaining stop on the road to the Tokyo Dome, which will host Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th.
Omega & The Young Bucks defeated Rocky Romero, Sho & Yoh at the show, with Omega pinning Romero with the One Winged Angel after the others had fought to the back. A video of Jericho aired following the match. He congratulated Omega, asked if he's ready for Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome and said we'll find out who the best in the world is then, and told Omega he's going to beat the hell out of him.
When the video stopped playing, Jericho appeared inside the ring and gave Omega the Codebreaker. Jericho continued to beat Omega down and hit him with the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. He laid out the referee and one of the young lions before continuing to attack Omega, who had been bloodied by this point. Omega briefly fought back until being hit with another Codebreaker.
Don Callis went into the ring to check on Omega as Jericho started to walk away, but Jericho came back and gave Callis a Codebreaker. Jericho continued to attack Omega before holding the US title up, then The Young Bucks ran out with a baseball bat to chase him off. As he went to leave, Jericho got on the mic to say he'll see everyone at the Tokyo Dome.
Callis was taken out on a stretcher to close the angle. Jericho later cut a brief promo on Instagram, saying the attack was his way of introducing himself to Omega ahead of their match.
This morning's show marked the biggest remaining stop on the road to the Tokyo Dome, which will host Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th.
Take that WWE, LOL. Ryback On Independent Wrestling Being More Fun Than WWE, Lucha Underground Coming Back
On a recent episode of his Conversation With The Big Guy podcast, Ryback discussed the differences between working in the WWE and working the independent circuit. Ryback said nothing really compares to the WWE because of it's large-scale production.
"WWE was far better as far as performing in front of more people, but independents are a lot of fun though," Ryback said. "I will never lie about that stuff. Independents are great on different ones, but nothing is WWE since it's the largest production."
Ryback admitted the lack of restrictions in the independent circuit make it more fun than the WWE. He said there are things wrestlers can do in independent promotions that would get them in trouble in the WWE.
"You can have more fun on the independents because you are not as restricted," he said. You can do whatever you want, so it's more rewarding in that regard, but it is always more fun--and I've done some independents where we would have 3 to 4,000 people on the shows where it is jam packed; those are f***ing incredible because it's the amount of people, which typically in WWE you have more people at WWE shows, but you also have more restrictions, but you can still do character stuff, but even then you have to be careful about how much fun you have. The agents have to report everything. You don't do your job like ripping up a kid's sign, and then the kid cries; you are a bad guy, that is what you are supposed to do, and if they don't report that, and then it comes back that Ryback tore the kid's sign and the kid cried so they had to take him backstage. If it is not in the report, then they might get in trouble so they won't want to risk it. It is s*it like that that you have to deal with on a daily basis, but on independents you can do whatever you want."
Ryback also commented on Lucha Underground coming back for a fourth season. The third season, which finished airing in October, was taped over a year ago from March - May of 2016. Ryback said Lucha Underground reached out to him previously when he left the WWE, but he didn't like the offer they presented to him.
"I think it's good. It is a different product, where they are more of a drama with wrestling on it. It is just a different product,. The more places there are for guys to get work then that is good. I am glad that they are doing a season 4, and allowing guys to work at other places. When I left WWE, they had reached out for doing a season and they wanted to do a contract where, essentially I couldn't do anything for a year. You are done filming in 2-3 months and it's bulls**t, I said no thanks," Ryback said. "People think it is cool to say that you signed a contract, but you are really being dumb as f**k if you don't look over the contract. Everything revolves around making money, but a lot of these businesses will do things that are not good for you, and you have to be smart enough. They prey on the price of how bad you want to be 'famous', but I've got news for you, doing it is not going to make you famous, on that level. It's great and a different product and option, but you have to have a business sense with this stuff. It is good that they are being more fair on that aspect also, which is a good thing."
Source: Conversation With The Big Guy
Ryback admitted the lack of restrictions in the independent circuit make it more fun than the WWE. He said there are things wrestlers can do in independent promotions that would get them in trouble in the WWE.
"You can have more fun on the independents because you are not as restricted," he said. You can do whatever you want, so it's more rewarding in that regard, but it is always more fun--and I've done some independents where we would have 3 to 4,000 people on the shows where it is jam packed; those are f***ing incredible because it's the amount of people, which typically in WWE you have more people at WWE shows, but you also have more restrictions, but you can still do character stuff, but even then you have to be careful about how much fun you have. The agents have to report everything. You don't do your job like ripping up a kid's sign, and then the kid cries; you are a bad guy, that is what you are supposed to do, and if they don't report that, and then it comes back that Ryback tore the kid's sign and the kid cried so they had to take him backstage. If it is not in the report, then they might get in trouble so they won't want to risk it. It is s*it like that that you have to deal with on a daily basis, but on independents you can do whatever you want."
Ryback also commented on Lucha Underground coming back for a fourth season. The third season, which finished airing in October, was taped over a year ago from March - May of 2016. Ryback said Lucha Underground reached out to him previously when he left the WWE, but he didn't like the offer they presented to him.
"I think it's good. It is a different product, where they are more of a drama with wrestling on it. It is just a different product,. The more places there are for guys to get work then that is good. I am glad that they are doing a season 4, and allowing guys to work at other places. When I left WWE, they had reached out for doing a season and they wanted to do a contract where, essentially I couldn't do anything for a year. You are done filming in 2-3 months and it's bulls**t, I said no thanks," Ryback said. "People think it is cool to say that you signed a contract, but you are really being dumb as f**k if you don't look over the contract. Everything revolves around making money, but a lot of these businesses will do things that are not good for you, and you have to be smart enough. They prey on the price of how bad you want to be 'famous', but I've got news for you, doing it is not going to make you famous, on that level. It's great and a different product and option, but you have to have a business sense with this stuff. It is good that they are being more fair on that aspect also, which is a good thing."
Source: Conversation With The Big Guy
Magnum TA On PED Use In Wrestling In The 1980's, If He Was Ever Going To WWE
Magnum TA was a popular wrestler in NWA in the 1980's, winning the United States Championship and engaging in high-profile feuds with the Four Horsemen and others. TA recently joined The Ross Report and discussed the use of performance-enhancing drugs in wrestling during his era.
"There was two schools of thoughts on the performance enhancing deal. There was guys, and this was the category that I was in, that I would use something twice a year, say for six weeks, twice a year, to keep from completely tearing my body up into nothing, because I was working seven days a week year round, and found a happy medium with a physique and a body that I can maintain throughout that off period year round," TA said. "If you saw me wrestling anytime twelve months out of the year, it wasn't like you saw me as a 280-pound monster and then the next time I was 240 and lost 40 pounds of muscle. I was heading down that path when I was in San Antonio, TX when Ray 'Hercules' Hernandez was there; he was a young and up and coming guy, and had a bag of performance enhancing drugs that were very accessible, and when he came in he was 218 pounds, and Ray became around 280 pounds, and I was 270 pounds, and we were in our minds thinking about being 300 pounds and being like the Road Warriors."
TA said it was advice from a veteran wrestler who made him reconsider his habits. He decided he was going to learn how to use other means to maintain his weight year-round.
"I can never forget when we went to Corpus Christie and walking into the dressing room, there is Bruiser Brody with his boots on, and he said to me, 'Kid, you are looking great. I want to tell you a little secret though; if you ever become a star based solely what you look like and you have to do this to maintain your look, then you are ruining your own epitaph,' and the light switch went off my head right that minute, and I decided that I was going to perfect my craft and find my happy medium that I can support year round," TA said. "And that I wasn't going to be Tony Atlas, or Ivan Putski, but to be the best that I can be. I found that place and can maintain that 240 pounds weight class and the thing was I trained real heavy with weights. I wasn't a bodybuilder or anything, but I was always lifting heavy weights so my body and joints can be accustomed to handle that, which made me durable, and that is why I can go into the ring with Doc (Doctor Death Steve Williams) when he was 320 pounds, and even though he was clumsy and smashing around, he didn't break me up because I was pretty sturdy."
TA also discussed why he never made it to the WWE. His lone appearance with the company came in 2007 when he was in the audience for the Vengeance pay-per-view. TA said he never had plans of joining the WWE. He said Andre the Giant was planning on putting in a good word for him with the company, but he was eventually signed by an NWA territory.
"No, that conversation never took place. I never met Vince McMahon in person until I worked that pay per view show for him like 10 years ago or so (WWE Vengeance 2007) and we spoke for a few minutes, and he made me feel really good," TA said. "He did say to me that we could have made a lot of money together. The ironic part about it is that that is where Andre [the Giant] wanted me to go. When Andre named me 'Magnum TA,' and before he would get in with Vince McMahon Sr, he was still living and getting the plate for me to go there, Ernie [Ladd] swept me up and pulled me into Mid-South Wrestling."
Source: The Ross Report
TA said it was advice from a veteran wrestler who made him reconsider his habits. He decided he was going to learn how to use other means to maintain his weight year-round.
"I can never forget when we went to Corpus Christie and walking into the dressing room, there is Bruiser Brody with his boots on, and he said to me, 'Kid, you are looking great. I want to tell you a little secret though; if you ever become a star based solely what you look like and you have to do this to maintain your look, then you are ruining your own epitaph,' and the light switch went off my head right that minute, and I decided that I was going to perfect my craft and find my happy medium that I can support year round," TA said. "And that I wasn't going to be Tony Atlas, or Ivan Putski, but to be the best that I can be. I found that place and can maintain that 240 pounds weight class and the thing was I trained real heavy with weights. I wasn't a bodybuilder or anything, but I was always lifting heavy weights so my body and joints can be accustomed to handle that, which made me durable, and that is why I can go into the ring with Doc (Doctor Death Steve Williams) when he was 320 pounds, and even though he was clumsy and smashing around, he didn't break me up because I was pretty sturdy."
TA also discussed why he never made it to the WWE. His lone appearance with the company came in 2007 when he was in the audience for the Vengeance pay-per-view. TA said he never had plans of joining the WWE. He said Andre the Giant was planning on putting in a good word for him with the company, but he was eventually signed by an NWA territory.
"No, that conversation never took place. I never met Vince McMahon in person until I worked that pay per view show for him like 10 years ago or so (WWE Vengeance 2007) and we spoke for a few minutes, and he made me feel really good," TA said. "He did say to me that we could have made a lot of money together. The ironic part about it is that that is where Andre [the Giant] wanted me to go. When Andre named me 'Magnum TA,' and before he would get in with Vince McMahon Sr, he was still living and getting the plate for me to go there, Ernie [Ladd] swept me up and pulled me into Mid-South Wrestling."
Source: The Ross Report
EVOLVE 97 FROM MELROSE, MA
EVOLVE 97
Melrose, MA
December 10, 2017
PRELIMINARY MATCH ONE: Craig Mitchell vs. Dominic Garrini
This one didn’t go long. Mitchell got to put on a nice little athletic flurry until Garrini finished him with a pop-up into an armbar for the win. After the match, both guys were destroyed by The End as they came in and ran wild. This served it’s purpose to get Garrini over as dangerous and The End as maniacs.
WINNER: Dominic Garrini
PRELIMINARY MATCH TWO: Brandon Watts & Stephen Wolf vs. Matt Knicks & Stevie Fierce
This was an okay tag match. Knicks and Fierce were doing athletic moves that they didn’t fully pull off so it ended up hurting the vibe of the match, including the finish which was an Unprittier/Moonsault double team that didn’t look great. The upside is that Watts got a huge reaction for his hot tag, so they at least built to that well.
WINNERS: Matt Knicks & Stevie Fierce
PRELIMINARY MATCH THREE: Jarek 1:20 vs. Jason “The Gift” Kincaid
The structure of what they were going for was right on as the match ended with Kincaid in control ready to get a tap out when the bell rang. Kincaid, who is pretty athletically talented, was pretty on point outside of a couple of slip ups. It was an okay match.
WINNER: Time Limit Draw
MAIN SHOW
MATCH ONE: Shane Mercer & KTB vs. James Drake & Anthony Henry
Drake ended up getting the win after a huge moonsault. There wasn’t much of a story to this one. It was more in line with both teams doing whatever they could to get a win and going back and forth. Impressive moonsault from Drake considering his size. Everyone involved did a good job and it was an effective opener.
WINNERS: James Drake & Anthony Henry
MATCH TWO: DJZ vs. AR Fox
They had a great bit where everytime DJZ yelled out “DJ!” a hip-hop remix horn would play.
This was a really terrific match that blended athleticism and storytelling. Fox had his posse at ringside and they got involved slightly once during the match to help him out, but otherwise, it was straight up with Fox playing an effective heel to DJZ’s fantastic babyface. Fox got the win with his top rope Spanish Fly and the Foxcatcher (Snow Plow).
WINNER: AR Fox
MATCH THREE: Keith Lee vs. Darby Allin vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams (with Stokely Hathaway)
This is a “High Stakes Triple Threat” with the winner getting to choose any match they want at a future date.
This was a fantastic triple threat. It told a great story of Keith Lee being an unstoppable force, with the only way he was able to be taken down was Darby and Williams teaming up on him. Everything made sense and every guy in the match did an excellent job. Williams looked to be in control with a crossface on Lee when Darby did a Coffin Drop on Williams, then got the Gibson Lock for the pin.
After the match, Stokely got in Lee’s face. Lee took out Williams and was about to drop Stokely when Jaka came in to try and save him. He got taken out. That lead to Dickinson running in and hitting a huge German suplex on Lee. It was followed by Dickinson and Jaka hitting the Doomsday Chokeslam to leave Lee laying.
Stokely cut a promo after calling Catch Point the greatest faction in EVOLVE history. He then said that Jaka has wanted to be World Champion since he met him, and tonight he would make it happen. Then he gave Lee a few cowardly stomps for good measure. Very good and effective promo.
WINNER: Darby Allin
MATCH FOUR: FIP Championship – Fred Yehi (c) vs. Austin Theory (with Priscilla Kelly)
There was nothing wrong with this match. Both guys worked very hard and the story they ended up having a fantastic finish. In addition, their work is really crisp and believable. It just seemed that they didn’t establish a heel/babyface dynamic and the crowd didn’t invest in it because they didn’t know who they were supposed to invest in. Yehi has a ton of personality and is a really good worker. Theory is super athletic and has tremendous upside and knows how to sell, but personality wise he’s not fully clicking yet. That’s why overall that this match, while hard worked and finished strongly, didn’t quite click.
The finish saw Yehi looking to have the win when Priscilla put his foot on the rope. Theory was able to rebound and hit a half package neckbreaker/powerbomb for the win and the title.
WINNER: Austin Theory
MATCH FIVE: WALTER vs. Matt Riddle
Riddle took the mic and said he had a no rope break match with Fred Yehi the night before in Queens and he thinks it’s the future of the business, therefore, he challenged WALTER to the same thing. WALTER accepted.
This was an absolute masterclass in storytelling and believability. WALTER spent most of the match on top with Riddle doing a world class job in selling and firing up for comebacks. WALTER had Riddle in a rear naked choke in when he was able to roll out of it and get him in a mount and win with a ref stoppage via strikes. The great part was that WALTER was in the ropes, but with the stipulation, he had no way out. After the match, the crowd chanted for WALTER and Riddle joined in. He went for a hand shake, but WALTER dropped him with a boot to the face and left.
WINNER: Matt Riddle
MAIN EVENT: EVOLVE Championship – Zack Sabre, Jr. (c) vs. Jaka (with Stokely Hathaway)
This was a tremendous main event. They took their time and went with the slow burn. Sabre, as usual, used his technical prowess to break down Jaka while Jaka came at him with strikes. Jaka was in dire straits and rolled to the floor when Chris Dickinson, who had been barred from the building, came out and played motivational speaker to fire him up. Sabre and Jaka went back and forth before Sabre got a modified stretch muffler/toe hold combo for the victory. Jaka did a great job in selling while Sabre was fantastic in picking the leg, foot and even toes down before getting the submission.
After the match, The End came out and destroyed Jaka, Dickinson and Tracy Williams (who came out to help). It was a vicious and believable beat down. Dickinson recovered enough to dive out on all three members of The End and they fought to the back.
WINNER: Zack Sabre, Jr.
Melrose, MA
December 10, 2017
PRELIMINARY MATCH ONE: Craig Mitchell vs. Dominic Garrini
This one didn’t go long. Mitchell got to put on a nice little athletic flurry until Garrini finished him with a pop-up into an armbar for the win. After the match, both guys were destroyed by The End as they came in and ran wild. This served it’s purpose to get Garrini over as dangerous and The End as maniacs.
WINNER: Dominic Garrini
PRELIMINARY MATCH TWO: Brandon Watts & Stephen Wolf vs. Matt Knicks & Stevie Fierce
This was an okay tag match. Knicks and Fierce were doing athletic moves that they didn’t fully pull off so it ended up hurting the vibe of the match, including the finish which was an Unprittier/Moonsault double team that didn’t look great. The upside is that Watts got a huge reaction for his hot tag, so they at least built to that well.
WINNERS: Matt Knicks & Stevie Fierce
PRELIMINARY MATCH THREE: Jarek 1:20 vs. Jason “The Gift” Kincaid
The structure of what they were going for was right on as the match ended with Kincaid in control ready to get a tap out when the bell rang. Kincaid, who is pretty athletically talented, was pretty on point outside of a couple of slip ups. It was an okay match.
WINNER: Time Limit Draw
MAIN SHOW
MATCH ONE: Shane Mercer & KTB vs. James Drake & Anthony Henry
Drake ended up getting the win after a huge moonsault. There wasn’t much of a story to this one. It was more in line with both teams doing whatever they could to get a win and going back and forth. Impressive moonsault from Drake considering his size. Everyone involved did a good job and it was an effective opener.
WINNERS: James Drake & Anthony Henry
MATCH TWO: DJZ vs. AR Fox
They had a great bit where everytime DJZ yelled out “DJ!” a hip-hop remix horn would play.
This was a really terrific match that blended athleticism and storytelling. Fox had his posse at ringside and they got involved slightly once during the match to help him out, but otherwise, it was straight up with Fox playing an effective heel to DJZ’s fantastic babyface. Fox got the win with his top rope Spanish Fly and the Foxcatcher (Snow Plow).
WINNER: AR Fox
MATCH THREE: Keith Lee vs. Darby Allin vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams (with Stokely Hathaway)
This is a “High Stakes Triple Threat” with the winner getting to choose any match they want at a future date.
This was a fantastic triple threat. It told a great story of Keith Lee being an unstoppable force, with the only way he was able to be taken down was Darby and Williams teaming up on him. Everything made sense and every guy in the match did an excellent job. Williams looked to be in control with a crossface on Lee when Darby did a Coffin Drop on Williams, then got the Gibson Lock for the pin.
After the match, Stokely got in Lee’s face. Lee took out Williams and was about to drop Stokely when Jaka came in to try and save him. He got taken out. That lead to Dickinson running in and hitting a huge German suplex on Lee. It was followed by Dickinson and Jaka hitting the Doomsday Chokeslam to leave Lee laying.
Stokely cut a promo after calling Catch Point the greatest faction in EVOLVE history. He then said that Jaka has wanted to be World Champion since he met him, and tonight he would make it happen. Then he gave Lee a few cowardly stomps for good measure. Very good and effective promo.
WINNER: Darby Allin
MATCH FOUR: FIP Championship – Fred Yehi (c) vs. Austin Theory (with Priscilla Kelly)
There was nothing wrong with this match. Both guys worked very hard and the story they ended up having a fantastic finish. In addition, their work is really crisp and believable. It just seemed that they didn’t establish a heel/babyface dynamic and the crowd didn’t invest in it because they didn’t know who they were supposed to invest in. Yehi has a ton of personality and is a really good worker. Theory is super athletic and has tremendous upside and knows how to sell, but personality wise he’s not fully clicking yet. That’s why overall that this match, while hard worked and finished strongly, didn’t quite click.
The finish saw Yehi looking to have the win when Priscilla put his foot on the rope. Theory was able to rebound and hit a half package neckbreaker/powerbomb for the win and the title.
WINNER: Austin Theory
MATCH FIVE: WALTER vs. Matt Riddle
Riddle took the mic and said he had a no rope break match with Fred Yehi the night before in Queens and he thinks it’s the future of the business, therefore, he challenged WALTER to the same thing. WALTER accepted.
This was an absolute masterclass in storytelling and believability. WALTER spent most of the match on top with Riddle doing a world class job in selling and firing up for comebacks. WALTER had Riddle in a rear naked choke in when he was able to roll out of it and get him in a mount and win with a ref stoppage via strikes. The great part was that WALTER was in the ropes, but with the stipulation, he had no way out. After the match, the crowd chanted for WALTER and Riddle joined in. He went for a hand shake, but WALTER dropped him with a boot to the face and left.
WINNER: Matt Riddle
MAIN EVENT: EVOLVE Championship – Zack Sabre, Jr. (c) vs. Jaka (with Stokely Hathaway)
This was a tremendous main event. They took their time and went with the slow burn. Sabre, as usual, used his technical prowess to break down Jaka while Jaka came at him with strikes. Jaka was in dire straits and rolled to the floor when Chris Dickinson, who had been barred from the building, came out and played motivational speaker to fire him up. Sabre and Jaka went back and forth before Sabre got a modified stretch muffler/toe hold combo for the victory. Jaka did a great job in selling while Sabre was fantastic in picking the leg, foot and even toes down before getting the submission.
After the match, The End came out and destroyed Jaka, Dickinson and Tracy Williams (who came out to help). It was a vicious and believable beat down. Dickinson recovered enough to dive out on all three members of The End and they fought to the back.
WINNER: Zack Sabre, Jr.
12/10 BEYOND WRESTLING 'COLD BREW' IN MELROSE, MA REPORT
Beyond Wrestling “Cold Brew”
December 10, 2017
Melrose, MA
It’s a doubleheader with EVOLVE and Beyond loaded up the card with a few huge matches. This venue is always different for Beyond as they are required to have seats and guardrails here so the vibe is different, but with the level of talent on the show, it should still be a killer show.
MATCH ONE: “The Product” David Starr vs. WALTER
Killer opener. WALTER spent the majority tossing Starr around and building the heat for Starr’s fire up and comeback. This was a main event level match and the crowd was on fire. Really well done. WALTER got the win with the Steiner Screwdriver. After the match, they teased dissention and instead shook hands.
WINNER: WALTER
MATCH TWO: Cam Zagami & “The Kingpin” Brian Milonas vs. Brick Mastone & “All Good” Anthony Greene (with Mikey Webb)
The match didn’t go very long before Webb was so overcome with rage that he came into the ring and attacked Milonas. This match was to further push the ongoing feud between Webb and Zagami. Eventually, he turned on Greene and Brick because he was so enraged. Before the DQ, it was entertaining and everyone involved did some fun stuff.
WINNERS: Cam Zagami & Brian Milonas via DQ
MATCH THREE: Tournament For Tomorrow Semi-Finals – Wheeler Yuta vs. “Man of Steel” Mike Verna (with Dan Barry, Rex Lawless & Ryan Galeone)
Really good match that took its time to develop and breath. Yuta is quickly becoming one of the most exciting talents on the independents and is really great as a babyface. Mostly a back and forth match. Barry, Lawless and Galeone got involved at one point. The finish came with a roll-up by Yuta that got a great pop from the crowd.
WINNER: Wheeler Yuta
MATCH FOUR: American Strong (Jay Freddie & Rory Gulak) vs The Amityville Project (Ryan Galeone & Rex Lawless with Barry & Verna)
They went right into this match. Lawless and Galeone jumped Yuta after the match and Freddie & Gulak made the save. This was under Tornado Rules.
Freddie & Gulak had a double tap out, but Verna had the ref distracted. They also had a pin on Lawless when Barry pulled the ref out. Yuta stayed at ringside and helped Freddie & Gulak. Finish saw Galeone pin Gulak with a Last Ride powerbomb. Pretty decent match.
WINNERS: The Amityville Project
MATCH FIVE: Matt Riddle vs. Martin Stone
An absolute clinic in what wrestling can and should be. Between the intensity and the believability, this was a joy to watch. Go out of your way to watch this one. The finish saw Riddle get the win with the Bromission.
WINNER: Matt Riddle
Intermission
MATCH SIX: AR Fox & Austin Theory vs Zenshi & Brandon Watts
Probably the best possible post-intemission match you could have in that it was non-stop high flying action that got the crowd pumped up. No psychology or selling, but it got the crowd back up to where they needed to be.
Watts looked to have Fox beat with a frog splash elbow, but Zenshi tried to make the cover. That got Watts mad and he broke the pin up. They argued and Watts pushed Zenshi into a roll-up by Fox for the win.
WINNERS: AR Fox & Austin Theory
MATCH SEVEN: Tournament For Tomorrow Semi-Finals – Ace Romero vs. Josh Briggs
MJF was injured at CZW last night, so Romero was a surprise replacement.
Hot and heavy from the start. They ended up trading big moves throughout, which was the story they were going for: can you top this? The finish came when Romero hit a huge lariat for the upset. The crowd was very surprised as Briggs beat Romero earlier in the tournament. I thought the match was good and was better than their first go around in the tournament.
WINNER: Ace Romero
MATCH EIGHT: Darby Allin vs. John Silver
Really great match. It told the story of Darby’s reckless abandon and high flying attack against Silver’s hard hitting style. Silver has been on a losing streak in Beyond and it continued here as Darby got the win with a figure four style pinning combination. After the match, Silver attacked Darby and took him out with a punt. Silver continues to be one of the most underrated and underutilized talents on the independents and that was on display here. Allin continues to be one of the more compelling characters on the indies.
WINNER: Darby Allin
MAIN EVENT: Keith Lee vs. “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela
This was a really great main event. It was a story of two guys who are really over with the crowd going in and not having to kill themselves to get reactions. Keith Lee got the win with the fireman’s carry into a Jackhammer.
WINNER: Keith Lee
As Rich Palladino was thanking the crowd for coming, Chris Dickinson & Jaka came out. Dickinson cut a promo saying the show isn’t over and he called out EYFBO for turning on them last month. They came out and they started to brawl. The entire locker room emptied and they kept getting at each other. After they were all separated and EYFBO were leaving, Dickinson challenged them for New Year’s Eye in Worcester for a TLC Match. Great segment to end the show.
Overall, this was an outstanding show that had a great mix of everything and was a tremendous go-home show for New Year’s Eve.
Follow them online @BeyondWrestling
December 10, 2017
Melrose, MA
It’s a doubleheader with EVOLVE and Beyond loaded up the card with a few huge matches. This venue is always different for Beyond as they are required to have seats and guardrails here so the vibe is different, but with the level of talent on the show, it should still be a killer show.
MATCH ONE: “The Product” David Starr vs. WALTER
Killer opener. WALTER spent the majority tossing Starr around and building the heat for Starr’s fire up and comeback. This was a main event level match and the crowd was on fire. Really well done. WALTER got the win with the Steiner Screwdriver. After the match, they teased dissention and instead shook hands.
WINNER: WALTER
MATCH TWO: Cam Zagami & “The Kingpin” Brian Milonas vs. Brick Mastone & “All Good” Anthony Greene (with Mikey Webb)
The match didn’t go very long before Webb was so overcome with rage that he came into the ring and attacked Milonas. This match was to further push the ongoing feud between Webb and Zagami. Eventually, he turned on Greene and Brick because he was so enraged. Before the DQ, it was entertaining and everyone involved did some fun stuff.
WINNERS: Cam Zagami & Brian Milonas via DQ
MATCH THREE: Tournament For Tomorrow Semi-Finals – Wheeler Yuta vs. “Man of Steel” Mike Verna (with Dan Barry, Rex Lawless & Ryan Galeone)
Really good match that took its time to develop and breath. Yuta is quickly becoming one of the most exciting talents on the independents and is really great as a babyface. Mostly a back and forth match. Barry, Lawless and Galeone got involved at one point. The finish came with a roll-up by Yuta that got a great pop from the crowd.
WINNER: Wheeler Yuta
MATCH FOUR: American Strong (Jay Freddie & Rory Gulak) vs The Amityville Project (Ryan Galeone & Rex Lawless with Barry & Verna)
They went right into this match. Lawless and Galeone jumped Yuta after the match and Freddie & Gulak made the save. This was under Tornado Rules.
Freddie & Gulak had a double tap out, but Verna had the ref distracted. They also had a pin on Lawless when Barry pulled the ref out. Yuta stayed at ringside and helped Freddie & Gulak. Finish saw Galeone pin Gulak with a Last Ride powerbomb. Pretty decent match.
WINNERS: The Amityville Project
MATCH FIVE: Matt Riddle vs. Martin Stone
An absolute clinic in what wrestling can and should be. Between the intensity and the believability, this was a joy to watch. Go out of your way to watch this one. The finish saw Riddle get the win with the Bromission.
WINNER: Matt Riddle
Intermission
MATCH SIX: AR Fox & Austin Theory vs Zenshi & Brandon Watts
Probably the best possible post-intemission match you could have in that it was non-stop high flying action that got the crowd pumped up. No psychology or selling, but it got the crowd back up to where they needed to be.
Watts looked to have Fox beat with a frog splash elbow, but Zenshi tried to make the cover. That got Watts mad and he broke the pin up. They argued and Watts pushed Zenshi into a roll-up by Fox for the win.
WINNERS: AR Fox & Austin Theory
MATCH SEVEN: Tournament For Tomorrow Semi-Finals – Ace Romero vs. Josh Briggs
MJF was injured at CZW last night, so Romero was a surprise replacement.
Hot and heavy from the start. They ended up trading big moves throughout, which was the story they were going for: can you top this? The finish came when Romero hit a huge lariat for the upset. The crowd was very surprised as Briggs beat Romero earlier in the tournament. I thought the match was good and was better than their first go around in the tournament.
WINNER: Ace Romero
MATCH EIGHT: Darby Allin vs. John Silver
Really great match. It told the story of Darby’s reckless abandon and high flying attack against Silver’s hard hitting style. Silver has been on a losing streak in Beyond and it continued here as Darby got the win with a figure four style pinning combination. After the match, Silver attacked Darby and took him out with a punt. Silver continues to be one of the most underrated and underutilized talents on the independents and that was on display here. Allin continues to be one of the more compelling characters on the indies.
WINNER: Darby Allin
MAIN EVENT: Keith Lee vs. “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela
This was a really great main event. It was a story of two guys who are really over with the crowd going in and not having to kill themselves to get reactions. Keith Lee got the win with the fireman’s carry into a Jackhammer.
WINNER: Keith Lee
As Rich Palladino was thanking the crowd for coming, Chris Dickinson & Jaka came out. Dickinson cut a promo saying the show isn’t over and he called out EYFBO for turning on them last month. They came out and they started to brawl. The entire locker room emptied and they kept getting at each other. After they were all separated and EYFBO were leaving, Dickinson challenged them for New Year’s Eye in Worcester for a TLC Match. Great segment to end the show.
Overall, this was an outstanding show that had a great mix of everything and was a tremendous go-home show for New Year’s Eve.
Follow them online @BeyondWrestling
ARO LUCHA PILOT TV TAPING RESULTS & NOTES FROM NASHVILLE, TN
Aro Lucha, the new promotion headed by Aroluxe, the former Impact Wrestling
production company, held their pilot TV taping last night in Nashville, TN at
the Nashville Fairgrounds and all reports we have received described the taping
as a fun show with a lot of good wrestling in front of a hot crowd. The venue
was set up for 1,000 seats and we have gotten was that the show was completely
full. Whether that was a legitimate sellout or they papered the market to get
the venue full, I don't know, but one source stated that the majority of the
venue were legitimately sold tickets and the promotion was blown away by the
crowd, which was far stronger than anyone could have hoped for a first time
effort. The promotion issued an apology to fans that were turned away via their
Facebook page and we have heard from fans who were not able to get in the
building.
We heard a good portion of the demographic in the crowd were Hispanic fans. One person told me it was 50% Hispanic. Another source pegged it at 75%. Others said it was less than that.
Aroluxe obviously spent money on production as they brought a lighting truss and hung it in the Fairground Arena, plus had the big staging with video screens, smoke and fire for entrances, etc. At the close of the taping, they dumped a ton of confetti. They had special Aro Lucha ring aprons and logos on the barricades and turnbuckles. The ring aprons featured the slogan "no dejes de luchar", which translates into "Do Not Stop Fighting." Referees wore the promotion's Lucha mask logo on their striped shirts.
Production was headed by Ron and Don Harris. They were on headsets all night directing the taping with Vince Russo (who was officially announced as a script consultant a few days before the taping) also working on headsets at the taping. Konnan, who was announced as lead writer, was there and appeared after the taping was "completed" in the ring with Rey Mysterio. Russo and Konnan produced the promos and pre-tapes at the taping as well. Aroluxe owner Jason Brown, Shane Helms and Rafael Morfi were also working behind the scenes as core management members. Helms was working as a producer for several matches. One person described the behind the scenes of the taping as being like TNA without all "the bullsh**" that usually came with working for TNA.
The taping started with footage of Rey Mysterio being attacked "earlier today" by John Hennigan and Rush. This led to Mysterio coming out and cutting a promo that he was going to get his revenge and hit someone with a 619. Hennigan and Rush came to the ring. Mysterio grabbed the glasses off Hennigan's face and smashed them. They attacked Rey with Penta 0M making the save. Rey offered Penta a handshake but Penta instead walked off.
Willie McClinton (Willie Mack of PWG/Lucha Underground fame) defeated Mr. 450 with a frog splash. This was said to have been a good match with some nice back and forth action.
They ran an angle where Demus 316 attacked Mascarita Sagrada (aka the former El Torito), leading to what three people told me was the best match on the show - just a great kickass back and forth athletic minis match.
Rebecca Hardy came out cutting a promo as a heel, dubbed the "Ice Queen" with the idea that she is rich and powerful. She cut a promo establishing her as ppwer hungry heel "business woman" with the implication she was overseeing the women's division. Aro Lucha actually livestreamed this portion of the show live on their Facebook page:
Lacey Lane and Keyra fought Taya Valkyrie and Vanilla Vargas. There was a tag with the idea that two of them would face each other to crown the first AroLucha Women's champion. The idea was that the competitor who scored the pinfall would advance to the title bout, as would the member of the losing team who was not pinned. It was a little confusing to follow the idea, we are told. Keyra and Lane won the bout, both pinning Vargas. So, its Taya vs. one of them whenever the "next episode" takes place.
James Storm, making his first post-Impact wrestling appearance, pinned Trey Miguel with the Last Call Superkick. There was an expectation within Impact when it appeared that Aroluxe was going to end up in charge of the company that Storm would be part of the inner circle, so not really a surprise to see him pop up here.
Sammy Guevara defeated MVP by DQ when MVP pulled the referee in front of him. MVP left Guervara laying. Was told this was decent but the finish was eh. If they are starting a storyline, obviously they'll follow up on this in "future episodes" so I can understand the finish as a way to establish MVP as a heel.
Maximo & Jack Edwards (Jack Evans of AAA/ROH/Calgary fame) & Hurricane Helms defeated Daga & Garza Jr. & La Mascara in a six man tag Helms had his own championship. This was said to have been entertaining with Maximo as the star of the match with big spots that really got over.
Rey Jr and Penta 0M defeated John Hennigan and Rush. This was said to have been a great tag match with some good spots and good heel work from Rush and Hennigan. Rush came across like a star. The idea was that Rey and Penta were teaming but weren't friends. Lots of big spots. Lots of chairshots to the head as well. After the match, they teased a handshake but this time, Rey didn't want to do it.
Mysterio cut a promo after, thanking Memphis (whoops) and the crowd let him have it. Mysterio said he was in Memphis last night and got hit in the head a lot and apologized to Nashville, which the crowd laughed at. He put over the crowd and the locker room. They were "off the air" so Penta returned, praising Rey and they closed out the show with much of the locker room coming out to sing "Happy Birthday" to Rey Mysterio:
Notes: The taping was a tight two hours, allowing the crowd to stay hot and into the show, which featured quality action up and down the card we are told....Modelo Beer's logo was prominently displayed at the taping, so they appeared to have come on board as a sponsor for the project....Impact Wrestling's Jeremy Borash was backstage visiting....Former ROH and ECW champion Jerry Lynn was at the event as well.....They did not announce a return to the venue, but the word backstage was they have another taping in January.....Bob Rosen who heads up Impact's ring crew, worked in a similar role here. There were a lot of Impact Wrestling crew members, past and present, who worked the taping....The backstage scene was said to have been very jovial and positive before, during and after the taping. There was a feeling that the taping went way better than anyone could have expected....Juventud Guerrera stated on Twitter he would be working for Aro Lucha next year....There was a female ring announcer using the name DeeDee at the taping who handled announcements in both English and Spanish. She is Denise Salcedo, who does backstage interviews for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood....There was no commentary done live at the taping. The plan is to do it in post-production when the pilot is packaged for potential TV partners.
We heard a good portion of the demographic in the crowd were Hispanic fans. One person told me it was 50% Hispanic. Another source pegged it at 75%. Others said it was less than that.
Aroluxe obviously spent money on production as they brought a lighting truss and hung it in the Fairground Arena, plus had the big staging with video screens, smoke and fire for entrances, etc. At the close of the taping, they dumped a ton of confetti. They had special Aro Lucha ring aprons and logos on the barricades and turnbuckles. The ring aprons featured the slogan "no dejes de luchar", which translates into "Do Not Stop Fighting." Referees wore the promotion's Lucha mask logo on their striped shirts.
Production was headed by Ron and Don Harris. They were on headsets all night directing the taping with Vince Russo (who was officially announced as a script consultant a few days before the taping) also working on headsets at the taping. Konnan, who was announced as lead writer, was there and appeared after the taping was "completed" in the ring with Rey Mysterio. Russo and Konnan produced the promos and pre-tapes at the taping as well. Aroluxe owner Jason Brown, Shane Helms and Rafael Morfi were also working behind the scenes as core management members. Helms was working as a producer for several matches. One person described the behind the scenes of the taping as being like TNA without all "the bullsh**" that usually came with working for TNA.
The taping started with footage of Rey Mysterio being attacked "earlier today" by John Hennigan and Rush. This led to Mysterio coming out and cutting a promo that he was going to get his revenge and hit someone with a 619. Hennigan and Rush came to the ring. Mysterio grabbed the glasses off Hennigan's face and smashed them. They attacked Rey with Penta 0M making the save. Rey offered Penta a handshake but Penta instead walked off.
Willie McClinton (Willie Mack of PWG/Lucha Underground fame) defeated Mr. 450 with a frog splash. This was said to have been a good match with some nice back and forth action.
They ran an angle where Demus 316 attacked Mascarita Sagrada (aka the former El Torito), leading to what three people told me was the best match on the show - just a great kickass back and forth athletic minis match.
Rebecca Hardy came out cutting a promo as a heel, dubbed the "Ice Queen" with the idea that she is rich and powerful. She cut a promo establishing her as ppwer hungry heel "business woman" with the implication she was overseeing the women's division. Aro Lucha actually livestreamed this portion of the show live on their Facebook page:
Lacey Lane and Keyra fought Taya Valkyrie and Vanilla Vargas. There was a tag with the idea that two of them would face each other to crown the first AroLucha Women's champion. The idea was that the competitor who scored the pinfall would advance to the title bout, as would the member of the losing team who was not pinned. It was a little confusing to follow the idea, we are told. Keyra and Lane won the bout, both pinning Vargas. So, its Taya vs. one of them whenever the "next episode" takes place.
James Storm, making his first post-Impact wrestling appearance, pinned Trey Miguel with the Last Call Superkick. There was an expectation within Impact when it appeared that Aroluxe was going to end up in charge of the company that Storm would be part of the inner circle, so not really a surprise to see him pop up here.
Sammy Guevara defeated MVP by DQ when MVP pulled the referee in front of him. MVP left Guervara laying. Was told this was decent but the finish was eh. If they are starting a storyline, obviously they'll follow up on this in "future episodes" so I can understand the finish as a way to establish MVP as a heel.
Packed house in Nashville, TN for @AroLucha tonight!! Great show! pic.twitter.com/2y8pz5HgIW— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) December 11, 2017
Maximo & Jack Edwards (Jack Evans of AAA/ROH/Calgary fame) & Hurricane Helms defeated Daga & Garza Jr. & La Mascara in a six man tag Helms had his own championship. This was said to have been entertaining with Maximo as the star of the match with big spots that really got over.
Rey Jr and Penta 0M defeated John Hennigan and Rush. This was said to have been a great tag match with some good spots and good heel work from Rush and Hennigan. Rush came across like a star. The idea was that Rey and Penta were teaming but weren't friends. Lots of big spots. Lots of chairshots to the head as well. After the match, they teased a handshake but this time, Rey didn't want to do it.
Mysterio cut a promo after, thanking Memphis (whoops) and the crowd let him have it. Mysterio said he was in Memphis last night and got hit in the head a lot and apologized to Nashville, which the crowd laughed at. He put over the crowd and the locker room. They were "off the air" so Penta returned, praising Rey and they closed out the show with much of the locker room coming out to sing "Happy Birthday" to Rey Mysterio:
Notes: The taping was a tight two hours, allowing the crowd to stay hot and into the show, which featured quality action up and down the card we are told....Modelo Beer's logo was prominently displayed at the taping, so they appeared to have come on board as a sponsor for the project....Impact Wrestling's Jeremy Borash was backstage visiting....Former ROH and ECW champion Jerry Lynn was at the event as well.....They did not announce a return to the venue, but the word backstage was they have another taping in January.....Bob Rosen who heads up Impact's ring crew, worked in a similar role here. There were a lot of Impact Wrestling crew members, past and present, who worked the taping....The backstage scene was said to have been very jovial and positive before, during and after the taping. There was a feeling that the taping went way better than anyone could have expected....Juventud Guerrera stated on Twitter he would be working for Aro Lucha next year....There was a female ring announcer using the name DeeDee at the taping who handled announcements in both English and Spanish. She is Denise Salcedo, who does backstage interviews for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood....There was no commentary done live at the taping. The plan is to do it in post-production when the pilot is packaged for potential TV partners.
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