By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Glory Pro Wrestling “Cemetery Gates”
Streamed on FITE TV
March 31, 2022 in Dallas, Texas at Fair Park
This morning show was the first of the 12 events at The Collective in Dallas, Texas, as part of Wrestle Mania weekend. Veda Scott and Sam Leterna were on commentary. Attendance for this 11 a.m. show was sparse, maybe 100, with far too many open front row seats.
1. Myron Reed defeated Carlos Romo, Danny Jones, and Shane Sabre in a four-way at 8:13. The announcers put over that this is an international flavor opener. Romo is from Spain and Sabre is from Canada; I saw them on different shows later in this weekend. Danny Jones has competed regularly (as an enhancement wrestler) on NXT UK. Romo has green hair on top of his head.
Reed hit a huracanrana out of the corner on Jones. Jones applied a Boston Crab on Romo. Jones hit a piledriver on Sabre on the ring apron at 6:00. Reed dove through the ropes, grabbed the head of an opponent, and hit a cutter to the floor. Romo missed a moonsault. Reed hit a springboard-back-stunner followed by a Death Valley Driver on Sabre to score the pin. Fast-paced but awkward at times, I’m sure from unfamiliarity with each other.
2. Tootie Lynn defeated Jani Kai at 6:38. Lynn has appeared in NWA this year. She shook hands with fans at ringside and had the GCW Women’s Title belt. Kai has a unique look with the sides of her head shaven. She had a good showing at the Bloodsport event later in the day. Kai hit some spin kicks to the back at 2:30, and she was in charge early. Tootie fired back with some spin kicks to the legs. Lynn suddenly put on a Fujiwara Armbar, and Kai tapped out. That finish came out of nowhere. Decent match.
3. Jake Something defeated Max the Impaler in an intergender match at 9:33. Max uses “they/them” pronouns and is the “non-binary nightmare.” I haven’t seen Max since ROH ended. Something leveled Max with a forearm at the start. Max fired back and executed a bodyslam. Something responded with bodyslams of his own. Something hit a clothesline at 4:30 and was dominating.
Max fired back with clotheslines, and they picked up Jake. Jake was bleeding from his forehead, and Max nailed a headbutt to the wound. They traded clotheslines. Max also was bleeding on the forehead, and Veda Scott was unsure if both Max and Jake were cut. Jake nailed a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 8:30. Max hit a slam as well. Jake hit the Big Bossman side slam to get the pin. While I don’t generally like intergender matches, Max is so big, they looked somewhat believable against a male, even one as big as Jake Something.
3. Xavier & Karam defeated Warren Johnson & Zach Mason and Moses the Deliverer & Rahim de la Suede and Camaro Jackson & Kenny Alfonso in a four-way tag match to retain the tag titles at 6:58. I have never seen any of these eight guys before. Karam has a great physique and he gave someone a Guerrilla press to the floor. Warren Johnson hit a dive onto everyone on the floor. I have to add it is great to have two knowledgeable women providing commentary to help me out with who these guys are and some of the history between them. This action was fast and fun. The champs flipped an opponent in the air, hit a blow as he came back down, and scored the pin.
* Footage aired from a prior event of Laynie Luck defeating Allie Katch by DQ . Katch had Luck in a Boston Crab, but Luck reached the ropes; when Katch wouldn’t let go of her submission hold, the ref disqualified her. That led us to the next match…
4. Allie Katch defeated Laynie Luck in a submission match at 11:09. The announcers agreed that a submissions match favored Katch. Luck applied an STF at 3:00. Katch hit a sit-out slam on Luck’s chest as they fought out of the corner. Katch wrapped Luck’s body around the ring post and Luck shrieked in pain. In the ring, Luck again applied an STF at 7:00. They brawled to the floor, where Luck hit a piledriver, and they were both down.
Back in the ring, Katch grabbed the referee to escape a submission hold. Katch applied a Boston Crab; Luck got to the ropes, but the commentators explained there are no rope breaks in this match. Katch sat down for extra pressure as Luck was in the ropes, and Luck tapped out. This was really good.
5. Davey Richards and Rocky Romero defeated Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett at 12:25. Richards and Romero teamed in ROH a decade ago. I have seen a lot of Vega and Fitchett in Chicago-based AAW, and they are really good and underrated. Vega and Fitchett wore identical red gear. Vega and Richards squared off to open. Fitchett and Romero got in at 2:30 and they are pretty much the same size.
Romero hit his never-ending clotheslines on both opponents at 4:30. Fitchett hit a standing moonsault on Romero. Romero hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread No. 2 and made the hot tag to Richards at 7:30. In a cool spot, Richards applied ankle locks on both opponents at the same time. Richards threw Romero into their opponents. Romero hit a brainbuster; Richards hit a top-rope double stomp, and they got a nearfall at 10:00.
Fitchett hit a Pele Kick on Richards. Richards unloaded his hard spin kicks to each opponents’ chests. Richards and Vega traded HARD chops and forearms. Richards hit a German release suplex. Richards put Vega on his shoulders; Romero hit a double stomp to the head while Richards turned it into a death valley driver, to score the pin on Vega. Really, really good match. So good to see Richards back, healthy, and looking like he never missed a step.
* A video aired of Dan the Dad in his St. Louis-area neighborhood. Kody Lane moved in to the area. They argued and traded blows. They agreed to have a “loser leave the neighborhood” match at The Collective. Yes, a bit silly, but this fits in with the Dan the Dad gimmick.
6. Dan the Dad defeated Kody Lane in a “loser leave the neighborhood” match at 10:16. I saw Lane for the first time at one of the other Collective shows; he has long blond hair, good physique with a large back tattoo. Dan the Dad ran to the ring and attacked Lane. They brawled on the floor. The announcers talked about how “Dan the Dad has filed 48 noise complaints against Lane” in recent months. They brawled in the ring and used weapons like garbage cans and ladders. Lane hit a senton splash for a nearfall at 4:30.
Lane hit some chairshots to the back. Dan did a windup and hit a hard punch, then a DDT at 7:30. Dan hit a faceplant onto an open chair for a nearfall. Dan threw Kody into a ladder set up in the corner. Dan hit a Bubba Bomb. Kody missed a one-legged top-rope Lionsault, and Dan went to work on the injured left ankle. Dan applied a Figure Four leg lock, and Kody tapped out. This was fun; Dan the Dad’s gimmick is good indy fun.
7. Josh Alexander defeated Warhorse at 14:04. Alexander got a huge pop. They blocked each other’s offense early. Alexander got him up on his shoulders and hit a forward Finlay Roll at 2:30. Alexander slowed him down with a side headlock. Warhorse hit a flying forearm at 6:30, then a top-rope missile dropkick. Alexander got another Finlay Roll. Warhorse applied a Sharpshooter, but Alexander reached the ropes at 9:00.
Alexander hit a (Mark Henry) World’s Strongest Slam onto the ring apron. Warhorse hit a flip dive through the ropes, and they both crashed deep into the rows of fans (and empty seats). The ring announcer indicated we had two minutes left in the time limit. In the ring, Alexander caught him and applied an ankle lock, but Warhorse reached the ropes. Warhorse hit a double stomp to the chest as Alexander was caught in the ropes. Warhorse hit another double stomp for a nearfall, and they were both down at 13:00.
Alexander hit a top-rope superplex, but Warhorse got a jackknife rollup for a nearfall. Alexander hit a release German suplex, then the butterfly-arm piledriver for the pin. Another really good match.
8. Mike Outlaw defeated Bryan Keith to retain the Crown of Glory Championship at 14:31. I am fairly unfamiliar with these two Black men. Keith came out first wearing a sarape (Mexican jacket) and a cowboy hat. They are about the same height and weight; Outlaw reminds me of a taller, thicker Cedrick Alexander. Outlaw has a red stripe down his black pants, while Keith wore plain black pants. There were intense lockups to start. (The announcers talked about Too Cold Scorpio appearing at a show later in the weekend, and what a huge match that will be; unfortunately, Scorpio missed the show.)
They traded stiff chops at 5:00. Outlaw hit a hard dropkick, and Keith rolled to the floor. Davey Richards is at ringside and the announcers pointed it out. The crowd was cheering for Bryan Keith. Keith hit a jumping sit-out powerbomb for a believable nearfall at 10:30. Outlaw hit a twisting suplex out of the corner, and he went for a single-leg crab, but Keith escaped at 12:00.
Outlaw applied the single-leg crab again, and the crowd loudly cheered for Keith as he reached the ropes. They traded blows in the middle of the ring, and Outlaw hit a stunner. Keith hit an enzuigiri. Outlaw got a jackknife rollup for the pin. Decent match. They shook hands.
Final Thoughts: Richards and Romero vs. Vega and Fitchett was every bit as good as I hoped it would be, and that gets best match. Alexander vs. Warhorse was really good, and I wouldn’t argue with anyone who thought that was better. The main event is a distant third-best. The show clocked in at just shy of two-and-a-half hours.
The rest of the card was solid and entertaining, but not spectacular, either. I really like the video vignettes showing the reasons behind why some of these matches were occurring. Dan the Dad is fun. This was my second Kody Lane match from this weekend, and he impressed.
Learn more about this promotion at www.gloryprowrestling.com. They return to St. Louis, Mo. on April 24 with Jake Something vs. Minoru Suzuki and Davey Richards vs. Mike Outlaw.
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