By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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The Nightmare Factory – “Showcase 5”
Streamed on YouTube.com
April 13, 2022 from Atlanta, Georgia
This was a 90-minute show. Cody Rhodes gave a short pre-recorded introduction, telling us that some of these wrestlers are about to have their first-ever match. The Nightmare Factory is located in Atlanta, Ga., and is the training center of Rhodes and QT Marshall.
The building is a large room with flags from many countries hanging from the ceiling. I am fairly certain this venue is where AEW did a taping for 5 or so Dynamites early in the pandemic. The attendance was perhaps 30, which is not a misprint. There were ten or so people on each of three sides of the ring, with none across from the hard camera.
There was commentary, but it vanished into the background because the crowd noise was louder than them, so it was almost non-existent, and pretty much worthless. It did improve as the show went along.
1. Matt Honey defeated Liam Cross at 7:59. Heel Cross dominated with very basic offense. Honey took down his shoulder straps when he fired up. Cross hit a nice Fisherman’s Suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. However, Cross missed a moonsault. Honey got him up for a vertical suplex and brought him down for a Goldberg-style slam for the pin.
2. Dr. Asa defeated JDX at 7:42. I think JDX has been on AEW TV before; the name is familiar. He’s a bald, Black man, and he sauntered to the ring and was booed as the heel. He threw baby power into the air, Kevin Garnett style. Dr. Asa is a white man and bald, thicker, and a quick internet search shows he is age 50 and has a radio show. I could tell he was at least in his late 30s. Dr. Asa clotheslined him to the floor early. JDX dominated the action in the ring. Dr. Asa hit a DDT and a Rock Bottom for the pin. Very basic but the crowd is enthusiastic and that helps.
3. “The American Ninja” Ryan Dodson defeated The Don in 9:01. The Don came out first, got on the mic, and jawed at the crowd as the heel. He wore an MJF-style scarf; his look reminds me of Joaquin Wilde. Dodson, a Black man, came out with a Halloween mask, but he took it off when he got in the ring. He has a great physique but is much, much shorter than The Don. They traded quick reversals and this is already off to a faster pace than the first two matches. Dodson apparently competed on American Ninja Warror; again, the commentary isn’t always easy to comprehend.
The Don hit a powerslam at 5:00 and had dominated the match. The crowd chanted “ninja” for Dodson. Dodson applied a Dragon Sleeper, and he was able to turn it into a DDT, and they were both down. Dodson hit an enzuigiri, then a top-rope spinning cross-body block for a nearfall at 8:00. He went for a Lethal Injection but The Don blocked it. The Don jawed at the ref and shoved him. This allowed Dodson to hit the Lethal Injection (handspring-back-stunner) for the pin. Good match and really good athleticism from Dodson.
4. Ezio Orlandi defeated The Beast from the East at 8:26. The Beast wore shades to the ring and has long, wavy hair; at first, I thought he looked a lot like John Morrison. The Beast, who was the heel, is much taller and thicker than his opponent. Orlandi is average size and build with short black hair. He went for a bodyslam early but The Beast cut him off. The Beast dominated with basic chops, then a side slam at 4:00.
Orlandi hit a roaring forearm, then he got the bodyslam for a nearfall. He applied a crossface, but The Beast reached the ropes. The Beast nailed a Samoan Drop for a nerfall at 7:00. The Beast hit a sitdown powerbomb for a nearfall. Orlandi applied the crippler crossface again, and The Beast tapped out. Solid.
5. Tony Vincita beat Pedro Pablo at 9:20. Pablo got on the mic and insulted the crowd. He has a thick accent. He said he was born to be an elite superstar. A quick internet search shows Vincita has appeared in five AEW matches (all losses); he has a great physique and reminds me of a young Chris Masters. Pablo stalled early. Pablo dominated and spent as much time jawing at the crowd as he did working over Vincita.
Pablo hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 5:00. Vincita hit a nice German release suplex; he hit another one with Pablo rotating all the way onto his stomach. Vincita hit a (Monty Brown) Pounce for a nearfall at 7:00. Vincita hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a believable nearfall, and the crowd was hot. Vincita hit a vertical suplex to score the pin. Vincita impressed as a babyface.
Pablo hit a low blow after the match. That brought out Satnam Singh, who debuted on AEW Dynamite on Wednesday. He gave Pablo a massive chokeslam and a high, overhead powerbomb. He helped Vincita to his feet and raised his hand. The announcer observed that Singh is well over seven feet tall.
6. Kayjay Impala and Fabio Pardo defeated Guillermo Rosas and Lesnar Guerrero at 7:57. Rosa has appeared on AEW before; he wore a black singlet. Guerrero wore a white lucha mask. Impala and Pardo, who worked as the babyfaces, wore generic black. Pardo wears a Bandido-style mask. The heels attacked from behind to kickstart the match. Guerrero hit some sluggish spin kicks – these needed to be faster. This match had the heels working over Pardo for a significant portion. Pardo hit a big spinebuster. Impala hit a spear, and everyone was down at 7:30. The babyfaces hit a team spinning faceplant to score the pin on Guerrero. Sub-standard.
7. Cody Chunn defeated Dean Alexander (w/AJ Kirkland) at 11:56. Chunn is of Asian descent and was the babyface in yellow pants, while Alexander is a thick and muscular heel who made me think of Frankie Kazarian. Alexander, who has had several AEW TV appearances, wore black trunks with his name written in pink on the rear. Kirkland grabbed Chunn’s leg, allowing Alexander to take control early. Alexander dominated with lots of basic punches; this is decent main-event style action.
Chunn applied a mid-ring ankle lock at 7:30, but Alexander reached the ropes. Chunn hit a tornado DDT, and they were both down. Chunn hit a Stinger Splash in the corner and a high back suplex for a nearfal at 9:30. Alexander hit his own back suplex for a nearfall. The crowd rallied for Chunn. Chunn hit a superkick, but the heel manager put Alexander’s foot on the ropes. Kirkland threw powder but hit hit Alexander in the face. Chunn leapt off the top-rope, caught Alexander’s head, and nailed a stunner to get the pin. Solid action.
Final Thoughts: First and foremost, this show is free. This is to get young wrestlers experience and exposure, and you have to keep that in mind going in.
If I was to pick two guys to keep your eye on, it would be Dodson and Vincita. I can see why AEW has used Vincita, Dean Alexander, Guillermo Rosas and JDX in the past, and I can easily see them using Dodson in the future, too, as they are clearly the most TV-ready wrestlers on this show.
This was a solid event, meeting my expectations going in.
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