By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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WrestlePro Alaska “Third Anniversary SuperShow”
Streamed on FITE TV
April 9, 2022 in Anchorage, Alaska at William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center
The show appeared to be a large ballroom/meeting room. The ring was lit but the crowd was in the shadows, so it is hard for me to say how many people are present.
Dave Sergio (spelling?) was on commentary. Dirty Dango came out first and badmouthed Alaska and said it was a mistake for the U.S. to buy the land.
1. “Iceberg” Deonn Rusman defeated Dirty Dango to retain his WrestlePro Gold title at 5:30. This was my first time seeing Rusman. He has a good physique and long, curly brown hair. He reminds me of a young Chuck Palumbo. Rusman hit a Stinger Splash and a nice bodyslam. Dango dominated the match and kept Rusman grounded. Rusman nailed a spear out of nowhere for the pin. Good opener.
2. Chad Dillon, Preston Worthington III, and Tyler Payne defeated Zach Gowen, Brysol Axl, and West in an elimination match at 6:55. The heels came out first, each holding a prosthetic leg, drawing massive boos. Gowen came out using a crutch; he wasn’t wearing a prosthetic leg. One of the babyfaces was pinned and eliminated in just two minutes, and another was eliminated at 3:00, leaving just Zach Gowen vs. the three heels. Gowen hit a stunner, then he dove to the floor on the other two guys.
A heel hit a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall. All three heels stomped on Gowen. Gowen rolled up two heels for quick pins at 5:00, leaving just Gowen and Tyler Payne. Gowen missed a second-rope moonsault. Payne hit a superkick for a believable nearfall. Gowen got a small package for a nearfall. However, Payne got a rollup with his feet on the ropes to pin Gowen and win the match. A successful match in that it built around Gowen’s strengths, and popped the crowd who probably hadn’t seen him wrestle before.
3. Fallah Bahh defeated Heath (Slater) to retain the WrestlePro Alaska Last Frontier Title at 7:27. Heath showed some swagger as he strutted to the ring, looking very much like a rock star in this ring gear. Bahh got a massive pop. I am a huge fan, but he really needs to lose weight again; he lost so much early in the pandemic and put it back on. The match started and Heath tried to wrap his arms around Bahh but couldn’t reach. Heath tried shoulder tackles but couldn’t budge Bahh. Heath couldn’t hit a bodyslam, so Bahh hit a bodyslam at 2:30.
Bahh went for a Yokozuna Bonzai splash, but Heath jumped up and shoved Bahh over the top rope and to the floor. They fought on the floor; the house lights came up a bit and you can see there are 300 to 500 fans here. Bahh ran headfirst into the ring post, and Heath beat him up on the floor. Bahh rolled back in the ring before the 10-count at 6:30. Slater tried a sunset flip, but Bahh jumped and landed hard on Heath’s chest. Bahh then hit a Samoan Drop for the pin. Exactly the right length.
4. Bobby Wayward defeated Tommy Dreamer to retain the WrestlePro Alaska Title at 12:25. My first time seeing Wayward; he wore a black singlet and he has a smug, cocky look on his face as he held his title above his head on the way to the ring. He is shorter and definitely thinner than Dreamer. Dreamer is wearing yellow polka dot, Dusty Rhodes-inspired gear. Wayward used his foot to kick away Dreamer’s handshake offer, drawing boos. Dreamer hit some jab punches and a Dusty elbow. They brawled to the floor, where Dreamer hit hard chops at 3:00. He let several young kids in the crowd to hit chops, too, and the crowd loved this. However, Wayward crotched Dreamer on top of ringside guardrail.
Now in the ring, Wayward was in charge, hitting some basic punches, then tying him up on the mat. Wayward hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 8:00. Wayward missed a top-rope leg drop, and they were both down. Dreamer hit a stunner out of nowhere for a believable nearfall. Dreamer got a chair from under the ring. However, Wayward slammed him on the folded chair for a nearfall. Wayward hit a superkick for a nearfall but Dreamer got to the ropes. Dreamer hit a DDT for a nearfall. Wayward hit a drop-toe-hold, sending Dreamer crashing onto the open chair, and Wayward covered him for the pin. Acceptable action; what you’d expect from Dreamer at this point.
5. Scarlett Bordeaux defeated Freya the Slaya at 6:37. They shook hands but then Scarlett shoved Freya, quickly turning the fans against her. Freya hit an axe kick to the back, sending Scarlett to the floor. Scarlett hit a senton for a nearfall at 3:30. Freya tied Scarlett in the Tree of Woe, then hit a rolling cannonball on her in the corner. Freya hit a belly-to-belly suplex at 5:00, then a Hogan legdrop for a nearfall. Scarlett applied a sleeper. Scarlett got a rollup, put her feet on the ropes, and scored the pin. Same finish as the Gowen match.
* A video package aired showing the feud between Kevin Matthews and Chris Wilde. I have never seen Wilde before. He’s a Black man of average size/height, similar looking to Kenny King, and he’s smaller than KM.
6. Kevin Matthews defeated Chris Wilde to win the UCE Title at 8:06. Yes, this is “KM” from his Impact Wrestling run. They posed, then brawled on the mat. Matthews hit a second-rope superplex at 4:30. Matthews picked him up and slammed him awkwardly on his head or shoulder; Matthews ducked his head and talked to him quickly to make sure he was ok before he went for a cover.
Wilde got to his feet and took over on offense. KM hit a full-nelson slam for a nearfall at 7:00. Wilde applied a Dragon Sleeper. However, KM escaped and applied his own sleeper, and Wilde passed out. Adequate action. The commentator made a huge deal over the title change.
Intermission
7. Jerry Bishop won a Royal Rumble at 13:36. Lots of young, scrawny kids who are all clearly quite green. A really awkward exchange between the fourth and fifth guys in the match. No. 6 was a guy wearing a Butch (Pete Dunne’s) outfit, which makes me wonder who wore it first. Maybe 12 to 15 guys were in this Rumble. By winning, Bishop earned a future title shot.
8. KC Navarro defeated Justin Corino at 9:34. Corino is thicker, stronger, taller than the slight Navarro; Corino looks a bit like QT Marshall. KC is the babyface here; I think he makes a better heel. KC hit a pop-up dropkick, then a flip dive to the floor, and the crowd was energized. KC hit a DDT on the floor. However, Corino caught him moments later, slammed him into the guardrails, then powerbombed him on the ring apron. Corino beat him up on the floor, and got a nearfall in the ring at 5:00.
Navarro hit a Northern Lights suplex, nearly hitting Corino on his head. Corino hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. This match is clicking. Corino hit a rope-assisted spinning neckbreaker for a pin at 8:39, but then the ref saw Navarro had a foot on the rope, and he ordered the match continue. Navarro hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread No. 2 flipping faceplant for the pin.
9. Killer Kross defeated Dan Maff at 10:29. Maff re-emerged in Ring of Honor shortly before the pandemic hit; he really hasn’t aged much since his run in early ROH in the early 2000s. Kross got a massive pop; I’ve written this before, but with short, brown hair, he just looks less maniacal than when he was bald. Lots of stalling early, with the bald Maff complaining that Kross pulled his hair. They fought to the floor, where Maff slammed him into a guardrail at 4:00. Maff took control in the ring. Kross got a crossface on. but Maff reached the ropes at 6:00.
Maff regained control and Kross sold a right shoulder/neck injury. Kross applied a Sharpshooter. Maff went back to working on the neck. Kross nailed a Saito Suplex at 10:00, then a series of clotheslines, and he was fired up. He hit (Will Ospreay’s) Hidden Blade/forearm to the back of the head for the pin. Solid match; this probably should have been the main event.
* A kid named Bobcat McDillon came to the ring and challenged Maff to a match. Maff turned him down and said he wasn’t ready.
10. Bear Country defeated Shawn Donovan and Traxx to retain the WrestlePro Tag Titles at 11:08. I saw Traxx for the first time last month from a show at the 2300 Arena (ECW Arena). Donovan wore a vest right out of Doc Gallows’ collection; both guys are bald. Bear Country carried their tag titles to the ring and they are wildly popular. All four brawled early. In the ring, the heels worked over Bear Bronson (the smaller member of the team.) Bronson finally hit a side suplex and made the hot tag at 6:30.
Bear Boulder got in and beat up on the heels, including a double clothesline, then a double suplex, and the crowd popped for the move. He nailed a Vader Bomb for a nearfall. The heels powerbombed Boulder out of the corner for a nearfall. Traxx hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. Boulder hit a flying shoulder tackle. Bronson got on Boulder’s shoulders and he splashed down on a heel for the pin. Really good tag match.
11. AJ Radical defeated Kid Money to win the 907 Pro Wrestling Title at 8:08. Kid Money is a Black man with short, curly green hair, and he jawed at fans. AJ Radical is a white man playing a skateboard role, wearing a backward baseball cap and pants with tassels. They brawled to the floor early. In the ring, Kid Money applied a Divorce Court armbreaker at 5:00. AJ Radical applied a Jericho-style Lion Tamer, placing his knee in Money’s back, and Money tapped out. The crowd went insane for the title change. After the match, Radical got on his knee and proposed to the referee, and I really don’t think she knew that was coming. She, of course, said yes.
12. Tommy Grayson and JP Grayson defeated World Famous CB (a.k.a. Cheeseburger) and LSG to retain the WrestlePro Alaska Tag Titles at 12:18. The heel champions wore white and they are young, cocky and brash. They worked over CB early. They hit a Superkick on LSG on the floor at 3:00 and worked him over. CB made the hot tag at 6:00 and hit the rapid-fire chops in the corner. CB ties up both Graysons. CB hit a top-rope dive onto the floor on both heels at 9:00. A Grayson hit a hard crossbody block on LSG in the ring. They then got a rollup on CB for the pin. Good match.
* Bobcat returned to the ring and said he wants a match before the show ends. The Graysons attack him to begin what is initially a 2-on-1 match…
13. Dan Maff and Bobcat McDillon defeated Tommy Grayson and JP Grayson to become WrestlePro Alaska Tag Champions at 4:59. Bobcat hit double DDTs and everyone was down. Maff walked to the ring at 1:00 and became Bobcat’s tag partner. He tagged in and cleaned house. Maff hit a rolling cannonball in the corner. Maff hit an inverted Death Valley Driver. Maff dragged Bobcat over, put him on a Grayson, and Bobcat scored the pin.
Final Thoughts: This show lasted just over three and a half hours. The most notable event surrounding this show is that Killer Kross and Scarlett got married during this Alaskan trip. I am a huge fan of Scarlett as a valet/manager and a talker. Wrestling isn’t her strongest suit, and her match was a bit weak.
I will take the Bear Country match for best of show, ahead of CB/LSG vs. the Graysons. Kross-Maff had a more methodical main event style match that earns third-best.
This show successfully combined known indy talent with guys I wasn’t familiar with. The show’s low point is unquestionably the Royal Rumble – the less said about that mess, the better.
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