By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, Impact Wrestling, MLW, ROH, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
The Nightmare Factory – “Showcase 7”
Streamed on YouTube.com
September 28, 2022 from Norcross, Georgia
The Nightmare Factory released “Showcase #7” recently on their Youtube.com page. This is the venue in Georgia where they filmed multiple episodes of AEW early in the pandemic. There was a voice-over from Cody Rhodes, thanking us for watching the show and telling us that for some wrestlers on this show, this will be their first-ever match. The lighting is good here, but the crowd is literally 50 or so fans. There is a two-man commentary team.
1. Steven Josefi defeated Aleksy Lev at 6:04. Lev lit paper on fire and jawed at fans on the way to ringside; he might be younger than 20 years old. Josefi has black hair and a good physique and made me think of a shorter Cesar Bononi, and this is his debut match. Lev dominated early, until Josefi hit a spinebuster. Josefi hit a swinging faceplant for the pin. Decent.
* Lev got on the mic and said he wanted a rematch. He said he was ‘gifted’ the use of the Diamond Cutter by QT Marshall. However, Marshall entered the ring, snuck up from behind, and hit a Diamond Cutter on Lev.
2. Chris Pagan defeated T-Train at 5:39. Pagan is a Black man with a bit of a gut and he wore a black t-shirt. T-Train is a young Black man, and he may also not be 20 years old yet. He talked on the mic as he walked to the ring, but he definitely sounded nervous. He is wearing a sharp Atlanta Hawks jacket. He also wrestled in a black t-shirt. The announcers say that T-Train played high school football. Pagan missed a second-rope moonsault. T-Train hit a bodyslam on the bigger Pagan, then a Boss Man sidewalk slam for a nearfall. T-Train hit a Death Valley Driver. Pagan applied a sleeper on the mat, and T-Train didn’t respond as his arm fell three times.
* Pagan got on the mic and challenged his trainer, Luke Sampson, to a match.
3. Parker Li and CJ Montana defeated Jack Ledger and The Warden at 9:40. The crowd booed Ledger and Warden as they walked to the ring. Warden is really tall and thick and made me think of Haku/Meng, or Bad Luck Fale. Montana reminds of Zachary Wenz. Ledger and Warden worked over Montana. Li made the hot tag, and a commentator said Li reminded him of a young Ricky Steamboat. Warden hit a Boss Man side slam on Li. Ledger hit a Go To Sleep. Li hit an enzuigiri on Warden, and Montana pinned Warden. Solid match.
4. Tom Marciano defeated Jimmy Wild at 7:57. Marciano wore a boxer’s robe and was loudly booed. Wild has thick, curly brown hair and he reminds me of former NXT wrestler Curt Stallion, and he’s the babyface. This is both of their first-ever matches. Marciano hit a nice butterfly suplex. Marciano got a rollup with a handful of tights for the tainted win. Decent stuff.
5. Saraya Saber defeated Angelica Risk at 9:35. I know I’ve seen Risk before. She grabbed her breasts as she walked to the ring and jawed with fans. A quick internet search shows Risk is 0-12 overall in AEW action with losses to everyone from Deeb and Abadon to Emi Sakura and Jade Cargill. Saber is billed as 6 feet tall, and this is her debut. Risk tied up her taller opponent, and she hit a running butt splash in the corner. She applied an ankle lock on the mat. Saraya hit a Shining Wizard running knee for the pin out of nowhere.
6. Matthew DiMartino defeated Trevor Blackwell at 9:17. Blackwell has long black hair and he jawed at the crowd.; he has similar looks and mannerisms of Joey Janela. This is DiMartino’s first-ever match; he has short black hair and generic black shorts. While he’s slender DiMartino has a tremendous physique with almost no body fat and the announcers say he’s experienced in martial arts. He hit a nice dropkick. Blackwell dropped him throat-first on the top rope and took over.
Blackwell hit a high back suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. They hit simultaneous crossbody blocks and both were down. DiMartino hit a running boot. The announcers agreed that DiMartino looks great in his debut. Blackwell hit a swinging Bossman Slam for a believable nearfall. DiMartino hit an AJ Styles-like springboard forearm shot for the pin. That was surprisingly good.
7. “The House of Payne” Joe Payne and Nick Stevens defeated “The Business” KC Rocker and Caleb Teninty at 9:12. Rocker and Kennedy were booed. Payne and Stevens both had long hair. KC Rocker has an Enzo Amore-style haircut; that alone makes you a heel. The heels worked over Stevens; this is basic tag stuff. Payne finally made the hot tag at 7:00, and he hit a Stinger Splash onto both opponents, then he bodyslammed one guy onto the other. Payne hit a chokeslam on Tenity for the pin. Not bad but just fairly basic.
8. Hell Bent Trent defeated Prime Works Offwork at 7:07. Prime Works is a Black man and he wore a yellow highway worker reflective vest. Trent got a nice babyface pop. Trent is white and scrawny with a few tattoos. Offwork hit a Cameron Grimes-style Cave-in double stomp. Nice. He hit a bodyslam and the crowd booed. His pants were falling off his butt. Trent hit a Thesz Press and punches to the face, then a jumping DDT for a nearfall. Offwork went for a springboard crossbody and didn’t jump hard enough off the ropes; he crashed into Trent’s knees and lower legs, and the ref even reacted to the awkward collision. Trent hit a spear for the pin.
9. Chris Pagan defeated Luke Sampson at 8:13. Pagan won his match earlier. Sampson wore a red singlet that reads “BFD” and his long blond hair was up in a ponytail, and he has a good physique. Standard reversals to open. Sampson hit a basement dropkick on Pagan’s knee and he took control. Pagan hit a series of punches to the jaw. Pagan missed a second-rope moonsault at 6:30. Sampson applied an anklelock. Pagan applied a rear-naked choke, and Sampson passed out. The commentators say that Pagan is now 2-0 in his career.
10. Corporal Punishment defeated Dean Alexander at 8:52. The commentators say that Alexander has headlined on every student showcase event and he has a good physique with a trimmed haircut, reminding me a bit of Frankie Kazarian. Punishment wore his military outfit. Alexander wore black trunks with his name written on the butt in pink. Alexander took control early. Alexander nailed a Mafia Kick and made the cocky one-foot cover at 3:30.
CP hit a powerslam and they were both down, and the crowd chanted “USA!” Punishment mounted Alexander and hit a series of forearm shots, then he hit a running kick for a nearfall. Alexander hit a chokeslam for a nearfall. The commentators say that Alexander is 0-6 in showcase matches. Corporal Punishment hit a Goldberg-style Jackhammer for the pin.
Final Thoughts: First and foremost, this is free, and anyone who opts to watch this knows going in that you are seeing young wrestlers who are just starting out.
I liked The Warden just on sheer size; he’s a standout. DiMartino-Blackwell was really good. While yes, it was DiMartino’s first match, his experience in martial arts was definitely on display.
A little nice touch, but each match is its own chapter, and when you pause the show, the on-screen graphic says the names of the wrestlers in each match. That was really nice for getting names spelled correctly.
Be the first to comment