By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Prestige Wrestling “Hybrid Moments”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
March 26, 2023 in Asbury Park, N.J. at House Of Independents
Two days ago, Prestige was able to replace the injured Josh Alexander with Chris Sabin for this show. This is a big, brick building, and they have the Prestige Wrestling logo on a wall, so maybe this is their training center/school. The crowd is maybe 400, but it may be a legit sellout. Jordan Castle and Veda Scott provided commentary.
* It is worth noting that Impact Wrestling was nearby with a show on Saturday, so several wrestlers who I presume were at that taping were available for this event.
1. Jordan Oliver defeated Alec Price at about 17:00. I joined a minute or two into the show and the match was already going. Oliver wrestled a day ago for Warrior Wrestling in Michigan while Price wrestled for Black Label Pro in Indiana. Oliver hit a plancha to the floor. In the ring, Price tied him up on the mat. Price hit a back suplex. Oliver hit his running crossbody block. Oliver hit a Helluva Kick. Price hit an enzuigiri.
Price hit his running Mafia kick and legdrop for a nearfall. Price hit a dive to the floor. Oliver nailed a top rope superplex, and they were both down, and the crowd chanted, “This is awesome!” They traded forearms and chops while on their knees. Jordan hit his Cleopatra stunner; Price fired back with a Blockbuster for a nearfall. Jordan nailed a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall.
Oliver flipped Price to the floor, then he hit an Asai moonsault to the floor, drawing a “holy shit!” chant. Back in the ring, Price hit a standing powerbomb and a neckbreaker over his knee for a believable nearfall. Price hit a superkick. Oliver nailed the Acid Kick and a sit-out powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Oliver applied a Boston Crab and sat down for pressure, but Price reached the ropes. Price hit a twisting crossbody block off the ropes. Jordan got a rollup for the pin at 16:47?; again it could be another minute or two beyond that. Great match from guys who are definitely familiar with each other.
2. “The Brick City Boys” J Cruz and Victor Chase defeated TJ Crawford and Love, Doug at 10:44. The BCB black-and-yellow singlets remind me of the criminally underrated High Voltage in WCW. Doug is the love-struck hillbilly with a mullet. Cruz and Crawford opened. Chase, who is a thick Black man, entered to face Doug. The BCB began working over Doug in their corner extensively. Doug finally hit a clothesline out of the ropes at 7:00 on Chase. Crawford made the hot tag and he hit a stunner and a brainbuster for a nearfall.
Cruz hit a hard clothesline on Crawford. Crawford launched Doug onto Chase for a nearfall at 10:00. Crawford got Chase up for a suplex, but Cruz (standing on the floor) tripped Crawford, and Chase collapsed onto Crawford for the pin, as Cruz surreptiously held Crawford’s foot down. (You’ve seen that finish many times before.)
3. Akira defeated 1 Called Manders at 10:50. They brawled at the bell and went to the floor, and there is barely any room to move. Manders accidentally hit the post. In the ring, Akira hit some hard chops. Manders dropped Akira gut-first on the top rope at 3:00, but he was selling a right elbow injury from hitting the post. Manders hit a hard kick to Akira’s back, and Akira invited him to do another, but Manders hit a clothesline instead.
Akira focused on the damaged right arm; he hit a missile dropkick to the back at 5:30. Akira hit a German Suplex for a nearfall, then some Kawada kicks to the face. Akira applied a modified Triangle Choke, focusing on that damaged elbow. Manders nailed a left-arm clothesline for a nearfall at 8:30, then another with his right arm for a nearfall. Akira hit a senton onto Manders’ back, then a Death Penalty/modified Air Raid Crash for the pin. Good, hard-hitting match.
4. Masha Slamovich defeated Killer Kelly at 10:52. The crowd was hot before the bell. An intense lockup to start. They traded forearm shots. Masha hit a hard slap to the face. Jordan Castle pointed out that Killer Kelly’s green-and-red top is “inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street.” Masha hit a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. They brawled to the floor, with Masha hitting hard chops as Kelly was seated. Kelly suplexed Masha onto a row of empty chairs. Kelly hit a running penalty kick while on the ring apron. Masha dropped Kelly face-first on the ring apron; she rolled Kelly in the ring and got a nearfall.
Masha hit a dragon screw leg whip at 6:30, and she went to work on twisting the right leg. Masha hit a series of forearms and Kelly seemed dazed. However, Kelly hit a series of headbutts and a butterfly suplex, sending Masha into the corner at 8:30. Kelly hit a running basement dropkick in the corner for a nearfall. Masha hit a Death Valley Driver into the corner for a nearfall. Kelly hit her own Death Valley Driver for a believable nearfall, and the crowd chanted, “Prestige!” Masha caught her with a spin kick to the cheek, then a piledriver for the pin. That was an excellent, hard-hitting women’s match.
5. Alex Shelley defeated Alan Angels to retain the Prestige Heavyweight Title at 16:13. Angels was loudly booed. Shelley had his Prestige title around his waist and another on his shoulder; Angels pointed out he has the Pro Wrestling Revolver Remix title, too. Shelley got on the mic and agreed this would be a submissions match for the PWR belt, and he called Angels “a little abortion that got away.” The crowd chanted “You got fired!” at Angels. They finally got underway; Shelley hit a shoulder block and he sneezed down on Angels. Yuck. They traded quick reversals. Angels went for a cover but the ref reminded him this is now a submissions match.
Shelley applied a Jamie Noble Trailer Hitch leglock. Angels hit a penalty kick to the chest. Castle said he’s called several of Angels’ matches and couldn’t recall him ever winning via submission. Shelley hit a dragon screw leg whip on the floor at 3:00, and he dropped Angels knee-first on a metal stage. Shelley tied up the leg in a guardrail. Angels fired back with a Divorce Court armbreaker onto the stage, and Shelley immediately clutched at the sore arm. Back in the ring, Angels applied a Fujiwara Armbar, but Shelley reached the ropes at 6:30.
Angels switched to a crossface, but Shelley again reached the ropes. Shelley hit a Flatliner, dropping Angels head-first onto the middle turnbuckle at 9:00. Shelley laid in some hard chops. Shelley hit another dragon screw leg whip, and he went for the Border City Stretch, but Angels fought out of it. Angels stomped on the left elbow at 11:00, and he went back to a crossface, with the fans chanting, “Please don’t tap!” Angels switched to a Halo Stretch/Rings of Saturn, but Shelley reached the ropes.
Shelley got the Border City Stretch on, but Angels immediately got the Halo Strech on instead. Shelley was shoved head-first into the turnbuckle and collapsed at 13:00. Angels hit two enzuigiris and a half-nelson suplex, then a mid-ring Sliced Bread, and they were both down. This has been really, really good. Angels left the ring and walked to the commentary table, where he grabbed Shelley’s title belts, and he brought them in the ring. Sonico hopped in the ring to stop Angels, but he accidentally hit Shelley with the belt!! Angels applied the Halo Stretch again for a believable finish, but Shelley got his feet on the ropes at 15:30. Shelley hit a DDT onto the title belt. Shelley applied a Figure Four, and Angels tapped out. That was absolutely fantastic. Wow that was good.
* Sonico and Alan Angels continued to fight after the match.
* Intermission
6. Sonico defeated Tre Lemar at 12:55. Sonico wears a generic white lucha mask; I’ve seen him just a few times. Standing switches to open. Sonico applied a Tarantula in the ropes at 4:00. Lemar hit a dive through the ropes. Sonico slammed Tre head-first into the corner at 7:30. Lemar hit a slingshot Flatliner. Sonico hit a dive through the ropes at 9:30, earning a “holy shit!” chant. Lemar hit a Mark Briscoe-style top-rope ellbow drop for a nearfall. Lemar hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Sonico hit a Dragon Suplex for a believable nearfall, then a slam for the pin. Really good popcorn match.
7. Chris Sabin defeated Mike Bailey at 18:30. Castle noted how Sabin was a late fill-in for Alexander. Good reversals early on with the fans chanting “both these guys!” Bailey hit his speedball kicks to the thighs and ribs at 3:30. They brawled to the floor. In the ring, Sabin hit a jumping forearm in the corner, then a springboard crossbody block, and he was in control. Sabin applied a mid-ring Octopus at 7:00, dropped to the mat and got a nearfall. Veda and Castle talked about how Sabin has primarily become a tag team specialist and hasn’t had the singles matches of late.
Bailey nailed a running Mafia Kick, then his running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 9:00. Bailey went for a handspring move but Sabin caught him with a basement dropkick to the face, then a top-rope missile dropkick and a tornado DDT for a nearfall. Sabin hit a top-rope German Suplex at 11:30, and they were both down, with the fans chanting “holy shit!” then switching to “Prestige!” Bailey went for his moonsault kneedrop on the ring apron, but Sabin moved and Bailey crashed and rolled to the floor.
As Bailey tried to get in the ring, Sabin hit a dragon screw leg whip. Bailey nailed the Triangle Moonsault to the floor at 14:00. Bailey hit his mid-ring moonsault double kneedrop, then a spin kick to the head for a nearfall, and the fans chanted, “This is awesome!” Bailey went for the tornado kick in the corner, but Sabin caught him and hit another dragon screw leg whip. Sabin applied a leglock on the mat, but Bailey reached the ropes at 16:30.
Sabin hit a basement dropkick on the knee, then he got a backslide for a nearfall. These two have been going non-stop. Bailey hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Bailey hit the Crane Kick to the face! However, Bailey missed Ultima Weapon, and Sabin hit a Muscle Buster. Sabin then hit the Cradle Shock for the clean pin. Absolutely fantastic. Bravo.
* A really cool video package aired to preview the next match. Very cinematic, with Robert Martyr haunted by dreams of Minoru Suzuki. Not sure if the crowd in the building saw this, but it was must-see cool stuff.
8. Minoru Suzuki defeated Robert Martyr at 15:11. Suzuki came out last, of course. Martyr took off his shoulder protection and threw it at Suzuki’s feet. Seems like a terrible idea to me! Martyr went for a cross-armbreaker early on. Fans chanted “You’re not ready!” at Martyr. Suzuki laughed in Martyr’s face, and he invited Robert to hit some chops. The crowd went completely silent, listening to Minoru hit a hard chop back at 3:00. Robert hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Minoru. Castle wondered if Minoru under-estimated Martyr.
Suzuki applied an armbar in the ropes. They brawled to the floor. Suzuki grabbed a sweatshirt off a chair and he choked Martyr with it at 6:00. In the ring, Suzuki immediately tied him up on the mat and began twisting his elbow, wrist and fingers. Martyr hit some forearms; Minoru hit one forearm that dropped Martyr at 8:00. Martyr gave him a middle finger; Minoru hit another stiff forearm that again dropped Martyr, and the ref checked on him to see if he’s okay. Castle praised Martyr for getting back to his feet.
Martyr hit a dropkick and a running clothesline in the corner, then a Falcon Arrow brainbuster for a nearfall at 10:00. Minoru hit a Helluva Kick and a penalty kick to the chest for a nearfall. Martyr tried a move that didn’t land; one fan chanted “you f—ed up” and in a nice moment, the rest of the crowd shouted him down. They traded more forearm shots, with Martyr collapsing at 13:30. Martyr hit an enzuigiri and a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Suzuki applied the sleeper, hit another forearm shot, then the Gotch-style piledriver for the pin.
* Martyr got on the mic and said “this is the culmination of my whole f**ken life.” He said he wasn’t given a chance when he started, but here he is, eight years later, in the ring with Minoru Suzuki. The fans chanted, “you deserve it!” Martyr said some people (including me!) don’t ‘get him.’ He said he has been depressed in the past and didn’t know if wrestling was for him, but now he said he knows he deserves his spot, and he’s deserved a title shot. He called out Timothy Thatcher for a match in Los Angeles.
Final Thoughts: I watched four indy shows over the weekend, and this Prestige event was the best, with the two best matches. Angels-Shelley stole the show, but Sabin-Bailey was just about as good. I wouldn’t argue with anyone who liked Bailey-Sabin more. As good as Price-Oliver was, it is a distant third on this incredibly good indy show. Give Kelly-Masha honorable mention for having an especially hard-hitting battle too.
I am just not sold on Roberty Martyr. I think this is the fifth time I’ve seen him, and I’m just not seeing ‘it’ that makes him unique, or different, or special. It was a really good match with Minoru Suzuki, but it was the same match Minoru has with every top U.S. indy wrestler. He IS good on the mic. Martyr held up his end… but I can’t name a single move he does that is special or unique. He hasn’t been used by AEW, Impact or MLW, and none of the top indies in the Midwest have booked him (spent the money to bring him in), so I guess I’m not alone in not seeing ‘it.’
I know I point out all the time the insane schedule of today’s indy wrestlers, but 1 Called Manders, Alec Price, and Tre Lemar were at Black Label Pro in Indiana on Saturday, while Jordan Oliver was at Warrior Wrestling in Michigan. Again, I presume Mike Bailey, Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly, Alan Angels, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin were all the Impact taping in Canada.
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