By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 75”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
June 8, 2023 in Worcester, Massachusetts at White Eagle
The building is absolutely packed tonight with maybe 300 in attendance. I do hate that they are standing up next to the ring, which just seems dangerous for wrestlers and fans alike. This ring is unique for its green mat and the middle rope also is lime green.
1. RJ Rude (w/Rex Lawless) defeated Mortar (w/Brian Milonas) at 6:04. Mortar has the same look as Rhino, but he paints half his face, like Thunder Rosa does. Rude is the rookie who is tall with short black hair and reminds me of a very young Chuck Taylor. Rude missed a Lionsault and sold a knee injury upon landing. He hit a back suplex and hit the Lionsault at 4:00 and was fired up, then he nailed a Michinoku Driver for a believable nearfall. Mortar hit a top-rope doublestomp to the chest as Rude was tied in the Tree of Woe. Milonas accidentally tripped Mortar! Rude hit an Unprettier faceplant for the surprise win.
2. TJ Crawford defeated Nolo Kitano at 4:58. Nolo is the Black ninja, carrying his sword to the ring; he’s been a heel lately in House of Glory wrestling, but he’s a babyface here. Crawford has short blond/gray hair and a short beard. Crawford hit a dropkick on the knee in the first minute and began attacking the left leg. Nolo hit a shotgun dropkick into the corner at 3:00. then a pair of Stinger Splashes, then a Meteora flying double knees. Crawford fired back with a roundhouse kick to the head that dropped Kitano. Crawford then hit the Side Russian Legsweep for the pin. Good match; I still hate that move as a finisher.
3. Antonio Christiano Zambrano (w/Alex Cypher) defeated Stanley Dragowski at 4:56. They are really leanining into an over-the-top stereotypical Italian with ACZ and he’s the soccer player; he is taller and has a good physique. Dragowski is a lucador in a red mask and red singlet; I haven’t seen him before. Dragowski hit a flying shoulder tackle for a nearfall. ACZ got tripped and immediately rolled to the corner, clutching his ankle. His manager, Cypher, held up a yellow card. ACZ hit a gutbuster over his knee at 3:00 and he took control. Dragowski hit a half-nelson slam and was fired up. Zambrano hit a running punt kick for the pin. Decent.
4. Dezmond Cole defeated Brad Baylor at 5:55. Baylor has the short feathered hair of every jerk villain from 1980s teen movies, and he has a golden tan. He has a passing resemblance to the late Jimmy Rave. Cole is a Black man (think Ricochet), and he’s several inches shorter than Baylor. Baylor whipped Cole face-first into the second turnbuckle at 1:30 and took control. Baylor hit a spinebuster for a nearfall, then a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall. Cole fired back with an enzuigiri at 5:00 and a German Suplex out of the corner, then a modified uranage for the pin. Good match.
5. Megan Bayne defeated Cosmic at 6:09. Bayne is the tall woman in an Amazon outfit; she is impressive in size alone. I believe this is my first time seeing Cosmic; she has green hair and green outfit, much like Shotzi Blackheart. Cosmic hit a backbreaker over her knee at 3:00, then a Samoan Drop for a nearfall. Bayne fought back with a snap suplex and a hard clothesline in the corner, then a dropkick to the face for a nearfall at 5:00. Cosmic hit an Exploder Suplex for a nearfall. Cosmic came off the ropes, but Megan caught her and hit a Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. Really good for the time given.
6. “Brick City Boyz” Victor Chase and J Cruz defeated Bobby Orlando and Bryce Donovan at 5:54. Orlando is the dork who has his stuffed goat on his back. Donovan is tall with long straight hair and he always reminds me of Nick Jackson. The BCB are in black singlets tonight rather than their “WCW High Voltage” gear. Chase is Black; Cruz is Latino and they are solid in the ring. Orlando hit a shotgun dropkick on Cruz. Bryce has wrap around his stomach, and the BCB targeted it, and worked him over. Cruz hit a spinning side slam to pin Donovan. Ok match, but I felt this one needed more time.
7. Alec Price defeated Aaron Rourke at 9:04. Price is the Massachusetts native and he’s wildly popular here. Rourke has a short mohawk with light pink hair, and he is flamboyant. An intense lockup to begin, quick reversals and rollups, and a standoff at 3:00. Price hit a springboard crossbody block. Price hit a standing moonsault and a running knee into the corner, then a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 6:30.
Rourke fired back with a spin kick to the head and a Taya Valkyrie-style Implant facebuster for a nearfall. Price hit his running knees to the corner, then a second-rope leg lariat, then his step-up mule kick to the back of the head for the pin. A really good match, and what I hoped for here. Price got on the mic and said he’s glad to be back. However, he has a score to settle! He wants the Stetson Ranch faction! “It’s open season on cowboys, and they are wanted, dead or alive,” he said.
8. Max Caster (w/heel camera man) defeated Dustin Waller at 9:15. Max was introduced as “the best wrestler alive” and he’s a heel here; he has a camera man who is shooting his own video of the match. He got in the ring and made several crotch-chop motions to the fans. Waller is the rising star who wears a bandana in his hair and he reminds me of a young Trent Beretta. No pre-match mic-work from Caster, which was disappointing. They opened by hitting chops and forearms. Waller hit a plancha to the floor at 2:00, and they brawled through the crowd, with Waller hitting some loud chops.
Back in the ring, Waller hit a Stinger Splash, then a jump-up Frankensteiner from the corner. Caster caught him with a kneelift to the gut at 4:00 and he took control. Caster hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall, and he slowed it down with a chinlock on the mat. Waller hit a springboard crossbody block at 8:00 and was fired up. He hit a springboard flying elbow, then a handspring-back-stunner for a believable nearfall. Max’s cameraman hopped on the ring apron and distracted Waller; Max snuck up, got a rollup (with his feet on the ropes for leverage) for the cheap pin.
* Waller’s partner, Kylon King got in the ring, and he challenged Max to a match next week! Max got on the mic and called Kylon “the Jannetty of the Miracle Generation.” Max then said he was going to clean up Worcester “after I become mayor.” He said he will be on the ballot. He accepted Kylon’s challenge.
9. “Waves & Curls” Traevon Jordan and Jaylen Brandyn defeated “Even Stevens” Steve Somerset and Stephen Azure (w/Brother Greatness) at 5:21. Again, W&C are essentially the Street Profits, while ES wear their sweater-vests and are essentially Shane McMahon’s Mean Street Posse. Some comedy stuff early on. The heels worked over Brandon early. Jordan tagged in and hit a Waltman-style Bronco Buster in the corner at 5:00. W&C hit a team neckbreaker move for the pin. That was over quick. Brother Greatness looked shocked at the sudden conclusion. Adequate action.
10. Brad Hollister defeated Tom Lawlor at 9:52. Hollister is the short, thick powerhouse, somewhat Taz or Sami Callihan. Lawlor wore his cut-off blue jean shorts. They jawed, nose-to-nose, and Brad shoved him in the face, so they immediately traded stiff forearm shots and chops. Lawlor hit a clothesline in the corner. Hollister caught Tom on a crossbody block, and Brad hit a suplex at 3:00. Hollister hit some stomps and was in charge. Brad hit a German Suplex for a nearfall; he set up for a Camel Clutch, but Lawlor escaped. Lawlor applied his own Camel Clutch at 5:30, but Hollister reached the ropes.
They traded blows on the ropes in the corner, and Lawlor nailed a second-rope superplex, and they were both down at 7:30. Lawlor hit his leaping spear into the corner, an enzuigiri, and a running penalty kick for a nearfall. Lawlor applied a Dragon Sleeper. However, Hollister hit a second-rope superplex for a nearfall. TJ Crawford hopped on the ring apron! Lawlor ran over and hit a kneestrike on Crawford. However, as Lawlor turned back to the action, Hollister hit a sit-out powerbomb for the cheap pin. Good match.
* Quick backstory: Gabriel Skye won a battle royal last week to become No. 1 contender for Ichiban’s Wrestling Open title.
11. Ichiban and Love, Doug vs. Gabriel Skye and Anthony Greene ended in a no contest at 8:58. This was built as Ichiban and Skye each having a mystery partner. Doug is the love-struck hillbilly who reminds me of Brooks Jensen. Ichiban is a masked luchador and I’ve been impressed with him. I haven’t seen much of Anthony Greene (NXT’s August Grey) lately; I think the last time I saw him was on a NOAH show a few months ago. Skye and Ichiban opened, and they are both babyfaces. Doug and Greene entered. Skye got back in and hit a snap suplex on Doug, and they began working Doug over in their corner. Ichiban entered and hit a springboard missile dropkick at 5:00.
Skye hit a Northern Lights Suplex and a Falcon Arrow on Ichiban. Skye got his title belt and swung at Ichiban, but Ichiban ducked it. Skye went to the top rope. However, Greene turned and hit a superkick on (his partner!) Skye! Ichiban and Greene brawled; Greene hit Ichiban with the title belt, which should be a disqualification, but the ring announcer said it was a no contest.
* Greene got on the mic and said he cares about the Wrestling Open title. He challenged Ichiban to a title match next week.
* A video package aired for the next match. The ring announcer made clear this next match is unsanctioned.
12. Shannon Levangie defeated B3cca in a “lights out” street fight at 20:19. Again, B3cca is the “international pop star” but she can’t carry a note. Becca brought a guitar with her to ringside. Levangie is a bit taller. I’ve only seen her a couple times, but she seemed fairly green to me so this is a big spot for her. She carried nunchuks to the ring. They immediately brawled on the floor. B3cca bodyslammed heer onto the wood floor at 1:30, and they brawled over to a bar against the wall; a bartender yanked drinks off the bar before they got knocked over. In the ring, B3cca hit her with a cookie sheet. She powerbombed Shannon onto a garbage can at 6:00.
Shannon fired back with a Helluva Kick, then a dropkick onto the garbage can lying on B3cca’s chest. She bodyslammed B3cca onto a folded chair for a nearfall. B3cca’s face slammed into a chair in the corner at 9:00. Shannon hit a crossbody block through the ropes onto B3cca on the floor. In the ring, B3cca used the nunchuks to choke Shannon at 12:00. She got her guitar and slammed it across Shannon’s back. B3cca swung her guitar but Shannon moved. Shannon got the guitar and hit B3cca with it. Shannon put B3cca along her back and hit a piledriver for a nearfall at 15:30.
Shannon rolled to the floor and got a bag of thumbtacks and poured it all over the mat. However, B3cca hit an Air Raid Crash, then a standing powerbomb, into the thumbtacks for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. B3cca set up a door bridge in the ring. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Shannon hit a Canadian Destroyer off the ropes, through the door bridge, for the pin. Decent brawl, and it didn’t get gross. (No blood, staple guns, pizza cutters, etc.)
Final Thoughts: Price vs. Rourke earns best match, with Lawlor-Hollister for second. The main event earns third place, and the crowd was certainly into it.
The Max Caster match was acceptable but nothing worth going out of your way to track down and watch. He’s definitely a better heel than babyface, though.
I think there are so many talented wrestlers in the Northeast right now, and there is a huge roster of wrestlers for these shows. Ichiban and Gabriel Skye are worth checking out, and I like bringing in Anthony Greene, only to immediately turn him heel. Check out these shows on IWTV.
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