By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Prestige Wrestling “Cascadia Wrestling Cup night one”
Replay available via YouTube.com
July 8, 2023 in Portland, Oregon at Kliever Armory
Prestige Wrestling held the Cascadia Wrestling Cup tournament over two nights. Both shows were released, for free, on YouTube on Sunday. This is a 16-person, single-elimination tournament. This is a review of night one from.
This tournament certainly lacks star power; it was going up against not only AEW Collision and MLW, but also strong cards for GCW, Pro Wrestling Revolver, and West Coast Pro Wrestling. The idea is these are the rising stars in the Pacific Northwest. However, Alan Angels forced his way into the tournament, and he’s a top heel in Prestige Wrestling.
This venue is a gym and the crowd is about 300. Jordan Castle provided lead commentary; he’s young and enthusiastic but quite knowledgeable.
1. Jaiden defeated Kris Brady in a first-round match at 9:31. Jaiden wears a teal-and-black costume and a super hero mask, and you can’t help but compare him to Hurricane Helms. Brady wears a red singlet; I just saw him compete in a different tournament from Tennessee. Brady hit a buckle bomb and a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 9:00. However, Jaiden hooked the arm, got a rollup, and scored the pin to advance.
2. Travis Williams defeated Amira in a first-round match at 13:14. Amira is a strong woman with visible biceps and perhaps a little taller than average, and I’ve seen her a handful of times here. Williams has a buzzcut and certainly has a young Bryan Danielson/Zach Sabre Jr. look and style. He tied her up on the mat and was in control, and he applied a Figure Four at 5:00. They traded forearm shots (as muscular as she is, he would knock her out in a legit fight). Amira hit a Samoan Drop for a nearfall at 9:00. Williams hit a brainbuster for a nearfall. Williams hit a high back suplex for a nearfall at 12:00. Amira hit a series of slaps to the face. Williams threw Amira face-first into an exposed turnbuckle and he re-applied the Figure Four. The ref checked on the knocked-out Amira and called for the bell. As far as intergender matches go, this was really good, largely because she is tall and visibly muscular.
3. Daniel Makabe defeated Artemis Spencer in a first-round match at 14:21. I always compare Spencer to Curtis Axel, with his short brown hair and trimmed beard. My first time seeing Makabe, who has Alex Shelley’s haircut and overall look but a little heavier in the middle; he kept his red soccer shirt on. They traded mat reversals and the whole match was fought on the mat. Makabe applied a Cattle Mutilation at 8:00. Spencer hit a top-rope corkscrew press, but Makabe applied a sleeper. Makabe hooked both arms, rolled Spencer over and got a fluke pin! Solid match but Spencer clearly is the better competitor with a better look.
4. Randy Myers defeated Drexl via countout in a first-round tournament match at 10:52. Myers is an effeminate Joker; he has the green hair and white facepaint but is quite flamboyant. I’ve seen the hardcore brawler Drexl several times; he is bald with white paint on his face and a long beard that is showing some gray. Comedy stuff early as they grabbed each other’s groin. They brawled to the floor and around ringside. Myers tied Drexl around the ring post. He ducked into the ring before being counted out, and he won the match via countout; the ref freed Drexl. Drexl got in the ring and kissed Myers and I guess they are friends now. I liked absolutely nothing about this match.
5. Judas Icarus defeated Ethan HD in a first-round tournament match at 18:24. Icarus has short black, wet messy hair. Ethan has curly black hair and he’s taller and thicker, and he dominated much of the match. Judas hit a plancha at 8:30 that sent Ethan flying. Judas was selling a left arm injury. Judas hit a running dropkick in the corner at 13:00 and was fired up. He hit a running knee in the corner on the injured arm, but he missed a moonsault. Icarus hit a suplex that dropped Ethan stomach-first to the mat for a nearfall. Ethan applied a crossface and I really thought Judas was tapping out, but he managed to get a rollup for a nearfall. Ethan hit a kneestrike to the jaw, but he couldn’t hit a package piledriver. Judas hit a hard clothesline, bouncing off the ropes, to score the pin. That match really picked up nicely with a really strong final half.
6. Cody Chhun defeated Guillermo Rosas in a first-round tournament match at 13:24. These two are regular tag team partners but here are first-round opponents. I always compare Chhun to NXT’s Boa for being tall and lanky. Rosas by comparison is much shorter and rounder. They shook hands and this crowd is HOT. Standing switches and good reversals to open. Rosas hit a belly-to-belly overhead release suplex at 7:30, then a back suplex for a nearfall. Chhun hit a DDT for a nearfall; he went for a second-rope stunner but Rosas caught him and hit an Angle Slam at 10:30. Rosas hit a running knee for a nearfall. Chhun hit a superkick, then the Clout Cutter for the clean pin. Good match between teammates; it never broke down into a brawl, with one of them showing heelish mannerisms.
7. Nicole Matthews defeated Liiza Hall in a first-round tournament match at 10:25. Again, Matthews is the tall 20-year pro who competed in the first Mae Young Classic, and she has the height and overall size advantage on the smaller redheaded Hall. They shook hands before an intense lockup and mat reversals; this match is a parallel so far to Rosas-Chhun. Liiza hit some stiff forearm shots at 4:30, showing some frustration with Matthews. Liiza hit a senton and a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 8:30; she went for a Texas Cloverleaf but Nicole powered out. Matthews hit a swinging neckbreaker and applied a modified crossface, and Hall tapped out. This was a really good match.
8. Alan Angels defeated Sonico in a first-round tournament match at 21:06. Angels is representing Pro Wrestling Revolver in the feud that is happening on Twitter but I don’t think the fans really care, and he’s a top heel in Prestige. Sonico’s lucha mask today makes me think of Pentagon’s mask. These two have been feuding for a while, so it makes sense it is the headliner match. Angels stopped at a table to admire the cup that goes to the winner of the tournament. Sonico immediately tackled Angels and hit some punches. He hit a kick to the spine at 2:00. They brawled to the floor, where Angels whipped Sonico into the rows of chairs. In the ring, Angels beat Sonico down for several minutes and was in charge.
In the ring, Sonico hit a springboard forearm at 9:30, then he dove through the ropes onto Angels. They brawled away from ringside and to a wall, with Sonico doing a slingshot, sending Angels against a garage door at 11:30. In the ring, Sonico hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Sonico hit a Dragon Suplex for a believable nearfall at 13:30. Angels put Sonico’s feet on the ring apron and hit a DDT to the floor. In the ring, Sonico hit a second-rope superplex, and they were both down at 16:30. Sonico hit a jumping knee and a suplex for a nearfall, but Angels got his feet in the ropes.
Angels hit a Death Valley Driver on a chair that was open and lying on its side. Angels then nailed a roundhouse kick to the head for a believable nearfall at 20:30. Angels hit a second roundhouse kick, then a DDT for the pin. A really good match. After the bell, Angels ripped off Sonico’s mask, put one foot on Sonico’s back, and held up his trophy, and was loudly booed. Awesome.
Final Thoughts: Again, this show aired, for free, on YouTube.com. I plan to watch and review night two of the tournament over the next couple of days. Angels-Sonic easily earned best match, with Chhun-Rosas for second and Matthews-Liiza Hall for third, so they definitely saved the best for last.
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