By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 81 – Moment of Truth”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
July 20, 2023 in Worcester, Massachusetts at White Eagle
The crowd was in the 200 range; many of them are leaning on the ring, which I think is a terrible idea for them to be that close to the action.
1. Ray Jaz defeated LSG at 4:09. Jaz wore a basketball jersey and was loudly booed. Leon St. Giovanni, of course, had a long run in ROH although he rarely won. Jaz hit a spin kick to the face for a nearfall at 2:30. He applied a modified STF, and LSG almost immediately tapped out. Underwhelming; LSG shouldn’t be tapping out to that move.
2. Delmi Exo defeated Tiara James to retain the WXW Women’s Championship at 4:18. Delmi has had a nice run of late on MLW. Tiara is a younger version of Brandi Rhodes with long, curly hair. Delmi hit a hard spear in the corner and worked the ribs. Delmi hit a Samoan Drop and was in charge. She hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 2:30. James hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. Delmi hit a missile dropkick, and she applied a crossface, and Tiara tapped out. Solid.
3. Ryan Clancy defeated Griffin McCoy at 5:46. Clancy just came off his appearance at the Scenic City Invitational in Tennessee, while McCoy just became No. 1 contender to the JCW title, so both men are on a hot streak. An intense lockup, and Griffin has the height advantage. Clancy hit a dropkick at 4:30. McCoy hit a leg lariat and a sit-out powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Clancy hit the Side Russian Legsweep for the pin. Acceptable match; I’ve seen Clancy several times now and he wins with what is a mid-match move for anyone else… I just hate the legsweep as a finisher.
* Clancy got on the mic and challenged Bronson (of Bear Country/Iron Savages) to a match next week.
4. “Stetson Ranch” Steven Stetson and BRG defeated “Hispanic Mechanics” Jos A and Jos B in a opening round match at 6:39. There is a tag tournament but I admittedly haven’t seen brackets or know much about it. BRG is another Jersey meathead Enzo Amore type. The HM hit the ring wearing cowboy outfits, making fun of the Stetson Ranch.. Funny. The HM dominated BRG most the match. However, Stetson hit one of the Mechanics from behind as he stood on the ring apron. It allowed BRG to hit an Unprettier faceplant for the pin. Very basic stuff.
5. Gal Barkay defeated Joe Ocasio at 6:11. Ocasio is thick and muscular and reminds me of Brian Cage-meets-QT Marshall. Israel native Barkay is thinner but also muscular with almost no body fat; these guys look like WWE guys, and that is meant as a compliment. They immediately began brawling, and Barkay hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. He hit a German Suplex at 4:00. They went to the floor, where Barkay powerbombed Ocasio on the edge of the ring. Ouch. In the ring, Ocasio hit a missile dropkick and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Stetson hit a powerslam for a nearfall and he took control, then a second-rope Bulldog powerslam, but Barkay hopped to his feet! Barkay hit a slam for the pin. That was tremendous for the time given.
* Ocasio attacked from behind after the bell. He got a chair (not a folding chair) from the crowd and used it on Barkay. We went to a nice video package highlighting the feud for the next match!
6. Brad Hollister defeated Dezmond Cole at 13:12. Holister is the Taz-style wrestler who looks a lot like Brian Cage, short and thick, while Dezmond reminds me of Ricochet. Cole hit a dropkick, sending Hollister to the floor at 1:30, and they brawled around the floor. Hollister was in charge as they returned to the ring, hitting a senton for a nearfall at 4:30. Cole hit a high back suplex and they were both down. Cole hit a Crucifix Bomb for a nearfall at 7:00, then a German Suplex and a superkick for a believable nearfall. Hollister hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Cole hit a huracanrana. They hit double clotheslines and were both down at 10:00.
Hollister hit a Jackhammer for a believable nearfall, and he was stunned that didn’t get him the pin. Cole hit a Swanton Bomb for a believable nearfall. This has been really good. Cole hit a flip dive over the top rope, barreling onto Hollister at 12:30. Someone grabbed Cole’s ankle as he tried to get back in the ring! It allowed Hollister to hit a second-rope superplex for the tainted pin. That was really good.
7. Max Caster, JGeorge, and Channing Thomas defeated Richard Holliday and “Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller at 16:21. Thomas is the sleazy guy who reminds me of Joey Ryan. Max Caster is a heel here, and he got on the mic and ripped on Massachusetts. He said that Long Island, N.Y., is “most magical place on earth,” drawing boos. He said Worcester is a city “filled with opioid addicts and losers,” then added, “tell me when I’m telling lies.” He reiterated he would be the city’s next mayor. He wondered if the crowd’s mental capacities were impaired, adding “it’s like I’m wrestling in front of a bunch of Joe Bidens out here.” King and Waller are rising stars and getting a lot of opportunities right now. Waller (he reminds me of a young Trent Beretta) and JGeorge started. Kong hit a German Suplex on JGeorge.
The heels worked over Waller. Holliday entered at 4:00 and beat up the heels. The heels began working over Holliday, with Caster beating him down at 7:30. Waller made the hot tag, but the heels began working over his left leg. Max re-entered and applied a Figure Four Leglock at 10:30 on Waller. Waller hit a Canadian Destroyer on Caster. Kong made the hot tag at 12:30 and hit an Exploder Suplex on JGeorge, then a missile dropkick, and he was fired up.
Kong hit a kneestrike to Caster’s chest. Waller hit a Wassup legdrop to Caster’s groin and the three babyfaces “scissored” in the ring. Holliday and Channing fought to the floor, and to the back! Max went for a low blow on Waller, but Waller caught the leg. Miracle Generation hit superkicks on Max. Kong hit a top-rope superplex on Max. Waller hit a top-rope crossbody block on JGeorge. Max nailed Waller in the head with a title belt for the cheap pin.
* A nice video package aired to preview the next match. Gabriel Skye had won a battle royal or Royal Rumble to win a title shot.
8. Ichiban defeated Gabriel Skye to retain the Wrestling Open Championship at 17:53. Two top rising Northeast stars here and I’m a big fan of both. Again, Ichiban’s mask always makes me think of El Generico. This match has a big fight feel to it. Ichiban went to work on the left arm as they had intense reversals early on. Skye hit some hard chops as the commentators pointed out that this is a rare case where Skye is the bigger competitor. Ichiban hit some armdrags and a dropkick for a nearfall at 4:00. (We had a time call at 5:00 sharp which makes me think we might have a time-limit draw.) Skye suplexed him back into the ring for a nearfall, then a hard kick to the spine. Skye hit a backbreaker over his knee at 7:00, then a slingshot senton.
Skye hit a German Suplex, then two more as we have the 10:00 announcement, but he missed a top-rope doublestomp. Ichiban fired back with a series of kicks to the thigh, then a stunner and a handspring-back-elbow, then a dropkick at 12:00 and he was fired up. Ichiban nialed a Poison Rana then a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. They traded rollups and did simultaneous crossbody blocks and were both down at 14:30. They traded forearm shots. Ichiban hit a superkick. Skye hit a standing powerbomb, and he applied a vertical Boston Crab. Skye hit a shotgun dropkick and a running kick into the corner, then a Northern Lights Suplex. Ichiban fired back with a stunner. Ichiban nailed a leaping Flatliner for the pin. That was tremendous.
* Ray Jaz hopped in the ring and attacked Ichiban from behind.
Final Thoughts: I enjoy these Wrestling Open shows, as they have a seemingly endless number of top East Coast talents showing up on a weekly basis. The crowds always seem to be having a good time and this feels like a weekly family gathering.
Ichiban-Skye was really good and showed why they are rising stars of the Northeast indy scene. I’ll go with Hollister-Cole for second-best, and the short-but-good Ocasio-Barkay match for third. The six-man tag match was just okay; it had a lot of extended beatdown sequences. The opening matches were fine for what they were… but there is just such a noticeable quality difference in the last four matches compared to the first four matches. Check out all Wrestling Open shows on IWTV.
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