Wrestlemax “Reborn” results: Vetter’s review of Calvin Tankman vs. Camaro Jackson vs. Rahim de la Suede vs. MERC vs. Mike Outlaw vs. Davey Vega in an elimination match for the River City Title, The Rascalz vs. The Premier

I’m familiar with much of this roster from viewing St. Louis-based Glory Pro Wrestling. The room is dark and attendance is perhaps 100-150. The announcers said the power is partially out, which explains a bit why it is so dark.

1. Dan the Dad defeated Mance Warner at 8:47. They shared a drink before the match; Dan from his coffee cup and Mance from his beer bottle. Of course, Mance turned and attacked Dan to start the match, and he dominated early. Dan hit a series of punches while still holding his coffee cup and got a nearfall at 6:30. Dan hit Mance with the ring bell and hit a stunner and was fired up. He nailed the Backpack Stunner and scored the pin. Fun opener and it didn’t devolve into an ugly Mance-style bloody war.

2. Kenway (w/The Premier) defeated Moses the Deliverer at 6:33. Kenway is the only person on this show I haven’t seen before; he is white with a crewcut and average size. Moses is Black and has hair like Kofi Kingston, and this feels like it should be a squash. He hit a nice dropkick in the first minute. He hit a nice flying back elbow and was in charge, hitting a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 5:30. He hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall, but Kenway’s Premier stablemates distracted the ref, allowing Kenway to hit a low blow uppercut and a spike piledriver for the cheap pin. I have liked what I’ve seen of Moses.

* The ring announcer explained we have two semifinal matches for a vacant women’s title on this show, with the winners advancing to a future show.

3. Billie Starkz defeated Missa Kate in a semifinal match at 6:41. Missa is half of the NWA women’s tag champions, and she attacked Billie before the bell. She hit a nice snap suplex. The commentators gushed over the potential of 18-year-old Starkz, who literally just graduated high school. (They aren’t wrong!) Missa applied a leglock around the waist and dominated early. Billie hit a German Suplex for a nearfall at 3:00. Missa hit a running knee to the side of the head for a nearfall. They fought on the ring apron, and Missa shoved Billie head-first into the ring post. In the ring, Kate was fully in charge. Billie hit a Gory Bomb, then a top-rope Swanton Bomb for the pin. Nice little match.

4. Calvin Tankman defeated LuFisto in an intergender match at 7:19. The size difference here is absurd, as Calvin tops 350 pounds, and a legit fight, would squash her like a bug. He shoved her; she shoved him, and she hit a series of headbutts. He dropped LuFisto with a shoulder tackle. I don’t see the point of this match because the size difference is so vast. He hit a running body splash for a nearfall at 4:00 and was stunned she kicked out. She fired up and hit a series of chops and a headbutt to his chest, then a running kick as Calvin was lying in the ropes. She hit a spinning back fist for a nearfall at 6:00. She tried to get him up on her shoulders but was unsuccessful. He hit a hard forearm to her jaw, then the Rikishi Driver piledriver for the pin.

5. Su Yung defeated Blair Onyx in a semifinal match at 4:36. Yung has appeared on just a few indy shows I’ve seen since she returned from maternal leave. Both women are spooky characters, with Blair doing her spider-style looks and offense; she reminds me of Jessicka Havok but a bit thinner. Yung is the heel and attacked at the bell. Yung hit a piledriver out of the ropes for a nearfall at 3:00. Onyx hit a Flatliner, and she tied Su in a Muta Lock. Su applied a Mandible Claw and Onyx passed out. The commentators confirmed that Su Yung will face Billie Starkz for the vacant title.

* Kevin Lee Davidson came to the ring; he’s a heavyset white man. He apparently just had surgery and cannot wrestle tonight. Calvin Tankman came out of the back and assaulted Davidson! “This is disgusting!” a commentator said.

6. Bryan Keith defeated ATM at 11:31. Keith is on fire and getting booked everywhere right now, and he came to the ring in his Mexican baja sweater and cowboy hat. ATM is a Black man with similar features as Trick Williams. They shoved each other before the bell, traded some mat holds, and Keith rolled to the floor to regroup. They brawled on the floor along the guardrails. Back in the ring, ATM hit some clotheslines and an enzuigiri at 8:00. ATM hit a hesitation basement dropkick in the corner for a nearfall, then a stunner for a nearfall. He hit a superkick and they were both down at 10:00. Keith hit a kneestrike to the jaw and a Tiger Driver butterfly powerbomb for the pin. Good match.

7. “The Rascalz” Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel defeated “The Premier” SK Bishop and Campbell Myers via DQ at 9:23. The Premier, like their partner (Kenway) from earlier on the show, are all pretty green rookies; Myers is white and Bishop is Black, and I’ve seen them on Glory Pro shows. Wentz and Myers started. The Premier hit some quick team moves on Wentz and they worked him over EXTENSIVELY in their corner. Trey finally made the hot tag at 7:00 and the Rascalz began working over Myers. Trey hit an enzuigiri. Bishop and Myers accidentally kicked each other. The Rascalz set up for a team Burning Hammer and double stomp, so Kenway hopped on the ring apron and interfered, causing the DQ. I liked what I saw of the rookies here.

* The Premier kept stomping on the Rascalz after the bell.

8. Rahim de la Suede defeated Calvin Tankman, Camaro Jackson, MERC, Mike Outlaw, and Davey Vega in a six-way elimination match to win the River City Championship at 13:46. Camaro is the short, Black powerhouse who looks similar to Jonathan Gresham; he just lost his Glory Pro title to Tankman a month ago, and right on cue, the announcers talked about their feud. Outlaw is Black and a babyface here; he has a short, thick beard and reminds me of Cedric Alexander. All six fought in the ring at the bell. MERC has hit long blond hair in a ponytail like a very young Jean-Paul Levesque; he traded chops with Camaro at 3:30, and Camaro hit a delayed brainbuster.

Rahim and Tankman traded mid-ring blows, with Calvin leveling him with a forearm. Tankman hit a double shoulder tackle on MERC and Vega. Tankman hit a pop-up back elbow and a powerbomb to pin MERC at 6:23. The action continued without a break. Tankman hit an elbow drop and pinned Vega at 7:08. The commentators agreed that Tankman seems unstoppable, and the other three guys all worked together to hit a team Lungblower on Tankman. Camaro picked up Rahim and gorilla pressed him, tossing him at Outlaw at 9:00. Tankman and Camaro traded more forearm shots. Tankman nailed a spinebuster, then the Rikishi Driver to pin Camaro at 9:53. We are down to three!

Tankman picked up Outlaw, but Outlaw fought free. Music played, and Kevin Lee Davidson came to the ring and got on the ring apron; Dan the Dad separated them. It allowed Outlaw to hit a springboard forearm on Tankman. Rahim immediately hit a top-rope 450 Splash to pin Tankman at 11:12! We are down to two! Rahim and Outlaw traded forearm shots; Outlaw leapt off the ropes but Rahim caught him and hit a Flatliner! Rahim went to the top rope but Outlaw cut him off. Outlaw hit a backbreaker over his knee. Rahim nailed a Poison Rana and a DDT, then a top-rope 450 Splash for the pin! New champion! “What an upset! What a surprise!” a commentator shouted.

Final Thoughts: That was a very good main event; my only complaint is I wish, with five eliminations, it would have gone even longer. I am such a huge fan of Tankman, and they did a great job of protecting him in a losing effort, from the outside distraction to the others working together to pin him. Keith-ATM was really good for second best. The Rascalz are always good, but the Premier showed they are well-trained and stepped up their game, and despite that ending in a cop-out DQ, it earns third place.

I just don’t understand intergender matches, and particularly matches with such a vast size difference. A couple months ago, GCW had the massive Parrow fight the tiny Sumie Sakai, and that match was just as absurd as Tankman vs. LuFisto. (Sakai won because of outside interference in that one.) Check out this show on IWTV.