By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 84”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
August 10, 2023 in Worcester, Massachusetts at White Eagle
I enjoy these weekly shows because they use such a vast roster from across the Northeast, and it feels like you never know who is going to show up. That said, as I look at this week’s lineup, I have seen everyone wrestle at least once before.
* The show opened with a highlight reel of some recent show and pushing the major storylines. As usual, there appears to be about 300 people packed into this small venue.
1. Ricky Smokes defeated Landon Hale at 5:19. Smokes is talented; think Sammy Guevara in looks and style. Landon Hale has short black hair and wears Matt Taven-style purple pants. Both men are quite young. Hale hit an early dropkick; both men seem to be same height and size. Hale hit a handspring-back-stunner and a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. Hale hit a top-rope Spanish Fly, and they were both down; Hale made a delayed cover but didn’t get the pin. Smokes hit a mid-ring flipping stunner out of nowhere for the pin.
2. Brad Baylor defeated El Jhonny Santos at 5:47. Baylor has the feathered hair of every jerk in a 1980s teen movie, and he’s a good heel with a good physique. Santos wore sunglasses, danced to the ring, and he looks a bit like Carmelo Hayes. Santos hit some deep armdrags early, and he messed with Baylor’s hair, angering Brad. Baylor took charge with some basic stomps. Santos hit a missile dropkick at 5:00 and was fired up. He hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall. Baylor hit a twisting neckbreaker for the pin.
3. “Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King defeated “Even Stevens” Stephen Azure and Steve Somerset at 5:45. I’m a big fan of the MG and they are one of the reasons I tuned in. The ES wear their Mean Street Posse sweater vests and they look like dorks. Azure, who is taller with shorter hair, started against Waller. King and the shorter Somerset entered at 1:00. Azure hit a back suplex on Waller and the Stevens’ were in charge. Waller hit a double stunner at 4:30 and made the hot tag to Kylon. King hit a second-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall, then a second-rope moonsault on Somerset for the pin. Solid match; the right team won.
* We went to a “Max for Mayor” spot. Max Caster is a hated heel here and he has announced he is “running for mayor of Worcester,” and if he’s successful, he will have the White Eagle destroyed. JGeorge did all the talking; no sign of Caster here on this day, but this is a great way to keep his name in the storylines when he’s not there.
4. Dezmond Cole defeated JGeorge at 6:39. Cole is an athletic, young Black man; think Angelo Dawkins-meets-Ricochet. JGeorge has the big floppy hair of No Way Jose, and he was loudly booed on his way to the ring. JGeorge stalled on the floor, so Cole followed him and they brawled. In the ring, JGeorge dropped Cole throat-first on the top rope at 2:00 and he hit a back suplex, and was in charge. JGeorge hit a Lungblower for a nearfall at 4:30. Cole hit a Lionsault Press and was fired up. He hit a stunner, and a rolling spin kick in the corner, then a top-rope Swanton Bomb for the pin.
5. “Shook Crew” Bryce Donovan and Bobby Orlando defeated Brian Milonas and Mortar at 8:58. Again, Milonas has dropped some weight but he still has to be at least 350 pounds. Mortar is the Rhino clone, with half his face painted. Orlando is the dork who brings his stuffed goat to the ring; I always compare his brand of humor to Colt Cabana’s. Bryce is the tall guy with long, straight hair and I think of him as a taller Nick Jackson. Mortar and Orlando started. The massive Milonas entered and he pulled down the straps of his singlet; he shoved Orlando into his corner so Donovan could tag in. Bryce hit some running knees in the corner on Milonas. Milonas hit a double chokeslam at 3:30.
Mortar hit a Stinger Splash and a clothesline on Orlando, as the heels remained in charge. Mortar hit a Lionsault for a nearfall. Donovan made the hot tag at 6:00 and he hit a Flatliner and a Stinger Splash, then an Abyss-style Black Hole Slam on Mortar. He applied a Koji Clutch but Milonas broke it up. Milonas hit a double slam and got a nearfall at 7:30. Bryce hit a standing powerbomb. The SC hit a team chokeslam on Milonas. Orlando hit a top-rope elbowdrop to pin Mortar. Easily best match of the show so far.
* Joe Ocasio and Gal Barkay have had several battles in recent months and we have a nice video clip of their feud. Barkay is the slender, muscular Israel native who looks like an action figure.
Joe Ocasio vs. Trystan Kyle never started. Kyle is announced as “your future boyfriend.” Ocasio is thicker with dark black hair; he got on the mic and demanded another match with Barkay. He picked up Kyle and slammed him. Barkay came out and also beat up Trystan Kyle, in a game of ‘one-upsmanship.’ They agreed to have a fight next week!
6. Rex Lawless, RJ Rude, and Love, Doug vs. Brad Hollister and “The Brick City Boyz” Victor Chase and J Cruz ended in a double DQ at 8:50. Hollister is the Taz-meets-Brian Cage spark plug. Doug is the mullet-headed lovestruck hillbilly who appeared on MLW Fusion on Thursday at about the same time this show streamed. Doug started against Hollister. Rude is the lanky kid who reminds me of a young Chuck Taylor. Lawless reminds me of Jaxon Ryker and he’s got a great physique; Lawless entered to face Chase at 3:00. Lawless hit a double clothesline on the BCB, and he speared Cruz. Hollister snuck in and hit a German Suplex on Lawless at 6:30.
Rude hit a Lionsault on Cruz for a nearfall. The heels hit a team powerbomb move on Rude for a nearfall. Doug hit a top-rope crossbody block on all the heels but they caught him. Lawless hit a running crossbody block to knock them all down. Everyone was fighting in the ring and the ref called for the bell! Good brawl while this lasted.
7. (Bear) Bronson defeated Ryan Clancy at 6:44. Clancy came out first; he has to barely be 20 and he had a good mat-based match a few months ago with Zack Sabre Jr. Bronson snuck up behind him and attacked to start the match, and they brawled on the floor, and back in the ring, with the bigger Bronson in charge. Clancy hit a head-scissors takedown at 5:00 and an enzuigiri. Bronson hit a buttsplash on Clancy’s chest. Clancy jumped on Bronson’s back and applied a sleeper; Bronson ran backward into the corner, squishing the ref in the process. Bronson immediately hit a low blow kick to score the cheap pin. Decent brawl.
8. Ichiban and Alec Price defeated “The Mane “Event” Jay Lyon and Midas Black at 12:50. Price has the non-stop chaotic schedule; the Boston native is a beloved babyface here. Ichiban is joining the MLW roster and he wore a blue mask tonight. Lyon and Ichiban started. Ichiban and Price hit punches on their opponents in the corner, then double dropkicks on Black. Ichiban hit a top-rope crossbody block on both at 4:30. TME began working over Ichiban, with Black hitting a DDT for a nearfall at 6:00.
Midas went for a frogsplash but Ichiban got his knees up. Ichiban nailed a double Flatliner. Price, who had been knoced to the floor, got up and made the hot tag at 8:00. He was wearing a mask now too! He hit a double Lionsault Press, then a dive over the top rope onto both TME. In the ring, Price hit a Swanton Bomb on Midas for a nearfall. Suddenly, some music played! The heel Stetson Ranch hit the ring and argued with Price, and they got in the ring. It appeared it was going to be 4-on-1, but TME instead hit superkicks on the Stetson Ranch! Lyon dove through the ropes onto Stetson Ranch at 10:30; the bell hasn’t sounded. Stetson Ranch vanished to the back.
“Where do we go from here?” a commentator asked. The two teams shook hands but traded punches and the match resumed. Black hit an X-Factor for a nearfall, but Ichiban made the save. Ichiban hit a Canadia Destroyer on Lyon. Price hit his running knee in the corner on Midas. Ichiban hit his Flatliner, and Price immediately hit his step-up mule kick to pin Black. “That was a helluva match, and what a turn of events,” the commentator said.
* Price got on the mic and said they each have their own business to handle, and he left. Ichiban got on the mic and called out Ray Jaz, his next challenger for the IWTV Title. Jaz climbed in the ring, stood nose-to-nose with Ichiban. He is billed as being 49-0 and the commentator said that is a legit record. Jaz vowed he was going to win the title. Good way to close out the show.
Final Thoughts: The main event was definitely best match, and I liked Mortar/Milonas for second place. Even with the draw, the six-man tag earns third best. The biggest thing missing was a really good women’s match, as Wrestling Open usually has one or two. All Wrestling Open shows can be found on IWTV.
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