By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, Impact Wrestling, MLW, ROH, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
Violence X Suffering “Awful Things”
Replay available via YouTube.com
September 22, 2022 in Baldwin Park, California at the American Legion
This show was just released this week, for free, on YouTube.com. Even though this show is nearly a year old, when I saw the lineup, I had to tune in!
I’ve seen this room before and I actually hate it. There is a mirror on the wall opposite the hard camera, which is really distracting from the action in the ring (they wisely use the two ringside cameras to show most of the matches). Jordan Castle and “Horse Head” provided live commentary. Castle is in his early 20s and has infectious enthusiasm. The crowd was perhaps 100-150, with everyone standing.
1. Arez defeated Starboy Charlie at 11:33. I’m a big fan of both these guys. Charlie replaced Nick Wayne, who was injured at the time (keep in mind this happened last September!) Arez hit a series of kicks and a swinging Lungblower at 2:30. Charlie did a Castagnoli-style Giant Swing but he was dizzy too, and he collapsed onto Arez’ groin and got a nearfall at 4:30. The commentators speculated if he intentionally landed where he did. Charlie nailed a dive through the ropes onto Arez.
In the ring, Arez hit a brainbuster for a nearfall and he took control. He hit a slingshot DDT for a nearfall at 8:00. Charlie fired back with a shotgun dropkick and a second-rope corkscrew press. Arez hit a lungblower to the back. Charlie hit a tombstone piledriver for a believable nearfall at 10:00. Charlie hit an enzuigiri. Arez hit another brainbuster for a believable nearfall. Charlie tied up Arez in the ropes, then he hit a top-rope crossbody block. However, Arez hit a Northern Lights Suplex with a bridge for the pin. That was a really good opener.
2. Kevin Blackwood defeated Gabriel Skye at 12:05. Blackwood got on the mic and said he moved cross-country to make Los Angeles his new home. (Funny because he literally just moved back to Buffalo.) Skye is a mystery opponent; he’s a top talent from the Northeast indies. “He’s not a West Coast native, what is he doing here?” Castle said. Quick mat reversals to open. Skye hit a dive through the ropes. In the ring, Skye hit a top-rope flying clothesline for a nearfall at 1:30. Blackwood hit a doublestomp for a nearfall and a stiff kick to the spine; Skye hit his own kicks to the spine.
Blackwood hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. Skye hit a slam for a nearfall. Blackwood hit a series of forearms. Skye hit a hard knee to the chin at 8:00. Blackwood applied a Texas Cloverleaf and sat down on the lower back, but Skye reached the ropes. Blackwood nailed a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 10:00. (There is an onscreen close which is off by 25 seconds. Strange.) Blackwood missed a Helluva Kick and Skye hit a Tiger Suplex for a believable nearfall. Blackwood hit a spear on the injured leg, a top-rope doublestomp onto the leg, and he re-applied a Texas Cloverleaf. He dragged Skye to the center of the ring and put his knee across Skye’s neck, and Gabriel tapped out. A really good match betweent two up-and-comers.
3. B-Boy defeated Santana Jackson at 10:25. B-Boy has westled on the West Coast for 20 years. Santana is the parody Michael Jackson character; he does Moonwalks and dances like Michael. Not sure why anyone would want to parody a widely-known (albeit-never-convicted) pedophile. Dancing and antics from Santana, and he hit a top-rope huracanrana at 2:30. B-Boy hit some hard chops. The lights went out at 7:30! The commentators wondered if there was a power outage. But of course, when the lights came back on, Santana was nowhere to be seen. He re-emerged from under the ring, wearing the red jacket and a wolf head. (Every Santana match is cookie-cutter identical; you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.) He did some dancing and an elbow drop on B-Boy for a nearfall. B-Boy nailed a brainbuster for the pin.
4. Eli Everfly and Delilah defeated “Wasted Youth” Marcus Mathers and Dyln McKay at 14:45. WY are more top East Coast talent here in California. Eli has a green tongue and he’s a high-flyer; I’ve seen him on a handful of GCW and some other West Coast shows, and I don’t think I’ve seen Delilah before. Everfly and Delilah have what can only be described as “Easter egg pastel colors” for ring gear. Mathers and Everfly started. McKay and Delilah entered and locked up at 4:00; she’s of average size and height and much smaller than he is. She hit a stunner and tied him up on the mat. Everfly hit an enzuigiri on Mathers. McKay hit a missile dropkick on Everfly at 7:00. McKay hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall on Eli.
Delilah made a hot tag and she hit a Michinoku Driver on Mathers for a nearfall at 9:30. She hit a Gory Bomb on Mathers for a nearfall. Mathers hit a lungblower and McKay hit a Lionsault on Delilah for a nearfall. WV hit stereo twisting suplexes for a nearfall at 13:30. McKay nailed a dive to the floor on Delilah! However, Delilah hit a top-rope Canadian Destroyer to pin Mathers. So-so match; I’m not a fan of her getting in so much non-realistic offense.
5. Jimmy Lloyd defeated Jacob Fatu at 9:16. Lloyd is another East Coast wrestler and he opened with some forearms that Fatu no-sold. Fatu hit a dive through the ropes onto Lloyd and they brawled toward the walls, away from the ring. In the ring, Lloyd hit a huracanrana at 3:30. Fatu hit a senton splash. Lloyd hit a Canadian Destroyer, then a dive through the ropes onto Fatu at 6:30. In the ring, Fatu hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Lloyd hit a Death Valley Driver onto an open chair for a nearfall. Fatu fired back with a Samoan Drop, but he missed a double-jump moonsault and crashed to the mat. Lloyd immediately hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 8:30. Lloyd hit Kenny Omega’s One-Winged Angel slam off the shoulders for the pin! That was an unexpected finish!
6. Brian Cage defeated Jordan Oliver at 18:30. Oliver, rightfully dubbed “The East Coast Ace,” has a good physique but just looks tiny compared to the massive Cage. Quick reversals and a standoff. Oliver hit a series of quick kicks and a missile dropkick at 2:30. Oliver dove through the ropes onto Cage, then he hit a plancha. In the ring, Cage hit a powerbomb for a nearfall, and he grounded Oliver, and a hard clothesline in the corner at 6:30. Oliver hit his face-first Blackout slam from the corner for a nearfall. They traded rollups and Oliver got a vicious Russian Legsweep for a nearfall.
Cage hit a pair of release German suplexes for a nearfall at 9:30. Cage slammed Oliver face-first and got a nearfall. Oliver hit a running double kneestrike and a backbreaker over his knees. He applied a Boston Crab and sat down for pressure, but Cage reached the ropes at 11:30. They fought on the ring apron and each hit a superkick. In the ring, Cage nailed a second-rope superplex for a nearfall. Oliver hit a Tiger Suplex and an Acid Kick and he was fired up. He hit a piledriver for a nearfall at 14:00.
Cage hit a twisting sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall, and they were both down. Oliver caught him with a stunner; he went for a cover but Cage was in the ropes. Oliver was livid and grabbed the ref’s shirt. Oliver charged at Cage, but Cage caught him and hit a powerbomb, then an F5 slam, then a roaring clothesline for a believable nearfall at 17:00. He went for the Drill Claw but Oliver escaped and got a rollup. Oliver hit a Clout Cutter off the ropes for a believable nearfall. Cage nailed the Drill Claw sit-out pilledriver for the clean pin. That was tremendous. “An absolute war tonight between these two athletes,” Castle said.
7. JTG defeated Matthew Justice in a no-DQ match at 15:23. Justice walked over to a bar and drank a beer before his match. Funny. If you haven’t seen JTG since he left WWE, he has grown out his dreadlocks and beard, and he is in fantastic shape. They stood close, leaned forward and touched foreheads, and immediately began throwing forearm shots. JTG hit a swinging suplex for a nearfall at 1:30, and he clotheslined Justice to the floor. They fought to the floor, where Justice hit JTG with chairs. They kept brawling around the floor, using beer bottles and trash cans. That said, no one is bleeding and this doesn’t feel terribly ‘violent,’ all things considered.
They finally got back in the ring, with Justice hitting JTG across the back with the chair at 9:00. Justice slammed JTG onto a pile of folded chairs. He hit a Death Valley Driver onto an open chair at 14:00, then a doublestomp onto a chair lying on JTG. The lights went out (again! Twice in one show?) Rob Shit drove a motorcycle into the building and he hit Justice with a barbed-wire bat. JTG immediately hit Justice with a running Razor’s Edge for the pin. Decent brawl, and again, no one bled.
* In a nice post-show view, we head outside, where Jordan Oliver was seated on the curb. JTG sat down next to him and told Oliver he’s the future of wrestling. Oliver somehow got angry at JTG’s kind words and told him “to stay the f**k out of his business.” They stood nose to nose as the show came to a close.
Final Thoughts: Three standout matches here, with Oliver-Cage the clear best match of the show, and the reason I tuned in. A really strong opener from Arez-Starboy Charlie earns second-best, just ahead of Blackwood-Skye. All three are quite worthy checking out.
I can do without the intergender action, as I just can’t pretend Delilah could hold her own in that match. And, your enjoyment of the Santana Jackson match is largely dependent on if you’ve seen the schtick before, and if you like Michael Jackson. If you are revolted at the thought of Michael like I am, you won’t enjoy this much.
A reminder this show is free on youtube and it’s worth your time to check it out, particularly if you aren’t familiar with these top indy talents.
Be the first to comment