By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 87”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
August 31, 2023 in Worcester, Massachusetts at White Eagle
I’ve said this before — I love that this feels like a weekly party. They consistently draw in the 200 range, with most fans standing at ringside. There is also a seemingly never-ending stream of wrestlers showing up from week-to-week.
1. Channing Thomas (w/Sidney Bakabella) defeated Bobby Orlando in a No. 1 contender’s match at 12:04. Channing just won an eight-man tournament last week in Limitless Wrestling, so this sleazy Bobby Roode-meets-Joey Ryan heel is hot right now. Orlando is the dork with his stuffed goat; I always compare him to Colt Cabana for his juvenile antics. These two went to a double pin two weeks ago, so this is a rematch with no time limits. Orlando knocked Channing down, and Channing stalled on the floor to regroup. In the ring, Orlando hit a leaping elbowdrop for a nearfall at 3:00.
Thomas went for a Boston Crab but Orlando fought free. Thomas hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfafll at 7:30. Orlando hit a dive through the ropes; in the ring, he hit an Athena-style leaping stunner for a believable nearfall at 10:30. Channing applied the Boston Crab and he dragged Orlando to the center of the ring, but Orlando fought free. Channing nailed a jumping piledriver for the pin. Good opener and the right man won.
2. Gabby Forza defeated Tina San Antonio at 5:59. I don’t think I’ve seen either before. Tina is a ring veteran reminding me of Medusa and she has several tattoos on her arms. Gabba is younger, dressed in white and green with multiple tattoos on her body, and she’s a bit thicker and she’s the babyface. Gabby hit a bodyslam early in the match. Tina wrapped Gabby’s left leg in the ropes and kicked at it.
Gabby got Tina up on her shoulders, but Tina fought free. Tina hit a Rollins-style Stomp to the head. Gabby hit an impressive fallaway slam for a believable nearfall at 5:30. Gabby charged at Tina but her knee buckled. Gabby got an inside cradle for the pin. Acceptable match. Gabby seems to have some power. Tina shook her hand, but then hit a short-arm clothesline to get some heat back.
* A video package aired showing Brother Greatness turning on the “Even Stevens” dorks and instead aligning himself with some cool heels.
3. “Church of Greatness” Tyree Taylor, Lucas Chase, and Sammy Diaz Jr. (w/Brother Greatness) defeated Bobby Buffet, Landon Hale, and Wildhound Johnny Rivera at 7:11. Buffet was one of the stars of the Apple+ docu-series on the Monster Factory wrestling school; he’s a chubby Black man. Tyree is a big Black man and he wore a Hercules-style chain around his neck. I have previously compared Diaz to Trey Miguel. I haven’t seen Wildhound before; he’s a Black man with short dreadlocks. Diaz and Hale started. Lucas Chase (think Angelo Dawkins) entered and battled Hale. Bobby entered the ring, chewing on a piece of pizza, hit a running Stinger Splash in the corner at 1:30. He hit a back body drop while still eating the pizza. I can’t help but think of Orange Cassidy doing moves with his hands in his pockets. The heels went to the floor to regroup.
The heels got back in the ring and jumped Buffet and beat hm down in their corner. Wildhound tagged in but the heels hit a team powerbomb on him at 5:30, and they grounded Wildhound in their corner. Rivera hit a clothesline but couldn’t make the hot tag. The heels hit a team powerbomb (think the Shield’s finisher) for the pin. Exactly what it should be to establish this new heel faction.
* The ring announcer read a statement from Ray Jaz, who is “suspended” for an attack. The crowd loudly booed, mostly drowning out what the announcer said. A really good way to keep Jaz in the show without him being there.
4. Joe Ocasio defeated James Stone at 3:40. Stone is Canadian, bald, with a short goatee, looking a bit like Jon Moxley, and this is his Wrestling Open debut. Ocasio is the muscular powerhouse with short black hair. Stone dove onto Ocasio to start the match. Stone hit a uranage for a nearfall at 3:00, but he missed a moonsault. Ocasio hit a flying headbutt. Ocasio then hit a violent bodyslam for the pin.
5. Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes defeated RJ Rude and Rex Lawless at 8:09. Lawless reminds me of Jaxon Ryker and Rude reminds me of a young Chuck Taylor. I describe Baylor as the jerk from every 1980s teen movie, with his big, feathered hair. Smokes is similar to Sammy Guevera. Baylor had Smokes ‘fix his hair’ before the bell. The commentator said Baylor is about to turn 19, and said Baylor is “years ahead” of other wrestlers. Smokes hit a top-rope superplex on RJ at 3:30 and the heels began working them over. Lawless finally made the hot tag at 6:30 and he beat up both heels. He put one on his back and another in his arms and hit a Samoan Drop & fallaway slam combo. Nice. Lawless hit rolling cannonballs on each opponent and got a nearfall. Smokes hit the Cameron Grimes-style Cave-in stomp to Lawless’ chest for the pin out of nowhere.
* We had a nice video of the ‘wedding’ earlier this month…
6. Love, Doug defeated Hammer Tunis at 6:04. This is Doug’s first appearance back since he was punched in the groin and left at the altar by his fiance, Little Mean Kathleen. (Gotta love wrestling storylines, right?) I don’t think I’ve seen Tunis before; he has a passing resemblance to Joey Janela. Doug got on the mic and talked about the loss of being left at the altar. The commentator said Doug is “disheveled.” Tunis attacked before the bell. Doug hit a flying forearm. Tunis hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. Doug hit a clothesline and a dropkick. Doug hit a back suplex and a flying forearm, then a running bulldog. Doug hit a Sliced Bread, then a rebound clothesline for the pin. Adequate.
* Doug got on the mic and said “nothing matters. Love isn’t real. The only thing is the pain I feel.” He decided to call out Joe Ocasio for a match. The crowd clearly thought that was a bad idea. He called Ocasio a “big dummy.” Ocasio came to the ring. Doug slapped Ocasio; Joe responded with a spinebuster.
7. “Fresh Air” Macrae Martin and Junior Benito defeated “Stetson Ranch” Brett Ryan Gosselin and Danny Miles (w/Steven Stetson) at 7:09. Fresh Air are the Canadian duo who wear blue jumpsuits and come to the ring to “Jump Around!” Benito, a slender Black man, is quite talented. BRG reminds me of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and he’s a jerk. Macrae started with the shorter Miles. Junior entered and hit a Stinger Splash. Macrae hit a sideslam. BRG hit a dropkick as Macrae was tied in the ropes at 2:30, and the heels began working over Martin in their corner.
Macrae finally hit an enzuigiri and made the hot tag to Benito, with Junior hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Miles hit a pop-up lungblower on Benito at 6:00. Benito hit a flip dive to the floor on Miles, earning a “holy shit!” chant. Macrae got a backslide out of nowhere to pin BRG. Good match.
8. TJ Crawford and Brad Hollister defeated Alec Price and Ichiban to win a quarterfinal tag tournament match at 13:43. This tournament is taking forever to unfold, but this match is the reason I tuned in. Hollister is Taz-meets-Brian Cage; he’s a short powerhouse. Crawford is the silver-haired mat technician. Ichiban is the rising masked star who recently signed with MLW. Ichiban and TJ opened and they traded quick armdrags. Ichiban got a huracanrana and a rollup for a nearfall. Price entered and hit a springboard crossbody block on Hollister at 2:00. Price slammed teammate Ichiban on TJ. The heels began working over Ichiban. Hollister hit a snap suplex for a nearfall. Price made the hot tag at 4:30 and he hit a half-nelson suplex on TJ. Price hit a tornado DDT on Hollister.
Steven Stetson, who has been feuding with Price for months, stood up from the commentary table and distracted Price. This allowed the heels to begin a beatdown on Alec. Hollister hit a German Suplex. Price hit an enzuigiri at 8:00 on TJ. Ichiban made the hot tag and he hit some flying forearms, then a top-rope missile dropkick on Hollister. Hollister went for a move but Ichiban hit a stunner. Hollister hit a huge hip-toss that sent Ichiban across the ring. Price nailed a Double Blockbuster. Price and Ichiban hit a team powerbomb at 10:00. TJ hit a sideslam on Ichiban for a nearfall.
Hollister hit a powerbomb move for a nearfall, but Price made the save, and everyone was down at 11:30, and this crowd is hot. They all got up and brawled. Price and Ichiban each hit a series of punches in the corner; they traded opponents and hit running kneestrikes. Price hit a second-rope flying kneedrop, then he hit a dive to the floor on Hollister. However, Stetson approached him and they argued. A masked man appeared at ringside to distract Ichiban; the mystery man removed his mask and it was Channing Thomas! The distraction allowed TJ Crawford to hit a spin kick on Ichiban for the pin. Price tried to dive into the ring for the save, but Hollister stopped him.
* Steven Stetson ran into the ring and attacked Price, but Alec fought him off. Alec challenged Stetson to a no holds barred, anything goes, match next week, with Price’s IWTV title on the line.
Final Thoughts: An excellent main event with four top young performers showing off what they can do; if you only watch one match from this show, it’s the main event. The show opening Thomas-Orlando match takes second place, just head of Fresh Air vs. Stetson Ranch. These shows are similar to an WWE TV program… they advance storylines from week to week, moving along Ichiban’s new challenger Channing, continuing the feud between Price and Stetson, and keeping sad Love Doug as a fun focus of the undercard. I like how we’ve quickly established several new heel factions, from the revised Church of Greatness to the young duo of Baylor and Smokes.
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