By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Black Label Pro Wrestling “Turbo Graps 24” night two
Replay available via FITE.TV
September 23, 2023 in Berwyn, Illinois at Berwyn Eagles Club
This venue has been the traditional home of AAW and Shimmer women’s wrestling. There are two separate events; one at noon CST and another at 4:30 p.m. This is a review of the second show, with the second-round matches and the finale. Unfortunately, the crowd is only perhaps 100. Percy Davis and Dustin Alberty provided commentary.
* Calvin Tankman is injured and missed the show. Also, both Joshua Bishop and Camaro Jackson lost in their first-round matches earlier in the day, so I think the odds-on-favorites are out of the tournament. The first show featured 12 first-round matches, but we had a double-count between Puf and Shazza McKenzie and were both eliminated, so only 11 have advanced. As the show begins, I have no idea the format for the rest of the tournament. The ring announcer described these as ‘quarterfinal matches,’ so I guess someone will have to win at least three more matches!
1. Kevin Ku defeated Eli Isom and Tom Lawlor in a second-round match at 8:13. Ku and Lawlor were affiliated in MLW not that long ago. They traded offense in a three-way knucklelock. They did some silliness with line dancing. They traded rollup attempts. I’ll be blunt; this is more silliness than I like; if they don’t take this tournament seriously, why should we? Ku suddenly rolled up both men for a simultaneous pin. Um… just not what I was expecting.
2. Rico Gonzalez defeated Isaiah Moore and Xia Brookside in a second-round match at 5:04. Gonzalez pulled off a shocker by beating Camaro Jackson in the first round. Xia is 5’3″ and 110 pounds; these guys aren’t exactly big but they tower over her. Xia got a Crucifix Driver for a nearfall in the first minute. She dove through the ropes onto Moore, with them landing on the fans. In the ring, she hit a second-rope crossbody block for a nearfall on Moore at 1:30. Rico hit a Lionsault for a nearfall on Moore. She hit a flying double knees into Rico’s back. Xia hit a neckbreaker and got a nearfall on Rico at 4:00. Moore went for a dive through the ropes but Rico hit a stomp on his head. Rico then hit a doublestomp on Moore’s chest for the pin. Okay match.
3. Myung-jae Lee defeated Matt Brannigan and Trevor Outlaw in a second-round match at 5:24. Brannigan looks just like WCW-era Lenny Lane. Lee is the South Korea native and I’m really impressed with him. Outlaw is Josh Woods-meets-Marty Scurll. They all traded punches at the bell, and Lee hit a Cameron Grimes-style Cave-in stomp on both of them at 1:00. Brannigan slammed Lee’s face into Outlaw’s groin at 2:30. Brannigan kept hitting blows on Outlaw’s butt, and this is more silliness, like the first match. Outlaw hit double low blow uppercuts and got nearfalls. Outlaw swung a chair and it ricocheted off the top rope onto his head for more silliness. Lee and Brannigan hit a team brainbuster on Outlaw. Lee immediately got an inside cradle to pin Brannigan!
4. Cole Radrick defeated Brogan Finlay in a second-round tournament match at 4:54. Again, this match isn’t a three-way because of the double count-out in the first round. Radrick is the dork who is inexplicably the champion here, and the belt is on the line throughout the tournament. Finlay attacked before the bell. He did his dad’s move of pulling back the ring curtain and trapping Radrick in it, then hitting some repeated punches. Finlay hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Radrick nailed the springboard stunner for the pin. Okay match.
* The ring announcer said this is BLP’s sixth anniversary, which got a nice applause. She said we’re headed to non-tournament action.
5. Dominic Garrini defeated August Matthews (w/Davey Bang) at 6:38. Garrini lost his first-round match to teammate Kevin Ku, while Matthews wasn’t in the tournament. Garrini has a significant weight advantage. I think this is the first time I’ve seen August have a singles match; he’s always teaming with Bang. Standing switches to open. August hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 2:30, then some Yes Kicks to the chest. Garrini hit a German Suplex, a bodyslam and a senton for a nearfall. They traded forearm shots. August hit a basement dropkick, then a cannonball in the corner for a nearfall at 5:00. Dom set up for a Muscle Buster, but August escaped. August hit an enzuigiri, then a Sliced Bread, for a nearfall. The commentators reiterated that August is fresh, while Dom had a match earlier. Dom nailed a head-capture suplex, then a devastating clothesline for the pin. That was best match so far.
6. Levi Everett defeated Dex Royal at 8:52. Levi is the Amish in his bib overalls and he has his butter churner, but he’s now a heel here. Dex is a thin Black high-flyer and he’s the babyface; I saw him for the first time last week in an AIW tournament. Levi attacked Royal as Dex entered the ring. Dex hit a missile dropkick. They brawled to the floor. In the ring, Levi kept choking Dex in the ropes and he barked at the referee. Royal hit a brainbuster out of nowhere for a nearfall at 5:30. Levi hit a headbutt. Royal hit an enzuigiri. He came off the ropes but Levi speared him. Levi hit a springboard crossbody block, then a twisting frogsplash for a nearfall at 7:30. Levi hit a Saito Suplex, then a running, diving headbutt. Levi hit a top-rope diving headbutt for the pin. He was again booed after the bell. Okay action.
7. “Twist and Flip” Darren Fly and Nate Kobain defeated “Highlight Reel” Damion and Damon Reel at 5:33. My first time seeing Highight Reel; if they aren’t identical twins, they are pretty close. They are Black men with long dreadlocks. I’ve seen Twist and Flip before; they are really scrawny white kids. HR worked over Fly early on. Fly hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press for the pin. Harmless.
8. Kevin Ku defeated Myung-jae Lee in a semi-final match at 3:37. They immediately traded forearm shots. Ku hit a dropkick into the corner at 2:00. Lee hit a top-rope doublestomp on Ku’s back. Ku hit a fisherman’s buster for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. Ku hit a Gotch-style piledriver for the pin. Ku stormed to the back. I think the referee was supposed to count to three after that fisherman’s buster.
9. Cole Radrick defeated Rico Gonzalez in a semi-final match at 1:53. A few fans chanted “new champ!” Rico charged at him and hit a shotgun dropkick at the bell. Radrick hit a springboard stunner for a believable nearfall just seconds into the match! Rico hit a running stomp for a believable nearfall. “Rico Gonzalez came to play!” a commentator said. Radrick hit a forearm to the back of the head for a nearfall. Rico made a lazy cover; Radrick hooked both arms, flipped him over, and scored the pin. Don’t blink or you’l miss it. I thought Radrick was losing by DQ here, as a means of retaining his title.
10. “Latinos Most Wanted” Sabin Gauge and Koda Hernandez defeated “Naturday Saints” Adam Slade and Bradley Prescott IV at 7:31. The Saints are party boys; Slade is dressed in a pink baseball jersey, and they drank beers before the bell. I’ve seen both of these teams before; Koda is ‘one to watch’ from the Chicago area. Koda and Bradley opened and they traded deep armdrags, with Bradley hitting a dropkick. Slade entered and faced Sabin. The Saints hit some moves while also holding their beer cans, and this is some silliness. Koda dropped Slade throat-first on the top rope at 3:00, then he hit a snap suplex for a nearfall. Slade fell head-first onto Koda’s groin.
Prescott made the hot tag and he hit a German Suplex on Sabin for a nearfall. Slade got on Prescott’s shoulders and he hit a double chokeslam, then a splash for a nearfall at 6:30. Sabin dove through the ropes onto Slade. In the ring, Koda hit a stunner on Prescott. Sabin immediately hit a Swanton Bomb for the pin!
11. Kevin Ku defeated Cole Radrick to win the Turbo Graps tournament AND the Black Label Pro title at 7:54. A three-foot-tall trophy was brought into the ring. They shook hands and opened with standing switches. Ku has a size advantage, and he kept a headlock on. Ku slammed him back-first on the ring apron at 4:30. Ku shoved Radrick into the rows of empty chairs, as the commentators stressed this is the fourth match for each man today and they are exhausted. In the ring, Cole hit a clothesline to the back of the neck for a nearfall. Ku hit a superkick for a nearfall at 7:00 as the speed has picked up. Ku got a backslide for a nearfall, then a fisherman’s buster for the pin! New champion, and Turbo Graps winner, Kevin Ku!
* Ku got on the mic and thanked the fans for coming.
Final Thoughts: The biggest problem Black Label Pro has is they just don’t draw well; I don’t know how they can break even with this many wrestlers on a show. I just don’t see ‘it’ in Cole Radrick; I never understood having him as the champion. Fans clearly aren’t paying to see this guy wrestle. (There are places for comedy wrestlers on a card, but not as champion. You don’t make Akira Tozawa champion, nor should you make Radrick a champion.) So, hopefully moving the title to Kevin Ku will give Black Label Pro a fresh start. He looks the part of the champion, and he always delivers good matches.
I love tournaments. Anyone who asks me my favorite live events I’ve ever attended, I immediately bring up the 2004-05-06 IWA-Mid South “Ted Petty Invitationals.” Those had great matches in each round of the tournament. Here, we had two quite forgettable semifinal matches that combined were under six minutes. The noon show, with 12 first-round matches, was decent action but marred by the small crowd. I would say this second show, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, was a substandard show. Nothing stood out and was quite light on top indy Midwest names. Ku vs. Myung-jae Lee could have been a barnburner, but here, they got fewer than four minutes. Ku-Isom-Lawlor also could have been a show stealer, but instead they went the comedy route with nonstop rollups and little action. But like I said, I’ll end by focusing on the positive that a new champ will hopefully give a fresh new start.
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