By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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ETU “Nostalgia, Ultra”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
September 23, 2023 in Williamstown, N.J. at H2O Wrestling Center
I find that title rather ironic as this show features some of the best indy wrestlers under age 30, not just in the Northeast, but several of the stellar North Carolina guys made the trek to be on this show. Jack Solomon and Righteous Jesse provided commentary; they noted a few times that wrestlers had matches elsewhere later in the evening, as this was an afternoon show.
I’ve seen shows from this H2O wrestling training center before. Unfortunately, the crowd is 75-150 as the show began — there are too many good wrestlers on this show to have such a sparse crowd, so I’m disappointed for them. Colby Corino came to the ring to open, and he got on the mic. He said winning the NWA Junior-Heavyweight Title was confirmation to him that he’s good, and it means the world to me. Good babyface promo. He made an open challenge! Out came Lucky Ali, who said Colby hasn’t beaten him yet.
1. Colby Corino defeated Lucky Ali (w/BK Westbrook) to retain the NWA Junior-Heavyweight Title at 11:25. Ali is one of several top indy wrestlers I’ve seen from N.C.-based Deadlock Pro Wrestling who are on this show, and he’s a bit JTG or R-Truth in looks. Intense lockups to open and lots of mat reversals early on. Ali hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 6:00. Colby applied a Figure Four; Ali escaped but was limping. Corino hit a top-rope bulldog for a nearfall. Corino flipped Ali in the air and hit a Lungblower over his knees at 10:00. BK went to interfere and grabbed at Corino’s ankle, so Corino dove onto both of them. Corino hit a DDT for the pin. Good opener.
* BK Westbrook got on the mic and was immediately booed. BK is one of the N.C.-area guys who has Adam Cole-heelish demeanor. He berated the no-good in-bred people of New Jersey. He said he was here to kick the butt of someone from the Northeast. So, we have another open challenge, and it’s answered by Dezmond Cole. “What the hell is in the water in North Carolina that all these guys come out so angry?” a commentator said. Funny. This is BK’s debut in EtU.
2. Dezmond Cole defeated BK Westbrook at 11:39. Dezmond is the Ricochet clone I’ve been seeing a lot of in the Thursday Wrestling Open shows. They opened with standing switches and they picked up the speed until a standoff at 2:00. Dezmond hit a huracanrana and a dropkick. They brawled to the floor, where Dezmond hit chops in front of the fans. BK hit an F5 across the top rope. He grabbed the mic and demanded the ref count Cole out. BK hit a springboard back elbow at 5:00, while still holding onto the mic, and he trashed Cole some more. BK hit a dropkick into the corner. BK hit a stiff kick to the spine at 6:30.
BK hit a springboard moonsault, from outside the ring into it, for a nearfall. Dezmond hit a high back suplex at 8:30, then his rolling legdrop for a nearfall. Cole trapped BK’s head in the corner and hit a kick, then a German Suplex, then a superkick for a believable nearfall. Dezmond hit a Pele Kick and a suplex at 11:00 and he was fired up. He hit a rolling kick into the corner, then a top-rope Swanton Bomb for the clean pin. That was really, really good.
3. Brittnie Brooks defeated Shannon LeVangie and Zayda Steel in a three-way at 7:04. Shannon always reminds me of a smaller, less muscular Rachael Ellering, with her long, straight black hair. Brittnie is the Barbie doll in pink, while Zayda is the Barbie doll in blue; I saw those two recently competing in Chicago, so they are making the circuit. The commentators said this is all of their EtU debuts. Shannon hit a Helluva Kick on Brittnie at 2:30. Shannon hit a dive through the ropes to the floor on Brittnie. Zayda teased a dive, but she stepped through the ropes and slapped her opponents in the face. Nice. Shannon hit a Mafia Kick on Zayda.
Back in the ring, they did a tower spot with Shannon on top, and they were all down at 5:30. Shannon hit a Trash Compactor piledriver along her back for a nearfall. Zayda hit an Unprettier faceplant on Shannon, but Brittnie shoved Zayda to the floor and stole the pin on Shannon. Solid action.
4. “Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King defeated “Fresh Air” Junior Benito and Macrae Martin to retain the IWTV Tag Team titles at 19:13. A commentator said this is the match he was looking forward to. Fresh Air just had some really good singles matches last weekend in Ottawa for C*4 Wrestling. The ring announcer said this is MG’s 15th title defense! Macrae and Waller opened and they shook hands. Waller hit a Pounce on Macrae at 3:30. King and Benito entered and they traded quick reversals. Benito hit a slingshot senton. Macrae hit a LOUD chop on Kylon at 5:30, earning a “one more time!” chant, so he obliged the crowd.
Waller put Benito on his shoulders and spun him several times. Kylon hit a spinebuster on Benito at 8:30, then a senton, then a uranage for a nearfall. Benito hit a double Sliced Bread, and he made the hot tag to Macrae at 11:30. Martin hit a double missile dropkick, then a double Northern Lights Suplex. Macrae hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall on Waller. Macrae accidentally speared Benito! MG hit some superkicks and a front-and-back kneestrike on Benito. Martin hit a second-rope twisting suplex. Fresh Air hit a team stunner on Waller, but Kylon made the save. Kylon hit a brainbuster on Macrae.
Benito hit a Blue Thunder Bomb. Waller hit a handspring-back-stunner. Macrae hit a rebound spin kick, and everyone was down at 16:00. This has been insanely good. Macrae hit a Canadian Destroyer. Benito hit a flip dive over a turnbuckle onto his opponents, but he crashed hard on the landing. Yikes. In the ring, Benito hit a frogsplash for a believable nearfall at 18:00, and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Kylon hit a Poison Rana on Macrae. Martin leapt off the ropes but Kylon caught him with a stunner. Kylon hit a top-rope superplex, and Waller immediately hit the Mamba Splash frogsplash to pin Benito. That was tremendous. The commentators agreed it was one of the toughest title defenses of MG’s reign.
* Waller told the crowd that Fresh Air came from Canada to fight them. They all hugged.
* The next match is the “Openweight Eight,” and it’s a gauntlet. The winner is No. 1 contender for an EtU title. I don’t think the crowd or the announcers know who is in this match. Based on what the commentators said, most of these guys are debuting here.
5a. Bojack defeated Jordan Saint in a gauntlet match at 2:00 even. My first time seeing Saint; he is a thin Black man with some curly blond or white hair; he’s a debut here, too. The commentators said he’s a Long Island guy. Bojack is the 350+pounder Black man from North Carolina and I’m a big fan. Bojack hit a Pounce that sent Saint flying. He hit a hiptoss that sent Saint across the ring. Saint came off the ropes but Bojack nailed a hard clothesline. Bojack then nailed another decapitating clothesline for the pin. Fun while it lasted; I love a good squash.
5b Bojack defeated Andy Brown in a gauntlet match at 5:24. Brown is the thick, bald, Black man, but he too is much smaller than Bojack. They immediately traded forearm shots. They brawled to the floor, and Brown hit a running kick to the face. He rolled Bojack in the ring but only got a one-count. Bojack nailed a backbreaker over his knee. Brown hit some chops that had little effect. Bojack hit a running Stinger Spalsh, a bodyslam, and a massive senton for a nearfall at 3:30. Brown hit some kicks and a headbutt, then a kneestrike to the jaw, and Bojack actually fell to one knee. Brown hit a stunner, then a second-rope stunner for a nearfall. Bojack hit a pop-up forearm strike, then another decapitating clothesline for the pin!
5c Landon Hale defeated Bojack in a gauntlet match at 6:27. I’ve seen Hale a few times in Wrestling Open out of Massachusetts; he has a passing resemblance to Matt Taven and even wears a similar jacket. Hale hit a couple of dropkicks and a headscissors takedown. Hale dove through the ropes but Bojack caught him, slammed Hale into the ring apron, then through him into rows of empty chairs! In the ring, Bojack nailed a spinebuster for a nearfall at 2:30. Hale hit a missile dropkick and they were both down, with Hale clutching at his sore back. Hale hit a handspring-back-stunner for a nearfall at 5:00. Bojack hit a uranage and a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Bojack missed a top-rope splash, and Hale immediately rolled him up for the pin out of nowhere.
5d Landon Hale defeated Malcolm Monroe III in a gauntlet match at 5:45. MM3 is from Detroit and I believe I’ve seen him on a GCW show there; he looks a bit like Kofi Kingston. He applied a cross-armbreaker early on, then a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall at 1:30. He hit some Yes Kicks for a nearfall. He missed a top-rope doublestomp. Hale hit a 619, then a top-rope flying elbow to the back of the head for a nearfall at 4:00. Monroe hit a neckbreaker over his knee for a believable nearfall. Hale hit a stunner and he threw Monroe head-first into the second turnbuckle. He set up for a One-Winged Angel, but he turned it into a Death Valley Driver for the pin.
5e Landon Hale defeated Tommy Vendetta (w/Malcolm Monroe III) in a gauntlet match at 6:49. Vendetta has a short, thick black beard and he’s generally a death match wrestler. He looks a lot like Trent Baretta does today. They immediately traded forearm shots and Vendetta hit a spin kick to the head for a nearfall. The commentators talked about how he can wrestle, not just do death matches. Vendetta hit a Hardy-style Side Effect slam for a nearfall at 3:30. He applied a sleeper but Hale powered to his feet. Hale dove through the ropes onto Vendetta. Hale hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a believable nearfall at 5:30;; that one looked awkward. MM3 tried to interfere. Vendetta hit a piledriver for a believable nearfall. Landon hit another modified Death Valley Driver for the pin.
5f John Wayne Murdoch defeated Landon Hale in a gauntlet match at 2:08. Murdoch immediately shoved him shoulder-first into the corner. Murdoch hit a headbutt that dropped Hale. Murdoch hit a low blow punt kick with the ref out of position, then a brainbuster for the pin.
5g John Wayne Murdoch defeated Matt Tremont to win the gauntlet at 4:18. Tremont, who looks more and more like Big Van Vader every day, hit a dropkick that stunned and popped the crowd. Murdoch hit another low blow. They traded forearm shots on the floor. They got in the rin and kept trading forearm shots. Tremont hit a Death Valley Driver at 4:00. Murdoch ht a running boot to the face for the pin. I didn’t see that coming as a finisher. The commentators agreed it was “unexpected.”
6. Alec Price defeated Brandon Kirk to retain the IWTV World Title at 12:42. Kirk is a tall white man and I generally think of him as a hardcore wrestler. Price is seemingly everywhere all at once; I just saw his matches in Massachusetts and Ohio last weekend. Branon has some height and weight advantage. They traded rollups in the first minute. Price hit a springboard twisting crossbody block and some forearms and was in charge early on. He hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. Kirk hit a backbody drop and a stunner, and they were both down. Price hit some spinning back fists and a half nelson suplex at 7:00, then his running boots in the corner.
Kirk hit a short-arm clothesline and a piledriver for a nearfall. Price hit a top-rope flying Blockbuster, then the Surprise Kick/step-up mule kick at 9:30, but Kirk rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned. Price dove through the ropes, but Kirk caught him and hit a Death Valley Driver onto the apron. In the ring, Kirk hit a Psycho Driver piledriver for a believable nearfall. Price hit a rebound lariat. He accidentally superkicked the referee, and she was out at 11:30. Kirk hit Price with a camera for a visual pin but we had no ref! Price hit a second-rope flying leg lariat, then the Surprise Kick for the pin. That was good, although I never thought Kirk was winning here.
7. “Killionaires Club” J Boujii, Ken Broadway, and PB Smooth defeated “Wasted Youth” Dyln McKay, Marcus Mathers, and Austin Luke at 25:06. Broadway’s team all competed on the House of Glory show from New York I watched earlier this week, and Smooth was in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tag match a week ago against Aussie Open on AEW TV. All three are muscular Black men. Smooth hit a Mafia Kick to Mathers’ chest before the bell. Luke (think Cameron Grimes) and Smooth opened, with Smooth having a significant size advantage. Mathers hit a second-rope missile dropkick at 2:30. The heels went to the floor to regroup, so Mathers hit a plancha onto all of them.
The heels began to beat down Austin Luke in their corner. PB Smooth hit a running Stinger Splash and a clothesline at 6:00. Boujii sat on Luke’s back and he hit some crossface blows. Luke hit a clothesline on Boujii. McKay made the hot tag at 8:30 and he hit a springboard tornado DDT on Boujii. Smooth tossed Boujii at McKay, with Boujii hitting a stunner. Smooth hit a tilt-a-whirl slam on Dyln. Dyln hit a twisting suplex into the corner. Broadway hit a running forearm that dropped Dyln at 13:00, as the heels kept McKay in their corner. McKay hit a Spider German Suplex out of the corner, with Broadway landing high on his neck. Yikes.
Mathers made the hot tag and he hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Luke hit a back suplex and a running knee on Broadway at 15:30. Luke and Mathers hit a team Tower of London stunner for a nearfall. The heels rolled to the floor and got chairs, and everyone agreed at 17:00 this would now be a no-DQ match. The babyfaces hit stereo dives through the ropes. They started hitting each other with chairs and doors. “This stopped being a wrestling match,” a commentator said. In the ring, Broadway and Mathers traded forearm shots. Mathers hit a Superman Punch. Broadway hit a Michinoku Driver through a door in the corner at 19:30 for a nearfall, but Luke made the save.
McKay hit a Superkick on Boujii. McKay and Luke hit a team kneestrike move on Boujii. McKay and Mathers hit a team Meltzer Driver for a nearfall. Smooth tossed Luke through a door set up at ringside at 22:00. Mathers and McKay hit a team suplex. McKay went for a Shooting Star Press but an opponent got his knees up. Smooth hit a series of standing powerbombs. Boujii hit some chairshots to McKay’s back, then a Stomp on McKay’s head, sending it crashing onto a folded chair, to score the pin.
* Broadway got on the mic and told Mathers he told him he was going to beat up his friends. Now, Broadway said he’s going to beat up Mathers in their title match. Mathers agreed to a match, but he said it would be a death match!
Final Thoughts: The tag title match was fantastic and easily stole the show. I wouldn’t be surprised if Miracle Generation visits Canada to have a rematch with Fresh Air there. I’ll go with Dezmond-Bk for second place, and the show opening Corino-Ali for third. The main event was acceptable but it meandered and went a bit long. Price is so good and his match with Kirk topped expectations. That also was a solid gauntlet. Bojack and Landon Hale got a chance to shine.
The online negative is I’m sure fans of hardcore wrestlers Murdoch and Tremont probably wanted to see that fight go longer. It sure ended out of nowhere and deflated the crowd, who weren’t ready for it to be over. The other negative, of course, is just the small crowd. They were into the action, but I just wish they had drawn 300 or so and filled up the room. Check out this show at IWTV.
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