By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 98”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
November 16, 2023 in Worcester, Massachusetts at White Eagle
The crowd was perhaps 200. Paul Crockett and Brother Greatness provided commentary; these two have really started to gel in recent weeks.
Pre-Show
1. Mortar defeated Massimo in a spotlight match at 6:58. This was a pre-show match that had already started as I tuned in live. Mortar missed a double-jump moonsault. Massimo hit a Poison Rana. Mortar hit a second-rope twisting suplex, a clothesline, and an F5 Slam for the pin. The commentators stressed that Mortar was receiving cheers even though he’s usually been a heel here.
Main Show
* The main show began with a video package of recent feuds.
1. Joe Ocasio defeated Austin Luke at 5:21. Ocasio is the more muscular QT Marshall. I always compare Luke to Cameron Grimes, and Crockett said it’s been a few months since he’s been here. Luke immediately hit some roundhouse kicks to the ribs. Ocasio nailed a running Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall at 1:00; if this was an unknown, enhancement wrestler opponent, it wouldn’t have surprised me if that move had ended it. Ocasio hit several shoulder blocks to the ribs and was in control. He suplexed Luke into the corner for a nearfall. Luke fired back with a basement dropkick in the corner, then a top-rope frogsplash for a nearfall at 4:00. Luke went for a rebound lariat, but Ocasio nailed him with a diving headbutt, then a modified Spinebuster for the pin. Good match.
* A video package showed how Love, Doug and Landon Hale became friends and teammates.
2. “The Love Doctors” Landon Hale and Love, Doug defeated Dante Drago and CPA at 8:12. Dante got on the mic but drew heel heat, and he has a message from Percy Ryan. He said Percy suffered an injury to his jaw line last time he was here. He introduced CPA as “Percy’s assistant.” CPA came out but Dante admonished him and sent him to the back so he could come out to a rock number from “Cannibal Corpse.” (CPA is still dressed in his button-down shirt and tie.) Comedy at the bell, as Drago put a sweater over CPA to hide his frame. Doug and Drago opened. Doug hit a flying crossbody block for a nearfall.
Doug and Hale worked together to beat down Drago. Drago forcefully tagged in a reluctant CPA, and CPA worked over Doug but clearly wasn’t happy about it. Doug hit a dropkick at 6:00 on Drago. Hale tagged in and worked over Drago, hitting a backbreaker over his knee, then a German Suplex for a nearfall. CPA entered and hit a sit-out powerbomb on Hale, then a missile dropkick, then his comedy-style 619. Drago made the blind tag and yelled at CPA, so CPA shoved him. Drago turned around and was met by a jumping knee from Hale. Doug hit the Lariat of Love clothesline for the pin. CPA made no effort to make the save. Well… they told a story.
3. Ryan Clancy and Dezmond Cole defeated Westfield Kelly and Grayson Kelly at 6:47. The Kellys are identical twins. They are young, well-built Black men with what appears to be identical tattoos, too. I recall seeing them in the Monster Factory shows I’ve watched, and with their beards, they remind me of NBA star James Harden. Cole is the Ricochet clone. Clancy opened. Cole entered at 2:00 and hit a spin kick and a stunner. (The commentators aren’t pretending they can tell the Kellys apart.) A Kelly hit a Mafia Kick on Clancy and they began working him over. Cole finally made the hot tag at 5:30 and he hit a flying forearm, then a top-rope flying forearm. Clancy hit a top-rope frogsplash for the pin. Solid match. The Kellys need to step up their heel game with some ‘twin magic” because these two are IDENTICAL.
* A video package aired of the feud between Paris Van Dale and Kennedi Copeland, which started when PVD ripped the nose ring out of Kennedi’s nose.
4. Kennedi Copeland defeated Zayda Steel at 6:03. I’ve seen a lot of Zayda recently, and she is a young blonde and I’ll compare her to Liv Morgan. Copeland is a bit like Ruby Soho. An intense lockup to open. Zayda hit a jumping knee in the corner at 3:00, posed for the fans and was booed. Kennedi hit a Snapmare Driver at 5:00. They hit simultaneous Mafia Kicks and were both down. Paris Van Dale suddenly hopped on the ring apron! However, Kennedi shoved Zayda into Dale! Kennedi nailed a running knee to the side of the head for the pin.
* Kennedi got on the mic and said everyone is sick and tired of Paris. She challenged her to a Thanksgiving night match in a Last Woman Standing match!!
* Brad Hollister cut a backstage promo and he is going through all of Ichiban’s friends. He wants a match next week. He then emerged through the curtain and headed to the ring. He got in the ring, grabbed the mic, paused, then left the ring. He grabbed a guy from the crowd, dragged him in the ring and beat him up. Okay, he works the ring bell. Ichiban ran out to make the save. Hollister got on the mic and demanded a match next week against either Kylon King or Dustin Waller (as they are Ichiban’s best friends here.)
* Another video package of the Ray Jaz-Pedro Dones feud, as Jaz has posed for pictures with Pedro’s children. For a weekly indy, these packages are so well done, and they really show that a lot of thought goes into their storylines from week to week.
5. Pedro Dones defeated Griffin McCoy at 5:56. Dones got on the mic and he wants a match with Jaz. McCoy recently debuted in MLW and he’s a bit taller than Dones; they locked up and Griffin easily shoved Pedro to the mat, and they wrestled on the mat. At 1:30, Jersey meathead Ray Jaz emerged from the back and stood by the entrance. Griffin hit a Helluva Kick and a basement dropkick. Griffin hit a second-rope kneedrop to the back for a nearfall at 4:00 and he argued with the ref. Dones hit a Samoan Drop, then a stunner, then a running back elbow for the pin.
* Jaz immediately got on the mic and called Dones a ‘deadbeat father so that doesn’t make you much of a winner.” They are having a Thanksgiving night street fight. Jaz said he has a better challenger for Dones in mind, and he haded to the back. A kid came out on Jaz’ shoulders… it’s Pedro’s son, probably age 6 or so. Jaz helped the kid into the ring, but the kid ran back to Jaz, and they left, with Pedro on the mat, shocked at what has just happened. (Hey, give the kid credit for following the storyline!)
* A video package aired of Tyree Taylor vs. Rex Lawless from a prior show.
6. RJ Rude and Rex Lawless defeated Sammy Diaz and Brother Greatness at 8:40. Greatness is short and still learning; he said he’s replacing Lucas Chase for the night. I can’t stress how much bigger and thicker Lawless (think Jaxon Ryker!) is than either of his opponents. Rude and Diaz opened. BG entered and hit a series of strikes on Lawless, who no-sold them. Rex hiptossed him across the ring at 2:00. Diaz tagged in, but the babyfaces worked him over. Diaz pretended to have a knee injury, but it allowed the heels to take over and work over RJ. Rex finally made the hot tag at 6:30 and he nailed a fallaway slam and a running boot on Diaz for a believable nearfall. He hit a spear for a nearfall. BG low-bridged Rex to the floor, and he hit an elbow drop on Rude. Rude hit a Lungblower on Brother Greatness for the pin. Okay match.
* Rude said that at Wrestling 100 we’ll see the return of “Open Door War.” He wants a match with Tyree Taylor in two weeks.
** Up next was a celebration marking Rich Palladino’s 30th year as a ring announcer. We saw quick clips of him introducing everyone from Barry Windham and Rob Van Dam to Orange Cassidy and Christian Casanova (Carmelo Hayes), to the current Wrestling Open roster. Kylon King and Dustin Waller were in the ring and they introduced Palladino. He came to the ring and the fans chanted “30 more years!” “This is all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was eight years old. And now I’m 54,” he said. He then said maybe he will do this for another 30 years. Dustin’s father was brought into the ring and they started to tell a story about Dustin’s start in wrestling.
Suddenly music interrupted this love-fest! “Swipe Right” Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor snuck in the ring and attacked Dustin Waller and Kylon King. However, Ricky Smokes hit Dustin Waller’s father over the head with a steel chair! Smokes appeared ready to hit Palladino, but suddenly several wrestlers and security hit the ring to break this up. (I liked the idea of this but it didn’t play out ideally … Dustin’s father had to stand there and wait … and wait… while his son was getting beat up, before Smokes turned and hit him too. If that was my son getting beat up, I would have intervened! And I don’t think I’m that much younger than Dustin’s father.)
* One more video package to set up our main event, showing the feud between the Stetson Ranch and Brett Ryan Gosselin. (BRG also recently debuted in MLW.)
7. Brett Ryan Gosselin, Alec Price, and Marcus Mathers defeated “The Stetson Ranch” Steve Stetson, Hammer Tunis, and Danny Miles at 16:40. Mathers and Price are fighting each other this weekend for Price’s IWTV Title, so I’ll quickly predict one of them accidentally hits the other to get this feud jumpstarted. BRG (think Backstreet Boy Nick Carter) and Tunis (think WWF’s Skinner!) opened. The cowboy, Stetson, entered at 1:00 and jawed at Alec Price and they shoved each other. Price and Mathers made blind tags and were quickly upset at each other. (Entirely expected!) BRG got back in and fought Miles.
The heels began working over BRG in their corner. BRG finally hit a twisting neckbreaker on Tunis at 6:30 but he couldn’t make the tag. Mathers finally got the hot tag and he hit a top-rope crossbody block on Miles, then a springboard stunner. However, Stetson (standing on the apron) kicked Mathers, and the heels immediately began working Marcus over. Mathers hit a Lionsault at 11:30 and he made the hot tag to Alec Price. Price hit a half-nelson suplex on Tunis, then one on Miles. Price hit his kneestrikes in the corner, then a flying legdrop. Price set up for his Surprise Kick, but Stetson grabbed his ankle at 13:00. It allowed the heels to now start working over Price!
Stetson nailed a standing powerbomb. Price managed to flip Stetson onto both of his heel teammates. BRG got the hot tag and he hit a missile dropkick. Suddenly everyone started fighting in the ring. Price and Mathers hit stereo superkicks on opponents; they bumped into each other’s backs and nearly hit each other! Mathers dove through the ropes; Price dove over the ropes. In the ring, BRG and Miles fought some more. Miles put BRG on his shoulders, but Brett somehow got a forward roll into a pin out of nowhere. Solid match. To my surprise, Mathers and Price didn’t start fighting during the match.
* Price and Mathers stood across from each other in the ring, and Price held his IWTV title above his head. Out of nowhere, Joe Ocasio charged at them both but they flipped him to the floor. Price came up behind Mathers, but Mathers accidentally struck him! They jawed at each other and at Ocasio as the show came to a close.
Final Thoughts: More than any WO show in a long time… this one felt like a placeholder. It built to the Beyond Wrestling show this Saturday, or it built to the Thanksgiving night show, or to Wrestling Open 100 on Nov. 30. It wasn’t a bad show, but certainly more skippable than the past episodes.
As I said, I like the concept of what they tried to do with Swipe Right attacking King, Waller, then Waller’s dad. It sounded great on paper. The execution just wasn’t quite there, with Dustin’s dad just … standing there… waiting to get hit. But I applaud the game plan and the idea behind it.
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