By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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H20 Wrestling “Uncharted Territory Season 5, Episode 6”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
December 11, 2023 in Williamstown, N.J. at H2O Wrestling Center
This attendance at the H20 Training Center was maybe 50-75 (and I acknowledge that it is hard for me to get into a show when the crowd is this small.) Brandon Kirk and “The Struggles” provided commentary and I like their banter. I watched “Episode 1” and was lukewarm on the product, but I am intrigued by three of the matches here so I thought I’d give it another try and check it out.
* The show opened with a video package with highlights from last week’s Episode 5.
1. Marcus Mathers defeated Austin Priest to retain the EtU Key to the East Championship at 10:21. This is one of the three intriguing matchups. Marcus had his EtU belt and another belt. I always compare the short gatekeeper Priest to Jaime Noble. Marcus hit a running penalty kick to the chest on the ring apron. They brawled on the floor with Marcus hitting some loud chops in front of the fans. In the ring, Priest took control and worked over Mathers with some basic stomps. Marcus finally hit a Canadian Destroyer at 8:30 and he was fired up. Priest hit a DDT onto the ring apron and they both fell to the mat. Marcus hit a top-rope Spanish Fly, then a top-rope 450 Splash for the pin.
2. Remington Rhor defeated JB Anderson in a death match at 8:04. Chairs, barbed wire boards, etc., were already in the ring. Rhor almost immediately used a large knife to carve open Anderson’s forehead and I’m done with this match… now I remember why I didn’t watch past “Episode 1.” Rhor hit a Death Valley Driver onto a barbed-wire board for the pin. This was violent but yet the crowd was apathetic. This type of ‘wrestling’ is a big turnoff.
3. Jimmy Lloyd, Rocket, and Zayda Steel defeated President Hawkins, Anthraxx, and Frank Bonetti at 4:41. Hawkins is Black and wore a red-and-white boxing robe. Anthraxx is bald and Bonetti has black hair in a bun. Lloyd jumped in the ring and he attacked the heels with a chair. Rocket is a thin, Black high-flyer. The heels worked over Rocket. Zayda entered at 2:30, but Hawkins yanked her to the mat by her hair. Zayda (fresh off her appearance on MLW TV Thursday) is just so much smaller than these heels it is uncomfortable to watch. She luckily got a hot tag to Jimmy Lloyd quickly. Lloyd hit a Tombstone Piledriver to pin Bonetti. I didn’t expect this to end so quickly. Zayda is the star here. Let’s find some women for her to wrestle.
4. Kennedi Copeland defeated Kody Manhorn in an intergender match at 9:19. The scrawny Manhorn might be smaller than Kennedi. (Kennedi vs. Zayda would have been just fine by me.) I always compare Copeland to Ruby Soho. Kody worked over her right knee and kept her grounded. She hit a top-rope crossbody block at 6:30 and a clothesline, but she was hobbled by her sore leg. She nailed a Stomp and scored the pin. Meh.
* Matt Tremont came to the ring and handed Kennedi a cupcake and a balloon. He’s a heel here, so she cautiously accepted it, and the crowd sang happy birthday her. As they finished singing, Tremont scooped her up and hit a Death Valley Driver. Kody ran back into the ring and hit Tremont with a chair, and Matt left.
5. Charlie Tiger defeated Juni Underwood, Vinny Talotta, Athan Promise, TJ Reno, and Mike Wilder at 7:17. I know Tiger the best and I have seen Juni a few times; I’m not sure if I’ve seen the other four. Athan Promise has the look of a very young Chad Gable when he had longer, floppy hair. Reno is a slightly rotund Black man. Juni has his hair in a bun. Wilder wore sunglasses and immediately strikes me as a Grayson Waller clone. Wilder and Talotta are a tag team and appear to be equally annoying. Everyone immediately beat down on the lone in-ring veteran, Charlie Tiger. Tiger tossed Wilder onto teammate Talotta. Reno hit a Swanton Bomb at 3:30. Juni hit a Canadian Destroyer. However, Tiger immediately hit a butterfly piledriver to pin Juni. Decent action; the guys new to me were solid.
6. Ryan Redfield defeated Dominick Denaro via DQ at 9:45. Denaro appears to be a bit older and is like a Mafia villian; a bit Ton D’Angelo. Redfield wore a red singlet and he’s a bit similar to D’Lo Brown. They brawled to the floor early on. In the ring, Redfield hit a flying shoulder tackle, then a jumping inverted DDT for a nearfall. Redfield hit a discus clothesline for a nearfall. Denaro began arguing with the referee, and eventually slugged and knocked out the ref. Denaro got a big Hercules-style chain out of his bag and he hit Redfield with it.
7. “Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King defeated “Culture Inc.” Malik Bosede and Eli Knight to retain the IWTV Tag Team Titles at about 15:00. I tuned in specifically for this match; I think it’s fair to say these are two of the top 10 indy tag teams in the U.S. Culture Inc are based out of Florida who I’ll compare to the Street Profits; Eli is the talented high-flyer with the prettiest Shooting Star Press you’ll see. Kylon and Malik opened with intense mat reversals. Knight and Waller entered at 1:30, and the commentators referred to them as “the speedsters of their respective teams,” and they traded quick reversals. Knight hit a plancha to the floor. Waller hit a plancha to the floor at 4:00. Kylon hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Malik, and the MG worked Malik over in their corner.
Waller hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. Malik finally hit a standing neckbreaker and they were both down. Eli made the hot tag and hit a series of dropkicks and a leaping clothesline on Waller, then a spinning sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 9:30. Kylon hit a German Suplex on Eli. Waller hit a Lethal Injection for a nearfall. Bosede hit a running powerbomb on Kylon, then a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 12:00. Kylo hit a tornado DDT and a brainbuster on Eli, and suddenly everyone was down. All four got up and brawled. Waller hit a superkick. Eli hit a superkick, then a dive to the floor.
Malik hit a spinebuster on Waller. Knight hit his picture-perfect moonsault to pin Waller at 14:36!! New champions! But wait… a second referee said Waller had a foot on the ropes, and he ordered the match to continue. Waller almost immediately got a rollup, grabbed the ropes for leverage, and scored the cheap pin. This marks MG’s 25th title defense. I don’t love the Dusty Finish, or MG being positioned as heels, but I look forward to a rematch.
* Some of next week’s matches were announced, including Alec Price vs. Matt Makowski for the IWTV Title and Marcus Mathers vs. Austin Luke.
8. Austin Luke defeated Joey Janela to retain the H20 Championship at 27:40. I have compared Luke to Cameron Grimes. Mat wrestling and standing switches to open, and Luke stomped on the left elbow at 2:30. Joey hit some chops. They brawled on the floor at 9:30. In the ring, Luke hit some Yes Kicks. Luke hit a running dropkick in the corner, then a German Suplex for a nearfall at 13:30. He applied a crossface on the mat. Joey hit a hard clothesline and they were both down at 16:00. Joey hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Luke applied a crossface on the mat. They traded chops on the ring apron at 21:00, and both fell to the mat.
In the ring, Janela hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfally, then a Gotch-style Piledriver for a believable nearfall at 23:30, then a package piledriver for a nearfall. Janela hit a headbutt that leveled Luke at 26:30, then a Razor’s Edge. Luke hit a Rebound Lariat and was fired up. Janela hit a top-rope superplex, but Luke rotated and pinned Janela upon landing. An okay match but could have told the same story in 10 fewer minutes.
Final Thoughts: I tuned in for three matches, and I was happy with I got from those three. MG-Culture Inc earns best and I was legit thinking we saw a title change for a second. I liked Priest-Mathers for second. Janela’s deliberate pace means stretching a 15-minute match over 30 minutes. It’s fine but just at a slower pace, and it takes third.
These H20 shows clearly feature a lot of young, green wrestlers. I said the same thing after watching a Remarkable Wrestling show last week… if most of these guys showed up at, say, a GCW show, they wouldn’t get a look. This show is available on IWTV and I wouldn’t blame anyone who tuned in for the first match and the final two.
Road warriors: This show took place Monday. Miracle Generation, Zayda Steel and Marcus Mathers all competed Saturday in Illinois, while Joey Janela and Jimmy Lloyd competed for GCW in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Austin Luke, Kody Manhorn, and Austin Priest all competed on Friday for Action Wrestling in Georgia. I point this out to applaud these road warriors, who are in high demand and willing to travel to find the best competition and improve.
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