By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Beyond Wrestling “Heavy Lies the Crown”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
December 31, 2023 in Worcester, Massachusetts at White Eagle
This is the final event of the 11-show “Wrestival” in this venue over a four-day stretch. It is also the longest show with a whopping 15 matches! The crowd is maybe 250 as we started, which is solid, but nowhere close to the sellout of about 450 they had Thursday night as the Wrestival began. Dylan Hale and Denver Colorado provided commentary as the show began.
1. Rickey Shane Page defeated Atticus Cogar in a no-rope barbed wire match at 13:13. I’ve seen death match brawler Atticus just a few times in the past in GCW. I like when indies open with the cage match or the no-rope barbed wire match, so the ring is already set up for it. RSP is much taller and thicker. They brawled in the ring, and RSP wrapped Cogar’s left arm in the barbed wire at 3:00. Cogar hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. He got cooking skewers and jabbed them in Page’s forehead. RSP’s forehead was quickly covered in blood. Cogar hit a Death Valley Driver and they were both down at 11:00. RSP suplexed Cogar into the barbed wire. RSP hit some chokeslams over his knee to score the pin. Violent match and admittedly not my preferred style.
* Brother Greatness hosted a quick award show by the entrance area while the ring ropes were set up. Dezmond Cole won “breakout star of the year.” The Love Doug-LIttle Mean Kathleen wedding earned “moment of the year,” which Love, Doug accepted. “Americanrana” won the event of the year; Brad Hollister (who does not have a match on this show) came out in a suit to accept the aware for event of the year. He proclaimed his Wrestling Open title is the only one that has mattered in this building all weekend. He said that if IWTV champion Alec Price “ever steps up to me, I’ll bitch-slap him.” Miracle Generation vs. Aaron Rourke and B3cca won “match of the year.” The MG accepted the award. Alec Price won “wrestler of the year,” which he accepted, saying he’s closing in on his seventh year in pro wrestling. He said “tonight, I’m going into a frickin war.” And with that, the ropes are up!
* Paul Crockett and Brother Greatness took over on commentary. The crowd has noticeably grown since the beginning of the show 45 minutes ago.
2. Dezmond Cole defeated Landon Hale (w/Love, Doug) at 5:23. A babyface matchup and some friendly standing reversals. Hale nailed a Lungblower at 3:00. Hale hit a Lethal Injection, but Cole hit a suplex. Hale hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Dezmond hit a German Suplex and a rolling cannonball into the corner, then a Swanton Bomb for the pin. Really good for the time given. They “hugged it out!” after the match.
* Sidney Bakabella, Little Mean Kathleen, Ted Goodz and Channing Thomas walked to the ring. LMK is still in her wedding dress, even though that happened in early August? The crowd shouted profanities at Bakabella. Sidney wished them all a happy new year. Out of the back came Bronson (of AEW’s Iron Savages) and Gabby Forza!
3. Ted Goodz and Little Mean Kathleen (w/Sidney Bakabella, Channing Thomas) defeated Bronson and Gabby Forza at 8:03. Bronson and Forza are engaged and I think this is their first time teaming up. The crowd chanted “That’s real love!” at them. Gabby and Bronson each hit bodyslams, then Guerrilla Press slams. “This isn’t how you treat a family!” Brother Greatness said. Forza put both LMK and Goodz on her back! Sidney tripped Gabby before she could slam them. Bronson entered and hit a series of punches on Goodz at 3:30. LMK hit Bronson but it had no effect. Goodz caught Bronson with a superkick and a suplex for a nearfall.
Kathleen stomped on Goodz and she quickly tagged out. Goodz worked Bronson’s let arm. Bronson hit a spinebuster, and Forza made the hot tag at 6:00. Gabby hit some clotheslines. Gabby nailed a Black Hole Slam on Kathleen, then a Vader Bomb for a believable nearfall. Forza again put both opponents on her back and hit a Samoan Drop, earning a nice pop. Gabby hit a bodyslam on Sidney! However, Goodz snuck up from behind, rolled up Gabby, got a handful of tights, and pinned her! The crowd booed this outcome.
* Sidney got back on the mic and was loudly booed. He said he didn’t want to disappoint their great fans.
4. Channing Thomas (w/Sidney Bakabella) defeated Richard Holliday at 10:38. Holliday has recently turned heel in both GCW and MLW but he got a babyface pop here. He hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Channing. Channing hit his own shoulder tackle, then a dropkick. Holliday hit a bodyslam at 2:00, then a tilt-a-whirl slam for a nearfall. Thomas hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 4:30. Holliday hit some clotheslines and a stunner. Sidney tripped Holliday, allowing Thomas to hit a Pedigree for a believable nearfall. Thomas accidentally hit a baseball slide dropkick on Sidney!
In the ring, Holliday hit his twisting suplex for a nearfall, but Bakabella pulled Holliday off of Channing! Channing hit Holliday with a closed fist. Holliday nailed a top-rope superplex and they were both down at 8:30. They hit simultaneous clotheslines and were both down. They got up and traded punches. Channing hit an enzuigiri. Holliday hit a pop-up powerbomb. Sidney again tripped Holliday. Thomas hit Holliday with brass knuckles while the ref admonished Bakabella, and Channing covered Holliday for the cheap pin.
5. Love, Doug (w/Landon Hale) defeated Zayda Steel at 3:31. Zayda rejected Doug’s bouquet of flowers. She hit a second-rope crossbody block. Doug hit a slingshot crossbody block. She tried to punt the bouquet of flowers and she missed. Funny. She took the bouquet and hit him HARD in the face with the flowers! She ran the ropes but decided not to dive. The crowd chanted, “she needs love!” She repeatedly slapped him in the face. He hit a Stinger Splash and a Bulldog at 3:00. He nailed the Rebound Lariat for the pin. “That’s not going to get you a second date!” Brother Greatness shouted. Supremely watchable.
* The Bakabella family hit the ring and beat up Doug and Hale again. Channing hit a jumping piledriver on Doug. Kathleen got on the mic and she yelled at her former fiance, Doug. She said 2024 would be even worse for him than 2023.
6. Ichiban and “Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King defeated Matt Quay and “Post Game” Mike Walker and Vinny Talotta at 10:02. I don’t know Quay’s team at all; apparently MG asked for opponents who hadn’t competed yet in the Wrestival. Ichiban started against the taller Quay. The commentators agreed Quay’s team all look athletic. Quay hit a bodyslam. Talotta entered and hit an impressive shoulder tackle. Post Game worked over Kylon in their corner. Ichiban nailed a flip dive to the floor at 4:00. Kylon hit a moonsault in the ring on Walker. The babyfaces each hit a slam on Walker and they worked him over in their corner.
Quay made the hot tag at 6:30 and he hit a flying double clothesline, then some Stinger Splashes. Waller hit a Lethal Injection. Kylon hit a tornado DDT. Walker hit a faceplant. Ichiban hit a Canadian Destroyer. Quay hit an Angle Slam, and suddenly everyone was down at 8:30. Kylon hit an enzuigiri. Quay hit a dive to the floor on Ichiban. Post Game hit a team slam on Waller for a believable nearfall; they had me convinced we were seeing a massive upset! Kylon hit a German Suplex on Talotta. Ichiban nailed a top-rope flying leg lariat on Talotta for the pin. That topped all reasonable expectations. These new guys are certainly welcome back here in my opinion.
7. Brian Milonas defeated Dan Barry at 8:37. Ring veteran Dan Barry (age 40) is probably the oldest competitor at the 11-show Wrestival. (He is more gray than me; I thought he was even older.) Milonas has dropped some weight but he still is likely at or close to 400 pounds. Dan dove through the ropes onto Milonas at 1:30 but still couldn’t knock Brian off his feet. Milonas slammed him onto the ring apron. In the ring, Barry went for a top-rope crossbody block, but Milonas just swatted him away.
Milonas flattened him in the corner and stayed in control. Barry hit an enzuigiri at 5:30. He nailed a flip dive to the floor, this time dropping Milonas to the ground. In the ring, Barry hit a senton for a nearfall. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Barry hit a sunset flip powerbomb for a nearfall at 8:00. Barry missed a moonsault. Milonas immediately hit a swinging sideslam for the pin. Adequate.
8. “The Shook Crew” Bobby Orlando and Bryce Donovan defeated “Waves and Curls” Jaylen Brandyn and Traevon Jordan at 8:37. Orlando and Donovan were opponents in a ladder match just hours earlier. Orlando and the shorter Jaylen opened. It got heated so they had to “hug it out,” as these are both babyface teams. The taller Bryce and Jordan squared off, and Traevon forced Bryce to dance in some silliness. Jaylen hit a flying clothesline for a nearfall at 4:30 on Bryce, and he grounded Donovan. Bobby made the hot tag and hit some bodyslams.
Bryce hit a delayed dropkick in the corner for a nearfall. We had a double Electric Chair drop spot at 7:00. The shorter guys hit chokeslams on the taller guys, then Orlando and Jaylen clotheslined each other and everyone was down. The Shook Crew hit a team suplex move, and Orlando made the cover for the pin. More comedy than I would have preferred here but it was fine.
9. Kennedi Copeland defeated Brooke Havok at 4:34. West Coast-based Brooke has been on several shows this weekend. The commentators talked about how both these women are “Emo.” These two are roughly the same height and I have to imagine a first-time-ever meeting. Mat wrestling to open and Kennedi hit a diving European Uppercut to the back. Brooke hit a twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall at 2:00. Kennedi hit some big clotheslines; she seems to have a size advantage. Brooke nailed a pump-handle slam for a nearfall at 4:00. Kennedi grabbed Brooke’s wrists and hit a Kamigoye kneestrike to the collarbone for the pin. Really good for the time given.
10. “Above the Rest” Gabriel Skye and Tristen Thai defeated “Fresh Air” Junior Benito and Macrae Martin at 8:39. These are definitely among the top 10 tag teams in the Northeast. Benito and Thai opened. Macrae slammed Benito onto Skye for a nearfall at 1:00. Macrae hit a spin kick on Skye. AtR began working over Macrae. Benito made the hot tag and he hit a forward Finlay Roll, then a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 4:30. Benito leapt over the turnbuckle onto AtR on the floor. In the ring, he hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. In the ring, Thai hit a German Suplex, and Skye hit a flying double knees on Benito for a nearfall, but Macrae made the save.
Benito hit a Blue Thunder Bomb. Macrae hit a swinging Boss Man Slam on Skye and everyone was down at 7:30. Fresh Air hit a team stunner for a nearfall, but Skye made the save. Above the Rest hit their monkeyflip-into-a-kneestrike finisher on Benito for the pin. That was good stuff and I want to see more of that.
11. Ray Jaz defeated Puf at 5:23. Jaz came out first and was loudly booed; he’s the stereotypical Jersey meathead. His opponent is the 400+ pound Puf. Jaz couldn’t budge the massive Puf. Puf hit a reverse suplex, dropping Jaz stomach-first at 1:30. Jaz tied up Puf’s leg in the ropes, and he hit a top-rope missile dropkick. Puf hit a uranage, then a massive senton at 4:00. Puf nailed a buttsplash in the corner for a nearfall. Puf hit a straight punch to the jaw. Jaz hit a massive back suplex for a nearfall. Jaz applied the Jaz-mission/STF, and Puf tapped out. Decent action; it certainly didn’t drag.
12. TJ Crawford defeated Janai Kai in an intergender match at 10:28. These two have both been on MLW TV in recent months. I love Kai’s kickboxing style but she is giving up some weight and overall size. TJ rolled to the floor at the bell and stalled. In the ring, she twisted his left arm and hit a snap suplex at 1:30. She hit a series of stiff kicks to his spine. He stomped on her chest on the ring apron; they got back into the ring and he was in control. He hit the stiff kicks to her spine at 4:00, but she no-sold them and the fans chanted, “you f—ed up!” She hit her roundhouse kicks to the chest and a hard kick to the chin.
She hit a kick to his back as he was in the ropes and she got a nearfall at 5:30. TJ hit an enzuigiri. They hit stereo kicks to the head and were both down. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees, and she hit some roundhouse kicks to his thighs. TJ nailed a Razor’s Edge, then a Falcon Arrow for a believable nearfall at 8:30. She hit some Bailey-style Speedball kicks and got a nearfall. She applied a Dragon Sleeper on the mat. TJ fired back with a jumping knee to the chin and a swinging, sit-out powerbomb for the pin. That was really good.
13. Warhorse defeated Marcus Mathers to become No. 1 contender for the IWTV championship at 14:16. The stipulation is that Warhorse must retire if he loses the match, and I’m doubtful that will happen. Warhorse came out with no paint on his face and no yellow-and-red gear; I seriously didn’t recognize him. He attacked Mathers to start the match and dominated early. Mathers hit a series of chops at 3:00. Warhorse hit a flip dive through the ropes and barreled HARD into Mathers. Mathers hit a stunner and a German Suplex at 6:00, then a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Warhorse hit a clothesline to the back of the neck.
Mathers hit a stunner at 8:30. Warhorse hit a headbutt. Mathers hit a Poison Rana; Warhorse hopped up and hit a clothesline, and they were both down. Warhorse hit a top-rope doublestomp to the head for a nearfall at 10:00. He hit a top-rope elbow drop, but Mathers popped to his feet. Mathers hit a hard clothesline and he was fired up. Mathers hit a top-rope stunner, then the 450 Splash for a nearfall at 12:00. Mathers hit some short-arm clotheslines. Warhorse hit a Saito Suplex. Warhorse applied a modified Cobra Clutch sleeper, and Mathers passed out, as his arm fell three times. That was tremendous; even though I expected Warhorse to win, it was a great back-and-forth match.
14. Matt Makowski defeated “Killdozer” Matt Tremont at 10:35. Again, Tremont is looking more and more like Big Van Vader. Makowski, the shoot fighter, came to the ring to a Journey song that used to be Tremont’s music, and it made Tremont irate! Funny. Makowski immediately hit some spin kicks to the chest and a back suplex; he is giving up at least 100 pounds to the bigger Tremont. They went to the floor and brawled in front of the fans. Makowski ran the length of the room and barreled into Tremont, who was seated in a chair, at 2:30. They got back into the ring and Makowski shoved a gusset plate into Tremont’s forehead, and Tremont was heavily bleeding. The commentators asked when this became a no-DQ match.
Makowski had a bucket of glass and he put it on his taped fist, and he hit a Superman Punch with the glass-covered fist at 7:00. Tremont is heavily bleeding to the point of being really gross. For no apparent reason, Makowski removed a boot and sock, and he hit some Yes Kicks to Tremont’s chest. (There is glass in the ring and he’s barefoot!) Tremont hit a uranage for a nearfall at 9:00, then a hard clothesline. He grabbed a handful of glass and ate it. (Is it really candy?) Makowski hit an enzuigiri for the clean pin! Wow, I didn’t see that coming as the finisher.
* An intermission was edited out; the ring is filled with doors and a variety of weapons. This match was slated to begin at midnight (Jan. 1) and they shouted “Happy New Year” before the action began.
15. Krule defeated Alec Price in a “Fans Bring the Weapons” match to win the IWTV Heavyweight Title at 20:27. Again, former MLW wrestler Krule is essentially Kane with his size and mask hiding his whole face. Price is giving up a lot of size and weight. Price has been champion for 141 days. Krule attacked from behind. Price is wearing blue jeans; I like that as it signifies he’s in a street fight, not a wrestling match. He hit a flying crossbody block at 1:00. Price hit Krule with trash can lids and other weapons lying around the ring. Krule slammed Price onto the ring apron at 3:30, and they brawled around ringside. They got back into the ring at 6:30, where Krule hit a release suplex.
Krule hit Price over the head with a keyboard covered in thumbtacks at 9:00. Krule hit Price with a baseball bat that made a firecracker sound when it landed on Alec’s back. Price hit a superplex onto two open chairs at 11:30 and they were both down. Price hit his series of kneestrikes in the corner. Krule slammed Price face-first to the mat for a believable nearfall, and the crowd chanted “Northeast Beast!” Price hit a springboard Blockbuster, and he ripped off his hockey jersey. He dove to the floor onto Krule. Price nailed Krule over the head with an unprotected chair shot, then he hit the Surprise Kick/step-up mule kick for a believable nearfall. Krule began removing a turnbuckle in the corner, using a wrench to take the corner apart.
This took far too long and everyone was getting impatient. However, as Krule turned around, Price dropkicked Krule, sending him out of the ring and through a table on the floor at 16:30. Price hit a rolling splash onto Krule, who was lying on a board. In the ring, Price hit another Surprise Kick. He hit a third Surprise Kick, but Krule sat up before Price could even make the cover. Price grabbed a plastic baseball bat and repeatedly struck Krule in the chest. Krule hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall, then a flipping faceplant for a believable nearfall at 19:30. Krule hit the Scorched Earth faceplant slam for the pin! New champion. The crowd reacted in shock to the title change.
* Tremont came back to the ring with a gas can and he poured the fuel all over the ring. However, a dozen or so wrestlers made the save, as Krule and Tremont backed away and headed to the exit.
Final Thoughts: Even with editing out some breaks, this was a four-and-a-quarter hour show. Lots to like here, too. I’ll go Mathers-Warhorse for best match. EtU vs. Fresh Air was really good for second. Ichiban and Miracle Generation had a heckuva match with three newcomers as my unexpected third-place. Despite my objections to intergender matches, Crawford and Kai put together a sharp match to earn honorable mention. The final two matches were a bit too violent for my tastes, but I remain high on both Price and Makowski. This was one heckuva way to close out the four-day, 11-show “Wrestival” event.
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