By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling “Freeze Frame”
Replay available via Premier Streaming Network’s YouTube Page
January 13, 2024 in Slatington, Pennsylvania at Slatington Expo Center
This show was released on YouTube.com this week on the Premier Streaming Network’s page. A quick Google maps check says Slatington is straight west of New York City (roughly two-hour drive); or roughly a 75-minute drive north of Philadelphia. The crowd is in the 350-400 range and lighting is decent. There are a lot of wrestlers here I don’t know.
1. Andy Header and Alex Divine defeated Chris Slade and Rembrandt at 8:36. Slade is a Black man with blond dreadlocks past his shoulders, and the commentators said he recently turned heel. Rembrandt also is Black and he has a title belt but it doesn’t sound like those two are regular tag partners. Header wore a black jacket and he appears a bit older than the others in this match; online records say he’s 41. Divine is a thin Black man and a babyface. Slade and Divine locked up and both seem equally short. The heels worked over Header early on. Divine got the hot tag at 7:00. He hit a nice enzuigiri and a spear into the corner on Slade. He hit a Spanish Fly, then a top-rope crossbody block for the pin. Formula tag match but solid.
* Travis Norbert from the “Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission” hit the ring and got booed. He barked at the crowd to shut their mouths. He made an open challenge for Zack Xander, a scrawny kid who joined Norbert to the ring.
2. Sammi Chaos vs. Zack Xander at 00:53. I’ve never seen Sammi, but she is a big woman, very similar in size and weight to Nia Jax. She easily hit a release suplex and pinned him. That was quick and to the point.
3. Alec Odin and Wrecking Ball Legursky defeated Dan Champion and Havoc to retain the PPW Tag Team Titles at 7:04. Legursky is the rotund, ball guy who is a regular on NWA TV. I don’t think I’ve seen the other three before. Odin has a great physique. Champion looks like a dad who has never been in a gym and he wore blue jeans. They all immediately brawled to the floor. In the ring, Champion and Havoc worked over Odin. Odin hit a hard spear on Havoc. Legursky hit a big splash in the center of the ring to flatten Havoc for the pin. Basic.
* Havoc and Champion shoved each other after the match but shook hands. However, Havoc put a weapon on his fist and repeatedly punched Champion in the back of the head. The commentators were perplexed, saying these guys are former tag champions.
4. Simone Valentina defeated Journey Burke at 6:41. I don’t know these two. Journey is a “lawyer by day, wrestler by night.” She wore pink and she’s white with dark black hair. Simone is Black with long hair half-way down her back. This is a babyface matchup as we begin with some solid mat reversals. The commentators kept talking about Burke being a lawyer but I want to stress that isn’t her gimmick. (Unlike, say, Luca Crucafino in NXT, who dresses as an attorney and incorporates it into his promos.) Burke hit a Helluva Kick in the corner at 4:30. Simone hit a DDT for a believable nearfall. Journey hit a modified Samoan Drop for a nearfall. Simone blocked a Blade Runner and she hit a stunner for the pin. Solid.
* Sammi Chaos returned to the ring! She beat up both women, finishing them off with a Vader Bomb onto both of them.
5. Tom Mitchell and Trace Parker defeated Nolan Pierce and Ricky Pryce at 5:54. This also is a babyface matchup. Pierce and Pryce are skinny, popular youngsters. MItchell and Parker are taller and a bit thicker. Pierce opened; he has shoulder-length brown hair. Mitchell opened for his team; his size/hair cut/body frame are comparable to Colt Cabana. Mitchell and Parker worked over the smaller Pierce. Pryce got a hot tag at 4:30 and hit a crossbody block and a dropkick. Mitchell got a rollup out of nowhere to pin Pierce. That was anticlimactic.
6. Brad Baylor defeated Clutch Adams and Mike Walker in a three-way at 8:50. Teen Baylor has really impressed in Wrestling Open and he’s the kid I describe has the wavy hair of every 1980s teen movie villain. I don’t know the others here. Clutch Adams has a short haircut and he’s a heel. Adams came out wearing sunglasses, looking like a more muscular Orange Cassidy, and he’s also a heel. Baylor came out last and he jawed at fans. Wait… are we really having a three-way with three heels? Baylor got on the mic and said he is “built like a Greek God.” Baylor hit a slam and he did a Rick Rude-like hip swivel. Walker traded offense with Baylor and Walker was much shorter than I realized when he hit the ring.
Clutch sold a knee injury on the floor and the referees checked on him. In the ring, Baylor hit a dropkick at 7:00 and celebrated. Clutch hopped up to his feet and jumped in the ring and beat up Walker, showing the injury was a ruse. Baylor hit an RKO stunner on Walker for the pin. Really bizarre booking to see a match where no one appeared to be a babyface. I really like Baylor, and the other two were both solid in my first time seeing them.
* The 15-minute intermission wasn’t edited out, but I zipped over it.
7. Dio Bando defeated Brando Lee to retain the PPW TV Title at 10:11. More guys I don’t know, and I’m going to avoid using “Bando” and “Brando” in my review to not confuse anyone. Lee is a Black man with the claw marks painted on his shoulder like “American Wolves” Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. Dio also is Black but much taller, and he jawed with fans before locking up with Lee. Lee hit some dropkicks that sent Dio to the floor to regroup. Dio grabbed his title and went to leave, but Lee grabbed him, and they brawled at ringside. In the ring, Dio hit a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall at 5:30, then he switched to a Camel Clutch.
Lee hit a corkscrew plancha to the floor and he was fired up. This has been the best match so far. In the ring, Lee hit a split-legged moonsault for a nearfall at 8:30. Lee hit a Death Valley Driver. Chris Slade, from the first match, appeared at ringside and distracted Lee! It allowed Dio to hit a swinging Air Raid Crash move for the cheap pin. Good action.
8. Damien Gray, Salem Gray, and Sam Adams defeated Jimmy Konway, Luca Brazzi, and Royal Money in a trios finals match at 7:55. All six brawled at the bell. The Grays/Adams are the heels and they worked over the black, bald Royal Money for several minutes. Outside of Money, all the five white guys in this match wore nearly identical gear with black singlets and I cannot keep the two teams apart. The heels hit a team neckbreaker for the pin. These teams seriously need to change up their looks so they don’t look like they are all on the same team.
9. Joey Martinez & Vinny Mac defeated Chael Connors & TJ Epixx and Gabriel Hodder & Matthew Omen (w/Delilah) in a three-way tag match at 7:39. Connors and Epixx are the lone babyface team and they hit baseball slide dropkicks to the floor early on. In the ring, the four heels took turns working over the shorter Epixx. Vinny Mac is taller and thicker; both he and Joey Martinez have good physiques. Connors got the hot tag at 5:30 and he helped beat up Martinez and Mac. Omen and Hodder jumped. Epixx and Connors hit a team neckbreaker move. However, Martinez and Mac shoved Connors and Epixx to the floor and stole their pin. Good action while it lasted.
10. Dani Mo defeated Cosmic to retain the PPW Women’s Title at 10:14. Mo is a top-notch indy veteran; she has blonde hair and is athletic. Cosmic has green-and-black hair and wore all green. Standing switches to open. Dani hit a snap suplex at 6:30 and they were both down. Cosmic hit a release German Suplex. Dani applied a crossarm breaker, then she hit a stunner for the pin. Good match.
11. Adrien Soriano defeated Facade and VSK in a three-way to retain the PPW Heavyweight Title. I don’t know Soriano; he’s got a great physique and overall look (think Matt Riddle but black hair instead of blond). Facade has been wrestling for a couple decades and he’s had some appearances in TNA; his blond hair is in dreadlocks. VSK had a decent run in AEW but was never going to catch on as a butler for Ariya Daivari. A feeling-out process and they all shook hands. VSK hit a swinging neckbreaker on Soriano at 3:00. VSK hit a dive through the ropes on Adrien. Facade hit a springboard summersault onto both opponents.
In the ring, Facade hit a springboard stunner on VSK for a nearfall at 5:30. VSK hit a powerslam on Soriano for a nearfall. He hit a frogsplash for a nearfall at 9:00. Clutch Adams hopped in the ring and he was about to “cash in a money in the bank” opportunity, but VSK attacked him before he could enter the match. VSK hit a Trash Compactor piledriver along his back on Soriano! However, Adams hit VSK with a clipboard! Soriano rolled on top of VSK for the pin. Adams hopped in the ring and kept beating up VSK until the other two made the save.
Final Thoughts: An entertaining main event earns best match. I’ll go with Bando-Lee for second place and Dani Mo-Cosmic for third. I liked some of the talent I saw in the opening match, too. Admittedly, this action was a step slower than what I’m used to seeing. Not as many ‘TV-ready” potential stars here, as many of them are clearly learning. Brad Baylor continues to impress; if anyone here breaks through onto a national stage, it’s probably him. This show gets a mild recommendation.
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