By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 109”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
February 1, 2024 in Worcester, Massachusetts at White Eagle
This week features the final six round-robin matches of the Jumbo Grand Prix tournament. At the conclusion of this event, we will have our eight quarterfinal competitors. We have a good-sized crowd of about 300. Paul Crockett and Brother Greatness provided commentary.
1. Ryan Clancy (4) defeated Ray Jaz (2) in an E Block tournament match at 10:15. Jaz got on the mic but was loudly booed. Clancy charged into the ring and they started brawling. They traded intense mat reversals early, and Jaz tried to get a crossarm breaker, but Clancy turned it into a powerbomb at 5:30. Clancy hit a DDT and the crowd was behind him. Jaz hit a legdrop for a believable nearfall, and he switched to an anklelock. Clancy got a backslide out of nowhere for the pin!
2. TJ Crawford (4) defeated Rex Lawless (2) in an F Block tournament match at 7:01. I always compare the massive, muscular Lawless to Jaxon Ryker and he has a size advantage. He hit a Mafia Kick as TJ was on the ring apron at 1:30. TJ hit a kneedrop on the elbow and he began working over the left arm. Rex hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 3:30. TJ fired back with some roundhouse kicks to the ribs. Lawless hit a spear and they were both down. TJ rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned. Rex went shoulder-first into the corner, and Crawford immediately nailed a Buzzsaw Kick to the jaw for the pin. Good action.
3. Brad Baylor (4) defeated Brett Ryan Gosselin (2) in an H Block tournament match at 9:26. Baylor is the awesome teenage heel who I always say looks like every villain from a 1980s teen comedy. BRG, like TJ in the prior match, has been getting time on MLW TV. Baylor stalled a bit early on. BRG hit a spear at 2:00 for a nearfall, and Baylor again rolled to the floor. Baylor tossed BRG throat-first into the ropes and Brett clutched at his neck. Brad hit some punches and was in charge. He applied a sleeper at 5:30. Gosselin fired back with a suplex and they were both down. Brett hit a short-arm clothesline at 8:00, then a superkick for a believable nearfall. Brad again dropped him throat-first on a rope; Brett immediately hit a Michinoku Driver. Baylor got a rollup for the pin; he reached for the tights but it doesn’t appear he cheated by pulling them. BRG sold the frustration of being eliminated.
4. Kennedi Copeland defeated Elle Valentine at 6:12. I don’t think I’ve seen Elle before; she appears to be of Pacific Island descent and she has long black hair that reaches her rear. Paul Crockett talked about how Kennedi was (kayfabe) knocked out by Janai Kai on Sunday and he said she was “barely cleared’ to wrestle tonight. Standing switches to open. Kennedi hit a diving crossbody block in the corner for a nearfall at 2:00. Elle hit a dropkick. She hit a Rude Awakening neckbreaker for a nearfall at 4:30. Kennedi hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall, then a running kneestrike to the side of the head, then the Kamigoye kneestrike to the collarbone for the pin. (I thought Crockett’s pre-match comments was going to lead to her having an HBK-style collapse in the ring.)
5. Kylon King (4) defeated Brian Milonas (2) in a G Block tournament match at 6:32. Milonas was introduced at 417 pounds and that seems accurate. King hit a dropkick but he couldn’t get the big man up for a German Suplex. He hit an enzuigiri. He went for a springboard move, but Milonas shrugged it off, then Brian flattened him with a senton. Brian hit a big elbow drop at 2:30 and was in charge. He hit a suplex. Kylon hit a jumping knee to the chin, then a huracanrana that sent Brian into the corner. Kylon again couldn’t hit a German Suplex. Milonas went for a running Stinger Splash but Kylon ducked out of the ring. Kylon hit a missile dropkick. Milonas nailed a sidewalk slam for a nearfall at 5:00. Kylon hit a missile dropkick, a frogsplash, and the German Suplex for the pin. Fun match.
6. Tyree Taylor (w/Brother Greatness) (4) defeated Alec Price (2) in a C Block tournament match at 13:03. Again, Tyree is Willie Mack-meets-Shane Taylor and he’s been on a roll here. Price is popular here in his native Massachusetts, but he suffered a rare pin in this building on Saturday. BG rejoined commentary after leading Tyree to the ring. An intense lockup and Tyree twisted the left arm. He hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Alec at 2:30. Alec got the crowd to chant “Gahh-bage!” at Tyree. Crockett listed off some of Tyree’s big wins in the past month.
Price hit a springboard crossbody block, then a huracanrana, and Tyree rolled to the floor to re-group. Tyree hit a Pounce on the floor! Tyree repeatedly slammed Alec back-first on the ring apron at 4:30. In the ring, Price hit a dropkick on the knee and Tyree sold the injury. Tyree hit a spin kick to the head that sent Price to the floor. Price hit a top-rope doublestomp as Tyree was tied in the Tree of Woe at 7:30. Alec hit an enzuigiri, then his half-nelson suplex for a nearfall. Price nailed his top-rope flying legdrop; he went for the Surprise Kick but Tyree caught him and hit a powerslam for a nearfall. Nice spot.
They traded mid-ring blows, and Price hit a Rebound Lariat, then his series of kneestrikes in the corner. Price hit a doublestomp onto the top of the shoulders at 11:00, then his dive over the top rope. Price hit a second dive and he was fired up. In the ring, Price hit a tornado DDT for a believable nearfall. Okay, this is now the match of the tournament. Price hit a superkick, but Tyree ducked the Blockbuster. Tyree caught him for a sit-out powerbomb for the clean pin. That was really good stuff. “One of the damndest matches I’ve ever seen in my life,” Crockett said. They shook hands and hugged.
7. Brad Hollister defeated Jermaine Marbury (w/Benny the ball) to retain the Wrestling Open title at 14:22. Marbury tossed baby powder in the air like Kevin Garnett would, and he wore his basketball gear. He won a battle royal to earn this title shot, but he just isn’t really in Hollister’s league. Hollister came out solo without his Big Business teammates; we know TJ Crawford his here. Crockett noted Brad has been champion for 64 days now. Marbury charged at the bell and hit a kick, but Brad immediately hit a German Suplex. Marbury hit a Thesz Press. He hit a ‘Euro-step” into a neckbreaker. They brawled to the floor at 2:30, but Brad shoved Jermaine head-first into the ring post.
In the ring, Hollister hit an Exploder Suplex and he was in charge. Benny the ball (a human in a mascot costume) tried to rally the crowd. Brad powerbombed Marbury on the edge of the ring at 5:30. The crowd chanted “defense!” Jermaine dove into the ring to avoid being counted out. Jermaine hit some punches and he made quick moves to “break the ankles” of Hollister, then he applied an anklelock. Jermaine hit a flying legdrop, but Brad rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned at 7:30.
Jermaine hit a dive to the floor on Brad. Jermaine hit a Mamba Splash/frogsplash for a nearfall. (I am mildly amused by the basketball moves that Jermaine uses.) Brad hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 9:00. The crowd chanted “new champ!” Jermaine again applied an anklelock. Victor Chase distracted the ref, allowing Julio Cruz to hit Marbury from behind. However, Marbury got another rollup for a nearfall, and he applied another anklelock. Chase and Cruz attacked the referee at 11:00 and hit a team slam on Marbury. Waves & Curls hit the ring and beat up Chase and Cruz. Jaylen Brandyn hit a dive. In the ring, Traevon Jordan hit a powerbomb on Victor, then a dive to the floor on Brick City.
We never had a bell; Hollister grabbed his title belt. However, Benny the ball tripped Hollister. Marbury hit a dropkick on Hollister and he picked up the title! He hit Brad in the face with the belt and made the cover. The ref got in a second too late and only counted to two at 13:30, so the match continued. TJ Crawford now appeared and tripped Marbury in the corner. Hollister hit a second-rope deadlift superplex for the pin. That was fun; the winner was never in doubt but that played out well, even with all the (entirely expected) interference.
Final Thoughts: Price and Tyree stole the show and earns best match. That main event was really well booked and earns second place. Crawford-Lawless takes third place.
I enjoy these Wrestling Open shows as they really are the best-of-the-best of the young Northeast talent. And I love tournaments and this has really clicked for me. So, next week features our four quarterfinal matchups: Tyree Taylor vs. Kylon King, Brad Baylor vs. Dezmond Cole, Ryan Clancy vs. Steven Stetson and TJ Crawford vs. Bobby Orlando.
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