By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 111”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
February 15, 2024 in Worcester, Massachusetts at White Eagle
The Jumbo Grand Prix started as a 24-man tournament, and we’re down to our final four! So, our two semifinal matches are on this show. Paul Crockett and Brother Greatness provided commentary. Attendance is in the 300 range; they hold a pretty solid crowd for being a weekly promotion.
1. “Waves & Curls” Traevon Jordan and Jaelyn Brandyn defeated Pat Dynamite and Griffin McCoy at 6:19. Pat Dynamite (think Jack Perry!) was previously known as Ellis Taylor. I don’t know if this is a permanent name change. Both guys are frequent competitors in JCW. The taller members of their teams, Jordan and McCoy, opened, with Jordan hitting a shoulder tackle and a hip toss. Griffin grabbed Jordan’s ankle, allowing Pat to hit a chop block at 2:00, and the heels began working Traevon over. Griffin applied a half-crab; he has some red marks on his back that I think pre-date this match. Pat hit a team neckbreaker for a nearfall at 4:00. Jaelyn got in and hit some quick moves, including a top-rope frogsplash-style elbow drop for a nearfall at 6:00. Griffin and Pat accidentally hit each other, allowing WandC to hit a team chokeslam mmove to pin McCoy. Solid match.
* Traevon got on the mic and he talked about how Westfield Kelly and Graceson Kelly (the identical twins I compare to NBA star James Harden) cheated and got involved in one of their recent matches. “You mess with Waves and Curls, you best not miss,” Jordan said. They issued a challenge for the Kellys for next week.
2. “Shook Crew” Bryce Donovan and Bobby Orlando defeated “Los Toxicos” Sucio and Sebastian Amor at 6:15. My first time seeing Los Toxicos, who don’t seem to be in great ring shape; Crockett said one of them attended a tryout event last week. Crockett and Brother Greatness discussed how the Shook Crew had to face each other in the Jumbo Grand Prix but it doesn’t appear that Bryce is upset about losing to Orlando. Sucio wore boxer-style trunks with his name on the waist-band. Sucio and Amor worked over Bobby, with Sucio hitting a uranage at 4:00. Orlando hit some jab punches on Sucio. Donovan got the hot tag and hit a clothesline and a hard back elbow. Amor missed a frogsplash, and Bryce immediately hit a Black Hole Slam, then a suplex for the pin. Okay action; it’s been a while since I’ve seen a wrestler new to me on a main show.
* Bryce grabbed the mic and he talked about how they lost to Miracle Generation in their last tag title match. “We ain’t giving up yet, baby!” Bryce said. He challenged Brick City, who won the Eliminator Cup! Brick City (Julio Cruz and Victor Chase) came to the ring and they belittled Shook Crew, saying they don’t deserve a shot. Victor made a challenge… if Shook Crew can beat an opponent of Brick City’s choosing in less than five minutes, then “they’ll think about it.” That match will happen next week!
* Lauren St. James is a new ring announcer and she will be filling in the next weeks, but she got to introduce our next match! She sounds British, saying “Sheduled” for one fall instead of “scheduled.”
3. Ricky Smokes defeated Landon Hale at 7:07. Smokes “Swipe Right” teammate Brad Baylor is in the building but didn’t come to ringside. I alwyas compare Smokes to Sammy Guevera, while Hale reminds me of a young Matt Taven. Hale went down to Georgia last weekend to compete in Action Wrestling. They locked up and Smokes hit a shoulder tackle. Hale hit a springboard crossbody block for a nearfall. Smokes hit a Lungblower move to the chest, then a brainbuster for a nearfall at 3:30. Hale tossed Ricky off the top turnbuckle to the mat.
Hale hit a backbreaker over his knee, then he tossed Smokes face-first on the middle turnbuckle, then he hit a 619 around the ring post. Hale hit a stunner for a nearfall at 5:30. Smokes hit a jumping knee to the chin. Hale hit his own kneestrike to the jaw, then a pump-handle shoulderbreaker over his knee for a nearfall! Nice move. Hale set up for a Victory Roll but Smokes escaped. Smokes hit a Cameron Grimes-style Cave-in stomp to the chest for the pin out of nowhere. Good match and a bit of a surprise that heel Smokes didn’t cheat to win.
* A good video package showing Ichiban on his recent losing streak, and that the Church of Greatness has been trying to recruit him.
4. Ichiban and Lucas Chase (w/Brother Greatness) defeated “Stetson Ranch” Danny Miles and Hammer Tunis (w/Steven Stetson) via DQ at 7:21. They made clear in the ring intros that Ichiban is not in the Church of Greatness. Ichiban and Miles opened. Brother Greatness went back to commentary, where he said “Ichiban is giving up losing for Lent.” Funny. Chase and Ichiban hit double dropkicks. Lucas slammed teammate Ichiban onto an opponent. The heels began working over Lucas. They hit a team suplex for a nearfall at 4:30. Brother Greatness returned to ringside to rally Lucas.
Ichiban made the hot tag at 6:00 and he hit a handspring-back-elbow and a missile dropkick on Miles. Steven Stetson hit Brother Greatness on the floor! Ichiban hit a spin kick on Stetson. The heels hit a team slam on Ichiban for a nearfall but Lucas made the save. Lucas nailed a spinebuster. Stetson jumped in the ring and attacked Ichiban, causing the DQ. The heels kept beating up Ichiban after the bell. Brother Greatness jumped in the ring and took a chair shot meant for Ichiban!
* Steven Stetson got on the mic and was loudly booed. They kept beating up Ichiban. Finally, Tyree Taylor ran in and made the save. However, Stetson jabbed the chair into Tyree’s stomach, then hit him across the back. Tyree got the chair and Steven bailed before he could be hit. Crockett wondered what type of condition will Tyree be in for his match later in the show.
5. Allie Katch, Kennedi (Hardcastle) Copeland, and Gabby Fuerza defeated “The Brats” Shannon Levangie, Paris Van Dale, and Zayda Steel at 9:15. Zayda competed in Chicago last weekend. The thicker, muscular Gabby started with Zayda and she immediately hit a Guerrilla Press slam on Steel. Kennedi jumped in and hit a senton on Zayda, then a bulldog on Paris. Allie and Shannon tagged in for their teams at 2:00. Allie hit her running buttbump to the head and a splash for a nearfall. Gabby hit an impressive double flapjack. She tried to put Shannon on her back, but Shannon got free and hit a Mafia Kick on her.
Zayda hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 5:00, as the Brats kept Gabby in their corner. (Crockett is now calling the show solo and he was doubful that Brother Greatness was returnin to the booth after that chairshot.) Gabby hit a double suplex. Katch made the hot tag at 7:30 and she hit her buttbumps and rolling cannonballs in the corner on heels. Allie hit a double Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall. Shannon hit a top-rope flying double knees on Allie. Paris hit an X-Factor faceplant on Kennedi. Zayda shoved Gabby into Allie. However, Allie rolled up Zayda for the pin! That was fun.
* (I want to applaud something from that match. They were clearly setting up for a spot where Gabby was going to hit a Samoan Drop and a fallaway slam, holding two women at once. I want to applaud Shannon, as she fell off the shoulders. She wisely didn’t ‘climb back’ onto Gabby’s back to hit the planned spot. She rolled with the missed spot and made it work.)
* Jermaine Marbury and Benny the Basketball came to the ring. Marbury’s basketball gimmick shouldn’t work but it’s been fun, and having a life-size mascot also somehow works. Marbury said he wants another title shot. We went to a video screen, where Wrestling Open champion Brad Hollister told Jermaine he would have to beat an opponent of Brad’s choice to get another title shot. (That is the second of these challenges in one show! Change gears, guys!) Jermaine accepted Hollister’s challenge and he also wants that match next week.
6. Ryan Clancy defeated Brad Baylor in a semifinal tournament match at 13:42. Baylor is the 19-year-old heel with the feathered hair that I always say he looks like the villain in every 1980s teen comedy movie. Mat reversals and a feeling-out process early on, and Clancy kept a headlock in place. Baylor snapped Clancy throat-first across the top rope at 4:30 and he took control. Clancy hit some forearms. Baylor hit a powerslam for a nearfall, and he jawed at the crowd as he kept Clancy grounded.
Clancy hit some Atomic Drops at 7:30. Baylor hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. Clancy hit a backbody drop and a clothesline, then a slingshot crossbody block for a nearfall at 10:00. The crowd just hasn’t gotten into this one. Clancy hit a DDT for a nearfall. Baylor set up for a Sharpshooter but Clancy fought free. Baylor hit a second-rope Blockbuster for a nearfall at 12:00, and Baylor was shocked that didn’t get him the win. He hit a shotgun dropkick. Baylor missed a top-rope elbow drop. They traded rollups. Clancy hit a dropkick for the pin. A decent match but yet on the low end of expectations for these two; the crowd just wasn’t there for them.
* Entering this show, I expected Tyree vs. Brad Baylor in the finals. So, I’m already wrong on one semifinal. With Tyree being attacked earlier, I now think he loses the next match and has the ‘excuse’ of his injury earlier. Again, I always describe Tyree as Willie Mack-meets-Shane Taylor, as he’s a big man.
7. TJ Crawford defeated Tyree Taylor in a semifinal tournament match. TJ came out first; Tyree came out solo and he is clutching at his sore ribs. TJ immediately hit some punches to the ribs and a spear to the gut. Tyree hit some loud overhand chops, then a big backbody drop. TJ hit a punt kick to Tyree’s ribs at 2:30. TJ went for a spear but Tyree blocked it. TJ hit a buzzsaw kick to the head at 5:00. Tyree hit a gutbuster over his shoulder and they were both down. Tyree hit a spear into the corner! He hit an enzuigiri in the corner, then a huge hip-toss across the ring, and the crowd was rallying for him.
Tyree nailed a Pounce at 6:30 that sent Crawford flying, and Taylor got a nearfall. TJ hit a springboard stunner and a top-rope doublestomp on the sore ribs for a believable nearfall. He hit some stiff kicks to Tyree’s spine. Tyree fired back with a discus lariat, then a sit-out powerbomb, but they were both down; TJ rolled to the floor at 9:30 to avoid being pinned. Back in the ring, Tyree hit some more big hip-tosses. Tyree nearly hit the ref. TJ poked Tyree in the eyes with the ref out of position, then he nailed the spin kick to the head for the tainted pin. Crockett said it was almost destiny that the finals will be Clancy vs. Crawford.
* Right on cue, Clancy ran into the ring and he pushed his forehead into Crawford’s forehead, as the ring announcer said the finals will be next week. They started traded punches. Eventually, several security guards and wrestlers from the back jumped in the ring and separated them. Clancy got on the mic and vowed he would win the JGPrix next week and kick Crawford’s ass.
Final Thoughts: A solid show. Main event earns best match, with Smokes-Hale earning second. The women’s match was fun and narrowly takes third. I really like both Clancy and Baylor, but perhaps they waited a bit too long to kick their match into second gear, and they simply lost the crowd. I am so impressed with this promotion, as they weave in storylines from week to week and have some nice video packages to set up matches.
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