By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Prestige Wrestling “Roseland 8”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
April 14, 2024 in Portland, Oregon at Roseland Theater
Many of the New Japan Pro Wrestling talents that competed in Chicago on Friday are on this show. Jordan Castle and Brian Zane provided commentary. The ring is fairly-well lit while the packed, sold-out crowd is in the dark. (After the first match, Castle said there are more than 800 here and the show had to start late to get everyone in.) This is a two-level building and it’s standing-room-only.
1. “Midnight Heat” Ricky Gibson and Eddie Pearl defeated “Dirty Breeze” Dirty Dango and (Tyler) Breeze at 12:10. I always say MH have great old-school style. Dirty Breeze hit the ring to a mix of Breeze’s NXT theme and Fandango’s WWE theme. Gibson and Breeze opened. Dango entered, did some dancing, and worked Gibson’s left arm. At 3:00, Gibson got tied up in the ropes, and Dango began a ‘lap dance’ that popped the crowd. “That certainly happened, Jordan,” Zane said. Midnight Heat began working over Breeze in their corner. Breeze hit an enzuigiri and finally made the hot tag to Dango at 9:00.
Dango hit some running back elbows, a Russian Legsweep on Gibson, and he was fired up. They fought to the floor, and Dango hit a corkscrew moonsault from a short stage onto both heels on the floor at 12:00. However, as they got back in the ring, Gibson knocked Dango off the top rope, rolled him up, and scored the pin out of nowhere! Entertaining match.
* It’s time for “Sound Check” with Alan Angels. Balloons were set up in the corner and two chairs in the ring. Last month, Alan Angels stunned everyone by defeating Alex Shelley to win the Prestige title. Angels got in the ring and was pelted by several rolls of toilet paper. He said he loves Portland and “you can practically smell the crack cocaine in the air.” He introduced his special guest, “Evil Uno.” Out came a quite thin person in an oversized T-shirt and a mask. (SO, clearly NOT Evil Uno.) Angels began chastising “Uno” by saying he made him a joke in AEW and “relegated him to a number.”
“Uno” said “I’m sorry, Five,” which ticked off Angels, and the crowd chanted “Five!” So, Angels hit a forearm shot that dropped the guy. He ripped off the man’s shirt and choked him with it. He then hit the masked man with a chairshot to the back. Angels has a match with Uno on May 16. Angels hit the Angels Wings faceplant. Fun segment; the crowd just loves booing Angels. Drexl walked from the back, but Sami Callihan struck him to begin the next match!
2. Sami Callihan defeated Drexl via ref stoppage at 11:46. Callihan hit the Cactus Driver just seconds into the match for a nearfall. They brawled with the balloons and confetti still in the ring from the Sound Check segment. Sami pulled out glossy photos so he could give Drexl some papercuts between his fingers, then he spit lemon juice onto the cuts. They brawled to the floor at 5:00, with Callihan hitting some chops, but he accidentally choped the ring post. In the ring, Drexl had a stapler, and he gave one to Sami! They staped each other’s foreheads at 7:30, then took turns stapling chests, arms, etc. Eventually, Drexl stapled Callihan in the groin (it was always going to that level, right?)
Callihan hit an Exploder Suplex onto an open chair for a nearfall at 9:30. Drexl slammed Sami’s head against a chair in the corner and got a nearfall. Sami hit a piledriver, then another one, but Drexl kept sitting up. So, Sami put a plastic bag over Drexl’s head and choked him; the ref called for the bell and awarded the match to Sami!
* Sami left. Drexl got on the mic and demanded a hardcore match with Callihan the next time they face. The commentators were flabberghasted that the match they just witnessed wasn’t considered “hardcore” to Drexl.
3. “Blackheart” Lio Rush defeated Jaiden at 19:19. I saw someone on Twitter/X compare Lio’s look here to the Boogeyman and that is accurate; he has a giant red heart painted on his chest, a black heart on a rope around his neck, and his face is painted. (“Demon” Finn Balor also is an accurate comparable.) Again, Jaiden is the superhero like The Hurricane or Nikki Ash, wearing a cartoonish green whig and mask around his eyes. They are fairly the same size. They avoided each other’s kicks early on, and Lio choked him. Jaiden hit an enzuigiri at 4:00. Lio hit a pop-up powerbomb, then a dive through the ropes onto Jaiden. He slammed Jaiden on the ring apron. They got back in the ring with Lio in charge, hitting a back suplex for a nearfall at 6:00.
Castle speculated where the “Blackheart” character came from. Jaiden whipped Lio into the corner and landed in a ‘superhero pose.’ Jaiden hit a Code Red for a nearfall at 8:30. Lio slammed Jaiden into a pole, just on the other side of the ring! In the ring, Lio hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 10:30. Lio hit some stunners. Jaiden hit a chokeslam! He hit a frogsplash for a nearfall at 13:00. Lio hit a clothesine and the Final Hour frogsplash for a believable nearfall. Rush drank from the black heart necklace, with some black-colored drink spilling onto his chest, too. Jaiden hit a rolling Death Valley Driver but Lio kicked out at the one-count at 15:30.
Lio grabbed him, set up for a Sister Abigail but instead snapped Jaiden’s neck! Lio hit a second Final Hour for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. We got a “this is awesome!” chant. Lio headed to the back and returned with a red door. Lio handed the black heart to the ref, who was immediately frozen in a catatonic trance. Lio whipped Jaiden into the door in the corner, then he gave Jaiden a German Suplex through it at 18:30. Lio took the black heart out of the ref’s hands, and Lio hit a third Final Hour. He snapped his fingers and the ref immediately dropped to his knees and made the three-count. Well, Lio just did the voodoo gimmick better than Papa Shango ever did.
4. Amira defeated Trish Adora at 8:20. Amira has emerged as a top-tier female talent on the West Coast. An intense lockup to open and both are babyfaces. Trish hit a Boss Woman Slam backbreaker, and she did the splits across Amira’s back. Amira got a backslide for a nearfall at 3:00. Trish hit a hard boot to the shoulder. Amira hit some clotheslines and a spinebuster for a nearfall at 5:00, then a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Adora hit her German Suplex while on her knees for a nearfall. Amira hit a Samoan Drop. Adora hit a neckbreaker over her knee for a nearfall at 7:00. Amira hit a Mark Henry Slam out of nowhere for the clean pin!
* Aubrey Edwards is our special referee and she got a nice pop.
5. Mustafa Ali defeated Kevin Blackwood at 14:23. A nice pop for Ali. Intense standing switches to open, and Ali hit a head-scissors takedown. He got some rollups for nearfalls. However, he crashed head-first into the middle turnbuckle at 3:30 and rolled to the floor. He got up and he has a cut on his forehead. (Quite similar to Friday night in Chicago.) They brawled at ringside and Aubrey checked on Ali to make sure he was good to go. They got back into the ring; Ali went for a crossbody block but Blackwood hit a dropkick for a nearfall. Kevin tied up Ali on the mat and he hit a doublestomp to the back for a nearfall at 6:00.
Ali hit a roundhouse kick. Blackwood hit a clothesline. Ali hit a rollling neckbreaker at 8:30, then a German Suplex for a nearfall. Ali hit a tornado DDT, then he nailed a dive through the ropes onto Blackwood. Back in the ring, Blackwood caught him with a Cave-In Stomp to the chest for a nearfall at 10:00. Ali hit a German Suplex onto the ring apron! That earned a “holy shit!” chant. Ali then nailed a top-rope 450 Splash for a believable nearfall. He missed a second one, and Blackwood immediately hit a Helluva Kick!
Blackwood hit a top-rope back suplex! He then hit the top-rope doublestomp to Ali’s collarbone for a believable nearfall at 13:00 and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Ali hit a superkick. Blackwood hit an enzuigiri. Ali tied Kevin in a Sharpshooter! However, Kevin was able to reach back and pull on Ali’s long hair to escape. They traded rollups, and Ali got a Mousetrap on both arms for the clean pin! Blackwood was in disbelief that he lost. Ali offered a handshake; Blackwood turned and walked away. Really good back-and-forth action.
* Intermission was edited out.
6. Minoru Suzuki defeated Akira at 19:06. They tied up with standing switches as the fans chanted “Murder Grandpa!” Suzuki twisted Akira’s fingers, bent Akira backward, and stomped on his elbow. Suzuki dropped Akira with a forearm at 5:30. He applied a Triangle Choke in the ropes, then an Octopus in the ropes. He jawed at the referee. They went to the floor, where Suzuki hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest at 7:00. Suzuki hit Akira’s arm! They kept trading forearms and chops at ringside, with Akira knocked down, seated on the lap of a fan. In the ring, Suzuki applied an anklelock at 10:00.
Akira applied a leg lock around the neck as Minoru was tied in the ropes. The crowd chanted “We Want Murder!” Akira hit some forearm strikes that had little effect. He it a pair of Dragonscrew Legwhips and a Saito Suplex then a running Penalty Kick. Akira put his arms behind his back and invited Suzuki to hit him! The crowd of course chanted “You f—ed up!” and “Grandpa’s gonna kill you!” Suzuki hit a forearm strike that dropped Akira at 15:00. Akira got up; Suzuki hit another forearm that dropped him.
Suzuki hit some more forearms but Akira stayed on his feet. Suzuki applied a sleeper but Akira fought free. Suzuki applied a sleeper from the corner, hanging Akira off the mat. Akira tried to apply a hammerlock but Suzuki fought it. Akira hit a German Suplex for a nearfall and he kept Suzuki grounded. Akira set up for a Gotch-style Piledriver and was booed! Suzuki fought free. Suzuki applied his own sleeper, then hit the Gotch-style Piledriver for the clean pin. That was fun, even though the winner was never in doubt.
7. Miyu Yamashita defeated Kylie Rae at 15:41. As I recently noted, Kylie is recently back in the ring after getting birth and she looks great and back in peak form. Miyu seems slightly taller and thicker, and they opened in a knuckle lock. Kylie hit a stiff kick to the spine at 3:00, which only ticked Miyu off. Miyu mockingly did the Kylie happy girl pose. This made Kylie angry, and she kicked Miyu in the corner. Kylie hit a side slam for a nearfall at 5:00 and she kept Miyu grounded. Miyu hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 7:00 and she began stomping on Kylie. She hit a hard kick in the corner that sent Kylie to the floor.
Miyu hit a running Penalty Kick on the ring apron. In the ring, Miyu now applied a Koji Clutch and she kept Kylie grounded. Kylie hit a Buzzsaw Kick for a nearfall at 10:00. Kylie caught her with a superkick; Miyu hit a Skull Kick, and they both collapsed at 11:30. Kylie hit a punch that dropped Miyu, and Rae was fired up, hitting a rolling cannonball for a nearfall at 13:30. Miyu hit a spin kick to the head. Kylie hit a Russian Legsweep and applied a crossface. She hit a Superkick for a nearfall at 15:00. Miyu nailed the Skull Kick to the side of the head for the pin. Really good action. I never thought Kylie was winning here but she got in a lot of offense.
8. “Bullet Club War Dogs” David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, and Clark Connors defeated Sonico and “C4” Guillermo Rosas and Cody Chhun at 15:27. The BCWD attacked from behind to start the match. Finlay got on the mic and ripped the crowd. He told the ref that this is a “War Dogs Rules” match which means no DQs and no tags. So, all six began brawling again. They all brawled to the floor. Connor and Chhun squared off. Sonico hit a top-rope splash onto everyone on the floor at 4:00. In the ring, the babyfaces all hit punches on the heels in different corners as the crowd counted along.
The BCWD began working over Rosas in the ring. Sonico hit a crossbody block on Connors at 7:00. Chhun hit a series of jab punches on Finlay, then a DDT, and he spun to his feet and got a pop. Kidd hit a brainbuster on Chhun for a nearfall at 9:00. Connors hit a spear for a nearfall. We got a “F— you, War Dogs!” chant. Finlay hit a Shield-style powerbomb on Cody for a nearfall at 10:30. Finlay hit an Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee on Sonico for a nearfall. Sonico hit a springboard flying press on Finlay. C4 hti a high-low combo on Finlay for a nearfall at 12:30, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant.
Rosas and Kidd got up and traded forearm strikes, and Rosas hit a spinning back fist; Kidd hit a decapitating clothesline. Kidd hit a piledriver. Finlay hit a hard Dominator faceplant on Sonico. Chhun hit a Cody Cutter on Finlay, then one on Connors for a believable nearfall at 15:00. Connors cut Chhun in half with a spear, then he nailed the No Chaser spike DDT for the pin! A bit surprising, not just that Connors was the guy scoring the pin, but that he won it cleanly. Really good brawl.
9. Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Daniel Makabe at 22:07. Makabe is the aging mat-based indy wrestler who is on his retirement tour; I always say he looks like a puffier Alex Shelley. Aubrey is back as referee. Quick mat reversals early on. The typical Sabre match where there isn’t a lot to describe but the action is engaging. Makabe grapevined the leg at 8:00. This crowd is fully behind hometown wrestler Makabe. They traded European Uppercuts. Makabe got a Cattle Mutiliation but Sabre rolled through it to escape, and he stomped on the left elbow at 11:00. Sabre hit a Pele Kick to the left shoulder; Makabe hit a straight punch to the jaw and they were both down at 13:00.
Makabe hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. He hit a modified German Suplex for a nearfall. Sabre applied a Figure Four Leglock on the mat. He locked in a front guillotine choke at 17:30. Makabe went back to a Cattle Mutilation, but Sabre reached the ropes. Sabre applied an Octopus but Makabe was able to grab a leg and hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip. Nice reversal. Sabre applied a double-armbar, and locked them both with his legs, cranked back on them, and Makabe submitted. A very good mat-based match.
Final Thoughts: Wow I can see fans coming with quite a list of what was best here depending on their preferred style. I’ll go with Ali-Blackwood ahead of Miyu-Kylie, and the War Dogs match for third. Both the main event and the bizarre Lio-Jaiden match were really good too. Akira brought a great fight to Suzuki as well. I admittedly have never been enthralled with Makabe’s mat-based work, but Sabre is so good and entertaining, and they naturally clicked.
I’m not sure what I think of Lio Rush’s reworked voodoo-style gimmick. He’s so good that it feels like he doesn’t need to go this route, but he really committed to it here, from the scary makeup, the bloody drink from the black heart around his neck, and mesmerizing the referee. The crowd enjoyed it in the way fans do with any hocus-pocus match. I’m unclear if we’ll be seeing Lio doing this gimmick around the country, or if this was just for a match with Jaiden. All that said, this was a top-notch indy show and everyone involved should be happy with the final product.
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