By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, GCW, MLW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
Freelance Pro Wrestling “In Freelance We Trust”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
April 13, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois at Logan Square Auditorium
This show sold out weeks ago, although the crowd is perhaps 250-300 in this small room. Lighting is good and the crowd is HOT for this promotion. Dave Prazak is on commentary.
1. Darius Latrell defeated Wes Barkley, Alfonso Gonzalez, Chico Suave, Gunner Brave and El Torero in a scramble at 6:23. Chico is a rotund luchador who has similar ring gear as Gringo Loco. Basketball player Latrell is much taller than everyone else, and they all jumped on Darius at the bell. The masked Torero hit a flip dive to the floor at 2:00. In the ring, Latrell beat up Chico and Gunner. Chico hit a Samoan Drop. Barkley hit a Jarrett-style Stroke faceplant. Latrell hit a swinging Flatliner for the pin. Solid, short scramble.
2. Trevor Outlaw (w/Frank the Clown) defeated Regan Lydale at 5:14. Outlaw attacked her from behind and stomped her on the mat! He isn’t tall; they are fairly the same height. He hit a DDT out of the ropes for a nearfall at 1:30, then a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall. Regan hit a Pounce at 4:00 and that popped the crowd. He hit a swinging neckbreaker and he applied an Anaconda Vice on the mat, and she tapped out. Just with Outlaw’s character… I expected him to cheat to win so I’m surprised this was a clean victory. He hit a post-match Pedigree and was loudly booed.
3. Shane Mercer and Craig Mitchell (w/James Russo) defeated Robbie Reeves and Stone Ambrose and “PME” Philly Collins & Marino Tenaglia in a three-way tag match at 9:09. Mercer has muscles on his muscles and has become a regular in GCW. Mitchell is more rotund but he also has good size. Reeves is the teen with thick floppy hair, while Reeves is short with a buzz cut, and they definitely have less experience than the other teams here. Mercer immediately picked up Ambrose in a Guerrilla Press and threw him from the ring and OVER the guardrail onto fans (plants?) in the crowd. WOW that is strength. Mitchell dropped Reeves with one punch! Just 70 seconds in, and it appears like it’s a regular tag match.
PME hit Sliced Breads on Mitchell and Mercer. Tenaglia hit a dive to the floor. Ambrose has recovered from being thrown and he hit a top-rope splash onto everyone on the floor at 3:30. In the ring, Mercer tossed another guy onto several opponents, then he hit a fallaway slam on Tenaglia and a bodyslam on Collins. Mercer hit some crossface blows on Reeves and posed while standing on Robbie’s back at 7:00. Reeves fired up and hit some punches. Tenaglia hit a Superkick, and PME hit a team Faceplant for a believable nearfall on Reeves.
Ambrose hit a Code Red. Mitchell hit a package piledriver on Ambrose, and Mercer immediately hit Moonsault & Battery/second-rope fallaway slam on Ambrose. Mercer then tossed the lifeless Ambrose at Mitchell, who caught him and hit a sit-out powerbomb for the pin. I LOVE watching Mercer toss around guys smaller than him. I’ll guess Ambrose is 160-170 pounds, and to see Mercer just pick him up and throw him from the ring and into the crowd is just incredible.
4. Kylie Rae defeated Koda Hernandez at 13:03. If you’ve read my reviews, I consider Koda to be among the best Midwest talents and ready to break out on a national scene. Kylie, of course, is wildly popular, but she is significantly smaller and lighter than him. He immediately tied up her left arm and kept her grounded. She fired up and hit some punches, then a running Meteora in the corner for a nearfall at 5:00. He hit snap suplexes, then set up for a suplex and hit a faceplant for a nearfall at 7:00. She hit some clotheslines and a buzzsaw kick for a nearfall at 9:00. He hit a running basement dropkick for a nearfall.
Kylie spun him to the mat and applied a crossface. He teased tapping out but was able to reach the ropes at 11:30. Koda hit a dropkick on the ring apron, sending her to the floor. Darin Corbin snuck in the ring and hit a stunner on Koda! (Koda has wanted to challenge Corbin for his title for a while.) Kylie, who had been down on the floor, jumped in the ring, covered Koda and pinned him. She didn’t see the outside interference. I don’t see how this match helped either of them, but it keeps the Corbin-Koda feud going.
5. Isaias Velasquez and Sabin Gauge defeated Davey Bang and August Matthews at 10:56. Gauge usually teams with Koda, but instead is here with the smaller Velasquez. Isaias and Sabin came out first and they dove onto Bang and Matthews as those two walked to the ring (I start stopwatch at first contact). In the ring, Gauge hit a Dragon Suplex on Matthews for a nearfall at 1:30. They rolled to the floor, where they beat up Matthews against a guardrail, then worked him over in their corner. Velasquez applied a half-crab at 5:00.
Matthews hit an enzuigiri, then a half-nelson suplex, and made the diving hot tag to Bang at 7:00. Bang hit some clotheslines and a dropkick in the corner on Velasquez. Velasquez hit a Poison Rana. Sabin hit a top-rope doublestomp on Bang for a nearfall at 9:00. Bang hit a Death Valley Driver on Velasquez. Bang nailed the Spears Tower, then a plancha to the floor. Matthews issed a 450 Splash. Gauge hit a low blow mule kick on Matthews, rolled him up, and scored the tainted pin. Good action while it lasted.
6. Darin Corbin defeated Effy and Sonny Kiss in a three-way to retain the Freelance Legacy Title at 8:13. Corbin came out first, Legacy title over his shoulder and a cartoonish crown on his head. Sonny was a surprise and the crowd POPPED. Effy and Kiss immediately kicked Corbin and sent him to the floor. Effy and Sonny then did some lewd humor and traded punches. Sonny hit a running huracanrana on Corbin at 3:30. Corbin hit a moonsault press onto both opponents. Effy hit a double Blockbuster at 6:00. Effy hit running Mafia Kicks in opposite corners on each opponent. Sonny accidentally collided with Effy! Corbin immediately hit a stunner and pinned Sonny to retain his title. Okay match; the crowd loved the humor.
7. Mustafa Ali defeated Storm Grayson to ‘win’ the Freelance Title at 15:57. Ali came out first with the TNA X Division Title belt around his waist; no sign of his Dreamwave title. Storm hit a clothesline at the bell and some stomps before the bell (and I start my stopwatch at first contact.) They rolled to the floor. Grayson hit a piledriver on the ring apron at 1:00! It appears Ali is busted open (he bled the night before against HIromu Takahashi at Windy City Riot.) Yes, he stood up and has a trickle of blood as he slowly pulled himself back into the ring. The ref rang the bell at 2:15 on my stopwatch! Ali hit some punches, but Grayson hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall, and he applied a rear-naked choke on the mat.
Ali hit a head-scissors takedown and a dropkick. They went to the floor, where Ali clotheslined him over the guardrail and into the crowd. He then dove through the ropes onto Grayson among the empty chairs, and fans chanted “holy shit!” In the ring, Grayson hit a second-rope superplex and a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 6:00. Ali hit some clotheslines and punches and was fired up, then his rolling neckbreaker at 7:30. He hit a running double kneestrike in the corner. Grayson came off the top rope but Ali caught him with a dropkick for a nearfall.
Ali missed a 450 Splash but landed on his feet; Grayson immediately hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 9:00. Ali hit a German Suplex, then another. Ali crashed hard against the second rope, and Grayson immediately hit a kneestrike to the side of the head for a believable nearfall. Grayson hit another kneestrike, then a third, getting a believable nearfall at 11:00. Storm rolled to the floor and grabbed the title belt. The ref grabbed it and they fought over it. Ali accidentally hit the ref! Grayson hit a DDT onto the title belt, the ref woke up and counted, and we had a believable nearfall, and the crowd popped for the kickout.
Ali nailed a Sunset Flip Powerbomb out of the corner at 13:30. He set up for a 450 Splash but Grayson was able to roll to the floor, and the crowd booed. Grayson grabbed his belt and walked to the back. However, Darius Latrell and other guys stood on the stage and refused to let him leave! Storm tried to leave through the crowd, but fans wouldn’t let him leave, either! So, Storm got back into the ring. Ali hit a tornado DDT! He nailed a 450 Splash for the pin at 15:57. “New champion!!!” Prazak shouted! “History is made at Logan Square Auditorium!” The wrestlers who had stopped Grayson from leaving had surrounded the ring and were pounding on the mat. Again, official time is about 13:42, bell-to-bell.
But wait! We have a second referee! This ref is saying that Grayson had a foot on the bottom rope. The crowd booed this announcement! The match was restarted!
7b. Storm Grayson defeated Mustafa Ali via DQ to retain the Freelance Title at 1:43. They traded punches and forearms but were both wobbly. Grayson hit a clothesline. Ali hit two superkicks. Grayson hit a low blow kick, then he shoved the referee to the mat, and the ref called for the bell. Storm punched Kylie Rae! The crowd reacted in horror. ALL the wrestlers at ringside jumped in the ring and we had quite a melee as we went off the air. “It is chaos here, folks!” Prazak shouted.
Final Thoughts: A very good main event and the expected ‘out’ for Grayson to retain his title. Boy I hate ‘Dusty Finishes’ of having shown the popular babyface win a title, only to snatch it away from him. I just don’t think it does any good to have the show go off the air with your fans chanting “bullshit!” at what they just watched. But, it’s definitely match of the night. So if you have IWTV, at least tune in for that.
While nothing else here was stellar, it is still worth pointing out how awesome it is to see Shane Mercer toss around other human beings like they are ragdolls. No debuts here; I was familiar with everyone on this show, and the crowd is into this roster. I know I’m repetitive here, but why have two intergender matches? Why not jut pair Kylie vs. Regan, and Outlaw with Koda? You could still have the same finish of Koda getting screwed by Darin Corbin, but with heel Outlaw being the beneficiary of the outside interference; in fact that works much better than babyface Kylie getting a win she didn’t deserve.
Be the first to comment