By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, Impact Wrestling, MLW, ROH, GCW, 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
Action Wrestling “Forever”
Replay available via Independentwrestling.tv
April 26, 2024 in Tyrone, Georgia at Roger Spencer Community Center
This is at their training center, which is a large pole barn. The crowd is about 300-400. Lighting is good.
* The show opened with Adam Priest in the ring, and he’s in his street clothes. He said Krule has never beaten him in a regular pro wrestling match. He said if he can’t beat Krule tonight, he will leave Action Wrestling for good!
1. 1 Called Manders defeated Alex Kane (w/The Good Hand) to win the Action Wrestling Title at 14:23. Manders appeared on ROH TV this week, and of course they both have in MLW. They jawed at each other and Kane slapped him in the face. They immediately brawled to the floor, and Manders shoved him head-first into the ring post at 1:00. In the ring, Manders hit a shoulder tackle. Kane snapped Manders’ left arm across the top rope, then he hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. Manders dropped Kane stomach-first across the top rope, and they were both down at 5:00. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees. Kane hit a splash on the ring apron, then a slingshot suplex for a nearfall at 7:30, then a German Suplex.
Manders hit a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall, but the Good Hand pulled the ref from the ring! Manders dove through the ropes onto them. The Good Hand were ordered to the back. Kane hit another German Suplex and an Angle Slam for a believable nearfall at 9:30, and he was shocked he didn’t get the win there. Manders hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Kane hit a clothesline for his own nearfall. Manders hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall at 12:00. They traded chops while on their knees. Kane tackled Manders and repeatedly punched him in the face. Kane hit a release suplex, then a German Suplex for a nearfall. Manders hit a clothesline to the back of the neck, then a decapitating clothesline for the pin! New champion! An excellent match by both men, and a surprising title change.
2. Cody Fluffman and Sean Legacy defeated Slime SZN” Bu Ku Dao and Jaden Spade at 7:38. Dao is 5’0″. Fluffman is the heavy partier dancing to the ring; he’s essentially Blue Meanie. Spade wears a headband and purple, and I can’t help but compare his looks to Velveteen Dream. Legacy has a good physique and I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him. Fluffman steamrolled his weight over Spade for some comedy. Legacy hit a standing moonsault at 1:30. Spade kept Legacy grounded. Dao hit a snap suplex. Fluffman hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 5:30. Dao and Legacy traded forearm strikes. Fluffman popped Dao in the air, and Legacy hit a forearm strike to pin Dao. Entertaining enough. Legacy is the one to watch of this bunch.
3. Darian Bengston defeated Dex Royal at 9:13. Bengston recently wrestled on AEW TV. I’m a big fan of both of these guys. Dex is a babyface in the Midwest but he’s a heel here and it is just an amazing, startling difference; it really struck me last time I watched an Action show to see him sneer and snarl at the crowd. Good, fast-paced mat reversals early on. Dex took control and choked him in the ropes and he hit a basement dropkick at 5:00. Bengston hit an enzuigiri then a top-rope corkscrew press for a nearfall. Dex hit a superkick and a springboard crossbody block, then a frogsplash for a believable nearfall at 7:30. Dex hit some buzzsaw kicks and a Buckle Bomb, then a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Dex missed a top-rope doublestomp. Darian hit a swinging Flatliner out of the ropes, then a flying clothesline for the pin. I really liked this.
4. “Out of this World” Arik Royal, BK Westbrook, and Ella Envy defeated Rachel Armstrong and “Squatting Dragons” Erron Wade and Kody Manhorn at 12:08. I really like the heel OotW team; BK and Ella kissed on their way to the ring and were booed. Kody is shorter with blond hair; Wade has brown hair and a bushy beard. Ella is in NWA and Rachel has competed all over the U.S. this year; the women opened against each other. Kody entered and traded mat holds with BK. The babyfaces hit stereo dropkicks on the massive Arik. Wade entered and hit some spin kicks on Royal. Ella tripped Kody at 4:30, and it allowed the heels to begin working him over.
Ella hit a running buttbump in the corner and she got a nearfall. Royal tossed BK onto Kody then BK hit a running Shooting Star Press onto Kody. Royal hit a Guerrilla Press at 8:30, tossing Kody into the turnbuckles. Rachel hopped in the ring and hit a Thesz Press and punches on Ella. Ella hit a Black Hole Slam on Rachel. Rachel hit a Sliced Bread on BK. Cody hit a flying forearm. He hit a Death Valley Driver on the bigger Royal! Wade hit a top-rope 450 Splash for a nearfall, but he was pulled from the ring at 11:00. Wade hit a spinning heel kick. Royal hit a Pounce on Wade, then a top-rope flying kneedrop on Wade for the pin. Good match.
5. “The Good Hand” Suge D and Kevin Ryan defeated Matt Sells and Jaden Newman in a street fight to win the Action Tag Team Titles at 12:46. Again, Suge D is perhaps best known as “Pineapple Pete,” Chris Jericho’s sworn nemesis at the AEW pandemic-era tapings in Jacksonville. Sells is a blond biker in his denim jacket. Newman has short, dark hair; think VSK. All four brawled at the bell and they all immediately went to the floor. In the ring, Suge D hit several running back elbows on Sells. Sells and Newman set up for a double suplex, but Ryan hit them both with chairshots to the back at 2:30. Matthews hit a coast-to-coast dropkick onto chairs over Sells’ face, and Suge D made a cover for a nearfall.
Newman dropkicked a ladder that was being held by the heels. The babyfaces now got chairs and struck at the ladder that was on top of the heels at 5:00. Sells tied Suge D in a crossface, while Newman had Ryan in an inverted Boston Crab! Newman slammed chairs on the heels. The Wall and another heel hit the ring! The commentators shouted that this is no-DQ and legal. Sells put the ladder over his head and spun, hitting all the heels. Alex Kane hit the ring and hit a German Suplex on Sells, then a suplex into the corner.
Newman got a chair and hit Kane and Suge D with it. The heels hit a team slam on Newman onto a folded chair at 11:00. All five heels were now in the ring and beating on the champs. Suge D has a small hammer and he hit Newman in the stomach with it, then on the hand. The heels held Sells back as Suge D continued to hit Newman. Sells shouted, “I tap!” and he tapped out to stop the assault on Newman. Good brawl.
* As an additional stipulation of the match, Matt Sells sat down in a barber’s chair in the ring and allowed the heels to begin to cut off his mohawk! They taunted him and said they were going to enjoy doing this. Sells grabbed the razor from the heels and cut off his hair himself, depriving the heels of getting to do it. The heels were irate that they were robbed of getting to shave him.
* Intermission wasn’t edited out but I wasn’t watching live, so I zipped over it.
6. Mustafa Ali defeated Landon Hale to retain the TNA X Division Title at 15:45. Hale is a regular in the Northeast and I’ve compared him to a young Matt Taven. The commentators said it’s the biggest singles match of his career. The commentators were shocked the X Division was on the line! An intense lockup to open and they worked each other’s left arm. They traded deep armdrags, and they both kipped up at 1:30. They traded faster reversals and Ali got a nearfall out of nowhere. Ali hit a head-scissors takedown and grounded Hale. Hale hit his own head-scissors takedown and deep armdrag.
Ali hit a chop; Hale hit a back chop at 5:00. Ali took charge. Hale whipped Ali into the corner, with Ali crashing head-first onto the middle turnbuckle, and Hale got a nearfall at 6:30. Hale hit a short-arm clothesline. Ali got an O’Connor Roll for a nearfall. He leapt off the ropes but Hale caught him with a dropkick for a nearfall. Ali hit a Buckshot Lariat out of the corner, then a rolling neckbreaker at 9:00, then a dive onto Hale on the floor, and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. In the ring, Ali missed a 450 Splash. He spun Hale to the mat and tied up Hale’s head. Ali switched to a Sharpshooter at 10:30, then switched to a crossface, but Hale got a foot on the ropes.
Hale has a cut on the back of his head, and Ali wiped it on his chest. Hale hit a stunner, then a Lethal Injection and a backbreaker over his knee, then a second-rope moonsault for a nearfall. Hale leapt off the ropes, but Ali caught him and hit a German Suplex. Hale hit an enzuigiri. Ali hit a sunset flip powerbomb at 13:30. They fought on the top rope, and Hale hit a Spanish Fly for a nearfall, and they were both down. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees, then while standing. Hale hit a leaping knee. Hale put Ali on his shoulders, but Ali escaped, rolled him up, and scored the pin. Good match and a fun, fresh finish. Sure, the winner was never in doubt, but Hale really looked good here.
* Ali got on the mic and said he’s the best super junior in the world right now. He put over Hale. He then said “the ring is yours,” and he left so Hale could soak up the crowd applause.
7. Krule defeated Adam Priest via DQ to retain the IWTV Heavyweight Title at 13:51. Quite a height difference here; this is akin to Kane wrestling Jaime Noble, as those are their comparables. Krule bulldozed him with a shoulder tackle. Priest tried a hammerlock but Krule easily escaped, with Priest falling to the floor. In the ring, Krule hit a side slam at 2:30, and they brawled to the floor. Krule slammed Priest on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Krule easily tossed Priest across the ring and remained in charge. Priest hit a shoulder block to the thigh, then a DDT onto the ring apron at 6:00, and they both fell to the floor.
In the ring, Priest applied a Figure Four Leglock. Krule applied his own modified Figure Four, but Priest reached the ropes at 9:30. They both peeled down their straps and traded chops. Priest hit a German Suplex and another DDT. Priest hit a top-rope guillotine legdrop for a believable nearfall at 11:30. Priest went to the top rope but Krule grabbed him, raked his eyes, and tossed him to the mat. Priest hit a DDT on the ref! The commentators weren’t sure if Priest was blinded or not when he hit the move. A second ref ran in. Priest hit another DDT and scored the pin! New champion! But wait… the referees had a conference and it was determined that Priest was disqualified for hitting the referee.
* The promoter said this needs to be decided once and for all, so Krule vs. Adam Priest will take place in a steel cage at the next show on June 21!
Final Thoughts: An entertaining show. Ali-Hale was really good and takes best match. Manders-Kane was good with a surprise title change for second. I’ll take the really good Royal-Bengton match for third, ahead of the main event. The crowd was really happy with what they saw here.
Be the first to comment