By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Black Label Pro Wrestling “Showdown on the Shoreline”
Replay available via TrillerTV+
May 5, 2024 in Michigan City, Indiana at Shoreline Brewery
Michigan City is on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, and is near the Indiana/Michigan border. This is an outdoor show in a parking lot next to a brewery, and it’s nice and sunny. The crowd is maybe 150, and I hope no one takes a back bump on the pavement. Alfonso Gonzalez and Dave Prazak provided commentary; Prazak immediately joked about shows he’s done where the crowds were small. He added there are 11 matches on this show, and this is Dave’s first outdoor show of the year.
1. “Latinos Most Wanted” Koda Hernandez and Sabin Gauge defeated Eli Isom and Heather Reckless at 9:34. I always feel I need to point out that Heather is listed at 4’9″ and just not believable against these bigger, stronger, athletic men. Eli and Koda opened with quick reversals, tried simultaneous dropkicks, and had a standoff at 1:30. Sabin and Heather entered and he mocked her height. She hit some armdrags that defied gravity and logic. Eli and Heather did a wishbone and snapped Koda’s legs apart, and Eli got in some offense.
Koday hit a uranage on Eli at 4:30. Koda hit three snap suplexes on Eli. Eli hit a Flatliner at 6:30. Heather made the hot tag, as did Sabin, and she hit a running kick in the corner for a nearfall. Sabin nailed a brainbuster. He hit a double Pele Kick then a crossbody block on Eli. Sabin hit a top-rope doublestomp on Eli, who was lying across Koda’s shoulders, and Koda scored the pin on Eli. Solid match.
2. Trevor Outlaw defeated Davey Vega at 6:28. Outlaw is clean-shaven again; the beard is gone, and he jawed at fans on his way to the ring. I always compare Vega to Cameron Grimes. Outlaw stalled in the ropes at the bell. They brawled to the floor and Vega hit some chops, and he let fans in the front row hit chops. As they got in the ring, Outlaw hit a DDT for a nearfall at 3:30. He hit a belly-to-belly suplex and he grounded Vega. Vega hit a Flatliner, sending Outlaw crashing into the middle turnbuckle, for a nearfall. Outlaw hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall at 6:00. Vega hit an enzuigiri. Outlaw got a rollup with a handful of tights for the cheap victory.
3. Aeroboy defeated Manik (a/k/a Suicide) at 10:08. Aeroboy’s mask looks like one Rey Mysterio would wear and Prazak said he’s 33. Whoever is in the costume these days, he was “Suicide” in recent weeks on the East Coast but he’s Manik here. (This is outdoors and appears to be a family-friendly event so that name makes sense.) Standing switches to open and quick lucha reversals; whoever is in the mask is an accomplished wrestler. Aeroboy grounded Manik, and he hit a suplex at 3:30. They brawled on the floor, where Aeroboy slammed Manik’s head onto the ring apron. Back in the ring, Aeroboy started untying Manik’s mask.
Manik hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor at 5:30 as a train rumbled by and we heard its horn; Prazak thought it was funny. In the ring, Aeroboy hit a running neckbreaker for a nearfall, and he jawed at the ref. They traded chops. Aeroboy hit a Facewash kick. Manik hit a shotgun dropkick and a swinging sideslam for a believable nearfall at 9:00. Aeroboy hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall, then a sliding forearm. He nailed a top-rope frogsplash for the pin. Fine match. Prazak said he thinks the sliding forearm knocked Manik out.
4. Vinny Pacifica and Gaston LaRue and Percy Drews defeated Dominic Garrini and Xay Garcia and Sid Von Engeland at 12:41. I’m familiar with Garrini, and seen Vinny a couple times but I really don’t know the rest. Prazak said Xay and Sid are students of Garrini’s school. LaRue and the white, bald Von Engeland opened. Prazak said Sid is a 10-year veteran but has been in the UK. LaRue has a similar look to Matt Jackson. Sid took gum out of his mouth and shoved it in Gaston’s mouth at 2:30 which certainly drew disgust from the crowd. Xay is a Black man with a small gut; he entered and hit a senton for a nearfall. Garrini entered and hit some hard chops on Drews at 5:00, and Dominic’s team kept Drews in their corner. Drews is white, skinny, and tattoo sleeves up both arms, and I don’t think I’ve seen him before.
Pacifica entered, and he began working over Xay Garcia. Dominic got the hot tag at 9:00 and he hit some chops on Gaston and Percy, then back suplexes on each of them. Pacifica jumped in the ring and he traded forearm strikes with Garrini, and this has been the best exchange of the match. Garrini hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. Pacifica hit an Angle Slam for a nearfall at 11:00. Percy hit a brainbuster for a nearfall. Garrini applied a sleeper on Pacifica. LaRue hit Sid with his book! Percy immediately rolled up Sid for the tainted pin. This one didn’t work for me except the Garrini-Pacifica exchange; the other four just didn’t stand out.
5. Rico Gonzalez defeated Calibus at 12:22. Calibus wears a white mask and a long black robe. The well-traveled Gonzalez wrestled for GCW in Florida on Friday. Standing reversals and a feeling-out process to open. Rico hit a flying head-scissors takedown at 2:30. Calibus hit a jumping knee to the chest. Rico hit a clothesline and they were both down. They brawled to the floor at 4:30 and traded chops in front of the crowd. Rico teased he was going to suplex Calibus into the rows of chairs, but Calibus blocked it. In the ring, Calibus hit a huracanrana and a buzzsaw kick at 7:30.
Calibus hit a top-rope inverted moonsault to the floor; that was a high-risk move I didn’t expect to see out here! Rico tied Calbus in the Tree of Woe and kicked him then he hit a chokeslam-style slam with his palm on Calibus’ chest. Calibus hit a suplex for a nearfall; these two are going all-out. Rico hit a piledriver move for a believable nearfall at 10:30. Calibus hit a belly-to-belly toss into the corner, then a top-rope 450 Splash for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. Rico hit a top-rope doublestomp to the chest to score the pin. That was really good and certainly topped my expectations
6. Jake Something defeated Danhausen at 9:19. Danhausen was on the same GCW show as Rico Gonzalez in Tampa on Friday, and I presume Jake wrestled the day before for TNA. They locked up and Jake easily shoved him to the mat. Jake hit a series of shoulder tackles. Danhausen leapt off the ropes but Jake caught him with a forearm at 3:30. Jake hit a delayed vertical suplex and remained in charge. Jake hit a spear into the corner for a nearfall at 5:30. Danhausen hit a headbutt. Jake charged into the corner, but Danhausen moved, and Jake crashed shoulder-first into the corner, and they were both down at 7:00. Danhausen hit a German Suplex. He got his jar of teeth and dumped them into Jake’s mouth, then kicked him in the face for a nearfall. Jake nailed the Black Hole Slam for the pin. Really an extended squash, as Jake really dominated.
* Intermission wasn’t edited out.
7. Rachel Armstrong defeated Aleah James, Shazza McKenzie and Maggie Lee to retain the Arbos Big Cheese Title at 10:48. Armstrong carried her “Arbos Big Cheese” title she won at a wrestling convention show last week. Is this really being defended like any other title belt? I guess so. Worth reiterating how much taller Maggie is; the other three are roughly the same height and weight. All four fought at the bell; Shazza and Maggie are presented as the heels. Rachel hit a double clothesline. Leah hit a shotgun dropkick on Rachel. Maggie hit a running knee to the side of Rachel’s head, then a Stomp on Aleah at 1:30. Maggie hit a basement dropkick to Aleah’s chest and she remained in charge.
Maggie held one of Aleah’s arms and legs and yanked her around the ring post, and she jawed at fans. In the ring, Shazza beat down Aleah and hit a snap suplex at 5:30. Rachel hit a top-rope double crossbody block. They did a tower spot out of the corner and all four were down. They all traded blows while on their knees, then while standing. Aleah hit a double DDT on both heels at 9:30. Shazza hit a back suplex and a running knee into the corner on Rachel. Aleah hit a roundhouse kick to Shazza’s head for a nearfall. Rachel hit a top-rope 450 Splash on Shazza for the pin. Really good showing from all four.
8. Joshua Bishop defeated Dex Royal at 7:31. Joshua has the big height and overall size advantage; he’s wearing a brace on his right shoulder. Dex hit a hard dropkick at 2:00. Bishop backed him into a corner and hit a series of chops and punches. Dex hit a spear for a nearfall at 4:30. Dex leapt off the ropes but Bishop cut him in half with a spear for a nearfall. Bishop flipped Dex off his shoulders and Dex nearly landed on his head; he rotated and protected himself at the last moment but it made me jump. Dex hit a frogsplash for a nearfall at 6:30, then a superkick. Bishop hit a headbutt and a hard clothesline, then a Razor’s Edge-style overhead powerbomb for the pin. Good big-man match.
9. Davey Bang and August Matthews defeated “The Highlight Reel” Damien and Damon Reel to retain the BLP Tag Team Titles at 14:02. I still cannot tell the Reel twins apart. Matthews opened; he’s wearing a sweatshirt as it is cool but sunny. He brawled to the floor with the Reel brother. The Reels worked over Bang in the ring. They hit a team Flatliner move on Matthews at 6:00. Bang grounded a Reel and worked the left arm. A Reel made a hot tag and hit a uranage at 10:00.
The Reels stood on opposite corners and hit stereo coast-to-coast dropkicks, then simultaneous moonsaults for nearfalls at 12:00. Bang hit a top-rope crossbody block. Bang went for the Spears Tower, but the Reels blocked it. Matthews hit an enzuigiri in the corner. BandM hit stereo doublestomps to the back. Bang then hit the Spears Tower for the pin. The last half of that match was really good.
10. Billie Starkz defeated Myron Reed in an intergender match at 11:44. Billie had her ROH title. An intense lockup and he worked her left arm. She got angry and slapped him in the face at 2:30. He hit a basement dropkick and an enzuigiri. He tied her up and kept her grounded. Billie hit a backbreaker over her knee. She hit running kicks to his face in the corner and got a nearfall at 6:30. Myron hit a hard clothesline and a superkick. Billie hit a twisting neckbreaker over her knee for a nearfall at 8:30.
Myron hit a slingshot leg drop for a nearfall. Mryon hit his flying stunner over the top rope, with them both crashing to the floor! She slammed him face-first on the apron. In the ring, Billie hit a Poison Rana, then a Tombstone Piledriver for a believable nearfall. She hit a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall. He hit a Mafia Kick. He put her feet on the top rope and hit a face plant for a believable nearfall at 11:00. He hit his kip-up stunner for a nearfall. She got a rollup out of nowhere for the clean pin. Wow, that was really good action.
11. Kevin Ku defeated Flamita to retain the Black Label Pro Heavyweight Title at 15:34. Flamita was in pink pants and mask today.They shook hands and had an intense lockup. Ku has the size advantage and he grounded Flamita early. Flamita hit a tornado DDT at 2:30. They rolled to the floor, where Ku hit some chops. In the ring, Ku tied him in a bow-and-arrow at 6:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes and chops. Flamita hit a dive to the floor and they were both down. In the ring, Flamita hit a Tiger Driver for a nearfall. He went for a frogsplash, but Ku got his knees up to block it. Moments later, Flamita hit the frogsplash for a believable nearfall at 10:00.
They got up and traded more forearm strikes. Ku hit a powerbomb move for a nearfall, then switched to an anklelock. Flamita hit a second-rope moonsault to the floor, and they were both down on the pavement at 12:30. In the ring, Flamita hit an enzuigiri but he missed a corkscrew moonsault. Flamita hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly. Ku hit a German Suplex. Ku hit an impressive butterfly suplex for a nearfall. He hit a knee strike to the chin for a nearfall at 15:00, then a brainbuster for a nearfall, then a buzzsaw kick to the head, and a fisherman’s piledriver for the pin. That was really good stuff.
Final Thoughts: I really wish more people attended BLP shows. It is their biggest problem; they just don’t draw well. I thought no one would be flying and hitting moves onto the pavement, but that didn’t stop wrestlers in multiple matches. A very good main event takes the best match honors. As I looked at the lineup in advance, I wouldn’t have expected Rico Gonzalez-Calibus to earn second-place, but they went all-out and had a really good match. While I still have my issues with intergender matches, Reed-Billie was unsurprisingly really good and takes third. The only thing I would have changed is turn that early six-man tag into a singles match of Garrini vs. Pacifica and left the other four off the show.
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