By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Inspire A.D. “The Evil We Do”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
April 28, 2023 in Austin, Texas at Empire Control Room
This show was held in a large outdoor tent. I’ve seen shows from this location before. It was an afternoon event so it was well-lit as it started. The crowd was 200-300.
1. Stephen Wolf defeated Exodus Prime at 15:49. I’ve seen Prime a few times and he’s comparable to former TNA star Elix Skipper or Caprice Coleman, and was recently in an ROH TV match. Wolf is Latino with short, curly hair and he frequently wrestles from Texas to Chicago. This could be the best match of the show. Good reversals early and as the commentators said, they know each other very well. Wolf nailed a jumping knee to the chest at 5:30 for a nearfall. He hit a second-rope elbow drop for a nearfall and was in charge.
Prime hit an enzuigiri at 8:00 and a slingshot senton for a nearfall. Wolf hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall at 10:30. Exodus hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. They hit a double clothesline and were both down. They got up and traded chops. Prime hit a snap Dragon Suplex at 14:30. He hit a running stunner for a believable nearfall. KC Kareem suddenly appeared on the ring apron and the crowd loudly booed, and it distracted Exodus. It allowed Wolf to hit a pop-up stunner for the pin. A very good back-and-forth competitive match between friends. They went to “hug it out” when Wolf dropped down and hit a low blow uppercut! “The Dream Team” then began stomping on Prime.
2. Epydemius Jr., Connor Chen, Devin Carter, and Alex Arsenal defeated Kari J. Wright, Zeke Rose, Jus Nic, and Cory Constantine in a ladder match at 12:23. No names on screen but I tracked down all the names correctly. Hanging above the ring is a flag with the face of the owner of the promotion. They all brawled to the floor. And got ladders. I only know Kari of these eight so I’m not able to keep up with describing the action. Devin hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor onto everyone. Arsenal is white with long hair and a bushy beard and good physique. Kari (think Kofi) began to climb the ladder at 9:30 but was speared by Arsenal. The masked Epydemius Jr. and Kari battled on the top of the ladder at 11:00, and Kari hit a Superman Punch. Epydemius Jr. hit a springboard dropkick, then he pulled down the flag to win the match for his team. The chaos you expect from eight guys in a ladder match.
3. Studstache and Hyan defeated “Culture Shock” Oli Summers and Caleb Jean Cartier at 7:51. Hyan is a replacement in this match for someone who couldn’t make it. Studstache is thick and a bit rotund, older with a ponytail, and as the name implies, a curly mustache. Culture Shock are scrawny white guys and are hated here. Each of Culture Shock tried to lock up with Studstache, but Studstache easily shoved each opponent down. Hyan entered and she hit some dropkicks and deep armdrags; she is clearly the best wrestler in this match. Cartier, who is a bit heavier, bit her fingers at 3:00. Studstache finally got a hot tag at 6:00 and worked over the smaller guys. Hyan hit a “Road To Valkyria” faceplant for the pin on Summers. This was not good; none of the guys interested me but Hyan carried it otherwise. I don’t think Studstache left his feet.
4. Shimbashi defeated Delynn Cavens in a best of three falls match at 9:53. I don’t know these two. Cavens is the same height and style and overall look of Lio Rush. Shimibashi has Japanese and Canadian roots, and he had an entourage that made me think of Adam Rose and the Rosebuds. He’s giving me Ikemen Jiro vibes in his party style. Shimbashi hit a senton for a nearfall. Cavens tried a dive to the floor but Shimbashi caught him. In the ring, Shimbashi hit a swinging backbreaker over his knee at 2:30. Cavens hit a doublestomp to the chest and they were both down.
Cavens hit some clotheslines and a 619. Shimbashi caught him with a DDT for a pin at 6:06, and the match continued without a break. Shimbashi kept arguing with the ref. Cavens hit a DDT and they were both down. Cavens hit two dives through the ropes onto Shimbashi; he went for a third but Shimbashi caught him and slammed him on the corner of the ring frame at 8:30. In the ring, Shimbashi hit a kneestrike to the jaw. Cavens hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall. Shimbashi hit a Death Valley Driver and another DDT for the pin to win the match, 2-0. Give them credit; I’m so used to best of three falls matches going to the third fall, I didn’t expect Shimbashi to win it there. Good action from guys I really don’t know at all.
5. Vert Vixen defeated Danni Bee (w/Lil Evil) at 11:38. Vert Vixen is definitely a top-five female indy talent. I’ve seen Danni a few times, too, and she’s been a champion in NWA recently. An intense lockup to open; they actually rolled to the floor while still tied up. In the ring, they traded rollups. Vert hit some hard chops at 5:00, and she locked in a Sharpshooter. Danni hit a crossbody block and a kick for a nearfall. Danni dove through the ropes, but Vert caught her and suplexed her onto the floor, and they were both down at 8:30. In the ring, Vert hit a standing powerbomb, then a German Suplex at 10:00. Vert hit a Helluva Kick in the corner, then a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. She hit a brainbuster for the pin. Good action.
* Vert got on the mic and put Danni over. They headed to intermission.
* Will Allday came to the ring, and his arm is in a sling! He just had surgery. He noted he became champion last month, and “now comes the bitter part.” He said he will be out 5-6 months with a torn bicep tendon, so he is relinquishing his title. He set it on the mat and left the ring. It is substantially darker outside now, and some cameras show the action better than others.
6. “Project Wasteland” Lue Cameron and Izzy James defeated “Dream Team” KC Kareem and Danny King at 10:31. The Dream Team joined Stephen Wolf to the ring in the first match. I don’t know the Project Wasteland team. Cameron is bald with a goatee and a bit heavier. King wears goggle glasses and he opened against Izzy. Cameron hit a hard clothesline on KC at 3:00. PW kept Danny King in their corner. Izzy hit a senton for a nearfall at 8:30. All four brawled. Cameron hit a uranage on King. Kari Wright and Epydemius Jr. hopped in the ring and attacked KC while the ref was distracted! Cameron and James hit a spin kick move to score the pin. Typical popcorn match coming out of intermission; it didn’t do much for me but it advanced the storyline from earlier in the show.
7. Brick Savage (w/Raychell Rose, Shimbashi) vs. Dimitri Alexandrov went to a double knockout in a no-DQ match at 14:16. I’ve seen Savage a few times and he has Bronson Reed’s build and similar face and beard. Dimitri is “death match Jesus” and “Vladimir Putin’s least favorite wrestler.” They charged at each other at the bell and immediately brawled. Dimitri has a long beard and long hair. They brawled on the floor, and Brick tossed him into the ring post. He tossed Dimitri into the rows of chairs, too. Dimitri tossed chairs at Brick’s face, and I really hate to see that. They brawled over near a wall. In the ring, Brick tossed Dimitri onto two open chairs for a believable nearfall at 8:00.
Brick cracked a chair repeatedly across Dimitri’s back. Dimitri placed a chair over Brick’s head and he hit a kneedrop on it for a nearfall. Brick nailed a standing powerbomb for a believable nearfall at 11:00. Dimitri hit a second-rope back suplex onto a folded chair and they were both down, and the crowd gave a loud “holy shit!” chant. Raychell Rose has a towel; the commentators said she wanted to throw it in. The guys stood up and hit stereo chairshots to the side of the head and both collapsed! The ref checked on both and determined they were both out, and he called for the bell, and the announcer said it was ruled a “double knockout.” The crowd booed this outcome.
* Raychell Rose ordered Dimitri to get back into the ring. She slapped him and ordered him to listen to her. She said he cost her a title. She said “your head has been so far up your ass you can’t see anything else.” She challenged him to a one-on-one match on June 2. She is much smaller than he is.
8. Miyu Yamashita defeated Maya World at 13:11. This is one of the matches I tuned in for. Maya just wrestled in Wrestle Open in Massachusetts last week, and she wore a white top and bottom. Miyu is in her metallic red and black, and she got a huge ovation. An intense lockup to open and Miyu applied a leglock around the neck. The commentators acknowledged Miyu had a match against Jordynne Grace in TNA. Miyu nailed a stiff kick to the spine at 3:00. She placed Maya on the top rope in the corner and kicked her in the head. She hit a running Penalty Kick on the ring apron. They brawled on the floor and amongst the fans. Back in the ring, Miyu tied Maya World down on the mat. Maya hit a Sling Blade clothesline for a nearfall at 7:30.
Miyu nailed a running knee to the chin for a believable nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Miyu nailed some roundhouse kicks to the chest at 9:30. Maya hit a running back elbow into the corner, then a superkick. Miyu hit her own superkick. They nailed simultaneous roundhouse kicks to the head and both went down and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Maya World tied her in a Gory Special and slammed her face-first to the mat for a nearfall at 12:00. Miyu nailed a release German Suplex, then a springboard spin kick, then a Death Valley Driver move for a believable nearfall. She nailed the spinning Skull Kick for the clean pin. That was really good and everything I hoped for.
9. Danhausen defeated Dustin Nguyen at 13:55. Dustin wore a full, traditional karate outfit; I don’t know if I’ve seen him before. Danhausen cursed Dustin at the bell; Dustin waved his arms and ‘blocked the curse’ and it ‘knocked Danhausen down to the mat’ and the crowd chanted “holy shit!” So, we’re off to a comedy start, and Danhausen stalled on the floor to regroup. (Much funnier than I’m describing it, I promise!) They finally tied up in the ring, with Dustin hitting a shoulder tackle at 3:00. They brawled at ringside. In the ring, Danhausen stood on Dustin in the corner and was in charge.
Dustin fired up and hit a series of kicks at 9:30. Danhausen hit a headbutt and they both collapsed and we got another “this is awesome!” chant. Danhausen hit a snap German Suplex. He got his jar of teeth. However, Dustin snuck up behind him and hit a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall at 12:30. Danhausen hit a running knee to the back of the head for a nearfall, and he again got his jar of teeth, which he poured into Dustin’s mouth. He hit the kick to the jaw for the pin. The crowd loved this match and was fully into this; a good mix of comedy and action.
10. Lil Evil defeated Danny Orion at 22:40. Lil Evil is bald and I’ve seen him a few times now. Orion’s curly black hair reaches his shoulders. Evil tossed him to the floor seconds into the match. They traded fast-paced mat reversals and they hit simultaneous clotheslines at 2:00. Orion hit a dropkick that sent Evil to the floor. They brawled on the floor and over to a nearby bar. In the ring, Orion hit a shotgun dropkick at 5:00 and a dropkick, then a nice slingshot corkscrew press. Oli Summers reached his hand into the ring, so the referee ejected him. Evil hit a stiff kick to the face. Orion hit a huracanrana at 9:00, then a tornado DDT for a nearfall.
Lil Evil hit a Stundog Millionaire, then a Poison Rana for a nearfall at 11:00. Orion hit a powerbomb, then a Lethal Injection and a springboard stunner for a nearfall at 13:00. Orion hit a DDT on the ring apron, and Lil Evil collapsed to the floor. In the ring, Orion hit a Lionsault for a nearfall, and he applied a Boston Crab, but Evil reached the ropes at 16:00. They did a move off the top rope bur Orion flipped to avoid a clothesline; not sure what was supposed to happen there. Evil hit a pop-up powerbomb. However, he accidentally speared the ref at 18:00. Orion hit a spin kick to Evil’s head.
Oli and Caleb Jean Carter returned to the ring and helped beat down Evil. That brought out Studstache and Hyan to make the save and chase them off. Evil hit a superkick. Vert Vixen ran in the ring and hit a spin kick on Orion! Orion grabbed his title and hit Vert with it. Orion and Evil kept brawling, Orion ran across the ring and dropped Evil on his head for a believable nearfall at 21:30. Orion set up for a spin kick, but Evil caught him with a spear. Evil then hit a top-rope doublestomp and a Jay Driller for the pin. A very good match that got a bit too busy with the outside interference at the end.
Final Thoughts: If I were asked “how would you make ROH TV better?” I would say, “book matches with top local stars who fit the ROH style.” Exodus Prime vs. Stephen Wolf is a great ROH-style match that would fit in on an ROH TV show. I’ll go with the Yamashita-Maya World match for best, the show-opening Exodus-Wolf for second, and a very good main event for third. This was a fun event with a nice mix of national talent and the top local wrestlers.
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