By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Alpha-1 Wrestling “Immortal Kombat 8”
May 19, 2024 in Hamilton, Ontario at the KOC Hall
Available via YouTube.com
This show aired live and free on youtube. Ethan Page and Reed Duthie provided commentary. This is the same venue they always use, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling but not over the ring. The crowd is 300 to 400.
1. Vaughn Vertigo and Gabriel Fuerza defeated “Fresh Air” Junior Benito and Macrae Martin to retain the A1 Tag Team Titles at 4:38. Junior hit a forward Finlay Roll. Fuerza hit a Lethal Injection. Vaughn hit a spinning heel kick to the face for the pin, as Macrae was too late to make the save. These guys are too good to have a match this short, so this was admittedly disappointing.
* We have a four-way match next. One of the scheduled competitors, Eric Cairnie walked to the ring, but Cheech attacked him and they brawled to the back! Ethan Page (who is promoter/booker here) stood up at commentary and said he had a stand-by wrestler for this type of scenario… and he brought out The Butcher, who got a nice pop.
2. The Butcher defeated Dan Barry, TJ Crawford and Channing Thomas in a four-way elimination match at 7:43. The Butcher hit a few shoulder tackles. TJ hit an enzuigiri on Butcher at 2:00. Barry hit a moonsault to the floor on everyone. In the ring, Butcher hit a side slam and pinned Barry at 4:23. TJ hit a Dragon Suplex on Channing. However, Thomas hit a piledriver to pin Crawford at 5:54. We are down to just two! The crowd chanted, “Butcher’s gonna kill you!” Channing hit a low blow and a piledriver for a nearfall. Butcher hit a backbreaker over his knee and a short-arm clothesline for the pin. Good but again too short.
* Backstage, we heard from Gabby Forza, who was excited to be in the way. Vanna Black approached her and warned her not to get in her way.
3. Swoggle and Dan the Dad and Ethan Price defeated Kubes and “PME” Philly Collins and Marino Tenaglia at 7:46. Kubes was not dancing along with his teammates and we’re seeing disension before the bell. Price and Kubes opened. Dan got in and applied a headlock while he sipped on his coffee. Swoggle entered at 3:00 and battled Marino. Swoggle went and got a beer, drank it, and sprayed it into Marino’s face, then he bit his fingers, then his butt. Tenaglia kicked Swoggle in the face. Swoggle hit a German Suplex! Dan got in and hit some jab punches on Kubes. Price and Marino traded blows. Price hit a German Suplex. He got a backslide to pin Collins. Solid action.
* Alec Price was backstage and he said he’s sick and tired of having nothing, and he needs a win.
4. Kody Lane defeated Evil Uno and Rohit Raju in a three-way to win the Alpha-1 Zero Gravity Title at 10:07. Evil Uno was champion as the match began, but Raju has held it in the past. Uno and Kody beat up heel Raju early on. Evil Uno hit a running neckbreaker on Raju at 2:00. Raju hit a top-rope doublestomp on Uno for a nearfall, then a snap suplex on Kody. Uno hit a Mafia Kick for a nearfall at 4:30. We had a triple sleeper spot. Lane hit a slingshot suplex to the floor at 7:00.
Rohit hit a swinging neckbreaker, then a Flatliner for a nearfall. Evil Uno hit his own Flatliner on Rohit for a nearfall, then a pop-up powerbomb on Lane at 9:00. Evil Uno got tied upside down in the Tree of Woe. Lane hit a doublestomp on Rohit for the pin, and Uno was unable to free himself from the corner to break up the pin! New champion; Uno loses his belt without being pinned. Good action. Lane has been “chasing this title” for years and finally has it. He was informed he will defend the title against Danhausen on July 14.
* We saw a video that Jose the Assistant, now known as Jose the Assassin, will be coming to Alpha-1.
5. Laynie Luck defeated Vanna Black and Gabby Forza in a three-way at 8:25. I haven’t seen much of Vanna before; she has black hair in two braids and looks a lot like Lyra Valkyria. Gabby and Vanna opened in a test of strength, but Gabby overpowered her. Laynie and Vanna hit a team suplex on Gabby. Gabby bodyslammed Vanna for a nearfall at 2:30. She hit a rolling cannonball. Laynie choked Vanna in the ropes. Gabby held both women and hit a Samoan Drop-and-fallaway slam combo at 7:00, earning a “holy shit!” chant. Laynie superkicked Gabby. Laynie then hit a diving stunner to pin Vanna. Good action.
* Reed Duthie said Laynie will now face Jody Threat in a street fight on July 14.
6. Derek Dillinger defeated Jessie V, Puf, Bulk Bronson, Lance Archer and Joshua Bishop in an elimination match to win the Outer Limits Title at 10:18. The Outer Limits Title allows for eliminations by being thrown over the top rope to the floor. Bishop was the defending champion as the match started. WOW this match has a lot of big men; no one here under 220 pounds, and not even close. Bronson asked the crowd who wanted to “take a trip to Titty City!” Puf teased pulling down his top to show his chest. All six brawled and Jessie hit a dropkick on Puf. Lance Archer was pushed into Bronson’s chest so he went “to Titty City.” Jessie hit an enzuigiri. Bronson hit a pop-up powerbomb. Puf hit a senton on Dillinger. Jessie V hit a Boss Man slam to pin Puf at 4:15. Lance Archer hit running back elbows on the remaining four opponents, who all collapsed (it’s a bit of comedy).
Bishop suplexed Archer! Bishop hit a Death Valley Driver. Jessie hit a one-armed slam on Bronson. Archer hit the Blackout slam to pin Jessie V. at 7:13. Archer and Bishop brawled, and Joshua pushed Archer off the apron to the floor, eliminating Archer at 7:35. (A cheap loss but it avoids Archer being pinned.) Archer hopped back in the ring, beat up Bishop, and hit a Blackout! Dillinger crawled over, covered and pinned Bishop at 8:02. So, just like that, it’s just Dillinger vs. Bronson. Derek hit a sunset powerbomb. Bronson hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Derek got Bronson’s bottle and he sprayed “Savage Sauce” in Bronson’s eyes! Bronson charged at Derek, but Derek low-bridged the top rope, and Bronson fell to the floor to be eliminated. Lame finish; decent action.
7. Stu Grayson defeated Alec Price at 17:53. They opened with standing switches, and they traded chops at 3:30. Price hit a springboard crossbody block. Stu hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex at 6:00, then another one. Price hit a flipping senton for a nearfall. Stu hit a springboard spin kick. Price clotheslined him to the floor, then he dove onto Stu at 9:00. In the ring, Stu hit a moonsault. He slammed Price on the ring apron. In the ring, he hit a brainbuster for a nearfall at 11:00, and we got a “This is awesome! chant.
Price hit a Rebound Lariat, and they were both down. Price hit a half nelson suplex, then a second-rope clothesline for a nearfall at 13:30. Price hit a snake-eyes on the top turnbuckle for a nearfall, but he couldn’t hit the Surprise Kick. Stu hit an F5 face plant for a nearfall at 15:00. He nailed a 450 Splash for a believable nearfall! Nice. Price hit a superkick, then a top-rope Blockbuster for a believable nearfall, then a tornado DDT for a nearfal. Price hit an enzuigiri. Stu hit a Pele Kick. Stu put Price in the Torture Rack and dropped him into a backbreaker over his knee for the pin. That was fantastic and it rightfully earned a standing ovation.
* The main event is a TNA-style match with too many rules. It’s a ladder match, but you need to score a pin to be eligible, and you’ll be given an armband that shows you are eligible to pull down the belt. If you are pinned, you go into a red penalty box at ringside. If you are pinned and you have an armband, you lose the armband as well as going to the penalty box. Got all that? (It played out easy enough to understand.)
8. Ricky Shane Page defeated Mark Wheeler, Space Money, Shane Sabre, and Brett Michael David to win the Omega Ladder Match at 23:08. Ethan Page pointed out that he brings in guys from all over, but in the end, local guys are the main eventers carrying the promotion. He noted they have 900 live viewers on Youtube. RSP and BMD are teammates but have not “been on the same page of late.” Wheeler got a rollup to pin RSP at 00:48! Sabre grabbed a ladder but the ref stopped him, pointing out he is ineligible. (I liked how they did this, helping the crowd understand the rules.) Wheeler pinned Page again at 4:11! Back to the penalty box for RSP.
Sabre speared and pinned long time friend and now nemesis Space Monkey at 7:46, so Sabre is now eligible. Sabre pinned RSP at 8:05! RSP is AGAIN going to the penalty box, and the commentators pointed out you don’t get two armbands for having multiple pins. Wheeler and Sabre fought on the ladder but were pushed off. BMD pinned Sabre at 10:40, so Sabre headed to the penalty box. Space Monkey jumped into the penalty box and beat up Sabre! Sabre pinned RSP at 13:54, so RSP is back to the cage again. BMD hit a Swanton to the floor and crashed onto a horizontal ladder, and he sold the pain.
Wheeler pinned RSP at 18:01, so RSP has been sent to the penalty box FIVE times. Jessie V came to ringside! Sabre tipped the ladder, causing Wheeler to fall on Jessie V. BMD and Sabre fought on the ladder, but BMD fell with his legs tied in the ladder and he sold the pain in his knee. BMD gave his wristband to RSP because he was in too much pain to climb the ladder. RSP climbed the ladder to pull down the belt! New champion! RSP and BMD celebrated together, but then RSP beat up his teammate BMD!
Final Thoughts: Price vs. Stu Grayson was fantastic and is well worth tuning in to see. The main event and the rules were alright, but a red flag went off in my head when Ethan Page said you needed an armband. He never said you could give an armband to another person. So, I didn’t like that a guy who was literally pinned five times in the match, never got a pin to become eligible, walked away with the title. Just problematic in so many ways. The Rohit-Lane-Uno three-way earns second best, and I’ll go with the women’s three-way for third. Outside of the problems of the overbooked main event, my only complaint here is there just weren’t enough minutes for some of the early matches. Fresh Air is just too good to lose in under five minutes.
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