By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Fight Life “Too Much Sauce”
Streamed on the TrillerTV+
May 22, 2024 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts at Hillside Country Club
Rehoboth is essentially a suburb east of Providence, R.I., and it’s well south of Boston. This is a ballroom and chandeliers are hanging from the ceiling; they have run shows from this room before. Reginald Kensington III (think Lord Alfred Hayes if you are old like me!) provided commentary. Sadly, the crowd is maybe 100-125, with most seated across from the hard camera. I was traveling last week when this took place, so I’m a bit behind!
1. “Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller defeated “Young Dumb N’ Broke” Pat Dynamite and Charlie Tiger in a Fight Life Tag Tournament match at 10:14. MG didn’t wear their IWTV Tag Team Titles. Dynamite is the former Ellis Taylor and I still don’t know why an established wrestler changes his name, especially as I consider “Pat Dynamite” a worse name. Waller and Dynamite opened and traded fast reversals; Pat has a “Will Ospreay haircut” today. Tiger entered at 3:00 and faced Kylon. Pat hit Waller from behind, and YDNB began working Dustin over. Pat hit a top-rope clothesline for a nearfall at 5:30.
Tiger hit a back suplex. Kylon made the hot tag and hit a double missile dropkick. He hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 8:00 on Pat. Pat hit a pop-up powerbomb on Waller for a nearfall. Waller hit a Lethal Injection on Pat. He tried a second one, but Pat caught him and hit a stunner. Tiger hit a spear on Kylon. Waller hit a superkick. MG hit stereo superkicks on Tiger at 10:00, then double knee strikes to Tiger’s head for the pin. Really entertaining indy-style tag match. The Miracle Generation advance to a four-way tag match next month for the newly-created tag title belts.
2. Alisha Edwards defeated Delmi Exo at 5:25. Alisha carried her TNA Women’s Tag Team Title belt to the ring. She got on the mic and said this is a “crumby-ass place.” She showed off the belt and said she is “dripping in gold.” Delmi got in the ring and they immediately brawled, with Delmi hitting a side slam. Alisha backed her into a corner and hit a hard chop. Delmi hit a suplex, then a stunner for a nearfall at 4:00. Alisha hit a Flatliner for a nearfall. Delmi hit a superkick for a nearfall. Alisha got a jackknife cover with a handful of tights for the cheap pin. Okay match; Delmi is better overall in the ring.
* Anthony Greene will be at the July 21 show upon his return from NOAH in Japan.
3. JT Dunn defeated “Broski” Jimmy Lloyd at 7:08. Lloyd came out to Matt Cardona’s music and he carried his fake title belt. He cut his heel promo, copying Cardona’s style. Jimmy attacked from behind. JT hit a dropkick and finally was able to peel off his shirt. (It is still weird to see Dunn as a babyface as he’s a heel in most places I’ve seen him.) Cardona took over and stomped on Dunn, but he missed a Broski Boot at 2:30. Dunn hit a stunner and they were both down. Dunn hit a top-rope doublestomp to the back for a nearfall.
Lloyd pulled Dunn face-first into the middle turnbuckle, and he hit the Broski Boot for a nearfall at 5:00. Dunn hit a second-rope Tombstone Piledriver and they were both down. Lloyd hit a belt on Dunn’s elbow, then a Rough Rider legdop. Lloyd swung the belt wildly again and Dunn rolled him up for a nearfall. Lloyd hit a superkick for a nearfall, but Dunn nailed Death By Elbow onto the title belt, which struck Lloyd’s head, for the pin.
* Lucas Chase and Rip Byson came to the ring and were booed. He demanded the crowd “embrace” him. (Prior to the next match, Kensington called this a “souled out crowd” which is the most laughable thing to say.)
4. Rip Byson defeated Marcus Mathers, Seabass Finn, DJ Powers, and Eric Chacha in a five-way at 8:17. I have compared teenager Powers to NXT’s Kale Dixon and he’s a really good heel. Mathers hit a top-rope crossbody block. Powers and Chacha brawled on the floor. Rip Byson hit a dive to the floor on several guys at 1:30. Mathers hit a flip dive onto all four. Mathers, who just turned 21 and is a rising star, just returned from a Japan tour. Powers hit a Rude Awakening on Mathers in the ring. Powers hit a snap suplex on Finn.
Chacha hit a bulldog for a nearfall at 4:30. Byson hit a bodyslam on Finn. Byson put two guys on his back and hit a Samoan Drop. Mathers and Powers kicked each other and suddenly all five were down. Powers hit a superkick on Mathers at 7:00. Finn hit a Rebound Lariat. Powers had a cut in the middle of his sternum and was bleeding heavily. Mathers hit a brainbuster on Finn. Byson hit a chokeslam and pinned Mathers. I loved that non-stop action.
5. Alec Price defeated Ricky Smokes at 12:00 even. Wow, this should be really good. Price has been notably absent from some recent GCW shows so I haven’t seen much of him lately; he’s letting a beard come in. An intense lockup out of the gate and a feeling-out process. Smokes hit an enzuigiri and a bodyslam at 3:30. Price hit a DDT out of the ropes, then a splash across Smokes’ back. He hit a stomp on the back and a flipping senton for a nearfall, and he was in charge. Smokes hit a Lungblower to the chest at 7:30.
Price hit a half-nelson suplex, then a second-rope flying legdrop for a nearfall. Smokes hit a dive through the ropes at 10:00. In the ring, he hit a TKO Stunner for a nearfall. The lights suddenly flickered at 11:30! The commentators assumed that Mortar was coming out, but he didn’t. Price hit the Surprise Kick/step-up mule kick for the pin. “Mortar is living rent-free in Ricky Smokes’ head,” Kensington said. Really good and I guess I don’t mind the cop-out finish. The lights went out again, and this time, Mortar jumped in the ring and attacked!
6. Mortar defeated Jordan Oliver at 7:15. Oliver ran into the ring to save Smokes, and the next match began immediately! Oliver hit a series of basement dropkicks. Oliver went for a plancha but Mortar caught him and slammed him onto the ring apron at 1:00. Mortar (think Rhino, with half his face painted) began working over Oliver. Oliver hit a DDT for a nearfall at 4:30. Mortar hit a Lionsault for a nearfall. Oliver hit a release German Suplex at 6:30. Mortar hit a low blow with the ref out of position, then a discus lariat, then an F5 faceplant for the tainted pin! That was good action, but far too short, with a surprising finish.
* Next up is a contract signing for the inaugural tag team championship. It will be a four-way: The Miracle Generation, the husband-and-wife team Ariel & BMT, “The Unit” Trigga the OG & Danny Miles, and “Perfect Strangers” Steven Lust & AJP. The belts were placed on a table in the ring, and they look pretty. The officiant wanted to have a photo taken with the four teams, but they started arguing over who would hold the belts, and of course, it led to them all brawling. That match will take place in June.
7. Richard Holliday defeated Ichiban to become No. 1 contender at 15:45. Holliday has a significant height and weight advantage and they jawed at each other before the bell. Holliday shoved him to the mat. Ichiban hit a top-rope elbow drop. They brawled on the floor. Ichiban hit a flip dive to the floor at 2:00. They brawled on the floor with Holliday hitting some hard chops. He hit a guillotine leg drop as Ichiban was lying on the ring apron at 4:30. In the ring, Holliday was still in charge and he stomped on Ichiban. Ichiban hit a Shotgun Dropkick at 7:00. Holliday hit a back suplex onto the top turnbuckle. He hit a spinning sidewalk slam for a nearfall, then he put Ichiban in a Torture Rack and spun him to the mat for a nearfall at 10:00.
They traded chops and punches, and Holliday hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Ichiban hit an enzuigiri and a handspring-back-elbow in the corner, then a missile dropkick for a nearfall at 12:30. The ref got bumped! Ichiban hit his leaping Flatliner for a visual pin but we had no ref! The ref no sooner got up and Holliday kicked Ichiban into the ref again! Holliday hit a low blow uppercut and a standing powerbomb for a visual pin; a second ref called a nearfall at 14:00. Ichiban hit a superkick and a dropkick, then a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. We had both refs in the ring, but one got bumped. Holliday hit the 2008 swinging suplex for the pin.
* Holliday got back on the mic and said “I was always coming back to professional wrestling” (in reference to his past cancer scare.) He called out champion Masha Slamovich. He said Masha is “tougher than everybody in that locker room.” However, he plans on beating her in June.
Final Thoughts: A very good main event takes best match. Even with the copout finish, Price-Smokes is second, and the Miracle Generation opener takes third. The top tier here — who also are regulars in Wrestling Open/Beyond Wrestling — are really good. The negatives are a smallish crowd and I’m just not a big fan of Kensington calling the action.
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