By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Freelance Pro Wrestling “Cruis’n Chicago: Anniversary Edition”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
June 6, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois at Emporium Logan Square
This show was released Tuesday on IWTV. The venue is a bar. I’ve seen shows from this venue before, and the building is packed with maybe 350 fans. This show has SEVERAL wrestlers who I’ve seen in the Texas indy scene.
1. Chico Suave defeated Mason Morgan, Stone Ambrose, Father Oday, Charity King and GPA in a six-way scramble at 8:21. Oday and King are among the Texas indy wrestlers on this show. Morgan is an effeminate Black man; I saw him fairly recently. Ambrose is white and of average size and I’m fairly certain I haven’t seen him before; he seems comparable to JD McDonough. Oday wore a white robe, long hair and he has a messiah complex. King hit a shoulder block that sent GPA flying. She slapped Morgan.
Ambrose bit Oday on the butt, then he dove through the ropes onto everyone on the floor at 5:30. Chico then dove onto everyone. Oday hit a top-rope ‘trust fall’ onto everyone on the floor. In the ring, Charity put two men on her shoulders and hit a Samoan Drop at 7:30. Impressive. Morgan hit a spinebuster on Charity. Chico hit an Angle Slam to pin Morgan. Fast-paced and good action; I’m a big fan of starting a show with a scramble to get the crowd going.
2. Alfonso Gonzalez defeated Dustin Nguyen at 8:06. I’ve seen Nguyen in Texas-area indies, too; he has a traditional ‘kung fu’ outfit. Gonzalez is a bit chubby and he’s a regular here. Dustin punched through a wood board; very 1970s-style karate B-movie stuff. Alfonso then tried to punch his fist through a wood board, and of course, it hurt his hand. Gonzalez hit a snap suplex, then a spinebuster for a nearfall at 5:30. He hit a DDT for a nearfall. Gonzalez grabbed some of the wood boards from the beginning of the match, struck Dustin in the side of the head with it, and scored the cheap pin. Not particularly good.
3. Regan Lydale defeated Shazza McKenzie and Dannie Bee in a three-way at 8:25. I’ve seen Regan a few times here but she’s definitely the newest of these three; she is a full head taller than both opponents. Bee is another one of the Texas-based wrestlers here today. Bee hit a basement dropkick on Regan for a nearfall at 2:00. Shazza slammed Regan face-first on the ring apron and she hit some Yes Kicks as Regan was tied in the ropes. In the ring, Bee hit a Rude Awakening on Shazza for a nearfall at 5:00. They did a tower spot and they were all down.
Regan hit clotheslines on each opponent, then a Pounce on Bee for a nearfall at 7:00. Bee hit a Lungblower to the chest. Shazza hit a top-rope crossbody block on Bee for a nearfall. Regan began hitting forearm strikes on both women. Shazza hit a back suplex. Regan hooked both of Shazza’s arms, rolled her over, and scored the flash pin! That was really good action.
4. Koda Hernandez defeated Kevin Ku at 11:23. This is the match I tuned in for; I’ve routinely described Koda as one of the rising stars of the Midwest scene. They immediately traded forearm strikes, and Ku grounded Koda. He hit a stiff kick to the spine at 3:00 and repeatedly stomped on his chest. He applied a half-crab at 4:30. They got up and traded more forearm strikes. Koda nailed a dive through the ropes at 7:00. In the ring, Ku hit a flipping sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Ku hit a brainbuster, but he missed a second-rope senton at 9:30. Koda nailed a Razor’s Edge with a jackknife cover for a believable nearfall. Ku fired back with a spin kick to the chin. Koda hit a snap suplex for the pin! A really good match that met my expectations, but I wish it had gone longer. The crowd celebrated the big victory for Koda. They shook hands afterward.
5. Jordan Oliver defeated Cole Radrick at 13:32. Two GCW regulars in action here; they were both on the Black Label Pro show a few miles from this venue the next day. They did some comedy spots early on, with Cole setting up for a Kill Bill-style five-finger death punch, then they did ‘finger guns’ silliness with each other, and they got the ref involved, too; this is dumb and not what I expected. They brawled to the floor at 8:00 and for the first time, this looks a bit like a wrestling match. They got in the ring and traded rollups at 10:30, but this is still all comedy.
Radrick hit some jab punches. They both went for splashes and missed. Cole hit the Death Punch and Oliver collapsed; Radrick covered him for a nearfall at 13:00. Radrick shoved the ref; the ref shoved back. The ref hit his own Death Punch to the heart on Radrick. Oliver jumped and made the cover on Radrick for the pin. Acceptable comedy but certainly NOT what I expected going in. I consider Jordan Oliver the best unsigned indy wrestler in the U.S. today. If a fan saw him for the first time in this match… they wouldn’t have seen the ‘it factor’ that makes Jordan a special talent.
6. Trevor Outlaw defeated Robbie Reeves at 7:14. I’ve seen Reeves a few times here; he appears to still be a teenager with good size. Outlaw is a regular all over the Midwest; he got in the face of fans before the match began. Outlaw attacked from behind and they immediately brawled to the floor. In the ring, Outlaw hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 2:30. He hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Reeves hit a side slam for a nearfall and they were both down. Outlaw hit a Death Valley Driver. Outlaw hit a low blow mule kick the ref out of position, then a Pedigree for the pin. Acceptable; neither good nor bad.
7. Kylie Rae, Davey Bang, and August Matthews defeated Isaias Velazquez, Sabin Gauge, and Storm Grayson at 15:41. Grayson held his Freelance title. This took forever to get going, but Matthews and Gauge opened. Bang entered and hit a handspring-back-elbow on Grayson at 3:00. Kylie tagged in, so he tagged out rather than lock up with her. So, Velazquez tagged in to fight real-life partner Kylie (the crowd is well aware they are in a relationship, so I feel it’s alright to acknowledge it), and they locked up with standing switches. Bang and Matthews helped slam Kylie onto Isaias at 7:00. The heels began working over August. Matthews hit a Sliced Bread on Storm at 10:00 and they were both down.
Gauge entered and hit a Dragon Suplex on Kylie. He went for a springboard move but she kicked him in the head. She hit a rolling cannonball in the corner at 12:30. Bang and Matthews hit their team double stomps on Gauge’s back for a nearfall. Storm accidentally punched Velazquez and got a “You f—ed up!” chant. Bang hit the Spears Tower on Storm for a visual pin, but Sabin pulled the ref to the floor at 14:00. Bang hit a moonsault to the floor while Matthews hit a dive to the floor. We suddenly had just Kylie and Grayson in the ring and he begged off. She went for an armbar and he ducked to the floor. Kylie grabbed Isaias and put him in an armbar hold, and he tapped out… she was glaring at Grayson on the floor, who didn’t attempt to help save Isaias.
Final Thoughts: Honestly, a show that looked better on paper than how it played out. Luckily, Ku-Koda lived up to its billing and takes best match. The main event was good but not great; six-man tags tend to fall into a rut with a long beat-down, but they did tell a good story built around the Kylie-Grayson feud. (As talented as she is, Storm should not be showing any fear of her; he should be cocky and arrogant, allowing her to surprise him with her plucky determination.) The women’s three-way was really good and deserved more time, and that earns third place. I was looking forward to seeing a good Oliver-Radrick match so I was disappointed they decided to do a comedy match. It was fine comedy and the crowd may have liked it, but it’s not what I was looking for from them. I do like we saw a carload of Texas-area wrestlers make the trek to this show, providing some fresh matchups. Nguyen isn’t a great worker yet, but he has his kung fu act down perfectly.
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