By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Alpha-1 Wrestling “Battle of Our Best”
June 23, 2024 in Taylor, Michigan at Kudos Taproom And Fieldhouse
Available via YouTube.com
Taylor is a suburb on the south side of Detroit (made famous by Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’? I kid.). This show streamed live and free on YouTube. I have seen nothing about this show and have no idea what to expect. Reed Duthie is providing commentary. This appears to be at an indoor fieldhouse; there are shops in the background and the ring is on a fake turf surface.
* The show opened with several babyfaces in a locker room and they are “Team Alpha-1.” We went to a different locker room where the Clash wrestlers were hanging out.
* To the arena, where maybe 300 people are in attendance. AEW’s Ortiz came to the ring as a special referee for the opening match; Duthie said he’s close to returning from an injury. The lighting was bad. I couldn’t see anyone’s faces from the hard camera. The ringside camera is much better; it isn’t being used enough. The microphone in the ring is completely inaudible on the broadcast as well.
1. “Team Flash” Cameron Skyy, ELK, Ren Jones, and Tommy Treznik (w/Dr. Wrecking Ball) defeated “Team Alpha-1” Dan the Dad, Ethan Price, Max Caster, Brett Michael David in an elimination match at 19:30. I’ve seen Ren Jones in Chicago-based AAW and he’s had a few AEW matches, too, but I don’t know any of his three teammates. Treznik wore goggles, a button-down shirt and tie, and he opened against Dan the Dad. BMD – dressed in his lumberjack red plaid shirt – hit a brainbuster on Skyy for a nearfall at 4:00. Skyy also wore a tie and black shirt. Max entered and was a full babyface, punching Skyy in the corner with the crowd counting along.
ELK entered for the first time at 7:30; he is white but the size of Fallah Bahh, and he splashed BMD in a corner. He hit a Yokozuna-style butt-drop in the corner. Ren entered for the first time; he’s comparable to Rich Swann and he’s in great shape. Price tagged in for the first time. However, Treznik hit a DDT on Ethan Price to eliminate him at 10:41. The match continued without a break. Treznik dumped playing cards all over Dan; does he have Duke Hudson’s old gimmick? I guess so. BMD hit a Mafia Kick to pin ELK at 13:07, so it is now 3-on-3.
Dan dropped Skyy with some punches and pinned him at 13:48. Ortiz took a belt and whipped a heel manager who tried to interfere and the crowd loved that. Treznik pinned Dan the Dad at 15:02. Caster hit a Fame-asser to pin Treznik at 15:38. Ren pinned BMD at 16:04, and just like that, it was just Ren Jones vs. Max Caster, with the winner getting a title shot later in the show. Max took the mic and said he was going to “free-style.” He bad-mouthed Michigan. Ren immediately hit some punches. Ren hit a pumphandle sit-out powerbomb to pin Caster and was the sole survivor! None of Ren’s teammates seem “ready.”
* Backstage, Rohit Raju said he doesn’t care about Alpha-1 or Clash, he just wants to wrestle.
2. Colt Cabana (A-1) defeated James Alexander (Clash) at 11:12. Alexander is a 23-year pro but I don’t think I’ve seen him before; he’s really short with generic red trunks and a good physique. Cabana has a clear size advantage. Alexander threw a temper tantrum because the crowd was behind Cabana. They stomped around the ring; Duthie was buckled over in laughter. Plenty of Colt’s juvenile-humor antics. Alexander hit a dropkick while Colt was tied in the ropes and got a nearfall at 6:30.
Alexander choked Colt and kept him grounded. Colt fired up and hit some jab punches and Dusty Elbows and his flying buttbump in the corner, then a second-rope frogsplash for a nearfall at 9:30. James applied a half-crab but Colt reached the ropes. Colt hit his Superman Splash cover for the pin. Okay comedy. I like what I saw of Alexander but I’d like to see him in a non-comedy bout.
* Backstage, Allysin Kay has her Clash Women’s Title, and she is ready to take on Jody Threat, who is the A-1 champ.
3. “Locked & Loaded” Mark Wheeler and Jessie V (A-1) defeated “Lotus” Gavin Quinn and Juntai Miller (Clash) at 6:17. I don’t know the Clash team at all; Gavin is bald, while Juntai looks like a shorter Damian Priest. The massive Jessie V opened; both Lotus guys attacked him and clotheslined him to the floor, then they dove onto the A-1 team. In the ring, Jessie hit a double clothesline, and they worked over the smaller Gavin. Jessie missed a Swanton Bomb at 3:30, allowing the Lotus team to take over. Gavin went for a moonsault to the floor, but Jessie caught him and threw him into the ring post! In the ring, Wheeler hit a Lungblower move to pin Juntai. This felt like an extended squash; The L&L team is just so much more muscular and polished.
* Kody Lane cut a backstage promo but the sound was going in and out; I have absolutely no idea what he said.
4. Allysin Kay (Clash) defeated Jody Threat (A-1) at 12:14. An intense lockup and standing switches to open. Kay grabbed Jody off the top rope and threw her to the mat at 2:00 and she took control. She hit a running boot into the corner and got a nearfall, then a fallaway slam. They brawled to the green turf floor and traded forearm strikes in front of the fans. Allysin charged at Jody, but Jody moved and Allysin crashed into an empty chair at 6:00. They kept brawling at ringside with Kay in charge.
Jody hit a snap suplex across two open chairs set up on the floor and they were both down at 7:30. They both rolled into the ring and traded blows. Jody hit a stiff kick to the side of the head and a German Suplex at 9:00. Jody got a sunset flip, then a Michinoku Driver for a believable nearfall. Kay hit a spin kick to the head, then a Trash Compactor piledriver along her back for a believable nearfall. Kay was clearly frustrated and rolled to the floor and grabbed a title belt and returned to the ring. However, the ref confiscated it. Kay hit a clothesline for a nearfall. She got a fork but the ref confiscated it. Kay hit Jody in the head with the title belt to score the cheap pin. This was really good action.
* Shane Sabre spoke backstage. He said no one thought he could carry the promotion, but he’s selling tickets as the champion.
5. Kody Lane (A-1) defeated Jason Hotch (Clash), Jake Crist (Clash), and Rohit Raju (A-1) in a four-way elimination match to retain the Alpha-1 Zero Gravity Title at 14:26. All four fought at the bell. Hotch and Crist traded quick offense, and Jake hit a plancha to the floor on Jason. Crist hit a top-rope crossbody block. Rohit pulled Jake to the floor and whipped him into the ring post at 2:00. Kody hit a senton and a Lionsault on Rohit for a nearfall. Crist hit a flying forearm on Rohit. They did a tower spot out of the corner at 6:00. Lane and Jake hopped up, hit simultaneous kicks on each other, and all four were down.
Hotch hit a huracanrana on Rohit. Hotch hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor on two guys! He hit a frogsplash in the ring for a nearfall on Raju. However, Crist got a backslide and pinned Hotch; this is an elimination match. Kody and Crist traded rollups. Rohit rolled up Crist and pinned him at 9:33 with his feet in the ropes. Kody hit a flying senton on Raju for a nearfall. Rohit hit a swinging neckbreaker on Lane, then a top-rope doublestomp for a believable nearfall at 11:30. Lane hit a bodyslam but missed his Lionsault. Rohit hit a rolling cannonball for a nearfall. Lane hit a Death Valley Driver, then a swinging piledriver for the pin. Decent action with four experienced talents.
6. Ren Jones (Clash) defeated Shane Sabre (A-1) to become the Clash Champion at 15:52. Jerry Lynn was our special referee. A basic feeling-out process early on. Ren hit a brainbuster at 3:00, and he clotheslined Sabre to the floor. Ren hit a dive over the top rope onto Shane! In the ring, Shane took control of the offense and hit some shoulder blocks to Ren’s kidneys, then a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 7:30. Sabre hit an enzuigiri and a uranage-style backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. They traded punches. Sabre hit a hard clothesline at 11:00.
Ren hit a crossbody block into the corner and a spinebuster for a nearfall. Ren hit a Tiger Driver for a nearfall at 13:30. Shane hit an Air Raid Crash for a believable nearfall. Sabre hit a spear for a nearfall, but Ren got a foot on the ropes. Sabre shoved Lynn; Lynn shoved Sabre back! Ren rolled up Jones and got the flash pin! That finish came out of nowhere. Sabre stormed to the back, livid he lost, while Ren posed with the belt in the ring. Reed Duthie pointed out that the series was tied at 3-3 between the two promotions.
Final Thoughts: First and foremost, this is a free show on youtube. I would have liked the lighting to be a bit better over the ring, as that did hurt my viewing enjoyment a bit. The four-way elimination match was good enough for best, ahead of the main event. Kay-Threat was really good for third. I admittedly wasn’t overly impressed with anyone I didn’t know coming into this one. Duthie does a good job on solo commentary, both here in A-1 and in Glory Pro Wrestling.
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