By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Alpha-1 Wrestling “Another Day in Paradise”
July 14, 2024 in Hamilton, Ontario at The Columbus Club
Available via YouTube.com
This is the venue they typically use with are chandeliers hanging from the ceiling but not directly over the ring. The crowd was perhaps 250-300 and it’s fairly packed. Reed Duthie provided solo commentary.
* The show opened with a backstage promo from Brett Michael David, talking about Rickey Shane Page turning on him last show.
1. Shane Sabre defeated Space Monkey in a casket match at 18:05. These two are long-time teammates now bitter enemies, and they immediately traded punches, and SM dove to the floor at 1:00. Duthie stressed that only one of the two men involved can close the casket to end the match, which makes me wonder what they have planned here. They brawled near the casket at ringside. In the ring, SM caught him with a spin kick to the head at 4:00. Sabre took control, and he slammed Monkey against the door (roof?) of the casket. He pushed SM into the casket at 7:00, but Monkey blocked him from slamming the lid, and they kept brawling at ringside. Sabre powerbombed him onto the closed casket! Ouch!
SM again blocked the casket lid from being shut on him. Space Monkey’s tail was caught in the casket and Sabre repeatedly slammed it at 10:00; SM sold it like it caused him pain and the crowd booed and chanted “asshole!” (The tail, of course, is just part of the costume, but everyone is playing along.) They got back in the ring and traded more punches, and SM hit a spear and a Michinoku Driver at 12:30. Sabre begged off, but then hit a low blow and a Sunset Driver/piledriver along his back. Monkey applied a Triangle Choke at 14:30, but Sabre hit a powerbomb to escape.
They rolled onto the casket, and Monkey applied a sleeper, and Sabre passed out! SM hit a top-rope Swanton Bomb onto Sabre, who was still lying on the casket, at 16:30. Gabriel Fuerza ran out and blocked Monkey from closing the casket lid! Fuerza and Vaughn Vertigo hit superkicks on Space Monkey, and they helped load Monkey into the casket. They then woke up the prone Sabre. However, Sabre speared Space Monkey, and he slammed the casket lid shut. “This is a travesty!” Duthie shouted.
* Backstage, Danhausen doesn’t know exactly where he is in Canada, but he’s here to win gold, even though he has no idea what “zero gravity” means. Me neither.
2. “Fight or Flight” Vaughn Vertigo and Gabriel Fuerza defeated “KPK” Ahmed and Abu to retain the Alpha-1 Tag Team titles at 5:29. FoF actually just fought each other in C*4 Wrestling. This is the Alpha-1 debut for KPK. At first glance, I thought one of them was Mansoor until he took his sunglasses off. FoF laughed at them, not taking their opponents seriously. Ahmed is strong with wild, crazy hair, looking a bit like NXT’s Tavion Heights. Ahmed hit a shoulder tackle. Abu hit a plancha to the floor at 1:00.
Ahmed hit a Mafia Kick to Vaughn’s chest and the youngsters kept him in their corner early. Vaughn hit a brainbuster for a nearfall on Abu. Duthie said KPK have been wrestling just two years each. Ahmed hit a back bodydrop and a Michinoku Driver on Vaughn at 4:00. Abu hit a swinging uranage. FoF began working over Ahmed’s elbow. Fuerza applied a cross-armbreaker, and Ahmed tapped out. That wrapped up quickly.
* Backstage, Rickey Shane Page has his belt over his shoulder. He said Brett was “naive” and he “was never going to beat me.”
3. Kody Lane defeated Danhausen to retain the Alpha-1 Zero Gravity Title at 9:46. A nice pop for Danhausen; Duthie said he was last here in 2017! Again, I always compare Kody’s look to Juice Robinson. Standing switches to open until it became cartoonish. Danhausen cursed him. Lane hit a senton for a nearfall at 2:30 and he took control. Lane hit a stunner. Danhausen hit a clothesline and a Northern Lights Suplex at 5:30. He hit a snap German Suplex and they were both down.
Danhausen got his jar of teeth, but Lane hit a powerbomb, then a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 7:00. Danhausen hit his Go To Sleephausen kneestrike, but Kody rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned. Danhausen got a nearfall in the ring, but Lane got a foot on the ropes. Danhausen poured the teeth down the throat, kicked the cheek to send the teeth flying, and he got a nearfall. Kody avoided a second Go To Sleephausen, and he hit a bodyslam. Lane hit his swinging Tombstone Piledriver for the clean pin. Good action.
* Out of nowhere, “Warhorse” Jake Parnell attacked Lane! Duthie told viewers about the battles between these two in St. Louis-based Glory Pro Wrestling, adding that Warhorse hasn’t been here for years. Parnell got on the mic and said Lane is “pathetic” and he’s “nothing!” He declared himself as Zero One champion! He told Lane to “embrace nihilism.”
* Backstage, Jody Threat was pacing. She vowed to finish her feud with Laynie Luck tonight. We then went to a comedy spot with Simon Miller, who is coming to Canada!
4. Jessie V, EZE, and Mark Wheeler defeated Dan the Dad, Ethan Price, and Cheech at 8:10. In recent months, they have played up the idea that the youngster Ethan is Dan’s son. (I gotta believe that Cheech is older than Dan.) The heels are much bigger and stronger. EZE went to start but he immediately tagged out to his bigger teammates. So, Wheeler and Dan opened and they immediately traded forearm strikes. Jessie V slammed Cheech onto the ring apron at 3:00, and the heels began working over Cheech.
Jessie hit some suplexes in the ring. EZE finally got in for the first time and hit a suplex. Jessie tagged back in and hit an impressive leaping guillotine legdrop. “The man is freakishly athletic!” Duthie said. Dan and Ethan both tagged in at 6:00 and beat up Jessie V. Jessie accidentally collided with Wheeler. Wheeler and Jessie hit a team powerbomb move to pin Ethan Price. Okay match. EZE continued to beat on Cheech after the match.
5. Jose the Assassin defeated Josh Bishop, Sam Holloway, Vinny Pacifico, Bryce Hansen, Damian Chambers, and Derek Dillinger in a seven-way elimination match to win the Alpha-1 Outer Limits Title at 9:49. Holloway is the kid who appears to be 6’7″ and reminds me of Julius Creed. I had no idea Jose was a wrestler; I just had seen him as a manager. My first time seeing Bryce, who is blond and of average size. Chambers is debuting here; he’s been a regular in Sami Callihan’s Wrestling Revolver for the past year or so. Former champ Bishop immediately attacked new champ Dillinger at the bell.
Jose hit the delayed kick in the face in the corner, doing RUSH’s move. Bryce and Vinny traded some offense while everyone else was on the floor. Dillinger swung Bryce to the mat. Halloway hit a pumphandle back suplex at 3:00, tossing Bryce all the way across the ring. Holloway hit a double shoulder tackle. He speared Dillinger on the apron to the floor, drawing a “holy shit!” chant. However, Bishop picked up Holloway and tossed him over the ropes to the floor to eliminate him at 4:14. Chambers tied Bishop in a half-crab in the ropes. Jose hit a shoulder-breaker and applied a crossarm breaker on Chambers at 5:53, and Chambers tapped out.
Bishop and Bryce traded forearm strikes, and Bishop hit a chokeslam. Bishop hit an Exploder Suplex on Dillinger. Bishop hit a sit-out powerbomb to pin Pacifico at 7:25. Bishop hit a sideslam on Jose. Dillinger pushed Bishop off the apron to the floor at 8:04! Bishop jumped back in and beat up Dillinger, hitting a release suplex. Jose crawled over and pinned Dillinger at 8:42, so the defending champion is out. So, it’s just Jose and the rookie Bryce remaining. Jose hit a swinging DDT for the pin. New champion! Okay match; they kept the action going.
* They did a backstage segment where TJ Crawford got an invitation to Alpha-1. A bit cartoonish but fun. We then went to a backstage segment with Kody Lane, who also will be in the “King of the Hearts” tournament on Sept. 8, and he hopes Jake Parnell is in it, too.
6. Ace Austin defeated Alec Price at 16:49. This is the match I tuned in for. Duthie said Price was last here in 2018. Quick reversals and a standoff. Price worked the left arm. Ace hit an enzuigiri at 3:00. Price hit his springboard crossbody block for a nearfall. These two were clicking early and the crowd was appreciative and behind Price. Austin hit a guillotine leg drop for a nearfall at 8:00. Price hit a pop-up dropkick. He hit a second-rope flying leg lariat for a nearfall. Price hit a spinning back fist and a half-nelson suplex, then he hit the Blockbuster for a nearfall at 12:00, and we got a “this is awesome!” chant.
Price hit some punches while shouting that “Alpha-1 is my house!” Austin missed a frogsplash and they were both down. They got up and traded punches. Price hit a huracanrana. Ace hit a buzzsaw kick while standing on the apron. Price hit a dive to the floor, then a tornado DDT in the ring for a believable nearfall at 15:30 Duthie is fired up on commentary. Ace hit The Fold (overhead flipping neckbreaker) out of nowhere for the pin. An excellent match and best of the show. “I could watch these two go in a playoff series,” Duthie exclaimed. Ace left the ring, and the fans gave Price a standing ovation.
* In a video sent in, Anthony Greene talked about how he’s now living in Japan (competing in NOAH), but will be back to compete in the September tournament.
7. Jody Threat defeated Laynie Luck in a street fight at 13:53. Laynie just had an AEW TV match. Jody held a skateboard and Laynie had a chair as the match began. I like that both women are wearing camouflage pants and shirts because this is a fight, not a wrestling match. They dropped the weapons and hit punches. Jody hit a series of headbutts in the corner. She pulled a crutch out and struck Laynie with it. They brawled on the floor. Jody tried a summersault off the apron but she crashed onto an open chair. Laynie got a hockey stick and hit Jody with it as they brawled around the building.
Laynie hit a belly-to-belly suplex that tossed Jody onto hard (not metal folding) chairs at 8:30 and that got a “holy shit!” chant. They got back in the ring, but Layne missed a Swanton Bomb and crashed on the mat, and they were both down. Jody hit some clotheslines and a kick to the side of the head, then she pushed a street sign into Laynie, then she hit a German Suplex onto the sign. She fired up and ripped off her shirt (she still has on a black sports bra), and she hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall at 11:30. Laynie hit a package piledriver onto the metal sign for a nearfall! Laynie got some folding chairs and tossed them into the ring. Jody hit a spear, then a second-rope F5 slam onto the pile of chairs for the pin. Good brawl.
* In another vignette, Channing Thomas talked about heading to Alpha-1 in September. We then went to a backstage segment with Jessie V and Mark Wheeler. Wheeler was annoyed that Anthony Greene is returning and getting a title shot, but he added he isn’t concerned, either.
8. Rickey Shane Page defeated Brett Michael David to retain the Alpha-1 Title at 10:36. Again, in a fairly convoluted match, RSP won the title in an Omega Ladder Match last month. (Convoluted rules where you needed a pin to qualify to even climb the ladder to pull down the title.) BMD attacked and stomped on RSP to open. They are dressed similarly, both in plaid. RSP took control and began stomping on Brett and kept him grounded. BMD missed a 450 Splash at 3:30. Brett hit a Blue Thunder Bomb, but RSP grabbed the ropes.
Brett applied a crossface at 6:30, and Duthie called it a “Maple Leaf Lock.” Page got to the ropes to break the hold. Page hit a top-rope superplex for a nearfall. Page hit a frogsplash for a nearfall at 9:00. BMD went for a Helluva Kick but Page pulled the ref into the way! BMD hit a Swanton Bomb for a visual pin, but we don’t have a ref! Two masked men hit the ring and attacked BMD! They rolled to the floor. Page hit an Evenflow DDT for the tainted pin. Meh. It just didn’t do much for me.
* RSP got on the mic and said he loves surprising people. The masked men pulled off their masks and it’s “PME” Philly Collins & Marino Tenaglia! “What the hell is going on!” Duthie said, noting that PME are his buddies. “This is absolutely sinister.” The three heels celebrated in the ring.
Final Thoughts: The first few Alpha-1 shows I watched had just too many short matches that ended out of nowhere. At just eight matches, this show had better pacing and didn’t have any criminally short undercard action. It feels weird to watch it, though, with no signs of Ethan Page anywhere. Price-Austin was everything I hoped it would be. Two great, young, rising stars who immediately clicked and had a standout match. If you watch nothing else here, check that one out. While street fights generally aren’t my thing, I’ll go with the Sabre-Space Monkey casket match for second, with the inspired Luck-Threat brawl for third.
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