By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Violence X Suffering “Arrival 2”
August 23, 2024 in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey at The Mecca
Streamed on the YouTube.com
This show aired live and free on YouTube. This is a small room with a crowd of perhaps 350-400. Emil Jay and The Struggles provided commentary. Sam Laterna is our ring announcer.
1. Masha Slamovich defeated Joey Janela in a Pure Rules match at 13:56. We have the Pure Rules graphic and a clock on the bottom of the screen. Nice. Masha has won two of three prior singles bouts. Joey used his first rope break at 1:42! They traded chops, and Joey dropped her with a spin kick to her thigh at 4:30 and he kept her grounded. Masha hit her rolling Koppo Kick for a nearfall at 6:00. She applied a Fujiwara Armbar and he used his second rope break at 6:17! Masha hit a snap suplex but she sold pain in her knee. He hit a chop block on the damaged knee and a brainbuster for a nearfall. Joey applied a Figure Four. Masha reversed it, so Joey used his final rope beak at 8:08! She hit a running knee to the side of his head. Joey was warned for using a closed fist.
Masha applied a crossarm breaker, but he stood up and hit a powerbomb at 10:00. He applied a half crab; she was close to the ropes but escaped rather than grabbing it. She hit a spinning back fist. Joey hit a piledriver for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. She hit a German Suplex at 12:30, so Joey hit one, then Joey hit a clothesline. He nailed a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Masha applied a rear-naked choke; he got to the ropes, but she suplexed him back to the mat, kept the chokehold on, and he tapped out. Good match.
* Diego Hill was supposed to face Dante Leon, who had to cancel. So, Hill was thrown into a three-way, making it a four-way.
2. Jodi Aura defeated Ryan Clancy, Diego Hill, and Morgan Dash in a four-way at 8:12. Clancy is a star in the Northeast, and Diego is a rising star in the Carolinas. I know I’ve seen Dash at least once; he has short hair and he’s just 18. Jodi is billed as “the Nightwalker” and he’s trained by the Amazing Red, and think of Marvel’s Blade in terms of his overall look with a long black trench coat. Struggles said he has less than 25 matches under his belt. They pushed the shorter Dash aside, which annoyed him. All three guys kicked Dash at 2:00. Dash hit a huracanrana to send Clancy to the floor, then he hit a backflip and kicked the other two.
Clancy hit a crossbody block on Diego. Hill hit some quick kicks on Clancy. Dah nailed a flip dive to the floor on everyone at 5:00. Diego nailed a Fosbury Flop to the floor on two guys. Clancy hit .. an ax handle … off the apron to the floor and the crowd mockingly chanted “holy shit!” Back in the ring, Diego hit a Superman’s Punch on Clancy, then a tornado kick to the head at 6:30, and a spin kick in the corner on Ryan. Diego hit a step-up enziguri in the corner on Clancy. Jodi hit a powerbomb out of the corner on Diego and Clancy. Dash hit a Shooting Star Press. Jodi hit a Go To Sleep-type move on Dash for the pin. Non-stop action. (I would have started the show with this, just to get the crowd fired up.)
3. Jimmy Lloyd defeated Ricardo Rodriguez at 4:56. “Who did this?” Emil Jaye asked as the match graphic aired. Jimmy did his usual shtick, demanding the fans show him respect. Ricardo, of course, was the hype-man for Alberto Del Rio in WWE. Jimmy attacked from behind. In his red-and-black outfit, Ricardo is looking very much like Super Crazy. Jimmy hit a powerbomb into the corner at 1:00 and he stayed in control. Jimmy hit a Broski boot in the corner and a Radio Silence flying legdrop for the pin. Short and to the point, and I’m fine with that.
4. Jackson Drake defeated Kevin Blackwood at 14:43. Intense mat holds to open and a standoff at 1:30. Kevin’s hair is a leopard print today. Drake hit a huracanrana and a gut-wrench suplex, and a stiff kick to the spine at 3:30, and he kept Blackwood grounded. They got up and traded stiff forearm strikes, and Blackwood hit a leaping clothesline, then a German Suplex, then an Exploder Suplex at 5:00. It was now Kevin’s turn to hit a stiff kick to the spine. Kevin switched to Yes Kicks to the chest. Jackson hit a running boot and they were both down at 7:30. Jackson hit a Powerslam and a moonsault for a nearfall. Drake switched to an anklelock at 9:30 but Kevin kicked free.
Blackwood hit another stiff forearm and a hard brainbuster for a believable nearfall; both commentators thought that was it. They hit stereo kicks and were both down at 11:30, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Kevin set up for a piledriver but Drake escaped. Kevin draped him across the top rope and hit a top-rope doublestomp to the back. Kevin then hit a Gotch-style Piledriver for a believable nearfall at 13:30, and the commentators were incredulous. Jackson hit an enzuigiri and a clothesline. Drake hit a Chaos Theory rolling German Suplex for a believable nearfall. Drake hit an F5 for the clean pin. Definitely a surprise. I HATE how Drake completely no-sold getting hit by the Gotch-style piledriver.
* Drake got on the mic and boasted about his win. This brought out Moose, who got a massive pop. The commentators claimed they didn’t know he was here. The crowd chanted “you f—ed up!” at Drake, and they stood nose-to-nose. Moose dropped him with a headbutt. He started to beat up security that got into the ring, too. He powerbombed one guy over the top rope onto everyone on the floor and was left standing alone in the ring. He never spoke to the crowd.
5. Santana Jackson defeated Jay Lyon at 13:07. I won’t bother rehashing it, but I think using a Michael Jackson gimmick character in 2024 is disgusting and tone deaf. Maybe they can bring out a Bill Cosby character to offer puddin’ pops to kids and spiked drinks to the women. The lights went out at 10:30, but it was just so Santana could put on the wolf mask. Santana hit the Moonwalk DDT for the pin.
* Jordynne Grace has a mystery opponent!! Who is it? Megan Bayne has answered the open challenge!
6. Jordynne Grace defeated Megan Bayne to retain the TNA Knockouts Title at 13:34. I don’t know if I’ve seen a match with two women with more raw strength. Grace did wear her TNA title. Megan has a significant height advantage. “We got a “holy shit!” chant before they locked up. Emil expressed disbelief that they are calling a TNA title match. An intense lockup to open. Grace backed her into the corner at 1:30 and slapped Megan’s face! Megan dropped her with a shoulder tackle. Megan hit a double-underhook suplex, then a splash to the mat for a nearfall at 3:30. Grace kicked her in the side of the head, and she kept Bayne grounded.
They started trading forearm strikes at 8:00. Bayne hit an Exploder Suplex, then another suplex. She hit a Samoan Drop for a nearfall. Grace hit a Mark Henry Slam and a Vader Bomb for a nearfall at 10:00. They hit headbutts and Bayne nailed a leaping clothesline for a nearfall. Grace hit a suplex with Megan landing stomach-first, and Jordynne hit the Muscle Buster for a believable nearfall at 12:00. Grace set up for a Cop Killah but Bayne escaped, and Bayne nailed a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. They traded rollups, and Grace nailed the Juggernaut Driver for the pin. An exceptional match. That said, I wish the title hadn’t been on the line, as it took the mystery out of who was winning.
* A video aired of Homicide talking outside. He said he’s been wrestling since 1994! This was a really compelling video as he drove around New York and talked about his years in wrestling. Sam Laterna announced they have set a new attendance record but she didn’t say how many.
7. Homicide defeated Kenta at 28:48. Homicide came out to his music which I’ve been hearing since ROH began in 2002. This is a first-time-ever singles match — they have been in multi-man matches — and we got a “holy shit” chant before they locked up. Kenta rolled to the floor and stalled. They finally locked up at 3:00, and Kenta slapped him. Homicide rolled to the floor and threw several (non-folding) chairs in the ring! Lots of stalling as the ref removed the chairs. Homicide kept Kenta grounded; Kenta rolled to the floor again at 8:00. In the ring, Homicide hit a bodyslam for a nearfall. They brawled to the floor and Kenta threw him into these hard chairs, and they looped the outer wall of the building.
Kenta hit a stiff kick to the chest at 12:30 as Homicide was seated in a chair. They got back into the ring, but right back to the floor, where Kenta hit some spin kicks to the chest. Back in the ring, Kenta hit a stiff kick to the spine at 15:00. Kenta sat down to let Homicide hit one back, and he was unimpressed. Kenta kept Homicide grounded. Homicide hit two suplexes but couldn’t hit a third; Kenta hit two suplexes. Homicide hit the Three Amigos rolling suplexes, but he missed a top-rope flying headbutt at 19:00. Kenta hit some Yes Kicks to the chest and a DDT. He applied a crossface, but Homicide reached the ropes at 21:00. Kenta hit an Exploder; Homicide hit two Exploders.
Kenta hit a jumping knee to the sternum. Kenta hit a basement dropkick in the corner. Homicide suplexed him into the corner at 23:00. Kenta hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall, then a top-rope doublestomp to the chest for a nearfall. Homicide set up for the Cop Killah but Kenta escaped, and Kenta hit a running knee to the back of the head, then another one to the chin for a nearfall at 25:00. They got up and traded chops, and Kenta hit some open-hand slaps to the face. They kept going and going and the crowd was really into this. Homicide hit a stunner at 28:00. Homicide nailed the Cop Killah for the pin! The crowd cheered this outcome and chanted “That was awesome!”
Final Thoughts: I know I’m going against the grain, but I’ll go with Grace-Bayne for best match and Masha-Janela for second. The main event was historic and the crowd was totally into it. That said, there’s no way I’d watch the whole thing a second time. I don’t want to speak ill of it, but clearly the crowd loved it more than I did, and understood the incredible history of these two veterans.
I invite Jackson Drake to watch some Ilja Dragunov matches, and how he sells every move and his pain is registered all over his face. Contrast that to Drake not only kicking out of a Gotch-style Piledriver, but him hopping to his feet and completely no-selling it the rest of the match. I know it took me out of what had been a very good match, too. All he needed to do was grab the neck a few times and make it clear how devastating that move was. The four-way is well worth going out of your way to see.
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