By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Prestige Wrestling “Cascadia Cup – Night One”
Streamed on Prestige Wrestling YouTube Page
August 23, 2024 in Portland, Oregon at Kliever Armory
Prestige Wrestling held the second annual 16-person “Cascadia Cup” with the top rising stars of the Pacific Northwest. This two-night event was just released for free on youtube. This is a review of night one. Cody Von Whistler and Jordan Castle provided commentary. This is a basic armory and the crowd is maybe 100-150; it feels too big of a room for a crowd this size.
I am a sucker for tournaments. And I really like that Judas Icarus vs. Cody Chhun is happening in the first round. (Chhun won last year’s inaugural tournament.) I would have presumed these two would reach the finals. So, having them meet in the first round opens up a lot of possibilities for how the rest of the tournament will play out.
1. Guillermo Rosas vs. Travis Williams in a first-round match. These two have fought many times, usually in their respective tag teams. Williams (think Zack Sabre Jr. in style) has competed recently in TNA. Basic reversals early on. Williams hit a dropkick on the floor at 3:00; Castle pointed out there are no pads on the floor. Williams shoved Rosas elbow-first into the ring post. Back in the ring, Williams went for a crossarm breaker. Rosas fired up and hit some chops.
Rosas hit a clothesline and they were both down at 4:30. He hit a powerslam for a nearfall. Williams hit a missile dropkick. Rosas hit a spear and he pulled down the straps of his singlet. Rosas set up for a Gotch-style piledriver, but Travis turned it into a crossarm breaker! Nice. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Williams mouse-trapped the arms, got a forward roll, and scored the clean pin! A really good opener.
Travis Williams defeated Guillermo Rosas to advance at 7:49.
* Outside, Williams celebrated his win. He has his Prestige tag team title belt on his shoulder. He said he has a reputation to uphold and he’s going to keep winning.
2. Kris Brady vs. Sebastian Wolfe in a first-round tournament match. Wolfe wore a singlet and he has a short, thick beard. Brady is a short, heavier high-flyer; neither have been used much in the past year in Prestige. Standing switches to open and Wolfe is taller. Brady paused to dance; he wrestles in bib overalls and I just can’t take that seriously. He dove through the ropes but Wolfe caught him and slammed him on the ring post. Back in the ring, Wolfe was in charge. Brady leapt off the ropes, but Wolfe caught him and hit a spinebuster for a nearfall at 3:00. Wolfe locked in a Camel Clutch and remained in charge. He hit a sidewalk slam at 5:30. Brady hit a neckbreaker. Wolfe hit a German Suplex, then a half-nelson suplex for the pin. Surprisingly one-sided.
Sebastian Wolfe defeated Kris Brady to advance at 6:59.
3. Matt Brannigan vs. Elliot Tyler in a first-round tournament match. The muscular Brannigan (a Lenny Lane lookalike) used to wrestle in the Midwest. Tyler is shorter and wider, with short black hair and is in his late teens or early 20s; I saw him on their June show. They did comedy with Brannigan putting Tyler’s shirt on, then shaking hands with each other and the ref. It doesn’t feel like they are actually going to wrestle, as the comedy kept going and going! They actually tied up at 5:00; yes, this is the first wrestling move of the match. They got winded doing chops on each other; this is more comedy; some in the crowd chanted “fight forever!” They finally started trading forearm strikes at 8:00, and they both collapsed. Tyler hit a back suplex. Brannigan hit a stunner. Tyler tied him up on the mat, but Mat reached the ropes at 10:30. Brannigan hit a powerbomb out of nowhere for the pin. This comedy didn’t do much for me.
Matt Brannigan defeated Elliot Tyler to advance at 10:58.
* Outside, Brannigan said things will “have to get a bit more serious” on night two. He vowed he’s going all the way.
4. Jaiden vs. Casey Ferreira in a first-round tournament match. Casey also is clearly quite young with short, shaggy hair; like Elliot Tyler, I first saw him on their June show. Jaiden is the Hurricane-style superhero and a regular here. Both are undersized. They immediately traded quick reversals, and Jaiden made a ‘superhero landing.’ Casey hit a dropkick. They traded overhand chops. Casey hit an Asai Moonsault; he got a nearfall in the ring at 2:30. Casey hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Jaiden hit a bulldog for a nearfall. Casey hit a Pele Kick. Casey ripped off Jaiden’s mask! Jaiden looked angry! He hit a series of strikes to the body and a Superman Punch at 7:00! He put the mask back on. Jaiden hit a rolling Death Valley Driver for the pin. That was pretty good.
Jaiden defeated Casey Ferreira to advance at 7:25.
* Outside, Jaiden noted he made it to the semifinals, and he vowed he is going to win it all this year. I really am enjoying these post-match videos.
5. Drake Kwon vs. Ethan HD. I don’t think I’ve seen Kwon before; he’s an Asian man, a bit heavy with freckles. Ethan is a bit of a ring veteran and I guess I would prefer this slot went to a young up-and-comer; he has the size advantage. Kwon attacked from behind; they went to the floor, with Kwon throwing him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Kwon remained in charge. Ethan hit a slam out of the ropes at 2:30. They brawled back to the floor. In the ring, Kwon hit a brainbuster for a nearfall and he remained in charge. He hit a guillotine leg drop for a nearfall at 5:30.
Kwon choked him in the ropes. Ethan hit a springboard spin kick for a neafall at 10:00. Ethan hit some running knees. Kwon hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall; he was really breathing hard and appeared gassed. He hit a hard clothesline and a sideslam for a nearfall at 12:00. Ethan hit an elbow drop on Kwon, and he tied Kwon in a crossface, but Kwon reached the ropes. Ethan came off the ropes, but Kwon caught him with a back elbow. Kwon hit a running knee for a nearfall, but Ethan got a foot on the ropes at 14:30. Kwon hit a Helluva Kick. He came off the ropes, but Ethan caught him and applied a crossface. Ethan then rolled Kwon over and got a pin. Okay match; definitely longer than needed.
Ethan HD defeated Drake Kwon to advance at 15:50.
Outside, Ethan talked about how he got to work alongside Roddy Piper a decade ago, and that Piper always said “I have one more in me.” Ethan said he tore his meniscus a year ago, and he is now back and he wants to cement his legacy. Good, intense promo.
6. Drexl vs. Zaye Perez in a first-round tournament match. Drexl is the hardcore guy who has white facepaint covering his whole head and a long beard, and he’s currently a babyface. Like two others, I saw Zaye wrestle for the first time in a tag match during a June show. His team is called “the Flaming Aces,” and he’s young and flamboyant. Zaye hit some chops that the thicker Drexl no-sold, and he let Zaye try again. Drexl then hit his own chops. Drexl tied him in a Muta Lock at 2:30 and was in control. Zaye left off the ropes but Drexl side-stepped it. They brawled to the floor.
Back in the ring, Zaye hit a basement dropkick at 6:30. He rubbed his butt in Drexl’s face, but Drexl bit him. Drexl hit a modified Cradleshock for a nearfall, then a short-arm clothesline. Zaye hit a faceplant for a nearfall at 8:30. Drexl hit a piledriver for a nearfall. He fish-hooked Zaye’s mouth while applying a crossface. Drexl set up for another piledriver, but Zaye blocked it, got a jackknife cover, and scored the pin. That’s the upset of the first round!
Zaye Perez defeated Drexl to advance at 9:51.
* Zaye spoke outside. Drexl came up to him and said “You did good. Good luck.”
7. Evan Rivers vs. Amira. I’ve said before that Amira is similar to Raquel Gonzalez, but shorter; she is a powerhouse and the only woman in the tournament. Rivers has shaggy blond hair; think Logan Paul-meets-Zicky Dice. He easily shoved her to the mat early on; the size difference is really noticeable. She hit some armdrags at 2:00. She tried a bodyslam but couldn’t lift him, so she hit a Stinger Splash. He powerbombed her onto the edge of the ring apron at 3:30. In the ring, he was fully in charge. She got a backslide for a nearfall; he popped up and hit a running knee to her jaw for a nearfall. Amira nailed a tornado DDT at 6:30. However, she again couldn’t bodyslam him.
She hit two clotheslines and a shotgun dropkick and a German Suplex. They traded some stiff forearm strikes while on their knees. She hit a basement dropkick on his knee, then a huracanrana for a nearfall at 8:30. She leapt off the top rope but he caught her and hit a forward Finlay Roll. He hit a hard clothesline to the back of the head for a believable nearfall, and he was shocked he didn’t win there. He missed a moonsault. She caught him and hit a Mark Henry slam. She hit a top-rope crossbody block and scored the pin. That was really compelling; despite my objections to intergender matches, that was the best match of the show so far.
Amira defeated Ethan Rivers to advance at 11:01.
* Outside, Rivers was livid and angry with himself for losing. We then went to Amira, who is confident she can win.
8. Judas Icarus vs. Cody Chhun in a first-round tournament match. Again, these two would have been my favorites to win the tournament among the 16 competitors, so I’m intrigued they are meeting in the first round. I’ve always compared Cody to former NXT wrestler Boa, while Icarus is like a shorter Mike Bailey, even wrestling barefoot. Icarus also wore his Prestige Tag Team Title belt. An intense lockup to open and they traded standing switches. They traded offense in a knuckle lock. Chhun hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 5:30. They brawled to the floor and fought in front of the fans, and Judas accidentally chopped the ring post. Cody dropped him face-first on the ring apron.
In the ring, Judas took control and he grounded Chhun. Icarus hit a hard jumping knee to the back at 11:00. He hit a bodyslam for a nearfall. Chhun fired up and hit a dropkick, then a Stinger Splash, then a DDT for a nearfall at 13:30. Cody nailed a top-rope superplex, and they were both down. Icarus hit a top-rope frogsplash to the back at 18:00, and he tied Cody in a hammerlock on the mat. Cody nailed a DDT and they were both down. Icarus caught him coming off the ropes and got a backslide for a nearfall. Cody hit a jumping knee to the chin and some superkicks at 21:00. He nailed a second-rope springboard stunner for a believable nearfall.
Travis Williams appeared at ringside! He distracted Cody, allowing Judas to get a rollup for a nearfall. Cody dove onto Williams on the floor! Back in the ring, Cody hit a Stinger Splash and another Cody Cutter for a believable nearfall at 23:00. They traded forearm strikes. Judas nailed a decapitating clothesline, then another, for a nearfall. Icarus tied him in a modified Dragon Sleeper on the mat. Icarus hit a Poison Rana, then a Rebound Lariat, for the clean pin. That was fantastic, and leaps and bounds ahead of everything else here. Last year’s winner is out in the first round.
Judas Icarus defeated Cody Chhun to advance at 24:18.
Final Thoughts: A fun, free show. I really liked how Prestige mixed in some promos between matches. The main event takes best match, which isn’t a surprise. Rivers-Amira earned second, and the show-opener Williams-Rosas takes third. Jaiden-Ferreira was fast-paced and earns honorable mention. There was a good mix of new faces here — guys I’ve seen just once before — and some seasoned veterans.
Night two will feature the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, along with some matches from the first-round losers.
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