By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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C*4 Wrestling (Capital City Championship Combat) “You’re Next”
Replay available via Independent.TV
September 20, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario at Preston Event Centre
This show was released Tuesday at IWTV. As always, by delaying it a few days, it allows them to make light edits, particularly cutting down the breaks between matches.
* I love this venue; it is well-lit and just an ideal room for pro wrestling, and they always draw around 500 or so fans, who are always into the action. I wrote that last month’s show, featuring Mike Bailey vs. Donovan Dijak and Fresh Air vs. Miracle Generation, was an indy show of the year candidate.
1. Kevin Blackwood vs. Gabriel Fuerza. Blackwood wrestled the next day in San Diego; it really shows how the top-tier indy wrestlers are in demand. They immediately brawled and went to the floor at 1:00 and fought amongst the fans. In the ring, Blackwood hit a piledriver for a nearfall. He hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 2:30 and he planted his knee in Gabriel’s lower back. Fuerza hit a top-rope frogsplash and they were both down at 5:30. Gabriel hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Blackwood hit a brainbuster at 7:30. Blackwood hit a top-rope doublestomp onto a standing Fuerza for a nearfall.
They got up and traded forearm strikes. Fuerza applied a Dragon Sleeper. Vaughn Vertigo appeared on the ring apron at 10:30 and that distracted Fuerza; those two have been feuding of late. Fuerza hit a standing powerbomb. He went for a handspring maneuver but Vertigo tripped his hands! Blackwood immediately hit a piledriver for the tainted pin. The interference was entirely expected.
Kevin Blackwood defeated Gabriel Fuerza at 11:31.
2. “Project 8100” Haddy and Dexter Doom vs. Brent Banks and James Stone (w/Vanessa Kraven) vs. “Members Only” Calvin T. Lewis and Malcolm Cambridge in a three-way. I gotta believe this is a C*4 debut for Members Only; I’ve seen them in Ohio-based AIW a few times. Lewis has shorter, trimmed hair while Cambridge has poofy, big hair; they attacked Banks to open. Haddy (long, stringy hair) and the bald Doom got in and they began working over Stone. Members Only got back in at 5:00 and worked over Stone; this has felt like a 4-on-2 match from the start. Stone finally hit a double clothesline on Members Only at 9:00. Banks got a hot tag and hit a dropkick on Haddy.
Lewis hit a Dragon Suplex on Stone, and MO hit a Team 3D on him. Stone hit a standing powerbomb on Cambridge. Banks tossed teammate Stone to the floor onto a bunch of opponents. It allowed Banks to hit a frogsplash for the pin. The whole match was built around the unlikely alliance of Banks and Stone, and it worked. (They have built this teaming like how Mick Foley brought Sheamus and Cesaro together; Kraven got these former enemies together, and now that they are teaming, they are clicking.)
Brent Banks & James Stone defeated Dexter Doom & Haddy and Calvin T. Lewis & Malcolm Cambridge at 12:49.
3. Dominic Garrini vs. Vaughn Vertigo. No Kevin Ku tonight; Garrini is going solo. I expect Gabriel Fuerza to interfere, based on what happened in the show opener. Vertigo looks like a rock star, and a lot like Grizzled Young Vet James Drake. Garrini has the size advantage. Basic mat reversals early on, and Garrini locked in a rear-naked choke at 1:30 but Vertigo escaped. Garrini hit a running penalty kick for a nearfall. They brawled to the floor at 3:00. Vaughn hit a slingshot senton back into the ring. Garrini hit a series of clotheslines and chops in the corner, then a neckbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 6:00. Garrini hit a clothesline and a piledriver for a nearfall. Vertigo hit a Wanton Bomb. Right on cue, there is Fuerza causing the distraction. Garrini hit a running knee and he immediately applied a rear-naked choke, and the ref called for the bell.
Dominic Garrini defeated Vaughn Vertigo at 9:28.
4. Stu Grayson vs. Sheldon Jean. This is a rematch from the last show, where Stu won. I’ve barely seen Sheldon since his TNA run; this is about the only promotion I’ve seen him wrestle. Speaking of which, why isn’t Stu in TNA at this point? Sheldon wore a denim jacket and seemed arrogant as he strolled slowly to the ring. They brawled at the bell and traded punches. They rolled to the floor and kept trading punches in front of the fans. Back in the ring, Stu hit an overhead release suplex. He hit a brainbuster at 3:30. Jean hit a double-underhook suplex. Stu hit another overhead release suplex. Jean dropped Stu throat-first across the top rope and took control.
They went to the floor, where Jean rammed Stu’s head into the ring post; Stu rolled back in at 8:00 to avoid being counted out. Stu hit a Pele Kick and they were both down. Stu hit a uranage and a Lionsault for a nearfall. Jean hit a clothesline and a pop-up neckbreaker for a believable nearfall, and they were both down at 10:30. Stu hit some rolling German Suplexes. Jean hit a low blow mule kick with the ref out of position at 12:00. Jean then hit a spinning Buzzsaw Kick to the jaw for the surprising upset. Easily the best match of the show so far.
Sheldon Jean defeated Stu Grayson at 12:39.
5. “Tabarnak De Team” Matthieu St. Jacques and Thomas Dubois (w/Mike Marston) vs. “Spitfire” Dani Luna and Jody Threat. I just don’t get these lopsided intergender matches; TDT is so much bigger than these women. Dubois has longer hair and is a bit thinner. Spitfire carried their TNA women’s tag titles, and they wore fairly identical blue gear. TDT attacked from behind. Matthieu and Dani had a test of strength. Threat hit a head-scissors takedown on Dubois at 2:00. The women hit stereo stunners, and TDT fell to the floor. TDT hit stereo spears in the ring. Dubois hit a bodyslam on Luna and they worked her over. They snapped her legs apart. Dubois applied a belly-to-belly suplex at 6:30, then he hit a Mafia Kick on Dani.
Luna hit a second-rope missile dropkick on both TDT. Jody got the hot tag and she hit forearm strikes on each heel. Jody hit a German Suplex on Dubois, then a Michinoku Driver on St. Jacques for a nearfall at 8:30. Spitfire hit a team delayed vertical suplex on St. Jacques for a nearfall, but the ref was pulled from the ring by Marston. Jody dove to the floor on them. Dani also hit a dive through the ropes. Jody hit a flip dive to the floor onto the heels. In the ring, Spitfire hit a Hart Attack clothesline for a nearfall. St. Jacques hit a double DDT. Dubois hit a top-rope double clothesline at 11:30. St. Jacques hit a top-rope kneedrop on Dani for a believable nearfall. Jody tripped St. Jacques, allowing Dani to get a rollup on Dubois for a believable nearfall.
TDT applied stereo half-crabs, but Dani reached the ropes at 13:00. St. Jacques got some chairs and a door from under the ring. TDT slammed Jody onto Dani, with both women crashing through a door in the corner. They covered Dani for a nearfall at 15:00. TDT set up two chairs in the ring. Pretty Ricky Wildly ran to ringside and made a save. Spitfire slammed St. Jacques across two open chairs for the pin. Yikes; that is outside distractions leading to the win in three of five matches so far.
Dani Luna and Jody Threat defeated Matthieu St. Jacques and Thomas Dubois at 15:57.
6. Kristara, Cecil Nyx, Krystal Moon, and Leah Sparks vs. Katrina Creed, Dreya Mitchell, Deeno Benjamin, and Zondra Lee. More intergender action with each team having three women and one man, and I basically only know Kristara and Katrina of the women. Dreya is a tall Black woman. Zondra is white with curly reddish hair. Krystal is white with long black hair and has a comparable look to Sonya Deville. Sparks has pink hair and smiles a lot; think Kylie Rae in her gimmick. Deeno is chubby, but not as big as the rotund Nyx. Deeno opened against the MUCH smaller Leah Sparks and he easily shoved her to the mat. She twisted his left arm and hit a Russian Legsweep. Nyx entered at 1:30 and dropped Deeno with one punch. Zondra entered but she immediately tagged in the tall Dreya, who punched Nyx, then she hit a spinebuster.
Familiar foes Kristara and Katrina got in the ring at 3:00 and traded quick reversals and rollups; they clearly have worked together a lot. Krystal entered at 4:30 and hit some blows on Deeno and a running Meteora for a nearfall. Deeno hit a Michinoku Driver on Krystal for a nearfall. Zondra hit a spear on Nyx for a nearfall at 6:30. Katrina hit a swinging neckbreaker on Nyx. Deeno accidentally hit Dreya! Krystal hit a stunner on Dreya. Deeno began barking at the women on his team; this won’t end well! Sparks hit a stunner on Deeno, then a bulldog on Dreya for a nearfall at 8:30.
Katrina hit a neckbreaker over her knee on Sparks. Kristara hit a fisherman’s suplex on Katrina. Dreya hit an axe kick to the back of Katrina’s head for a nearfall. Kristara and Dreya hit stereo clotheslines and were both down at 10:30. Deeno and Nyx tagged back in; Deeno tagged out before locking up. Nyx hit a splash on Zondra for a nearfall. Nyx suplexed Dreya into the corner. Deeno hit a swinging neckbreaker on Nyx. Kristara hit an enzuigiri on Deeno. The three women hit a stereo Shattered Dreams (punt kick to Deeno’s groin as he was tied in the corner.) All the women on Deeno’s team hopped off the apron and refused to tag back in. Nyx immediately hit a Death Valley Driver to pin Deeno. Lots of newer talent in this one but they made this work and topped my (admittedly low) expectations.
Kristara, Cecil Nyx, Krystal Moon, and Leah Sparks defeated Katrina Creed, Dreya Mitchell, Deeno Benjamin, and Zondra Lee at 13:06.
7. The Butcher vs. Mike Marston. An intense lockup to open. Marston looks like “Outlaw” Ron Bass as he walks to the ring, but he’s covered in tattoos. They opened up and traded forearm strikes at 1:30. They brawled to the floor, and Butcher whipped Marston into the wall. Marston hit a back suplex through a board bridge at 4:30 as they continued to fight on the floor, and the crowd was into this brawling action. They finally got back into the ring at 7:30 with Marston in charge. Marston hit a hard clothesline. Butcher hit his own hard clothesline at 10:30 and they were both down.
They got up and traded forearm strikes and kicks. Butcher hit a running crossbody block and a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 13:00. Marston hit a Samoan Drop for a nearfall. Marston slid a door into the ring. He slammed a chair across Butcher’s back. Marston leapt off the top rope but Butcher hit him with a chair. Butcher powerbombed Marston through a board in the corner and scored the pin. A really good brawl.
The Butcher defeated Mike Marston at 16:20.
* Butcher got on the mic and put over C*4 Wrestling. He got the crowd to give a standing ovation. Marston stood up and hit more chairshots across Butcher’s back. Marston then hit a top-rope diving headbutt.
8. Cheech Hernandez vs. Macrae Martin vs. London Lightning vs. Mark Wheeler vs. Myung-Jae Lee vs. Pretty Ricky Wildly in a scramble. No Puf tonight. All six brawled at the bell. London is the youngster who has had some really good matches on AEW TV and he’s the one to watch. Macrae hit a fallaway slam on Wheeler in the ring while everyone else was brawling on the floor. Lee hit a snap suplex on Macrae. Cheech hit a huracanrana on Lee. London tossed Lee to the floor on everyone, then London dove onto the pile at 3:30. They were setting up for a Tower Spot in the ring but Wheeler jumped in and began hitting low blows on everyone. Wildly hit a low blow on Wheeler, then he grabbed Mark’s groin.
Some heels appeared and they dragged Wildly to the back at 7:00. Lee hit a running knee on Macrae. Wheeler hit an impressive dropkick on Lee and suddenly everyone was down, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. London and Wheeler fought; London’s body mass development/growth is startling. He hit a Spinebuster and put Wheeler in a Sharpshooter. Cheech hit a pumphandle back suplex on Lee at 9:30. Lee hit a Michinoku Driver on Cheech for a nearfall. Macrae hit a Swanton Bomb on Wheeler. Macrae got a jackknife cover out of nowhere to pin Wheeler. A fun scramble.
Macrae Martin defeated Cheech Hernandez, London Lightning, Mark Wheeler, Myung-Jae Lee, and Pretty Ricky Wildly in a scramble at 11:04.
9. Junior Benito vs. Evil Uno for the C*4 Heavyweight Title. Uno is again dressed in his Mankind-style white button-down shirt and tie. They jawed at the bell; Uno is a bit taller and obviously has the size advantage. They shook hands. Benito hit a slingshot senton at 3:00. He playfully patted Uno’s butt, which angered Uno, who slapped Benito in the face! They shook hands again and we resumed. Uno hit some loud chops. Benito hit a dive through the ropes at 6:00 and barreled onto Uno, and they brawled at ringside. Uno flipped Benito face-first into the ring post, and he slid a door into the ring. Uno hit a piledriver onto the door at 9:00. Benito has a bloody forehead, presumably from his head hitting the ring post. Uno hit a hard clothesline and remained in charge.
They brawled back to the floor, where Uno slammed a chair across Benito’s back at 10:30. Back in the ring, Benito fired up and hit some punches. Uno’s white shirt was turning splotchy red from all of Benito’s blood on it. He slammed Junior’s head onto a door in the corner, then he slammed board debris onto Junior. Junior powerbombed Uno across two open chairs at 16:00 and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Junior hit a superkick. They traded blows on the ropes; Benito shoved Uno to the mat and he hit a 450 Splash on him for a nearfall. Uno hit a swinging Flatliner move for a nearfall at 18:00, and he hit Junior with a chairshot, then he applied a sleeper while in a Camel Clutch position, seated on Benito’s back. Benito passed out! New champion! I did NOT see that coming at all.
Evil Uno defeated Junior Benito to win the C*4 Title at 18:39.
* Uno stormed to the back, found a camera, and shouted that he has been wrestling for 17 years. He waited for his time and it feels good to be champ. He warned people not to underestimate him.
Final Thoughts: An entertaining show. I can do without outside interference/distractions in three matches, but the action before that was good. The main event was really good and takes best match; Uno’s shirt showed how much blood Benito lost, but yet it didn’t feel like it crossed over to being really gross, either. I liked the Blackwood-Fuerza opener for second and the scramble for third. A good Stu-Marston brawl gets honorable mention.
I just will never understand the current indy scene’s love for intergender action. Luna is really strong and Jody Threat is tall, but yet it was just absurd the way these bigger men had to sell their offense. It’s just not believable. You had six women in an eight-person tag… why not have two of those women fight Spitfire instead? There is a reason WWE doesn’t do intergender matches. Soccer moms taking their 10-year-old sons are uncomfortable watching adult, athletic men beating up smaller women. Advertisers don’t like it. Some wrestlers are really good at it. (Masha Slamovich on the women’s side; Mike Bailey on the men’s side, for example.) But when you have guys as big as TDT, it’s just absurd to see them selling like this.
Okay, that complaint aside, I really enjoy these C4 shows and it’s the first thing I watched upon its release.
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