By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Empire State Wrestling “Evil Empire”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
October 5, 2024 in Niagara Falls, New York at Frontier Fire Hall
This show is built around its main event, which actually changed the day of the show. This show was posted Tuesday at IWTV. Originally planned to be Mike Bailey vs. Alec Price, it was changed to Bailey vs. Kevin Blackwood, after Price had travel issues. I have seen other shows from the upstate New York talent and admittedly no one stood out. We’ll see if anyone catches my eye here. Rob Sanderson and Veda Scott were on commentary, which is a big plus.
* This appears to be a VFW Hall with a high ceiling. Lighting is merely okay. We have a really good crowd of about 300 packed into this small room.
1. James Sayga vs. Rush Freeman. Rush has been a regular in NWA. (I admittedly stopped watching NWA earlier this year, so I can’t say if he is still being used there.) He wore his tuxedo bowtie. My first time seeing Sayga, who is clearly older with dark, receding hair; cagematch.net records say this was just his sixth match of the year. They took turns playing to the crowd and jawed. Sayga is the babyface and he laid in chops in the corner. Freeman hit a butterfly suplex at 4:00. Sayga hit a suplex and they were both down. He hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall. Rush hit a German Suplex for a nearfall at 7:00, and he switched to an anklelock. Sayga hit a discus forearm for the pin. Acceptable match.
James Sayga defeated Rush Freeman at 7:43.
* Cloudy and Nick Ando came to the ring in their street clothes and were booed. This brought out Danhausen and Christina Marie. They challenged them to a match later! Danhausen told them to face them, or he would curse them!
2. Matt McCoy vs. Pat Sawyer. McCoy is short, thin, but absolutely ripped. Sawyer is Native American and he wore paint on his face and his hair is in braids. He is much taller and thicker. McCoy immediately hit some spin kicks to the thighs to cut his bigger opponent down. Sawyer hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall, and he tossed the smaller McCoy around the ring. McCoy hit some Stinger Splashes and was fired up. Sawyer was setting up for a powerbomb but McCoy escaped, rolled him up, and got a flash pin out of nowhere. Entertaining enough.
Matt McCoy defeated Pat Sawyer at 4:50.
3. Vince Valor vs. “Edge of Hope” Cerin Rahne, Darren Crowe, and Mattick in a handicap match. I have compared EoH to the Forgotten Sons in NXT. Valor is short, bald, older, with a bushy beard. All three heels jumped on Valor and stomped on him, and the ref threw the match out. This brought out two guys from the back to make the save, and we’re going to re-start as a six-man tag!
Vince Valor defeated Cerin Rahne, Darren Crowe, and Mattick via DQ at 0:30.
3B. Channing Decker, Greg Iron, and Vince Valor vs. Cerin Rahne, Darren Crowe, and Mattick. All six brawled at the bell. Iron is short and really thin in black trunks. Decke is taller in pink-and-white pants. The heels began working over the smaller Iron. Decker got a hot tag and beat up the heels. He hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. The big, hefty Mattick hit a neckbreaker over his knee. Rahne hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. Mattick and Channing traded forearm strikes. Decker applied a Sharpshooter, and Mattick tapped out. Okay.
Channing Decker, Greg Iron, and Vince Valor vs. Cerin Rahne, Darren Crowe, and Mattick at 9:10.
* The lights went out and a video played. Bill Collier taunted Vince Valor and said he signed his own death warrant. He challenged him to a casket match at “Wrestle Bash” on Nov. 22. Back to the venue, where Valor accepted.
4. John McChesney vs. Gavin Glass. Gavin is young with short, dark black hair and he’s a babyface, wearing a Buffalo Bills jacket. The bigger, thicker McChesney attacked from behind as Glass got in the ring. McChesney wore a black shirt and pants and has long hair in a ponytail, and he was in charge early on. He kept Glass tied up on the mat. Glass fired up and hit some chops and a running neckbreaker for a nearfall at 5:00. McChesney hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall, then a TKO stunner for a nearfall. McChesney got pushed off the ropes, landed on the mat and his ankle buckled at 7:30. Of course, the ref held Glass back but didn’t call for the bell, as several people entered the ring to check on John. Of course, he got up and hit Glass with a superkick and scored the cheap pin. Lame finish; the fake injury is sooooo played out.
John McChesney defeated Gavin Glass at 8:25.
5. Chael Connors, TJ Epixx, and Tommy K vs. Julio Diamante, Price Purgold, and Groff. Connors (blue pants) and Epixx (red pants) wore black baseball jerseys with their names on the back, and those two are tag champions. Groff is a heavy caveman with a bushy beard and a black singlet. The heels extensively worked over the bald Connors, with Groff hitting a powerslam at 5:30, and they kept Chael in their corner. Tommy K finally got a hot tag at 7:00 and hit some clotheslines on the heels, then a Spinebuster on the big Groff. Connors and Epixx hit a stereo stunner for the pin! Decent match.
Chael Connors, TJ Epixx, nad Tommy K defeated Julio Diamante, Price Purgold, and Groff at 8:43.
* Cheech and Colin Delaney came to the ring; they aren’t booked tonight. They want a tag title shot at Connors and Epixx. Connors and Epixx accepted and they shook hands.
6. Danhausen and Christina Marie vs. “High Seas” Cloudy and Nick Ando. Marie was in a tag match on ROH TV against Athena and Billie Starkz in September. ROH veteran Cloudy and Ando have competed on the GCW shows in Rochester. Ando wears his ship captain hat; he opened against Danhausen, who ‘cursed’ Ando and hit a series of punches in the corner and a bulldog. The heels bailed to the floor to regroup. Marie has a good physique; she tied up with the short Cloudy at 3:00, and she twisted his arms, then hit some bodyslams. Ando snapped her throat across the top rope, allowing Cloudy to hit a spinebuster, and the heels began working her over.
Marie hit a double missile dropkick at 8:00. Danhausen got the hot tag and hit some clotheslines and a suplex. He hit a German Suplex on Cloudy. Ando hit a team Falcon Arrow move for a nearfall, but Marie made the save. Marie hit a double clothesline at 9:30. She hit a Samoan Drop on Cloudy. Danhuasen poured his jar of teeth down Cloudy’s throat, then kicked them out and got a nearfall. Danhausen hit a Go To Sleep knee strike on Cloudy, and Marie immediately hit a spear on Cloudy for the pin. Fun match.
Danhausen and Christina Marie defeated “High Seas” Cloudy and Nick Ando at 11:20.
7. Vinnie Moon and Will Calrissian vs. Randy P and Cal Keaton. Calrissian is fired up with short black hair, while Moon has long, curly, reddish hair. (Why would you pick Calrissian for a last name?) Randy P wore a red shirt; Cal wore black, and he has long, black slick-wet hair. Randy immediately attacked Vinnie Moon. Cal and Will locked up at 1:30. The heels began working over Vinnie — his red goofball singlet is bringing out the red in his hair, too. Will got the hot tag at 6:30 and hit a series of punches on Randy, then a T-Bone Suplex and a Michinoku Driver, then an assisted uranage. Vinnie hit a Flatliner. They hit a team Flatliner for a nearfall, but Randy pulled the ref to the floor. Kevin Bennett got in the ring and hit a stunner on Will Calrissian. He put Cal on top of Will, and woke up the ref, and the ref made the three-count to give the heels a tainted victory. Meh; that sure didn’t feel like a semi-main event.
Randy P and Cal Keaton defeated Vinnie Moon and Will Calrissian at 8:57.
8. Mike Bailey vs. Kevin Blackwood. Blackwood is a great last-minute replacement. They charged at each other and immediately traded kicks to the thighs, and Kevin hit a doublestomp to the chest. They went to the floor, where Kevin hit some spin kicks to the chest and chops. Bailey nailed the Triangle Moonsault to the floor at 1:30, and they continued to fight at ringside, with Bailey now hitting the roundhouse kicks to the chest. In the ring, Bailey draped him across the top rope and hit a flying kneedrop to the back at 3:00. Bailey tied up the legs and applied his Navarro Special twisting leglock, and Blackwood writhed in pain but reached the ropes at 4:30.
Bailey hit his Speedball kicks to the ribs and thighs. He hit a variety of kicks, but he missed a running Shooting Star Press. Kevin got up and hit some strikes. Bailey hit a kick to the jaw and his moonsault kneedrop to the chest at 6:30, and they were both down, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees, then while standing, and the speed and intensity of the blows increased. They switched to trading roundhouse kicks to the chest at 8:30. They traded Mafia Kicks, and they hit stereo boots and were both down, and both rolled to the floor. They traded kicks on the floor. Bailey nailed his springboard moonsault to the floor, and they were both down at 10:30 and we got another “this is awesome!” chant.
In the ring, Bailey nailed a Falcon Arrow, then a top-rope Shooting Star Press for a believable nearfall. Bailey went for his Tornado Kick but Blackwood caught the leg and suplexed him into the turnbuckles. Bailey nailed his Green Tea Plunge (mid-ring Spanish Fly), then another moonsault kneedrop to the chest at 12:00. Kevin caught him with a jumping knee to the chin. They went to the ring apron, where Bailey missed a moonsault kneedrop. Kevin hit a top-rope double stomp to the chest on the apron. However, Kevin struggled to get Bailey back into the ring. They traded rollups. Kevin nailed a brainbuster for a nearall at 14:00. He set up for a Gotch-style Piledriver but Bailey escaped. Kevin instead hit a powerbomb, then hit the Gotch-style Piledriver for a believable nearfall. They got up and traded slaps to the face. Blackwood hit a German Suplex and a Helluva Kick. Bailey avoided the top-rope doublestomp to the chest. Bailey hit a superkick, a Tornado Kick, and the Ultima Weapon for the pin. WOW. “Catch your breath,” said Rob Sanderson. They hugged afterwards.
Mike Bailey defeated Kevin Blackwood at 15:36.
Final Thoughts: A stellar main event between two of my favorites. I really like Alec Price too, but Blackwood is a better fit for Bailey and this was a standout match. If you have an IWTV subscription, go out of your way to watch this match.
The rest of the card was fine even without anything in particular standing out. I really like what I’ve seen from Christina Marie, and the match she had teaming with Danhausen was fun and earned second best. I’ve seen that Connors/Epixx team before and they are promising; I think they’ll have a really good match next month with Cheech and Delaney.
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