By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Midwest All-Star Wrestling “Grand Slam 6”
October 25, 2024 in North St. Paul, Minnesota at North St. Paul High School
This event had a wrestling convention from 4-7 p.m. Not only did the wrestlers on the show appear, but we had everyone from Brian Knobbs and Scott Steiner to Von Wagner at booths, signing autographs and posing for photos. The gym’s curtain was dropped at 7 p.m. for the wrestling show, and there were a legit 700 or so fans for this show.
* This event was operated by an area Native American tribe, so they opened by presenting Mickie James with an eagle feather, then we had traditional Native American dancing, with the dancers in their colorful dresses and robes. A neat experience.
* All the women legends in attendance — Ms. Jacquelyne, Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, McKenzie Mitchell, ODB, Victoria — got in the ring and were given bouquets.
1. Joey Avalon vs. Yuji Nagata (w/Sonny Onoo). Avalon wrestles on a lot of shows in Chicago and Milwaukee and he’s got a broad body. Even though this was a babyface matchup, the crowd popped for Onoo cheating while the ref was distracted. This was mostly mat-based. Nagata hit an Exploder Suplex, then another suplex, to score the pin. Only disappointment here is we didn’t get to see Nagata crank back on an arm and roll back his eyes into his head. This also was the perfect length for this match; we don’t need to see Yuji going longer than this.
Yuji Nagata defeated Joey Avalon at 8:53.
2. Kaitlin Diemond vs. Sierra. I had never heard of Diemond before. Cagematch.net says this was her first match of the year and just the third she’s had since 2019. She got on the mic and snarled at the fans and the commentary duo of Brittnie Brooks and Veda Scott. Diemond has, um, masculine features to the point my 10-year-old son asked if this was an intergender match. They traded forearm strikes. Diemond crotched Sierra in the ropes as they got into the ring, and Sierra is the first woman I’ve seen sell this move. Lots of brawling, with Sierra hitting a backpack stunner, then a stunner, for the pin. Diemond got on the mic afterwards and indicated this was her retirement match.
Sierra defeated Kaitlin Diemond at 7:02.
3. Shazza McKenzie vs. Rachel Armstrong in a ladder match. The belt was hanging from the ceiling when I entered the building. It didn’t seem particularly high above the ring, but both of these women are fairly short. Victoria was our referee at ringside, although she wore a nice outfit, not a ref shirt. Rachel hit a dive through the ropes early in the match with them both crashing hard against the guardrail. Rachel hit a moonsault in the ring. They fought on the ladder, and Rachel hit a neckbreaker to the mat. Shazza nailed a Buckle Bomb onto a ladder set up in the corner. It allowed Shazza time to climb the ladder and pull down the title. For whatever reason, Victoria shoved Shazza to the mat, which earned a pop. These two worked hard here and it felt a lot longer than it was.
Shazza McKenzie defeated Rachel Armstrong at 8:29.
4. JDX vs. Paul Virk for the MAW Title. I last saw Virk two years ago and he’s filled out quite a bit. I just watched JDX on a Chicago Style Wrestling show and I noted he was dressed like Jay Lethal’s Macho Man. Here, he wore a black vest; he’s short with broad shoulders and I was now thinking of a comparison to ACH. They stood toe to toe and Virk is MUCH taller. They fought onto the ramp to the ring, and JDX hit a suplex that popped the crowd. Virk speared JDX and they fell off the ramp onto the floor below. The ref got bumped. JDX hit a Flatliner but the ref wasn’t there to make the count. At 10:30, Koda Jacobs hit the ring (think Mustafa Ali’s gimmick of running for president to make a “better wrestling scene.”) Meanwhile, GPA jumped in the ring and hit Virk with a belt. He pulled JDX onto Virk, but JDX only got a nearfall.
Two Latino wrestlers I don’t know jumped in the ring, and they got a huge babyface pop! They chased away GPA and Koda Jacobs, and we were back to just JDX vs. Paul Virk. Virk hit a spear. They traded rollups, and Virk got the pin! New champion! They shook hands and hugged and were both babyfaces at this point. The two Latino guys got back in the ring, but they superkicked Virk! The crowd was shocked by this betrayal. JDX ran back into the ring, just moments after hugging Virk, but he too hit Virk. The heels left together. A lot of swerves in this one, but it was fun.
Paul Virk defeated JDX to win the MAW Heavyweight Title at 16:31.
* An intermission that actually stuck to 15 minutes!
5. Mustafa Ali vs. Ultimo Dragon (w/Sonny Onoo.) This is the reason I opted to make a 90ish mile drive, each way, to attend this show. (I actually had considered making the longer drive to AEW in Iowa, until I saw this was happening.) My radar was up instantly because this should be the main event, and it’s not. Good reversals early on and it was surreal to see them tie up. Ultimo Dragon certainly hasn’t slowed down. However, GPA and Koda Jacobs ran into the ring and attacked them both, and the ref called for the bell. Groan.
Mustafa Ali vs. Ultimo Dragon went to a no contest at 4:18.
* Mustafa got on the mic and demanded this be restarted as a tag team match!
5b. Mustafa Ali and Ultimo Dragon vs. GPA and Koda Jacobs. Ali hit a huracanrana early on. The heels worked over Ali. Ultimo Dragon finally got the hot tag, and he hit his quick kicks to Koda’s thighs. Ali nailed a dive through the ropes onto GPA on the floor. In the ring, Ultimo Dragon got the Magistral Cradle rollup and pinned Koda. Acceptable action, but not the match I drove to see, so I can’t help but being disappointed.
Mustafa Ali and Ultimo Dragon defeated GPA and Koda Jacobs at 8:17.
6. Laynie Luck (w/Heather Monroe) vs. Maggie Lee for the MAW Women’s Title. Lee worked as the babyface. Mickie James sat at ringside, and ODB was introduced as our ‘ringside enforcer.’ It was a bit ridiculous as Monroe kept interfering and cheating, but ODB was drinking from her flask and not really doing a thing to stop Heather’s tactics. Luck glared at ODB, grabbed her own breasts and shook them, in a taunt at ODB. Laynie put Maggie in a Torture Rack and turned it into a backbreaker to the mat. Lee hit a Sabin-style Cradle Shock for a believable nearfall. Lee got on the ring apron and I think she was going to hit a moonsault to the floor but realized how little room there was, and she instead just hit a dive onto the heels. (I don’t blame her! No room to move, as this gym was packed.) In the ring, Lee hit a Tombstone Piledriver for a nearfall. Monroe kept cheating, and finally ODB sprayed her drink in Monroe’s face. Lee hit an impressive top-rope moonsault and scored the pin. New champion!
Maggie Lee defeated Laynie Luck to win the MAW Women’s Title at 12:30.
Final Thoughts: Well, it was surreal to see Nagata, Ultimo Dragon, and Mustafa Ali at an indy show in suburban St. Paul, so I’m glad I went. That said, I really dislike these bait-and-switch tactics, and it happens all too often, promising a big, marquee match, only for them to team up. (F1rst Wrestling did this two years ago by promoting the heck out of Rob Van Dam vs. Dante Martin at the Mall of America, only to have this exact same outcome of them teaming up to take on heels and not delivering on the promised match everyone went there to see.)
The action was all really good. I’ll give Shazza-Armstrong credit for taking some big bumps with some ladders in a match that somehow didn’t go 10 minutes. This show ended by 9:20 p.m. and I think most of the crowd left happy.
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