By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Chicago Style Wrestling “Love, Death + Wrestling”
December 13, 2024 in Elmwood Park, Illinois at Elmwood Park Recreation Center
Available for streaming via Independentwrestling.tv
This show was released Wednesday on IWTV. The venue is a large warehouse-style building in a suburb northwest of Chicago. I haven’t seen a show from this venue. The crowd was maybe 500. They had a really good draw and the commentators noted it several times. They have an above-average stage/entrance area and lighting — not at WWE level obviously, but better than most indies. Kyle Fields and “Big Business Levi” provided commentary.
1. Jay Marston vs. Shain Boucher, with special referee Shane Hollister. Shain is the Lash LaRoux-style redhead Cajun, and Hollister joined him to the ring. They charged at each other and brawled. Marston accidentally hit a Stinger Splash on the ref at 3:00. Marston slammed Boucher back-first on the apron. Marston picked up Boucher, but Hollister cheated and yanked Boucher off the shoulders! Boucher hit a Tombstone Piledriver for a nearfall at 5:30. Shain barked at Hollister for not counting quick enough. Marston hit a somersault dive off the apron to the floor.
Hollister got between them in the ring and slowed down Marston, allowing Boucher to take control again. However, Marston hit a Go To Sleep knee strike, and he applied a Boston Crab. Hollister pushed Marston so he was forced to release the hold. Hollister then hit a brainbuster on Marston. Shain accidentally hit Hollister while coming off the ropes. Marston hit a running knee on Boucher. Marston grabbed the prone Hollister’s arm and had him count to three for the win! That went as expected.
Jay Marston defeated Shain Boucher at 9:48.
2. Bruss Hamilton and Harris Carden vs. Marshe Rockett and Steve Boz. Bruss has a big, wide body; he’s a taller Otis. Rockett is a regular in NWA and across the Midwest. Boz and Carden opened. Rockett hit a snap suplex. Bruss entered at 2:30 and he hit some gut punches on Boz. Rockett hit a spear on Bruss that sent him to the floor to regroup, so Rockett hit a plancha onto both heels. However, Harris hit a chop block on Rockett, allowing them to take over. Bruss hit a fallaway slam on Rockett, showing off his power. Boz entered and hit a superkick on Bruss, then one on Carden. Rockett hit a stunner on Bruss, and Boz covered Bruss for the pin. This is the right length for these four.
Marshe Rockett and Steve Boz defeated Bruss Hamilton and Harris Carden at 7:44.
* Maggie Lee came out in her regular clothes and her arm was in a sling. She said she had an MRI earlier in the day. (Maggie was supposed to face Kylie Rae here.) Aminah Belmont came to the ring to loud boos. She was supposed to be in a three-way later in the show, so she’s taking Maggie’s match against Kylie. Aminah attacked Lee and kicked her repeatedly!
3. Aminah Belmont vs. Kylie Rae. WWE ID prospect Kylie got a massive pop. Kyle Fields said it has been four years since she was in a CSW ring. Kylie got some rollups for nearfalls in the first minute, so Aminah rolled to the floor to regroup. Back in the ring, Aminah worked over the left arm and kept her grounded. Kylie fired up and hit a series of clotheslines at 5:30, then a superkick for a nearfall. Aminah hit a springboard Meteora for a nearfall. Maggie and Aminah barked at each other. Kylie snuck up from behind, rolled up Belmont, and got the pin. Kylie and Maggie hugged.
Kylie Rae defeated Aminah Belmont at 7:57.
* Santa Claus came out and threw some items into the ring. FXB, a clown in a Santa outfit, came out and hugged him, but then he attacked Santa.
4. FXB and Chris Miller vs. Jack Valor and Eddie Grayson in a Chicago Street Fight. Valor and Grayson are young kids (probably not 20 yet!); one wore a Bears jersey and the other wore a Blackhawks jersey. All four brawled at the bell. The kids dove through the ropes and they all fought at ringside. In the ring, the kids hit Miller over the head with a cookie sheet. They got kendo sticks and used those, too. Miller hit an F5, and he took the kendo stick. FXB repeatedly hit the kids with a weapon. FXB hit a hard plastic candy cane over one of the kid’s chest and it shattered. This was predominantly the veterans beating up the kids. FXB dropped one of them stomach-first on a garbage can at 8:30. A kid splashed FXB through a board bridge on the floor, and the other kid hit a splash through a board bridge in the ring for the pin. The announcers did an exceptionally poor job of telling me which kid was which.
Jack Valor and Eddie Grayson defeated FXB and Chris Miller at 11:29.
5. B-Boy vs. Gringo Loco vs. Solomon Tupu in a three-way. I thought B-Boy had retired, so this is a pleasant surprise to see him here. (cagematch.net shows B-Boy has had just nine matches this year, after not competing from April 2023 to April 2024.) I’ve compared Tupu to Bronson Reed’s overall look, but not as heavy. Tupu hit a running body block. B-Boy head-butted Tupu… and B-Boy collapsed. Tupu hit a dive off the apron onto both opponents at 2:30. Back in the ring, B-Boy put Loco in a Figure Four. The crowd has been quiet early on after being hot for that street fight. B-Boy hit a standing neckbreaker on Loco at 6:00.
Tupu hit a uranage on B-Boy, but he missed a senton. B-Boy applied a rear-naked choke on Tupu on the mat; Loco hit a moonsault onto both of them. Loco nailed a flip dive to the floor onto both opponents at 8:00. Loco hit an enzuigiri on Tupu. B-Boy leapt off the second-rope and hit a DDT on Tupu. Loco hit a powerbomb on B-Boy for a nearfall at 10:00, but Tupu made the save. Tupu hit a shotgun dropkick on B-Boy, then a rolling cannonball onto both guys and got a nearfall. However, Tupu missed a Swanton Bomb and he crashed hard on the mat at 12:00. Tupu hit a Burning Hammer and pinned Loco. Solid match but they never really got to that next level I expected here.
Solomon Tupu defeated Gringo Loco and B-Boy at 12:57.
* Security helped B-Boy to his feet and he sold a knee injury… but then he attacked all the security guards who were aiding him.
6. Missa Kate vs. HollyHood Haley J for the CSW Women’s Title. Again, this was supposed to be a three-way with Aminah Belmont involved. Haley J is an OVW star and was heavily featured in the Netflix OVW docu-series. She got on the mic and proclaimed she is an international superstar and this is her “house.” I always compare Kate’s ‘tough-as-nails’ demeanor to NXT’s Adriana Rizzo. They took turns playing to the crowd, and of course, Haley attacked her from behind. They fought at ringside and Kate hit some loud chops against the guardrail. Kate allowed a five-year-old girl to chop Haley, too. “Haley just got assaulted by Punky Brewster!” Kyle Fields said, continuing a trend of 1980s references. (He made a Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco reference in the street fight.)
In the ring, Haley hit a snap suplex at 4:00 and she took control. She hit a running double knees to the back of the head at 6:30, and the crowd rallied for Missa Kate, who hit some chops and punches. She hit a running knee to the back of the head and got a nearfall. Kate hit a running neckbreaker but the ref was down. Haley J hit her with a title belt and was booed. She got a nearfall and was angry, so she stomped on the dazed ref. She got a loaded sock and swung it, but she hit Aminah Belmont. Kate locked in an armbar submission hold on the mat, and Haley J tapped out. Decent brawl with good crowd heat.
Missa Kate defeated HollyHood Haley J to retain the CSW Women’s Title at 10:33.
7. Quintero vs. Victor Iniestra in a ladder match for the Metra Division Title. Iniestra came out first, and he dove onto Quintero as he walked to the ring; I started my stopwatch at first contact. The ladder was immediately brought into the ring. Iniestra hit a corkscrew dive through the ropes at 4:30. Quintero hit a flip dive to the floor but he landed hard on his back on the hard floor. In the ring, Quintero climbed the ladder, but Iniestra struck him in the back. Iniestra hit a Canadian Destroyer on the ring apron at 8:00, and they both fell to the floor. Iniestra climbed the ladder, but Quintero kicked him off the ladder and they were both down.
They fought on top of the ladder, and Quintero powerbombed Iniestra onto a horizontal ladder, rightfully earning a “holy shit!” chant at 10:30, and they again were both down on the mat. The belt fell to the mat! Rather than figure out how to hook it back up, it was announced this is now just a regular singles match. They brawle to the floor, where Quintero hit a stunner at 14:00. Quintero then nailed a Swanton Bomb off the top of the ladder (now set up on the floor) onto Iniestra on a table on the floor. The ref checked them both and declared Quintero won and retained. Hopefully they are both okay…people ran out to check on them, and the cameras stopped showing the action. That’s a bad sign, too. Kyle Fields said the EMTs are working on Iniestra while the screen was just showing the CSW logo. He apparently is conscious but was going to a hospital.
Quintero defeated Victor Iniestra to retain the Metra Division Title at 15:25.
8. “The Brothers of Funstruction” Ruffo the Clown & Gabo the Clown vs. Joey Jet Avalon & Sierra vs. Axel Rico & Doom Montgomery vs. Stallion & Cypher in a four-way elimination match for the CSW Tag Team Titles. I really dislike the BoFunstruction; they are among the (many!) reasons I stopped watching NWA about this time last year. Bad comedy to open between a clown and Doom. Cypher has to be close to seven feet tall; he entered at 3:30 an caved in Doom’s chest with some chops. Real-life couple Avalon and Sierra worked over Stallion in their corner. Jet is now bald; that’s a new look for him.
Axel (really big hair, like No Way Jose!) got a hot tag at 9:00 and battled Yabo. This has been a dull match thus far. Axel pinned a Clown at 12:18! We are down to three teams. Sierra hit a spear on Stallon, but Cypher hit a Black Hole Slam on Sierra. Doom dove through the ropes onto Cypher at 16:00. Avalon rolled up Rico with a handful of tights for the cheap pin at 16:31, and we’re down to two teams. The remaining four all started brawling. This crowd is dead now; they didn’t bounce back from the Iniestra injury. Stallion hit a Swanton Bomb and pinned Avalon. This just didn’t click for me, or for the fans.
Stallion & Cypher defeated Rufo & Gabo, Axel Rico & Doom Montgomery, and Joey Jet Avalon & Sierra to win the CSW Titles at 18:09.
9. Conan Lycan vs. Matt Cardona for the CSW Title. Cardona came out first with his (phony) Internet Title belt over his shoulder. He got on the mic and ripped into Chicago. Again, Lycan has great size and is bigger than Cardona, so Matt rolled to the floor at the bell rather than locking up, and we got a “We want Chelsea!” chant. They finally traded punches at 2:30, and Lycan hit a Blue Thunder Bomb, then a dive through the ropes onto Matt. Lycan laid in some hard chops. Cardona ripped off his own shirt and choked Lycan with it at 6:00, and he kept Conan grounded. Pretty standard brawling. Cardona hit a Broski Boot in the corner for a nearfall at 9:30.
Lycan nailed a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. Cardona hit a faceplant slam for a nearfall and he argued with the ref. The locker room emptied with a lot of guys at ringside, pounding on the mat. The ref got bumped. Lycan hit a moonsault but we have no ref! Cardona hit a low blow, a belt shot to the head, and his flying leg lariat for a believable nearfall at 12:30. Matt hit another Broski Boot in the corner, then another. Lycan hit a running knee, then an Ospreay-style Stormbreaker swinging faceplant off his shoulder for the pin. Some really good final few minutes.
Conan Lycan defeated Matt Cardona to retain the CSW Title at 13:49.
* Lycan got on the mic and thanked the fans, saying it was awesome to see so many people here.
Final Thoughts: The commentators were so enthusiastic all night about the large crowd in this new venue for them. It felt like we had a lot of new fans who weren’t familiar with the product, though. Loco-Tupu-B-Boy was good and I’ll give it best match, but the crowd wasn’t really there for it. Iniestra-Quintero was a good ladder match, but marred by an injury and a non-finish. Hopefully Iniestra’s injury is minor but they sure handled it like it was potentially serious. The main event takes third. The crowd loved the street fight a LOT more than I did. The four-way tag match didn’t click for me and shouldn’t have been second-to-last; maybe that should have opened the show while the crowd was still hot. Hopefully Maggie Lee’s injury also is minor; she also didn’t wrestle the next day.
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