By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, GCW, MLW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
4th Rope Wrestling “Heels Have Eyes III: Steel Praying”
November 2, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois at UIC Dorin Forum
Released January 4, 2025 on YouTube.com
I had not even heard of this show until I came across it Wednesday night during an AEW commercial break. The lighting is great, and the crowd was maybe 700; the bleachers on one side of the ring were full. This is a top-notch production. Matt Rehwoldt and Kazeem Famuyide provided commentary.
* Some rap artists performed to kick off the show.
* 4th Rope Commissioner MVP came out, dressed in a nice suit and with his walking stick. He talked about his love of wrestling and hip-hop. This show is a celebration of both!
1. “Violence is Forever” Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini vs. “The New Guys” Scott Stanley and Jake Bosche for the Game Changer Wrestling Tag Team Titles. Garrini and Jake opened. I’ve seen quite a bit of TNG in the St. Louis indy scene in the past year. Garrini hit a senton. Ku and Stanley traded chops and forearm strikes. ViF hit a dropkick-and-brainbuster combo for the pin. Good while it lasted.
Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini defeated Scott Stanley and Jake Bosche to retain the GCW Tag Team Titles at 4:38.
2. Real1 (f/k/a Enzo Amore) vs. Cha Cha Charlie. Real1 came out first and jawed at the crowd; he vowed to slap any fan who comes over the guardrail. Charlie came out to some Mexican music and he wore a big cowboy hat. I don’t think I’ve seen him. Charlie hit a huracanrana off the second rope, then some dropkicks at 2:00. He hit a dive through the ropes to the floor. In the ring, he hit a gutbuster over his knees at 5:30. This crowd was insanely hot. Charlie hit a Chaos Theory (rolling German Suplex.) He hit a jackhammer move for a believable nearfall. Real1 hit a top-rope flying DDT for a nearfall, then an ugly-looking Eat D’Feat for the pin. Better than expected; the crowd just loves to boo Enzo.
Real1 defeated Cha Cha Charlie at 7:39.
3. Mike Santana vs. Kevin Blackwood. These New Yorkers are two of my favorites and they had an intense lockup to open. They traded forearm strikes, and Santana hit a superkick. They went to the floor at 3:00. Back in the ring, Blackwood hit some more hard chops, then a stiff kick to the spine at 5:30, but Santana just looked angry, and he invited Kevin to hit another one. They hit stereo kicks to the head and were both down. Santana hit a pop-up stunner for a nearfall at 8:00.
Santana hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall. Blackwood hit a German Suplex and a running knee to the jaw for a nearfall at 10:00. He hit some forearm strikes. Santana nailed a Buckle Bomb, then another sit-out powerbomb. This match was great and the crowd was insanely hot. Kevin hit a top-rope doublestomp to the chest on the ring apron. In the ring, Kevin hit a Gotch-style Pilediver for a believable nearfall at 12:30. They traded rollups, and Santana nailed the Spin the Block discus clothesline for the pin. This was a must-see match.
Mike Santana defeated Kevin Blackwood at 13:06.
4. Joseline Navarro and Masha Slamovich vs. Jordynne Grace and Alexis Littlefoot. I don’t think I’ve seen Alexis; she is a thin Black woman and has been wrestling for two years. I’ve seen Navarro a few times and she’s okay. Those two opened and shook hands. However, Masha and Grace got in at 1:00 and traded standing switches and we got a “TNA!” chant. Grace hit a doublestomp to the back on the ring apron. Joseline tied up Grace on the mat. Alexis got back in at 3:30 and hit an Eat D’Feat on Joseline. Jordynne hit a rolling Death Valley Driver on Masha. Grace hit the World’s Strongest Slam, but she missed a Vader Bomb. Masha hit a Canadian Destroyer on Grace, then a piledriver on Littlefoot and pinned Alexis. Good fast-paced action; this should have been longer.
Joseline Navarro and Masha Slamovich defeated Jordynne Grace and Alexis Littlefoot at 5:43.
5. Joe Hendry vs. AJ Francis. Hendry got on the mic and asked the crowd if they wanted to hear him rap. It ended with him calling AJ Francis “Uncle Phil.” He joked about Francis trying to dive and “landing on your ass,” which caused AJ to hit a cheapshot punch to open the match. Hendry hit a clothesline that sent AJ to the floor. Francis powerbombed Hendry onto the edge of the ring at 1:30. Hendry barely got back in before a count-out. The crowd was all over Francis. AJ hit a running splash into the corner and a running knee in the corner.
He choked Hendry in the ropes while the crowd taunted Francis with some lewd chants. He missed a senton at 5:30 and Hendry started to fire up, hitting some European Uppercuts. AJ hit some forearm strikes. Hendry hit a fallaway slam and that popped the crowd. AJ hit a spear for a nearfall at 7:30. Hendry hit a huracanrana. He got Franicis on his shoulders and hit a Death Valley Driver. He hit the Standing Ovation slam for the pin. That was really entertaining; Francis is a good foil for Hendry.
Joe Hendry defeated AJ Francis at 8:21.
6. Zilla Fatu vs. Moose to be the inaugural 4th Rope Heavyweight Champion. Kazeem called Zilla a “25-year-old blue-chipper.” (It’s the first time I’ve heard someone say his age.) They traded blows early, and Zilla hit a diving headbutt at 2:00. They brawled to the floor, where Zilla whipped Moose into the guardrail. Zilla accidentally hit the ring post with his thumb and that was LOUD. Moose immediately went to work on Zilla’s thumb. They got in the ring, where Zilla chopped Moose but it hurt his already-damaged hand, and Moose immediately stomped on the hand at 5:30. Zilla hit a flying shoulder tackle. This crowd was fully behind Zilla. Zilla hit a top-rope frogsplash for a nearfall at 7:30.
Moose ducked a Samoan Spike and got a rollup for a nearfall. Zilla threw Moose HIGH in the air and hit the pop-up Samoan Drop. “That’s a near 300-pound man he just threw in the air!” Rehwoldt said. Moose hit a top-rope superplex for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Moose hit a headbutt for a nearfall. Zilla hit a hard clothesline at 10:30 and they were both down. Zilla accidentally hit the Samoan Spike on the ref after Moose put her in the way. Moose immediately hit a spear, but we had no ref! Moose grabbed the title belt and set up to hit Zilla, but Mike Santana appeared out of nowhere and confiscated it. Zilla immediately hit the Samoan Spike and scored the pin!
Zilla Fatu defeated Moose to become the inaugural 4th Rope Heavyweight Champion at 12:21.
* Backstage, Zilla showed off the belt. “You want this? Come get it!”
* Back to the venue, MVP returned to the entrance ramp. He didn’t say who was supposed to be in the main event cage match, but he said they aren’t here. Joe Alonzo came onto the stage and said they can’t have this event “without the king of Chicago.” MVP looked cock-eyed at Alonzo and said “Who the f— are you?” Funny. MVP introduced a special enforcer for the cage match… PCO! Alonzo hit a punch on PCO, who no-sold it, so Alonzo ran into the cage and shut the door to get away from PCO! Alonzo’s overall look, that haircut, makes him look like Mike Bailey.
7. John Wayne Murdoch vs. Joe Alonzo in a steel cage. Alonzo is at best a mid-carder, so it’s a surprise to see him in the main event here. Death match specialist Murdoch wore his GCW T-shirt. Alonzo attacked at the bell. There were maybe 6-8 chairs and a few tables in the ring as we started. Murdoch repeatedly threw Alonzo into the cage walls and was in charge. He tried to climb over the wall at 2:00 but Alonzo grabbed his leg and caused Murdoch to fall and be crotched on the top rope. Joe hit some chairshots to the back. Murdoch hit a superplex.
Alonzo threw some chairs at Murdoch’s head and I hate that. Murdoch speared Alonzo through a door in the corner at 7:30. Alonzo hit a low blow uppercut, which of course is legal in a cage match. Alonzo taunted a rap artist at ringside, so the guy got into the cage and confronted Joe! This crowd has chanted profanities all night, and they wanted to see this rapper get his hands on Joe. The rap artist slapped Joe and whipped him into a table in the corner. Murdoch immediately hit a brainbuster for the pin. The crowd loved this.
John Wayne Murdoch defeated Joe Alonzo at 10:01.
* The wrestling ended at the 1:45 mark, but the show went another 30 minutes with a rap performance, which I admittedly didn’t watch.
Final Thoughts: This looks almost as good as today’s TNA productions. The lighting is great, the sound is good, the crowd was hot. This just ‘looks’ a lot better than most indy shows. Obviously, Blackwood-Santana was the match of the show, with a good Zilla-Moose for second. Hendry and Francis easily could have done that same match move-for-move on TNA TV, and the crowd was really into it. A reminder this is free on youtube, and those top two matches are well worth checking out.
Be the first to comment