By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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House of Glory “Watch the Throne”
January 17, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois at Logan Square Auditorium
Streamed on the TrillerTV+
I love this ballroom; it has a high ceiling with two levels and a crowd of 250 or so makes it packed for wrestling, so it’s frequently used by other Chicago-area indies as well. Production values are really good; good sound and lighting, and good use of replays. JD from New York and Jason Solomon provided commentary, and they immediately said it is a sellout. Sam Leterna was the ring announcer.
1. Phumi Nkuta vs. Joe Alonzo. Nkuta is about 5’3″ and a former MMA fighter, and he carried several MMA belts to the ring; he beat Matt Riddle on the last HOG show. (The ‘H’ is silent so his name is ‘Poo mee’). Alonzo took the mic but the crowd chanted profanities at him before he said a word. He took credit for the sold-out show. Nkuta immediately did multiple reversals on the mat that frustrated Alonzo, who bailed to the floor to regroup at 1:30. Back in the ring, Joe hit some blows to the back and beat down the shorter Nkuta. Nkuta hit some roundhouse kicks to the chest and a Northern Lights Suplex. Alonzo hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 3:30 and he focused on the damaged knee. He hit a dropkick and celebrated.
Nkuta applied a leg lock around the neck at 5:30 but Joe escaped. Phumi hit a superkick for a nearfall, then a German Suplex for a nearfall at 7:00, then a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Alonzo once again bailed to the floor. In an insane spot, Joe powerbombed Nkuta over the guardrail and tossed him onto the floor. Joe got a nearfall in the ring at 9:00, and he jawed at the ref. Phumi immediately applied a cross-armbreaker, cranked back, and Joe tapped out. That was a really good opener.
Phumi Nkuta defeated Joe Alonzo at 9:31.
2. Koda Hernandez vs. Idris Jackson. I’ve said for awhile that Chicago native Koda is on the verge of breaking out and he had some big matches in 2024. Idris is a slender Black man; think Elix Skipper’s build, and he’s a HOG trainee, and he’s a heel. Koda hit the Three Amigos rolling suplexes at 2:00. Idris hit a flying forearm to the back of the neck and took charge. They hit stereo Mafia Kicks and were both down at 5:30. (Nice use of replay here and elsewhere during the show.) Koda hit a slingshot DDT for a nearfall. Koda caught him on the top rope and slammed him to the mat. Koda hit some punches in the corner, but he sold pain in his lower back. Idris did a slingshot to snake-eyes Koda, then he got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for the tainted pin. Solid match with good crowd heat.
Idris Jackson defeated Koda Hernandez at 8:38.
3. “Cold Blooded Killers” Jay Armani and Raheem Royal vs. “The Mane Event” Jay Lyon and Midas Black vs. “Los Desperados” Gringo Loco and Arez for the HOG Tag Team Titles. Armani and Royal have now been champs for six months; the four babyfaces attacked them to open. Midas hit a splash to a back, and the heels bailed to the floor. So, Midas and Loco traded some lucha moves. Loco hit a flipping axe kick on Midas at 2:30. Loco hit a big backbody drop on Royal for a nearfall. Royal hit a jump-up enzuigiri in the corner on Loco. Loco hit a flip dive to the floor, going over the guardrail and landing on four guys in the crowd. He jumped back into the ring and got a nearfall on Raheem at 5:00. Raheem and Lyon traded chops while standing on the top rope (both doing old-school tight-rope walks.)
CBK worked over Midas in the ring. Lyon got in and hit a uranage on one champ and a German Suplex on the other. Midas hit a spear on Armani, then a stunner on Royal. Arez got back in and hit a Pele Kick at 8:30, then a Canadian Destroyer on Lyon. Armani hit a diving forearm to the back of Loco’s neck. This action was fast and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Loco caught Armani coming off the ropes and powerbombed him. Arez also hit a powerbomb and Los Desperados got stereo nearfalls and the crowd chanted “That was three!”
Arez hit a flip dive over the guardrail onto everyone. Lion hit a top-rope Asai Moonsault onto everyone and landed on his feet at 12:30. “This place has come unglued!” a commentator said. In the ring, TME hit team moves on Royal, but Lyon accidentally kicked Black! The champs did a doublestomp-and-slam move to pin Lyon. That was a really entertaining match. The commentators played up that this was the second straight month that TME accidentally hit each other, leading to a loss. Midas started to leave on his own!
“Cold Blooded Killers” Jay Armani and Raheem Royal defeated “The Mane Event” Jay Lyon and Midas Black and “Los Desperados” Gringo Loco and Arez to retain the HOG Tag Team Titles at 13:22.
4. Laynie Luck vs. Blair Onyx. Both of these women are regulars in the Midwest; this match could happen on any local show, but this is a HOG debut for them both. Blair wore her Spider-Woman themed gear. Standing switches to open, and Onyx hit a Russian Legsweep at 2:00, then a diving clothesline for a nearfall. Laynie hit a snap suplex, kipped to her feet, and celebrated. Laynie kept Blair grounded. Blair hit a hard knee lift to the chin and a face plant at 7:00. Laynie hit a stunner and an enzuigiri; these two are working hard but they were in a tough position after that prior match. Blair did the creepy spot where she leaned forward to get back up straight. Blair hit a chokeslam for the pin! I didn’t expect that!
Blair Onyx defeated Laynie Luck at 8:06.
5. Darron Richardson vs. Roachie Roach vs. Oni King vs. Ben Ruten vs. J Bouji vs. Davey Bang vs. August Matthews in a scramble for the HOG Cruiserweight Title. I don’t think I’ve seen Roach before; he looks like Carmelo Hayes, and he has a great physique. I definitely haven’t seen Oni; he is bald and older, looking like a modern Jay Lethal. With the way Richardson styles his hair, he is looking a lot like Velveteen Dream. Ruten has long dreadlocks half-way down his back and he wears baggy, loose clothes. Chicago indy stars Bang and Matthews came out last, so instead of a six-way, this is a seven-way. We got underway, and Bang hit a double axe kick. Bang and Matthews hit their team doublestomp move off the top rope. Darron hit a stunner and celebrated.
Ruten hit a spinebuster at 2:00. Roach hit a powerslam on Ruten, then an impressive delayed vertical suplex. Roach and Bouji were working together, until Roach hit a fallaway slam on Bouji at 4:30. King hit a hard clothesline. Bang hit his top-rope moonsault to the floor on one side while Matthews hit a dive through the ropes on the other side. Roach hit an impressive belly-to-belly suplex on Darron, tossing him over the top rope onto everyone on the floor at 6:00. In the ring, Bang and Matthews hit stereo superkicks, and Bang hit Spears Tower on Roach. They did a fun seven-way spot out of the corner that concluded with Matthews hitting a double Blockbuster, and everyone was down. Bang again went for Spears Tower, but Bouji caught him with a stunner. Richardson tossed Bouji to the floor and stole a pin on a knocked-out Matthews.
Darron Richardson defeated Roachie Roach, Oni King, Ben Ruten, J Bouji, Davey Bang, and August Matthews in a scramble to retain the HOG Cruiserweight Title at 8:13.
* Intermission was about 13 minutes. Not bad.
6. Amazing Red vs. Charles Mason. Mason is still a heel here, and he wore his black suit with red tie. Mason stalled on the floor and hid behind the ref, before he attacked and hit some punches. Red hit some deep armdrags, but Mason immediately applied a rear-naked choke, and Red got a foot on the ropes at 1:30. They briefly lost the signal from the building; as the picture returned, Raheem Royal and Jay Armani had made their way to ringside to be with Mason. They brawled to the floor at 5:00, and Red tossed Mason over the guardrail and into the crowd, and they fought amongst the fans. They got back in the ring, where Mason hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 7:00. The commentators talked about how Mason vanished for a couple months, with the rumor he was locked up.
Mason bit Red! He clotheslined him into the corner. CBK distracted Red, and Raheem tripped Red on the top rope to crotch him; it allowed Mason to hit a Tower of London stunner for a nearfall at 9:00. Mason hit some chops and remained in charge. Red hit a huracanrana and a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 11:00. Red nailed a leaping Flatliner for a nearfall, but Royal put Mason’s foot on the ropes. The ref ejected CBKillers! Red hit a dive through the ropes, with Red landing in the crowd. He chopped Mason against the guardrails. He went for a frogsplash as they got into the ring but Mason got his knees up. Mason hit a doublestomp to the top of the head, then his rolling Death Valley Driver for a believable nearfall at 13:30.
Mason spit on Red but that just ticked him off. Red nailed the Code Red for a believable nearfall and we got a “That was three!” chant. Mason again applied a rear-naked choke, but Red escaped. Darron Richardson appeared at ringside and spit fluid in Red’s face! Mason reapplied the rear-naked choke, and he fell to the mat with it locked in. The ref checked on Red and called for the bell; I didn’t see Red submit. A very good match; Mason is underrated. Darron got in the ring and stepped on Red as he headed to the back.
Charles Mason defeated Amazing Red at 16:45.
* The next match was slated to be Matt Cardona vs. Zilla Fatu. The crowd chanted “Chelsea Green!” Cardona responded, “You want Chelsea Green? Well, I’m the only one who gets to f— her every single night!” That got a pop! He wanted to confirm a rumor… he hates Chicago! Cardona said he was just informed that Zilla Fatu has a stomachache and canceled at the last minute! So, Cardona declared he has the night off. However, out come Mustafa Ali! That’s a nice last-minute replacement!
7. Matt Cardona vs. Mustafa Ali. Ali has been busy opening his wrestling school and I haven’t seen him in a month or so. The commentators noted that Ali wrestled for 28 different indy promotions in 2024, which is just an insane number. We had a loud “F— Cardona!” chant before they locked up. He rolled to the floor and stalled. In the ring, Mustafa hit a double-handed shove to the mat, and Cardona again went to the floor. In the ring, Ali hit a huracanrana and a dropkick. They both went to the floor, where Ali hit some chops, with a young fan holding back Matt’s arms. Ali then let some young fans chop Matt, getting a “holy shit!” chant. Funny.
In the ring, Cardona sidestepped a charging Ali, and Mustafa crashed shoulder-first into the corner at 6:30. Cardona hit a standing neckbreaker, then another, then a third, for a nearfall, and he remained in charge. He hit a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall at 10:00. They went to the floor, where Ali hit a running dive off the stage onto Cardona! Back in the ring, Ali hit his rolling neckbreaker at 12:30. Ali hit a stunner for a nearfall. Cardona hit the Broski Boot in the corner, then a Tiger Driver (butterfly powerbomb) for a nearfall at 14:30, and they were both down. Ali nailed a dive through the ropes. In the ring, Ali missed a top-rope 450 Splash, and Cardona immediately hit a Radio Silence flying Fameasser for a nearfall. Ali hit the 450 Splash and scored the clean pin. That was really good; they worked well together.
Mustafa Ali defeated Matt Cardona at 16:50.
* Ali got on the mic and talked about ‘going to war’ with Zilla Fatu last month here. He announced that Chicago is now ‘the second home’ of HOG, and they will be back here May 9!
8. Mike Santana vs. Ricky Starks for the HOG Heavyweight Title. Starks came out first to his AEW music and he got a big pop. The commentators pretended Starks hasn’t wrestled at all (he just had a Glory Pro match) and they talked about if he has any ring rust. They locked up with a feeling-out process, and Starks worked the left arm, and he hit a dropkick at 2:30. Santana hit a senton, so Starks rolled to the floor. Ricky hit a back suplex onto the ring apron. In the ring, Santana hit a superkick, and they brawled to the floor. They traded chops in the crowd. Starks picked up a six-year-old boy and used the kid’s feet to Santana’s back. They made it back to ringside, where Santana kept hitting some loud chops.
They got back into the ring at 7:00, but Starks hit a basement dropkick. Santana hit one to the back of the head and got a nearfall. They got up and traded slaps to the face. Santana slowed it down with a headlock on the mat. Starks hit a suplex for a nearfall at 9:00. Starks hit a top-rope superplex for a nearfall at 11:00, and they were both down. Santana hit a pop-up stunner. The signal was briefly lost from the building. We got a “This is awesome!” chant. Starks nailed a spear. Santana hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall, then a rolling cannonball in the corner, then a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 14:00, and we got a “Fight forever!” chant. Starks applied an STF, and Santana teased tapping out, but he reached the ropes.
They got up and traded forearm strikes. Starks got a rollup for a nearfall, and they traded rollups. Starks went for a spear but Santana caught him with a knee! Santana hit the Spin the Block discus clothesline for a visual pin, but Mason came to ringside to distract the ref. The Cold Blooded Killers jumped in the ring and attacked Santana; the ref saw this and called for the bell. Santana and Starks worked together to fight off the heels.
Mike Santana vs. Ricky Starks ended in a no-contest at 17:42; Santana retains the HOG Heavyweight Title.
* Santana got on the mic and told Ricky “the day you grab your balls in your hands and do what you want to do will be the happiest day of your life.” He said Starks is a “bonafide superstar.” Starks got on the mic, thanked the fans, and said they haven’t seen anything yet!
Final Thoughts: A really, really good show. Main event takes best match, just ahead of the three-way tag. Cardona-Ali was really good for third. A lot to like here. I didn’t know several of the guys in that scramble, but they put together an energetic match, too. I’m really glad HOG is committed to doing more shows here in the Midwest. Unfortunately, there were a handful of times the signal was lost from the building, but luckily, no major spots were cut out. This gets a big thumbs up.
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