By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 162”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
February 6, 2025 in Worcester, Massachusetts at Electric Haze
Paul Crockett and Brett Ryan Gosselin did commentary on the main show, while ref Scott Robinson and Pedro Dones provided commentary for the spotlight match. This is the second episode recorded here in this building, just a few blocks away from the White Eagle, which has been the home of Wrestling Open for three years. The room is a bit darker, the ceiling seems a bit lower, and it holds slightly fewer fans. Attendance is maybe 150.
1. Channing Thomas vs. Shawn Knyte in a spotlight match. Robinson and Dones provided commentary. Knyte wore pink-and-black pants; I’ve seen him several times in Fight Life as part of The Haven. Channing caught Knyte coming off the ropes and hit a bodyslam at 2:00, then a dropkick into the corner. He hit a twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall. Knyte hit a crossbody block and a Stinger Splash at 5:00, then a springboard flying elbow for a nearfall. They traded rollups and Channing hit an overhead flipping neckbreaker (Ace Austin’s “The Fold”) for the pin. Good spotlight match. Channing shook hands and left! (He’s the worst-of-the-worst heels! How very out of character for him.)
Channing Thomas defeated Shawn Knyte at 5:46.
2. “Big Business” Love, Doug and TJ Crawford (w/Brad Hollister) vs. “Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King. Both teams have “not been on the same page” of late and we’ll see if one, or both, teams implode tonight. Hollister said he didn’t help Crawford cheat two weeks ago because he doesn’t want Crawford to take the same path he did. He belittled TJ, seemingly turning babyface. TJ told Hollister that Brad “is no longer part of my Big Business” and told him to head to the back! Doug and Waller opened with basic reversals and Dustin hit some armdrags. Kylon got in but he started yelling at Dustin! Kylon hit a flipping cannonball at 4:00, but he argued more with Dustin. TJ got in and hit a sideslam on Waller, and BB kept Dustin in their corner.
Kylon got a hot tag at 7:30 and hit a double missile dropkick, then shoulder blocks into opposite corners on the heels. MG hit stereo superkicks. Kylon set up for the superplex, but it was blocked. TJ hit the Styles Bomb on Kylon for a believable nearfall at 9:30. TJ and Doug now started arguing, with TJ yelling at him to focus. Kylon hit a German Suplex on Doug, and MG hit a team powerbomb move to pin Doug. Good match; this could have gone many directions. TJ continued to berate Doug after the loss.
Kylon King and Dustin Waller defeated Love, Doug and TJ Crawford at 10:33.
3. Danny Miles vs. Jermaine Marbury (w/Benny the Basketball). Dezmond Cole is injured and out for a while, but Miles surprisingly also came out without any teammates. Marbury hit the Eurostep Neckbeaker at 2:00. Miles hit a cannonball in the corner for a nearfall and he kept Jermaine grounded, as Benny led the “Defense!” chant to fire up Marbury. (Crockett noted it is a bad weather day there, so he thanked the fans who showed up. I thought the crowd seemed a bit on the light side.) Marbury ‘dunked’ Miles’ head to the mat and he hit a swinging DDT and a Code Red. He hit a Stinger Splash at 6:30. Miles shouted “Time out!,” which made Marbury freeze, and Miles immediately rolled him up with a handful of tights for the cheap pin. Decent match.
Danny Miles defeated Jermaine Marbury at 6:49.
4. Liviyah vs. Tiara James. Liviyah is a blonde teenager who has already had two AEW/ROH matches; her dad apparently was an indy wrestler, and this is now her second match here. Tiara (think Brandi Rhodes) has now appeared in MLW a few times. BRG said Liviyah started training at age 12! Standing switches to open and Liviyah twisted the left arm. Tiara hit a senton for a nearfall at 3:30 and she ‘wishboned’ Liviyah’s legs and worked the left knee. Liviyah began kicking at Tiara’s leg and she hit a clothesline at 6:00, but was selling the pain in her own knee. Liviyah’s knee gave out, and Tiara immediately hit an inverted DDT for the pin. Solid match.
Tiara James defeated Liviyah at 6:53.
* The video aired of Max Caster making his $50,000 offer to anyone who can “hurt Ichiban more than he’s ever been hurt his entire life.” We then saw footage of Ichiban beating rookie Rain Conway last week.
5. Ichiban vs. DJ Powers. I’m a big fan of DJ, who I’m now comparing to a young Johnny Morrison. He came out first, got on the mic, and berated the crowd. He vowed to rip off Ichiban’s mask and show off “his disgusting face.” Fast-paced reversals to open. DJ tugged at the mask and got a nearfall at 1:00. Powers kept him grounded. Ichiban hit a backbody drop at 4:00. Ichiban went for his leaping Flatliner but DJ avoided it. Ichiban hit a superkick. DJ hit a neckbreaker over his knee, mounted Ichiban, and he again began untying Ichiban’s mask. He shoved the ref, and the ref immediately called for the bell.
Ichiban defeated DJ Powers via DQ at 5:48.
* Powers got on the mic and challenged Ichiban to a rematch next week, in a no-DQ match, saying “nothing is going to stop me from cashing in.”
6. Lucas Chase vs. Sammy Diaz. This was billed as a “grudge match,” as Chase recently turned heel in a War Games-style match and attacked Diaz and his Church of Greatness teammates. Chase came out first; Diaz charged in and tackled him and they immediately traded punches! Diaz nailed a top-rope crossbody block. Danny Miles appeared at 2:00 and slammed Diaz into the ring post and tossed Sammy back into the ring, where Lucas beat on Sammy and kept him grounded. Chase hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall at 4:30. Sammy hit a superkick. They hit simultaneous clotheslines and were both down.
Sammy nailed a dive through the ropes at 7:00. In the ring, Diaz hit a frogsplash for a believable nearfall. Lucas nailed a decapitating clothesline for a believable nearfall. This has been really good. Sammy went for a crossbody block, but Lucas caught him and hit a piledriver for the clean pin. I enjoyed that. Miles and Chase went to beat up Diaz, but Brother Greatness ran in with a chair to chase off the heels.
Lucas Chase defeated Sammy Diaz at 9:18.
* Brother Greatness got on the mic and apologized to Sammy for not being there for him. He vowed that they will get rid of the Stetson Ranch.
* “Fancy” Ryan Clancy came to ringside in his street clothes and carrying his Wrestling Open title. If Ray Jaz wins the next match, he gets a title shot against Clancy! The crowd chanted, “That’s our champ!”
7. Pedro Dones vs. Ray Jaz. This is another grudge match, as these two fought extensively a year ago. We got a loud “Jersey sucks!” chant towards Jaz. Jaz tackled Dones at the bell, and Pedro was already selling a rib injury! Jaz hit a spear. The fans chanted obscenities at Jaz. Jaz hit a Death Valley Driver for the pin. “I am stunned,” Gosselin said. The crowd was quiet and shocked. “Not the matchup I was expecting here, Paul,” he added.
Ray Jaz defeated Pedro Dones at 1:37.
* Clancy got in the ring and glared at Jaz. Ray got on the mic and said “name the date, I’m taking it.” Clancy and the ref helped Dones to the back.
8. Eye Black Jack vs. Julius Draeger in the “Tournament For Tomorrow” finals. This was postponed one week, as EBJ was sick last Thursday. This was an eight-man tournament, with half of the competitors coming from the Bio Pro training center. I admittedly didn’t have this one pegged as a headliner match, although Jack has come across really well in his handful of matches. I’ve compared Draeger’s looks, his old-school black one-strap singlet, to former WWE wrestler Simon Gotch. Jack hit some back elbows. Draeger stomped on him, cranked on the left arm, and kept EBJ grounded. Draeger hit a powerslam for a nearfall, as Crockett again noted that past participants of this tournament include the Young Bucks, Wheeler Yuta, Carmelo Hayes and Willow Nightingale.
Draeger hit a Snow Plow driver at 5:00. Jack got up and they traded punches, and Jack hit some clotheslines and a Bulldog Powerslam at 7:00. He nailed a twisting uranage for a nearfall. Gosselin went to ringside; he previously lost to Jack and has been angry at him for weeks. He hopped on the apron and whispered to Draeger. He set up for a Pedigree but Jack escaped. Jack hit BRG; Draeger got a rollup for a nearfall. Jack hit a spear at 9:00 and was fired up. He hit a second swinging uranage for the pin!
Eye Black Jack defeated Julius Draeger to win the Tournament For Tomorrow at 9:38.
Final Thoughts: A good show. The heated Lucas Chase vs. Sammy Diaz match was really good and takes best match of the night. The MG vs. BB tag match takes second, and both teams played up the tension and in-fighting well. Even though it didn’t have a clean finish, I’ll still go with Ichiban-Powers for third, and they set up nicely for next week’s no-DQ match. The main event was solid; I wouldn’t have personally chosen that to be the headliner, but I’ll acknowledge the crowd was hot, totally into it, and definitely behind EBJ. A year ago, rookie Jermaine Marbury came out of nowhere and moved into the upper tier, and it appears Eye Jack Black is ready to do the same thing. I watched this live; it should be posted on IWTV by mid-day Friday.
It is worth pointing out the show ended at 8:20 CST; this is the second week here and both times, the show has ended before 8:30, when they used to wrap up at 9 p.m. CST.
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