By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Expect The Unexpected Wrestling “Title Wave”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
March 9, 2025 in Ridgefield Park, N.J. at The Mecca
Ridgefield is straight west of New York City on the other side of the river. This show features an eight-team, single-elimination tournament. And these actually are eight top tag teams across the indy scene! There aren’t any cases of two random guys thrown together to fill out the field. I’m a sucker for a good tournament, so let’s see how this goes. Alyssa Marino and Jack Solomon provided commentary; I’ve liked what I’ve heard from both of them.
* All eight teams came to the ring to open. Lighting is okay. Maybe it’s because it’s a Sunday, but the crowd is far too small; there are maybe 80-100 people here. (Deadlock Pro recently sold out this venue and I’ve seen other shows here that were packed.) Gabriel Skye and Ikuro Kwon came out last, and they have the tag belts over their shoulders. Joining them were Austin Luke and Matt Makowski, so these four are working together. Kwon got on the mic but the crowd shouted profanities at them. J Bouji dove from the ring onto two heels, and we’re underway!
1. “Killionaires Club” Pretty Boy Smooth and J Bouji vs. Matt Makowski and Austin Luke in a first-round tournament match. I think of the KC as a House of Glory team from New York. Smooth is really tall and he slammed teammate Bouji onto Makowski. Matt dropped Bouji stomach-first across the top rope, and the heels kept J in their corner. Luke (thnk Pac, or a long-haired Cameron Grimes) hit a frogsplash for a nearfall at 5:30. Bouji hit a Pele Kick and finally tagged in Smooth. PB hit a guillotine legdrop for a nearfall. He hit an STO uranage on Luke. He picked up Matt, but Makowski turned it into a Triangle Choke hold! The heels hit spin kicks on the tall Smooth to cut him down. Bouji hit a stunner and pinned Luke. Solid opener.
Pretty Boy Smooth and J Bouji defeated Matt Makowski and Austin Luke at 8:00 even to advance to the semifinals.
2. “Legion of Rot” Hallowicked and Frightmare vs. Atticus Cogar and Otis Cogar in a first-round tournament match. I think of the LoR as from the now-defunct Chikara promotion. Hallowicked and Otis opened. Atticus and the shorter Frightmare got in at 2:00, with FM hitting a huracanrana. Hallowicked hit a dive through the ropes onto Atticus on the floor at 4:30 and they crashed onto the hard (not metal folding) chairs. In the ring, Otis beat up Hallowicked and kept him grounded. They traded chops. The Cogars accidentally collided. Hallowicked finally got in at 8:30 and he hit a clothesline in the corner on Otis, then he hit a Crucifix Driver on Atticus for a nearfall. Atticus spun around Hallowicked’s mask! Otis nailed a powerbomb for the cheap pin. I’m two-for-two in calling the winners.
Atticus Cogar and Otis Cogar defeated Hallowicked and Frightmare at 11:02 to advance to the semifinals.
3. “Gay Best Friends” Aaron Rourke and B3cca vs. “Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller in a first-round tournament match. International pop star has reinvented herself with dark hair. The bell rang, but then B3cca got on the mic, saying she heard the crowd wanted an encore from her. She and Aaron sang Queen’s “We Are The Champions” and the crowd loudly booed them. MG was going to sing, but GBF attacked them from behind! We are finally underway although the bell rang minutes ago. Kylon hit a loud chop on Rourke’s chest at 4:00, and now the fans chanted “Encore!” Funny. B3cca got in and hit a Helluva Kick on Kylon and she choked him in the ropes. Aaron hit a running buttbump on King in the corner at 8:00. Kylon hit a double Northern Lights Suplex and all three were down. Waller made the hot tag and he hit a huracanrana on Rourke.
B3cca hit a doublestomp to Waller’s gut at 10:30 and she tied his arms behind his back. Rourke put Kylon in a Figure Four Leglock, and he bridged up to a Figure Eight. MG hit stereo superkicks, then doublestomps. MG hit a team powerbomb on B3cca for a nearfall. The crowd was hot and into this one. B3cca knocked King off the ropes, then she hit a flying stunne on him for a believable nearfall, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Waller went for a Lethal Injection, but Rourke avoided it and kicked Dustin in the face. B3cca hit a Death Valley Driver on Kylon! B3cca climbed the ropes, but someone in a hoodie appeared at ringside and tripped her! King immediately hit a frogsplash, and Dustin hit a Mamba Splash for the pin. The person pulled down the hood and it was Janai Kai who tripped B3cca. I thought GBF were winning that one.
Kylon King and Dustin Waller defeated B3cca and Aaron Rourke at 14:25 to advance to the semifinals.
4. “Above the Rest” Gabriel Skye and Ikuro Kwon vs. “Violence is Forever” Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku in a first-round tournament match and for the EtU Atlantic tag titles. Solomon said this is one of the most anticipated matches in EtU history. AtR hit dropkicks to open. Garrini easily tossed Kwon across the ring. Skye raked Dominic’s eyes and kept him grounded, and the champs kept Garrini in their corner. Dominic hit a decapitating clothesline and finally tagged in Ku at 7:30. Garrini hit a German Suplex on Skye. Ku hit a back suplex on Skye for a nearfall at 9:00. Skye hit a top-rope flying Meteora on Ku for a nearfall. Ku hit a decapitating clothesline on Sky for a believable nearfall and suddenly everyone was down. The crowd chanted “V I F!”
Skye and Ku got up and traded forearm strikes. Ku hit the Orange Crush powerbomb on Skye and switched to an anklelock at 11:30. All four were down again, and Solomon wondered how these teams could possibly wrestle two more times. Ku and Kwon traded chops. AtR hit stereo running kicks on Ku’s head for a nearfall. ViF hit the Chasing the Dragon (spin kick and brainbuster combo) on Kwon for a believable nearfall at 14:30; I thought that was it. Skye yanked Ku to the floor! Kwon got a flash rollup for the pin on Ku, but Ku’s feet were clearly on the ropes and the ref missed it. Alyssa Marino said “not everything was above board” here. A really good match.
Gabriel Skye and Ikuro Kwon defeated Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini at 14:45 to advance to the semifinals and to retain the ETU Atlantic Tag Team Titles.
* Intermission was edited out.
5. Eli Knight vs. Ultra Jaguar. Knight is a top high-flyer from the Florida indy scene (think Je’Von Evans) and I’m a big fan. Marino listed off all the places Eli has been recently. I’ve never heard of Jaguar; he’s white and he wore a mask and is MUCH shorter. They traded quick reversals and had a standoff at 1:30. They traded armdrags. UJ hit a satellite head-scissors, then a dive through the ropes onto Eli. In the ring, Eli hit a devastating tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 3:30, then a snap suplex. Marino and Solomon indicated that UJ was here during WrestleMania weekend, implying he’s a Dragon Gate guy? I watched those shows but I guess he didn’t stand out to me.
Eli whipped UJ into the corner at 5:30 and remained in charge. They fought on the floor, and Eli powerbombed him on the apron. In the ring, Eli hit a Lionsault for a nearfall. UJ hit a second-rope crossbody block and a huracanrana, then a tilt-a-whirl DDT for a nearfall at 8:00. UJ kicked him in the face. Eli hit a Falcon Arrow for a believable nearfall. UJ hit a Crucifix Driver for a nearfall. Eli hit a flipping powerbomb for a nearfall at 10:30. UJ hit a top-rope huracanrana, and they traded rollups. UJ hit a nice mid-ring huracanrana and scored the pin! UJ had a few slips in that match but it was a fun high-flying indy-style match.
Ultra Jaguar defeated Eli Knight at 11:53.
* Okay I looked at the brackets wrong, and to me, this makes no sense as the two babyface teams remaining will face each other while the two heel teams remaining will face each other.
6. “Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller vs. “Killionaires Club” J Bouji and Pretty Boy Smooth in a tournament semifinal match. Bouji and Waller opened, shook hands, then locked up. Kylon got in and grounded J. MG stomped on Bouji and were aggressive (showing heelish tendencies.) Bouji finally hit a double DDT at 7:00 and he tagged in PB Smooth, who hit some running splashes in the corners. KC hit a Hart Attack clothesline. MG hit some spin kicks on Smooth. Waller hit a Lethal Injection, and MG got a nearfall. PB hit a decapitating clothesline on Kylon. Waller nailed a superkick on PB. Bouji hit a stunner on Kylon. Smooth hit a chokeslam on King; Bouji covered Kylon for the pin. That’s an upset in my eyes; Solomon just agreed with me.
J Bouji and Pretty Boy Smooth defeated Kylon King and Dustin Waller at 10:24 to advance to the finals.
7. “Above the Rest” Gabriel Skye and Ikuro Kwon vs. Atticus Cogar and Otis Cogar in a tournament semifinal match and for the EtU Atlantic Tag Team Titles. I truly don’t get the booking here of putting a heel-heel matchup; the crowd made the Cogar brothers the de facto babyfaces. Skye and Atticus opened. Kwon hit Atticus with a chair, and the ref was going to call for the bell. However, Atticus stopped the ref and said “if they want to use weapons, let’s use weapons!’ So, at 2:30 this became no-DQ! Otis immediately brawled with Kwon on the floor and this also woke up the crowd! Atticus tossed Skye into the front row. Solomon said this had “chaotic energy” and I can’t argue with that.
Back in the ring, Otis hit a crossbody block in the corner on both opponents at 6:00. Skye hit Otis with a chairshot to the back, then he threw the chair at the face; I hate that. Kwon hit a Shining Wizard on Otis at 8:30. Atticus got the cooking skewers — I hate those! — and he tried using them on Kwon, but Kwon sprayed red mist in Atticus’ eyes! AtR hit a team powerbomb on Atticus, sending him crashing through a door in the corner, and they both pinned Atticus. A great decision to turn that into a no-DQ match, as a regular tag match (someone on the mat, trying to draw crowd sympathy, building to a hot tag) was not going to work with these two teams.
Gabriel Skye and Ikuro Kwon defeated Atticus Cogar and Otis Cogar at 9:33 to advance to the finals and to retain the EtU tag team titles.
8. Marcus Mathers vs. Conan Lycan for the Key to the East Title. Again, Conan has a massive frame and is clearly stronger than Mathers, and this is his EtU debut. WWE ID prospect Mathers has three belts: the Wrestling Open Title, the Key to the East and I think the Dreamwave Alternative Title. He’s been EtU champ for I think they said 588 days! An intense lockup to open and the size difference is notable. Mathers hit a shotgun dropkick at 3:00 and he laid in some chops. Lycan hit a shoulder tackle that sent Marcus to the floor. They traded chops in front of the fans. They got back into the ring with Conan in charge.
Mathers hit a running penalty kick on the ring apron at 8:00. In the ring, Marcus hit a crossbody block and they were both down. Mathers hit a stunner and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Lycan hit at an inverted DDT and a moonsault for a believable nearfall at 11:00; Solomon gushed praise at a guy that size hitting those moves. Mathers hit a German Suplex. Lycan dove through the ropes onto Mathers at 13:00. Marcus hit his own flip dive over the ropes onto Lycan. In the ring, Lycan hit a rolling Death Valley Driver. Marcus nailed a top-rope superplex. Lycan hit a twisting suplex and they were both down, and we got a “both these guys!” chant.
They traded headbutts while on their knees. Mathers hit a kip-up stunner and a clothesline for a nearfall at 16:00. Mathers missed a top-rope doublestomp, and Lycan immediately slammed him to the mat! Lycan nailed a top-rope 450 Splash that POPPED the commentators. Lycan hit a modified Ospreay-style Stormbreaker for a believable nearfall, but Marcus got a foot on the ropes at 18:00. They again fought on the ropes, and Mathers hit a Frankensteiner, then a fisherman’s buster, then his own top-rope 450 Splash for the pin. “What a damn match!” Marino exclaimed. I agree; that was fantastic.
Marcus Mathers defeated Conan Lycan to retain the Key to the East Title at 19:56.
* Mathers got on the mic and put over Lycan, saying that was one of his toughest matches. They got up, shook hands, and hugged. He said to be the best, you got to beat the best. Then he simply shouted, “Mike Santana!” The crowd popped. Marcus leff the ring without saying more. That’s a great tease for a future show.
9. “Above the Rest” Gabriel Skye and Ikuro Kwon vs. “Killionaires Club” J Bouji and Pretty Boy Smooth in the tournament finals and for the tag team titles. Fans threw streamers for the KC. Bouji attacked, so all four brawled and I started my stopwatch. We had a bell at 00:37 to officially begin. PB threw Skye across the ring, while Kwon and Bouji were fighting at ringside. In the ring, Kwon hit a German Suplex on Bouji at 3:30. Kwon flipped Skye onto J for a nearfall. Bouji hit a stunner on Skye for a nearfall. AtR hit stereo knee strikes on PB and they worked the big man over. Skye hit a frogsplash for a nearfall at 6:30. The ref got bumped! Skye tried to wake him. Out of the back came Matt Makowski and Austin Luke, and they have kendo sticks!
The four heels hit Bouji in the ribs with strikes from the kendo sticks. Matt choked PB with a kendo stick. A door was brought to the ring, too. They tossed J through the door at 10:30. Music played and out came Ken Broadway! He hit the heels with his own blue stick. He got in the ring and attacked Skye and Kwon. He hit a swinging Flatliner move on Skye. Smooth punched Kwon in the face, causing Kwon to spray red mist straight up in the air. Bouji jumped on Skye and pinned him. New champions!
J Bouji and Pretty Boy Smooth defeated Gabriel Skye and Ikuro Kwon to win the tournament and the EtU Atlantic Tag Team Titles at 13:28.
Final Thoughts: A tremendous show. Mathers-Lycan easily was match of the night, but this was a well-done tag tournament. I’ll go with MG-Gay Best Friends for second and AtR vs. Violence is Forever for third. That was a decent main event and takes honorable mention. Considering this format meant that the top two teams had to wrestle three times, I don’t feel the early matches were kept short; everyone got a lot of ring time.
I have a short list of shows from last weekend I still want to watch and this was near the top. I felt it really delivered. This aired on IWTV and I give it a big thumbs up.
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