By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 168”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
March 20, 2025 in Worcester, Massachusetts at Electric Haze
Paul Crockett, Ryan Clancy, Dustin Waller, ref Scott Robinson and Jake Gray all provided commentary over the course of the show. Agan, this new location is a bit smaller and a bit darker than their old location. Attendance is maybe 200-250.
1. Hammer Tunis vs. Jay Tunis in a spotlight match. Robinson and Gray were on commentary. Yes, these two are brothers; I just saw Jay on a Bio Pro show two weeks ago, while Hammer has been a Wrestling Open regular for the past year. Jay is definitely thinner and a bit shorter and he comes across like a Miz-type arrogant heel with light-up glasses. Standing switches to open. Hammer laid in some punches and he kept Jay grounded. Jay fired up and hit some punches at 4:00 and a clothesline. Jay hit a spinebuster but didn’t go for a pin and Scott said that was a mistake. Jay hit a Jarrett-style Stroke faceplant. Hammer nailed an inverted DDT for the pin. Acceptable match; it wasn’t flashy but it was solid. I bet it’s surreal for them to get to wrestle each other in front of a crowd.
Hammer Tunis defeated Jay Tunis at 5:28.
* In a backstage segment, Nick Robles apologized to RJ Rude for losing last week.
2. RJ Rude (w/Nick Robles) vs. Ichiban. Rude sang Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel” on his way to the ring. Ichiban has a black mask and black pants today. Crockett was now solo on commentary. Ichiban hit a dropkick. He hit some ‘One!’ punches in the corner at 2:30. Rude hit a bodyslam and a senton for a nearfall. Rude began singing on the mic and was booed, while he stomped on Ichiban. “You guys don’t deserve me at all,” Rude said of the boos. They traded punches, and Ichiban hit an OsCutter, then a handspring-back-elbow into the corner and a missile dropkick at 5:00. Robles hit Ichiban with the cowbell! Rude hit an Unprettier and scored the tainted pin!
RJ Rude defeated Ichiban at 5:36.
* Rude said he was going to take Ichiban’s mask. However, the Miracle Generation (Kylon King & Dustin Waller) ran in and made the save. They are not dressed to wrestle. Waller said they will always have Ichiban’s back. He challenged Rude and Rex Lawless to a future match.
* Dustin Waller joined Crockett on commentary.
3. Ricky Smokes vs. Tyler Shoop. WWE ID prospect Smokes carried his tag title belt to the ring. This is a debut for Shoop, who has a passing resemblance to Brian Myers; I wouldn’t be surprised if he was in his upper 20s. Smokes hit a hip-toss and celebrated with some jumping jacks. He kept Shoop grounded. Shoop hit a back suplex at 3:30 and some clotheslines and he was fired up; he did some ‘clapping pushups.’ He dropkicked Smokes off the corner to the floor! In the ring, Smokes hit a Cameron Grimes-style jumping stomp to the chest for the pin out of nowhere. A nice debut for Shoop.
Ricky Smokes defeated Tyler Shoop at 5:17.
4. Sammy Diaz vs. Lucas Chase (w/Hammer Tunis). Again, Chase turned heel and attacked his partners (including Diaz) in a War Games-style match at the end of 2024. They started brawling on the floor and I started my stopwatch at first contact. We got a bell at 0:28 as they got in the ring. Diaz hit a DDT, then a Blockbuster. (Waller is still on commentary so maybe he’s sticking around for the show.) Chase nailed a spinebuster. He nailed his twisting uranage for a nearfall at 3:00 and was in charge, hitting a delayed vertical suplex. Diaz hit a crossbody block off the ropes, and they were both down at 6:00. Diaz hit a Pele Kick and was fired up. Sammy hit a powerslam and a second-rope moonsault for a nearfall. He climbed the ropes but Tunis tripped him. Chase immediately hit a decapitating clothesline for the cheap pin.
Lucas Chase defeated Sammy Diaz at 7:43/official time of 7:15.
5. Jermaine Marbury (w/Benny the Basketball) vs. LJ Cleary. LJ is from Ireland and he got engaged to Lyra Valkyria in September; he’s wrestled in the U.S. before. He has Bret Hart-style slicked, wet black hair. He got on the mic and told the crowd he hates basketball! “It’s not even a real sport in Ireland. It’s a joke.” Marbury wore Orlando Magic-style trunks. Crockett noted that Cleary has done several tours with NOAH in Japan. Marbury knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Cleary played with his own hair. He backed Jermaine into a corner and hit some punches to the gut. Jermaine hit his Euro-step Neckbeaker for a nearfall at 2:00.
Cleary rolled to the floor but he was terrified of Benny and got back in. Funny. He stomped on Marbury and took control. The fans chanted “Defense!” to rally behind Jermaine. Jermaine hit a clothesline and he ‘dunked’ LJ’s head to the mat. Marbury hit a Mamba Splash (frogsplash) for the pin. Fun match.
Jermaine Marbury defeated LJ Cleary at 5:47.
6. Bryce Donovan vs. Brando Lee. A few weeks ago Lee ‘won’ by surviving a five-minute challenge. WWW ID prospect Donovan debuted on Evolve on Wednesday as a bouncer character. Again, Brando is comparable to Lee Moriarty. Brando came in the ring behind Bryce and hit a top-rope crossbody block to open the match and the ref immediately called for the bell. Donovan swung Brando’s body so Lee’s head hit the corner pads. Lee hit a Stundog Millionaire and a dropkick. They went to the floor, where Bryce hit a chokeslam onto the apron at 2:00. In the ring, Bryce was now in charge. He hip-tossed Lee across the ring and kept Lee grounded.
Donovan applied a Cobra Clutch-style sleeper at 5:00 and viciously swung Lee, but Brando powered free. He tried to put Donovan on his back but he settled for hitting a Pele Kick. He got Bryce on his back and hit a rolling Death Valley Driver. A guy appeared on the apron in a suit and struck Brando, causing the DQ. It’s VSK!!! (from TNA). He wore a suit with a long jacket and a tie, and his hair was pulled back in a tight bun. He grabbed zip-ties and used them on Brando, tying Lee’s hands behind his back, then he repeatedly punched him and hit a buzzsaw kick. Finally some security hit the ring and backed off VSK and Donovan. The crowd chanted “Bryce, you suck!”
Brando Lee defeated Bryce Donovan via DQ at 6:13.
* Waller left commentary here. Next week will feature Brett Ryan Gosselin vs. Eye Black Jack Pasquale in a street fight! Ryan Clancy replaced Waller in the booth; Clancy is facing Brad Baylor on March 31!
7. Brad Baylor (w/Ricky Smokes) vs. Aaron Rourke in an official WWE ID prospect match. The fans chanted for ‘Evil Gay,’ and Rourke responded by dancing, so Baylor danced too and was booed. Rourke hit a back suplex at 1:00, then a flipping senton for a nearfall. Baylor stomped on Aaron and hit a neckbreaker at 3:00, and he was in charge. The 5:00 was spot-on and Rouke hit a Lungblower to the chin, then a snap German Suplex and he was fired up.
Rourke hit a Mafia Kick into the corner and a running buttbump for a nearfall. Rourke hit a spear for a nearfall. He went for a split-legged moonsault, but Baylor got his feet up. Baylor hit a neckbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 7:30. Rourke got a rollup out of nowhere for the pin! (Somehow, every official WWE ID match I’ve seen has magically ended in the 6-to-8 minute window!)
Aaron Rourke defeated Brad Baylor at 7:49.
* Smokes jumped in the ring to help Baylor beat up Rouke, but Clancy left the booth, got in the ring, and chased off the heels. Waller returned to commentary.
8. Gal and Nick Battee vs. “Big Business” Love, Doug and Brad Hollister. Gal makes FIVE WWE ID prospects on this show; he wore his body-building medals around his neck. Brad is a newly-turned babyface. The bell rang but they took turns playing to the crowd. Doug and Battee finally tied up just before we hit the 2:00 mark; it’s the first lockup of the match and they traded basic offense. Hollister finally tagged in at 4:30, so Gal also got in. Gal hit a short-arm clothesline. Gal began working over Doug and kept him grounded, hitting a bodyslam at 7:30. Battee hit a swinging neckbreaker on Doug. The heels hit a team flapjack and they both did push-ups rather than go for the cover.
Hollister got the hot tag at 10:00 and he hit some back elbows in opposite corners on each heel, then a German Suplex on Gal and was fired up. (So surreal to see him getting cheered, and Crockett just acknowledged that as I was typing this sentence.) Hollister hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Battee hit a team stunner on Brad for a nearfall at 11:30. Brad hit a double DDT. Doug hit a double back elbow, then a bulldog-and-clothesline combo. Gal hit a stiff clothesline on Doug for a nearfall. All four brawled. BB hit the “Business is Booming” team Bulldog Powerslam for the pin. Good match.
“Big Business” Brad Hollister and Love, Doug defeated Nick Battee and Gal at 14:13.
* Brad got on the mic and noted that Wrestling Open is debuting in Rhode Island on Monday, March 31. He said it feels weird to not have a belt over his shoulder. He called out Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes, because they want a tag title match!
Final Thoughts: A really strong show. While they were short, I’ll go with Rourke-Baylor for best, then Diaz-Lucas Chase. A good main event takes third. I frequently praise Wrestling Open for not only bringing in good wrestlers (five WWE ID prospects this week alone!), but also good week-to-week storylines that make sense. If I have a complaint this week, it’s the lack of a women’s match.
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