By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Defy Wrestling “Living Proof”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
April 17, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Pearl Theater at Palms Casino
This is the third show of the 13-event Collective, featuring promotions from quite literally across the world. This began at 11 a.m. local time and was the first show of Thursday’s four-event lineup here. The ring canvas was clean, appeared new, and had the Collective logo in the center. The lighting over the ring was really good.
* I’ll note that Defy had a show last weekend in Seattle. Sam Leterna was in the ring and welcomed us to the show. Rich Bocchini and Jack Farmer provided commentary.
1. Galeno Del Mal and “The Bollywood Boyz” Harv Sihra and Gurv Sihra vs. Negro Casas and “C4” Guillermo Rosas and Cody Chun. I’ve always compared Galeno to DC’s Bane; he is just a mammoth luchador. Negro Casas is 65, according to cagematch.net records. BB danced, so C4 did the same dance, so Galeno got in and danced. Okay, Harv and Cody finally locked up and we’re underway. Bocchini and Farmer talked about people taking days off work to watch the Collective, just like they would for the NCAA tournament. Negro entered and hit some chops on Galeno at 3:30 that Galeno no-sold; Galeno dropped him with one chop.
Negro and Gurv traded chops. The Sihras began working over Rosas. Galeno hit a massive splash on Guillerson at 7:00. Cody got in and hit dropkicks on his opponents. He hit a DDT on Gurv for a nearfall. C4 hit a team suplex on Galeno at 9:00. Harv hit a double noggin-knocker, and the BB applied stereo Sharpshooters, but Casas made the save. Galeno again dropped Casas with a chop. The C4 team did triple Magistral Cradles and got the pins! A fun opener.
Negro Casas, Guillermo Rosas, Cody Chun defeated Galeno Del Mal, Harv Sihra, and Gurv Sihra at 10:06.
* Sam Leterna introduced Randy Myers, the flamboyant DC Joker character, and he kissed a man in the front row to cheers. “Is there anyone built for Vegas quite like Randy Myers?” Farmer asked. Myers started to speak but Evan Rivers slid in and attacked him! Rivers hit a swinging sideslam and was booed.
* Veda Scott joined commentary for our six-woman tag!
2. Vert Vixen and Amira and Viva Van vs. Rhio and Nicole Matthews and Liiza Hall. This is a loaded six-woman tag! (Marina Shafir is the champion but obviously isn’t here today.) Each woman got her own intro. Liiza and Vert opened. Viva entered, but Liiza tied her up on the mat. Viva hit a spinning heel kick on Rhio for a nearfall at 3:30. Amira entered for the first time, and Viva dropped her on Rhio. Rhio hit a shotgun dropkick on Amira, then a flying crossbody block. Matthews entered for the first time at 6:00 and traded armdrags with Amira, then traded rollups.
Liiza and Matthews worked over Amira. Rhio and Vert finally locked up at 10:00 and the commentators said this is what they’ve been waiting for, and they traded forearm strikes. Amira hit some running back elbows in opposite corners. Vert and Rhio brawled to the floor and into the crowd and to the back! In the ring, Viva hit a Lungblower move to Nicole’s chin. This is now 2-on-2. Matthews hit a Spider German Suplex on Amira at 13:30. Viva was going for an Electric Chair on Matthews that didn’t quite work, so Van did it again and this time got the pin. Good action and they are obviously building up that Rhio-Vert match.
Vert Vixen and Amira and Viva Van defeated Rhio and Nicole Matthews and Liiza Hall at 14:06.
3. Michael Oku (w/Amira Blair) vs. EVIL. Just to be clear, Amira Blair is not the Amira who wrestled in the prior match! Oku apparently wrestled a dark match in AEW all of 16 or so hours ago! They shook hands but EVIL hit an eyepoke. Veda is still on commentary, and she noted that Oku has four matches slated for today alone! (This is called doing the Bailey Circuit.) Oku hit a dive to the floor at 1:00. In the ring, EVIL choked Oku with a tag rope and was booed. Oku got a series of nearfalls. Oku hit an impressive springboard moonsault for a nearfall at 5:00.
EVIL hit a low blow and used the ref to hit a Magic Killer slam. Oku nailed a Fosbury Flop to the floor, then a top-rope crossbody block into the ring at 7:00, and he locked in the half-crab. EVIL hit another low blow and a suplex for a nearfall. Amira shrieked at the ref. Oku hit a running knee to the side of the head. Oku hit a top-rope twisting frogsplash for a nearfall. He went for a second one, but EVIL got his knees up. EVIL nailed a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall at 9:30, then the Darkness Falls powerbomb for a believable nearfall. EVIL hit the “Everything is Evil” (STO uranage) for the pin! I didn’t expect that!
EVIL defeated Michael Oku at 10:09.
5. “Sinner & Saint” Judas Icarus and Travis Williams (w/Evan Rivers) vs. “Lykos Gym” Kid Lykos and Lykos II vs. Hyo and Susumu Yosuka in a three-way for the Defy Tag Team Titles. Four of these six fought on the Dragon Gate show late Wednesday. Hyo still looks like a male stripper, but he’s in different gear, and he opened against the masked Lykos II. They traded quick reversals with neither man able to really land a blow and they had a standoff at 1:30. The Dragon Gate duo hit back elbows on Judas. Kid Lykos (think Will Ospreay!) got in and traded fast-paced reversals with Williams.
Williams tied up Lykos II’s left arm and the heels kept L2 grounded. Hyo tagged in at 5:30 and hit a doublestomp on Travis. Randy Myers returned to the ring and attacked Evan Rivers, hitting a bodyslam on the floor, and those two fought to the back. Yokosuka hit a hard clothesline on Judas at 7:30. Yokosuka hit an Exploder Suplex on Kid Lykos, and Hyo immediately hit a senton for a nearfall at 9:00, but SandS made the save. Lykos Gym hit stereo kicks in the corner on Williams. Yokosuka and Kid Lykos traded forearm strikes. Lykos II hit a missile dropkick. Hyo hit a series of backflips that popped the crowd. SandS hit some team moves, and Williams hit his assisted Angels Wings to get the pin on Hyo.
“Sinner & Saint” Judas Icarus and Travis Williams defeated Kid Lykos and Lykos II, and Hyo and Susumu Yosuka in a three-way to retain the Defy Tag Team Titles at 11:08.
6. Mance Warner vs. Kenta. They pushed their foreheads against each other and immediately traded forearm strikes. They went to the floor, where Kenta hit some Yes Kicks at ringside at 1:30 and they brawled in front of the fans. The commentators noted this is Kenta’s first Defy match since he lost the title to Ricky Starkz. Kenta hit a running boot to the forehead at 3:30. They got on the stage and banged some chairs against each other, then they sat down on the chairs and traded slaps to the slap at 5:30. Veda talked about what a great venue this is, as Mance and Kenta got back into the ring at 7:00.
Kenta powerslammed Mance through an open chair! Kenta nailed a stalling dropkick in the corner at 8:30, and he piled chairs on Mance. Farmer noted that no one has gone for a pin yet. Mance hit Kenta in the head with a chair; I hate that. Kenta hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall, then a top-rope doublestomp to the ribs. Mance hit a chokeslam for a nearfall at 11:00. Mance hit a STIFF running knee to the cheek for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes, and Mance pushed the ref out of the way, briefly putting him out of position. Kenta hit a low blow punch! He hit the Go To Sleep for the tainted pin. Good brawl.
Kenta defeated Mance Warner at 13:10.
7. “Midnight Heat” Eddie Pearl and Ricky Gibson vs. “Rock N Roll Express” Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton. The crowd chanted profanities at the Heat. Ricky Gibson got on the mic and said the fans came… just to see if the RnR Express were still alive. Boos! Morton cut a nice babyface promo. Bocchini told a story about seeing the RNR Express live in 1987. The Gibsons squared off. The RNR punched Ricky Gibson, who went to the floor to regroup with Pearl. Back in the ring, Pearl and Morton locked up. Needless to say, this is more about them jawing at each other than fighting. Eddie choked Morton in the ropes. Morton hit a Canadian Destroyer on Ricky Gibson, and Robert Gibson hit a straight punch to pin Ricky Gibson. What you would expect.
“Rock N Roll Express” Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton defeated “Midnight Heat” Eddie Pearl and Ricky Gibson at 7:33.
8. Clark Connors vs. El Phantasmo vs. Man Like DeReiss in a three-way for the Defy World Title. Clark just won a mini-tournament to win this belt, which was vacated by Ricky Starks when he signed with NXT. ELP and Connors traded forearm strikes, and ELP hit a dropkick at 2:00. MLD and Connors fought on the floor, and Clark shoved him into the ring post. Connors and ELP brawled in the ring. DeReiss got in and hit some clotheslines on Clark, then he hit a Blockbuster at 6:30. They did a tower spot out of the corner, and Clark tried pins on each opponent. ELP and DeReiss traded forearm strikes and rollups, with DeReiss getting a believable nearfall. Phantasmo hit an enzuigiri.
DeReiss hit a stunner on Phantasmo, then a 450 Splash; Connors jumped in and tried to steal the pin on ELP but only got a nearfall at 11:00. ELP hit the CR2 (modified Styles Clash) on Connors for a believable nearfall. DeReiss went for a 450, but Connors blocked it. Connors hit a spear! He hit the No Chaser (spike double-arm DDT) to pin DeReiss. Good match to close out a good show.
Clark Connors defeated El Phantasmo and Man Like DeReiss in a three-way to retain the Defy World Title at 12:57.
Final Thoughts: I liked the main event and that takes first. The six-woman tag felt like a big deal and takes second. I’ll narrowly go with EVIL-Oku for third ahead of Mance-Kenta. Not a single standout must-see match but a lot of really good action, so I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else has the top matches in a complete different order. The RNR Express match was what I expected but at least they kept it short. Likewise, the opener didn’t need Casas in there.
532 attendance number