By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, GCW, MLW, ROH, and other notable live events or television tapings. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
Wrestling Open “Episode 172”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
April 17, 2025, in Worcester, Massachusetts at Electric Haze
Promoter Drew “Denver Colorado” Cordeiro and Brett Ryan Gosselin provided solo commentary; his volume was a bit low tonight, and it was sometimes hard to hear him over the action in the ring. Again, this new location is a bit smaller and a bit darker than their old location. Attendance is maybe 200-250.
* I’ll point out that AEW was in Boston, maybe an hour east of here, at this same time, and all the WWE ID prospects are in Las Vegas. So, this show featured the Bio Pro Academy students.
* Bio Pro student Julius Draeger defeated Jariel Rivera in a spotlight match I didn’t see.
1. DJ Powers and Giorgio Lawrence vs. Erik Chacha and Jake Gray. DJ got on the mic and asked everyone to raise their hand if they have ever pinned Brad Hollister, because he did it last week. “That makes me the man,” he said. DJ opened against Chacha. Kick-boxing specialist Giorgio got in and hit some kicks. Gray got in and hit a trust-fall (Coffin Drop). The heels began working over Chacha, with Giorgio hitting a German Suplex. The heels hit a team back suplex for a nearfall at 6:00. Lawrence hit a spin kick to pin Chacha. Cordeiro noted that Jake barely got in there.
DJ Powers and Giorgio Lawrence defeated Erik Chacha and Jake Gray at 6:58.
2. Pedro Dones vs. Rain Conway. The crowd chanted the childhood rhyme, singing “Rain, Rain, go away…” Dones kept the bigger Conway grounded, as Cordeiro boasted about the packed crowd and hitting 172 straight weeks with a show on Thursdays. Dones hit a Samoan Drop at 5:00, and he hit some shoulder tackles. Dones hit his flying headbutt for the pin.
Pedro Dones defeated Rain Conway at 5:42.
3. “Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller vs. Rex Lawless and Nick Robles. Rex and Kylon opened. Cordeiro noted the absence of RJ Rude. Dustin hit a slingshot senton on Robles at 2:00, and MG worked over the 1980s rocker Robles. Rex was on the apron but hit a hard back elbow on Kylon, and it allowed the heels to take over. Robles hit a dropkick at 4:00. Dustin finally got a hot tag at 6:00 and he hit some clotheslines and kicks on Robles, then a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Rex hit a double clothesline. Rex hit a faceplant move on Kylon for a nearfall. Rex tossed Waller, but he accidentally threw Waller onto Robles! MG clotheslined Rex to the floor, and they hit their team powerbomb to pin Robles. Good action.
Kylon King and Dustin Waller defeated Rex Lawless and Nick Robles at 8;20.
* Dustin got on the mic and said he wants a six-man tag next week… he’ll add Ichiban, while the heels can get RJ Rude.
4. Bear Bronson vs. Brando Lee. I’ve compared Brando to Lee Moriarty, and he’s pretty talented. Bronson came out first, got on the mic and asked, “Who here likes Bryce Donovan? Yeah, me neither; he seems like an asshole.” He told Lee that if he could survive this match, maybe he can also survive against Bryce. (This was an inspirational motivational speech.) Lee is much smaller and he hit some chops, then a huracanrana and some dropkicks. Bear hit a buttdrop to the chest at 1:30; heel BRG cackled. Bear hit some loud chops. Bear hit a Boss Man Slam for a nearfall.
Lee hit a huracanrana, but he missed a cannonball. Bear nailed a pump-handle overhead suplex for a nearfall at 4:30. Lee hit a sunset flip bomb and they were both down, and we got a “Wrestling Open!” chant. Lee hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 7:00. He hit a Poison Rana, a Death Valley Driver, then a top-rope doublestomp for a believable nearfall. Bronson nailed a sit-out powerbomb, and he was shocked when Lee kicked out. He hit a clothesline, then a choke bomb for the pin. That was really good.
Bear Bronson defeated Brando Lee at 9:21.
5. “Big Business” Brad Hollister and TJ Crawford vs. Jay Tunis and Brett Metro. Hollister and TJ haven’t been getting along at all lately, so we’ll see if they can get along while facing the rookies. (No other Big Business teammates with them, which seems ominous…) Tunis wore his futuristic sunglasses, and he made Mettro wear them, too. A fan chanted “Robo Cop” at them. Cordeiro was optimistic that Big Business is now on the same page; I’m not so sure! Hollister and Tunis opened, and Brad overpowered him and hit a belly-to-belly suplex. TJ entered and hit a basement dropkick on Mettro’s knee at 3:30.
The rookies began working over Brad’s left leg, but they also didn’t seem to be on the same page. TJ got a hot tag and hit a double fadeaway stunner at 8:00. This match has a 10-time limit, so they better wrap it up. Tunis hopped off the apron and abandoned his partner! (This seemed obvious from the second they came out, and Jay was forcing Mettro to dress and act like him.) Brad and TJ hit the “Business is Booming” (team flipping powerbomb) to pin Mettro. BB wound up getting along! Team Wrestling Open was now 3-0 against the Bio Pro rookies (as they should be.)
TJ Crawford and Brad Hollister defeated Brett Mettro and Jay Tunis at 9:26.
* Hollister got on the mic and noted he was pinned by DJ Powers last week, and that doesn’t happen too often. He wants a rematch next week!
6. Mortar vs. Eye Black Jack Pasquale. Mortar is active in New England, but he isn’t a regular here. Pasquale is a talented rookie who is clearly the top student of this Bio Pro class. Cordeiro noted they are two fan favorites facing each other for the first time. Again, Mortar is like Rhino; he’s short, thick, with long black hair, and he easily shoved Pasquale to the mat. Pasquale hit some bodyslams. Mortar hit a senton at 2:00, and he hit some chops in the corner. Jack hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 5:00.
Cordeiro noted the guys Jack has beaten, and BRG gave a long list of reasons he lost to Jack. Mortar hit his Lionsault for a nearfall. Mortar applied a Boston Crab and sat down on the lower back, but Jack escaped. Jack hit a back suplex and was fired up. Mortar hit a spear, but he missed a double-jump moonsault. Jack immediately hit his twisting uranage for the pin! Good match.
Eye Black Jack Pasquale defeated Mortar at 7:37.
7. Sammy Diaz vs. Hammer Tunis (Hammer must leave Wrestling Open if he loses). Quick reversals, and Sammy hit a huracanrana. Hammer dove through the ropes onto Sammy at 1:30, then shoved Sammy back-first into the ring post. In the ring, Hammer hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall, and he locked in a sleeper at 3:30. Sammy hit a back suplex and they were both down. Diaz hit an OsCutter for a nearfall. He hit a Frankensteiner and a frogsplash for a nearfall at 5:30. Tunis blocked a second OsCutter and he hit a second Michinokuk Driver, then a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall.
They got up and traded punches, and Sammy hit a huracanrana, then a dive through the ropes at 8:00. In the ring, Hammer hit an inverted DDT for a nearfall. Tunis grabbed the ref to free himself from a Death Valley Driver attempt. Tunis hit a low blow and scored the pin! Wow!
Hammer Tunis defeated Sammy Diaz at 9:39.
“That is not the way this story ends,” shouted a voice emerging from the back! It’s Brother Greatness! He vowed tonight there will be justice! The ref heard there was a low blow, and demanded the match be restarted. We have a bell and we’re back underway!! Sammy hit a running knee and a Sabin-style Cradle Shock for the pin! The crowd sang the “Na Na, hey hey, goodbye” tune, as Tunis cannot return.
Sammy Diaz defeated Hammer Tunis at 00:16.
Final Thoughts: I acknowledged this last week… but while watching a different indy show a few weeks ago, the commentators said Hammer was on his retirement tour, so that really gave away the finish of this match. It was a good match, though, and while Hammer has never really stood out to me, I’ll give the main event best match of the show. Bear Bronson-Brando Lee was really good and takes second. Mortar-Pasquale takes third.
Even with a lot of regulars gone to Las Vegas, and I’m sure others were at AEW, Wrestling Open put together a fun themed show featuring all their top students. No debuts here; everyone has been regulars in recent months. I am really liking the balance they’ve struck so far with the Thursday shows and the Monday shows in Rhode Island. Really, the only thing missing today was a good women’s match.
Be the first to comment