By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Future Stars of Wrestling “ID Championship”
Streamed on FITE+
April 18, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at FSW Arena
There are 19 WWE ID prospects, and it appears two — Bryce Donovan and Zoe Sager — are not in Las Vegas. Jack Cartwheel is at the GCW show at this exact same time, and it doesn’t appear that he’s slated to make the 30-ish minute trek from one show to the other. (It could be done. Distance-wise, the venues aren’t that far apart.) Anyhow, I think the other 16 ID prospects are all booked for this show; I saw the lineup, but I don’t recall any particular matches. While this event is billed as a tournament, this is a double-elimination tournament, and it is NOT wrapping up here. I think this is going to play out at indy shows for weeks to come.
* I’ve seen several shows from this training center before; they have banners hanging of graduates like Hammerstone, Karrion Kross, Chris Bey and others. This is a really small room, so even though it is packed, the crowd was maybe 100. The volume was really low; I had to turn it up all the way. Lighting over the ring is good.
1. Cappuccino Jones vs. It’s Gal in an ID tournament match. Quick reversals early on. Gal won his opening round match on Thursday when he beat Aaron Rourke. Gal hit a German Suplex at 1:30. He hit a delayed vertical suplex and choked Cappuccino while doing push-ups at 3:30. He hit a clothesline and remained in charge. (The commentators reiterated this is a double elimination tournament; I’d love to see brackets on this.)
Cappuccino fired up and hit some slaps and forearm strikes. Gal hit a Mafia Kick for a nearfall at 5:30 Jones hit a stunner. Gal claimed an elbow injury, but he picked up his body-building medal and swung and missed. Jones hit the Decaffinator (twisting neckbreaker move) and got the pin. Jones is 1-0 in the tournament; Gal falls to 1-1.
Cappuccino Jones defeated It’s Gal at 7:29.
* Jones got on the mic and started to say how big this was for him to win his first ID match. Ricky Smokes, Brad Baylor and Jackson Drake (w/Zayda Steel) jumped in the ring and attacked Cappuccino! Drake got on the mic and vowed he was going to beat Marcus Mathers later. Smokes got on the mic and said he will beat Sean Legacy tonight.
2. Zayda Steel and Mazzerati vs. Brittnie Brooks and Zara Zakher. Mazzerati and Brooks are not ID prospects. Brooks and Zayda are familiar foes; they’ve quite literally fought all across the country. Zayda shoved her partner and insisted she start. (That’s not a good sign…). A commentator said Zayda has never beaten Brittnie! Zayda tagged out before locking up, so Mazzerati and Brittnie opened. Brittnie and Zara worked over Mazzerati in their corner. Mazzerati clocked Zara in the jaw and got a nearfall at 4:30.
Zayda tagged herself in, jumped on Zara, and repeatedly punched her. They went to the floor, and Zayda stomped on Zara at ringside. In the ring, she tied Zara in the Tree of Woe and dropkicked her for a nearfall at 6:30. Brittnie got the hot tag and hit some forearms on Zayda, then a bulldog for a nearfall. (A commentator said they are at capacity and turned people away. I wouldn’t argue with that statement.) Zayda hit a Gory Bomb on Zakher for a nearfall at 9:30. Zayda got angry and pie-faced her teammate Mazzerati and shoved her off the apron. Mazzerati left! Zara hit her backflip-into-a-stunner to pin Zayda. That was pretty good.
Brittnie Brooks and Zara Zakher defeated Zayda Steel and Mazzerati at 10:32.
3. Freedom Ramsey vs. Bodhi Young Prodigy in a non-tournament match. If high-schooler Bodhi wins this match, he will enter the ID tournament. Again, Freedom reminds me of Anthony Bowens; I’ve seen fewer matches from him than any of the ID prospects. Bodhi immediately got some rollups for nearfalls. A commentator said Bodhi will turn 18 next week; I’ve seen him wrestle for two or three years! Freedom hit a second-rope X-Factor for a nearfall at 1:30. Freedom hit a dropkick for a nearfall.
Freedom hit a bodyslam and an elbow drop for a nearfall. Bodhi hit a DDT and they were both down at 3:00. They got up and traded blows, and Bodhi hit a Pele Kick for a nearfall, then a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Ramsey nailed a Spinebuster at 5:00. Bodhi got an inside cradle for a nearfall, then a second Pele Kick, but he missed a 450 Splash. Ramsey nailed a second-rope Blockbuster for the pin. They sure got a lot in for a match that short. Bodhi is talented, but he is so undersized.
Freedom Ramsey defeated Bodhi Young Prodigy at 5:46.
4. Sam Holloway vs. Aaron Rourke in an ID tournament match. Both men lost on Wednesday (when the tournament began!), so with this being a double-elimination tournament, the loser here is out. “Evil Gay” Rourke is flamboyant and beloved, while the massive Holloway was booed. They locked up, and the size advantage is startling. Holloway hit some chops; Rourke fired up and hit his own, but he couldn’t budge Sam on an Irish Whip attempt. Rourke hit a Helluva Kick and gave a quick swat to the butt, which ticked off Sam! They fought to the floor, where Sam dropped Aaron crotch-first onto the guardrail at 3:30! He slammed Rourke onto the apron.
In the ring, Sam hit a slingshot guillotine leg drop, and he kept Rourke grounded. Sam hit some chops and remained in charge. Rourke hit a cannonball into the corner at 7:00. Sam hit a massive dropkick! “Holy hell!” a commentator said. Rourke hit some buzzsaw kicks. Sam hit a butterfly suplex, tossing Rourke into the turnbuckles! Sam hit a frogsplash for a believable nearfall at 8:30; I thought that was it. We got a “This is awesome!” chant. Rourke avoided a chokeslam and hit a Code Red for the pin! Holloway has been eliminated!
Aaron Rourke defeated Sam Holloway at 9:28.
5. Aaron Roberts vs. Jordan Oasis in an ID tournament match. Roberts (think a young One Man Gang) also is 0-1 in the tournament, while Oasis is 1-0. Roberts easily tossed Oasis, and they immediately fought to ringside. Oasis dove through the ropes onto Roberts. In the ring, Aaron mounted Jordan and repeatedly punched him. Roberts walked across Oasis’ sternum at 3:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Oasis hit a spinebuster at 4:30, and they were both down.
Oasis hit a rolling cannonball against the ropes. Roberts hit a chokeslam for a believable nearfall. Oasis got underneath him in a corner and hit a powerbomb for a nearfall at 6:30. Aaron Roberts used some type of weapon to strike Oasis, then he hit a Vader Bomb for the pin. Both men are now 1-1 in the tournament.
Aaron Roberts defeated Jordan Oasis at 7:04.
6. Jackson Drake vs. Marcus Mathers in an ID tournament match. Marcus is 1-0 in the tournament, while this is Drake’s first tourney match. Cagematch.net shows this is a first-ever singles match, but they’ve met in a three-way and a tag match. (Drake’s teammate that night was Je’Von Evans!) They immediately wrestled to the mat, with Drake applying a leg lock around the neck. A commentator said Marcus has had nine matches this weekend. Jackson rolled to the floor at 1:30 to regroup. Back in the ring, he applied a headlock and kept Marcus grounded. A commentator noted that fans are upset that Mathers still hasn’t debuted on Evolve. (True!) Marcus hit a dropkick at 3:00. He held onto Jackson’s arm while hitting some chops.
Drake hit a Divorce Court Armbreaker at 5:00 and began targeting the left arm. He slammed it against the ring post and was booed. He stood on Marcus’ chest, then hit a stiff kick to the spine at 8:00. They traded rollups, and Marcus hit a bodyslam, then a top-rope twisting crossbody block. He hit some clotheslines and was fired up. He hit a fadeaway stunner and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 10:00. Drake applied a keylock in the middle of the ring, but Marcus escaped. Mathers hit a running Penalty Kick, but he was selling pain in his arm. Drake switched to a cross-armbreaker on the mat at 12:00. Drake hit some spin kicks to the elbow. Mathers hit a German Suplex and was fired up.
Drake hit a top-rope superplex, but Marcus held on and hit a twisting suplex into the corner, and they were both down at 14:30, and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Drake hit a Chaos Theory (rolling German Suplex) for a believable nearfall at 16:00. Marcus fired up, hit some chops and a Dragonscrew Legwhip, then a Panama Sunrise destroyer, then a fisherman’s suplex for a believable nearfall. He climbed the ropes, but Baylor and Smokes returned to the ring. Meanwhile, Sam Holloway pulled Marcus to the floor and slammed him into the guardrail! He threw Mathers back into the ring, and Drake immediately hit a running knee for the tainted pin. That was really good.
Jackson Drake defeated Marcus Mathers at 18:29.
7. Ricky Smokes (w/Brad Baylor, Jackson Drake) vs. Sean Legacy in an ID tournament match. This is the first tournament match for both men. Sean hit a Shotgun Dropkick at the bell and they immediately fought to the floor and traded chops. In the ring, Legacy hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 2:00. Smokes dropkicked him to the floor at 4:30, where Baylor and Drake hit Sean. In the ring, Smokes hit a suplex for a nearfall and he kept Legacy grounded. Sean hit a second-rope Spanish Fly, and it looked like he came down on his own head at 7:00! Yikes!
Luckily, Sean seemed okay. That was ugly. Sean fired up and hit some flying forearms and a German Suplex, then a sit-out powerbomb move for a nearfall. Sean had a cut on his forehead, and the commentators think it was from that awful landing. He set up for a dive, but Smokes cut him off. Legacy hit his twisting suplex off his shoulders for the pin. Good match.
Sean Legacy defeated Ricky Smokes at 8:49.
* The heels continued to beat down Legacy until Ice Williams and Cappuccino Jones made the save!
8. Brad Baylor vs. Ice Williams in an ID tournament match. This is Ice’s home promotion, and he got the babyface pop; he is 1-0 while this is Baylor’s first tournament match. They charged at each other at the bell and traded forearm strikes; this crowd was loud. (A small room, and it clearly echoes.) They also fought to the floor at 1:00. Back in the ring, Ice hit some European Uppercuts and some punches in the corner. Baylor knocked him down and gyrated his hips. Baylor hit an Exploder Suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. Ice hit a DDT, and they were both down.
Ice hit an elbow drop as Baylor was tied in the ropes, and he got a believable nearfall. Baylor hit a snap Dragon Suplex for a believable nearfall at 6:30. Baylor hit a second-rope twisting superplex, and they were both down. Ice hit a superkick for a believable nearfall. Baylor hit a shoulder breaker over his knee, then a low blow uppercut for a believable nearfall at 10:00. They got up and traded chops. Ice hit another Ice Breaker (superkick) and a spike DDT for the pin! Ice moves to 2-0. A very good match.
Ice Williams defeated Brad Baylor at 11:14.
Final thoughts: Yeah, this show is my preferred style of action; I know this will astonish some people, but I enjoyed this far more than the GCW Joey Janela Spring Break show. Mathers-Drake was really good, and the final minutes were white hot. Ice-Baylor takes second. I’ll narrowly go with Cappuccino-Gal for third, ahead of Legacy-Smokes. That Legacy landing on the Spanish Fly was scary, but he seemed fine.
I see one other ID prospect was missing here, as Kylie Rae also didn’t have a match. This was a shorter-than-expected event, coming in at about two hours even.
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