By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Wrestling Open RI “Episode 13”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
June 30, 2025, in Cranston, Rhode Island at Rhodes On The Pawtuxet
Wrestling Open is continuing its Thursday shows in Worcester, Mass, while adding these Monday events, so they are planning to run two shows a week indefinitely. This is an attractive two-story, white ballroom, and the lighting is really good. Paul Crockett, Dustin Waller, Bryce Donovan, Nick Battee, Pedro Dones, and referee Scott Robinson all provided commentary over the course of the show. The crowd was maybe 150; they continue to have a strong, steady attendance each week.
* The Von Erich Six-Man Tag Tournament Classic continues this week with the semifinals.
1. Victor Chase vs. JGeorge in a spotlight match. JGeorge continues to be in nearly every spotlight match this summer. I’ll reiterate that I think a “spotlight match” should be an opportunity for two new, young unknown competitors, clawing to get onto the main show — which doesn’t describe either of these two. Ref Robinson and Waller provided commentary on this one. Victor knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. JGeorge hit a doublestomp to the chest at 3:00 and he tied up Victor on the mat. Victor slammed him for the pin. Basic but fine.
Victor Chase defeated JGeorge at 5:28.
* Crockett took over solo as the main show began.
2. Jose Zamora and “Mint” It’s Gal and Nick Battee vs. Jake Gray, Pedro Dones, and Eye Black Jack Pasquale in a semifinal tournament match. Jack and Gal opened. All six brawled to ringside, and you can see the building is PACKED tonight. The babyfaces all slammed the heels onto the apron, then they all hit top-rope ax handles. The babyfaces worked over Battee and had fun with multiple Atomic Drops. Dones hit a Samoan Drop at 3:00, then a second-rope flying sunset flip on Zamora. The heels began working over Pedro, with Gal hitting a snap suplex. Pedro suplexed Battee at 5:00, and he made the hot tag to Pasquale.
Jack hit a flying back elbow on Gal in the corner, then a stalling suplex. Gal caught Jack and hit a fallaway slam, then a bodyslam. The heels now stomped on Jack and kept him in a corner. Battee hit a Russian Leg Sweep for a nearfall at 8:00. Zamora missed a standing moonsault. Pasquale fired up and traded forearm strikes with Jose. Jake Gray finally got a hot tag, and he hit some clotheslines in the corners on the heels. Zamora hit a flipping senton.
Pasquale hit his twisting uranage. However, Battee hit a Lungblower on Jack. Four guys were brawling on the floor and away from the ring. Jake launched onto two heels on the floor at 11:00! We got a “this is awesome!” chant. In the ring, Battee hit an axe kick to the back of the head and pinned Gray. A really strong final couple of minutes to an overall fairly solid match.
Jose Zamora, It’s Gal, and Nick Battee defeated Jake Gray, Pedro Dones, and Eye Black Jack Pasquale at 11:24 to advance to the tournament final.
* Timothy Thatcher vs. Steven Stetson was announced for Thursday’s show! Bryce Donovan was introduced, as he is joining Crockett on commentary! He carried his Wrestling Open title belt, but he’s not dressed to wrestle.
3. Bear Bronson vs. DJ Powers in a No. 1 contender’s match for a shot at the Wrestling Open Championship. Well, 20-year-old Powers is a heel, Bryce is a heel… so that almost guarantees Bear is winning, right? Bronson stopped near the commentary table and glared at Bryce on his way to the ring, to further cement my belief he’s winning here. I’m a huge fan of Powers, but Bear is so much thicker and visibly stronger. Powers stalled in the ropes at the bell, then he rolled to the floor to avoid a lockup. They locked up, and Bear easily shoved him to the mat, and Powers looked pensive. This crowd was HOT for this one. (This easily could have been the main event.) Bear hit a shoulder block and a back-body drop at 3:00.
They went to the floor, and Bear chopped him. DJ accidentally chopped the ring post! He did a Gorilla Press on the floor and tossed Powers over the top rope and back into the ring. Bryce just noted the packed house. Powers hit a DDT in the ropes and got a nearfall at 5:00. He hit some chops and a standing neckbreaker for a nearfall. Bear was tossed to the floor, and some little kids in the front row helped Bear to his feet; I LOVE that.
In the ring, Bear hit some clotheslines and a suplex at 9:00, and he was fired up! He hit a Black Hole Slam for a believable nearfall. (Bryce said if that was his Black Hole Slam, DJ wouldn’t have kicked out.) Bear peeled down his singlet and let Powers chop him. Bear hit a clothesline at 10:30. Powers got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for a nearfall, then a superkick and a Claymore Kick for a nearfall. Bronson nailed the Choke Bomb for the clean pin. (It was the obvious outcome, but it’s also the right outcome. Nothing wrong with that at all.)
Bear Bronson defeated DJ Powers at 11:37 to earn a shot at the Wrestling Open Championship.
* Bryce left commentary and got in the ring. We had a loud “Bryce, you suck!” chant. Bronson snatched the mic from him and said Bryce’s time of running from fights has ended. He said he’s spilled “buckets of his own blood” in rings across the country as the hottest free agent. He wants his title shot… next Monday! The crowd chanted “new champ!” Bryce held his belt high in the air, then turned and left. Perfectly done post-match angle.
4. Davienne vs. Liviyah. This feud has formed in the past two weeks, with Davienne helping Liviyah to her feet, only to attack her. Davienne came out first; Liviyah ran to the ring, charged at her during the ring intros and attacked, and we’re underway. They brawled to the floor, and Liviyah got knocked down. As she climbed into the ring, Davienne stomped on her. They traded forearm strikes. Davienne hit a hard knee lift to the chin for a nearfall at 2:30. Liviyah hit a flying shoulder tackle. Davienne put Liviyah on her shoulders and hit an Electric Chair for a nearfall.
The crowd rallied for Liviyah, who jumped on Davienne’s back and applied a rear-naked choke, but Davienne ran backwards into a corner to break the hold. Liviyah hit a missile dropkick at 5:00. She hit a spear for a nearfall. Liviyah hit a Lungblower to the back, then a dive through the ropes onto Davienne at 6:30. In the ring, Davienne hit a baseball slide dropkick that sent Liviyah crashing HARD to the floor. (I’ve seen these two work against each other before in another promotion, but Liviyah has improved so much, so fast, this is just so much better.) The ref counted Liviyah out! I didn’t expect that! The ref helped Liviyah up and to the back.
Davienne defeated Liviyah via countout at 7:42.
* Davienne got on the mic and taunted Liviyah, saying Liviyah will never be better than her. She said if Liviyah ever got in the ring with her again, she’ll end the teen’s career.
* Nick Battee joined Crockett on commentary. Ring announcer Rich Palladino explained the ‘pick your poison’ stipulation for Dustin Waller and Anthony Greene. Each man must pick a tag partner. As part of the match stipulation, the tag partners cannot hit each other, or they will be fired! Waller said that Kylon King (who was legit in a car crash a week ago) is still in the hospital (not sure if that part is true!), so Kylon won’t be in this match. Waller got to pick first, and he selected Channing Thomas! (Channing has been Greene’s tag partner!) Greene ran to the back, returned, and announced that Aaron Rourke will be his partner!
5. Anthony Greene and Aaron Rourke vs. Dustin Waller and Channing Thomas. Greene and Rourke (who have been teaming a lot lately) traded some friendly reversals. Rourke got in and hit some chops on Waller, and Aaron swatted Dustin’s butt at 3:00, which annoyed Dustin. Rourke hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Waller hit some knee strikes to Rourke’s back. The crowd chanted, “You sold out!” at Waller. Channing got back in and bodyslammed Rourke at 5:00 and tied him up on the mat. Crockett wondered if Greene and Thomas would still be on the same page after this match, after being forced to be on opposite teams.
Rourke hit a twisting uranage on Waller, and they were both down at 7:00. Channing ‘bent down to tie his boot’ rather than take a hot tag from his heel tag partner! Funny. It allowed Greene to beat up Waller and hit several snake-eyes blows in the corners. Greene hit a springboard twisting crossbody block for a nearfall at 8:30. Waller hit a stunner as we got the ‘one minute warning.’ Channing was livid at Dustin; he got in the ring and teased he was going to hit a piledriver on Waller, but he was warned he would get fired! In the confusion, Waller got a rollup for the flash pin. A really good match. (I bought that we were headed to a time-limit draw, too! I was fooled!)
Dustin Waller and Channing Thomas defeated Aaron Rourke and Anthony Greene at 9:38.
6. Dante Drago vs. Brando Lee. Dante, like a week ago, is now dressed in gear like Brando Lee. Same white paints and the same red ‘claw mark’ tattoos on his chest. Battee said he was confused, thinking Drago was Lee. (Well… Drago is white and Brando is Black, so it’s not hard to keep them separate!) Lee hit some forearms and a dropkick for a nearfall at 1:00. He hit a top-rope crossbody block then the double-chops for a nearfall. Dante hit a brainbuster for a nearfall at 3:00 and he kept Lee tied up on the mat.
Battee was humorous while ‘explaining’ to Crockett that Drago is a ‘black belt’ because he was wearing a black belt. Brando caught a leg on a roundhouse kick attempt, and he dropped Dante with a chop. Dante hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 6:00. Brando nailed his rolling Death Valley Driver, then a top-rope doublestomp to the chest for the pin. Solid match; this match feels like it should have been earlier in the show.
Brando Lee defeated Dante Drago at 7:03.
* Pedro Dones joined Crockett on commentary. Dones said the Rhode Island crowds have quickly fallen in love with Orlando and the Shooter Boys. Crockett said the winning team of the tournament… one member will get a shot at the heavyweight title and two others will get a tag title shot. I missed that.
7. RJ Rude, Rex Lawless, and Nick Robles vs. Bobby Orlando and “The Shooter Boys” Aaron Ortiz and Anthony Vecchio in a semifinal tournament match. Robles is now ‘officially’ a member of the “Rude & Lawless Residency,” even though he’s not included in the team name. Robles and Orlando opened. Vecchio beat up Rude. The massive Lawless got in at 3:00, and he tossed Vecchio across the ring. He did the same to Ortiz. The Shooter Boys hit stereo dropkicks to finally knock Rex down and send him to the floor, and the heels regrouped on the floor at 5:00.
Back in the ring, Lawless hit a guillotine leg drop on Orlando for a nearfall, and the heels worked over Bobby. Aaron Ortiz got a hot tag at 8:00. Rude hit a DDT out of the ropes on Ortiz for a nearfall, and the heels kept Aaron grounded. Vecchio got a hot tag at 11:30, and he hit a big back-body drop and a German Suplex on Robles, then a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall. Robles powerbombed Vecchio across Rude’s knees for a nearfall. Bobby finally got back in and hit some clotheslines. Rex nailed a flying Claymore Kick.
Rex held two guys; RJ hit a Doomsday Device clothesline for a nearfall at 13:30. We got a “This is awesome!” chant. Bobby caught Rude coming off the ropes, and he hit a stunner for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Ortiz tagged back in; Robles clotheslined him. Vecchio hit an Angle Slam. Lawless hit a choke bomb. Bobby hit a stunner and a Death Valley Driver on Lawless! This was fast and furious. The Shooter Boys hit a team Blockbuster on Rude for the pin. That was really good.
Bobby Orlando, Aaron Ortiz, and Anthony Vecchio defeated RJ Rude, Rex Lawless, and Nick Robles at 16:32 to advance to the tournament finals.
* Gal, Battee, and Zamora ran into the ring and attacked Orlando and the Shooter Boys.
Final Thoughts: A particularly strong episode, with the two semi-finals matches, a No. 1 contender’s match, a fun pick-your-poison match, and a strong women’s match. I’ll narrowly go with Powers-Bronson for best match, ahead of the main event. The pick-your-poison tag takes third, but I’ll reiterate we had five very good matches here. These weekly shows are allowing youngsters like The Shooter Boys, Powers, and Liviyah to improve so much, so fast, it’s just incredible. No new faces tonight; this roster is so loaded, we have to wait a week to see the next chapter in the saga of Big Business and some other good ongoing storylines. I watched this live; it should be posted on IWTV by Tuesday morning.
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