By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Wrestling Open RI “Episode 20”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
August 18, 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, Anthony Greene, referee Scott Robinson, and Channing Thomas provided commentary. They continue to draw really well on a weekly basis; the crowd was maybe 175.
1. JGeorge vs. Love, Doug in a spotlight match. Channing Thomas and ref Scott Robinson provided commentary on this one. JGeorge dominated early and kept Doug grounded, and he hit a dropkick into the corner at 2:30. Doug hit a flying forearm into the corner and a bulldog, then a Michinoku Driver for the pin.
Love, Doug defeated JGeorge at 4:16.
* Ray Jaz cannot compete tonight so Marcus Mathers has a mystery opponent. Crockett and Greene took over commentary here. Mathers came out first. “Smart” Mark Sterling (dressed in a suit) and Jariel Rivera (dressed to wrestle!) came to the ring and got booed. Sterling said he also represents Cardona (who Mathers will face at Americanrana in two weeks). Sterling said Rivera is going to “soften him up” for Cardona.
2. Marcus Mathers vs. Jariel Rivera for the IWTV World Title. I will reiterate how ripped Rivera is. They locked up at the bell. Mathers hit some bodyslams at 1:30. He hit a running penalty kick on the ring apron, and they brawled on the floor. Rivera pushed Mathers into the ring post at 3:30, and Mathers immediately sold a left shoulder injury. They got into the ring with Jariel in charge. Rivera hit some knee drops on Mathers’ spine, then he shoved Marcus shoulder-first in the corner, and the crowd rallied for Mathers.
Mathers finally hit a top-rope twisting crossbody block at 8:00, then a flying clothesline and a stunner out of the corner, then his Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Rivera hit a clothesline and a spin kick in the corner. Mathers hit his Ospreay-style heel hook kick to the face and scored the pin! I didn’t see that as the finisher; he usually uses that as a setup move. Mathers immediately went over to a medic in the corner, and they headed to the back. (While I presume that is just him selling… It’s surprising to see him not do some of his high-flying moves and instead finish with a kick I’ve never seen him win a match with before.)
Marcus Mathers defeated Jariel Rivera at 10:10 to retain the IWTV Championship.
* In a video, we heard from Davienne, who vowed she is not done with Liviyah.
3. Davienne vs. Little Mean Kathleen. I’ll reiterate that Davienne has dropped weight and looks great; she’s about to compete in some type of bodybuilding competition, too. She has a significant height and overall size advantage over LMK. Almost immediately, LMK bit Davienne’s wrist, and that popped the crowd. Davienne backed her into a corner and hit some loud chops at 2:00 and a snap suplex, and she grounded LMK with a headlock. LMK hit a series of punches in the corner, then she ran up Davienne’s chest in the corner at 4:00 and hit a Vader Bomb for a nearfall. Kathleen hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Davienne put her in a Boston Crab and sat down deep on the lower back, and LMK tapped out. That wrapped up suddenly.
Davienne defeated Little Mean Kathleen at 5:01.
* Davienne put LMK back in the Boston Crab after the bell, and the crowd booed her. Liviyah charged into the ring and brawled with Davienne, until Davienne scampered to the back. Liviyah got on the mic and challenged her to a match next week, and she vowed, “I’ll make your life a living hell.”
* Footage aired of the new tag team, Oxx Adams and Brett Ryan Gosselin. They hate love! Thus, they’ve been feuding with Love, Doug, and his teammate, TJ Crawford. BRG and Oxx then came to the ring. Brett cut a heel promo and was loudly booed. The crowd chanted, “The worst!” at him. He vowed he would end “love” tonight, and the fans will learn to “embrace hate.”
4. Brett Ryan Gosselin (w/Oxx Adams) vs. TJ Crawford (w/Love, Doug). I’ll reiterate that Doug and TJ have not been on the same page of late. TJ charged at the bell and hit a shoulder block to the ribs, then a spin kick. Oxx grabbed TJ’s foot, allowing BRG to hit a DDT out of the ropes at 1:30. He hit a top-rope flying axe handle, and the crowd again chanted “The worst! The worst!” TJ flipped BRG to the mat at 4:00, and they were both down. Oxx again tried to interfere, so Doug grabbed Oxx’s ankle. TJ hit the Silver Bullet spin kick to the head, then a swinging powerbomb for the pin! Doug and TJ seem to be getting back on the same page!
TJ Crawford defeated Brett Ryan Gosselin at 5:15.
* On the stage, ring announcer Rich Palladino interviewed “Starstruck” Channing Thomas and Anthony Greene. They are not dressed to wrestle. They want to get their hands on the “Mint” tag team, and they want a match with them. Greene said they got a contract signed! Next week will be It’s Gal vs. Channing Thomas. In two weeks, they will face Mint in a tag match.
* We saw footage of Ichiban and Brando Lee, as they are preparing to face the Miracle Generation. We then saw video of the MG accepting the match.
5. Kylon King vs. Brando Lee. No sign of Dustin Waller tonight! No Ichiban either. They tied up, and King backed into the corners to break the hold. Brando hit some left-handed punches and armdrags, then a dropkick at 1:30. He hit a running crossbody block for a nearfall. Greene just noted that he hasn’t seen Waller or Ichiban today. King hit a spinebuster for a nearfall, and he transitioned to a half-crab. He climbed on Lee’s back and hit some crossface blows. Lee hit his rolling Death Valley Driver at 4:30. King hit a top-rope superplex, and they were both down. Lee got a rollup for a flash pin out of nowhere! That’s a surprise!
Brando Lee defeated Kylon King at 5:06.
* The same video package for Swipe Right aired.
6. Julius Draeger vs. Aaron Ortiz. I know Bio Pro student Draeger has been injured, and Crockett just noted that. I’ve compared him to former NXT “Vaudevillain” Simon Gotch. No Anthony Vecchio tonight, either. Quick reversals on the mat early on. Aaron hit some armdrags at 1:30 and Crockett noted how Ortiz is “way ahead” of Draeger right now. Ortiz hit a second-rope twisting crossbody block for a nearfall at 3:00.
Crockett talked about how the Wrestling Open fans are so eager to see someone (like the Shooter Boys) beat Swipe Right to win the tag titles. Draeger stomped on Ortiz in the corner and choked him in the ropes. Draeger hit a Jackhammer for a nearfall at 4:30 and the crowd chanted “angry Lorax!” at him. Ortiz hit a flying back elbow at 6:00 and they were both down. Ortiz hit a Northern Lights Suplex and a top-rope frogsplash for the pin. Solid match.
Aaron Ortiz defeated Julius Draeger at 6:46.
* Ortiz got on the mic and noted that Swipe Right keeps “dodging us.” He said that next week, there will be a contract signing for their title match at Americanrana.
* In footage shot backstage last week, Ryan Clancy (still sweaty, probably right after his match) said he is “not going to let it go” that Bobby Orlando accidentally cost him his Wrestling Open title earlier this year.
7. “Mint” It’s Gal and Jose Zamora vs. “Fancy” Ryan Clancy and Bear Bronson. No Nick Battee with his Mint teammates. Greene seethed as he talked about Mint. Clancy is still using “The World Is Not Enough” by Garbage as his ring music and I love it so I’ll keep pointing it out. The crowd chanted “Fancy Bears!” at them. Gal and Clancy opened. Clancy hit a headscissors takedown and mockingly did some push-ups. Gal put Clancy across his shoulders and did some deep squats. Bronson got in and battled Gal. He hit a Gorilla Press on Zamora at 2:30, then some chops in the corner.
Bear flattened Zamora with a splash in the corner, then he Gorilla Pressed teammate Clancy onto Zamora. Jose raked the eyes to escape one of Bronson’s holds, and the heels began working over Bear in their corner. Bear fired up and hit some chops on Gal. Gal hit a Spinebuster for a nearfall at 7:30. Bear dropped his weight in a buttsplash on Zamora’s chest. Clancy got a hot tag and he cleared the ring. He hit a running knee on Gal, then a monkey-flip on Zamora. He hit a butterfly suplex. Bear hit the Choke Bomb on Gal. Clancy hit his dropkick to pin Zamora. Good match.
Ryan Clancy and Bear Bronson defeated It’s Gal and Jose Zamora at 9:29.
* Bear got on the mic and told Clancy that the fans “still love you.” He said he understands why Clancy is still mad at Bobby Orlando for costing him the title. “When will you just let it go?” he asked. Clancy got mad at him for suggesting that, saying it took him three years to get that title. He asked Bear that if Gabby Forza walked out the door and left Bear for another man, “would you just let it go?” The crowd gasped at Clancy invoking Gabby’s name. Clancy said, “You want to know when I’ll let it go? The answer is never.” Clancy turned and stormed out of the ring. That was intense.
* We saw footage of Bryce Donovan yelling at himself in the mirror. He’s proud of the actions he’s taken to become Wrestling Open champion, and he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks, especially former tag partner Bobby Orlando!
8. Bobby Orlando vs. Vinny “VSK” Scalice (w/Bryce Donovan and Smart Mark Sterling. VSK hit a Lungblower for a nearfall just seconds into the match! They brawled to the floor, with Vinny in charge. In the ring, Bobby hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 2:00. Vinny hit a springboard senton and celebrated before getting a nearfall. Vinny snapped off a huracanrana, then a dropkick. (He just never got to show off his skills like this in his AEW run.) He hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall at 5:00. Bobby hit a standing powerbomb and they were both down.
Bobby fired up and hit some jab punches and a running backbreaker at 6:30, then a clothesline into the corner and a Lungblower for a nearfall. Bobby hit a superplex. He went for a top-rope elbow drop, but VSK got his knees up at 8:00, and Vinny regained control. Bobby came off the ropes but VSK caught him with a superkick at 9:30, then he hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. The crowd started to taunt VSK with a “You can’t beat him!” chant. Bobby hit a second-rope flying stunner at 11:00, but VSK rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned.
Orlando and Bryce glared at each other on the floor. Bobby got back in the ring and hit a Death Valley Driver on Vinny. Sterling grabbed Bobby’s ankle, so ref Gina ejected Sterling and Donovan! Vinny clotheslined Bobby to the floor. He dove through the ropes but he struck Sterling! Bobby dove through the ropes onto Vinny. They got back into the ring, where Bobby hit a spear for a nearfall at 13:00. He then hit the top-rope Froggy Bow elbow drop, but before he could get the pin, Sterling ran back into the ring and stomped on Orlando, causing the DQ.
Bobby Orlando defeated Vinny Scalice via DQ at 13:20.
* Ryan Clancy came out of the back… but decided not to save Orlando from a beat-down! Bear Bronson ran in and chased off the heels. Orlando got on the mic and said, “Mark, don’t you go anywhere. I said I was going to take down Jariel, I said I was going to take down Vinny Scalice, and Mark, I’m going to take you down as well. You are the last minion I need to take down.” Mark turned down a match, so Bobby offered some stipulations. Bobby said if Mark can beat him, he’ll relinquish his title shot. Bryce grabbed the mic and said, “We accept!” (If Sterling loses, he will be banned from ringside at Americanrana.)
Final Thoughts: Ooof, that was a helluva exchange between Bear and Clancy. Bronson basically blindsided him with this suggestion that he move on, and Clancy was really taken aback and got defensive. And I get it. He worked hard to earn that title, and no, he’s not going to “forget and forgive.” Wrestling Open continues to hit all the right notes on this main event storyline involving Bear, Clancy, Bryce, and Orlando. Just some really above-average storytelling and some lines tonight hit home. A really good main event takes best match, just ahead of the Clancy/Bronson match. Mathers-Jariel takes third. I watched this live; it should be available on IWTV by Tuesday morning.
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