By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Beyond Wrestling “Americanrana 25”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
August 29, 2025, in Cranston, Rhode Island, at Rhodes On The Pawtuxet
This is the well-lit ballroom where they have held weekly shows, every Monday, since the beginning of March. Paul Crockett, Pedro Dones, referee Scott Robinson, and Joey T provided commentary over the course of the show. This room is packed; they might have had 300 in the venue. This show has been heavily promoted with several storylines paying off. There were also six WWE ID prospects all in action, plus Kris Statlander, Shotzi Blackheart, Timothy Thatcher, and Matt Cardona.
* The first hour was live and free on YouTube; the rest of the show streamed on IWTV only. Many fans were standing right up next to the ring; this has a party atmosphere tonight.
1. JGeorge vs. Jermaine Marbury (w/Benny the Basketball) in a spotlight match. Ref Robinson and Joey T provided commentary on this one. JGeorge was in charge early on. Marbury finally hit some clotheslines at 3:30 and dunked JGeorge’s head to the mat. He hit a leaping stunner for the pin. Basic but fine.
Jermaine Marbury defeated JGeorge at 3:57.
2. “MINT” It’s Gal and Jose Zamora vs. “Wrench & Resolve” Jake Gray and Erik Chacha. Zamora and Gray opened. Gal entered at 2:00, and he hit a Buckle Bomb on Chacha, and the heels worked the diminutive Chacha over in their corner. Zamora hit a Lungblower at 3:30, but he missed a standing moonsault. Gal hit a German Suplex and a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb for the pin. Wow, Chacha never made it to his corner for the hot tag. That was a decisive squash. (The right winner, but I just expected a bit more of a competitive match.)
It’s Gal and Jose Zamora defeated Jake Gray and Erik Chacha at 4:50.
3. Eye Black Jack Pasquale vs. Ray Jaz. Again, Jaz had a (very!) brief run in TNA last year as part of the revamped FBI, and he’s got a ‘Jersey meathead’ gimmick. Pasquale, the top rookie of the Bio Pro class, has roughly the same size, height, and muscle mass, and they traded mat reversals early on. Jack hit a springboard back elbow at 2:30. He went for a delayed vertical suplex, but Jaz escaped. Jack hit a Bulldog Powerslam and was fired up. He couldn’t get his twisting uranage; Jaz immediately got a backslide for the clean, flash pin! Good while it lasted. We’re clearly having a lot of short matches on this pre-show.
Ray Jaz defeated Eye Black Jack Pasquale at 3:49.
4. Drew Gulak vs. Dan Barry. Dan is in his mid-40s, and his gimmick is that “he’ll never be famous,” and he’s on his retirement tour. If you haven’t seen Gulak in a while, he’s now bald with a thick beard. They immediately went to the mat and tied up each other’s limbs. Drew hit a bodyslam with Dan’s feet hitting the ropes at 3:00, and it allowed him to seize control. He hit some chops and applied a half-crab. Barry hit a clothesline at 5:30, and they were both down. He hit a jumping enzuigiri in the corner, then a Northern Lights Suplex into the turnbuckles. Barry then hit a jumping Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. Solid match between two pros.
Dan Barry defeated Drew Gulak at 7:39.
* Barry got on the mic. He noted it’s his final Americanrana. He will have his last match on Dec. 31 at “Heavy Lies the Crown.” It will be back at the White Eagle in Worcester, Mass.
5. “The Rude & Lawless Experience” RJ Rude and Rex Lawrence (w/Nick Robles) vs. “The Vibe” Sammy Diaz and Mani Ariez vs. “Gay Best Friends” Aaron Rourke and B3cca vs. “Star Struck” Anthony Greene and Channing Thomas in a four-way tag. RJ sang Nickelback on his way to the ring and was loudly booed. International pop star B3cca sang her top radio hit “On B3cca, On God,” and she’s dressed like a prom queen, including a tiara. Rourke wore a sparkly suit, and he had a king’s crown on, too. (I write this all the time, but I get a kick out of how many fans sing along because they now know the lyrics.) I truly feel like three different teams could win this; it’s pretty wide open.
B3cca slapped Rude, and we’re underway! The massive Rex had one guy in his arms and one on his shoulders and hit the Samoan Drop-and-fallaway slam combo. THIS ROOM IS PACKED NOW. Sammy hit an enzuigiri in the corner. He hit a moonsault on Greene for a nearfall. RJ hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread. Rourke hit a Meteora off the second rope. B3cca — wrestling in that prom dress! — hit a snap suplex on RJ at 2:30 and got a big pop. Channing hit a leg lariat to B3cca’s jaw. Aaron hit a spin kick on Channing. Diaz hit an OsCutter. Greene hit a neckbreaker on Rourke off the ropes for a nearfall, but B3cca made the save.
Rourke pulled Lawless to the floor, and they brawled. B3cca hit a Canadian Destroyer on Rude at 5:00. She got pulled to the floor by Robles! Ariez hit a Death Valley Driver, and Sammy hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. Rex hit a spear. He chokeslammed Sammy on the ring apron. B3cca hit a somersault dive to the floor on Robles. RJ hit a springboard dive and a Lionsault. Channing hit a top-rope flying back elbow, and Greene got the pin on Rude. Yes, that was non-stop action.
“Star Struck” Anthony Greene and Channing Thomas defeated “Gay Best Friends”B3cca and Aaron Rourke, “The Rude & Lawless Experience” Rex Lawless and RJ Rude, and “The Vibe” Sammy Diaz and Man Ariez in a four-way tag at 6:46.
At 6:45 p.m. CST, it looked like the pre-show ended. There was a 15-minute break before the show started streaming on IWTV. The main show began on time with ring announcer Rich Palladino, and Crockett and Dones sat in on commentary. I will reiterate how packed and loud this room is.
6. “Swipe Right” Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes vs. “The Shooter Boys” Anthony Vecchio and Aaron Ortiz for the Wrestling Open Tag Team Titles. SR has held these belts since November! This is their 11th title defense and I’m smelling a title change in the air. Vecchio and Smokes opened. Ortiz entered at 2:00 and hit some deep armdrags, and we got a loud “New champs!” chant. Dones noted that 24-year-old Smokes is the oldest competitor in this one. Smokes stomped on Ortiz in the corner, and the heels took control. Baylor stood behind Ortiz and hit some crossface blows. Smokes hit a top-rope flying elbow drop for a nearfall at 6:00. Vecchio got a hot tag and hit a swinging neckbreaker, then a German Suplex on Baylor.
Brad hit a clothesline to the base of Vecchio’s neck, and he did a Rick Rude-style hip swivel and which drew some boos. Dones just made the Rude comparison after I wrote it. Swipe Right were now in control and beating down Vecchio. Smokes hit a Trevor Lee-style Cave-In stomp to Vecchi’s chest for a nearfall at 10:00. Brad hit some European Uppercuts, and Crockett said the champs are picking the Boys apart. Aaron got the hot tag and he dove to the floor onto Baylor. Ortiz got back in the ring and hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Smokes. He hit a second-rope superplex for a nearfall at 12:00. Vecchio got back in and hit an Olympic Slam.
Vecchio hit a top-rope elbow drop on Baylor for a believable nearfall. Baylor hit a neckbreaker over his knee, then a shotgun dropkick. They hit the Super Swipe (team uranage) for a believable nearfall, but Ortiz broke up the pin at 14:00. SR again went for Super Swipe, but Smokes was pulled to the floor. The Shooter Boys hit the Super Swipe on Baylor for a believable nearfall! SR set up for stereo Pedigrees, but the SBoys escaped. Ortiz hit a German Suplex at 16:30. Vecchio hit the team Blockbuster for the pin! The crowd went NUTS for the title change! That’s as good as any indy tag match I have seen all year. The crowd chanted, “You deserve it!”
“The Shooter Boys” Anthony Vecchio and Aaron Ortiz defeated “Swipe Right” Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes to win the Wrestling Open Tag Team Titles at 16:52.
* Footage aired of Bear Bronson asking Ryan Clancy to “just let it go” about Bobby Orlando accidentally causing him to lose his Wrestling Open title, and Clancy made it clear the answer is NEVER.
7. Timothy Thatcher vs. Ryan Clancy. I love that Clancy uses Garbage’s “The World Is Not Enough” as his intro music. Thatcher immediately locked in an armbar and targeted the left arm. Clancy has put on good size and really leaned out in the past year, but he looks small compared to Thatcher. Standing switches and reversals; this is going the way you’d expect from these two. Thatcher hit a European Uppercut at 2:30 and dragged Clancy to the mat. He hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Ryan. Clancy applied a front guillotine choke at 5:00, but Thatcher escaped, and Timothy immediately went to a single-leg crab.
Crockett and Dones talked about the aggressive change in demeanor in Clancy; Pedro pointed out that Clancy went out and got the monster Krule to team with him a day ago. Ryan hit the Sabre-style snap of the neck between his ankles, and he repeatedly slapped Thatcher. That earned a “you f—ed up!” chant, and Thatcher hit his own hard slap, then a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall at 7:00, then a butterfly suplex for a nearfall. Clancy hit his Picture-perfect dropkick out of nowhere for the pin. That was a really sharp match for that style, too. “If Thatcher had any teeth left, they would have been knocked out with that kick,” Pedro said.
Ryan Clancy defeated Timothy Thatcher at 7:55.
* Thatcher offered a handshake; Clancy refused, turned, and left! That got boos.
8. Charles Mason and “The Stetson Ranch” Steven Stetson, Danny Miles, and “Wonderboy” Brian Morris vs. “Big Business” Love, Doug, TJ Crawford, Julio Cruz, and Victor Chase. The Ranch all wore identical white T-shirts, black vests and black cowboy hats. It’s been a few weeks since Crawford teamed with Cruz and Chase, and it didn’t go well last time; will they remain on the same page today? Mason peeled off his button-down shirt, and now he’s dressed just like his Ranch partners! Morris and Crawford opened, and TJ hit a roundhouse kick to the chest and a backbreaker over his knee.
Doug hit a slingshot senton. Miles entered at 1:30 to battle Doug. Julio and Doug hit a team armdrag; they are getting along! Cruz hit a Bulldog Powerslam on Mason. Mason hit his rolling Death Valley Driver on Crawford for a nearfall at 4:30, and the heels began working TJ over. Mason hit a back suplex. Miles hit a pop-up spear for a nearfall, but Doug made the save. Stetson entered and stomped on TJ. Chase got a hot tag at 7:30 and hit some clotheslines and splashes into the corner, then a uranage on Stetson. Cruz and Chase hit their team slam, then they did a rocket-toss of Doug onto Stetson. Everyone started brawling on the floor. TJ got in and hit some quick kicks on Mason.
Cruz hit a double back suplex at 9:30. Stetson nailed a brainbuster on Cruz! Victor hit a Pump Kick on Stetson, then an Air Raid Crash. Victor hit a flip dive over the ropes onto everyone! He’s not huge, but he’s certainly not thin, either! In the ring, Mason applied a rear-naked choke on Doug, but Doug escaped. Doug hit the Rebound Lariat and pinned Mason! I didn’t expect that! And Big Business got along the whole match! Stetson immediately hit a hard clothesline to the base of Doug’s neck. That brought out the return of Brad Hollister, who beat up Stetson. “Daddy is home!” Dones shouted. All five members of Big Business hugged, and the crowd cheered!
“Big Business” Love, Doug, TJ Crawford, Julio Cruz, and Victor Chase defeated “Stetson Ranch” Charles Mason, Steven Stetson, Danny Miles, and Brian Morris at 11:22.
* A video montage aired of the history between “Shook Crew” teammates Bryce Donovan and Bobby Orlando, set to Green Day’s “Time of Your Life (Good Riddance).” When Green Day wrote that song, did they have any idea how many times it would be used in montages just like this?
9. Brett Ryan Gosselin (w/Oxx Adams) vs. Angel Ortiz. Yes, that is AEW’s Ortiz, who has appeared at every single Americanrana. I will reiterate that Adams is a seven-foot giant, and he’s thick. BRG got on the mic and was shouted down by these fans. Ortiz comes out to Sade’s “Smooth Operator” and that intro just never ends. They locked up at the bell, and fans chanted “The worst! The worst!” at BRG. Ortiz started to out-wrestle BRG, so Brett rolled to the floor to regroup. In the ring, they traded armdrags. Oxx tripped Ortiz at 3:30. Brett hit a thrust jab to Ortiz’s throat, then a clothesline.
Ortiz hit a Sling Blade clothesline for a nearfall. Brett hit a top-rope flying axe handle; the crowd was all over him. Brett hit a second-rope elbow drop for a nearfall at 6:30. Angel got an inside cradle for a nearfall and a flying second-rope DDT, and they were both down at 8:30. He hit a powerslam and a splash for a nearfall. Brett hit a spear for a nearfall. Ortiz hit a spinning neckbreaker and a Flatliner; he tied up BRG on the mat, but Brett quickly got to the ropes at 10:30. Ortiz blocked a fisherman’s suplex and hit a brainbuster. He went to the top rope, but Oxx hopped on the apron and threw Ortiz to the mat! Brett immediately hit the fisherman’s twisting neckbreaker for the tainted pin.
Brett Ryan Gosselin defeated Angel Ortiz at 11:42.
10. Marcus Mathers vs. Matt Cardona for the IWTV World Title. Matt had his fake Internet Title belt on his shoulder, and his jacket has a picture of Chelsea Green on the back. This is now Mathers’ 19th title defense! The bell rang, and they took turns playing to the crowd. Not many Cardona fans here! Matt caught him with the Radio Silence (Fame-asser) for a nearfall at 1:30, then he rolled to the floor, and the crowd was all over Cardona. Back in the ring, Matt hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Mathers. Dones marveled at the size advantage Cardona has. They fought to the floor at 4:00, where Mathers repeatedly punched Cardona’s forehead as the crowd counted along.
Mathers hit a dive onto Cardona and threw him back into the ring. Cardona hit a clothesline and celebrated, and he took control. He hit a Rude Awakening at 7:00, then a second one for a nearfall. He choked Marcus on the mat. He ripped apart his shirt and choked Mathers with it. He wiped his butt with the tattered shirt and threw it to the fans. They hit stereo clotheslines, then stereo Mafia Kicks and were both down at 9:00. Mathers fired up and hit some clotheslines, then a fadeaway stunner and a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall, and the 10-minute call was spot-on. Cardona shook the ropes to cause Marcus to fall and be crotched.
Matt hit a Broski Boot in the corner and a Tiger Driver (butterfly powerbomb) for a nearfall. Cardona grabbed his internet title belt, but Mathers caught him with a superkick to the jaw at 12:00. Mathers held the title belt; Crockett wondered if he was going to get himself disqualified. He teased he was going to hit Matt with it, and Cardona begged for mercy, but then he hit the Radio Silence for a believable nearfall! Cardona set up for the Unprettier, but Marcus escaped and hit a kip-up stunner, then a Frankensteiner! He charged into the corner, but Matt got his knees up to block it. Mathers hit a standing powerbomb, then a top-rope 450 Splash for the clean pin. That was really good!
Marcus Mathers defeated Matt Cardona to retain the IWTV World Title at 14:44.
* An intermission! I watched live so I let the stopwatch show how long this break went… (They showed a six-man tag from a recent show. Five of those six were in action tonight. I would have picked a match with wrestlers who aren’t on this show.) Intermission lasted 19 minutes; that feels a bit long. DJ Powers and Georgio Lawrence got in the ring, and DJ apparently has issued an open challenge. He said he’s “undeniable,” and he boasted about being more talented than anyone here, even at the age of 20. Out of the back came… Mike Santana!!!!! HUGE pop for this surprise!!!!!!! He got a “welcome home!” chant.
11. Mike Santana vs. DJ Powers (w/Georgio Lawrence). DJ is so talented, I hope this isn’t a quick squash. The bell rang, and he rolled to the floor. They finally tied up at 1:00 and twisted each other’s left arms. DJ hit a chop that Ortiz no-sold. Santana hit a dropkick at 3:00 and a senton. They rolled to the floor, where Santana now unloaded his own chops, and he caught DJ with a slap to the chin. DJ accidentally chopped the ring post. Lawrence distracted Santana, and DJ hit a plancha at 5:30. They got back into the ring, and Powers hit some chops. DJ avoided a kip-up stunner, and he hit a superkick and a running Claymore Kick for a nearfall at 7:30.
Powers hit a bodyslam, celebrated, and was booed. “It’s my time now!” he shouted to the crowd. However, Santana ran up the ropes and hit a top-rope superplex, then some clotheslines, and he kipped up to his feet. This crowd was going nuts for this. Mike hit an enzuigiri to the ear; DJ hit a jumping knee to the chin. Santana hit the kip-up stunner, then the Spin The Block discus clothesline for the pin. The winner was never in doubt, but I’m pleased that Powers wasn’t squashed in a short match, either. What a blast of an unadvertised, bonus match. Naturally, we got a “Please come back!” chant.
Mike Santana defeated DJ Powers at 9:32.
* Footage aired of The Miracle Generation turning on Ichiban.
12. “Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King vs. Ichiban and Brando Lee. MG came out first; Ichiban and Lee ran into the ring, charged at the heels, and we’re underway! Miracle Generation stomped on Ichiban early on. Lee and Ichiban hit a team bulldog. The bell rang; I think we are officially underway at 1:25. King worked over Lee in the ring. The crowd has come down; they were so hot for that Powers-Santana match. King hit a Spinebuster on Lee and locked in a half-crab at 3:00. Waller missed a Mamba Splash. Lee hit a doublestomp to the chest.
Ichiban tagged in at 5:00 and hit a handspring-back-elbow in the corner on Waller. He hit “One!” punches in the corner on both MG, then a double springboard-back-elbow, then a flip dive over the ropes to the floor on both men; the crowd was back into this after being quiet in the opening minutes. In the ring, Ichiban hit a tornado DDT on King for a nearfall. Lee tripped Waller in the corner. Ichiban slammed King from the top rope to the mat. Brando hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall, but Waller hit a Mamba Splash to break up the pin, and everyone was down at 8:30. Waller and Ichiban got up and traded punches.
They traded kicks, and Waller hit the Lethal Injection. Brando jumped in and hit a Styles Clash on Waller! Ichiban superkicked Kylon. Lee hit a rolling Death Valley Driver. Ichiban hit a frogsplash. Lee missed a moonsault! Kylon immediately got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for the tainted pin. The heels quickly scampered to the back and were booed.
“Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller defeated Brando Lee and Ichiban at 10:09/official time was listed at 8:57.
* More footage aired of Bryce Donovan’s heel turn. It included footage of Bobby Orlando accidentally hitting Ryan Clancy, causing Clancy to lose his Wrestling Open title to Donovan.
13. Kris Statlander vs. Liviyah. Statlander came out first to a nice pop. I’ll reiterate how incredibly good teenager Liviyah is in the ring; her bio says she’s trained by Matt Taven. She hugged her dad (who is a retired wrestler) before getting in the ring. Kris and Liviyah locked up and Kris easily shoved her to the mat. Liviyah is a taller-than-average woman but she’s much smaller and more slender than Kris. Liviyah hit her own shoulder tackle. (Worth reiterating, this was a face vs. face match.) They traded armdrags and rollups, and Kris hit a basement dropkick at 1:30. She hit a delayed vertical suplex for a nearfall.
Statlander hit a jumping knee in the corner and a bodyslam. Pedro reiterated that Statlander wrestled in front of 80,000 people at Wembley. Liviyah hit a flying shoulder tackle and a Helluva Kick, then a second-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 3:30. Kris hit a slingshot that sent Liviyah into the turnbuckles, then a German Suplex for a nearfall. Kris nailed an F5 slam for a nearfall at 5:00. Liviyah hit the Eye of the Hurricane inverted DDT (her finisher!) for a nearfall, then a basement dropkick. She missed a top-rope doublestomp. Kris immediately hit a superkick and a Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. Good action; while it was shorter, Liviyah wasn’t buried, either.
Kris Statlander defeated Liviyah at 6:58.
14. Bear Bronson and Gabby Forza vs. Shotzi Blackheart and Krule. Krule came out first, then Shotzi, then the married duo. The women were in the ring, and Gabby cautiously put one of the gnome hats on Shotzi, who was just mildly amused. Krule refused one. Funny reaction. I never heard a bell so I started the stopwatch as they locked up. Gabby easily dropped her with a shoulder tackle and a Bulldog Powerslam, then a clothesline into the corner, and she hip-tossed Shotzi across the ring. Shotzi hit a tornado DDT, then a rolling cannonball into the corner at 2:00. She hit a somersault from the apron onto a standing Gabby on the floor. In the ring, Shotzi hit a tornado DDT.
Then men finally got in and Krule hit a German Suplex at 4:00, then a Falcon arrow. Bear hit a Choke Bomb. Krule hit a chokeslam. The women jumped in and brawled. The men each grabbed a woman by her throat, but they let go. The women immediately hit stereo German Suplexes on the men, and the women resumed brawling. Gabby got Krule on her shoulders and hit a Death Valley Driver! Massive pop for that. Shotzi hit a Canadian Destroyer on Bear! However, Gabby immediately hit a spear on Shotzi for the pin! Again, the official time was technically a bit longer than what I had it at, but they fit in a lot of action into a match that short.
Bear Bronson and Gabby Forza defeated Shotzi Blackheart and Krule at 6:19.
* One final video package of the Bobby-Bryce history. This is one of the best long-term storylines I’ve ever seen in any indy wrestling promotion. Not kidding. (For what it’s worth, it is 11 p.m. sharp EST, so fans have already seen four hours of wrestling.)
15. Bryce Donovan (w/Vinny “VSK” Scalice) vs. Bobby Orlando for the Wrestling Open Heavyweight Title. Just a reminder that “Smart” Mark Sterling is banned from ringside due to a stipulation on Monday’s show. This is Bryce’s fifth title defense of a 123-day reign. Where is Jariel Rivera? I’ll wager we see him before this match is over. They stood and jawed at each other, and Bryce laughed at him. They locked up, and Bryce easily shoved him to the mat. He knocked Bobby down with a shoulder tackle and rolled to the floor to stroll around the building and soak in the boos. Bobby knocked Bryce down, and it was his turn to celebrate in the crowd.
Back in the ring, Bryce stomped on Bobby in the corner and was in control. Bobby avoided a Black Hole Slam, and he hit a springboard forearm; Bryce rolled to the floor again at 5:00. Back in the ring, VSK struck Bobby with a water bottle, and Bryce got a nearfall. He hit a fallaway slam on Orlando and was now in charge. He hit a Mafia Kick at 7:30. Bobby fired back with a running neckbreaker and a clothesline in the corner, then a bodyslam. VSK hopped on the apron, but Bobby punched him. However, it allowed Bryce to flip Bobby off the top rope onto the ring apron, and Bobby crashed to the floor at 9:00. The crowd reacted in horror.
Bobby crawled back into the ring, but Bryce jumped on him and repeatedly punched him. Bryce hit a short-arm clothesline and was booed. Donovan hit a back-body drop at 10:30 and was in total control. Bryce applied a leg lock around the neck and kept Orlando grounded. Bryce hit a pop-up powerbomb and a clothesline for a nearfall at 13:00. Bryce hit a bodyslam, but he missed a leaping elbow drop. Bobby fired up and hit some jab punches and a hard knee lift to the jaw. Orlando hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 15:30. He hit a spear for a nearfall, and they were both down.
VSK grabbed Bobby’s ankle, and Bryce hit a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall at 17:00. Bobby hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. They fought on the ropes. Bryce caught Bobby coming off the ropes and hit a chokeslam for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Bryce hit a chokeslam off the second rope for a believable nearfall as the 20:00 call was spot-on. Donovan shouted at Ref Gina. Gina caught VSK trying to remove a turnbuckle pad, and she ejected him. Bobby hit a flip dive to the floor on both Bryce and VSK. Back in the ring, Bobby rammed Bryce’s head into the exposed turnbuckle and hit a bulldog for a believable nearfall.
Bryce kicked the ropes, causing Bobby to fall and be crotched in the corner. Bryce accidentally struck Ref Gina! The crowd booed this. Bobby hit a Death Valley Driver for a visual pin as the crowd kept counting, but we had no ref! Bryce hit a low blow uppercut, and he got his title belt. Ryan Clancy jumped in the ring. “What’s he gonna do?” Crockett asked. Ryan shook Bryce’s hand, and the crowd booed! However, Ryan helped Bobby to his feet, shook his hand… and he hit his Picture-perfect dropkick on Bryce! Bobby hit the top-rope elbow drop for a believable nearfall! I thought that was it, and so did the crowd! Bobby hit a superkick. VSK ran back into the ring and hit Bobby with a wrench, and Bryce got a nearfall at 26:30.
Bryce now got in the face of ref Scott Robinson; Bryce pushed Scott, so Scott pushed him back. Bryce hit a massive chokeslam on Ref Scott! VSK rolled back in and stomped on Bobby. (Where did Clancy go?) VSK got a chair and struck Bobby over the back with it several times. Bryce had to get VSK to stop doing it. VSK put Bobby’s head in the chair; is he going to Pillmanize his neck? VSK handed Bryce the chair! Bryce couldn’t hit his friend! The crowd chanted “Shook! Shook!” VSK was going to hit Bobby with the chair, but Bryce stopped him. (This is an Emperor Palpatine-Vader-Skywalker scene.) Bobby hit Bryce and VSK with the chair. Bobby got the title belt and swung; Bryce fell to the mat and pleaded for mercy. Bobby offered his hand. Bryce took it and got to his feet. However, Bryce swung the belt and missed. Bobby hit a superkick and a top-rope elbow drop for the pin!
Bobby Orlando defeated Bryce Donovan to win the Wrestling Open Title at 32:28.
Final Thoughts: What a show. Everyone put their best foot forward. Almost every star on the Wrestling Open roster was in action. This is a show that everyone involved should be quite proud of. The main event delivered. This story was built over more than a year, and it had the right outcome. The Swipe Right-Shooter Boys match was really good and takes second. The shocker Santana-Powers match takes third. That Mathers-Cardona match was really good with great crowd heat. So much to like here. If I had a complaint, it’s that some of the second-half matches were a bit rushed. The show ended at 11:45 EST, but the crowd was quite hot, and I don’t think anyone left despite the length of the show.
This is must-watch viewing, even if you can’t do it all in one sitting. I watched this live; it will presumably be on IWTV by Saturday morning.
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