By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Limitless Wrestling “The Limitless Rumble”
January 16, 2025, in Lewiston, Maine, at The Colisee
Available via YouTube
This show aired live and free on their YouTube channel, and it’s a pretty marquee lineup. This is a small hockey arena; I can’t see all of the fans, but the commentators are claiming 1,900 fans are expected, and I see no reason to doubt that number based on what I’m seeing. The lights are low, but the ring lighting is alright. Troy Nelson and Johnny Torres provided commentary. (They said it’s 20 degrees outside, but the fans still showed up.) The hard camera looks over a corner post; it’s not ideal, but it’s okay.
* Sam Leterna was our ring announcer, and she ran down the card. They are opening with the title match! (There is a huge match later, plus the 30-person Rumble, so I understand this decision, but it is surprising!)
1. Dezmond Cole vs. Donovan Dijak (w/Sidney Bakabella) for the Limitless Title. Dijak has three title belts with him, including the MLW Tag Team Title belt. I really like Cole, but he’s maybe 5’9″, so he’s giving up about a foot to Dijak. Dez beat Dijak here in July; Dijak won a tag match in November, so this is their third-ever meeting. Dijak easily shoved him to the mat at the bell. Dez hit his rolling stunner at 1:30! Dijak tossed Cole over the top rope with Dezmond crashing at ringside, and the ref checked on him.
In the ring, Dijak hit a release suplex, tossing Cole across the ring, and he got a nearfall at 4:00. They traded chops. Cole nailed a Michinoku Driver; this crowd was hot! He hit his rolling guillotine leg drop for a nearfall. He hit a Helluva Kick, trapped Dijak’s face in the corner, and kicked him in the face, then hit a German Suplex at 6:30. He nailed the Shining Wizard for a nearfall. He hit a running kick to the side of the head, then a leg lariat and a Tiger Driver for a nearfall at 8:30.
They fought on the ropes, and Dijak nailed a top-rope Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 10:30. Dijak hit a sit-out powerbomb for another believable nearfall. Cole hit a huracanrana for a nearfall. Dijak hit a superkick; Cole hit one. Cole tried a Lionsault, but Dijak caught him and hit a Chokeslam, but Cole popped to his feet immediately! Dijak looked shocked! Cole hit a top-rope frog splash, going three-quarters of the way across the ring for a nearfall at 12:00, and Dijak rolled to the floor.
Dezmond hit a flip dive to the floor onto Dijak. Back in the ring, Cole hit two Helluva Kicks, but Dijak hit his Cyclone Mafia Kick. Sidney barked at Dijak. Dijak set up for Feast Your Eyes, but Cole escaped, and Cole knocked Sidney off the apron. However, it allowed Dijak to nail the Feast Your Eyes (pop-up knee strike) for the pin! New champion! That was one impressive opener. Call him Donny Four-belts!
Donovan Dijak defeated Dezmond Cole to win the Limitless Title at 13:35.
* Sam Leterna was back in the ring, but she was cut off by Leo Sparrow, marching to the ring. The commentators said he’s not slated to be out here at this time (He just had a really good match against Jordan Oliver, and he’s improved nicely). He got on the mic, but the crowd loudly shouted him down before he said a word. He complained that he doesn’t have a match tonight. Out of the back came Hook! Massive pop for the kid. (He should have been working at indy shows like this for the past five years!!)
2. Leo Sparrow vs. Hook. Does this even go three minutes? Leo charged; Hook sidestepped it, and Hook unloaded a series of punches and a hip-toss, then a German Suplex. He nailed a pumphandle suplex, sending Leo to the floor to recover. Hook followed, and they brawled at ringside. Leo got in the ring, but he collapsed on the mat. Hook rolled back in at 2:30, and he hit a suplex. Hook locked in the Redrum sleeper, but Leo hit a low-blow mule kick to escape. Leo hit a clothesline, and he stomped on Hook.
Sparrow hit some knee strikes to the spine and applied a headlock, and kept Hook grounded. He hit a jumping knee to the jaw in the corner at 4:00; this has topped my estimated match length. Leo did a Bronco Buster and got a nearfall. Leo grabbed his bag of kale to throw it at Hook, but Hook hit a flying forearm, and they were both down. Hook hit some clotheslines, then a leg-capture suplex. He applied the Redrum sleeper hold,, and Leo frantically tapped out. That match was exactly what it should have been. Bravo.
Hook defeated Leo Sparrow at 6:02.
3. MJF vs. Alec Price (w/Jordan Oliver) for the AEW World Title. Really cool to see Oliver join him; they both competed a night earlier at the nearby Wrestling Open. MJF wore his AEW World Title belt around his waist. Troy Nelson was excited about the fact that the title was on the line. MJF was barking at kids in the crowd before we had intros, and he threatened to leave! (The man is a master of milking a reaction from a crowd!) They locked up; MJF shoved him to the mat, and he celebrated. Price flipped MJF to the mat. MJF twisted the left arm and targeted it.
Price hit an armdrag that sent MJF to the floor to regroup. He shoved a fan in the front row! He shouted, “I’ll beat everybody’s ass in this whole arena!” He got back into the ring, but he called for a time-out at 3:00, and he offered a handshake. Price swatted it away, and they traded punches. Alec nailed his pop-up dropkick. He charged, but MJF hid behind the ref, then he raked Alec’s eyes and celebrated some more. Nelson noted how Price just had two ROH matches in the Hammerstein Ballroom last month. MJF twisted the left wrist and fingers at 5:00.
MJF blocked a sunset flip, but he accidentally punched the mat. He hit a second-rope doublestomp on Alec’s arm, then a shoulder-breaker over his knee for a nearfall at 6:30. Nelson reiterated that we have 1,900+ here. MJF flipped Price overhead to the mat and stayed in charge. Alec nailed a missile dropkick, and they were both down at 8:30. Price hit his series of running knees in the corner. MJF avoided the Surprise Kick and rolled to the floor, so Price dove through the ropes onto him. He set up for another dive, but MJF hit a DDT onto the apron at 10:30.
MJF hit an Alabama Slam and got a nearfall. He repeatedly stomped on Price in the corner. Price hit his springboard Blockbuster for a nearfall at 13:00. He climbed the ropes but sold the pain in his shoulder. MJF jumped up and shook the ropes to crotch Price in the corner! MJF set up for a second-rope piledriver, but Price escaped. He hit a Frankensteiner and a second-rope Emergency leg drop for a nearfall at 15:00. He set up for the Surprise Kick, but MJF avoided it, and he bit Price’s hand! He threw Price shoulder-first into the corner.
Price hit a doublestomp to the chest as MJF was tied in the corner, and he got a nearfall at 17:30. MJF nailed a Spinebuster and they were both down, and we got a “Let’s go, Alex!” chant. MJF playfully kicked Alec and kept him grounded. Troy warned MJF shouldn’t “play with his food.” Alec got up; MJF dropped him with a punch. Alec got back up; MJF dropped him again. Price got up again and unloaded some forearm strikes! MJF spat his gum at Alec and raked his eyes. Alec hit a superkick at 20:30, then an enzuigiri and a running Mafia Kick.
Price hit the Rebound Lariat, and they were both down, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Tony Khan will be hearing about this one. MJF applied a Fujiwara Armbar, but Price rolled him over for a nearfall. MJF tried to hit his piledriver out of the ropes, but Alec escaped, and Alec hit his springboard twisting DDT. Alec nailed the Surprise Kick (mule kick) for a nearfall at 22:30. This match has been damn-near perfect. They traded rollups. Price got a backslide for a nearfall. MJF hit a double-arm DDT and applied the Salt of the Earth (Fujiwara Armbar), and Price tapped out. “One for the ages!” Torres shouted.
MJF defeated Alec Price to retain the AEW World Title at 23:50.
* MJF got on the mic and begrudgingly put over Price, while reiterating that he hates Maine. MJF asked the crowd if the fans want to see Price “make an impact” or be “sports entertainers,” or “do you want to see them in AE-f—n W?” MJF said the boss called him and wanted him to put Alec to a test and see if he’s “good enough to be elite.” “Boys, are you ready to be part of AEW or what?” MJF asked them. He hugged Alec and Jordan! “Oh my god!” Torres shouted. (I truly don’t think Jordan and Price knew that was coming! They were so excited and on the verge of tears!)
4. Laynie Luck vs. B3cca (w/The Shooter Boys) for the WWE ID Women’s Title. B3cca sang on the way to the ring, but it’s a bit hard to hear her vocals tonight. Again, the Shooter Boys are essentially her entourage/backup dancers. Laynie (like Price and Oliver) competed 2.5 hours away in Worcester a day ago. Laynie won their only prior singles match in October. They locked up, and Laynie targeted the left arm. She hit an elbow drop for a nearfall at 2:30 and was in charge early on.
The Shooter Boys tripped Laynie, and it allowed B3cca to seize control. Troy Nelson was irate, demanding that the ref should eject the Boys. B3cca hit a snap suplex at 5:00 and danced. Laynie hit a running kick to the side of the head, then a Northern Lights Bomb for a nearfall. B3cca nailed a top-rope missile dropkick that sent Laynie flying! B3cca applied a Boston Crab at 7:30 and sat down deep on the lower back. Laynie hit a spin kick to the side of the head, then some clotheslines at 10:00.
Laynie hit a release German Suplex, then a Shining Wizard for a nearfall. Laynie hit a doublestomp on the ring apron, then a second-rope flying Meteora for a nearfall at 11:30. The Boys again tried to interfere. B3cca nailed a superkick! She missed a top-rope 450 Splash, and Laynie immediately hit a spear, then the Death Valley Driver for the pin. Very nice! These women were in a tough position after that hot match before them, and they met the moment. Bravo.
Laynie Luck defeated B3cca to retain the WWE ID Women’s Title at 13:15.
5. “Star Struck” Channing Thomas and Anthony Greene (w/Sidney Bakabella) vs. Angel Ortiz and Eddie Kingston. Bakabella has a different color wig on from earlier! Funny. He got on the mic and boasted about his team. Eddie seems especially surly and annoyed tonight. Channing and Ortiz opened and fought to the mat as Torres and Nelson praised Ortiz’s conditioning. Eddie tagged in at 1:00, and they hit a team suplex on Channing. Greene got in, but the babyfaces worked him over, too. Ortiz ran the ropes repeatedly before hitting a basement dropkick at 2:30.
Greene pulled Ortiz to their corner, and they began working him over. Greene hit a running neckbreaker, and Channing got the nearfall. Eddie was pacing and cursing on the apron. Ortiz hit a clothesline at 5:30. The ref ejected Bakabella! Eddie got the hot tag and hit some punches on each heel, then repeated chops in the corner on Greene, then an Exploder Suplex on Channing. He hit an STO uranage on Channing with Angel getting the nearfall. Channing hit a powerbomb for a nearfall on Angel at 7:30, but Eddie made the save.
Eddie hit a series of chops on Channing. Greene hit a heel hook kick to Eddie’s jaw. Angel rolled up Greene for a nearfall. Greene got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for a believable nearfall! Eddie hit a DDT on Greene, and Angel hit a top-rope flying headbutt for the pin! Good action; it didn’t overstay its welcome.
Eddie Kingston and Angel Ortiz defeated Anthony Greene and Channing Thomas at 9:31.
* Intermission! It went 17ish minutes.
6. The 30-person Limitless Rumble. I know many of the competitors from earlier in the show are in this, and I presume some women will be, too. The massive Ace Romero drew No. 1. I’ll reiterate he is down more than 100 pounds, but he is still 350 pounds or so. Aaron Ortiz and Anthony Vecchio (w/B3cca) came out together! They are collectively No. 2. B3cca flirted with Ace; the Boys tried to eliminate Romero but couldn’t budge him, and Ace hit a double clothesline, and he hit a flying crossbody block onto both of them. No. 3 was “Beef” Gnarls Garvin. He helped beat up the Boys. No. 4 was shootfighter Bobby Casale at 3:30.
Casale traded chops with Beef and Ace. Ace clotheslined Casale, and those two tossed Casale for our first elimination. “Flyin” Ryan O’Neill was No. 5. Like Casale (and others!), he competed at Wrestling Open a day earlier, too. No. 6 was Bobby Orlando at 6:30, and he superkicked O’Neill, then Ortiz. He dropped Vecchio head-first on Ortiz’s groin, then hit his Athena-style stunner on Ortiz. Jada Stone was our first woman in the match at No. 7. (Did they all caravan together from Worcester?) She hit a huracanrana.
“The World is Not Enough” hit the speakers, which means “Fancy” Ryan Clancy was in at No. 8 at 9:30. He suplexed Ortiz. Still just the one elimination; we have eight in the ring. The massive seven-footer Oxx Adams drew No. 9. Oxx and Beef immediately brawled. Several guys charged at Oxx, but he just swatted them away. Orlando was clotheslined to the floor for our second elimination. O’Neill was tossed by Oxx. Jada tried some chops on Oxx. She was eliminated off-camera; the commentators told us but we didn’t see it. Jermaine Marbury (w/Benny the basketball) was No. 10 at 13:30.
Jermaine had a basketball and wanted to do a jump ball. Oxx punched Benny! He chokeslammed Jermaine and eliminated him. No. 11 was Benny the Basketball! He snuck in behind Oxx and tried some punches that Oxx no-sold. Oxx tossed Benny, too. Gabby Forza was No. 12 at 16:30, and she hit a spear on Ortiz, and she slammed Vecchio. Gabby put Oxx on her shoulders! He escaped, and the crowd booed. Beef and Ace hit a team clothesline to flip out Oxx! The big man is gone!
Charles Mason was No. 13 at 18:30. I think we have seven in the ring. He choked out Clancy. Gabby unloaded some forearm strikes on Mason. Keegan Garland (the son of Scotty 2 Hotty) was No. 14. He’s still pretty scrawny and is either 19 or 20 now. 23 Hazard was No. 15 at 22:00, but Ace immediately dropped him. He mocked the S2H “Worm” as he beat up Garland. Scotty 2 Hotty Garland was No. 16; the commentators just said he wasn’t here! A huge pop for him. He beat up 23 Hazard, who fell to the floor. (I don’t think he’s eliminated).
Ortiz was eliminated. The Garlands hit a team Worm, and they eliminated Vecchio at 26:00, so both Shooter Boys are out. Scotty tried to get Ace Romero to dance with them, with Romero replacing Rikishi in their dance troupe! FUNNY. He put sunglasses on Romero, and we got the music, and they danced. Ridiculous, but this was fun. Ace did a spinaroonie. The Garlands clotheslined Romero out of the ring! Pure silliness. Keegan tossed his dad! 23 Hazard snuck in and tossed Keegan!
Gabby, Clancy, and 23 Hazard were in the ring at this point in the match. Channing Thomas was No. 17 at 29:30; Torres joked that “the clock broke for a little.” Beef climbed back into the ring, as did Charles Mason, so we now have six in. Clancy hit his Picture-Perfect dropkick on Channing. Jordan Oliver was No. 18 at 31:00. He superkicked Clancy; Clancy dropkicked Jordan. Those two fought on the apron. HOG star Daron Richardson was No. 19; I think this is his debut in Limitless. Torres filled in viewers about Richardson’s background in House of Glory.
Anthony Greene was No. 20 at 34:00. Clancy was eliminated, and Oliver was eliminated. I am seeing seven in the ring. Jordan Kross from the Chicago area was No. 21; again, another person who competed in Worcester on Thursday. Mason immediately grabbed him and applied a choke. Kross hit a huracanrana and a dropkick. Star Struck collectively tossed Kross! That was quick! J-Heru was No. 22 at 37:00. “Mr. Remarkable” Adam Booker, who appears to be in his late 40s or early 50s, was No. 23. He’s what Eddie Kingston will look like in another 10 years, and he chopped 23 Hazard.
At No. 24 was Aiden Aggro, who got a nice babyface pop (he recently was part of a really successful double turn here.) Aggro eliminated Richardson. J-Heru and Aggro worked together. Brittnie Brooks was No. 25 (and our third woman) at 41:00. She was in purple tonight, not pink! Gabby and Brittnie brawled. Brooks hit a bulldog on Charles Mason, then one on Greene. No. 26 was Sidney Bakabella in his Andre the Giant one-strap black singlet. He pulled J-Heru off the apron to the floor!
Aggro snatched off Sidney’s wig, then he tossed Sidney. I’m seeing nine in the ring. Beef was tossed. No. 27 was Daffney Deville; I don’t know Daffney. (The commentators indicated this is the former DangerKid?) Daffney and Aiden (former tag partners!) stared at each other. Daffney hit a running knee on Channing and again glared at Aiden. Daffney and Aggro worked together, and they tossed Greene! Bear Bronson was No. 28 at 49:00; he has to be a contender to win, right?
Bear got in and started clotheslining everyone, and he hit a Choke Bomb on Mason. Bear and Adam Booker brawled, and Bear tossed Booker. No. 29 was Dezmond Cole, who was selling a shoulder injury as he emerged through the curtain. Charles Mason clotheslined Cole. Aggro hit a Lungblower. Channing eliminated Daffney. Brooks was also eliminated. The commentators noted earlier that Aaron Rourke was in this match, and he drew lucky No. 30 at 52:30. I am seeing EIGHT left.
Sure enough, five babyfaces stood on one side of the ring across from three heels, and they all started brawling. Gabby scooped up Bear and bodyslammed her husband onto Mason. I can see anyone (except 23 Hazard) winning this. Mason and Bear fought on the apron. Bear kicked Mason to the floor at 56:00! We’re down to seven! Bear got knocked off by 23 Hazard! Gabby put Hazard on her shoulders and flipped him to the floor, and we have five left.
Rourke tossed Cole! It is down to Rourke, Gabby, Aggro, and Channing Thomas. Aaron superkicked Aggro. He hit an enzuigiri on Channing. Rourke hit a Mafia Kick to knock Aggro off the apron to the floor! We’re down to three! Gabby saved Rourke; Rourke saved Gabby. Channing and Rourke fought on the apron, and Gabby knocked them both to the floor to win!
Gabby Forza won the 31-person Limitless Rumble (including both Shooter Boys!) at 59:32.
* The crowd chanted, “You deserve it!” at her. Rourke glared at her, upset that he had saved her moments earlier. She got a stuffed gnome toy and celebrated in the ring.
Final Thoughts: Well, we have an early Indy “match of the year” contender in Price-MJF and an early “Show of the Year” contender. I try to avoid hyperbole; I don’t use those words lightly. But yes, the match really was that good, and this show really was that damned good. While watching the match, I was truly thinking, “TK has to see this match, and he’s going to sign Price, and probably Oliver, too.” I didn’t see the MJF announcement coming. It truly gave me goosebumps. Dijak-Cole was really good and would be the best match on virtually any other show. Dijak is soooo good at working against guys smaller than him and making it work.
That was an incredibly well-done Rumble that told multiple stories. I didn’t know trainer Adam Booker, but everyone else is pretty well-known. (I doubt many in the crowd knew Chicago-based Jordan Kross, but he wasn’t in long, either.) I had no idea who was winning that match as there were so many strong possibilities. The mid-match “Too Cool” tribute was fun, and Romero made a perfect Rikishi fill-in.
On Twitter, I have been so critical of Hook for not doing more indy dates. This is what he needs — get out there, and have matches longer than 90-second squashes. I am not as big a fan as most people, but I applaud this because taking matches like this is how he improves. This was a strong, top-notch indy show. A reminder, this show is free on YouTube.
Be the first to comment