By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Wrestling Open “Episode 238”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
July 23, 2026, in Worcester, Massachusetts, at The White Eagle
The lighting is good, and it’s easy to see. The crowd was maybe 100. Eye Black Jack and referee Scott Robinson provided commentary.
1. 23 Hazard vs. Erik ChaCha in a spotlight match. Robinson and EBJack called this one. Erik backed him into a corner and hit a series of punches. Hazard hit a dropkick for a nearfall at 2:30. Hazard nailed a springboard Stomp to the back of the head for a nearfall! They traded rollups. Erik hit some roundhouse kicks and got a nearfall. Hazard hit a discus forearm, then a Sling Blade strike to the back of the head for the pin!
23 Hazard defeated Erik ChaCha at 5:35.
2. Devin Reno vs. Brett Mettro. Brett is apparently a babyface again. Robinson just noted that, saying the crowd has “warmed up to him.” Reno hit some blows to the back. Mettro knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Brett did an airplane spin-into-a-Samoan Drop at 3:00. Reno hit a hard back elbow for a nearfall. The crowd chanted, “You’re still bald!” at Reno. Reno hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall. He hit a flying knee drop across the forehead at 5:00. Reno slammed him for the pin. Okay action.
Devin Reno defeated Brett Mettro at 6:32.
* The crowd continued to taunt Devin after the bell. He attacked Brett, so Eye Black Jack ran in to chase him off. Jack got on the mic and challenged Reno to a match next Thursday! Jack and Brett hugged and “buried the hatchet,” as Robinson noted.
* Devin Reno joined Robinson on commentary.
3. Selina Helkate vs. Nessa Ferrari. I’ve compared Nessa to Daria Rae or former WWE diva Victoria. Helkate is replacing Sammi Chaos, who was originally announced for this match. Helkate has reddish-pink hair and numerous tattoos, and she shoved Nessa at the bell. Nessa hit an armdrag to the mat and some spin kicks to the thighs, then a Meteora for a nearfall. Helkate choked her in the ropes, then hit a Sidewalk Slam for a nearfall at 3:00.
Helkate choked her on the mat and was in charge. Nessa hit another armdrag and some clotheslines, then a superkick and a Lungblower to the jaw, and she was fired up! Nessa hit a top-rope crossbody block for a believable nearfall. Nessa got a rollup out of nowhere for the pin! Helkate continued to hit Nessa after the bell, until Lauren St. James came out and pulled Helkate off of her.
Nessa Ferrari defeated Selina Helkate at 5:09.
4. Rex Lawless (w/Nick Robles) vs. Armani Kayos. The flamboyant Kayos has suddenly been here multiple times in the past two months. Rex is big and muscular and has the size advantage. He knocked Armani down with a shoulder block and was booed. Kayos applied a leglock around the neck while in the ropes. Rex hit a big Buckle Bomb and a Mafia Kick at 2:00. Rex hit a rolling cannonball in the corner, and he’s been dominant.
Rex hit a flying European Uppercut and got a nearfall at 4:00! Armani hit a huracanrana into the corner, then some spin kicks. He hit a buttbump in the corner. Armani hit a Sliced Bread out of the corner for a believable nearfall at 6:00. He missed a Best Moonsault Ever. Rex immediately hit a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall. Kayos hit a mid-ring “Rear View” buttbump. Robles tripped Kayos! It allowed Rex time to hit a spear for the tainted pin.
Rex Lawless defeated Armani Kayos at 7:29.
5. Patrick Wheatman vs. Sammy Diaz. No Cash McGuiness with Wheatman tonight. Wheatman is the scrawny redhead who is barely into his 20s. Sammy hit an armdrag and a dropkick, and a flying back elbow into the corner. He hit a slingshot senton for a nearfall at 1:30. He backed Wheatman into a corner and chopped him repeatedly. Diaz hit a delayed vertical suplex. Wheatman hit a thrust to the throat and a running neckbreaker at 3:00.
Wheatman repeatedly stomped on Diaz in the corner. Sammy hit more chops in the corner. Wheatman hit a clothesline and a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 5:00. He applied a rear-naked choke on the mat and kept Diaz grounded. Sammy fired up and hit a clothesline and a Pele Kick and a running enzuigiri, then a Frankensteiner and a frogsplash for the pin. That’s what this should have been.
Sammy Diaz defeated Patrick Wheatman at 6:30.
* Diaz got on the mic and talked about being an only child, living with his mother, and that she worked two jobs for them to get by. He is livid at Dustin Waller for derogatory things he’s said about Sammy’s father in the past. Diaz wants him in a ‘no rules’ match in two weeks at Summer Stunner!
6. Bobby Casale (w/Danny Miles) vs. Brian Morris. Basic brawling early on, and Bobby hit some Facewash Kicks in the corner, then a Bulldog powerslam for a nearfall at 1:30. They brawled on the floor. (Some young boys nearly got taken out! Get out of the way!) Back in the ring, Casale was in charge and hit some forearm strikes. Brian worked over the left leg and tied it in the ropes, and hit a flying elbow drop onto the knee. Morris wrapped Bobby’s legs around the ring post. Bobby tried to apply a sleeper, but Morris repeatedly punched Bobby’s knee.
In the ring, Bobby hit a suplex at 7:30, but he clutched at his damaged leg. Bobby hit a German Suplex and a pumphandle fallaway slam for a nearfall. Morris hit a dropkick on the damaged knee. Casale hit an Air Raid Crash for a believable nearfall. Brian hit a chop block, a tornado DDT, and a regular DDT for a nearfall at 10:30. Morris applied a Figure Four Leglock. Casale got his hands on the ropes. Brian wouldn’t release the hold! The ref counted and admonished Morris until he finally called for the bell!
Bobby Casale defeated Brian Morris via DQ at 11:48.
* The Discovery Gauntlet is back! New and relatively unknown wrestlers are invited to come in. The winner will be back next week. There is no announced end date to the gauntlet — it can keep going and going. (Last year, Christian Darling won nine straight weeks until the gauntlet ended.) The fans here have a lot of power — a “please come back!” chant can mean a return trip and a ‘second look,’ even if they lose in the gauntlet. It really is a sink-or-swim moment.
7. Julezee vs. Angel Aviles. I’ve seen the flamboyant Julezee a few times recently; he has big curly blond hair that looks like a wig. My first time seeing Angel; he has short, curly dark hair, and he wore a black leather jacket. An intense lockup to open. Cagematch.net shows 21-year-old rookie Aviles has EIGHT total matches under his belt, having faced Julezee in his debut. He got a rollup for a nearfall. Julezee hit an inverted senton for a nearfall at 2:30.
Angel draped Julezee over the top rope and hit a dropkick. He threw Julezee to the mat by his hair and got a nearfall. Julezee got a Victory Roll for a nearfall. Angel hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. He mounted Julezee and hit repeated punches. They got up, and Julezee hit some open-hand slaps. Julezee threw some punches and hit a Shining Wizard for a believable nearfall at 6:00.
Julezee hit an Angel’s Wings faceplant for a believable nearfall. Angel hit a clothesline, then an Electric Chair Drop for a nearfall. (He swung him hard to the mat, too!) Angel kicked him in the face. They fought on the ropes in the corner. Julezee hit a German Suplex out of the corner, then a diving headbutt and a spinning kick to the ear for the pin! A strong finish. These two should be pleased with the match they put together.
Julezee defeated Angel Aviles at 9:55 to advance in the gauntlet.
8. Brad Hollister vs. TJ Crawford in a no-disqualification match. TJ came out first, and he has what appears to be a bullet-resistant vest on. Brad charged in, and they immediately brawled, with Brad hitting a German Suplex. He dumped TJ to the floor. They looped the ring and brawled through the crowd. Hollister wrapped clothing around TJ’s neck and dragged him to the floor. They got up onto the entrance stage at 2:00. They returned to ringside with Brad in charge. He hit a slingshot to send TJ onto the underside of the ring, then threw TJ into the ring at 3:30.
Brad got some chairs and threw them into the ring. TJ put a chair around Brad’s neck and threw him into the ring post on the floor at 5:30. He rolled Brad into the ring and got a nearfall. TJ hit an enzuigiri in the corner and repeatedly stomped on Brad. Hollister pushed TJ into a chair wedged in the corner. Hollister hip-tossed him across the ring, and hit a belly-to-belly suplex, then a Spinebuster at 9:00. Brad dropped him stomach-first on two open chairs and hit a spear for a nearfall.
Love, Doug ran out of the back, got in the ring, and took a chair away from Brad. Those two argued. TJ hit a low-blow uppercut. Brad hit a low-blow uppercut for a nearfall, but Doug pulled Brad off of Crawford! Doug and Brad argued some more! Doug pushed Brad; TJ rolled up Brad, grabbed the ropes for added leverage, and pinned Hollister. It is unclear if Doug meant to help TJ win. TJ fled to the back. Hollister clearly wasn’t happy with Doug!
TJ Crawford defeated Brad Hollister in a No DQ match at 13:10.
* The “champions roll call” video aired, showing each of the champions in Wrestling Open history. I just dig that — it’s honoring the history, even of a promotion that is nearing five years old.
9. Bear Bronson vs. Kylon King for the Wrestling Open Title. No Dustin Waller with Kylon tonight. Basic offense early on, and the bigger Bear shoved Kylon to the mat at 1:30. Bear knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Kylon went for a running Pump Kick, but Bear caught the leg, and Bear hit more chops. Kylon hit a jumping knee that sent Bear to the floor at 4:00. Kylon went to the floor, but Bronson dropped him with a hard chop. They looped the room and brawled. Kylon accidentally chopped the ring post at 6:00.
Kylon hit a DDT as they re-entered the ring, then a running Penalty Kick, and he grazed Bear on a senton. He choked Bronson in the ropes. Kylon hit a Saito Suplex for a nearfall at 7:30. Nice! He put Bear in a Camel Clutch position and cranked on Bear’s neck. Kylon hit some clotheslines, but they only served to wake up Bear! King hit an enzuigiri. He set up for a piledriver, but Bear flipped him and hit a butt drop to the sternum at 10:30. King hit a Dragon Suplex, but Bear popped up and hit a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall!
Bear hit a stunner! He nailed the sit-out Choke Bomb for a believable nearfall at 12:00. Kylon hit a running powerbomb and a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall at 13:30, and they were both down. They got up and traded chops. Bear pulled down the straps of his singlet and allowed Kylon to chop him several times! Bear hit a double-handed chop that dropped King. Kylon nailed a Brainbuster at 16:00, but Bear kicked out at one! Bear hit a spear and was fired up! He nailed the Fire Thunder Driver (piledriver) for the pin!
Bear Bronson defeated Kylon King to retain the Wrestling Open Title at 16:50.
* 23 Hazard jumped in the ring and attacked Bear from behind. His catchphrase is “I’m here to catch a body,” and he’s set his eyes on Bronson! He hit a Hidden Blade to the back of Bronson’s head and posed with the title as we went off the air.
Final Thoughts: A really strong match. Dustin Waller and Kylon King have been so good for so long, it’s easy to forget how talented they are as singles wrestlers as well. King brought the best he had, but I never once thought he was winning here. It’s just too early in Bear’s title run for him to lose to a random opponent, even if that opponent is in the top tier.
Crawford-Hollister was good, but nothing was resolved, and Love, Doug has only made a further mess of the feud. That takes second place. The good thing here is I really don’t know where it’s going. I’ll narrowly go with Casale-Morris for third. Casale is headed to the WWE tryout in Minneapolis, and it’s a well-deserved look for him. Nessa Ferrari continues to impress for how few matches she’s had. I watched this live; it should be posted on IWTV by Friday morning.
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