By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Wrestling Open “Episode 241”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
August 13, 2026, in Worcester, Massachusetts, at The White Eagle
The lighting is good, and it’s easy to see. The crowd was maybe 100. Referee Scott Robinson and “Handyman” Jake Gray provided commentary. They have the hard camera facing the stage tonight! So, we have fans seated on chairs on the opposite side of the hard camera.
1. Angel Aviles vs. Shawn Knyte in a spotlight match. Aviles lost in the first match of the current “Discovery Gauntlet,” but was invited back for this match. Knyte is a regular in the New England scene. Robinson and Gray provided commentary on this one. Basic offense early on, and Knyte hit a dropkick at 2:00. Aviles kept Shawn grounded, and he hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. They hit stereo clotheslines. Shawn hit an enzuigiri, then a neckbreaker over his knee, then a springboard flying back elbow for the pin. Solid action.
Shawn Knyte defeated Angel Aviles at 5:06.
2. Julezee vs. Trigga the OG in a Discovery Gauntlet match. Trigga is a regular across the New England scene, but this is somehow his Wrestling Open debut. (I guess in my mind, Trigga doesn’t fit the ‘spirit’ of a Discovery Gauntlet. He’s pretty established; cagematch.net shows he’s had at least 420 career matches. That’s almost as many as Brock Lesnar, who finished his career with 445.) Trigga wears a white T-shirt and suspenders, looking a bit like a gangster. He’s thicker and visibly stronger than the slender youngster Julezee.
Standing switches to open. Julezee put him in a headlock. This was a sluggish pace early on. Julezee hit a huracanrana at 3:30, then an inverted senton for a nearfall. Trigga hit a hard back elbow for a nearfall at 5:30. He yanked Julezee’s curly, clownish blond hair, pulling him to the mat. Trigga hit a spinning leg lariat for a nearfall at 7:00. He missed a top-rope guillotine leg drop, crashing on his butt.
Julezee hit a German Suplex and an enzuigiri, then a Shining Wizard for a believable nearfall at 9:30. He hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall. Trigga hit a powerbomb for a believable nearfall, and they were both down at 11:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Trigga set up for a Backslide Driver (a Homicide “Cop Killah”), but Julezee escaped. Julezee hit a spinning back fist and got the pin. Okay action.
Julezee defeated Trigga the OG at 12:23 to advance in the Discovery Gauntlet.
3. Ruthie Jay vs. Kalypto. I don’t think I’ve seen Kalypto before; she wore a teal top and shorts, and she has straight black hair. (The top looks like something a legit fighter would wear; think Shayna Baszler or Marina Shafir.) Standing switches to open, and Ruthie hit some armdrags and a guillotine dropkick for a nearfall. Kalypto hit a running knee to the jaw for a believable nearfall at 2:00! She laid in some stiff kicks and a Helluva Kick in the corner.
Ruthie hit some chops. Kalypto hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 3:30, and she applied a rear-naked choke on the mat. Ruthie escaped, and they traded forearm strikes while on their knees. Ruthie caught her with a spin kick to the head and a dropkick at 5:00, then a slingshot Meteora for a nearfall. Ruthie hit an X-Factor faceplant for the pin. A good debut here for Kalypto.
Ruthie Jay defeated Kalypto at 6:18.
* Footage aired of Devin Reno attacking a referee. Backstage, Paul Crockett informed Devin Reno that he is not suspended, but he has been heavily fined, and he must go to counseling.
4. Rain Conway vs. Brother Greatness. BG hit some armdrags and a dropkick. Basic back and forth, and Brother Greatness hit another dropkick at 4:30. Rain hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. BG fired up and hit some clotheslines and an Air Raid Crash at 6:00. He hit a frog splash for a nearfall. Rain hit a Falcon Arrow and applied a sleeper. Brother Greatness hit a bulldog for the pin! BG is the more senior competitor, but I’ll call this an upset.
Brother Greatness defeated Rain Conway at 7:48.
* Footage aired of the issues now between Brad Hollister and Love, Doug.
5. “Brick City” Julio Cruz and Victor Chase (w/Brad Hollister) vs. “The Breadwinners” Patrick Wheatman and Cash McGuiness. Brick City made their return last week after being absent here most of 2026. They are much bigger and stronger than the scrawny Breadwinner kids. Before the bell, Love Doug came to ringside! He stood by the Breadwinners! Cruz and Cash opened. Cruz did some arm curls with Cash in his arms. He hit some jab punches and was in charge. Brick City hit a team armdrag at 3:00.
Victor entered to fight redhead Wheatman, and he hit a crossbody block and some hip-tosses. Cash stomped on Cruz and threw him into their corner. Cruz hit a suplex at 6:30. Patrick hit a suplex on Cruz. Cash hit a Helluva Kick for a nearfall at 8:30. Chase got in and hit a senton. He hit splashes in opposite corners on each of the kids, then a double clothesline. Chase hit a sit-out powerbomb to pin Wheatman. I feel like that one should have been half as long — I wanna see these scrawny kids get destroyed!
“Brick City” Julio Cruz and Victor Chase defeated “The Breadwinners” Patrick Wheatman and Cash McGuiness at 10:11.
* Love Doug got on the mic and berated Hollister. He said that Brad is a “different person” when Brick City is around. Hollister started to head to the back. Doug said, “Maybe TJ is right,” and that seemed to anger Brad. Doug said, “Maybe you’re just a scumbag.” That brought Brad and Brick City back into the ring! Doug dared Julio to hit him. Doug brushed past them and left with no punches thrown. “I’ve never heard Love Doug so passionate,” Robinson said.
6. Amira, Nessa Ferrari, and Lauren St. James vs. Selena Hekate, Kylie Alexa, and Paris Van Dale. We had six separate entrances. Portland-based Amira has been here on the Thursdays before C*4 shows in Canada on Friday. Selena and Nessa opened. Amira and Paris entered, and Amira hit some splashes in the corner, then her rolling cannonball for a nearfall on PVD at 2:00. Alexa interviewed and tried a shoulder tackle, but she just bounced off of Amira. Amira hit a Sidewalk Slam. Paris jumped in and hit a thrust to Lauren’s throat, and the heels began working over Lauren in their corner.
Alexa hit a running buttbump in the corner on Lauren at 5:00. All three heels stomped on St. James. Paris hit the Splits across Lauren’s chest for a nearfall. Amira finally got a hot tag at 7:30, and she hit some clotheslines. She hit a shotgun dropkick on Selena, then a German Suplex for a nearfall, but PVD made the save. Kylie hit a neckbreaker over her knee on Lauren. Selena hit a Samoan Drop on Nessa. Amira hit a spinning back fist on Selena, then a World’s Strongest Slam to pin Hekate. Solid tag match.
Amira, Nessa Ferrari, and Lauren St. James defeated Selena Hekate, Kylie Alexa, and Paris Van Dale at 8:57.
* In a video from a training school, Bobby Casale talked about the growing animosity with the Stetson Ranch. He and Danny Miles will get tag title shots next week!
7. Christian Darling vs. Love, Doug. This is a bonus, unadvertised match. Darling has a big size advantage. They locked up, and Darling backed him into a corner. They twisted each other’s left arm, and Doug hit a dropkick at 3:00. He went for a crossbody block, but Darling caught him. Doug hit a slingshot crossbody block, but Darling hit a twisting uranage for a nearfall at 4:30. They got up and traded strikes.
Darling hit a bodyslam and a splash to the mat. He hit a spinebuster for a nearfall at 6:30, and he tied up Doug on the mat. Doug hit a stunner. He fired up and hit some chops. Doug hit a slingshot bulldog at 8:30. Darling hit a jumping knee to the jaw, but Doug hit a Michinoku Driver for a believable nearfall. Hollister and Brick City came to ringside and jawed at Doug! It allowed Darling to get a schoolboy rollup with a folding press cover for the pin.
Christian Darling defeated Love, Doug at 9:46.
8. Bear Bronson and Ichiban vs. 23 Hazard and Devin Reno. Reno and Ichiban opened and traded some quick moves. Ichiban hit a springboard crossbody block. Bear tagged in at 2:00 to fight Hazard. Bear hit some chops; he removed Hazard’s do-rag so the fans could chant, “Bald!” at him. Reno got back in at 4:00 and traded punches with Bronson. The heels stomped on Bear in their corner. Bear picked up Ichiban and did a Gorilla Press, tossing his partner to the floor on the heels at 6:30. Bear brawled with Hazard on one side of the floor while Ichiban brawled with Reno.
In the ring, Bear slammed Ichiban onto Reno for a nearfall. The heels worked over Ichiban in their corner. Devin hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 9:30. Ichiban fired up and hit some punches. Reno hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 11:30. Hazard hit a series of punches in the heel corner. Ichiban hit a tornado DDT on Reno, and they were both down. Bear finally got the hot tag and hit some clotheslines and a Black Hole Slam on Reno. Bronson hit a splash in the corner, then a Choke Bomb for a nearfall at 13:30.
Bear hit a hip-toss. Bear and Reno traded forearm strikes. Reno hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Bear hit the butt drop to Devin’s sternum at 15:30. Ichiban tagged back in and hit a stunner. Ichiban hit a flip dive to the floor. In the ring, Reno hit a hard back elbow on Ichiban. However, Ichiban got an inside cradle for the flash pin out of nowhere! Good action. Hazard struck Ichiban from behind after the bell. Bear checked on Ichiban. Hazard then struck Bear in the head with the Wrestling Open Title belt.
Bear Bronson and Ichiban defeated 23 Hazard and Devin Reno at 16:53.
Final Thoughts: An okay show. Certainly not among their best-ever shows, but a decent two hours of wrestling. A good main event earned best match. I really like what Darling brings to the table, so I’m happy he got the win over Love Doug; that match takes second. The six-woman tag takes third. Only on rare occasions (like the women’s tournament or the ID matches) has Wrestling Open had eight women on one show. Let’s see having two or more women’s matches become a regular thing. Kalypto looked good in her debut.
I object to Trigga the OG in the Discovery Gauntlet, but we had the same thing last year — Charles Mason comes to mind as an experienced top-tier vet who had a match (and won a few matches, too!) I watched this live; it should be available on IWTV on Friday morning.
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