By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Produce Wrestling “The Pez Whatley Invitational”
September 19, 2026, in Red Bank, Tennessee, at TWE Arena
Available for purchase via MyAEW.com
This is the venue that I describe as looking like an underground military bunker. The ring is pushed up against one wall. Lighting over the ring is okay. The crowd was maybe 80.
* This show appears to be a celebration of Black wrestlers. It features an eight-man, single-elimination tournament. Caprice Coleman and Darian Bengston provided commentary as the show began.
1. Jonathan Gresham vs. Darius Lockhart in a first-round match. They shook hands before locking up, and they traded standing switches. The commentators said this is a first-time-ever matchup, and they were surprised these two hadn’t met in the ring before. Lockhart tied a leg lock around Gresham’s throat, and this was methodical early on. They got into a knuckle lock at 5:30, then had a standoff. I’ve never heard Bengston on commentary before, but I’m liking his insights, as he’s faced both men in the past. Gresham tied up the left arm on the mat. They picked up the pace, and Gresham suddenly got the flash rollup for the pin! I had no sense they were about to wrap up.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Darius Lockhart at 9:05 to advance to the semifinals.
2. Suge D vs. LaBron Kozone in a first-round match. Again, Suge D was Jericho’s nemesis “Pineapple Pete” during the pandemic-era tapings in Jacksonville. This is Kozone’s debut in this building! An intense lockup, and Kozone is taller and visibly stronger. They tied up on the mat, and Bengston noted that Suge D won the last matchup between these two. Kozone hit a release suplex at 3:30.
They traded forearm strikes, and Suge D hit a Mafia Kick for a nearfall at 5:00. They got up and traded more punches. Suge D hit a twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall. Suge D applied a Rings of Saturn, but Kozone powered to his feet. Suge D hit a hard forearm strike to the back of the neck at 7:00. Kozone nailed the Ballgame clothesline for the pin! Another finish that came out of nowhere!
LaBron Kozone defeated Suge D at 7:12 to advance to the semifinals.
3. Corinne Joy vs. Remi Reade. Remi is really tall, and she’s become a regular at QT Marshall’s 1 Fall Wrestling in Georgia; this was just her 37th match. Corinne is maybe 5’2″; Reade is listed at 5’8″. Caprice talked about Corinne coming out of the AR Fox training school. Reade’s hair is a teal color. A standing lockup to open, and the height difference is notable. Joy tied up the left arm. Reade hit a dropkick at 1:00, so Joy (the heel tonight!) rolled to the floor to stall, and she shouted at some fans. Back in the ring, Reade threw Joy into the corner and hit some chops.
Remi hit a basement dropkick for a nearfall. Joy grabbed a handful of hair and threw her to the mat, then she mounted Reade and hit some punches. Corinne stomped on Reade in the corner, and she shouted at the ref. Joy hit some Vaquer-style faceplants and got a nearfall at 4:00. Reade hooked a leg and hit a swinging neckbreaker, then a running knee to the jaw for a nearfall. Joy collapsed and sold a knee injury; only the commentators were buying this. Corinne was crying as she limped to the ropes, but of course, she attacked Remi and hit her own running knee for the pin!
Corinne Joy defeated Remi Reade at 5:54.
* Darian Bengston left the booth to prepare for his match. Darius Lockhart replaced Bengston.
4. Joseph “A-Game” Alexander vs. Jordan Blade in a first-round match. A-Game had a really good Scenic City Invitational run in this building a few months ago, reaching the tournament finals. Caprice said Jordan can’t be overlooked. She’s muscular, but she’s giving up a lot of height and overall size. He immediately grabbed a leg and flipped Blade to the mat. A-Game tied up her legs and let go. Jordan grabbed a leg and flipped Alexander to the mat, and she tied up his legs.
They kept it on the mat and tied up each other’s legs. Jordan threw him to the mat and applied an ankle lock, but he reached the ropes at 4:30. A-Game hit a suplex for a nearfall, and he was fired up. Caprice said A-Game has a 2-1 record in three prior singles matches. Jordan tied him in a Trailer Hitch leg lock, and A-Game tapped out. That was some pretty believable mat-based action. It was definitely an upset, though, as A-Game has been on a roll this year.
Jordan Blade defeated Joseph “A-Game” Alexander at 6:46 to advance to the semifinals.
5. Eel O’Neill vs. Darian Bengston in a first-round match. I don’t think I’ve seen Eel before. He wore a pink-and-gray singlet, and he has bright orange hair. He handed a bouquet to someone in the crowd. They immediately tied up each other’s left arms. (A check of Eel’s matches shows he was on a GCW “For The Culture” show over WrestleMania weekend in Philadelphia in 2024, so I saw him there.) Eel hit a scoop slam at 3:00. They got up and traded punches.
Eel hit a hip-toss and a flying headbutt, sending Bengston to the floor at 5:00. Eel held back Darian’s arms so one of Pez Whatley’s sons could chop him. In the ring, Eel again hip-tossed Darian to the floor. Darian got back in, got a rollup, and flipped his body over for added leverage and the flash pin. No surprise that all the tournament matches were on the short side; two guys have two matches to go!
Darian Bengston defeated Eel O’Neill at 6:58.
* Intermission was just over ten minutes. Eel O’Neill now joined Caprice in the booth.
6. Jonathan Gresham vs. Jordan Blade in a semifinal match. They shook hands. Gresham tied up her legs on the mat. They got to their feet, but Gresham twisted her left arm. She tickled him! He was not amused, and he rolled to the floor at 4:00 to regroup. Back in the ring, they traded more standing switches, and she was able to flip him back to the floor at 7:30. Back in the ring, he tied up her legs as he stood over her. He pushed her shoulders to the mat, and he twisted her left wrist and fingers. He finally was able to push both shoulders down for the pin. Okay. They shook hands, but then she tickled him some more, and he was annoyed and embarrassed.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Jordan Blade at 10:13 to advance to the finals.
7. Darian Bengston vs. LaBron Kozone in a semifinal match. A feeling-out process early on, and Darian tied up the left arm. Kozone dropped him to the mat and applied a headlock. Bengston grabbed the left leg and twisted it. Kozone hit a suplex and got a nearfall at 5:30. He twisted Darian’s left wrist and fingers. Kozone flipped Darian around in his arms (like NJPW’s Boltin Oleg) and hit a gutwrench suplex at 7:00! They traded rollups. Darian hit a Tiger Suplex; Kozone popped up and hit a rolling Koppo Kick. Darian grabbed an arm, got a flash rollup, and scored the pin! Good action while it lasted.
Darian Bengston defeated LaBron Kozone at 8:37 to advance to the finals.
8. Chase Holliday and Alex Kane vs. Oni King and Tim Bosby. I haven’t seen much of Kane since he parted ways with MLW. I’m a big fan of Bosby; I consider him a top-10 indy prospect. I’ve only seen Oni a few times, usually in Jersey Championship Wrestling. The rotund Chase competes in Indiana frequently, and I saw him recently in St. Louis Anarchy, too. Kane and Bosby opened, but Tim quickly tagged out, so Oni tied up with Kane. Alex hit a running splash for a nearfall at 2:30. Oni and Tim began working over Chase in their corner. Chase dropped Bosby with a hard chop, and he hit a series of chops in the corner.
Bosby hit a German Suplex on Holliday at 6:30. Oni hit a bodyslam and a Russian Leg Sweep, and a stiff kick to the spine for a nearfall at 8:00. Bosby began jawing at Oni (uh-oh!) as they worked over Chase! They pushed Holliday aside and really started arguing! Chase hit a DDT on Bosby, and they were both down. Kane got a hot tag at 10:00, and he hit a flying forearm on Bosby, then several German Suplexes. Oni hit a flying kick on Chase. Chase hit a sidewalk slam on Oni. They got up and traded chops at 13:00. Holliday hit a spinning back fist, but King hit a decapitating clothesline for the pin!
Oni King and Tim Bosby defeated Alex Kane and Chase Holliday at 14:02.
9. Jonathan Gresham vs. Darian Bengston in the tournament finals. I actually saw these two meet in the Jersey J Cup tournament earlier this year, but I vividly recall being so disappointed that they essentially had a comedy match. Gresham won that match (their only prior singles meeting). This took forever to get going. They shook hands and traded some cautious reversals. Gresham grabbed Darian’s left leg and repeatedly rammed it into the mat at 3:00.
Gresham stomped on the knee and hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 6:00; there just hasn’t been much to describe. Bengston tied up the left ankle on the mat. These two are working hard, staying tied up, in the middle of the mat. They got up, and Gresham hit a hard chop at 9:00, and he put Bengston in a Figure Four. He kept leaning forward and getting some nearfalls. He finally leaned all the way forward with the leg lock still on, and he got the pin. Okay match.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Darian Bengston at 10:53 to win the Pez Whatley Invitational.
* Everyone came to the ring to honor Pez Whatley’s family, and Gresham was given a medal, which he put around his neck.
Final Thoughts: I do love tournaments, and this was a decent tournament. No matches were blow-away, must-see good, though, but this is a case of where the ‘whole is better than the sum of its parts.’ I thought Bengston-Kozone was the best match here, and I’ll go with Jordan Blade vs. A-Game for second. Not really a complaint, but Gresham’s matches all tend to start really slow and require patience as the match builds and picks up momentum. Overall, a good show to celebrate Black pro wrestlers, too.
