By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, Impact Wrestling, MLW, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
House of Glory “Exodus”
Streamed on FITE TV
October 29, 2022 in Queens, N.Y. at La Boom
HOG is benefitting from New Japan Pro Wrestling having held shows in the city Thursday and Friday, so some top-notch outside talent is here. We do have a commentary team; I am unfamiliar with them. This venue is a night club and the crowd is perhaps 400.
* Mighty Mante came out on a clutch, holding his title. The commentators acknowledge he competed for New Japan Pro Wrestling on Thursday. Mante got on the mic and said he got hurt in that match. He called out Nolo Kitano. Mante apologized to him, saying he knew how much getting this singles match meant to him, and asked him to reschedule their match. Kitano graciously agreed! They hugged, but then Kitano and two masked men attacked Mante!! They beat on Mante’s injured ankle. Fun opening ankle.
1. “The Mane Event” Jay Lyon and Midas Black defeated “The Brick City Boys” JCruz and Victor Chase at 10:30. The BCB are making their HOG debut, but the commentators say they are known throughout the Northeast. They are thicker good-sized men; Cruz is white, Chase is Black. I’ve said this before, but Jay Lyon makes me think of Evil Uno, as they are masked, a bit thicker but not too heavy, but good high-flyers for their size. Lyon hit a moonsault, launching himself off Midas’ back. The commentators are basically ignoring the action, instead talking about how at the last show, the Mane Event asked the Briscoes for a match, and the Briscoes rejected them. I know they are trying to get the storyline across, but they barely mentioned the names of either member of the BCB, or discussed the action, especially early on.
Lyon hit a Saito Suplex on both opponents at 7:00 and finally made the hot tag to Midas. Midas nailed a cloud cutter on Cruz. Midas hit a 619. Lyon dove through the ropes onto an opponent, and he hit a Lionsault in the ring. Black followed that up with a moonsault for a believable nearfall. Cruz hit a northern lights suplex for a nearfall. BCB hit a team splash for a nearfall. Lyon hit a flapjack faceplant on Victor Chase for the win. Good match.
* Detective James hit the ring. At the last show, he turned heel on Ken Broadway, and helped Charles Mason retain his title, in a ladder match. Encore, a Black man with a great physique, hit the ring, and he’s clearly upset at James for turning on his partner, Broadway. Encore attacked him and the next match started! Encore reminds me of a young Ron “R-Truth” Killings.
2. Detective James defeated Encore via DQ at 9:01. Encore held a lengthy delayed vertical suplex. They brawled on the floor. In the ring, Encore suplexed James into the corner pads at 5:00. James hit a Blockbuster for a nearfall. The ref got bumped. Broadway nailed a uranage for a visual pin. James did the “Eddie spot,” tossing a chair into Encore’s hands and collapsing to the mat. The referee got up, saw the chair in Encore’s hands, and ordered the DQ.
* Sir Watkins hit the ring to unveil a newly created HOG heavyweight title. He showed it off and the crowd applauded. Jacob Fatu hit the ring. (NOTE: Fatu had been advertised for the cage match on the GCW show on the West Coast for Saturday as well, and GCW just canceled his appearance.) Charles Mason came out and stood on the stage. He is the Crown Jewel champion, and he said “I’ll be damned if I let someone like you represent this company.” Mason said he wants to beat Fatu to become a double champion. However, he introduced Carlos Ramirez to take on Fatu. Ramirez is tall and muscular and wrestles in bluejeans, and reminds me of W. Morrissey.
3. Jacob Fatu defeated Carlos Ramirez at 8:37. They immediately brawled to the floor, and back into the ring. Ramirez hit a hard clothesline at 4:00 and was in control. Ramirez hit a top-rope flying headbutt. Fatu dove through the ropes onto Ramirez, getting a huge pop. In the ring, the barefoot Fatu nailed a superkick, then a handspring-back-splash for a nearfall at 6:30. The commentators marveled at Fatu’s agility. Ramirez hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. This crowd is hot and this is a good big-man matchup. Fatu hit a pop-up Samoan Drop, then a double-jump (Best Moonsault Ever) for the pin. That was really good.
* 15 minute intermission. Strangely early in the show.
4. Violette defeated Janai Kai to retain the women’s title at 7:03. I’ve said this before, but I love Kai’s look and kickboxing style. (I believe she has a match on AEW Elevation this week.) Good standing switches early. Violette is of average size and look; I’m sure she has had a fraction of the matches as Kai this year. Kai backed her in the corner and hit several spin kicks to her ribs. Violette hit some clotheslines and a second-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 5:00. Kai hit several rapid-fire kicks to the back. Violette hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall. Violette hit a running stunner for the pin.
5. El Phantasmo defeated HOG Champion Charles Mason via DQ in a title match at 15:38. Again, Mason is the crazy messiah character who is good on the mic. This is essentially heel-heel but I expect the crowd to cheer for ELP. Lots of stalling early. They locked up a few times but neither got an upper hand. They sped it up with some quick lucha-style reverals. ELP hit a Lionsault. Phantasmo walked the top rope. They brawled to the floor. Mason sprayed something in ELP’s eyes at 5:30.
In the ring, Mason was in charge, hitting a high back suplex for a nearfall. Phantasmo hit a second-rope kneedrop to the face for a nearfall at 8:30. Mason hit a clothesline for a nearfall. ELP put Mason on his shoulders and spun him to the mat for a nearfall. They traded rollups for nearfalls. Phantasmo hit an enzuigiri. Mason nailed an Air Raid Crash for a believable nearfall at 11:30.
Mason got angry and removed his vest, then his shirt. Phantasmo hit a hard chop. Mason applied a sleeperhold. Phantasmo hit an impressive Frankensteiner out of the corner, then his top-rope frogsplash for a believable nearfall. Mason got to his feet and turned and hit the ref to get disqualified. Of course, Mason retains his title on the DQ.
6. Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe defeated “Aussie Open” Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher to retain the HOG Tag Titles at 18:19. Third straight night of matches in NYC for Aussie Open. Jay and Kyle started and this crowd was HOT. The Briscoes hit some quick tag moves on Davis. Davis hit a senton on Mark Briscoe at 4:30, and he choked Mark in the ropes. The Briscoes hit their team shoulder tackle. All four brawled on the floor. The AO ran the Briscoes’ backs into each other as they brawled in front of the fans.
The AO continued to work over Mark Briscone in the ring. Jay made the hot tag at 9:00 and cleared the ring. Jay hit his running neckbreaker for a nearfall. AO hit a powerslam and cutter combo move on Jay for a believable nearfall on Jay. Mark and Davis began trading stiff chops mid-ring at 12:30 and this crowd is just nuts for this action. All four brawled in the ring. Jay clotheslined Fletcher to the floor. Davis flipped Mark Briscoe onto an open chair in the ring.
Jay hit a decapitating clothesline on Davis. Jay nailed the Jay Driller on Fletcher for a believable nearfall at 16:00, but Davis made the save. Fletcher hit a Doomsday Clothesline for a nearfall on Mark Briscoe. Jay hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker on Fletcher, and Mark Briscoe immediately hit the Froggy Bow top-rope elbow drop for a BELIEVABLE nearfall. Jay immediately hit a second Jay Driller on Fletcher, while Mark Briscoe tackled Mark Davis, allowing Jay to score the pin on Fletcher. WOW.
* Midas Black and Jay Lyon hit the ring and grabbed the tag team titles. They stood toe-to-toe with the Briscoes and gave them back. The commentators weren’t sure if the Briscoes accepted the tag team title request.
7. Shingo Takagi defeated Low Ki at 18:13. Takagi now wears just the base of the KOPW trophy around his neck, as El Phantasmo destroyed the trophy. An intense lockup and standing switches, and Shingo has the size advantage. Low Ki unloaded some hard chops, with Shingo returning them. Shingo hit a suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. They brawled to the floor and Shingo dropped him face-first on the apron at 7:30. Shingo was now in control and he hit a senton in the ring for a nearfall.
Shingo applied a body-scissors lock around the waist. They traded more hard chops. Ki hit a series of kicks. Ki applied a Dragon Sleeper at 11:30, but Shingo PLANTED him with a DDT to escape. Shingo hit his sliding clothesline for a nearfall. Ki nailed a top-rope Warriors Way double stomp for a nearfall at 14:00. Shingo nailed a Death Valley Driver, and they were both down.
Shingo nailed the Made In Japan pump-handle sit-out powerbomb, but Low Ki kicked out. They began trading open-hand slaps to the face. Shingo hit a headbutt. Ki fired back with his forward roll kick and they were both down at 17:00. Ki went for a springboard clothesline, but Shingo hit him with a Pumping Bomber Clothesline. Shingo hit a second Pumping Bomber for a believable nearfall; I thought that was it. Shingo then nailed the Last of the Dragon sit-out slam for the clean pin. “What an absolute war between two of the best in the world” a commentator said. Superb match.
* Shingo got on the mic and spoke briefly, saying “thank you” to the crowd.
Final Thoughts: No surprise that Briscoes vs. Aussie Open stole the show. Just an incredible showing by both teams. Worth reiterating that Aussie Open just competed a day earlier against Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, and this is just weeks after an epic match against FTR in England. Really great stuff.
While the tag match was best, this was easily the best Low Ki match I’ve seen in years. He usually is short and to the point, and he rarely loses clean, so this was definitely a shock. I would argue the top two matches here were better than anything on the two New Japan shows in New York on Thursday and Friday.
Not every match needs to go 11 to 15 minutes. Fatu-Ramirez clocked in at under nine minutes and I don’t think you could convince me it would have been better if it had been longer. Just a really good brawl and big-man moves.
Kai is clearly much better at this point than Violette, but I don’t mind the outcome here. The only way the homegrown talent is going to get better is by being in the ring with a top-notch indy talent like Kai. Likewise, Phantasmo is a far better talent than Mason, so I don’t mind that Mason blatantly cheated to retain his title.
The show clocked in at about three hours even.
Be the first to comment