By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Pro Wrestling Revolver “Drip”
Streamed on FITE TV
March 4, 2023 in Clive, Iowa at Horizon Event Center
The venue was a large fieldhouse and they always draw 600-800 or so fans there. Bork Torkleson and Matt Rehwoldt provided commentary. PWR usually has a mix of AEW talent on its shows, but with the PPV on Sunday, this show leans heavily on the Impact roster.
* PWR champion Steve Maclin was in the ring, and he called out Rich Swann. The heavyweight title match is on first.
1. Steve Maclin defeated Rich Swann in a street fight to retain the PWR Title at 10:47. They brawled on the ramp as Swann emerged from the back, and they brawled around the ring. Swann slammed Maclin through a door bridge set up at ringside at 3:00. Swann went for a handspring-back-move but Maclin caught him and threw him shoulder-first into a chair set up between turnbuckles in the corner. Maclin put a trash can over Swann’s head, and he hit it with a chair at 6:00.
Swann set up a door in the corner; this certainly isn’t a typical style for him. He hit an enzuigiri and a spinning back kick. Maclin hit a spear into the corner and got a nearfall. He then nailed the Moxley-style double-arm DDT onto a door set up in the corner for the pin. Decent brawl, and it got the hot crowd going right away.
* A video aired, with Masha Slamovich challenging Sami Callihan, first-time-ever singles match, to a death match, on May 6. I’ve never heard her speak in English before. Callihan shouted out that he accepted.
2. Rocky Romero defeated Lince Dorado and Jake Crist to retain the CMLL Light Heavyweight Title at 8:17. Quick action at the bell. Crist dove through the ropes onto both, then he hit an Asai Moonsault. In the ring, Romero hit his Forever Clotheslines on each opponent. Dorado hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee on Romero at 3:00. Dorado hit a huracanrana on Jake, sending him onto Rocky on the floor. In the ring, Dorado hit a double stunner and got nearfalls on each opponent.
Jake hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 6:30. Romero hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread. Dorado hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press; Romero threw Dorado to the floor and in the process, somehow tore off the mask! That left Romero and Crist in the ring. Romero slapped on a cross-armbreaker, and Crist immediatelly tapped out. Romero celebrated, holding both his CMLL title, and Dorado’s mask, and he put it on his head. Really good, fast-paced match.
3. 1 Called Manders defeated Crash Jaxon at 7:45. They immediately hit shoulder tackles with neither man going down. They brawled on the floor. Manders suplexed the 350+ pound Jaxon on the floor at 2:00. Crash hit a crossbody block against the guardrail; he dragged Manders in the ring and got a nearfall. Jaxon hit a suplex for a nearfall at 4:30. They got up and traded chops. Jaxon hit a head capture suplex. Manders hit a back suplex, and they were both down. Jaxon missed a second-rope frogsplash. Jaxon hit a headbutt and a Saito Suplex. Manders nailed a decapitating clothesline for the pin. Good, hard-hitting match; this didn’t need to be longer than this.
4. Alex Shelley defeated Matthew Palmer to retain the PWR Remix Title at 13:42. Palmer is the 1800s magician with his apothecary of potions. Once again, Shelley has a bunch of lackies carrying out each of the titles he currently possesses. Shelley got on the mic and berated the crowd. The Remix title allows him to pick the stipulation of any title match. Palmer requested a casket match. Shelley teased he would accept, but said “next time.” Shelley initially wanted a 30-minute (ironman?) match, but he changed it to 15 minute time limit, because he wants to get out of here. A clock appeared in the corner, counting down toward zero.
Shelley immediately tied up the left arm. Palmer hit some deep armdrags at 3:00. Shelley hit a running kick from the ring apron to the floor. Shelley hit some hard chops on the floor, but he accidentally chopped the ring post at 6:00. Palmer gave Shelley a slingshot into the ring post. Finally back in the ring, they traded punches. Palmer hit a spear, and they were both down at 8:30. Palmer hit a bodyslam and a LIonsault for a nearfall, and he applied a submission hold on the mat.
Palmer charged at Shelley, but Alex moved and Palmer crashed shoulder-first int the corner. Shelley drank one of Palmer’s ‘elixirs.’ Palmer applied a sleeperhold. Shelley hit a Flatliner into the second turnbuckle at 12:00. He suddenly acted like he was having a heart attack from that elixir! Palmer and the ref didn’t know what to do. Palmer placed a jacket over Shelley’s face. Palmer gave him CPR and breathed into his mouth. Sami Callihan came out and yelled at Palmer. The distraction allowed Shelley to apply the Border City Stretch, and Palmer tapped out. This one isn’t going on Shelley’s “best-of” collection.
5. “The Unit” Tyler Matrix, Logan James, and JT Dunn (w/Phil Stamper) defeated “The Death Dollz” Rosemary, Jessika (Havok), and Taya Valkyrie in a no-DQ intergender match at 8:39. Dunn and Jessika started. The women ping-ponged JT around the ring. Matrix hit a sideslam on Rosemary. Rosemary and Havok bit Matrix and James in the forehead. Jessika chokeslammed JT onto several open chairs at 4:00. Taya hit her sliding German Suplex. However, JT was on the floor, and he hit a Death Valley Driver on Taya through a door on the floor.
In the ring, Logan James hit a doublestomp on Jessika’s stomach at 6:00. Rosemary hit a Canadian Destroyer on JT for a nearfall. Matrix clotheslined Rosemary to the floor. Rosemary speared Matrix and Phil Stamper through a door in the corner. Dunn nailed an elbow shot to the back of Jessika’s head for the pin. The crowd enjoyed this more than I did.
Intermission. PWR showed a replay of Zachary Wentz vs. Rey Fenix from a prior show. Fenix won in 9:18. We immediately returned to live action! Dan the Dad has an open challenge! He was supposed to face Dirty Dango, but he canceled because of bad weather out east. Matthew Rehwoldt came out of the back; he said “it’s not me; I have better taste than to ever wrestle in Iowa again.” Instead, he introduced (Madman) Fulton. Meanwhile, Gia Miller joined Bork Torkleson on commentary. Rehwoldt cut a heel promo on Dan.
6. Fulton (w/Matt Rehwoldt) defeated Dan the Dad at 5:05. Dan clotheslined them both over the top rope to the floor. Fulton suplexed him on the floor. Dan hit his Sheamus-style blows to the chest at 3:30. Fulton nailed a gutwrench suplex, and Fulton applied a Lion Tamer-style Boston Crab, and Dan tapped out! Gia and Bork were startled by the finish. It appeared Fulton was going to continue beating up Dan, but Crash Jaxon hit the ring and saved Dan.
7. Johnny Revolver (a/k/a Hennigan/Morrison) defeated Ninja Mack at 12:08. Mack is much shorter, and this is a first-time-ever matchup. They set up in a karate pose. Bork noted that Ninja Mack wrestled in Japan on Wednesday and just got back to the U.S. They traded quick reversals and had a standoff at 4:30. Mack hit his cartwheels-into-a-dive to the the floor on Johnny. On the floor, Johnny hit a superkick, and he dropped Mack across the guardrail. In the ring, Johnny hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 7:30.
Johnny hit a second-rope Spanish Fly. Mack hit his corkscrew press for a nearfall, then a second-rope Phoenix Spllash for a nearfall. Mack went to the top rope, but Johnny rolled to the floor, and he pulled the ref out, too, then shoved the ref into Mack at 10:00. Johnny and Mack ran backstage. Johnny came out with someone dressed as Ninja Mask (clearly not the real one) and got a nearfall. Johnny hit Starship Pain on the fake, but the real Ninja Mack ran back in the ring and beat up Johnny. Mack ripped the mask off the fake, revealing it was Dan the Dad. Meanwhile, Johnny got a rollup on the real Ninja Mack for the pin.
8. Kushida defeated Jonathan Gresham at 9:10. Quick mat reversals and a standoff. They opened it up and traded chops and forearm shots. Gresham began dominating the offense. Kushida hit a basement dropkick at 7:00. They brawled on the floor; as they re-entered the ring, Kushida hit a hard kick on the left elbow. Gresham stomped on the let arm. They traded rollups. The ref got bumped. Kushida hit a punch that leveled Gresham. Gresham hit a low blow punt kick and rolled up Kushida, but Kushida got his own rollup for the pin. Shockingly short and highly underwhelming.
8. “The Rascalz” Trey Miguel & Zach Wentz defeated “The Bullet Club” Ace Austin & Chris Bey (w/Gia Miller) and “Second Gear Crew” Mance Warner & Matthew Justice in a three-way tag match to win the PWR Tag Titles at 19:49. The BC held both their Impact and Revolver tag title belts. I am still surprised Wentz isn’t already back in Impact Wrestling. Ace and Trey started, so just two in the ring at a time. Zach and Trey beat up the Bullet Club, as all four fought in the ring. The BC hit dives to the floor at 3:30. However, the SGC, who hadn’t been in the ring yet, beat up all four on the floor.
The SGC got chairs from under the ring and hit their opponents. They pulled out multiple doors from under the ring, too. Away from the ring, Ace dove off a high platform onto everyone below. Wentz then hit a corkscrew dive off that platform onto everyone. Finally back in the ring, the Rascalz suplexed Mance onto a barricade at 12:00. Suddenly we are back to just the Rascalz vs the BC again, and they traded punches. The BC hit simultaneous kicks on Trey for a nearfall. Mance and Justice got back in the ring, and Justice was bleeding heavily over his face.
Gia got in the ring and hit Mance with a chairshot to the back, but he no-sold it. She unbuttoned her top to show off her black bra, but Mance grabbed her by the throat anyway. Mance and Justice chokeslammed Ace through a door for a nearfall, but Bey pulled the ref from the ring. Justice and Mance set up a double-decker door bridge. However, the Rascalz spraypainted Mance in the face, and they slammed Mance through the double-decker door bridge and pinned him. New champions! The Bullet Club lose the titles without getting pinned.
Final Thoughts: This show looked much better on paper than it turned out. The main event was a good brawl and earns best match. I’ll go with the show-opening Maclin-Swann brawl for second best, and I’m not a fan of brawling matches. The Romero three-way earns a distant third.
That said, this show had three vastly underwhelming matches from guys who I really, really like. Shelley’s match came in below expectations, which I rarely write. He played down to Palmer’s cartoonish antics. The Kushida-Gresham match looked like they were going 20+ minutes based on the mat-based, methodical first seven minutes; they suddenly sped it up for two minutes and went home. Just didn’t see that coming at all. And, everytime I see Johnny Hennigan wrestle, I think, “he just can’t help himself.” He’s so talented, but eventually the match breaks down to his juvenile comedy. It’s too bad because that match had so much potential and it didn’t live up to it. So, while I wouldn’t say any of those matches were “bad,” they didn’t live up to what I anticipated going in.
PWR does have great crowds in Iowa, and I think running in this venue about every other month ensures fans are hot and ready for their next shows.
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