By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, MLW, ROH, 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
Chicago Style Wrestling “Once Upon a Time in Chicago”
April 19, 2024 in Franklin Park, Illinois at American Legion Post 974
Available for streaming via Independentwrestling.tv
The match I tuned in to see — Skye Blue versus her boyfriend, Kyle Fletcher, featuring special referee Will Ospreay — was edited off the stream of the event. Skye Blue was slated to face Missa Kate in the semi-main event. Skye Blue came to the ring first and got on the mic. Kate’s music played, but Skye Blue grabbed the mic. “For those of you who don’t know, the little bitch didn’t want to lose to me so she’s not here,” Skye Blue said.
She said “if there is any talent in the back worth my time, because I have to go to Collision tomorrow, come out here and prove it.” The announcers were shocked that she made an open challenge.
However, the screen froze with the following statement: “At this time, we’re unable to show you this match on our IWTV broadcast. We’re sorry! We do love all the photos & footage our fans, photographers & content creators have been sharing online to show that yes, it actually happened!”
Nowhere in the online version, or the written description of the show on IWTV, does it mention Ospreay or Fletcher by name.
Here is a review of the rest of the event:
* The show opens with Stallion eating at an outdoor cafe and receiving a call, telling him he has a match against the Hatekeepers. Stallion drove to pick up Cypher, who wears a scary Abyss-style mask. Stallion suggested he ditch the mask; Cypher responded by grabbing Stallion by the throat and ordering him to drive.
To the event! This appears to be a small VFW, and the crowd is maybe 100-150.
1. “Hatekeepers” Jay Marston & Shain Boucher (w/Shane Hollister) defeated Cypher & Stallion at 8:23. Yes, the Abyss comparison is apt for the tall, scary Cypher. Stallion is scrawny by comparison. Cypher easily tossed The Hatekeepers around. The heels worked over Stallion in their corner. Shain has wavy, curly blondish hair and a tattoo going down his spine. Boucher hit a top-rope double stomp on Stallion for the pin. Solid opener; standard tag match.
2. Solomon Tupu defeated 1 Called Manders at 13:28. I have compared Tupu to a smaller, thinner Bronson Reed, but they have the same wide face and beard; he also looks a bit like Miro. An intense lockup early on and Manders dropped him with a shoulder tackle. They traded chops and Manders hit Sheamus-style blows to the chest as Tupu was tied in the ropes. They brawled to the floor at 5:00 and traded blows in front of the fans. Manders accidentally chopped the ring post, and Tupu took control.
In the ring, Manders dropped him stomach-first across the top rope at 7:00 and he hit more chops but sold the pain in his hand. Tupu hit a fisherman’s suplex at 9:30. He hit a shotgun dropkick and a rolling cannonball into the corner for a nearfall. Manders hit a dive through the ropes to the floor. In the ring, he hit a decapitating clothesline for a believable nearfall at 11:30. He hit another one for another nearfall. Tupu caught him and hit a uranage for a nearfall. Tupu nailed a top-rope frog splash for the pin! I didn’t expect that. A good brawling big-man match.
3. Shelly Benson defeated Aminah Belmont and Heather Reckless in a three-way to retain the CSW Women’s Title at 9:44. I’ve seen Belmont twice in the past couple of months; she is Black and thin. Reckless is 4’9″ and a regular on AEW/ROH TV matches when AEW comes through the Midwest. Benson came out last, but Belmont dove through the ropes onto her as she approached the ring. In the ring, Shelly hit a sliding clothesline for a nearfall on Belmont at 1:30. Belmont hit a step-up enzuigiri. She hit a running double knees to the back of Shelly. Reckless hit a German Suplex on Belmont.
Reckless hit a running kick in the corner on Belmont for a nearfall at 4:00. Reckless applied a crossface on Belmont, but Shelly made the save. Heather tied them both up! Belmont hit a Doomsday Device clothesline on Belmont, and they were all down at 6:30. They traded forearms and chops while on their knees. Belmont hit a fadeaway stunner for a nearfall on Shelly, but Reckless hit a senton to break it up. Reckless hit a Tombstone Piledriver on Belmont at 8:30. Benson hit an Unprettier faceplant on Reckless for a nearfall. Benson then hit an Unprettier on Belmont for the pin. Solid match and well laid-out.
4. Eric Schultz defeated Steve Boz in a lumberjack match at 10:40. We have maybe 15 lumberjacks. Schultz is an attorney, so Luca Crucafino is an easy comparison. Boz is muscular with his hair tied back in a ponytail. They locked up and Boz easily shoved him to the mat; Schultz rolled to the floor and the lumberjacks quickly tossed him back in. Boz hit a huracanrana at 2:00; he set up for a dive to the floor but stopped. All the lumberjacks were fighting on the floor and this was chaos! Boz was tripped as he suplexed Schultz back into the ring, allowing Schultz to hit some punches to the face.These lumberjacks just won’t stop fighting each other.
Schultz was now in control and hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall at 4:30. Boz suplexed Schultz off the top rope and onto all the lumberjacks on the floor. In the ring, Boz hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 8:00, but the ref got pulled to the floor! Schultz hit Boz in the head with an object while the ref was distracted and got a believable nearfall. Suddenly some of the lumberjacks jumped in the ring, but Boz beat up each one until they overwhelmed him. Schultz hit a stunner for the cheap pin.
* Backstage, Jake Parnell spoke with Tup, Shain and Jay Marston about his match later.
5. Marshe Rockett defeated Richard Holliday at 11:08. The tall, Black, bald Rockett is a Midwest veteran and wrestles in NWA; I’ve attended indy shows where he has faced Rhino at one event and Carlito Colon at another. They brawled at the bell, and Rockett is taller and thicker. Rockett hit a bodyslam and a kneedrop to the forehead. They brawled to the floor and Holliday bodyslammed him on the floor at 2:30. In the ring, Holliday hit a guillotine legdrop for a nearfall. Rockett hit some clotheslines and a powerslam for a nearfall at 5:30, and they were both down.
Marshe caught him with an impressive dropkick; he’s a big guy to do that. He nailed a Spinebuster for a nearfall at 7:00. Holliday hit a superkick, then a stunner for a nearfall. Holliday hit some chops that Rockett barely sold. Holliday put him in the Torture Rack, then slammed him to the mat for a nearfall at 10:00. Marshe cut him in half with a spear for the pin. Good match.
6. “Big Mood” Jack Moody and Mateo Valentine vs. Joey Avalon and Sierra ended in a draw at 10:42; Avalon and Sierra retained the CSW Tag Team Titles. Big Mood came out first; Avalon and Sierra attacked them from behind and they immediately brawled on the floor. The bell finally rang at 1:00 to officially begin, as they chopped Moody in the ring. Moody reminds me of Chris Hero in his looks, height and being a bit overweight. Mateo is a short, heavyset Latino. Moody hit a senton on Sierra for a nearfall at 2:30. Avalon and Sierra worked Mateo over in their corner. Moody hit a guillotine leg drop on Sierra for a nearfall at 6:00.
The heels began working her over in their corner. Mateo hit a clothesline, gave the crowd the middle finger, and got a nearfall on her. The bigger Avalon made the hot tag and beat up the heels, hitting a spinebuster on Mateo, dropping him onto Moody at 8:00. Mateo hit a hard knee strike to Joey’s chin. Moody accidentally hit a forearm on Mateo. Sierra hit a German Suplex on Moody. All four brawled and ignored the referee, and one of them pushed the ref. The referee was clearly livid and called for the bell and threw the match out.
7. Inestra, Jax Johnson, and Ryan Matthews defeated Rafael Quintero, Gringo Loco, and Axel Rico at 10:43. Rico wore shiny pink pants. Quintero makes me think of WCW-era El Dandy and he opened with Jax and hit a huracanrana. Jax is a thin Black man and I don’t think I’ve seen him before. Matthews wore purple trunks and at first glance I thought it was Kyle Fletcher (and I knew he was coming up next.) Inestra and Loco squared off at 1:30, and the crowd was loudly behind Loco. Rico dove through the ropes onto Johnson and Matthews.
Inestra hit a dive and everyone was down on the floor. In the ring, Jax tied up Rico on the mat. Jax hit a nice dropkick for a nearfall at 6:30, and they kept Rico in their corner. Loco got the hot tag and he hit a handspring-back-elbow. Quintero hit a springboard flying forearm and a dropkick, then a rolling Death Valley Driver. Loco hit a top-rope moonsault, then a flip dive to the floor at 8:00. Loco slipped and fell off the top rope but he hopped to his feet and hit a stunner; glad to hear no “you f’d up” chants. Inestra hit a powerslam. Loco hit a face plant move on Inestra, who rolled to the floor. Jax hit a Canadian Destroyer on Loco. Matthews hit a backpack stunner move to pin Rico. That was really good action.
8. Kyle Fletcher defeated Skye Blue with Will Ospreay as special referee. Read my description above. There are clips of them wrestling on Twitter/X and I’m sure elsewhere.
9. “Warhorse” Jake Parnell defeated Conan Lycan to win the Chicago Style Title at 24:39. I must reiterate how Warhorse has abandoned the goofy face paint, the red-and-yellow, and no longer is “here to rule ass!” Instead, he wears all black and just appears sinister. I love the complete overhaul of his persona. They brawled at the bell. Conan hit a Black Hole Slam at 1:30. Parnell hit a double stomp off the apron onto Lycan’s back, then a baseball slide dropkick to the floor. Conan hit an impressive standing moonsault, then a second-rope moonsault for a nearfall at 5:30. Parnell hit a running knee into the corner, then an exploder suplex, for a nearfall.
They traded chops, and Parnell applied a rear-naked choke. He hit an enzuigiri at 9:00. Lycan dove through the ropes onto Parnell. Parnell fired back by hitting his own flip dive through the ropes, and they were both down on the floor. In the ring, Lycan hit a buckle bomb, but Warhorse hit a clothesline and they were both down again. Warhorse got a chair from under the ring; Lycan went to dive onto him but Jake hit him with the chair at 12:00. A commentator said that Lycan won by DQ! Parnell walked over and talked to the commentator, who headed to the back. He came back out and said this match will continue as a no-DQ match.
Lycan hit an F5, but Warhorse rolled to the floor before he could be pinned. They fought more on the floor, with Lycan in charge. He dumped Warhorse over the guardrail and onto some open chairs at 15:30. They brawled away from the ring; sometimes this was dark and hard to see. Jake leapt off the top rope and hit an elbow drop to the floor at 18:00. They got back into the ring, but Warhorse accidentally hit a chair that was wedged into the corner. Lycan hit a Blue Thunder Bomb, then a top-rope 450 Splash for a believable nearfall at 19:30. Shane Hollister appeared at ringside and distracted Lycan; Shane hopped in the ring but Lycan beat him up, and Shane’s cronies too.
However, Parnell hit a low blow uppercut on Lycan. Shain Boucher and Jay Marston hit kicks on Lycan. Warhorse hit a top-rope elbow drop for a believable nearfall at 22:00. Solomon Tupu came out from the back and he got in the ring, too. However, he hit Parnell in the head with a title belt! Boucher hit Tupu. Tupu fought off Boucher and Marston, and they brawled to the floor. Lycan leapt to the floor onto five guys. He went back to the top rope and went for a Swanton Bomb, but Warhorse got his knees up! Warhorse grabbed the title belt, hit Lycan in the head with it, and scored the tainted pin. New champion!
* Out of the back came EC3 and he has his NWA title belt. He held it above his head and glared at Warhorse. Likewise, Warhorse held his newly-won Windy City Wrestling belt above his head. He left the ring without them physically touching.
Final Thoughts: I was really disappointed the Skye Blue-Kyle Fletcher stuff was removed because I thought that would be fun, especially with Ospreay as referee. I assume that Fletcher’s and Ospreay’s contracts must have some type of non-compete clause that prevented their appearance from being streamed, and even mentioned. Obviously, Skye Blue still is keeping a busy indy schedule along with her AEW dates.
The main event earns best match, even with all the outside interference and chaos. I liked the Loco six-man tag for second and a really good Manders-Tupu match for third. The lumberjack match was fine, as was Rockett-Holliday. Just a few negatives. The opener was merely okay, and the team of Moody and Valentine didn’t do much for me.
Be the first to comment