By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Northern Federation of Wrestling “Showcase III”
Streamed on IWTV.com
December 6, 2024 in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey at The Mecca
Unfortunately, the crowd is maybe 50-75. Macrae Martin recently had a concussion and is off the show.
* NFW champion Ryan Clancy came to the ring, dressed in street clothes, and has a shoulder injury. (I presume this is a work, as he has been wrestling elsewhere.) He complained about TJ Crawford attacking him and taking him out. He said he has a ‘fractured left shoulder’ and isn’t cleared to compete tonight. TJ Crawford jumped in the ring and snapped Clancy’s left arm over the top rope and stomped on the ‘injured’ shoulder! The promoter told Crawford that when Clancy is healthy, they can do this match and settle the issue once and for all!
1. Juni Underwood vs. Myung-Jae Lee vs. Brett Ryan Gosselin in a three-way. BRG came out last, dressed in his black, furry jacket and he wore his sunglasses and was heavily booed. The babyfaces chopped BRG and sent him to the floor. Lee dropkicked Juni and hit a Meteora. Juni hit a running Penalty Kick on BRG and got a nearfall at 2:00. He tossed Brett off the corner to the mat. Brett came off the top rope but Lee kicked him in the gut, then Lee hit a German Suplex on Brett. BRG hit a DDT out of the ropes on Lee for a nearfall at 4:00.
Juni hit a clothesline to the back of BRG’s head. Lee hit some clotheslines. Juni hit a basement dropkick as Lee was tied in the Tree of Woe. The babyfaces again took turns kicking Brett. Juni and Lee traded slaps to the face, then chops, and Juni hit a Dominator swinging faceplant for a nearfall. Lee hit a DDT on Juni, then a running knee for a believable nearfall at 8:00. They did a tower spot out of the corner, and Brett immediately got a jackknife cover on Juni, and BRG put his feet on the ropes for added leverage to get the tainted pin. Decent action.
Brett Ryan Gosselin defeated Myung-Jae Lee and Juni Underwood at 9:15.
* Juni got on the mic. He is frustrated that he keeps getting pinned whenever he’s in the ring with M-J Lee. He offered a handshake to Lee, and they hugged.
2 “Edge of Hope” Mattick and Cerin Rahne vs. “Post Game” Mike Walker and Vinny Talotta for the NFW Tag Team Titles. I’ve seen EoH before in northern NY promotions; they are like the Forgotten Sons. PG are like cocky frat boys but are the de facto babyfaces here; I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from them in prior matches. Walker and the taller Mattick opened. Mattick is listed online at 6’1″ and 200 pounds, but that gut tells me he’s closer to 230. Talotta and Rahne then traded reversals on the mat. Talotta tossed Walker onto Rahne and they got a nearfall at 3:30.
The heels began working over Walker and kept him in their corner. Rahne hit a senton for a nearfall. Talotta got the hot tag at 8:00 and hit some dropkicks. Walker hit a springboard crossbody block on Mattick. Rahne hit a DDT for a nearfall, then a Slumdog Millionaire stunner on Talotta. The EoH hit a team Flatliner faceplant and pinned Talotta. Decent match.
Mattick and Cerin Rahne defeated Mike Walker and Vinny Talotta to retain the NFW Tag Team Titles at 10:29.
3. Delmi Exo vs. Troy Locke in an intergender match. I don’t know Locke; he’s white and of average size with a long, dark mullet, and looks a bit crazy. Exo is tall and wore her tiara; she might have an inch on him, and she twisted his left arm early on. He hit a butterfly suplex at 2:00. She hit a missile dropkick. She hit some chops. Locke nailed a Divorce Court armbreaker at 5:00. He hit some forearms and yanked her to the mat by her left arm. She nailed a superkick at 8:00. She hit a clothesline and a package piledriver for the pin. Decent. Delmi looks fairly believable against a guy her size.
Delmi Exo defeated Troy Locke at 9:05.
4. TJ Crawford vs. Junior Benito. Two marquee indy talents here. Benito hit a standing neckbreaker for a nearfall at 2:00. He kept swatting and kicking TJ on the butt for some comedy spots early on. Crawford hit a sideslam for a nearfall at 5:00. He choked Benito and kept him grounded. Benito hit a forward Finlay Roll then a senton for a nearfall at 7:30. Crawford hit a Tower of London neckbreaker off the corner, and they were both down. Crawford hit a series of kicks. Crawford got a rollup with a handful of tights for the pin. Decent match; I admittedly hoped for a bit more here.
TJ Crawford defeated Junior Benito at 10:02.
5. London Lightning vs. Haddy. These two guys likely drove together (with Benito and Lee) from Canada; they are all regulars in Canada’s C4 Wrestling. Lightning is a top-tier rising star and he must have recently gotten his work permit, as he just made his U.S. debut. Haddy reminds me of former WWE wrestler Sanga, but shorter. An intense lockup and standing switches early on. Haddy began twisting London’s left leg, and he got in the face of a fan and yelled at him. London sold the pain in his leg, and Haddy chop-blocked it at 7:00. Haddy stomped on the left elbow. London dropped Haddy’s throat on the top rope, and they traded punches. Lightning hit a HHH-style Pedigree and scored the pin! Decent match.
London Lightning defeated Haddy at 11:13.
6. Tate Mayfairs vs. Rip Byson vs. Akira in a three-way. Tate is a UK talent who has been on a U.S. tour for the past month. I’ve noted before that Byson looks almost like Damian Sandow but shorter. Tate got on the mic and demanded the fans be quiet and show him respect. All three brawled to the floor to open and fought in the front row next to fans who were, um, unwilling to move. They fought over to the commentary table. Akira gave Tate a paper cut on his lips. Akira hit an elbow drop from the apron to the floor at 4:00, and they finally got into the ring! Akira and Tate traded some good reversals in the ring, but Tate hit a punch to the ribs at 6:00 and stretched Akira.
Byson got both guys on his shoulders and hit a Samoan Drop at 8:00! He tried to pin each man but got two-counts. Akira hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Byson for a nearfall. Tate got a chair and struck Byson in the back with it. Tate hit a chair shot on Akira’s back, too, then a DDT onto the folded chair for a nearfall at 11:00. Tate hit a jumping knee to the jaw, then a twisting neckbreaker on Akira for a believable nearfall. Byson chokeslammed Tate onto the folded chair. Byson nailed a gut-wrench powerbomb on Akira for a believable nearfall. Akira hit a Pele Kick on Byson, then a German Suplex, then a diving forearm to the jaw for a nearfall. Akira suplexed Byson onto a chair. However, Tate jumped in the ring and tossed Akira to the floor, and he jumped on Byson to steal the pin. You see this finish a lot but it works.
Tate Mayfair defeated Rip Byson and Akira at 13:29.
Final Thoughts: I feel bad for wrestlers when they show up and there are clearly fewer than 100 fans in attendance. How do you pay wages for 16 wrestlers, referees, camera/commentary/production, and the building rental fee, on the gate of 50-75 fans? Yes, I know they get payment for me watching it on IWTV, and maybe a sponsor or two… but I don’t see how this is a break-even night for them, and that’s too bad, because there was enough talent on this lineup to convince me to tune in. After all, Akira, Crawford and Delmi have all had appearances in MLW. I consider Lightning to be a rising star and was on my list of guys that could/should receive a WWE ID contract.
The main event started with a basic brawl in the crowd but it really picked up in the ring in the second half and that was the best match. While I know Crawford-Benito have a much better match in them, that gets second, and the opening trio earns third. Nothing must-see here, but a lot of potential on this roster.
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