By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 185”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
July 17, 2025, in Worcester, Massachusetts, at Electric Haze
Paul Crockett, referee Scott Robinson, and Brother Greatness provided commentary over the course of the show. Again, this new location is a bit smaller and a bit darker than their old venue. The attendance was 250; by the time of the final few matches, it was packed.
1. JGeorge vs. Jay Lyon in a spotlight match. This is the third straight week these two have fought, and it’s really starting to feel like a rib that JGeorge is in virtually every spotlight match. Ref Robinson and Brother Greatness provided commentary on this one. Robinson noted that they have split the first two, so this is the rubber match. Lyon hit a rolling cannonball against the ropes. JGeorge stomped on him and kept Lyon grounded. He hit a Helluva Kick at 3:00 and a DDT for a nearfall. He went for a move off the ropes, but Lyon hit a Pounce. Lyon hit a swinging uranage and a Lionsault for the pin. Decent.
Jay Lyon defeated JGeorge at 4:29.
* JGeorge got on the mic and said this series needs to keep going — and going — until one of them wins two straight.
* “Summer Stunner” will be a two-show event on July 28 and July 31. (The storylines in Cranston, R.I., and Worcester, Mass., already crossover, so I’m not sure what makes this special. We’ll see.) We’re now on the main show, so Crockett was on commentary with Brother Greatness.
2. Joe Ocasio vs. “Handyman” Jake Gray. No students with Ocasio, which is a bit surprising. Gray just crossed past his 100th career match, which is an insane schedule for someone who has been wrestling fewer than two complete years. This should be a squash. They brawled briefly to the floor. In the ring, Ocasio hit an Electric Chair drop at 2:00 and he kept beating up the kid. Joe hit a belly-to-belly overhead release suplex. Gray hit a shotgun dropkick and a Lungblower to the chest at 4:30. Ocasio hit a leaping headbutt that popped the commentators. He hit his version of an F5 Slam for the easy pin. That’s exactly what it should have been.
Joe Ocasio defeated Jake Gray at 5:03.
3. Nick Rodriguez vs. Love, Doug. My first time seeing Nick, who is quite the narcissist, Crockett said he lost the Spotlight match on Monday, but I missed that. He apparently has just five or six matches under his belt. Nick did some lewd hip thrusts, then they locked up in a test of strength. Doug threw the petals and hit a back suplex and an elbow drop for a nearfall. Doug crashed face-first into the middle turnbuckle at 2:00. Rodriguez hit some chops; he’s short and thin, but a good physique on that tiny frame. Doug hit a bulldog and a clothesline and a springboard back elbow, then a Michinoku Driver for the pin. Decent.
Love, Doug defeated Nick Rodriguez at 4:06.
* It’s time for the Discovery Gauntlet. Charles Mason beat A-Game last week, ending A-Game’s six-week winning streak. So, Mason will be back here every week until he loses. There is no announced end date for the gauntlet.
4. Charles Mason vs. Sway Archer in a Discovery Gauntlet match. I’m fairly certain I’ve seen Sway in Create A Pro before; he has long, curly black hair. They stood across from each other, and Sway must be 6’2″. They traded punches, and Mason immediately went for a rear-naked choke, but Sway escaped and hit some armdrags and a dropkick at 1:00. Mason pushed him into the post, then hit a discus clothesline. He finally unbuttoned and removed his shirt, and he choked Archer in the ropes. Crockett wondered what Mason’s plans are in Wrestling Open. Sway hit a rolling elbow and a back suplex for a nearfall at 4:30. Mason locked in the rear-naked choke, and Sway frantically tapped out. Solid.
Charles Mason defeated Sway Archer at 5:12 to advance in the Discovery Gauntlet.
On Monday, the matches will include Dustin Waller and Oxx Adams vs. Love, Doug, and Ichiban, plus Brad Baylor vs. Bobby Orlando.
5. Tyler Jordan vs. Pedro Dones. Jordan is an impressive talent from Cleveland-based AIW, and I’ve compared him to Jason Jordan. They locked up, and Jordan is more than a head taller than Pedro; I’ll guess it’s about 6’3″ vs. 5’7″. Tyler tossed Pedro into a corner and punched him. Pedro fired back with some chops and a big back-body drop at 2:00. Jordan nailed a powerslam. He hit a back suplex but made a cocky cover for a nearfall. He nailed a hard clothesline for a nearfall at 4:00. Pedro got some rollups. Jordan hit a Koppo Kick to the jaw for a nearfall.
Jordan applied a headlock and kept Pedro grounded, then he hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 6:00. Jordan missed a frogsplash, and Pedro immediately cut him in half with a spear, and they were both down. They traded chops and Pedro hit a flying back elbow. Dones hit an Airplane Spin-into-a-Samoan Drop. Jordan’s head hit the post, and Pedro immediately hit a leaping headbutt for the pin. Easily the best match of the night so far. Jordan is so good, but he needs to start picking up wins here.
Pedro Dones defeated Tyler Jordan at 8:11.
* Pedro got on the mic and called out Joe Ocasio, as Joe is “the life-changer” and the leader of the new heel rookie faction. Dones called him out to a match at the Summer Stunner.
6. Gabby Forza vs. Cosmic. Cosmic is a green-haired girl who won her match last week and called out Forza. Gabby is visibly thicker and stronger. They locked up, and Gabby easily threw her to the mat. Gabby did an airplane spin-into-a-Samoan Drop and a running clothesline into the corner. Cosmic applied a leg lock around Gabby’s neck. Cosmic hit a clothesline at 3:00 and a leg lariat in the corner. Gabby tossed her to the mat. Cosmic hit a bodyslam for a nearfall at 5:00.
They got up and traded forearm strikes. Cosmic hit a huracanrana and a kick to the back of the head for a nearfall. Gabby hit a clothesline and a Polish Hammer, then a wind-up bodyslam and a Vader Bomb for a nearfall at 7:00. They went to the mat and Cosmic tied her in a version of a Rings of Saturn, but Gabby got a hand on the ropes. Cosmic wouldn’t let go of the hold! The ref counted to five and finally disqualified Cosmic. I expected that to be short and an easy win for Gabby. Gabby got to her feet and sold pain in her shoulder from being in that hold so long.
Gabby Forza defeated Cosmic via DQ at 8:23.
7. Sammy Diaz and Mani Ariez (w/Brother Greatness) vs. Sean “Vegan” Keegan and Kalvin Dumont. I just saw Dumont and Keegan for a second time each on a Chaotic Wrestling show from last week. Keegan’s whole look and character feels exactly like Juice Robinson’s NXT gimmick when he was CJ Parker. Dumont is slender, short, and clearly new. The key storyline here is that Diaz hasn’t trusted anyone in a long time, but he’s giving Ariez a chance. Brother Greatness returned to commentary after introductions. Sammy opened and hit some chops on Dumont.
Keegan and Mani locked up at 1:30, with Ariez hitting a shotgun dropkick for a nearfall. Mani hit a bodyslam, and Sammy hit a slingshot senton as they worked over Keegan. Keegan hit a running boot on Sammy and began working Diaz over. Keegan dropped teammate Dumont onto Sammy. Mani got a hot tag at 6:00 and beat up both newcomers. He dropkicked Dumont into Keegan. Sammy hit a frogsplash for the pin. Solid; this was all about giving Sammy and Mani a strong team win, and it accomplished that goal.
Sammy Diaz and Mani Ariez defeated Kalvin Dumont and Sean Keegan at 7:09.
8. Steven Stetson vs. TJ Crawford. None of the Stetson Ranch members joined Steve to the ring. They brawled at the bell. Stetson is around 6’2″ and has maybe a four-inch height advantage. TJ hit a running Penalty Kick for a nearfall at 2:00. They brawled to ringside. In the ring, TJ stomped on Stetson and hit a basement dropkick in the corner at 5:30. Stetson took control, and the crowd had a unique profanity-laden chant for him that is just funny. Stetson hit a back suplex at 8:00, dropped TJ snake-eyes, and hit a Mafia Kick for a nearfall.
Stetson continued to stomp on TJ and keep him grounded. He ducked the Silver Bullet spin kick. TJ hit a back suplex, and they were both down at 11:00. They got up and traded forearm strikes and chops. TJ hit a series of spin kicks to the thighs. TJ applied an STF, and the crowd taunted Stetson to tap out. Stetson nailed a brainbuster for a believable nearfall at 15:00 as a time-check was spot-on. TJ hit a frog splash for a nearfall. They got up and traded more punches. Stetson caught TJ coming in and hit a powerbomb. TJ immediately sold pain in his neck upon landing, and the ref checked on him. An EMT came to ringside, but Stetson dragged him back into the middle of the ring and hit another standing powerbomb! The ref was going to call for the bell, but TJ stopped him! TJ hit the Silver Bullet and an Angle Slam for a believable nearfall, but Stetson got a foot on the ropes! The bell rang and we had a draw.
Steven Stetson vs. TJ Crawford went to a time-limit draw at 20:00. (I had it at 20:04, but close enough!)
* Love, Doug got into the ring to check on TJ. Stetson grabbed a steel chair and he clocked Doug with it. The fans chanted profanities at Stetson as Steve headed to the back to conclude the show.
Final Thoughts: A very good main event and I fully expected a non-finish or some type of outside interference leading to the decision. Point being, I didn’t think either Stetson or Crawford were eating a clean pin, and that wound up being the case. This crowd hates Stetson but I’ll reiterate what I’ve written before — he just returned from a several-month stint at the NJPW dojo in California and he’s a much stronger wrestler for it. I really liked the Pedro-Jordan match for second, and I’ll go with Gabby-Cosmic for third. I really am impressed with Jordan.
We had three debuts here. Again, I’ve seen both Dumont and Keegan before; they are both alright but I’m not clamoring to see them back either. Nick Rodriguez was also solid for a kid who has fewer than 10 matches; Crockett raved about him but I thought he was merely solid. I’m certainly open to seeing all three back. I watched this show live; it should be posted on IWTV by Friday morning.
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