By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Wrestling Open “Episode 194”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
September 18, 2025, in Worcester, Massachusetts, at Electric Haze
Paul Crockett, Brett Ryan Gosselin, Jake Gray, and Eye Black Jack Pasquale provided commentary over the course of the show. Again, this new location is a bit smaller and a bit darker than their old venue. Attendance was 150.
* Tonight’s show marks the second part of the “Jumbo Grand Prix.” Last year, we had 24 competitors in eight three-man, round-robin blocks. This year, there are just 12 competitors. (Last year, someone went 2-0 in all eight blocks; we had no tiebreakers.)
1. Christian Darling vs. Marvelous in a Discovery Gauntlet match. My first time seeing Marvelous, who looks like a young, short RUSH (if RUSH was 5’3″). Jake Gray and Jack Pasquale provided commentary on this one. Again, the winner comes back next week; there is no announced end date of the gauntlet. Darling has a great physique and towers over Marvelous. Marvelous hit a running kick to the side of the head.
Darling dropped him with Snake Eyes and hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 1:30. Darling easily hip-tossed the younger Marvelous. He hit a sideslam and a splash to the mat for a nearfall. He hit a running Mafia Kick, and he put Marvelous on his shoulders and dropped him to the mat for a nearfall at 3:30; I thought that was it. Darling hit some hard, LOUD chops, but Marvelous popped up and punched him in the jaw, then hit a Pele Kick. Marvelous hit a stunner for a nearfall. Darling hit a TKO stunner for the pin. Decent action; I never felt like Marvelous had a real shot of winning.
Christian Darling defeated Marvelous at 5:13 to advance in the Discovery Gauntlet.
* Gosselin and Crockett took over on commentary as the main show began. Crockett noted it has been three years since Alex Reynolds was last here.
2. Alex Reynolds vs. Ryan Clancy. A lockup and standing switches to open; even with Clancy’s improved physique, Reynolds is still a bit bigger. BRG talked about how he’s now dating Clancy’s ex-girlfriend (this was revealed a few weeks ago!) Good reversals on the mat; not much to describe. Clancy flipped him to the mat at 3:30, and Alex looked frustrated. He also seemed a bit rattled that the crowd was 100% behind Clancy. Reynolds tackled him, hit some punches to the face, and was booed.
Reynolds tied him up in the ropes. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Reynolds avoided a dropkick, and he kicked Clancy in the face, then a head-capture suplex; BRG giggled at watching Clancy get struck, and he went back to talking about how he’s taking care of Ryan’s “neglected” ex-girlfriend. Clancy hit a clothesline and a suplex for a nearfall at 9:00, and we have just one minute left in the time limit. They traded rollups until the time limit expired. Reynolds hit a post-match Pump Kick, and they brawled some more until Reynolds ducked out of the ring and headed to the back.
Alex Reynolds vs. Ryan Clancy went to a time-limit draw at 10:00.
* BRG stood up and said that Clancy “couldn’t get the job done … again.” BRG said everyone has been calling him “the bad guy” for taking care of Ryan’s ex-girlfriend… Brett said that Clancy is the bad guy for neglecting her. BRG said that she told him how much better he is than Clancy. Ryan challenged him to a match; BRG noted he’s not dressed to wrestle, and he reminded Ryan that he beat Ryan the last time they fought. Brett said that Ryan can beat Oxx Adams next week, and BRG will face Ryan.
3. Steven Stetson vs. Jermaine Marbury (0) (w/Benny the Basketball) in a Jumbo Grand Prix tournament match. This is Stetson’s first tournament match, while Jermaine lost last week, so a loss here eliminates Marbury. BRG returned to commentary and said he wants to punch Benny the Basketball; Crockett said he’s a sociopath. Basic reversals to open. Stetson choked him in the ropes. Jermaine got a backslide at 3:30, then a second-rope dunk on the head to the mat for a nearfall. Stetson clocked him with a one clothesline to the chest, then one to the back of the head for the clean pin. I’m not surprised Stetson won, but that was shockingly short.
Steven Stetson (3) defeated Jermaine Marbury (0) at 5:02.
4. “MINT” It’s Gal and Jose Zamora vs. “Handyman” Jake Gray and Eye Black Jack Pasquale. Pasquale and Gal opened, and Gal tied a leg lock around the neck, then he hit a shoulder tackle. Pasquale mockingly did push-ups on Gal’s back, and he hit a back-body drop and a bodyslam at 1:30. Jack bodyslammed teammate Gray onto Gal. Zamora tagged in, and the heels worked over the scrawny Gray. Gal hit a German Suplex for a nearfall at 4:00. Zamora hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall. The heels hit a team flapjack. Jake finally hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread on Gal, and he made the hot tag to Jack at 7:00. Pasquale clotheslined Gal to the floor, then he hit a springboard back elbow on Zamora, then a spear on Jose for the pin. That wrapped up quickly!
Eye Black Jack Pasquale and Jake Gray defeated It’s Gal and Jose Zamora at 7:20.
* Gal offered Jack a post-match handshake, and they shook hands. Crockett was confused by Gal showing some sportsmanship. Zamora and Gray each looked perplexed.
5. Love, Doug (0) vs. “Wonderboy” Brian Morris in a Jumbo Grand Prix tournament match. This is Morris’s first tournament match, while Doug lost last week. Doug charged at the younger Morris at the bell and hit some chops. He hit a Thesz Press and a back suplex. Morris hit a standing neckbreaker at 2:30 and a dropkick, and he was in charge, keeping Doug grounded. Doug hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread at 5:00. Doug threw rose petals in Brian’s face, and they brawled to the floor. Morris shoved Doug into a wall. The ref was counting! Doug bodyslammed him; he tried to get into the ring, but Morris held onto Doug’s foot as the ref counted to 10! A draw has eliminated Doug!
Love, Doug (1) vs. Brian Morris (1) ended in a double count-out at 6:07.
6. Danny Miles vs. Brad Hollister. Miles was holding an Opportunity Knocks contract; Crockett noted that each member of the Stetson Ranch brought it to the ring tonight. Why? Crockett was wondering what they had planned. Hollister has been largely inactive this summer, so it’s great to see him back; Crockett noted that Brad still had the longest title reign in Wrestling Open history. Hollister hit some chops in the corner. Despite both being ring vets, cagematch.net shows they have only shared a ring five times, with Miles winning their only one-on-one match, back in 2019! Miles tied up Brad’s arm in the ropes, and he targeted the elbow. He hit a senton on the damaged arm at 3:30.
Miles stomped on Hollister in the corner and stayed focused on the left arm. Brad fired up and hit some forearm strikes, then a German Suplex at 5:00. He hit a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall. Miles hit a Lungblower move to the face, then a gutbuster over his knees for a nearfall at 6:30. Brad got an inside cradle for the flash pin! Miles jumped on Hollister and kept punching him until Love, Doug ran in for the save.
Brad Hollister defeated Danny Miles at 7:34.
* Brad got on the mic and said, “Man, do I love Doug.” Hollister wants to win the tag titles with Doug, and he said they are going to show everyone “that Big Business runs the world.” They hugged, and Doug said, “I’d love that, but you need to talk to TJ about that.” Brad replied, “Don’t worry about TJ. I’ll make it alright.” Crockett reminded us that Hollister shook hands last week with Ryan Clancy, which has angered TJ Crawford, who has a bitter feud with TJ.
7. DJ Powers vs. Pedro Dones (3) in a Jumbo Grand Prix tournament match. This is DJ’s first tournament match; it also is at least match No. 102 this year, according to cagematch.net. DJ knocked him down with a shoulder tackle and celebrated in the crowd. Back in the ring, he dropped Dones with a back elbow. Dones hit a clothesline and a bodyslam at 2:30, then a back-body drop. They fought on the floor, and Powers accidentally chopped the ring post. Pedro bit DJ’s hand and slammed it on the apron! They got in the ring, and DJ regained control. He whimpered at the ref that “he bit my hand!”
DJ went to the floor and jawed at a boy, maybe age 7. He hit a bodyslam in the ring for a nearfall at 5:00. Gosselin said Powers is 19, but I’m pretty sure he’s 20. DJ hit a frogsplash. Pedro fired up and hit some clotheslines into the corner, then he put DJ on his shoulders and did an airplane spin-into-a-Samoan Drop. He missed his Bullseye (diving headbutt). Powers hit a frogsplash for the clean pin! The crowd chanted, “You still suck!” at him.
DJ Powers (3) defeated Pedro Dones (3) at 7:24.
* Rich Palladino said Dones is eliminated because DJ won in a shorter match than Pedro won last week. SO, if Sammy Diaz can beat Powers in less than 7:24 next week, Diaz will advance out of the block! (My unofficial records say that Dones beat Diaz last week, but it took him 10:30 to put Sammy away.)
* We saw footage of Vinny “VSK” Scalice, who is tired of being overlooked; this promo also aired Monday.
8. Joseph “A-Game” Alexander (0) vs. TJ Crawford in a Jumbo Grand Prix tournament match. This is Crawford’s first tournament match, while A-Game lost last week to Joe Ocasio. Cagematch.net records show they have shared the ring twice before — once in a four-way tag and once in a Rumble, so this is a first-ever singles match. An intense lockup to open. This crowd was hot and split. They sped it up with some quicker reversals, and A-Game hit a German Suplex at 2:00. TJ slammed him to the mat and took control. He hit a basement dropkick in the corner and got a nearfall at 5:00.
A-Game hit a running knee in the corner, a double-underhook suplex and a clothesline for a nearfall. The crowd was HOT and split. Crawford applied a Camel Clutch, and he switched to a Texas Cloverleaf at 7:00. Crawford hit a roundhouse kick; A-Game caught the leg on another attempt. A-Game hit a running knee to the back of the head at 9:00. TJ hit a snap Dragon Suplex for a nearfall, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant. Crawford hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 11:00. TJ hit a running knee, then the Silver Bullet spin kick to the head, then a powerbomb for the clean pin. That was really good. We got a “both these guys!” chant. A-Game is eliminated. They shook hands as the show came to a close.
TJ Crawford (3) defeated Joseph “A-Game” Alexander (0) at 12:04
Final Thoughts: I love tournaments, and I love how they’ve changed it up this year. A year ago, each block had someone go 2-0, someone go 1-1, and someone go 0-2. So, it’s interesting that we have a draw in one block, and a potential of a three-way tie in another block that will be determined by who wins a match the quickest. The main event takes best match, and I’ll go with Dones-Powers, then Hollister-Miles for third. I’m intrigued by always-heel Gal shaking hands, and what does that mean? And why did each member of the Stetson Ranch come out holding that Opportunity Knocks contract? And I thought Big Business was all on the same page again, so why is Love, Doug deferring to TJ Crawford? The little clues in the storylines add up so much here!
Noticeably absent tonight was a women’s match. Marvelous was fine in his debut, but I’ll add that he did not earn a “please come back!” chant from this crowd. That match is what I want from the spotlight match, though — two young, up-and-comers trying to gain attention and earn a trip back here. We have the final round-robin tournament matches next week, and no one has clinched a playoff spot. I watched this show live; it should be available on IWTV by Friday morning.
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