By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Wrestling Open RI “Episode 29”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
October 20, 2025, in Cranston, Rhode Island, at Rhodes On The Pawtuxet
Wrestling Open is continuing its Thursday shows in Worcester, Massachusetts, while adding these Monday events. This is an attractive two-story, white ballroom, and the lighting is really good. Paul Crockett, Drew Cordeiro, referee Scott Robinson, and a person with the first name of Chris (unsure of his last name) provided commentary over the course of the show. The crowd was maybe 100-125.
* Four big matches were announced in advance, including two first-round matches in the Eliminator Cup Tag Tournament.
1. Harleen Lopez vs. Liviyah in a spotlight match. I’ve seen Harleen a few times, notably in Create A Pro. She was announced as being from New Jersey and was booed; she’s tough-as-nails like AEW’s Diamante. Ref Scott Robinson and Chris provided commentary on this one. Liviyah hit a huracanrana, a Helluva Kick and a shotgun dropkick. Harleen shoved Liviyah shoulder-first into a corner at 1:30 and got a nearfall at 1:30. Lopez took control and hit some suplexes. Liviyah hit a flying shoulder tackle at 4:00, then the Eye of the Hurricane (inverted DDT) for the pin.
Liviyah defeated Harleen Lopez at 4:29.
* Gabby Forza came to the ring. Last week, Liviyah challenged Gabby to a match. Gabby noted that they are “pals and friends,” and she accepted the challenge for Wrestling Open 200 in about 11 days! They shook hands and pulled each other in close, but no punches were thrown.
* Crockett took over solo on commentary as the main show got underway.
2. “Simply The Best” Brett Ryan Gosselin and Oxx Adams vs. Ichiban and Brando Lee in an Eliminator Cup first-round match. The heels came out first; BRG got on the mic, but the crowd drowned him out with “The worst! The worst!” chants. Oxx grabbed Ichiban and chokeslammed him, then he beat up Brando. The crowd tried a “you can’t wrestle!” chant at the massive seven-footer. The heels took turns working over Lee; Crockett wondered if Ichiban would even be able to get up.
BRG hit a short-arm clothesline on Lee for a nearfall at 1:30. Oxx hit a hard clothesline and was booed. Oxx is wearing his awful futuristic Tron gear just to annoy me; the guy looks like Brody King with all those tattoos, and he’s hiding it. Lee low-bridged the top rope to see Oxx to the floor, then he got a flash rollup to pin BRG! Wow! Crockett pointed out that Ichiban held onto Oxx’s leg so he couldn’t get back into the ring in time to make the save.
Ichiban and Brando Lee defeated “Simply The Best” Brett Ryan Gosselin and Oxx Adams at 3:35 to advance to the semifinals.
3. Bear Bronson vs. Will Kroos. These are two BIG dudes! I’ll reiterate that UK star Kroos has the look of a young Sami Callihan but the size and build of Bronson Reed; he even makes Bronson look small! Any other week, this could be the main event. An intense lockup to open. Kroos knocked him down with a shoulder tackle, but Bronson hit a bodyslam at 1:30, sending Kroos to the floor to regroup. So, Bear dove through the ropes onto Kroos! In the ring, Kroos hit a splash in the corner, then a massive senton. “That’s why the ring was reinforced tonight,” Crockett said.
Kroos hit a bodyslam for a nearfall. Bronson hit a butt drop onto Kroos’ chest at 4:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Bronson nailed a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall. Kroos hit a pop-up powerbomb, then a rolling cannonball in the corner for a nearfall. Bronson hit a clothesline, then a Choke Bomb for the clean pin. Short but hard-hitting. Bear raised Kroos’s hand, but Will hit a clothesline, then a sit-out piledriver, and was LOUDLY booed.
Bear Bronson defeated Will Kroos at 6:53.
* Kroos got on the mic and wanted a rematch on Thursday!
4. “Miracle Generation” Kylon King and Dustin Waller vs. “Starstruck” Channing Thomas and Anthony Greene in an Eliminator Cup first-round match. Channing and Kylon traded some good reversals early on. Greene got in and targeted Kylon’s left arm. (While it hasn’t been released yet, I’ll note that Miracle Generation had a match Sunday for Deadlock Pro in North Carolina.) Greene and Waller brawled to the floor. The MG regrouped on the floor at 3:30, but SS followed them. Waller hit a plancha, but Star Struck caught him and threw him onto Kylon. In the ring, Greene hit a running neckbreaker on Waller, and Channing got a nearfall on Dustin.
The Miracle Generation began working over Channing, with Kylon hitting a senton at 5:30. Waller applied a Figure Four on Thomas. Kylon applied a Boston Crab at 7:30. Dustin hit a guillotine leg drop for a nearfall. Greene finally made the hot tag and hit a twisting crossbody block, then a running neckbreaker. He dropped Waller stomach-first at 9:30 and was fired up, hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall, but Kylon made the save. All four brawled. Greene hit a superkick on Waller. Channing hit a top-rope team elbow drop move for a nearfall.
Waller hit a Lethal Injection, and Kylon hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. We got a “This is awesome!” chant. The MG hit stereo kicks in the corner on Channing. King hit a superplex on Channing, but they had a near double-pin upon landing at 12:30. Kylon hit a huracanrana on Greene. Greene got pushed into the ropes, where Waller struck him in the head with a chair! Kylon immediately rolled up Greene for the tainted pin. Crockett was livid, calling it “an absolute thievery.”
“Miracle Generation” Dustin Waller and Kylon King defeated “Starstruck” Channing Thomas and Anthony Greene at 13:11 to advance to the semifinals.
5. Marcus Mathers vs. Ryan Clancy for the IWTV World Title. This is quite the marquee matchup! Clancy came out to Garbage’s “The World Is Not Enough” at 7:46 local (EST) time; how long are they going that we have just four matches on the main show? This is starting so early, I’m thinking it might go to a time-limit draw. Beyond Wrestling promoter Drew “Denver Colorado” Cordeiro joined Crockett on commentary during the ring introductions, and he said Mathers has had 21 successful title defenses. Clancy has a brace/harness on his left shoulder. They shook hands at the bell, and we had a feeling-out process. A check of their Cagematch.net records shows they have shared the ring six times, but were teammates five of them; this is a first-ever singles match! (The other match, where they would have actually locked up, was a four-way that neither man won.)
Good mat reversals early on, with neither man getting much of an advantage. Clancy hit a knee drop to the sternum at 6:30. Clancy applied an abdominal stretch. (It just hit 8 p.m. local time; yeah, these guys could easily be going an hour!) Mathers hit his own knee drop to the sternum. Clancy hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 8:30. Mathers hit a mule kick to the jaw, then a hard back elbow. He hit a hard boot in the ropes for a nearfall, and he kept Clancy grounded. Mathers hit a suplex for a nearfall at 11:30. He hit a rolling cannonball in the corner for a nearfall at 13:00. Clancy hit a Sabre-style neck-snap between his ankles, then a running Blockbuster.
Clancy hit a butterfly suplex for a nearfall at 15:00, and he kept Mathers grounded. They fought to the floor, where Clancy dropped him back-first on the ring apron. In the ring, Clancy hit a standing neckbreaker for a nearfall at 17:30. He applied a cravat and kept Mathers grounded. Marcus hit a top-rope crossbody block at 19:30 and a leg lariat, then a fadeaway stunner and a Blue Thunder Bomb. Mathers applied a half-crab at 21:30, then he switched to an Indian Death Lock (modified Figure Four). Clancy hit a headbutt to escape the submission hold, and they were both down at 23:30. They again went to the floor, where Clancy dropped him stomach-first on the apron.
In the ring, Clancy hit a powerbomb and immediately flipped him into a Boston Crab, then into a Figure Four, and a 25-minute call was spot-on. Clancy hit a second-rope superplex, but Marcus held on and hit a twisting suplex, and they were both down, as we got a “This is awesome!” chant. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees. They got up and traded chops. Mathers hit his Ospreay-style heel hook kick to the jaw. Clancy hit a Picture Perfect dropkick for a nearfall at 29:00. Mathers hit his one dropkick for a nearfall at 30:30. They fought to the floor, where Clancy hit a Tombstone Piledriver onto a thin mat at ringside at 32:00!
Both dove back into the ring to avoid a double count-out. (It seemed like a highly likely outcome.) Mathers hit a standing powerbomb at 35:00, then a top-rope 450 Splash for a believable nearfall. Mathers hit his fisherman’s buster, then a second and third! Mathers went for the top-rope 450 Splash, but Clancy got his knees up! Clancy hit another Picture Perfect dropkick, then another one for the pin! New champion!!!
Ryan Clancy defeated Marcus Mathers to win the IWTV World Title at 38:34.
* The crowd gave them a “both these guys!” chant as Mathers shook Clancy’s hand and put the belt around his waist. They hugged again and pointed at each other, then Mathers left. Classy; I’m loving everything about this. “What a match, what a moment,” Crockett said.
* Bear Bronson came to the ring, and he was carrying the “Opportunity Knocks” contract! However, he was limping, too, after his (shorter) war earlier. “Are these two going to duke it out right now?” Cordeiro asked. Bear got on the mic, still upset that Clancy dropkicked him last week and cost them their spot in the Eliminator Cup. He doesn’t know if Clancy did it on purpose or not. Bear said he wanted the Eliminator Cup, “and you took it away from me.” So, he wants to take away Clancy’s title! He said he’ll cash in “when the time is right.” (So, he’s not doing it right now.)
Final Thoughts: A tremendous main event. I think very few matches should go 25+ minutes, but this warranted it and they deserved it, and it certainly never dragged… I was still thinking it was going to last longer than this. I truly didn’t expect a title change, either. I knew Bear would be out again before the show ended, so I’m glad he didn’t play any part in the finish of the match.
Everything clicked here, and sometimes it’s okay to have that sub-four-minute match out of nowhere, just to keep everyone on their toes. No complaints at all. I watched this live; check it out when it goes up on IWTV, likely by Tuesday morning.
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