By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Wrestling Open RI “Episode 50”
Streamed on IndependentWrestling.TV
May 4, 2026, in Cranston, Rhode Island, at Rhodes On The Pawtuxet
The venue is an attractive two-story, white ballroom, and the lighting is really good. The crowd was perhaps 125; it appeared to be up from last week. Paul Crockett and Ref Scott Robinson provided commentary.
* Due to tearing his ACL, Wrestling Open champion Ryan Clancy has relinquished the title. A 15-man tournament to crown a new champion is now underway and is down to the final eight.
1. “The Stetson Ranch” Steven Stetson and Bobby Casale vs. Allin Bayno and Brett Mettro in a spotlight match. It has been MONTHS since Mettro has been here; he looks thicker. Casale and Stetson argued before the bell; that’s not a good sign! Mettro hit some shoulder blocks, and Robinson noted that he’s been “on the shelf” for quite some time. The rotund Bayno who looks closer to 40 than he does 20 hit a splash to the mat. Casale and Stetson argued in the ring as they took turns stomping on Brett. Casale slammed Bayno for the pin. The match was more about the inter-faction feud than the action.
“The Stetson Ranch” Steven Stetson and Bobby Casale defeated Allin Bayno and Brett Mettro at 3:41.
* Paul Crockett is back on commentary for the main show! (He missed Thursday’s show, which is rare.)
2. Bryce Donovan vs. Ichiban in a tournament quarterfinal match. Basic reversals early. Bryce hit a bodyslam at 2:00 and was booed. Ichiban hit his “One!” punches in the corner as the crowd counted along. Ichiban flew off the ropes, but Bryce caught him with a punch. Bryce nailed a fallaway slam at 4:00, and he jawed at the fans. He worked over Ichiban and kept him grounded. Ichiban got a stunner at 6:30, but he couldn’t hit a suplex. Ichiban hit a Stundog Millionaire!
Ichiban hit a third stunner, and they were both down. This crowd was 100% behind Ichiban. He hit a dropkick and a tornado DDT for a nearfall. He hit a flying bulldog for a nearfall at 8:30. Bryce caught him with a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall. He nailed a pop-up powerbomb, then an Ilja-style diving forearm strike for a nearfall. Bryce hit a piledriver-style move but made a cocky cover and only got a nearfall. Ichiban hit a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall!
Ichiban tried a dive to the floor, but Bryce caught him. Ichiban hit an Arabian Press to the floor. In the ring, he hit a flying knife-edge chop, then his leaping Flatliner for a believable nearfall at 13:00! Crockett said maybe two guys have kicked out of that before. Ichiban missed a 619. They traded punches. Bryce hit a decapitating clothesline. This time, Ichiban hit the 619, but he missed a frog splash. Bryce nailed a chokeslam for a nearfall. “This is the opening contest!” Crockett shouted. “This could go either way!”
The crowd rightfully chanted, “This is awesome!” Bryce jawed at the ref. Ichiban hit a superkick. Bryce hit a chokeslam for a believable nearfall at 16:00. “I can’t believe what we are seeing!” Crockett said. Ichiban hit a second Flatliner, then a second-rope flying Flatliner, then a top-rope flying Flatliner (FOUR total in the match) for the pin. AWESOME. “Ichiban and Bryce just put on one of the damndest matches I’ve ever seen in my life,” Crockett said. “Hopefully you had your seatbelt on.”
Ichiban defeated Bryce Donovan at 17:36 to advance to the semifinals.
* Liviyah appeared on the stage; she’s in a black dress (and definitely not dressed to wrestle!) She talked about the upcoming women’s tournament to crown a first-ever champion. “Nobody wants it more than I do,” she said. She wants Kylie Alexa next week because she wants to put the feud in the past and move on.
3. Oxx Adams vs. Eye Black Jack Pasquale in a tournament quarterfinal match. Crockett said the seven-footer Oxx is the overwhelming favorite to win the tournament. No sign of Brett Ryan Gosselin! Oxx immediately threw him across the ring. Oxx got caught straddling the top rope. Jack tried some shoulder blocks, but Oxx got free, and Oxx nailed a clothesline. Oxx hit a shoulder tackle that was almost a Pounce, sending Jack flying at 2:00. We lost the signal from the building! It was back after about 30 seconds. Oxx hit a splash to the mat for a nearfall.
Oxx hit a sidewalk slam at 4:00, and he choked him in the ropes, then Oxx hit a crossbody block to the back as Jack was against the ropes. Oxx applied a bear hug. He nailed a spear, and they were both down at 6:30; Oxx got a nearfall. Oxx missed a spear and crashed shoulder-first into the corner! Jack fired up and hit some flying forearm strikes. He got the big man up and hit a Death Valley Driver, then a frog splash for the pin! I am shocked!
Eye Black Jack Pasquale defeated Oxx Adams at 7:48 to advance to the semifinals.
* Max Caster appeared on the stage. He forgot his shirt at home. “You are looking at the best wrestler alive!” he said. The crowd chanted derogatory things at him. (No swearing allowed at the Monday shows!) He boasted about causing Bobby Orlando to be eliminated from the tournament. Max said that MJF will be coming here June 5th and will face Bobby Orlando! However, Caster wants a piece of Orlando first and challenged him to a match next week!
4. Corey Duke vs. Dustin Waller in a tournament quarterfinal match. Again, Duke got a first-round bye into the second round. Interesting; I expected this to go last when Bryce-Ichiban went on first. No sign of Kylon King. Again, Duke’s haircut and mustache make me think of AEW’s Turbo Floyd, and the cowboy has been on fire since he debuted. Waller stalled and was bothered by the taunts from the crowd. He knocked Duke down with a shoulder tackle. Basic reversals, and Waller went to the mat, tranquilo-style, so Duke dropkicked him at 3:30.
Duke hit a Thesz Press and some punches, so Waller went to the floor to regroup. On the floor, Dustin gave Duke a back-body drop with Duke’s back striking the edge of the ring frame, and he collapsed to the floor! That was ridiculously dangerous-looking. “I can’t believe Corey is stirring right now,” Crockett said. He rolled in, but Waller stomped on him and was in charge. Duke hit an enzuigiri at 6:30, but he rightfully sold pain in his lower back. Waller repeatedly dropped his butt down on Duke’s lower back and jawed at Corey. Dustin hit a leg lariat for a believable nearfall at 8:00.
Duke hit a jawbreaker and a hard back elbow. Waller hit a leaping enzuigiri in the corner. Duke hit a top-rope twisting superplex, and they were both down at 9:30. They got up and traded punches. Duke hit a flying back elbow, then a DVD for a nearfall. Waller hit a powerbomb for a believable nearfall at 12:00. Waller hit two top-rope flying clotheslines, then a running Shooting Star Press for a believable nearfall. Duke went for a clothesline, but Waller turned it into a Flatliner and applied a Koji Clutch on the mat at 14:00; Duke eventually reached the ropes.
Duke it an enzuigiri. Waller hit a Lethal Injection for a nearfall, then the Mamba Splash for a believable nearfall at 16:30, and Waller was in disbelief he didn’t win there. “It’s like he’s seen a ghost!” Crockett said. Duke got a backslide, then a Canadian Destroyer, then an Asai Moonsault to the floor at 18:00! “Where did that come from?” Duke hit a top-rope moonsault for a nearfall, but he accidentally pulled Waller’s legs into the ropes! Waller threw him shoulder-first into the ring post and hit a superkick, then a brainbuster for the pin. Awesome.
Dustin Waller defeated Corey Duke at 19:11 to advance.
5. Bear Bronson vs. “Wonderboy” Brian Morris (w/Steven Stetson, Bobby Casale) in a tournament quarterfinal match. Crockett said he’s fearful the crowds would leave and never come back if Morris wins this one. The Ranch came out first. Bronson came out with a mic, and he’s apparently unconcerned about being outnumbered. He brought out Aaron Ortiz and Anthony Vecchio! They all ran into the ring and it looked like a six-man tag. (Why didn’t he bring Gabby Forza, too?) The bell rang at 00:15 as it was now just Bronson and Morris in the ring, but they immediately brawled to the floor. Meanwhile, Stetson was battling Vecchio on the floor. Ortiz was fighting Casale.
Bronson sat Morris in a chair and chopped him. They looped the ring. They got back into the ring for the first time since the bell at 4:00. It appears that the other four have vanished, so this is just one-on-one. Bronson hit a back-body drop. Morris hit a leg lariat for a nearfall at 5:30. He repeatedly stomped Bear in the corner and kept him grounded. Bear fired up, stood up, and peeled down the straps of his singlet at 8:00. Morris hit a dropkick on the knee. Bear missed his butt drop to the chest, but he hit a suplex.
Bear hit some clotheslines, a chokeslam, and this time he nailed the butt drop to the sternum at 9:30. He splashed Morris in the corner and hit a Black Hole Slam, then a Choke Bomb for a nearfall; that should have been it. They fought to the floor. Morris slammed him and rolled into the ring. Bear dove in at 12:00 before being counted out. The Shooter Boys returned to the ring, chasing Stetson. Those three got in the ring, and the Boys superkicked Stetson. Casale got in the ring, and he nearly kicked Morris! Stetson and Casale argued.
Bear picked up Casale. Morris hit an enzuigiri. Casale and Stetson grabbed Bear’s ankles and tried to hold him down on a pin attempt, but Bronson still kicked out! Ref Gina finally ejected the Ranch. The Shooter Boys dove onto them, and those four again went to the back. Morris got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for a nearfall. Bronson finally hit the Fire Thunder Driver (piledriver) for the pin. I presumed Bronson was winning, but with the chaos in the final minutes, I was tricked into thinking Morris had a shot.
Bear Bronson defeated Brian Morris at 14:28 (official time of 14:13) to advance to the semifinals.
Final Thoughts: This episode felt like a pay-per-view. I’ve seen many great matches in Wrestling Open, but the back-to-back-to-back-to-back great matches tonight? WOW. Bryce-Ichiban earned best match — that’s a match of the year contender. (It’s May — we gotta put that on a list so it’s not forgotten in December when people make those sorts of lists.) I felt it could go either way — I genuinely wasn’t sure which guy would win and advance. I loved everything about that. It took a series of Ichiban’s finishers — I don’t know how to spell “Ichiban Kai,” but that’s how it sounds in my head! — to finally defeat Bryce.
Duke just absolutely came out of nowhere and looks perfectly fine in the main event role. I had a feeling Waller was winning, but Duke hung in there. I have seen my share of wrestling — it takes a lot for me to jump and worry that I just saw someone get seriously injured. I hope I NEVER see anyone take a backbody drop onto the edge of the ring frame again. I’m glad Corey wasn’t injured, but that seemed particularly dangerous.
I fully expected Oxx to win his match. I’ll reiterate that Eye Black Jack had a WWE tryout — the kid was a natural the day he debuted, but it still feels like a big deal he beat Adams clean.
No complaints tonight. None. After watching a good wrestling-but-awful production Progress Wrestling show this morning, it was refreshing to be able to hear and see the show. The cameras were in the right spots to capture the action. We got some nice cameos from Max Caster and Liviyah for future matches. I watched this live; it will hopefully be online by Tuesday morning on IWTV.
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