Cleveland, OH – 6.27.2010
Commentary is provided by Matt Wadsworth and Denver Colorado.
Like the last Absolution show, the DVD opens up with a montage of wrestlers cutting promos about their matches tonight.
Tag Team Gauntlet for a shot at the AIW Tag Team Championship
Marion Fontaine & Super Oprah vs. The Jack of Love (Jack Verville & Chest Flexor)
The Jack of Love jump Fontaine and Oprah before the bell. Fontaine gets bullied by the Jack of Love in their corner. Verville drops him with a second rope assisted piledriver for two. Fontaine hits Verville with a superkick and leg lariat. Oprah and Flexor tag in. Oprah beats on Flexor in the corner, and whips him into Verville in the opposite corner. Fontaine gives them a butt splash and Oprah gives them a stink face. Oprah gives Flexor a chokeslam for the pin at 5:01.
Marion Fontaine & Super Oprah vs. The Banana Brigade (Freddy Midnight & Dalton Castle)
Castle’s attempt to low blow Oprah are to no avail. She low blows him, and Castle feels her up. She hits Castle and tags in Fontaine. Castle gives Fontaine an armdrag into an armbar. Midnight tags in and wears down Fontaine with headbutts to the mid-section. Montaine sunset flips Castle for two to try and escape their attack. Fontaine hits the So Rude kick for two. The Brigade double team Fontaine with a suplex and an assisted senton splash for the pin at 4:19.
The Olsen Twins (Colin & Jimmy Olsen) vs. The Banana Brigade (Freddy Midnight & Dalton Castle)
Some initial wackiness from Castle starts this encounter off. Jimmy gives him multiple chops to the delight of the fans. Colin avoids a sunset flip with a chop to Dalton’s chest. Castle boots Colin, and Colin responds with a spinwheel kick. Jimmy and Midnight tag in. Jimmy drops him with multiple strikes and a backdrop. Jimmy also chops him for two. Mercury throws Jimmy face first into the turnbuckle to change the momentum. The Brigade take turns wearing down Jimmy in their corner. Jimmy rolls out after taking a big German suplex, tagging in Colin. Colin takes down Castle. The Olsens hit a wheelbarrow/powerbomb combo for the pin at 5:05.
The Olsen Twins (Colin & Jimmy Olsen) vs. Team Beyond (Chase Burnett & Zane Silver)
Team Beyond take the Olsens down with stereo hurricanranas. They hit tandem double knee strikes to Jimmy in the corner and then flip Colin into Jimmy. They each look to dive to the floor, but The Olsens evade the attack. The Olsens quickly hop back in the ring and hit stereo dives of their own. Colin hits Silver with a neckbreaker for two. Jimmy pummels Silver for a bit. Silver wheelbarrows Colin into Jimmy and tags in Burnett. Burnett flies in with a top rope knee strike to both Jimmy and Colin. All four guys knock each other down with strikes. Burnett puts Jimmy on the apron and hits him with a slingshot senton. Colin and Silver exchange forearms. Silver assists Burnett with a hurricanrana to Colin. Burnett wheelbarrows through Silver into a waistlock on Jimmy. He pushes Jimmy into a superkick from Silver. Burnett nails Colin with an enzuigiri in the corner. Silver kicks Jimmy into Colin. Burnett hits a top rope dropkick to Colin while Silver hits one to Jimmy for a two count. Jimmy kicks Burnett to the apron and a Colin dropkicks Burnett down to the floor. The Olsens catch Silver in a crossbody and hit a fireman’s carry/neckbreaker combo. Colin leapfrogs over Jimmy into a legdrop onto Silver’s neck. Silver evades a wheelbarrow splash, but Jimmy schoolboys Silver to score the pin and the future title shot at 6:31. Altogether this Tag Gauntlet was a lot of fun, and the matches got progressively better as well. Although the match times seem short, each team got a chance to show off their talent and sufficiently portray their characters. Team Beyond and The Olsens put together an awesome finale to the gauntlet, and I think this was a great way to start the show. The Olsens now have a shot at the AIW Tag Team Championship in their back pocket. ***
Gregory Iron vs. “Aftermath” Justin Lee
Lee knocks Iron down with a shoulder tackle. Iron responds with some armdrags and a roll up for two. Lee and Iron go back and forth off the ropes, ending with Iron sweeping Lee’s leg and pinning him for two. Lee drop toe holds Iron to the second rope. Iron avoids a 619 and drags Lee to the floor. Iron gives Lee a few strikes around the ringside area. Lee evades a crossbody attempt from Iron, and works over Iron’s good arm. Lee suplexes Iron into a neckbreaker for two. Lee hits a rolling snapmare and dropkicks Iron in the face. Iron ducks a clothesline attempt and hits a standing crossbody. Iron misses a senton and Lee transitions into a Fujiwara armbar. Iron grabs the rope to break. Iron hits a few clotheslines before driving Lee into the mat with a facebuster. Lee cuts off Iron as he goes up top. Lee throws Iron off the top with a fallaway slam for two. Lee gives Iron a spin-out facebuster for two. Lee misses a top rope splash. Iron hits a reverse STO for two. Lee blocks a snapmare and pushes Iron into the ropes. He hits a 619. Iron catches Lee with a clothesline as Lee tries a springboard splash. Iron follows up with a senton for the pin at 11:35. Iron really got over as the “handicap hero” in this match, refusing to give up against Lee. Lee worked hard as well, and I think he can quickly ascend the AIW ladder if he keeps putting on showings like this. Iron really is impressive given his limitations and I think he deserves a lot of credit. The finish of this match was really cool as well. **1/2
The Pleather Platoon (Hobo Joe, Corey Winters, Ben Fruith, & Dave The Potato) vs. Da Latin Crime Syndicate (Luis Diamante, K. Fernandez, Joey The Snake, & Isaac Montana)
Diamante slaps Fruith in the face twice. Joey tags in and barely moves at Fruith’s forearm attempts. He knocks down Joey with a flying forearm, then gets help from Winters with a wheelbarrow senton. DLCS come in and a brawl ensues. All four members of DLCS beat down Dave The Potato while his teammates recover on the floor. Dave gets absolutely destroyed by DLCS as the crowd and his partners watch on with pity and hope. Dave goes under Montana’s legs and tags in Hobo Joe. He knocks them down as they come in and gives Montana the Pit Stop in the corner. Joey hits Joe with a flipping neckbreaker. The bring Dave back in and Diamante dumps him with a Michinoku Driver. Fruith comes in, but gets a Death Valley Driver in the corner from Diamante. Winter takes Fernandez down with a modified DDT. Montana hits Winter with a jump-up ace crusher. Dave rolls up Montana from behind and scores the pin at 6:17. The surprise finish was pretty cool, especially given the massive beating Dave took early. I’d like to see Lights Out (Fruith & Winter) engage in more matches with DLCS because they had great chemistry in this match. *1/2
Blackballed come out for their match with Alpha Beta Duke. Lamont Williams says that the Ohio Athletic Commission will not allow for a barbed wire match, so that stipulation will not be happening tonight. Williams demands to be paid before he competes in any kind of match, saying his plan is to destroy AIW. He and his partners scoff at their paychecks, offended that’s what they were going to be paid for a barbed wire match. Alpha Beta Duke and John Thorne come out. The Duke bad mouths Williams and his promotion. Williams and Duke’s banter turns racial, but is still rather amusing. They agree to make the match a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Falls Count Anywhere
Alpha Beta Duke (Nick Belushi & The Duke) and John Thorne vs. Blackballed (Lamont Williams, Randy Smith, & “Kano” Josh Emanuel)
As expected, all six guys brawl around ringside. Williams takes it immediately to the duck while Thorne takes a spool of barbedwire into Smith’s head. Belushi throws a heavy punch to Williams while Smith beats on Thorne and grinds the barbed wire into his head. Kano and Belushi exchange kicks. Thorne and Smith make their way to the ring, both bleeding from the forehead. Smith suplexes Thorne from the middle rope. Belushi gives Smith a giant swing into a dropkick from Thorne. Williams kicks and chops Belushi in the corner. Williams puts him in a rear naked choke. Kano dives from the top rope onto Thorne on the floor. Kano gives Thorne a suplex on the floor while Williams kicks Belushi in the temple. Kano throws two chairs at Duke’s head. Belushi is left at the mercy of all three members of Blackballed in the ring. Smith nails him with the ring bell. Williams gives Duke a leg lariat while Smith pummels Duke and Thorne on the floor. Williams and Smith set a guardrail flat on the edge of the ring apron and another guardrail. Duke picks up and drives him head first on the ring ramp. Williams drops Thorne on the floor. Belushi gives Kano a modified muscle buster. Belushi powerbombs Kano onto Williams and Smith on the floor. Duke follows up with a splash onto the pile, and he pins Kano for the victory at 10:23. I really thought this brawl came off really well, mostly because of the perceived real hatred these teams put forth. You got the vibe that this was a legitimate grudge match with the win being important to both sides. These are the kind of matches ABD and Thorne should be doing, as the best stuff I have seen in AIW from them has been hardcore brawls. Kano and Williams are an awesome team, and I’m glad they’ve lost Smith and carried on together. Good showing by both teams. **3/4
AIW Absolute Championship; No Disqualification – No Count Outs
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommy Mercer vs. Sterling James Keenan vs. Facade
Gargano, Façade, and Keenan talk strategy, seemingly to team up against Mercer. Gargano and Façade ditch Keenan immediately, allowing Mercer to annihilate him with strikes and clothesline. Keenan gets volleyed with strikes from the rest of the participants. Façade sends Mercer to the floor with a leg lariat. Gargano kicks Façade in the face. Gargano kips up and hits him with a leg lariat. Gargano punches Façade as Façade tries to slingshot back in the ring. Façade comes back with a springboard facebuster for two. Keenan gives Façade a wheelbarrow suplex. Keenan takes Mercer down. Gargano hits Keenan with a sole butt. Façade tries a quebrada, but Gargano dropkicks him as he comes off the ropes. Mercer turns a crossbody from Gargano into a moonlight bomb for two. Mercer has Keenan in a slam position when Façade jumps on looking for a hurricanrana. Façade slams BOTH men down at once, but Gargano breaks his pin attempt. Mercer kicks Gargano down, and Keenan pulls Mercer to the floor. Mercer throws Keenan into the barricades. Façade walks the ropes and gives Mercer a hurricanrana onto the announcer’s table! Meanwhile, Keenan judo throws Gargano down to the mat, transitioning into a cross armbreaker. He rolls into a pin which Façade breaks. Façade sets up a chair and misses the triple jump moonsault. Gargano gives Façade a suplex onto the chair. He turns Façade over into a cross-legged Boston Crab. Façade taps out, giving Gargano the match and the title at 8:41. These guys packed a lot of action into such a short period of time; understandable, considering Gargano has to defend the belt again tonight. Mercer and Façade got the chance to shine through and came off like two of the top guys in the company. Gargano is a great choice as champ, and if he can make it past Dragon, he’ll have a great reign. ***
Mercer and Keenan continue brawling to the back. Façade is visibly frustrated at losing. Gargano praises the fans in a post match promo and says he has to rest up so he can “slay a dragon” later tonight. Gargano’s going to have sex with a fat chick later?
AIW Women’s Championship
Jefferson Saint (Champion) vs. Hailey Hatred
Jefferson Saint is this century’s Andy Kaufman. His look, his demeanor, his robe, his t-shirt…it’s perfect. Hatred’s music plays, but she doesn’t show up. Saint yells in the microphone that she’s a bitch and that he wants to fight her. Saint says she’s afraid of him and is hanging out in Mexico to avoid him. He asks the referee to count Hatred out, which he does, making Saint the winner.
As the referee is putting the belt on Saint’s waist, Angeldust comes out. She says she wants a shot at Saint’s title tonight. Saint reminds her that he piledrove her on a chair and embarrassed her the last time they were in Cleveland, but grants her the match anyways.
AIW Women’s Championship
Jefferson Saint (Champion) vs. Angeldust
Angeldust dropkicks Saint and lights him up with strikes in the computer. She hits an enzuigiri Saint avoids a backcracker and pounds on Angeldust on the mat. Saint throws Angeldust to the outside. Saint lays in some shots, but Angeldust turns it around and lays in some of her own. Saint drives his knee into her mid-section. He gives her a slingshot apron on the floor. Saint sets up Angeldust in the corner in a tree of woe with a steel chair behind her back. Saint charges, but Angeldust moves, letting Saint collide with the chair. Saint gives Angeldust a hot shot, giving him time to recover (as he’s not bleeding from the forehead). Saint sets up two steel chairs next to each other floor. He looks to send Angeldust into the chairs from the apron to the floor. Angeldust reverses and gives Saint the Acid Drop from the apron onto the chairs! Angeldust goes for a pin in the ring, but Saint gets his foot on the bottom rope. Saint hits a Manhattan drop and drills Angeldust with a lariat. All of a sudden, Hailey Hatred’s music hits. Saint gets distracted, allowing Angeldust to hit a backcracker. Angeldust gets the pin at 10:26, making her the NEW AIW Women’s champion. Saint and the women have no problem putting on violent matches and this was no exception. The Acid Drop spot was crazy. Saint played his role as the Women’s champion perfectly for his entire tenure and should be commended for that. The finish was strange and I hope we get an explanation as to who put the music on to distract Saint. **1/2
AIW Intense Division Championship
Shiima Xion vs. Ricochet
Chris Dickinson was champion, but vacated the title since he couldn’t make this match. Ricochet stretches Xion out on the mat. Ricochet tries a Skayde schoolboy but only gets one. Ricochet and Xion reach a stalemate as they each go for a pin. Ricochet knocks down Xion with a shoulderblock after a leapfrog. Ricochet hits a dropsault and a springboard armdrag. Xion knees Ricochet in the mid-section. Ricochet rolls off Xion’s shoulders into an armdrag. Both throw a dropkick at the same time, and kip-up into another stalemate. Ricochet hits a dropkick for two. He then hits a standing moonsault for two. Xion comes back with a Manhattan drop and kicking Ricochet in the throat. Xion chokes Ricochet all over the ring. Ricochet rolls to avoid a dive and hits a 619 in the corner. Xion bounces Ricochet head first off the ringside table. Xion sneds Ricochet up the aisle with a hard baseball slide. Ricochet eats a missile dropkick back in the ring, but still kicks out at two. Ricochet avoids a clothesline and rolls up Xion for two. He tries another roll up but only gets two. Ricochet looks for another standing moonsault, but Xion kicks him up in the air and to the corner to counter. Xion hits a second rope moonsault for two. Xion rolls up Ricochet into a modified ankle lock. Ricochet grabs the ropes to escape. Xion pops Ricochet up, and Ricochet comes down with double knees to his chest. Ricochet and Xion exchange chops. Xion knees Ricochet in the stomach as heads for the ropes. Ricochet takes Xion down with a spinning headscissors. Ricochet moonsaults out of the corner for two. Ricochet Tiger Walks Xion and hits him with a spear for two. Xion superkick Ricochet and gives him a facebuster for two. Xion blocks a sole butt, but Ricochet gives him a backslide driver. He follows up with a spin-out Shellshock for two. Xion evades a Phoenix splash, but Ricochet rolls back and hits a Pele kick. Ricochet hits a pump-handle driver variation for two. Ricochet goes up top and Xion follows. Ricochet knocks him down. Xion runs back up and brings Ricochet down with a facebuster across his knee for the win at 15:00. Ricochet is the man, and put on a beautiful, atheletic performance. Xion was with him 100 percent of the time, matching his effort and determination the entire time. This was drastically different than anything else on the card and stood out as something special. ***1/2
Tyler Black vs. Chuck Taylor
Taylor tries to get one his famously long and winded chants to start, but to no avail. Taylor and Black exchange wristlocks. Black takes Taylor down in a side headlock. Taylor rolls back to his feet out of a headscissors. Black leapfrogs over Taylor and kicks him square in the back for two. Black throws Taylor down arm first to the mat for two. Black gives Taylor two hard chops against the ropes. Taylor gives Black a picture perfect dropkick for two. Taylor applies a headscissors. Black escapes and gets nailed with strikes. Taylor pulls out his invisible grenade and hits an elbow drop for two. Taylor avoids a dropkick, but Black kicks Taylor to the floor anyways. Taylor avoids a dive from Black and throws him in the ring. Black catches Taylor with a Manhattan drop as he comes off the top rope. Black hits an enzuigiri from the apron and follows up with a springboard clothesline for two. Black rolls through an O’Conner Roll and hits the Paroxysm for two. Black calls for the Buckle Bomb. Taylor instead sends Black into the corner with the hurricanrana. Taylor applies the cross crab. Taylor gives Black the Sole Food and a yakuza kick. Black shrugs it off and hits Taylor with the F5 for two. Black calls for the Phoenix Splash. Taylor crotches him on the top rope and drops him with a reverse DDT for two. Black hits a pele kick. He goes for the God’s Last Gift, but Taylor counters with a small package for two. Black lifts Taylor up into the Buckle Bomb. He hits a superkick for the pin at 9:45. Surprisingly short counter between these two. The novelty of this being a first time/only time encounter is great, but they didn’t get enough time to put together a match that was special or particularly memorable. Still, for the time given, these two put together a really fun contest. ***
AIW Tag Team Championship – 2 out of 3 Falls
The Young Studs (Eric Ryan & Bobby Beverly) (Champions) vs. Aeroform (Flip Kendrick & Louis Lyndon)
Aaron Bauer accompanies The Young Studs. Aeroform attack The Studs before they get to the ring. Ryan and Kendrick fight in the audience while Beverly stomps Lyndon ringside. Both teams get back in the ring, but Aeroform send the Studs back out. Aeroform hit stereo hurricanrana’s on the floor. Aeroform hit stereo kicks to Ryan in the ring. Aerform hit a modified Domsday Device where Lyndon does a moonsault instead of a clothesline. Beverly breaks the pin. The Studs come back and hit Kendrick with a double stomp/Cop Killer combo to score the first fall at 4:00. The Studs decide to isolate Lyndon and wear him down. Lyndon escapes by giving Beverly a hurricanrana and hitting Ryan with an enzuigiri. Kendrick tags in and takes over both Studs with a hurricanrana. He springboards into a double inverted DDT, sending the Studs to the floor. Kendrick dives onto Ryan. Beverly pulls Lyndon out to the floor. Beverly dives off the ring apron onto Lyndon in the crowd. In the ring, Kendrick hits a corkscrew Arabian press on Beverly. Ryan gives Kendrick a bridging German suplex, and Lyndon flies in with a splash on Ryan. Lyndon prawn holds Beverly for two. Lyndon hits a Dragon suplex and Ryan breaks the pin. Kendrick drops Ryan with a facebuster for two. Beverly rolls up Kendrick for two. Beverly superkicks Kendrick, and then eats two palm strikes from Lyndon. Lyndon pins Beverly to win the second fall at 15:05. Kendrick overshoots a top rope splash, but recovers with a running shooting star press. Ryan pulls the referee out of the ring. Lyndon stops him, but Bauer hops on the apron. Beverly accidentally knocks him off the apron. Kendrick hits the Trapper Keeper bomb for two. Lyndon and Ryan trade forearms. The Studs set up for the Cop Killer/double stomp combo. Kendrick reverses it, and Aeroform give the combo move to Ryan to score the third and decisive fall at 17:21. The finish made the match, as the match coming full circle made the whole experience really fulfilling. The time flew by as no guy wasted any time. Both teams made the most of this match and the crowd with them the entire time. ***
AIW Absolute Championship
Johnny Gargano (Champion) vs. Bryan Danielson
Danielson cutely chokes the ring announcer to start, but only for a second. The match starts with Danielson in control, out wrestling Gargano. Gargano hits a dropkick to show he’s no chump. Danielson turns a bridge into a monkey flip. Gargano goes to the floor to take a powder. Gargano comes back in and works over Danielson’s arm. Danielson sends Gargano the floor. Gargano evades a flying knee strike, and comes off the apron with a cannonball senton. Gargano throws Danielson back first into the ring apron. Gargano shifts his focus to Danielson’s back. Danielson and Gargano trade forearms back on their feet. Gargano hits a backbreaker. Danielson hops over Gargano and hits a flying elbow strike. Danielson torques Gargano’s arm on the mat. Danielson stretches out Gargano in the Romero Special, transitioning into a Dragon sleeper. Danielson continues his attack on Gargano’s arm on the mat. Danielson snaps Gargano’s arm on the top rope. Gargano hits the slingshot spear. Danielson and Gargano again trade forearms. Gargao gives Danielson a couple knee strikes. He hits an enzuigiri. Gargano sends Danielson to the floor with a rolling Liger kick and follows up with a suicide dive. In the ring, Gargano hits a crossbody for two. Danielson blocks a superkick and puts Gargano in an ankle lock. Danielson and Gargano roll around, exchanging roll ups on the mat. Danielson applies a triangle choke. Gargano escapes, but Danielson immediately switches to the ankle lock. Danielson hits a German suplex for two. Danielson tries the Cattle Mutilation. Gargano reverses into a victory roll for two. Gargano ducks a rolling forearm and hits a superkick. Danielson and Gargano exchange a series of running kicks to one another. Danielson spits in Gargano’s face and then slaps him. An angry Gargano hits a sole but. Gargano hits the lawn dart for two. He turns Danielson into the cross-legged Boston Crab that won him the title earlier tonight. Danielson escapes and applies the Cattle Mutilation. Gargano escapes and goes up top. Danielson brings him down with a superplex and pins him for two. Danielson traps Gargano’s head against his leg and reigns down on him with elbow strikes, but again is only able to get a two count. Danielson synches in the Cattle Mutilation. Gargano escapes and drops Danielson with the Hurts Donut. Gargano gets a two count. The bell sounds at 30:00, meaning the time limit has expired. These two on put on a highly competitive match that had the crowd going from bell to bell. When you can get the entire room to stand by the time the match is reaching a close, you’re doing something right. This was world’s better than their original encounter, and I think this helped springboard Gargano immeasurably in the AIW universe. Danielson really busted his ass off and gave Gargano a great match before heading back to WWE. ****
Danielson cuts a post match promo, giving out some thank you’s and putting over Gargano big time. Danielson says he wants the fans to come back to AIW for every show, and asks the fans to chant “Gargano”. Danielson leaves Gargano in the ring to bask in the fans admiration, ending the show in a really cool moment.
Overall: Absolution V feels like the turning point for AIW. AIW put on a card that had the perfect mix of local talent and independent wrestling stars. Almost every single match felt as if it could main event, and they did an awesome job of keeping the crowd excited for the entire show. If this is the first AIW show you’ve seen, they did a tremendous job of getting the storylines over and putting on a night of action that will make you want to come back for more. The video and audio quality of the show is top notch, and a clear step above anything else they have ever produced. This is an easy recommendation, and a steal if you purchase the DVD in a bundle with the Best of Tyler Black DVD. You can purchase this DVD over at AIW’s official store or Smart Mark Video.
