AAW Best of 2009 DVD Review- Disk 1

I am a huge fan of “Best of” DVDs. They are a great tool for companies who want to create new fans without asking them to purchase an entire show. Based on AAW wanting to take the next step in its development as an indy fed, they created two DVDS. “Best of 2009” and “Best of 2010.” I’ll be taking a look at all four disks this week. I’ve already reviewed many of the matches, so there will be some copying and pasting. Any additional thoughts I have on a match I’ve already reviewed will be italicized. And since this isn’t really a show per se, I’ll be reviewing these DVDs the way I used to before the change in format.
-AAW Heavyweight Championship: Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards (w/Dave Prazak) (Path of Redemption)( 01.24.2009)
Richards slaps Black in the face after a lock-up. Continued feeling out process. This is almost 18 months exactly before their match of the year candidate at Death Before Dishonor VII. Black with some quick armdrags into an armbar. Richards with a chop in the corner. Kick. Black with a snapmare. Leaping stomp. Slap by Richards. Black responds in kind and armdrags him. Dropkick off the ropes. Richards needs a timeout and claims a shoulder injury. He kisses the champion’s boots before spitting in his face. Prazak tries to clothesline Black. He fails miserably. Black from behind with a knee to the back sending Black crashing into the guardrail. Black fires back, but Richards begins working Black’s arm. Spinning enziguri for two and into the cross armbreaker. Black to the ropes. Series of kicks fires Black up. Then a kick to the midsection sends him down. Takeover right into a chinlock. Whip. Atomic drop and spin kick by Black. He gets himself fired up. Charge but his shoulder eats post. Snap suplex by Davey Richards. Diving headbutt for two. Key lock.  Black once again reaches the ropes. Prazak with some interference. Black brings him up to the apron. Back body drop on Richards. Series of forearms. Neckbreaker. Que brada misses. Standing shooting star doesn’t. Running forearm. Snapmare. Springboard but Richards bridges over into an armbar. Looks nasty as hell. Roll-up for 2 ½. Series of body punches. Spinning back kick sends Black flying into the corner. Black gets up. Running forearm by Richards. Black hits Richards coming off the rope with a pele kick. Punch exchange. Black comes from behind and hits peroxism for two. Richards kicks Black. Black hung up in the ropes. Chop by Richards. Black punches Richards. Headbutt sends him down. Missile dropkick misses. Richards takes advantage with the Texas cloverleaf. Black small package. 1-2-NO! Roll-up. 1-2-NO! Kick to the head. Richards hits a leg whip. Back to the cloverleaf. Black reaches the bottom rope. Black reverses out of the DR driver. Bucklebomb for 1-2-NO! Prazak comes in the ring. Black kicks the middle rope. Superkick on Richards. 1-2-3!e
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Heavyweight Champion- Tyler Black/19:59/***1/2
– A near epic title defense for Black. He came out looking very strong here. Richards put in a solid effort and did a great job focusing on Black’s injuries. You can see why these two eventually had a a near five star match years later.
-AAW Heavyweight Championship: Tyler Black (champion) vs. Jay Bradley (w/Dave Prazak) vs. Egotistico Fantastico  vs. Chandler McClure(5^th Anniversary Show)(03.28.09)
Chandler McClure wasn’t even listed on the box as being in the match. Pretty understandable as to why since he gets eliminated in a whopping 14 seconds after a Tyler Black superkick. It’s a triple threat match. Jay Bradley goes down with an apparent knee injury in his first match back from injury after dominating for the first couple minutes of the match.  Owner Jim Lynam and some referees help Bradley to the back. Wonder if that becomes important later. Match stops. Lock-up as things resume. Series of pinfall reversals. Ego kicks Black low on a handshake. That wasn’t very nice. Black crawls outside the ring. Ego goes to work. Stomps inside the ring. Series of punches to the head. Chop. Vertical suplex. Chops by Black. Ego tears him down. Strike exchange. Back elbow off the ropes. Chinlock. Off the ropes and Ego drives Black down. Ego goes for a vertical suplex from the outside to the inside. Black fights him off. Back in the ring with a roll-up. Clothesline by Ego. Forearms out of the full mount position. Kick to the back. Series of kicks to the chest and Black gets fired up. To the eyes. Side headlock. Black fights out. Punch exchange that Black wins. Off the ropes. Ego tries coming from behind, but he gets clotheslined over the top. Black hits a dive. Into the ring for a two count. Whip in the corner. Black gets all fired up. Ego takes him over. Kick to the back by Black. Springboard clothesline for two. Ego nails Black in the corner. Boot to Ego. Running rana by Ego. Black sitdown powerbomb for two. God’s Last Gift attempt. Clothesline takes both men to the outside. Ego whips Black into the barriers and calls for the crowd to disperse. Clothesline sends Black over. He gets running start after putting his cape on. Dive into the crowd. Ego sends Black back over the barricade. In the ring. Black catches Ego with a dropkick coming off the top rope. Huge forearm. Ego responds in kind. Both guys don’t look so hot. Exchange of forearms continues. Pele kick. Diamond suplex by Ego. Into the surfboard. Sends Black head first. Moonsault press for two. EGODRIVER! 1-2-NO! Ego places Black on the top rope. Black up and over. BUCKLEBOMB! GOD’S LAST GIFT! 1-2-3!
Black appears to have retained the title. But there’s Jay Bradley. Guess he wasn’t as injured as we all thought. LARIAT! 1-2-3! NEW CHAMPION! Dave Prazak comes out to shake the hand of Bradley. Dave Prazak finally has the AAW championship in his stable.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW AAW Heavyweight Champion-Jay Bradley/22:18/***3/4
-Most of the credit for the awesomeness goes to Egotistico Fantastico and Tyler Black. They had a tremendous contest by themselves, and this was a great way to get heat on a heel champion. Bradley and Prazak look like giant dicks, and Black comes off looking like a champion who got screwed. Great match and booking.
The following match review was originally published in the Independent Tour De Force DVD review DG USA released over a year ago. This was easily one of the best matches I’ve seen out of AAW. An epic match, and you can really see how much Jimmy Jacobs has changed in the ensuing two years, both from a looks standpoint and a wrestling standpoint.
-I Quit Match: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ryan Boz (5^th Anniversary Show)(03.28.2009)
Phil Colvin and Derek St. Holmes are on the call as always for AAW matches. While we’ve seen a comedy match, an alleged technical match, and a women’s match, this is very different from everything else since it’s just a brawl all over the Berwyn Eagle’s Club. Colvin becomes one of the first announcers I’ve ever seen actually follow the brawl through the entire building. Least he’s got balls, unlike Lenny Leonard and Dave Prazak who always cower away at the first sign of trouble. Boz tries to powerbomb  Jacobs off the stair near the stage. Jacobs jumps off the guardrail and gets an “End Time” on the floor. Boz rams him into the post. Back in the ring we go. Boz forks Jacobs in the head multiple times and tears at the forehead. Then to keep up with our theme of bringing kitchen objects into the ring, Bo uses a cheese grater across the head of Jacobs. Boz even licks the grater. Well, that was unpleasant. Crowd is literally divided 50/50. Jacobs takes the fork and stabs Boz. Both men are bleeding crimson red. Jacobs tears into Boz. Cheese grater now used on Boz’ head. Boz powerbomb and Jacobs appears to be completely out. We move from the kitchen to the hardware store as Boz hogties Jacobs with some ductape. He gets on the mic and encourages Jacobs to quit. Stapler time. Staples to the head and neck. Boz tries to staple Jacobs’ in the lower nut sack region, but Jacobs thankfully kicks the darn stapler away. Boz brings a table into the ring ever so slowly. Someone forgot to get it ready before the match methinks. The table is fairly far away as Jacobs hits a low blow. He frees himself. The two men exchange shots. Boz punches Jacobs to the outside of the ring. Chair shot to the head. Jacobs lays Boz prone on the table. Oh Christ. BACK SENTON ON TO THE TABLE! TABLE DOESN’T BREAK! Jesus. On the table Boz still lies. Another senton BREAKS THE TABLE! Jacobs find his way into the ring, and Boz does as well. But with hockey stick in hand. Staples to the head on Boz now. Jacobs tapes Boz to the turnbuckle. He tapes every extremity and his back. SPIKE TO THE BALLS! HOLY SHIT! BOZ QUITS!
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Jimmy Jacobs/21:21/****1/4
-Holy Christ, that was an amazing brawl. This has to be one of the best matches in the history of AAW. Amazing work by both men. I think sometimes these brawls go too far, and while a case could be made here, I think it worked out really well. I don’t think anything exceedingly dumb was done, and the finish might have been one of the safest spots in the entire match since we never saw the spike go into the nether regions. Fantastic stuff. THIS is putting your best forward and showing me why I should buy Company X’s DVD.
-Johnny Gargano vs. Shane Hollister (Point of No Return)(05.01.2009)
These are definitely two guys who have elevated their game when it comes to professional wrestling. Gargano recently returned from Dragon Gate Japan while Hollister has become the best AAW Heritage champion in the history of the company. Immediate series of covers by Hollister. Gargano kicks him. Another to the midsection. Side headlock. Irish whip and a Gargano shoulder tackle. Hollister gets right back up. Gargano with another side headlock. Whip and a kick to to Gargano’s head. Out of a chinbreaker. A dropkick to the back. Side suplex for two. Gargano out of a suplex and he runs to the outside. Hollister tossed down head first into the side of the ring. Chop. Back in the ring. Dropkick to the side of Hollister’s head. He dances. Forearms by Hollister. Lariat by Gargano. Bodyslam. Leaping plancha for two. Gargano bites Hollister. Field goal kick. Twist of the arm into a half nelson. Reverse jawbreaker into a neckbreaker for two. Headbutt. Hollister misses a charge. Kick to the leg. Then to the hamstring. Backcracker. Standing senton for two. Chinlock. Hollister comes off the ropes with a springboard DDT. Both men down. Chop exchange. Gargano whips Hollister into the corner. Takes him over. Kick to Gargano’s skull. Dropkick off the top rope for two. Kick to the midsection and a brainbuster attempt. Hollister takes Gargano over into a TKO. Hollister takes Gargano in the corner and the places him on the top rope. Leaping uppercut. Shots to the ribs by Gargano. Spit to the face. Round kick to the face. Inside out goes Hollister on his head. Hollister gets a drop toehold. Elbow by Hollister. Gargano hits a shoulder tackle. Hollister with a spin kick. Gargano with of his own. Quite the match. Hollister rolls him over. Kick to the side of the head. Second rope Go 2 Sleep finally gets him the victory
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Shane Hollister/11:34/***1/4
-Very enjoyable little match from two guys who were about set to really break out.
-The following review is from a show that remains the worst AAW I’ve ever seen. Ironically, it was the first AAW DVD I ever reviewed for site. Not a good start for a guy trying to get into the company. Thankfully, better things were in store, and this was actually one of the few highlights of the show.
-1^st Round AND AAW Tag Team Championship Match: The Phoenix Twins (Dash and Tweek) (champions) vs. Shane Hollister and M-Dogg 20 Matt Cross (Fate of Eight)(06.12.2009)
Hollister reminds me of Jacobs a great deal, both in look and the way he carries himself in the ring. (He definitely resembles Davey Richards moreso than Jacobs.)I’ll talk more about this in my Scars and Stripes review. I also noticed that our esteemed announcers could actually tell which Phoenix Twin was which. AAW-1 ROH-0. Twins pretty much dominate the early portion of this match, and it makes sense since Hollister and Cross are not a regular team PLUS they were only made a team 24 hours before the show. There’s a couple swank armdrag exchanges to start. Cross and Hollister do get some offense eventually, but it isn’t anything special. Which is fine by the way. Obviously, there wasn’t time to really get their stuff together and not being regular partners has to be awkward. Cross is also someone who works better in chaos and in multi-man type matches.
The ending isn’t all that great either. Hollister and Cross each hook in submissions, but the bell rings for a 15 minute time limit. The Twins immediately grant five more minutes showing how dumb they are. Now I was ready to bash the fact that the Twins would indeed advance, but it makes a lot of sense considering this was also a championship match and they technically can’t lose the belts because of a time limit draw. It also appears that Tweek broke his nose, although you can’t tell. But I did see some blood. Arik Cannon interferes since he’s got an issue with Hollister. This leaves Cross alone to suffer Sweet Twin Music (I kid you not readers) and suffer the pin. Bad finish to what was a pretty good match.
-Winner/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Tag Team Champions-The Phoenix Twins/15:52/***
-Not sure why this next match of all matches was included on this DVD. It was acceptable but not something to go out of your way to see. Sadly, we never got a proper return match between the two teams either. This was actually my first AAW show ever too.
-The Phoenix Twins (Dash and Tweek) vs. Irish Airbourne (Jake and Dave Crist) (Scars and Stripes)(07.11.2009)
Pretty basic to start, but you just know these two teams can’t start doing all kinds of crazy crap at any given point. Unfortunately, these guys don’t really get a good amount of time to have a great match. I was a bit disheartened at the time because of how good I think these teams can be in this type of environment. They’re not serving as enhancement talent for bigger teams in ROH. They’re about dead even in AAW. Sweet Twin Music gets Irish Airbourne the victory in under ten minutes. Would love to see a return match down the road.
-Winner/Time/Rating: Dash and Tweek Phoenix/7:27/**3/4
-The rest of the these shows were already reviewed by yours truly, but thanks to an issue with the website, everything was lost. So you get some fresh thoughts and reviews on the next few matches. I feel as though I’ve got new perspective on many of these matches as well. And plus, there’s nothing wrong with watching Bryan Danielson vs. Silas Young once again.
-Double Dog Collar Match-AAW Tag Team Championship: House of Truth (Josh Raymond and Christian Able w/Truth Martini and Val Malone)(champions) vs. Suds and Buds (Silas Young and Dan Lawrence)
Things break down into a brawl almost immediately. I know I’m stunned by this development. Lawrence and Young have Suds and Buds t-shirts on. Those wouldn’t last very long. Challengers start out quickly, but House of Truth get control of the match back in the ring. Raymond and Able take forever to get the collars on. Tower of Truth attempt broken up by Young. Raymond tosses hard to the mat. Double choke job on the champions. Collars are on. Bell rings. Well, I guess it’s officially on. Lawrence and Young use the chains to insure the champions sing an octave higher in the shower. Truth Martini comes in the ring, and we get a jump rope spot. Martini blows up quickly. He tries lighting a cigarette. Lawrence sends him out quickly. Able chokes Lawrence swings him around. Raymond gets his feet up. Young punches him with the chain. Goes for the plunge but Able nails him. YEAH! Boy, have I missed that. Lawrence whipped in the corner. Young is bleeding a gusher. Able whips Lawrence with the chain. Raymond rakes the chain across Young’s head. Champions in complete control. Val Malone starts making out with Raynond while Young is forced to watch. Lawrence gets hung out. Double clothesline with the chain on Young. More choking of Lawrence. Young driven into the corner. Lawrence comes off the ropes and chokes Able. Able shows his power by bringing Lawrence over. Young sends Raymond to the outside. Tug of war. Big dive. Able gets his boot up on a charge. Lawrence catches him and delivers a back elbow. Neckbreaker using the chain. Lawrence climbs to the middle rope. Able pulls him off. Lawrence nails his head on the guard rail. Young goes over Raymond. Able then catches him and slams him into the rails. Christian Able is just ridiculous in this match. They drag the challengers along the ringside area. Lawrence is pulled into the stairs on one side. Young the other. House of Truth celebrate. Able goes after Lawrence’s wound. Raymond chokes Young some more. All four men back in the ring. Lawrence doesn’t last too long. Double team work on Young. Lawrence breaks out the sickle. Able kicks him and tries using the sickle. Able misses. Lawrence misses a sickle shot. Able tries to use it one more time. Lawrence finally uses it and threatens Raymond as well. Lawrence continues using the sickle on Able’s head. There’s a pleasant sight. Raymond punches away on Lawrence. Raymond climbs up top. Young chases after him. Lawrence hits a reverse rana on Raymond from the top. Ridiculous. Boot by Young on Able. Lawrence covers. 1-2-NO! Young makes Able eat the chain. As he’s about to tap, Malone slaps Young. Martini axehandles Young from behind. Able hits a death valley driver. 1-2-NO! Lawrence goes after Able. To the top rope. He gets caught in a powerbomb. Able then hits a back suplex. Tower of Truth with the chain. 1-2-3. House of Truth retains.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Tag Team Champions- House of Truth/18:22/***3/4
Disk 1 Thoughts: A very good start here. Lots of good matches, and it gives a new AAW a taste of what the company has to offer. It’s also nice to have a variety of guys on this disk as well.