Much like 2009, AAW decided to release a “Best of 2010.” I think this company saw its best year ever as far as storylines and match quality. Silas Young was the heavyweight champion the entire year. The tag division saw a renaissiance. There were a remarkable amount of departures and injuries the company had to recover from, yet they responded every time. All but one match is a copy and paste job, but I’ve supplemented my thoughts on each match with italicized writings. And I’m just going to do this in one posting for this year since this was easier to put together and watch.
-It’s amazing to think how five of the six guys were being regularly booked on DG USA cards, and by the end of the year, none of them would be. This was an okay match if not a little sloppy. Still glad Hallowicked won. I wish he could make more appearances in AAW since he fits in and can have good matches with a number of guys, even if they wrestle a different style.
-#1 Contender’s Match for the AAW Heavyweight Championship: Lewis Lyndon vs. Flip Kendrick vs. Hallowicked vs. Gran Akuma vs. Trik Davis vs. Jigsaw (The Chaos Theory)(01.22.2010)
Winner gets a title match the next night at Dragon Gate USA. Think this will be a spotfest? Lyndon and Davis have a nice sequence that concludes with a dropkick that sends Davis outside. Wicked and Skuma are next, and they could do their Lucha spots in their sleep. Jigsaw hits a top rope rana on Wicked . Kendrick comes in, and immediately botches a spot with Jiggy. They recover nicely and applies a couple of submission moves. Davis comes in and applies one of his own. Wicked comes on and kicks him in the face. Akuma breaks that up. Lyndon dives on the five men outside with a top rope moonsault. Jigsaw does a forward dive. Kendrick spirals to end the series of dives. Davis and Lyndon back inside. Davis with a TKO that would have ended the match, but Jigsaw breaks the pin up. Big superkickby Jigsaw. He and Akuma have a roll-up sequence. Akuma drops Jigsaw on the knees, and Lyndon breaks that up. Two big kicks by Lyndon. Wicked with Go 2 Sleepy Hollow. Kendrick breaks that pin up and hits a tornado DDT. Kendrick climbs to the top rope, but Akuma kicks him out of the way. Another Go 2 Sleep but it’s blocked. Rydian bomb by Hallowicked gets three.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Hallowicked/8:11/**3/4
-Some sloppiness brings the rating down slightly, but this was another solid match, and I’m glad Wicked won since he’s an underrated guy on the indy scene. He would go on to lose his title match the next night on the bonus card of DG USA.
-Make no mistake about it; this match is only on this collection because of the name value. I hate this match with a fiery passion. Super Crazy is a complete jackass, and it shows by how little he’s used on the independent scene. Davey Richards might be a miracle worker, but you can’t expect him to have a great match with someone who so clearly didn’t want to play ball. One of the most disappointing matches of the year.
-Davey Richards vs. Super Crazy (The Chaos Theory)(01.22.2010)
The crowd cheers passionately for both men before the bell rings. Then the bell rings, and oh what a disaster. These two were not wrestling the same match. They weren’t in the same building. Hell, I’d question whether they were both doing professional wrestling. I’m not even sure if this could be concerned a styles clash, but these two did not jive AT ALL. They exchange moves, and the psychology goes nowhere. There’s no flow. There’s just two guys doing moves, and some of them are executed correctly. I can’t believe I said this was almost a three star match in my live report. I was wrong. This time around, I could see the point in which Crazy has his thumb injured. It’s one of two kicks toward the end of the match. Not sure if they went home early, but it’s pretty clear Crazy was legit injured. Davey ends a disappointing bout with a DR driver that Crazy appeared to sandbag him on. Shocked Crazy did the job here.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Davey Richards/9:19/**
-As much as the crowd was into the match to start, I think they were disappointed too.
-Almost the polar opposite of the previous match. Two guys who are real life friends go out have and have a fantastic professional wrestling match. Hollister elevated his game tremendously, and if not for injury, this match would have meant even more. Still an underrated classic from 2010.
-Shane Hollister vs. Tyler Black (The Chaos Theory)(01.22.2010)
This is an unofficial number one contender’s match. This was somewhat similar to Silas Young and Bryan Danielson from Us vs. Them in that this wasn’t a grudge match but two guys just having a wrestling match. I firmly believe Hollister had his breakout match that will once and for all put him on the big stage. His match with Cannon did a great job building credibility with the AAW audience. The match with Trik Davis at Young Lions Cup for CHIKARA got him some east coast exposure, but this was a great match with an established independent star.
As far as Tyler Black goes, I think this match dispels the myth that he’s not all that great of a work. I get so tired of Ring of Honor fans bitching about this guy. The bookers are solely responsible for cooling him off to the point where no one cares about him winning the world title. His in-ring work is above average, and since coming back from neck surgery, he’s been even better. Are his promos the greatest? Probably not, but I think he’s improving in this area too. These two had a great back and forth match that is reason alone to buy this DVD. Black plays a subtle heel that I think served the match well to get people behind Hollister. Not sure if anyone actually believed Shane could win the match. Black noticeably grimaces multiple times as a way of selling his neck injury. Great ending sequence. The last five minutes of this match were awesome as Hollister Rolls up with a modified crucifix for three.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Shane Hollister/19:36/****
-The Iowa connection shake hands after the match.
-AAW Heavyweight Championship: Silas Young (champion) vs. Hallowicked (Fearless)(01.23.2010)
Hey some fresh content. I’ve never actually reviewed this match, ironic since both Brad Garoon and Kevin Ford have done so in their DVD reviews of this show. I’m pretty sure this only made the cut because this is the first time the AAW title was defended on a non-AAW show. In fact, it was defended on a DG USA show. Some basic mat wrestling to start. Exchange of headlocks leads to Hallowicked applying a headscissors. Young over into a single leg crab. Roll-up for two. Chop by Wicked. Young off the ropes. Kick to the midsection and a chop. Up and over goes Wicked. Armdrag. Snapmare but Young up and whips Wicked into the corner. Hard lariat by Young. Big right hand. Off the ropes by Wicked gets a rana. Running boot to the face. Young placed on the top rope. Snapmare and a two count. Backbreaker by Young. Series of boots and elbows. Cover for two. Shoulder tackles in the corner. Vertical suplex for two. Chinlock. Wicked fight out of it. Young takes him over out of the corner. Knee to the chest. Forearm. Off the ropes. Young hits a backbreaker and stretches Wicked out. Pair of knees and Wicked is out of the hold. Forearm exchange. Whip in the corner. Young flips out of the corner. Double boots. Wicked ducks the clothesline and gets a roll-up. Jacknife cradle for two. Off the ropes with a rydian bomb. 1-2-NO! Go 2 Sleepy Hollow countered. Backbreaker/clothesline combo. Full nelson stretch. Hallowicked reaches the ropes. Chops by the champion. Young counters out of the Go 2 Sleepy Hollow again. Wicked caught on Young’s shoulder. Finlay roll and the springboard moonsault lead to the victory.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Heavyweight Champion- Silas Young/9:13/**3/4
-A decent little match that I’m glad was included on some sort of AAW release. I don’t think there’s much of a crossover between AAW fans and DG USA fans, and it was cool to see Young defend the title in a unique atmosphere against a completely fresh opponent. Given more time, this could have even better.
-This might not be the best match these two teams even had in 2010, but it’s important because of the title change. Plus, I doubt anyone was buying these lame Iowa shows anyway. I’m happy a couple of the matches from the one match shows are being included. A very enjoyable contest with a little something missing to make it a must see match.
-AAW Tag Team Championship: The House of Truth (Josh Raymond and Christian Able)(champions) vs. Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black (Auditions)(02.19.2010)
Ever since I started AAW in July of 2009, HoT have been the tag team champions. They appeared to be unstoppable as they beat every tag team put in front of them. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell of them dropping it here simply because Age of the Fall have held major titles elsewhere and didn’t need the AAW tag titles added to their resume. I’m also not sure if I would have bothered buying and reviewing any of the Davenport shows if not for this match. Not that I have too high expectations or anything. I know a lot of people aren’t fans of tag matches because the match doesn’t get going until the hot tag, HoT does a great job keeping my interest thanks to their ability to break out innovative spots and be the most annoying heels ever. Josh Raymond yelling “YEAH!” is also awesome for some reason. Jacobs and Black don’t play the underdog role as much in this contest, but instead play the role of veteran tag team who know what they’re doing. Black and Jacobs are a part of individual heat segments as this, like the other tag team title matches in Davenport, receives a lot of time to develop. The old “hot tag gets made while the ref doesn’t see it” spot is broken out for the third time in the last two shows. Black finally gets the hot about 17 minutes in and goes bananas on the champion. F-5 attempt lead to an eyerake by Raymond. Able is dropkicked on the top rope. Black hurancanranas him and tries to belly-to-back suplex Raymond. Black kicks Raymond, and it’s time for some patented Age of the Fall double team work. All four men in the ring. Guillotine choke by Jacobs on Able. Raymond gets a headscissors on Black out of the bucklebomb position. Double team move by Hot. Raymond climbs to the top and misses a spiral tap. Contra code into the headscissors by Jacobs. Able with a slam and a jackhammer. Black breaks up the count. Raymond off the top with a lungblower. Able goes for the title belt, but the referee stops him. Raymond brings in his own title. Phoenix Twins put an end to that. Superkick on Raymond. END TIME! RAYMOND TAPS! NEW CHAMPIONS!
-Winner/Time/Rating: NEW AAW Tag Team Champions: Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black/21:38/***1/4
-If you’re not into buying shows for just one match, then you can finally take advantage of seeing the match I considered the one of the best matches of 2010. An incredible war between these two teams. They towed the line of violence as best they could and did it successfully. It’s also incredible to think neither of these teams are actually wrestling for the company anymore, and I doubt you’ll any of these four men wrestling any time soon.
-No Ropes Barbed Wire Match- Losing team leaves for one year: The House of Truth (Josh Raymond and Christian Able)(w/Truth Martini) vs. The Phoenix Twins (Tweek and Dash)(6th Anniversary Show)(03.26.2010)
Since this was the same night as a number of festivities taking placed in Phoenix, AAW took the fact that most of their A level roster was down in Phoenix and made this a one match show. The company basically didn’t even cover this fact up as it was the only match promoted. All the House of Truth members are tossed from ringside to start. I love it. No interference and no shenanigans. Only adds to the epic nature of this contest. I’m the first one to say I’m not a fan of this type of match, but I’m hoping these guys aren’t as dumb as the morons in companies that don’t deserve to be mentioned in this review. Especially considering the nature of this rivalry. Neither team is in any sort of wrestling gear. Both teams stall a bit. House of Truth backs up a couple times before the Twins force the action. Good tease of the men going in and out of the wire. Slowly, each man feels the wrath of the wire. Chairs become involved. Dash gets powerbombed through the chairs. Tweek gets caught up in the wire and gets dropkicked in the face. Raymond rakes the extra wire across the back of Tweek. Dash clears the barb wire clean and nails his opponents with a dive. Wow. Dash and Able fight in the ring while Raymond and Tweek remain outside. Dash gets a chair and Valerie Malone runs out to take it away. She runs away. Able pounces Dash INTO THE WIRE! Able hits Dash while he’s prone against the wire with a chair. Tweek gets the chair and lays them out. Tweek goes for the ladder and hits Able. This… is serious. Able hits a barb wire lariat. Springboard moonsault by Raymond. Both men cover, but Tweek kicks out. Raymond has a plastic bag filled with something. THUMBTACK TIME! Raymond pokes at Tweek with one tack. Raymond grabs a spool of wire while Able gets a table. Raymond puts the spool around Tweek’s head. To the ladder for a Tower of Truth. 1-2-NO! Dash breaks it up. Crowd isn’t nearly as much into this match as they should be. Two of these guys are done if they lose. Where’s the heat? Dash wraps the barb wire around himself and attacks both Truth members. He slips on the guardrail but recovers. He and Able fight out. Able goes through the table HARD! Good gravy. Val Malone consoles Raymond. Tweek grabs Val Malone and sitdown powerbombs her. He then takes a spool of barb wire. Mason Beck and Truth Martini come out. Beck is superkicked by both twins. Raymond is drop toe-holed. Double crossface WITH THE BARB WIRE. Martini stops Raymond from tapping. Martini tosses the referee. Sweet Twin Music but Martini avoids the wire. Smart idea. Twins are ready to end it. Dash BRAINBUSTAHS RAYMOND THROUGH TWO CHAIRS! 1-2-NO! Another ladder is brought into the ring. Twins set up a table. The tacks are spread across the table as the other ladder is propped up. Oh Christ, this isn’t ending well. Raymond gets out of a double powerbomb. Able sends Tweek THROUGH THE GUARDRAIL THAT WAS PROPPED UP! Raymond has a barb wire bat. Raymond rakes Dash’s head on the tacks. Slam on the mat. Raymond climbs the ladder. Dash climbs up too. Able lurks with the bat. ABLE HITS TWEEK WITH THE BAT, AND HE GOES FLYING THROUGH THE TABLE! HOLY SHIT! 1-2-3!
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: House of Truth/26:38/****1/2
-I’m not a huge fan of the first match, but the second match is one of the most fun intergender contests I’ve ever seen. I’d rather watch this than a lot of four star matches I see on a yearly basis. My only disappointment is they skipped over the tremendous eight man tag team match from Appetite of Destruction.
-AAW Heritage Championship: Arik Cannon(champion) (w/Dave Prazak) vs. Krotch (w/Scarlet) (Bound by Hate)(06.19.2010)
Cannon’s first Heritage title reign began against Krotch over two years ago. Krotch with a series of punches before a lariat gets the advantage for the champion. Prazak helps his man while the referee is distracted. Vertical suplex by Cannon. Rights and lefts by the champion. Reverse facebuster for two. Northstar Express come out to watch. Big boot by Krotch. Missile dropkick from the second rope. Prazak distracts the referee as Darrin Corbin hits a low blow. Glimmering warlock gets three for Cannon. Easy night I guess
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Heritage Champion-Arik Cannon /3:50/*
-Prazak on the microphone to gloat about his man’s victory. Cannon gets into it with a fan and goes on to complain about the competition for his title. He lays down a challenge for another match. Lights go out. MsChif. Bell rings.
-AAW Heritage Championship: Arik Cannon(champion) (w/Dave Prazak) vs. MsChif (Bound by Hate)(06.19.2010)
It’s interesting that in a year of quality intergender matches, we get this contest. Play-by-play won’t even do what Arik Cannon and MsChif did to each other. Earth-shattering strikes combined with incredible stretches. But to MsChif’s credit, she hangs in the match for all ten minutes of it and even has the Berwyn Eagles believing she might win the title. I’d say this is probably my all-time favorite MsChif match . Of course, Cannon remains ridiculously underrated, and it takes a real man to have a great match with a woman. It takes self-confidence and the ability to maneuver body weight. No way could MsChif realistically do all her flips and stretching without Cannon’s help. I don’t say this to be a sexist jerk, but I say it as the truth. MsChif primarily focuses on holds and submissions while Cannon strikes hard and also stretches her out . That first chop? As Phil Colvin said on commentary, “SWEET JEBUS!” Just a brilliantly executed match. Cannon with a huge right hand and a LARIAT for the win. Glad the champion won clean against a woman in this case.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Heritage champion- Arik Cannon/8:45/***1/2
-I’m tempted to give this DVD a thumbs up for the above match only. I’d go out of my way to see this match.
-Again, the only reason this match was included was because of the name value. Lawrence and Sweeney had a complete lack of chemistry. Sweeney looked out of shape and very rusty. Probably could have been decent down the road or if Sweeney had more matches under his belt.
-Larry Sweeney (ICW-ICWA Texarna Television Champion) vs. Dan Lawrence (Reign of Violence)(08.14.2010)
AIN’T NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! This is Sweeney’s first time wrestling in 14 months. The good news he’s as entertaining and bombastic as ever. The bad news is he isn’t in the best shape. His pre-match promo where he turned heel on the crowd was fantastic. This is a non-title match because Berwyn surely doesn’t deserve to see a title of this caliber defended. Lawrence and Sweeney take turns getting their props from the crowd. This is about as basic a match as you can possibly have, and that’s what makes it fantastic. Lawrence controls early, but Sweeney continues powdering outside as the announcers debate the merits of the Texarcana title. Lawrence sends Sweeney into the top turnbuckle multiple times. Strikes in the corner. Sweeney rips at the eyes. Elbow to the back of the head. Deposits Lawrence outside. Knocks Lawrence off the apron. He gets into it with PJ Drummond. Drummond shoves back. Sweeney attacks Lawrence outside the ring again. Sweeney sends Lawrence into the barricade. Lawrence with series of right hands. Sends Sweeney into the barricade twice. Sweeney kicks the middle rope and krotches Lawrence. Irish whip. Lawrence goes goes for a sunset flip. Sweeney drops down and gets a nearfall. Choke along the middle rope. Strikes along the ropes. Off the ropes. Another sunset flip and we get to see Larry Sweeney’s ass in all its glory. Back suplex by Sweeney. Must be a full moon in Berwyn tonight. Bearhug. Lawrence with fists. Sweeney with a leg lariat. Clothesline. To the top rope. Crossbody? No idea what happened. Gets a two count anyway. Sweeney’s pants come up but he makes sure to put them back down. Backbreaker and DDT. Shoulder tackle. Running splash for two. Announcers blatantly ignore this match. Shot in the corner. Whip in the corner. Lawrence gets a boot up. Victory roll gets three. Phil Colvin: Lawrence mercifully ends it. Amen again brother.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Dan Lawrence/11:06/**3/4
-This was an awesome match. Very easy to watch and one of Black’s last great matches before departing for Ring of Honor. He could have easily half assed it through his waning AAW career, but he never did. He had incredible matches just about every month. Silas Young was only seemingly just getting started having amazing AAW title matches. I liked that they did a double pin instead of a 60 minute draw. It came off less contrived while still protecting both guys. Neither guy could have exactly lose in this situation, and AAW covered their asses well.
-AAW Heavyweight Championship: Silas Young (champion) vs. Tyler Black (AAW Tag Team Champion)(Reign of Violence)(08.14.2010)
Hard lock-up to start the match. Into the corner. Young breaks clean. Another lock-up and Black breaks clean this time. Extended feeling our sequence as they exchange various holds. Young hits a shoulder tackle. Black goes for a hip toss, but Young ends up right on his feet. Black shoulder tackle off the ropes. Leapfrogs by Young. Black steps on his face but misses the big stomp. Each man applies a wristlock. Series of pinfalls by both men. Black goes for a figure four leglock. Chop by Black. Back to the arm. Young rolls through, but Black keeps the pressure on. Young with a strike to the leg. Forearm in the corner. Irish whip. Black ducks and hits a dropkick. Again grabbing the arm. Young takes Black in the corner by the hair. Shoulder tackle. Elbow to the back of the head. Forearm. Whip in the corner. Black goes up and over. Snapmare and a stomp to the face. Kick to the midsection. Young quickly gets out of the bucklebomb. Black goes for a dive. Young hits Black upside the head. He goes for a running knee. Black knocks him down. Dive misses. Young send Black hard into the guard rail. Young sends Black into the ring for two count. Young gets a knee to the back. Stomps in the corner. More shots to the back. Vertical suplex blocked. Into the corner for more shoulder tackles. Black gets his boot up. Full nelson bomb. Headbutts to the back of the skull. 1-2-no. Black uses elbows. He charges and nails his shoulder against the post. Young with a roll-up for two. Shots to the back by Young. Black counters a third strike to the back with an elbow. He fires way, but the champion tosses him outside. Black is injured on the floor. Young chokes the challenger. Young jaws with some members of the crowd. Black tries to defend himself. Young with a sitting clothesline. Into the turnbuckle goes Black. More trash talking by the champion before sending Black into the turnbuckle some more. Charge misses. Black with a pair of clotheslines. Irish whip and a back drop. Springboard moonsault but Black lands on the back of his neck. Young covers for two. That botch seemed purposefully done. Back suplex attempt by Young. Black out into one of his own. Lionsault hits this time. 1-2-no. Black gets himself all fired up. Charging forearm. Neckbreaker. 1-2-no. Shot to the face. Irish whip. Black flips over. Big running boot. To the top rope. Young pushes the referee into the ropes. Black nails Black off the apron. Into the stairs goes Black. Choke with the tape. Clubbering blow. He drives Black into the ring apron. Chop. Black fires with one of his own. Young with a kick to the midsection. Into the ring for a two count. Drive of Black’s face into the champion’s knee. Another one. Black counters a third one into a back suplex. Black goes for a kick. Young flips up and hits a lariat. Two count. Chinlock. Right hand exchange. Into the fireman’s carry. Black gets an O’Connor roll. Rolls through and just deposits the champion to the floor. Dive hits this time. Young sent back in the ring. Two count. Into the corner. Young takes him over. Black hits an enziguri. Springboard lariat for two. Black tries to lift him. Young powerslam. 1-2-NO! Young goes for a back suplex. Black headlocks out. Young gets a kick to the face. Black follows him. Peroxism. 1-2-NO! Black goes to the top. Black nails him. They battle. Black headbutts him down. Frog splash met with knees. Boot to the face. Black no sells. Backbreaker/clothesline combo. 1-2-NOOO! Fireman’s carry. Finlay roll. Springboard moonsault misses. Black slides into a schoolboy cover. Kick to the head. Incredible. Off the ropes. Young locks a sleeper. Black’s hand drops twice. After getting his arm up, Black with a pele. Young gets caught between the top and middle rope. Back in he comes. F-5. 1-2-NO! Bucklebomb attempt. Young ranas Black into the middle turnbuckle. Finlay roll. Springboard moonsault. 1-2-NOOOO! Young puts Black on the top rope. Blow to the face. Young with a chop. He joins Black on the top rope. Superplex attempt. Black sunsets out. Bucklebomb! Superkick turned into an O’Connor roll. Young holds the middle rope. Referee sees it and breaks the count. Black sends the champion outside. Heads to the top rope. They battle. Superplex. They small package each other, and P.J. Drummond has no choice but to count all four shoulders down.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: No-contest (Silas Young retains)/30:01/****1/4
-I almost wish AAW could put all of their main events on one DVD because they’ve had an incredible run. This is one of the best pure wrestling matches AAW has had all year. This didn’t have a breakneck pace, nor did it involve two guys kicking out of each other’s finishers. This was just a great professional wrestling match. Did the ending suck? Kind of. But AAW literally had no alternative. There’s no way Black could possibly win the title because he’s on the way out. Not to mention Black still can’t lose because he was the Ring of Honor world champion. My feelings about the finish are neutralized by just how amazing this match turned out to be. I liked how every time Black seemed to gain the advantage, Young would do something to counter. Amazing to think only one of these guys is getting a shot at the big time. Young has had a tremendous run with the AAW championship, and it’s a damn shame he hasn’t got more credit than he has for putting on a series of excellent wrestling matches. Props to both guys for saving this show and taking it up to a minor thumbs up all by itself.
-Amazing to think Young beat a guy who’s now toured Japan and won championships for a major Japanese company. This was a tremendous night for AAW, and this match was one of the reasons why.
–AAW Heavyweight Championship: Silas Young (champion) vs. Ricochet (Defining Moment: Fade to Black)(09.09.2010)
Amazing to think that the night before Ricochet became a superstar for DG USA, he’s challenging (and most likely losing) his first AAW match, which just happens to be for the world title. I guess this put over Silas even more with hindsight being what it is. Lock-up goes to the corner. Young breaks clean and mocks the fans with his clapping. Grabs the arm and hits a snapmare. Roll-up by Ricochet. Off the ropes and an armdrag. Ricochet grabs the arm. Young flips around and slaps him in the face. Off the rope. Dropkick hit by Ricochet. Young to the outside. Dive met with a right hand by Young. Ricochet no sells and hits the dive. Brawl on the outside. Ricochet goes for a dive off the guard rail, but Young rips him down. Another slam into the guard rail. Stomps. Ricochet takes him in the corner. Young rams him into the opposite corner. Young talks some trash. Ricochet with a kick. Young stomps him down. Gordbuster. Bodyscissors. Elbows break the hold. Chinlock by Young. Ricochet hits an axehandle. Young drops Ricochet on his face. Kick and pair of right hands by Ricochet. Tilt a whirl gutbuster by Young gets two. Another shot to the midsection. Kick to the lower back. Another shot to the midsection. Stomp to the head. Young has really slowed the pace of this match. Ricochet goes for a backslide driver. Spins around and gets a tornado DDT. Young misses a charge. Ranaand a headscissors by Ricochet. One footed kick. Cannonball for two. Chinbreaker by Young. Right hand. Ricochet ducks and hits an enziguri. Back and forth. Young tosses Ricochet out of the corner. O’Connor roll leads to a kick and standing senton by Ricochet. Young tosses the challenger outside. Ricochet has a beverage. Shoulder tackle back in the ring. Leaping kick. Backbreaker/clothesline combination. 1-2-NO! Finlay roll but Ricochet into a forward roll-up. Finlay roll. Springboard moonsault misses. Twisting splash off the second rope misses. Strike exchange. Ricochet off the ropes. Big boot by the champin. 360 round kick by Ricochet. Finlay roll. Springboard moonsault. 1-2-NO! Young hooks… End time? Jacobs would not be pleased. Ricochet taps immediately.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL heavyweight champion-Silas Young/15:25/***1/2
-Very good match as always. Silas Young might have one of the most underrated title reigns of 2010. He’s been consistently great regardless of who the opponent was. I enjoyed this match because Young worked his slow pace, and Ricochet did a great job conforming to the champion’s style. Every champion has a style or flow to the way their title defenses go. Young’s title defenses tend to be on the slower side, but there is more build-up to moves. It’s not just guys doing moves and kicking out of finishers. It’s something almost unique to indy wrestling and is probably why Young isn’t a bigger star on the indies.
-I’ve talked about this match so much already. I even put it in my top ten list. You owe it yourselves to see this match.
-AAW Tag Team Championship: Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs vs. House of Truth (Josh Raymond and Christian Abel w/Truth Martini) (Defining Moment: Fade to Black)(09.09.2010)
After five years of traveling up the roads to Berwyn, it all comes down to this for Tyler Black. An enormous ovation before the match as the crowd shows its appreciation for someone who’s almost become one of their own. Jacobs and Able start. Able tosses Jacobs out of a lock-up. Series of punches and stomps in the corner. Jacobs turns it around with stomps of his own. Able tags Raymond. Armbar. Scoop slam. Jacobs mocks him and gets a bodyslam of his own. Raymond powders. Martini calls a timeout. Black tags to wrestle his long-time foe Raymond. Knee and shot to the back by Raymond. Takes Jacobs out. Headlock and off the ropes. Raymond to the outside. Jacobs delivers a right hand. Black gets a dropkick off the ropes. Into the turnbuckle head first. Pair of stomps. Tag to Jacobs. Double choke. Raymond with a jawbreaker. Able tags in and uses a series of strikes. Rakes the face with his boots. Jacobs catches Able in the midsection. Double leg takedown leads to a series of punches. Axehandle on Able. Snapmare into a kick in the back. Punch and into the corner with shoulder tackles. Vertical suplex attempt. Able hits a vertical suplex. Knee to the back. Chops. Black responds in kind with chops of his own. Raymond with a clothesline. Legally tags in and stomps away. Back suplex but Black turns it into a crossbody. Shoulder tackle takes Raymond down. Snapmare. Big stomp is ducked. Kick to the back. Martini pulls Black’s leg. Able with a punt. Raymond stretches Black out in the ropes. Off the ropes with a baseball dropkick. Black sent into the guard rail before being tossed into the ring. Raymond with a stomp and makes it clear who’s winning. Black fires back with right hands. Able pushes him back in the corner. Able backbreaker leads to Raymond hitting a double stomp. Strike exchange. Raymond rakes the eyes. Irish whip reversed. Dropkick hits. Raymond outside. Able knocks Jacobs off the apron. Black takes Able up and over. Hot tag to Jacobs. Big dive on Able. Big dive on Raymond. Back in the ring. Kick and a neckbreaker for two on Raymond. Contra code caught by Able. Tower of truth attempt. Black with a leaping enziguri on Raymond. Jacobs hits a bulldog. Martini pushes Black off, but Age of the Fall hit their dropkick. Jacobs goes for a headscissors. Double team Alabama slam gets two for Raymond. Boot to the eye. Into the corner. Tag to Able. Whip in as Able hits a shoulder block. Raymond with a leaping kick. Able drops Jacobs on his back. Knee placed in the back. Jawbreaker by Jacobs. Sends Raymond off the apron. Dropkick by Able. Standing surfboard into a bulldog. Jab but Jacobs fights back. Jacobs knocks Able down. Irish whip. Raymond with a boot. Jacobs comes back with a clothesline. Black tags. Shoulder block on Able.. Springboard clothesline misses. O’Connor roll right into a back suplex. Enziguri. Off the ropes but Raymond grabs him. Able nails his own partner. Black knocks Able to the floor. Suicide plancha on both members of the HoT. Back in the ring. Chop by Able. Black follows him off the ropes and hits a sloppy peroxism for two. Black says you can’t see him (to a pop I might add) and applies an STF. Raymond breaks a hold. Chops by Black. Off the ropes. Able catches him. Lawn dart. Raymond with a back cracker. 1-2-Jacobs breaks the pin. Kick by Jacobs. Contra code right into a headscissors. Able catches Jacobs and hits a powerbomb. Lionsault while Able holds Jacobs. 1-2-NO! Black axes Able. Into the buckle head first. More shots. Black and Jacobs both go for a superplex on Raymond. Able pushes Black off the top rope. Raymond pushes Jacobs off. Jacobs hits an acecrusher on Able! Shooting star spear! 1-2-NO! Jacobs jabs away at Able and Raymond. Clothesline by Able. Able kicks Black off the apron. Step up powerbomb but Black clotheslines Able. Spear by Jacobs on Raymond. Black covers. 1-2-NO! END TIME ON RAYMOND! Black holds Able off. Raymond gouges the eyes. Black superkicks him and dives on top of Able. Just as the referee is about to drop the arm a third time, Silas Young interferes. Young and Jacobs brawl all the way back to the back. Black is all alone with Raymond. He gets all fired up. Charging forearm. Places Raymond on the top rope. Able waistlocks him. Pele but Able catches him. TOWER OF TRUTH! 1-2-NOOO! Crowd gets behind Black. Another tower of truth attempt. Black peles Able into Raymond. Martini comes in. Book shot misses. Superkick on Martini. Able gets hit with a bucklebomb. SUPERKICK! Black gets God’s… RAYMOND ROLLS HIM UP AND GETS THE WIN! NEW CHAMPIONS!
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW tag team champions- House of Truth/23:41/****1/4
-Even after seeing this a second time, this match was unbelievably great. Some great counters. Great drama. Everything about this match was great. How anyone could not love all four of these men is beyond me. Jacobs and Black are undoubtedly two of the best professional wrestlers in the United States, and the House of Truth aren’t that far away from also being the best. I’d place this as the second best match of 2010 for AAW because of the run-in. But this is a must see match for every indy fan. An easy thumbs up on the DVD for this match.
-Tyler Black cuts a gracious speech and shows himself to be a humble, relaxed. Congrats to Tyler for escaping the land of high school gyms and armories. May you soon be wrestling on my television while wrestling in front of 70,000 fans at some point soon. It was also good to see Black gets props and applause in front of the crowd. P.S. Ring of Honor fans, THIS is how you show appreciation toward Tyler Black.
Final Thoughts: Even though 2010 was a better year for AAW, I feel like the 2009 collection gave a far better representation of the kind of year they had. I’m extremely disappointed by the lack of Zero Gravity considering they ended the year as the tag team champions. There were also a few questionable matches that only seemed to be on the DVD because of the fame of a certain wrestler. Still, this remains an easy thumbs up because of the sheer number of three and four star matches.
For more information on AAW and their upcoming shows (including the return of Davey Richards in November!), check out AAW’s Website. To buy this and many otherAAW DVDs, check out Smart Mark Video. To read past AAW reviews, check out my AAW blog. Below is a list of contact information for both the website and me.
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