Lakewood, OH – 6.14.2011
Commentary is provided by Pedro Deluca and Aaron Bauer.
Corey Winters vs. K. Fernandez
Joey The Snake is in Fernandez’s corner. Winters takes Fernandez down in an armbar. Winters snapmares Fernandez and drops him with a hip toss. He fires up with a back elbow and clothesline. Fernandez pokes Winters in the eyes. Winters forearms him and goes for a backslide. Winters instead drops Fernandez with a brainbuster for two. Winters goes to the second rope. Fernandez catches him with an enzuigiri and superkick. Fernandez kicks Winters in the ropes for a two count. Fernandez nails two knee strikes for two. Joey chokes Winters on the middle rope as Fernandez distracts the referee. Fernandez cuts off Winter’s comeback attempt with an STO for two. Winters escapes a DVD and hits a German suplex for two. Fernandez hits one of his own for two. Winters hits a release version for the pin at 5:56. Winters and Fernandez’s wrestling ability is on point, but their goofy gear makes it hard for them to break out as serious competitors. I think if they revamp their look they could really breakout. That being said, this was a fun bout to start the show. **1/4
Chest Flexor comes out to the ring with ”The Chad” Williams. Flexor said that Chad wanted to call out Tommy Mercer to face him before Absolution. Since Mercer isn’t here, he makes an open challenge on Chad’s behalf. South Side St. Clair, dressed as Sting, foolishly accepts the challenge.
”The Chad” Williams vs. South Side St. Clair
Williams boots St. Clair and lays in shots in the corner. Williams suplexes him. He drops a knee for two. St. Clair delivers a chinbreaker and calls for the Stinger Splash. Williams catches St. Clair and hits the Mercy Kill for the pin at 1:54. Exactly the squash you would hope Williams would get before a big match with a TNA roster member. ¼*
Ben Fruith vs. Joey The Snake
The AIW mascot “Green Man” high fives Fruith before the match. Fruith ducks Joey’s initial attacks. After a lot of stalling, Fruith kicks Joey in the leg. Fruith knocks Joey down in the corner and lands a leg lariat for two. Joey boots Fruith in the ribs. Fruith hits a dropkick. Joey forearms him to the mat and steps on his throat. Joey hits a clothesline for two. Fruith connects with a flying knee and a back senton for two. He knees Joey in the temple for two. Joey chops Fruith on the ropes and splashes him on the mat. Fruith avoids a corner splash. He lights up Joey with kicks and strikes. He hits a running ace crusher, but Joey gets his foot on the ropes to break the pin. Joey eyerakes Fruith and delivers multiple kicks. He drops Fruith neck first across his knee for two. Joey spikes Fruith with a reverse DDT for the pin at 7:38. This was fine in terms of building the Lights Out/Latin Crime Syndicate feud, but it’s clear these two are less interesting than their partners. *
After the match, Joey’s partners Luis Diamante and K. Fernandez attack Fruith. Joey gives Fruith a back cracker off of Diamante’s powerbomb position. The Duke and Corey Winters run out to chase DLCS off and tend to Fruith. The Duke says he’s tired of DLCS running and that he will face a member of their group tonight. By process of elimination, Diamante will be the one to face him.
Rickey Shane Page vs. Chad Futuristic
Futuristic gets the ropes to prevent Page from putting on a leg submission. Page hammerlocks Futuristic into a roll up for two. He again goes for a submission and Futuristic grabs the ropes once more. Futuristic pokes Page in the eye. He connects with a satellite headscissors and a dropkick. Page counters a huracanrana with a buckle bomb.Page pummels Futuristic in the corner. Page nails a forearm and a running knee strike in the corner. Page steps over Futuristic and stretches out his arms. Page kicks him in the back and chest. He delivers a gutbuster and back senton for two. Futuristic hits the Rough Ryder for two. Page rolls through a clothesline. He ties up Futuristic in a cloverleaf and Futuristic taps at 5:20. Page’s outward aggression and technical wrestling ability portrays just how good Page can be. Futuristic didn’t look bad at all, and I certainly think a less squashy match would allow him to showcase his ability. **1/2
Gregory Iron vs. AERO!
Some chain wrestling leads to AERO knocking Iron down with a shoulder block. Iron armdrags him over. AERO misses an elbow after another shoulder block. Iron hits a senton splash for two. Iron hits some forearms and a clothesline in the corner. AERO hits a step-up enzuigiri. Iron elbows to escape a headlock, but AERO throws him head first back to the mat. AERO suplexes him for two. He hits a Tiger variation and chokes Iron with his shin. Iron comes back with a tornado bulldog. Iron delivers a flurry of clotheslines and an inverted DDT for two. AERO hits a step-up enzuigiri and the Implant for two. Iron retaliates with the Handicap Parking for the pin at 7:12. Iron appropriately gets a win in a very good back-and-forth match before his big brawl with Josh Prohibition. This match was fun to watch and featured the best action on the card thus far. **3/4
Chest Flexor and “The Chad” Williams once again come back to the ring. Flexor says Williams is still ready to go, and asks for a TNA Knockout to challenge Williams. We don’t get an official Knockout, but Super Oprah answers the challenge.
”The Chad” Williams vs. Super Oprah
Oprah disgusts Williams in order for him to break a waistlock. She drop toe holds him into a skullfuck for two. Williams drops her with a spinebuster. Williams boots Oprah down in the corner. Williams big boots her after an Irish whip for two. He slams Oprah and goes to the second rope. She catches william with a chokeslam backbreaker. Oprah delivers some chops. She twists his nipples before giving him a kiss. Oprah splashes Williams in the corner and follow sup with a cannonball senton for two. Williams powerbombs her out of the corner for the pin at 6:01. Why in God’s name this went longer than the first match and Oprah got so much offense is baffling. As a match it was better, but this was the wrong match to have at the wrong time. ¾*
Flexor gets in the ring. He says since Jessicka Havok couldn’t be at the show tonight, he made a deal with Allysin Kay to beat up Angeldust so badly that she won’t be able to make it to Girls Night Out 4 in July.
Angeldust vs. Allysin Kay
Kay attacks Angeldust as she poses in the corner. Kay tries to powerbomb her, but Angeldust reverses into a huracanrana. She dropkicks Kay to the corner and follows up with a splash. Kay mows her down with a larit. She gets two with a back senton. Angeldust goes for a sunset flip. Kay picks her up and throws her into the corner with a two-handed choke bomb. She scrapes her boot across Angeldust’s face before applying a straight-jacket choke. Angeldust delivers a few kicks. Kay cuts her off with a slam. Angeldust schoolgirls her for two. Kay conncets with a boot and chokes Angeldust on the mat. Angeldust reverses another powerbomb with a huracanrana. Angeldust delivers an STO for two. Kay blocks a kick and puts Angeldust on her shoulders. Angeldust kicks her leg out and delivers an enzuigiri for the pin at 4:13. Both these women had good showings, especially Kay who should be more regular in AIW’s women division. With little time, they packed in a good sized punch. **1/2
Flexor is frustrated after the match. He challenges anyone to a match so he can beat his frustrations out. Façade answers the call. Façade says Flexor cost him his spot in the TPI when he was put through a table, so their match tonight is a Tables match. Façade brings out a table with “Flexor Industries” spraypainted on it.
Tables Match
Façade vs. Chest Flexor
Façade brutalizes Flexor with kicks and forearms in the corner. Flexor retreats to the crowd but Façade brings him back in. Flexor trips over a leapfrog and eats a jump-up kick. Flexor brings him to the floor and delivers some punches. Flexor props him on a table leaning against the ring. Façade side steps his attack, so Flexor brings him back in the ring. This doesn’t last long as they fight behind the entrance curtain. We here some clatter before Flexor comes out and sets up a table between a ring apron and a table at the bar. Façade walks the walls of the outside bar into a dropkick back in the ring. Flexor tries to run away, but Façade dives onto him from the wall once more. Façade suplexes Flexor from the apron into the ring. Flexor is placed on a table as Façade goes up top. Flexor brings him down with a DDT. Flexor places Façade on the table and goes up to. Façade gts up, so Flexor goes back to the floor. Façade escapes a powerbomb and delivers a few kicks. Façade spirngboards from the ring, over the wall and onto Flexor through the table for the victory at 6:57. This was just a really fun match that made use of the unique environment of the show. You got to love outside shows. I’m anxious to see what Façade and Sabu string together for “Absolution VI”. **3/4
The Duke vs. Luis Diamante
Duke knocks him down with a shoulder block. Duke clotheslines him in the corner. He snapmares Diamante forward before snapping his neck on the mat. A knee strike gets him two. Diamante twists Duke’s ankle. Diamante sits down on Duke’s ankle. He grapevines the legs and bends them forward. Diamante and Duke exchange forearms. Duke powerslams him and sets up for the Duke Bomb. Joey The Snake and K. Fernandez attack for the disqualification at 5:15. Lights Out and Izaeh Bonds run out. Referee Jake Clemons turns this into a six man tag match.
The Duke & Lights Out (Ben Fruith & Corey Winters) vs. Da Latin Crime Syndicate (Luis Diamante, Joey The Snake & K. Fernandez)
Joey attacks Fruith right at the bell and drags him back to the corner. Fruith gets beaten down by DLCS until he ducks an elbow and tags in Duke. Duke tags in Winters who faces off with Diamante. Winters delivers two kicks and a forearm for two. Joey snaps Winters’ neck on the bottom rope. DLCS now take turns beating him down. Winters drops Joey with a DDT and hits an enzuigiri to escape and tag in The Duke. Duke back elbows all three DLCS members. He clotheslines Fernandez and Diamante simultaneously. Duke drops Joey with a Rikishi Driver for the pin at 7:15. This segment as a whole was pretty useless, just further build-up to their ten men tag. I hope we get something more exciting than this bout. *
Absolute Championship
Johnny Gargano vs. Bobby Beverly
Gargano gets the best of Beverly by stomping on his hand after exchanging holds. Gargano arm whips Beverly into a crucifix pin for two. Gargano rolls through a sunset flip and hits a dropkick. Gargano throws him face first into two corners. Beverly blocks a clothesline. He kicks Gargano and clotheslines him. He applies a bodyscissors while pulling Gargano’s chin. Beverly suplexes him for one. Beverly rolls him back into the submission. Gargano rolls him back into a surfboard stretch. Beverly slams Gargano back first into the corner and applies a rear chinlock. Gargano escapes. He lays in some forearms and nails a bicycle kick. He connects with a jumping back elbow. He rolls Beverly forward, kicking him in the chest for two. Beverly delivers a chinbreaker. Gargano puts him in an Anaconda Vice in the ropes. Gargano rolls Beverly and kicks him in the shoulder. He hits a low Code Breaker for two. Beverly blocks the Hurts Donut. Gargano crucifiix pins him for two. He goes for the Gargano Escape. Beverly quickly escapes. He hits a thrust kick and an STO, transitioning into a Koji Clutch. Gargano grabs the ropes to break. They exhange forearms and hit each other with a boot. Beverly hits a chinbreaker/enzuigiri combo. He delivers a backbreaker for two. Gargano drops Beverly with a brainbuster.More forearms are thrown. Gargano hits a sole butt. Beverly kicks Gargano on the ropes. Gargano catches Beverly with the Zig-Zag and puts him in the Gargano Escape. Beverly escapes. Gargano superkicks him twice and hits the Hurts Donut. He puts Beverly in the Gargano Escape. Beverly taps out at 11:28. Gargano looks strong heading into his title defense at “Absolution VI” against Tim Donst. This was close to being as good as their “Gauntlet for the Gold” match. A fine way to end the show. ***
Green Man celebrates with Johnny Gargano. He helps Beverly up an extends his hand. Beverly shoves him. Green Man tackles Beverly and delivers aflurry of punches. Beverly retreats. Green Man reveals himself to be Beverly’s former partner Eric Ryan, who Beverly injured and shaved bald all the way back in November at “Hell On Earth 6”. Ryan said he’s happy to return to AIW, his favorite place to wrestle. Ryan says his first day of rehab on his birthday, helping making his leg stronger than ever. He tells Beverly that he is fucked come “Absolution VI”.
Overall: This show succeeded in it’s intended purpose of adding a little extra hype for “Absolution VI”. As a stand alone show, I wouldn’t recommend it as a lot of the matches don’t hold up on their own. However, if you’re uninitiated with AIW or are planning to buy “Absolution VI”, it may not be a bad idea to toss this in your shopping cart as well.