There seems to be a perception out there that “wrestling sucks these days.” Well, anyone who’s followed this website for more than two minutes knows that this simply isn’t the case. Whatever frustration one might feel about WWE or TNA, there are still a wealth of great independent wrestling shows being conducted on a weekly basis. Last week it was another PWG show. Next week it’s CHIKARA. This week it’s AAW and one of their biggest shows ever being conducted at 115 Bourbon St. in Merrionette Park, Illinois.
For anyone who’s interested, Greg Valentine, Honky Tonk Man, and Scott Steiner will all be signing autographs and be a part of the meet-and-greet between 4:30 and 6:30. No announcement has been made as to their status on the actual show, but I would not presume that any of these three are actually working. Scott Steiner will likely be talking. Always an entertaining proposition considering how Scott Steiner promos usually go. Rhino and M-Dogg 20 will also be a part of the meet-and-greet as well, but they will be wrestling on the show. I’m glad two guys who can actually still go will be at War is Coming, as opposed to certain former ECW talent who I shall not mention.
The presumed main event is an AAW heavyweight title match between champion Silas Young and Rhino in a rematch from Day of Defiance. At that point, Young was not the AAW champion. Rhino was making his debut for the company, and he looked pretty good in the 15 minute contest. Rhino actually picked up the victory, and based on that, he’s going to wrestle Young for the championship. Young has already had two excellent title defenses since regaining the belt from Dan Lawrence, and I can see this being an above average contest as well. Look, Rhino has never been the type of guy who produces “workrate” level matches that the modern indies are known for. Don’t expect a four star classic, but there’s no reason this shouldn’t be a very good main event that ends the show on a positive note.
Second from the top is a double dog collar match that will presumably end the feud between Jimmy Jacobs and Arik Cannon. What I’ve loved about the first couple matches is they’ve had good matches, but nothing spectacular. With this being the blow-off, I’m presuming excellence from these two in the vain of the Jacobs/Moxley “I quit” match from DG USA a year ago. Expect an extended, bloody brawl which might serve as a farewell for one of these two men. My prediction is Jacobs wins, and this ends up being the best match on the card.
While I think the dog collar match will end up being the best, the match I’m most looking forward to is the tag team title match between Raymond/Able and Irish Airborne for the AAW tag team championship. What I think you’ve got here is two of the best teams in the Midwest. Raymond and Able have obviously not been in AAW for quite some time, but I very much feel like the company has missed them more than they’ve missed the promotion. Nothing against the other fine teams in AAW, but Raymond and Able really had something special going. They left the world of wrestling JUST as their careers were taking off, with frequent appearances in Ring of Honor and a recent CHIKARA debut. Nothing has been said about Truth Martini’s status with these two gentlemen, but based on this match, it looks like the former House of Truth will be the babyfaces. I’ve said a lot about the champions, but I feel like I never really give IA the credit they deserve. Jake and Dave Crist have come a long way from being cut off ROH DVDs and jobbing to Shane Hagadorn. They’ve improved a great deal in the last couple yea
rs. I would hope they’d get more than a one month title reign, but I’d be happy with either team holding the belts going into 2012.
I believe I mentioned this in one of my recent DVD reviews, but Mason Beck and Mike Elgin is definitely a match I’ve wanted to see. What some pundits might call a “mean guy match.” To me, Elgin is an awesome athlete with a great power game who’s put in a lot of strong performances in AAW and Ring of Honor. Mason Beck seems like a guy who’s capable of breaking out, but it’s really a matter of time. Considering the styles of these two, I’d expect a shorter hard-hitting contest. Beck is the champion, and considering his long-time standing with the promotion, I’d expect him to retain the belt a little bit longer. Wouldn’t shock me if Elgin came away with the belt if AAW wants to show a commitment to him.
AAW is at the forefront of pushing female talents and actually attempting to build rivalries, right along with CHIKARA and AIW. MsChif and Mena Libra have been going back and forth for months in various forms. Injuries to both have delayed any possible one-on-one matches. This is a huge opportunity for both girls. Here you’ve got two girls from the Midwest looking to make a statement on a stacked card. AAW fans have traditionally been unreceptive to women’s wrestling despite the Berwyn Eagles being the home of Shimmer. We’ll see how the Bourbon Street crowd responds.
The final announced match is a six man Chicago street fight. Truth Martini leads his team of Keith Walker, Jesse Emerson, and N8 Matteson against Joey Eastman’s team of Darin Corbin, Marion Fontaine, and the returning Danny Daniels. Part of me thinks this is going to be the comedy relief of the night. With Eastman being a part of the match, I’d say this is a mandatory proposition. Emerson’s inclusion in House of Truth is interesting to me because he’s shown some solid basic wrestling and promo skills, but it never feels like he’s been able to gain traction with the promotion. Perhaps this angle and this match will give Emerson some direction. We’ll also have to see if the Daniels/Martini stuff pays off based on how their promos have gone in recent months.
This might be one of the most stacked AAW cards of all time, and guys like Shane Hollister, M-Dogg, Sami Calihan, and Alex Colon don’t even have matches yet. I thought I saw one version of this card that these four broken into a tag team match, but we’ll have to see what happens Friday night. I’ve been disappointed in the quality of the first two Bourbon Street shows. I’m hoping not to be this time. If you’re in the area, check out the show live. If not, go to Go Fight Live and watch the show, beginning on November 6.
For more information on AAW and their upcoming shows, check out AAW’s Website. To buy this and many otherAAW DVDs, check out Smart Mark Video. Below is a list of contact information for both the website and me.
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