-Taped from Merionette Park
-Your hosts are Phil Colvin and Derek St. Holmes
-Dan Lawrence, Samuray Del Sol, and Zero Gravity (Bret Gakiya and CJ Esparza) vs. The Clash (Cameron Skyy, Tommy Treznik, Austin Mannix, and Mr. Miller)
Match in Five Words or Less: An Exciting Start
Match Highlights: A returning Mr. Miller starts against Del Sol. Lucha sequence. Dropkick sends Miller out. Fake dive. Esparza and Skyy enter. Skyy talks some garbage. Shot to the arm and forearm by Skyy. Chop in the corner. Whip but a charge misses. Zero Gravity double teams. Treznik doesn’t fare any better. Lawrence and Mannix become legal. Monkey flip and dropkick by Lawrence. Knee to the back and Treznik gets knocked off the apron. Double boot by Miller. Guillotine by Treznik. Heat segment on Lawrence. Lawrence hits a twisting clothesline. Del Sol with an armdrag off the top. Lucha roll-up gets two. Treznik with a pumphandle slam. Into the corner where they work Del Sol over. Tremendous boot from Mr. Miller. Mannix knocked down by his own partner. Skyy and Treznik get sent outside. Huge dive from Del Sol. Boot from Skyy. Back in the ring and here comes Gakiya. Double team suplex on Treznik. Tackle by Skyy. Assisted dropkick. Lawrence and Gakiya each hit dives. Miller stops Esparza from hitting one of his own. Short clothesline. Mannix hits an acecrusher. Kick by Del Sol and standing sliced bread. The Cleansing hit on Del Sol. Lawrence prevents a cover. Chops take Skyy in the corner. Back elbow out of the corner. Gakiya with kicks on Treznik. Turns a lawn dart into a DDT. Esparza and Miller come in. Forearm sends Miller into the corner. Knee drive into the middle buckle. Esparza placed on top. Headbutt sends Miller to the mat. Esparza shooting star presses to the floor. Dan Lawrence with a face wash on Miller. Rana over and a three count.
Match Analysis: The biggest criticism I’ve had about the Bourbon Street shows is not opening them up with an entertaining match to get the crowd into things immediately. They mostly rectified that problem here with a great eight man showcase featuring a lot of solid AAW roster members. It may not have been the most technically sound contest, but it got the job done. And hey, at least this iPPV didn’t start with a Billy Corgan promo.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: Dan Lawrence, Samuray Del Sol, and Zero Gravity (Bret Gakiya and CJ Esparza)/10:05/***
-Our second match bleeds right in as Mena Libra comes from behind to low blow Dan Lawrence. The rest of the Clash join her. Here comes MsChif. She saves Dan Lawrence from being hit with The Cleansing. Babyfaces clear the ring.
-Mena Libra vs. MsChif
Match in Five Words or Less: This Feud Must Continue
Match Highlights: Quick forearms and a chop in the corner. Whip and a missed charge by Mena. Libra sent crashing into the front row. Brawl continues on the outside. Libra wraps her arm around the post. MsChif takes advantage. Libra comes back with hard strikes. MsChif with forearms to the back. Onto the stage. MsChif uses a chair to stretch Libra across the stage. Libra drives MsChif into the chair. Back rake. Fireman’s carry but MsChif counters into a sunset flip. O’Connor roll gets two. MsChif drops the elbow across Libra and gets two. Treznik comes back. MsChif takes him down. Small package from Libra gets two. Samoan drop countered. Treznik comes back up. MsChif knocks him down again. Libra rolls her up. Treznik holds her legs. Referee is way out of position but counts three nonetheless.
Match Analysis: With more time and a better finish, this match could have been even better. This felt like the first few minutes of a longer match as opposed to a standalone. Nothing offensive but I’m hoping these two can continue their rivalry in the coming months and really showcase themselves.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: MsChif/5:53/**
-Mike Elgin is ready for his Heritage title match and talks about being a natural disaster. Jokes abound but I’d like to think I’m above that sort of thing.
-McEntyre says someone is eating Double Penetration tonight, regardless of all the bad things that have happened to them the last few months. It was supposed to Awesome Threesome against Colt Cabana and Gregory Iron. Instead, it will be Iron by himself (in a handicap match… zing) or a another partner. Iron comes out, and then some familiar music hits…
-Gregory Iron and Christian Faith vs. The Awesome Threesome (Knight Wagner and Jordan McEntyre w/Eryn)
Match in Five Words or Less: A Strong Ohio Connection
Match Highlights: Immediate knee and forearm from McEntyre. Shot to the back and neckbreaker from Iron. Gimp slap misses. Forearm sends McEntyre outside. Wagner tags in. As does Faith. Right hands no sold by Faith. Back elbow. Trip and roll-up for two. Another roll-up gets two. Shoving match. Low dropkick. Wagner fails to get the roll-up. He tries again… and fails. Back drop into a boot. Eryn gets on the apron but goes down. Iron with strikes. Double back elbow. Faith sentons iron on Wagner. Eryn goes on the apron. Iron yells at her. McEntyre nails him. Control segment from Awesome Threesome. Somersault press misses. Hot tag to Faith. Back elbow and a kick. Stomp to the face. 360 round kick. Iron hits a charging splash. Faith stomps Wagner. McEntyre charges and eats a boot. Iron hits an elbow drop off Faith. 1-2-NO! Faith hits a senton for two. Wagner hits a kick to Faith’s head. McEntyre with a twisting dive. Iron hits a flatliner. Here’s Eryn. McEntyre nails Iron from behind. Series of counters. Discus punch. Ouch. Iron hits a tope suicida. Wagner with a kick to the midsection. Axe kick misses. DVD from Faith gets three.
Match Analysis: I liked what I saw from Iron and Faith as a team. Awesome Threesome looked really strong again. A fine midcard tag team contest.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: Christian Faith and Gregory Iron/6:25/**3/4
-Christian Able says it’s all about winning the AAW tag team championships tonight. They’re back and better than ever… including new ring gear! Raymond wants the belts back too. It’s not time to retire. It’s time to say YEAH!
-Silas Young, Mason Beck, and Irish Airborne come out with their belts. That’s a mighty impressive sight I have to say. Young understands why people are so angry. He’s dominated the company for the last year. There is no competition. He runs through the names of people he’s beaten. The crowd informs Young that Rhino has in fact defeated him. Back in June to be precise. Young says Rhino is going to get beat… when it counts. He turns his attention to the other men in the ring. They’re not his friends, but rather the best at what they do. Young calls Mason Beck the best second guy in wrestling. Crowd actually picks up on that chant. Keep that in mind for future shows. Ryan Boz, not booked due to a suspension, comes out to create some chaos. Lariat on Beck. He punches him with vigor. Locker room empties out. Kevin Harvey comes out and yells at Ryan Boz for what he did. Mason Beck tries leaving, but he has not been dismissed yet. Kevin Harvey says the Heritage title match is on NOW!
-AAW Heritage Championship: Mason Beck (champion) vs. Michael Elgin
Match in Five Words or Less: A New Champ Rises
Match Highlights: Immediate forearms from Elgin. Big running shot. Falcon arrow nearly ends it barely 30 seconds in. Slam into the corner and a powerslam for two. Stomp but a powerbomb is blocked. Enziguri by Elgin. Clothesline blocked. Beck hits a forearm. Attempted suplex on the apron. Diving clothesline and Elgin bumps. 1-2-NO! Stomps from Beck. He chokes the challenger with his t-shirt. Choke along the top rope. Knee lift sends Elgin laying on the middle rope. Hard whip into the corner. Elgin hits another hard forearm. Big stomp and forearm. Chop. Lariat by Beck. Elgin tosses outside. Shot to the back. Elgin with a chop in response. Beck drives Elgin into the post. Shoulders to the back. Strikes from Elgin. Side slam by Beck. Clubbering blows in the corner by Elgin. Beck with an overhead slam. 1-2-NO! Forearm no sold. Elgin is mad he comes back. Beck applies a bearhug. Elgin hits a triad of German suplexes out of the bearhug. Running charge and forearm. Back elbow. Acecrusher for two. Beck hits an Alabama Slam to counter out of the powerbomb. 1-2-NO! Beck goes to the top. Shot from Elgin. Superplex blocked. Headbutt by Beck. Dive from the top misses. Elgin hits a back fist and twisting powerbomb. ELGIN WINS THE HERITAGE CHAMPIONSHIP!
Match Analysis: Rarely do these two get a chance to wrestle against someone who has as much size and strength. Among indies, it’s even more rare to see a match like this. Elgin looked like a beast the entire match and got some genuine love from the crowd after winning the title. Very intense back and forth action. Both guys put together an entertaining match.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: NEW Heritage Champion-Mike Elgin/10:55/***1/4
-Truth Martini and Joey Eastman face off in a promo. Martini does not like Eastman. It’s time to separate the men from the boys. This will be the last time these two come face-to-face. Eastman responds by kissing Martini. An all-time classic promo. That was absolutely amazing.
-Chicago Street Fight: House of Truth (Keith Walker, Jesse Emerson, N8 Matteson w/Truth Martini) vs. Marion Fontaine, Darin Corbin, and Danny Daniels (w/Joey Eastman)
Match in Five Words or Less: Big Old Brawl
Match Highlights: You know it’s a street fight because everyone is in jeans and a t-shirt. Absolute chaos as all six men brawl in and around the ring. Walker asserts his dominance in the ring and introduces a chain. Daniels is busted open and needs to be carried out. Corbin and Fontaine are now essentially in a handicap match. Dive into the front row. Uranagi by Emerson. Fontaine and Walker battle to the bar as Emerson whips Corbin hard with a belt. Corbin breaks a double clothesline and sends Emerson into Matteson. Corbin takes his turn with the belt. They crotch Corbin against the post. Walker goes after Eastman. Emerson hits a ring my bell on Corbin. All three House of Truth members work over Corbin. Walker misses a charge. Eastman low blows Emerson and Matteson. Double stunner. Martini pokes Eastman’s eyes. Bronco buster misses. Eastman right hand. Martini takes a spectacular bomb. Corbin and Fontaine double up on Walker. Walker elbows Fontaine and German suplex him into the corner. Jesus H. Release German for two as Corbin breaks the count. Backbreaker on Corbin. Eastman grabs Walker’s leg. Corbin with a chair shot to the back. Uh oh. Again. This time to the head. That worked. Dropkick sends Walker to the floor. Emerson with an Alabama slam. 1-2-NO! Matteson chokes Corbin. Chair brought into the ring. Pile of chairs set up. Corbin battles Emerson and Matteson on the top rope. Emerson crotched on the top rope. Danny Daniels comes back. Matteson pushed off. Corbin looks ready to dive. Daniels takes Corbin and drives him into the chairs. Matteson hits a leg drop on Corbin into a chair to get the pin and victory for his team.
Match Analysis: Not quite sure how to rate this sucker, but there was some good violence mixed in with storyline and comedy. Daniels joining the group has paid off this months long storyline, and now we’ll have to see where it goes. This was decent.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: House of Truth/11:25/**1/2
-Eastman tries to go after Martini but he’s turned back. Belt shots abound. Babyfaces continue to get beaten down. Finally, the ring clears and Keith Walker is left in the ring alone with Truth Martini. He calls himself the biggest freak in the world despite who else is in the building. Scott Steiner comes out to cut a rather lewd promo. Steiner says people just continue angering him off no matter where he is. Steiner says Walker is not a freak. He politely asks Walker to leave. Count to five. Shot from Walker. Whip. Steiner hits a clothesine and drops the elbow. Push-ups and belly-to-belly suplex send Walker out. Steiner makes an anal sex joke, and I can’t think of a better way to end the first half. A perfect use of Scott Steiner if I’ve ever seen it.
– AAW Tag Team Championship: Irish Airborne (Jake and Dave Crist)(champions) vs. Josh Raymond and Christian Able)
Match in Five Words or Less: Ring Rust City
Match Highlights: Raymond and Dave Crist start. Raymond controls and shouts YEAH a lot to start. Knee to the gut by Jake. Side headlock. Double team from the former House of Truth. Cross body sends Dave into Jake Double clothesline and the champions powder. Able overpowers Jake Crist. Right hands from Jake. Whip blocked. Up and over. YEAH! Dave thinks better of entering the ring. Abdominal stretch by Able. Extra leverage from Raymond and members of the front row. Dave Crist tries running interference and fails miserably. Raymond hits a hip toss. Judo throw by Able. Double hip toss on Dave. Blind tag and Dave Crist hits a clothesline. Champions maintain the advantage on Raymond. Step-up enziguri by Raymond. Jake distracts the referee, so Waldo Peeps doesn’t see the tag. Jake Crist is favoring his arm but still wrestling. Double suplex by Raymond counters out. More counters and a hot tag. Able with a series of clotheslines. Back drop on Jake. Powerslam on Dave. Double team springboard moonsault. Clothesline misses. Moonsault from Jake. Dave covers for two. Leaping enziguri by Dave. Frog splash gets two. Able fires himself up. Clothesline takes Jake out of the ring. Boot by Dave. Able catches Dave in a cross body and drops him on his head. Powerbomb on Dave. 1-2-NO! Raymond and Able call for the end. Jake battles both faces. Double boots send him down. Able lawn darts Dave into Raymond’s boots. Backcracker off the middle rope gets two. Jake Crist low bridged out of the ring. Tower of Truth set up. Jake gets knocked off the apron. O’Connor roll. Dave Crist ends up on top of a roll-up after a superkick for three.
Match Analysis: Raymond and Able clearly showed some ring rust although at certain times it looked like they were their old selves. Within a few months they’ll probably be back to a similar place in AAW match quality wise. These two delivered a solid and entertaining tag match. I think, however, they can deliver on a lot more in rematches. Also, props to Jake Crist for wrestling most of the match with a clear arm injury.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: Irish Airborne/13:10/***
-Shane Hollister apologizes for what happened last month against Alex Shelley by hooking the tights and cheating.
-Matt Cross vs. Shane Hollister
Match in Five Words or Less: Shane Hollister, Not Tough Enough
Match Highlights: A nice hearty shake to start. Quick pace set right away. Cross controls with armdrags. Dropkick sends Hollister outside. He fakes a dive and Hollister goes to the ground. Dropkick to Hollister’s face. Cross charges and is met with a forearm. Whip to the corner. Cross flips out and hits a hurancanrana. Kicks in the corner to the ribs. Running lariat. Hollister dropkicks Cross, and Cross collapses to the floor. Uppercuts on the outside. Bodyslam and slingshot elbow. O’Connor roll by Cross. Elbow by Hollister. Snapmare into a dropkick. Chop exchange. Running elbow. Chinbreaker from Cross. Lariat and back elbow. Leg trip into a standing moonsault. Tornado DDT. Hollister crawls around ringside. Tope suicida. Back in the ring for a cover. Discus forearm by Hollister. Superkick blocked. Spinning enziguri. Buzzsaw kick blocked. He drops Hollister across his knee. Shooting star press but he lands on his feet. Running knees from Hollister. After a two count, the double stomp misses. Bithicle kick from Cross gets two. Superkick by Hollister. Acecrusher out of a falcon arrow position gets two. Tape comes off. Shoulder blocks in the corner. Hard strike while Cross on the top rope. Superplex blocked. Headbutts send Hollister down. Shooting star presses and gets him the victory.
Match Analysis: Another decent and solid worked match that didn’t ever seem to hit that third gear to really bring it above a certain level. In many ways, this match felt like a representation of Cross’s career. At least the storyline of Hollister’s frustration once again came through, and it will be interesting to see when it pays off.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: Matt Cross/11:04/**3/4
-Dog Collar Match: Arik Cannon (w/ Dave Prazak) vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Match in Five Words or Less: A Major Disappointment
Match Highlights: Some fists fly early. Cannon sent into the corner. Jacobs whipped into the corner but comes out with a clothesline. Jacobs teases tossing Cannon over the top and hanging him by the chain. Cannon tries leaving. Jacobs dives on him and is now favoring his knee. Boot by Cannon. Axehandle to the back followed by a shot with the chain. Chop to the ring post. Right hand from Jacobs. Into the chair. Jacobs rams Cannon into the ring post multiple times. Jacobs breaks a glass and rakes it against the face of Cannon. Another stab with the glass. Biting. Big kick and a clothesline with the chain as Cannon comes back. Ram into the top turnbuckle. Cannon wraps the chain around Jacobs’s face. Punch with the chain. Cannon rakes the chain some more. Solid right hand. Biting. Jacobs is now bleeding. Right hand from Cannon on the outside. Elbow and back into the ring. Right hands with the chain. Cover for two. Ram into the corner. Cannon catches Jacobs and hits a t-bone suplex. Cannon uses the chain to deliver a knee drop. Moonsault off the middle rope misses. Jacobs brings the chain up Cannon. He drops the elbow and covers for two. Cannon shoves the ref and takes Jacobs off the middle buckle brainbuster for two. Jacobs pulls Cannon off the middle rope and hits an acecrusher for two. Jacobs hangs Cannon. Prazak unlocks the dog collar. Jacobs brings Prazak in the ring. Chain shot. Right hands from Jacobs. Reverse of the whip. Jacobs blocks Cannon and dumps him. End time. Cannon taps out immediately.
Match Analysis: Maybe it was because of Jacobs’s injury, Cannon seemingly wanting take a minimal amount of bumps or the stipulation, but you would expect a blow-off match to be so much better. This just simply wasn’t what I would expect from two great wrestlers. Something was clearly missing. This ended up as an decent little match, but it should have been a violent classic like so many other AAW matches have been in the past.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: Jimmy Jacobs/16:43/***
AAW Heavyweight Championship: Silas Young (champion) vs. Rhino
Match in Five Words or Less: Interference Reigns Supreme
Match Highlights: Young shows off some agility in getting out of a wristlock. Rhino dumps the champion down. Knee to the gut and strikes in the corner. Whip reversed. Young flips. Rhino hits an elbow and shoulder tackle. Young rammed into the buckle. Series of right hands. Young on the outside. Rhino follows him. Choking. Val Malone blocks suplex. Double sledge from Young. Young grabs the title belt. Referee prevents its use. Right hands from Rhino. Belly-to-belly suplex. Set-up for the gore. Val Malone grabs his leg. He drags her into the ring. Young hits a neckbreaker. Choke on the middle rope. Val Malone chokes Rhino. Young kicks Rhino in the gut and drives his boot into the midsection. Choke in the corner. Rhino with right hands. Whip to the corner. Young gets his boots up. Big stomp. Punch exchange. Champion mounts and punches away. Young grabs a rear chinlock. Both men down on the mat. Referee begins counting. Both men get up at eight. Rhino punches away. Off the ropes with a clothesline. Back elbow and a whip in the corner. Shoulder tackle and belly-to-belly suplex. Young rakes the eyes and gets out of a firemen’s carry. Backbreaker into the clothesline. After a two count, Rhino hits a forearm. Rhino hits an acecrusher. Young with a kick to the midsection. Rhino brings him out. Rhino flips out. Tornado DDT blocked. Rhino crotches him on the top rope. Superplex. 1-2-NO! Chinbreaker from the champion. Nagasaki roll. Pee Gee Waja Plunge misses. Rhino misses a charge. Knee by Young. Blow to the back. Rhino gores the referee. Young meets Rhino with an elbow. Quick spinebuster by Rhino. Mason Beck decks out a second official. Rhino and Beck brawl now. Beck sent outside. Third belly-to-belly suplex. Rhino sets up for the gore. GORE HITS! 1-2-NO! Mason Beck comes back in. Boot sends Rhino down. Beck departs for a table. He sets it up in the ring. Beck decides he wants to gore Rhino through the table. Rhino moves out of the way and hits Beck. Rhino lifts the champion up. Malone gets in the ring. Well, you know what happens next. Rhino gores Malone through the table. Young hits the challenger with the belt. No sold. Boot and another belt shot. Cover for three. Silas Young retains once again.
Match Analysis: Rhino is decent enough to have a good match with Silas Young. Not anything to go out of your way to see but they worked a solid contest. All of the interference coming in these title defenses is starting to get monotonous and predictable however.
Winner (s)/Time/Match Rating: STILL AAW Heavyweight Champion-Silas Young/19:52/***
-Mike Elgin isn’t satisfied with just winning the Heritage title. He wants the AAW heavyweight title.
-Keith Walker is not a happy camper after what happened with Scott Steiner earlier this night. Truth Martini calls Steiner a coward, and he’s now looking to the future. Martini talks about the fire burning in Danny Daniels. Whatever happened with N8 Matteson and Danny Daniels is in the past and no longer relevant. Danny Daniels is indeed the newest member of the House of the Truth.
-Fave Five
5. Pretty slim pickings for the top five tonight, but I’ve got to give props to Silas Young for continuing to put on solid matches and cut great promos. The crowd hates him, and the hate is so obvious because even someone like Mike Elgin turns into a giant babyface just for beating someone in his group.
4. Val Malone is an unsung hero for AAW. She’s a girl not unwilling to mix it up, take huge bumps, and not just be some bimbo in the corner.
3. Great to see Raymond and Able back in AAW, even if they weren’t at their best in tonight’s match. I fully expect them to be a top tag team once again.
2. Mason Beck has been having pretty consistent wrestling matches as Heritage champion. He may not be the best wrestler, but he’s very capable.
1. Mike Elgin has had a fantastic year in both Ring of Honor and AAW. A year ago, no one cared about this guy. Now he’s got a championship belt in one company and a prestigious tournament victory in another. Elgin brought a lot of intensity to his match with Beck and seems to be getting over with the AAW faithful.
-The Verdict: These Bourbon Street shows have been a mixed bag for AAW. I’m sure it’s been a great boon for business and has brought in new fans, but the match quality just hasn’t been there like it’s been for the Berwyn shows. I can’t give this show a thumbs up because there wasn’t anything really worth seeking out, but I can’t give it a thumbs down either because there wasn’t anything actively bad. There have been better AAW shows this year, but this was an okay show that at least delivered with a title change and some solid action throughout.
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