-Taped from Berwyn, Illinois on 03.16.2012 (We’ll get to the significance of the date shortly)
-Your hosts are Phil Colvin, JOE DOMBROWSKI, Dave Prazak for the women’s match and Derek St. Holmes for the final two matches.
-Jim Lynam thanks the fans for eight great years.
-Ryland Foxx has clients finally. He’s the Chief Entertainment Officer for the Awesome Threesome. This naturally leads to the opener.
-Derek St. Holmes, Tweek Phoenix, Marion Fontaine, and Darin Corbin (w/Joey Eastman) vs. Knight Wagner, Jordan McEntyre, Tommy Treznik, and Austin Mannix (w/Miss Eryn and Ryland Foxx)
Match in Five Words or Less: STONE COLD! STONE COLD!
Match Highlights: Eastman thanks the audience for eight great years and announces St. Holmes as the fourth partner. Phoenix starts with McEntyre. Big right hand by Phoenix as he comes out of the corner. Bodyslam and another elbow drop. Elbow into the babyfaces’ corner. We get some near miscommunication. Double clothesline on McEntyre. Knee to the midsection. Threesome fail to execute that same clothesline. Phoenix nails them. Corbin places McEntyre into the corner Wagner sent into a compromising position. St. Holmes kicks Wagner out of the ring and strikes McEntyre in the face. Butterfly suplex hits. Phoenix with a forearm. Into a trio of boots. Fontaine covers and gets two. Kick to the midsection. Tea bag. McEntyre brings Fontaine into the corner. Treznik hits a series of jabs. Clothesline misses. Fontaine points at the moustache. Up and over. Armdrag. Phoenix hits a boot and pair of right hands. Knee by Treznik and back in the corner. Mannix hits a right hand and knee to the midsection. Running boot and vertical suplex by Phoenix. Foxx trips Phoenix. Heat segment on Phoenix as the heels cheat frequently and use various double or even triple team combos. McEntyre misses a moonsault. St. Holmes with right hands for everyone. Thesz press on Wagner. Right hands. Treznik rakes the back. Kick but a Bus Driver was blocked. Superkick by Fontaine. All eight men brawl in the ring. Fox enters the ring. Joey Eastman grabs the cane and chases him out of the ring. Then Eastman hits stunners on all the heels in honor of it being… 3/16. Corbin holds Wagner. Fontaine comes off the ropes with a splash. Babyfaces walk away with the victory.
Match Analysis: This was just a fun opener to get some of the undercard guys on the show. Always good to see Eastman get involved. Not the greatest match of all time but the crowd was with it and seemed to enjoy what they saw.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Derek St. Holmes, Tweek Phoenix, Marion Fontaine, and Darin Corbin/9:32/**
-Cameron Skyy isn’t happy about what’s going on with Clash. Everyone lost at the February show, and Skyy is ready to take back control of the group. He sarcastically congratulates Miller on his Heritage title match. Meanwhile, Shane Hollister yells at all the heels since he’s got a lumberjack match with Gregory Iron later tonight. Arik Cannon is drinking PBR in the background. Cute.
-Colt Cabana vs. Cameron Skyy (w/Mena Libra)
Match in Five Words or Less: Colt Brings The Funny
Match Highlights: Colt Cabana eventually gets a hug from the photographer and Mike Robles, SMV camera operator extraordinaire. Skyy doesn’t want anything to do with these hugging shenanigans. Mena gets a hug. This is incredibly Cameron Skyy’s FIRST AAW singles match. Skyy wants to save Cabana. From what? Being a paaaahdcaster. Cabana pretends to let Skyy save him and holds on a little tight. Shot to the back by Skyy. Boot to the midsection. He kneels along with him. Knuckle lock. Cabana holds Sky up and then brings him down into a bodyscissors. Skyy goes for covers. Cabana goes for hugs. Skyy’s head driven into the mat. Another hug. Airplane spin. Both men are dizzy. Libra holds the ropes open so Cabana tumbles to the floor. Skyy has the official distracted in the corner. Shot to the back. Knee to the midsection. Cabana hits a forearm. Off the ropes with a back elbow by Skyy. Forearm to the back. Boot to the head. Cabana sent into the top turnbuckle. Right hands by Cabana. Skyy hits an STO backbreaker and mockingly applauds. Forearm exchange. Cabana sent to the corner. Kick to the back by Skyy. Russian legsweep. Kick in the head from a laying position by Cabana. Series of chops and double chops. Jabs. Big bionic elbow. Libra takes one as well. Flying apple hits on Skyy. One for Libra. Big flying clothesline gets two. Small package by Skyy. They roll around the ring. Skyy gets his boot up. He tries driving him into the mat. Cabana hooks Billy Goat’s Curse. Skyy taps. Cabana comes out the winner.
Match Analysis: Another fun little match. Pretty basic for the most part. Skyy has some potential in the singles ranks, but he needs to have more singles matches in companies like AAW with guys like Colt Cabana in order for him to get better.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Colt Cabana/8:53/**1/4
-Cabana kisses Mena Libra and P.J. Drummond.
-Dan Lawrence interview. He’s been in AAW since day one and is drinking a wonderful Corona. He talks about winning the AAW heavyweight championship one year earlier. He doesn’t have a match tonight, but he will be at ringside for Shane Hollister/Gregory Iron.
-BJ Whitmer and Mat Fitchett vs. Josh Raymond and Christian Able
Match in Five Words or Less: Not A Dirty Win
Match Highlights: Raymond and Fitchett have a feeling out process. Colvin makes the comparison between Fitchett and Raymond. I agree. They go to a stalemate. Fitchett even mocks Raymond’s YEAH! Now it’s time for the two powerhouses to match up. Shoulder blocks go nowhere. Whitmer hits a snap suplex. Able hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Kick by Raymond. European uppercut. Whitmer hits a knee to the midsection. Raymond rammed into the corner. Hard chop. Fitchett hits a boot. Chinlock. Whitmer boots Raymond in the midsection. Back elbow. Suplex by Whitmer. Standing moonsault by Fitchett gets two. Raymond holds onto the top rope and gets a boot up. Back elbows out of the waistlock. Springboard facebuster. Able tags and covers for two. Leg drop. Right hand to the face. Into the corner. Able sent in with a shoulder block. Running boots by Raymond. Fitchett gets tied up in the ropes. Man, his back stretched awkwardly. Double dropkick on Fitchett’s prone body. Knee to the back by Raymond. Whip in the corner. Able hits a beckbreaker, holds Fitchett, and Raymond hits a springboard senton. Half camel clutch. Forearm by Fitchett. Spins around and hits a tornado DDT. Whitmer and Able come back in. Forearm by Whitmer. Running high knee. Snap suplexes. Northern lights into a bridge gets two. Misdirection and a running kick. Raymond breaks the count. He drags Fitchett out of the ring. Forearm exchange. Whitmer tripped. Able hits a springboard DDT. Double team powerbomb. 1-2-NO! Whitmer catches Raymond and hits an exploder. Able knocked off the apron. Fitchett press slammed Raymond for two. Chinbreaker. Raymond hits double boots. Back elbow by Fitchett. Crisis Driver but Whitmer saves his partner. Vege-matic misses. Fitchett with right hands and an Enziguri. Lawn dart by Able. LARIAT! 1-2-NO! Whitmer breaks the count. Whitmer tosses Raymond out. Whitmer sent into the rail. Chops by Whitmer. Knee to the gut by Raymond. Fitchett counters splash mountain into a rana for his first victory. Oh my!
Match Analysis: Tremendous tag team match between these two. Just when you thought Raymond and Able were on their way to another title match, you get this little twist thrown in. I’m assuming AAW has some confidence in Fitchett going forward considering he picked up the victory here. Great back and forth action and effort by these men.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: BJ Whitmer and Mat Fitchett/11:48/***1/2
-Mason Beck is mad at himself for losing to Ryan Boz the previous month. He decides to refocus on who he is and says things will be different in April.
-AAW Heritage Championship: Michael Elgin (champion) vs. J. Miller
Match in Five Words or Less: Beastly
Match Highlights: Miller takes an early kick. Shoulder blocks go nowhere. Kick blocked. Leapfrog goes awry. Knees to the midsection by Elgin. Boot by Miller. Powerslam by Elgin. Hard chop. Chop/kick exchange. Diving chop. Snapmare and one more chop by the champion. Another knee to the midsection. Chop along the ropes. Miller holds on and low bridges the champion. Kick to the midsection. Sunset bomb blocked. Elgin sits down on nothing. Sliding dropkick by Miller nails the champion, and they both end up on the floor. Springboard senton. Vertical suplex blocked. Elgin rams him into the corner. Chop in the corner. Whip across with clotheslines. Miller drives Elgin’s upper body into his. He drives Elgin down with his foot. Slaps from Elgin and an enziguri. Powerbomb blocked. Roll through. Elgin explodes Miller into the corner. Rolling German suplexes. Blind charge met with an enzigiuri. German into the buckle. Cover for two. Forearms by Elgin. Series of counters. Gordbuster and superkick by Elgin. Suplex into a uranagi. Miller takes Elgin into the corner. Double knees drive Elgin into the middle buckle. Full nelson met with elbows. Pair of kicks to the head. Elgin places Miller on the top rope. Chops. Miller rams Elgin’s head into the top turnbuckle. Sunset bomb. 1-2-NO! Elgin judo throws him. Forearm exchange. Back fist misses. Miller hits a right hand. Superkick by Elgin. Boots form Miller. Elbow from Elgin. LARIAT! 1-2-NO! Miller hits an enziguri. Dragon suplex. 1-2-NO! Miller jumps into Elgin. Bucklebomb. Spinning powerbomb ends the proceedings.
Match Analysis: These two exceeded my expectations. Not to say I wasn’t thinking this would be a great contest, but they really battled in there and showed why they’re two of the very best young stars in the business. I’d love to see a rematch, either in this promotion or on a higher stage. Great work.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Heritage Champion-Michael Elgin/12:58/***1/2
-Truth Martini talks about unity and losing the WarGames match the previous month. He blames Keith Walker for the loss. He addresses Jesse Emeron specifically and says to avenge him. In other news, Danny Daniels’s wife has left him. Martini tells him to think about it and says women are all evil. He shouts AVENGE ME a bunch.
-Lumberjack Match: Shane Hollister vs. Gregory Iron
Match in Five Words or Less: Where’s Grizzly Redwood?
Match Highlights: Joey Eastman and Dan Lawrence are drinking alcohol on the outside. It’s one of those nights. Hollister tries leaving right away. Tweek Phoenix sends him back in. Iron takes the early advantage. Strikes in the corner. Hollister hits a forearm. Iron hits a dropkick. Colt Cabana sends Shane Holliser back in the ring. Hollister sends Iron outside. Heels send him back in quickly. Guillotine and low dropkick by Iron. Iron trips. Colt Cabana chases the wind. Hollister takes Iron up and over. Iron gets tripped up again. Iron sent back in the ring. Uppercut by Hollister. Leg drop. Running kick to the back of the head. Shots to the midsection by Hollister. Elbow in response. Bodyslam and shucking and jiving. Half cobra clutch. He uses the bad arm to slap Iron. Wow. Fishermen’s buster into a roll-up. Back elbow by Hollister. Uppercut. Boot to the midsection. Iron sent to the heels side of the ring. Beatdown. Faces come over to confront them. Hollister covers for two. Iron takes him up and over. Hollister sent sprawling into the heels. Big dive sends everyone down. strike exchange back in the ring. Iron hits a bulldog. Springboard back elbow. Shot to the back and a neckbreaker. Clothesline. 1-2-NO! Gimp slap countered. Hollister hits an enziguri. Lungblower. 1-2-NO! Hollister gets a back elbow. Drop toehold. Running kick. Brainbuster blocked. Iron hits knee strikes. Superkick by Hollister. Iron counters a brainbuster into a DDT. Dropkick. 1-2-NO! Roll-up but Hollister hits a huge kick to the head. Hollister misses a double stomp. Kick to the corner. Gimp slap. Chaos. Cabana begins elbowing everyone. Flatliner by Iron. Cabana dragged out of the ring. Marcus Crane goes after Iron. Dan Lawrence accidentally nails Iron with a beer can. Hollister hits the brainbuster to get the victory.
Match Analysis: These two went after each other pretty well during this contest. Very enjoyable action, and I like the twist with Dan Lawrence. They teased it earlier in the night in his promo, but after his screw-up, his motives are worth questioning. Is this leading to an eventual heel turn? Great way to both end the feud and create intrigue for future events.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Shane Hollister/11:44/***
-It’s still intermission, but Kevin Harvey talks about what he’s done for the promotion in Jim Lynam’s over a year absence. Jim Lynam comes out with a rather buxom woman. The woman has been assigned to watch Kevin Harvey since she’s Lynam’s assistant.
-Jesse Emerson (w/Truth Martini) vs. Davey Vega
Match in Five Words or Less: Emerson Gets Mean
Match Highlights: I believe this is the main show debut of one Davey Vega. Vega asks for handshake. Emerson turns it down. Forearms by Vega. Belly-to-belly suplex by Emerson. Boot in the corner and a right hand. Chops in the corner. Snapmare and a top rope neck snap. Vega slides under Martini. Emerson catches him back in the ring with an overhead slam. Dropkick. Vega gets crotched on the top rope. Emerson tears him down. Rake of the eyes. Boot and forearm. Martini trips him up. Emerson rams Vega into the post. Slingshot into the bottom rope by Emerson. More choking on the bottom rope. Hard right hand in the corner. Chop exchange. Whip in the corner and running clothesline by Emerson. Vega up and over. Rana. Forearm. Running double knees. Emerson ducks a charge and misses a splash. Big kick by Vega. Dropkick off the top rope. 1-2-NO! Martini goes on the apron again. Vega chases him. Emerson press slams his opponent on the guard rail. Back in the ring. Overhead uranagi. Emerson covers and picks up the victory
Match Analysis: Emerson needed a win after what happened at Wargames the previous month. Vega is making his debut and can afford to absorb some losses. Common sense booking to reestablish the House of Truth a bit. Not a good match by any stretch but this served its purpose.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Jesse Emerson/5:26/*1/2
–Arik Cannon and Jimmy Jacobs interview time. Arik Cannon talks about the chemistry of beer and the chemistry of their team. Jacobs says the success of their team isn’t a fluke. They’re stuck with the belts until they get a shot at the heavyweight champion.
-MsChif, Athena, and Christina Von Eerie vs. Sara Del Rey and Canadian Ninjas (Portia Perez and Nicole Mathews)
Match in Five Words or Less: SHIMMMMMMMA!
Match Highlights: Athena looks way too normal to be on a team with Von Eerie and MsChif. Von Eerie and Del Rey begin. Dave Prazak joins the commentary booth since he books Shimmer. Feeling out process. Del Rey plays the clear heel. Rana takes Del Rey in the corner. Double team with MsChif. Double team backbreaker. Del Rey takes MsChif in her team’s corner. Mathews hits a boot. Chop. Knee to the back and then the midsection. Short clothesline. Suplex and a roll over into a two corner. Open-hand chop. Mathews whipped into the corner as Athena enters. She takes a boot. Perez hits a series of right hands followed by a dropkick. Athena hits a headscissors. Handspring right hand. Whip in the corner Perez misses. Athena hits a springboard splash. Del Rey grabs her. Perez kicks her out of the ring. Heel team work Athena over. Athena with body kicks. Headscissors and a tag to Von Eerie. Cross body off the ropes. Enziguri. Perez prevents a cover. Ninjas double team Von Eerie. Big boot by Del Rey as the heels now take their turns on Von Eerie. Boot out of the corner. Matthews up and over. Del Rey misses a combo kick. MsChif drives Perez face first into the mat. Cut to the throat sends her down. Back fist to Del Rey’s. Backcracker by Von Eerie. Athena hits the O-Face (stunner off the top rope) to thunderous cheers from the Berwyn faithful. Both she and Mathews roll to the floor. Perez rolls MsChif for two. Superkick blocked. Desecrator hits. MsChif covers to get the win.
Match Analysis: Not a long match by any means, but all the girls looked pretty good here tonight. Athena has the most potential based on her athleticism and charisma. A good preview of Shimmer that gave everyone a taste of what was to come the next two nights without giving away too much.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: MsChif, Athena, and Christina Von Eerie/9:09/**3/4
-Truth Martini makes rather sexist remarks. MsChif screams at Martini and Danny Daniels. Clothesline by Daniels followed by a spike piledriver. Martini makes jokes but talks about revenge. He goes onto make some rather sexist remarks.
-AAW Heavyweight Championship: Silas Young (w/Val Malone)(champion) vs. Louis Lyndon
Match in Five Words or Less: Louis Steps Up
Match Highlights: The champion makes some disparaging remarks about Lyndon. He doesn’t forget to make fun of the members of the crowd. He calls himself the epitome of pro wrestling and the face of AAW. They each take a walk around the ring. Young mocks Lyndon. Lyndon gets a quick roll-up. Headlock. Sunset flip but Young rolls over and gets tripped. Quick cover for two. Bridge by Lyndon. Sweep of the legs and two. Another roll-up and a horizontal octopus. Young heads outside. Knees to the midsection. Headlock takeover. Shoulder tackle by Young. Lyndon leapfrogs and leverages a headlock. Young shows off his agiliy. Strike by Lyndon. Knee to the midsection and a right hand by Young. Lyndon cartwheels. Young over the top. Lyndon dropkicks him to the floor. Rana to the floor. Val grabs her leg. Lyndon hits a forearm. Four strikes in the corner but Young leverages him down to the floor. Lyndon rammed into the apron. Young taunts him and drives him into the corner. More taunting. Lyndon hits a kick to the midsection. Lyndon manages a backslide but only gets two. O’Connor roll. Young catches him in a rear naked choke. Elbows and Young covers for two. Lyndon grabs an octopus. Young drives him in a version of the Celtic Cross. That’s two moves he’s ripped off Finlay. Back suplex. Lyndon works out of a chinlock. Lyndon counters but O’Connor roll gets countered. Flying knee strike. Jawbreaker off a sleeper. Lyndon up and over with a series of low kicks. Back elbow. Clothesline ducked. Springboard forearm gets two. Whip sends Lyndon into the corner. Lyndon drives him down and hits a kick. Cross body for two. Lyndon flips Young out of the corner. Boot. Young flips over. Backbreaker into the lariat. 1-2-NO! Lyndon hits a kick. Rolls over with a takedown. Octopus. Young holds onto the ropes. Leaping kick by Lyndon. Val grabs Lyndon’s legs as he climbs up. Young hits a shot to the back. Lyndon elbows Young down. Cross body but Young holds on. Nagasaki roll countered into a DDT. Lyndon climbs to the top. Moonsault misses but he rolls through. Release German suplex by Young. Pedigree. Champion retains
Match Analysis: I really loved the beginning of the match as Lyndon went for a number of pinfalls early on. Even throughout the rest of the match, Lyndon constantly went for victories. Why? The object of wrestling is to win. Good to see the champion retain clean for once after a parade of matches with loads of interference. Lyndon is a guy who almost deserves the exposure now that he was getting three years ago in companies like Chikara and DG USA. He’s really stepped up the last six months in AAW. Young is of course simply outstanding at what he does.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Heavyweight Champion-Silas Young/16:27/***1/2
-Michael Elgin comes out to make a challenge for another AAW heavyweight championship match. Know what I hate? Fans who chant “What?” Elgin not only wants one match, but he wants two out of three falls…old school style. Young ever so cautiously enters the ring and kicks the microphone over to himself. Young accepts the challenge for next month since the fans apparently don’t deserve to see Young wrestle a second time.
-AAW Tag Team Championship: Jimmy Jacobs and Arik Cannon (champions) vs. Irish Airborne (Jake and Dave Crist)
Match in Five Words or Less: The Fun In Dysfunctional
Match Highlights: Cannon gives a fan one of his PBRs. Dave and Jacobs begin. Some trash talk. Dave shoves Jacobs. Right hands by Jacobs. Kick by Dave. Back drop by Jacobs. Axehandle to the midsection and he takes Jacobs into the corner. Series of stomps. Jacobs with some stomps in the corner as well. Cannon comes in and is sure to flip some of the fans off. Jake also comes in the match for the first time. Feeling out process continues. Knee to the midsection. Vertical suplex blocked. O’Connor roll goes nowhere. A second attempt works. Cannon offers Jake a beer and toasts him. Jake gives it back to him. Cannon double barrels. Kick by Jake. Leg lariat and the brawl goes outside. Jacobs spears Dave and double axehandles Jake. Jacobs and Dave brawl into the crowd with Dave being tossed into the garbage can. Cannon and Dave head toward the front door. Jacob sends the garbage can (with Dave sill in it) rolling through the chairs. Jake Crist uses the literal bar to manage a headscissors. Cannon elevates Dave back over the rail. Jake’s leg hits the stairs awkwardly. Cannon drives it into the apron. Cannon takes a picture with a fan. Jacobs covers Dave in the ring. Pair of right hands. Clothesline dodged and Jacobs dives on Jake. Dave dives on Cannon. This is crazy! Jacobs covers Jake in the ring. Knee strike to the back leads to a powerslam by Jake. Cover for two. Dave works over Jacobs’s knee. Jacobs low bridges him. Cannon gets pulled off the apron. Airborne maintain the advantage. Shooting star press by Dave misses. Jacobs kicks Jake away. Cannon tags and hits elbows on both challengers. Bulldog/clothesline combination on the Crist brothers. Kick to the midsection and Total Anarchy. Jake grabs the bottom rope. Chop in the corner. Dave placed on the top rope. Irish Air Raid. 1-2-Jacobs breaks the count. Spear on Dave. 1-2-Jake makes the save. Series of kicks and a dragon suplex. Jacobs fires away with right hands. Dave up and over. Springboard Laurinitis crusher. 1-2-NO! Jacobs hits a senton. Dave shoves Cannon into Jacobs. They begin fighting each other. Double roll-ups for two. Misscommunication. Total Anarchy and Contra Code are simultaneously. Champions retain.
Match Analysis: This felt a bit more like the type of match you’d see out of both of these teams. Great brawling and wrestling could be found in this match. A great way to cap the anniversary show for AAW. Glad to see this is yet another indy that appreciates their tag team division.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL AAW Tag Team Champions-Jimmy Jacobs and Arik Cannon/19:36/***3/4
-Shoving match ensues right after. There is clear tension but they decide against fighting it out.
-MsChif is holding her neck and has some harsh words for Danny Daniels.
-Shane Hollister calls Dan Lawrence a disease.
-Josh Raymond doesn’t know whether he and Able have it anymore. Able yells at Raymond about what happened. He won’t allow Whitmer and Fitchett to get them to question themselves. Raymond still wants to know whether have it or not.
-Foxxy and Eryn are having a conversation. Kevin Harvey goes into the women’s bathroom and sees Lynam’s assistant. Apparently… I’m not recapping that.
-Truth Martini is happy MsChif got put her in place. Danny Daniels talks about his dad beating his mom up. He talks about his own nagging wife and hitting her. He talks about Truth Martini being his only friend. He vows to humiliate MsChif at the next show.
The Verdict: With the exception of the December show, AAW has been on a series of incredible shows going back to the fall of last year. The roster is coming together in unimaginable ways. They have a champion who might be one of the best wrestlers in the world. They have a Heritage champion who’s one of the fastest rising stars on the indies. Most importantly, AAW has a loyal fanbase that comes out month after month to support the product they love. It goes without saying this is a thumbs up show. This DVD review came at the end of a run where I did a high number of them in a row to prepare for a pair of trips I'm taking in May. This was an easy watch. Instead of being a B-show, which was very possible considering the card, this show allowed the younger members of the roster to get showcased.
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