For those who only want to see the results from last night… here you go:
-Mr Miller kicks Austin Mannix in the face and picks up the win. Crowd is hooooot.
-MsChif wins by submission over Angelus Layne in a really stiff five minute match.
-Josh Raymond hits a crisis driver on Darin Corbin to win a three way elimination tag team match. Great action. Awesome Threesome were also involved.
-Colt Cabana wins by submission with the Billy Goats Curse over Mason Beck. Very enjoyable.
-Davey Richards wins by submission over Sami Calihan in an absolute war. A definite MOTYC.
-Krotch promo quickly interrupted by the House of Truth. All I can say is… Truth Martini's hat
-Danny Daniels wins with a piledriver over Krotch in a short match.
-MsChif lays down a challenge for a Chicago street fight against Daniels next month. Jesse Emerson comes down for a beat down.
-Louis Lyndon locks a crucifix pin on Jesse Emerson and gets the victory.
-Shane Hollister pins Gregory Iron in a tag match with…get this… God's last gift. Marcus Crane and Dan Lawrence were also involved. Lots of tension with Iron and Lawrence.
-Three straight powerbombs and Michael Elgin wins an outstanding match over Kyle O'Reilly to defend the AAW Heritage title.
-Cannon and Jacobs hit Silas Young with the tag belts and get the victory in a six man tag team match.
-Matches announced for next month: Finlay vs. Davey Richards and Danny Daniels vs. MsChif in a street fight.
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What if Scott Hall was sober and Dennis Rodman didn’t make the pro basketball hall of fame?
You might be wondering why I would ever think of starting an AAW live review with a question like that. Funny story though. These two men may have changed the course of AAW history. Because neither nor Hall or Rodman could make AAW’s May 2011 show called Epic, it was decided that Billy Corgan would make a perfectly fine replacement. After producing that show, Corgan and the Baron brothers struck out their own to form Resistance Pro. And AAW? They haven’t looked back. Maybe a little competition was just the thing they needed. Maybe the idea of a gong being used in pro wrestling was so insulting that AAW decided to try to put on some of the very best shows they’ve ever put on.
It’s no secret I’ve had a great relationship with the promotion over the last three years. But to say I’m a shill or in their pocket would be inaccurate. There have been some awful matches and frustrating decisions which I've disagreed with. Bringing the number of ECW guys they were bringing in for Bourbon Street may have been a financial boon, but those shows were sometimes hard to watch. coughBWOcough. I’m also not one to tolerate bad wrestling. There have been a couple local promotions who’s shows I’ve attended and made a decision to never attend one of their shows again. I will respect those promotions by not mentioning their name, but they do exist.
My support for AAW the last three years has existed for three reasons. 1.) The people behind the scenes care about putting on a good product. That of course doesn’t always translate, but it is an important aspect of the business. They need other things as well. 2.) Great talent that wants to ascend in the ranks and either make it to a company like Ring of Honor or improve their game so they can maintain their spot in the bigger companies. Finally, they need a fan base who will come and support every show. All three of these components came together at Bound by Hate to create one of the best and most memorable AAW shows of all time.
From the opening bell of Mr. Miller and Austin Mannix, the crowd was molten. They popped for everything and were into everything these guys did. I don’t know whether it was the hot weather or the flowing alcohol, but the energy in the Berwyn Eagles was palpable. I could almost reach out and touch it. If I could, I would try and take that energy with me to every indy show I go to because every good indy show deserves an atmosphere like this. When it comes to someone like Mr. Miller, he’s a younger Low Ki without the pretention. This is a guy who would have broken out already if not for a broken leg. If AAW is going to get behind one of the undercard guys, this needs to be the one. Miller won with a kick to the face over Mannix to forward the tension going on within the CLASH. My gut says Miller breaks away and becomes a babyface. This is one of many intriguing storylines going on right now.
Women’s wrestling in AAW has always been a tough sell for whatever reason. MsChif has done a great job breaking the mold and getting herself over. Her violent tendencies and screaming give her an edge that a lot of other females in wrestling simply can’t match. MsChif is a perfect fit for AAW. She would surely have trouble in Chikara or the watered down version of ROH, but she fits like a Freddy Kruger glove in Berwyn. She and Angelus Layne beat the piss out of each other for about five minutes. Although it was short, it was also a fun match. A tone was set in the opener and continues here: compact matches with lots of action to keep a hot crowd going the entire night.
The trend continued in the next match, a three way elimination tag team match. The Awesome Threesome took on The Northstache Express and Raymond/Able. The Threesome have improved greatly in three years, particularly Knight Wagner. Something is just…missing. Maybe a split would be better for all involved, but a crowd that was ready to cheer for them a few months ago does not seem to be responding to them nearly as well. Another part of the match concerns the gear of the latter two teams. Apparently, they shop at the same gear maker because it was like a Nickolodeon party, circa 1993 in the ring. Fontaine and Corbin both excel in tag team situations moreso than singles. Raymond and Able are close to the form they were when they left because of injury almost two years ago. Raymond won with the Crisis Driver on Corbin, and I’d have to imagine a tag team title match is forthcoming.
In the next match, Colt Cabana showed off what makes him such an outstanding wrestler, both with the comedy and the technical wrestling. He’s able to keep the fans entertained in multiple ways. This is why he’s such a sought after wrestler among a lot of indies around the nation. Thanks to his podcasts and ability to gab, he’s created a media empire, so much so he’s being booked by Dragon Gate USA just to peddle his wears and provide commentary. Mason Beck is an underrated performer who was able to play a perfect foil. Beck’s string of losses continued here as he submitted to Billy Goat’s Curse. Highlight of the match had to be Cabana’s beautiful moonsault… which he missed. Maybe not the best match of the night but perfectly slotted for what was about to happen.
Sami Calihan does a lot of things well. Screaming promos are not one of them. I don’t understand why we’re yelling so much, but if his promos make you want to see someone kick him in the chest really card, Davey Richards probably satisfied your thirst for violence. I’m not going to pretend that these guys didn’t go completely nuts and didn’t almost delve into self-parody. However, 20 minutes was just the right amount of time for these to deliver an incredible back and forth war. Richards actually sold his left leg for the majority of the match. Well, at least he tried. Calihan took a beating, and he’s also getting himself into really good shape. If I were to nominate someone for most improved wrestler, Sami Calihan would be right up there. This alone is worth the price of the DVD. My best guess for a star rating for those who are into those sorts of things would be ***3/4-****1/4.
After intermission, we got the only real negative point of the show as Krotch came out for a promo and eventually wrestled Danny Daniels. I’ve never been a huge fan of Krotch, and the Danny Daniels storyline involving his wife and kids makes me feel uncomfortable. It’s none of my business how much is actually true, but there are certain aspects of a man’s personal life that should not be used in storylines, real or fake. Truth Martini’s promo work (and hat) made this segment worthwhile. Daniels beat Krotch with a piledriver in quick fashion. At least it was short. MsChif came out after and challenged Daniels to a street fight at the next show. I’m very interested to see how that match is executed. That could either be a tremendous spectacle or a useless spotfest.
Jesse Emerson came down to help the House of Truth beat MsChif, but she was saved by another greatly improved wrestler, Louis Lyndon. This guy shown what happens when you can get in the ring on a consistent basis in high level situations. He’s got an endearing personality and a good mix of skills. Emerson is underrated but will never reach a high card status in most indies. He’s a solid hand and promo, but unfortunately, I can’t see him wrestling Silas Young or Michael Elgin in main events. These two had a solid match that again didn’t wear out its welcome. Nice win for Lyndon. I’d love to see Lyndon and Miller compete against each other in a series of matches for the Heritage title before the year is done.
Next up was a tag team match featuring Dan Lawrence and Gregory Iron against Shane Hollister and Marcus Crane. Crane is not the best wrestler, but he's an awesome stooge and chicken heel, a perfect compliment to Shane Hollister's borderline main event schtick. This guy has a real chance to be heavyweight champion before the year is done. This was a good if mostly forgettable match. Compared to everything else, this simply couldn't reach the level of some of the prior matches. The storyline stuff was all good as Lawrence and Iron continued t0 tease tension with each other. There was some miscommunication and clearly this issue is also coming to a head. Hollister stole a move from Tyler Black, God's Last Gift, in order to pin Iron.
In the semi main event, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Here you’ve got two guys with Pay-Per-View matches in less than 48 hours. They could have easily phoned this in from New York City, but Kyle O’Reilly and Michael Elgin show how much personal pride they have in delivering another contender for match of the night. Was this better than Calihan/Richards? Not sure, but it’s very close. Elgin continues to impress with his beastly power as he lifted a spot away from Brian Cage and hit a superplex over the top rope. Part of what impresses me about O’Reilly is his ability to constantly break out new moves and be able to make wrestling look easy. Elgin won after hitting three consecutive powerbombs. This was as good if not better than their final sequence at Survival of the Fittest or their HDNet match. You’re looking at two guys who could easily carry indy wrestling for the next few years.
With all due respect to the competitors in the main event, I didn’t think there was any way for these six men to keep up the pace with two of the matches that happened earlier in the night. So much of what impresses me about guys like BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Jacobs, Arik Cannon, Silas Young, and Irish Airborne is their ability to tell stories in the ring that make sense and keep fans interested. In this six man tag, there was as much craziness as ever. Fans were standing, hooting, and almost rioting the whole time. Brawls were going all over the building. Dave Crist showed why he has a death wish. Ultimately, Young, Jacobs, and Cannon brought their respective titles into the ring and threatened to nail each other. Young was hit with both belts in the face by Jacobs and Cannon and double covered. The referee counted three, and it’s apparent we have two number one contenders now. How AAW will address this situation will be interesting. Two guys becoming champions with each other after feuding is almost a cliché in wrestling, but AAW has at least put a twist on the story with the two men continuing to hate each other. They brawled with each other after the match, and both men want to be the AAW heavyweight champion. What started out as a cliché has turned out to be a fascinating angle. I assume it will be paid off next month with a number one contender’s match or three way.
One final note: Silas Young’s yellow boots.
Overall, this was a fantastic piece of business from AAW. I firmly believe that this company is having its best year ever. Everything is clicking. The storylines are hitting at about a 75% clip. The fans are coming to Berwyn, 200-250 strong, and making a lot of noise. Finally, the shows themselves are all worth purchasing on DVD because of the great action. I’d strongly recommend to anyone who hasn’t to check out some of these shows. In coming weeks, I’ll be reviewing the April and May shows. But this show is absolutely worth a blind buy. You’ve got three outstanding matches, a number of other excellent compact action-packed contests, and a great crowd. I said on my Twitter, but this felt like a PWG show that came to Berwyn with everything clicking and the fans being so into everything.
All I can say to AAPW (who’s show I will be attending next week)… follow that.
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