2013 was a very strong year for AIW. To really emphasize that point, the company put it’s best foot forward with “Dead President’s”, arguably the companies most loaded card of the year, if not to date.
To show just how stacked of a card this show is, things kicked off with the Jollyville Fuck-It’s making their first defense of the AIW Tag Team Championship against Youthanazia, The Submission Squad, and the Hot Young Best Friends (Briley Pierce & Gary Jay, who used the seasonally appropriate “Baby It’s Cold Outside” as their theme music.) In a way this worked out as an eight man tag, as Jay and Briley are also friends with the Submission Squad. Youthanazia and the boys from Jollyville infused some humor in their offense on Gary Jay, incorporating a CHIKARA classic of utilizing the crowd to assist with an abdominal stretch, and dishing out more bodyslams then you can shake a stick at. Jay’s friends caught Russ Myers of the Fuck-It’s in the corner, allowing for a double stomp off the top rope while Myers was propped up in the air. After Myers eventually made his escape by dropping Briley with a diving neckbreaker, his partner T-Money did what he does best; clean house. Things deteriorated between the Best Friends and Submission Squad when they were deciding over was going to pin Money when he became indisposed. The answer was neither team, as after an awesome Sasuke Special from Matt Cross onto just about everyone, a recovered T-Money pounced Gary Jay for the victory. This was fun, had a good story, and got the crowd fired up, which is exactly the kind of opening match this show needed.
Like last month, Gregory Iron (with his Iron Curtain in tow) issued another open challenge. Unlike last month, it was not a fan who answered (or attempted to), but rather Iron’s former tag team partner Veda Scott. Iron dragged out the process by setting up what looked to be an apology. Veda had enough of Iron’s tiresome lip service when Iron nonchalantly mentioned that her handicap was being a woman. She tried slapping Iron, but Iron grabbed her wrist with his good arm to stop her. Iron told Veda that he loved her, but she delivered a slap anyways and jumped on him for an attack. The Iron Curtain tried separating them but Veda got in a few shots and speared Iron off of the ring apron and onto members of the Iron Curtain. Curtain member Benjamin Boone speared Veda in the ring in retaliation. Boone and another Iron Curtain member then held Veda as Greg gave her a kiss. The Curtain were disposed by AIW security while Veda recovered. Veda literally declared war when she came to. I am very interested to see what comes next.
Last month, Bobby Beverly turned his back on #NIXON and led the AIW team into victory in a battle that saw #NIXON vanquished from the company. While the Duke still has a talent contract, Rickey Shane Page and Eric Ryan were booted from the building when trying to enter the arena. In his first match since leaving #NIXON, Beverly won a six man scramble by pinning Ty Colton with a swinging reverse STO (a Sister Abigail, if you will.) The match also included Davey Vega and Flip Kendrick (who brought the flips along with Ty Colton), Marion Fontaine (bringing the humor, as usual) and Colin Delaney (who brought a bit of everything.) Like most six way scrambles this had a lot of fun spots and was pretty exciting throughout. There wasn’t lot of cohesion which keeps it from being anything special, but it accomplished in giving Beverly a solid victory coming off of his return to the light side.
I’m not sure where to even begin when talking about Tracy Smothers vs. Colt Cabana. Looking at the two names says it all, doesn’t it? There was very little wrestling. It was mostly Tracy cutting a promo for roughly 15 minutes, Dave Prazak and Marty DeRosa amusing themselves on commentary (which I say as a positive), Colt Cabana and the crowd verbally assaulting Tracy’s “daughter”, a dance off…well, that is until Smothers attacked Cabana from behind and spoiled the party. Smothers’ “daughter’s” distraction allowed Smothers to attack Cabana with his Confederate flag, but Cabana reversed his pin into a crucifix pin to pick up the victory. It was quite a fever dream of a half hour segment and so much fun to watch. This is exactly what the people wanted to see from this “match” and it did not disappoint.
Last month, Louis Lyndon challenged Kevin Steen to a match in which he would put his Intense Division title on the line. This came after Lyndon and #AllEgo attacked Steen and Johnny Gargano from behind. That said, it should come as no surprise that Steen attacked Lyndon right at the start of the match. There was no wasted motion as this match had head drops and strikes galore, much to everyone’s delight. It seemed like on multiple occasions Steen almost had the belt in his grasp, but when he had Lyndon in the clutches of the Package Piledriver, #AllEgo came to the rescue. Steen turned his attention to him, allowing Lyndon to sneak in a prawn hold and retain his title yet again. I like this feud but I can’t say the interference is something I’m loving. I get that it’s the way they are deciding to tell the story but I think there’s a more unique or interesting method to keep this feud going that they aren’t tapping into.
Of all the matches on this card, by far the one I was looking most forward to was Tim Donst vs. Chris Hero. Hero was a trainer at the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory when Donst was a student, and for multiple reasons these two never had a chance to square off against one another in singles competition until now, years later when both guys (especially Donst) are far more seasoned. Not only was this a really good wrestling match but it told a far greater story than I anticipated. At first they stuck to a mat wrestling game, but Hero shifted gears when he saw just how proficient Donst had become at mat wrestling since they last crossed paths. This frustrated Hero, as Donst even snuck in a nearfall during the period. Hero then began incorporating more strikes and used his agility to once again gain the upper hand. When Donst was able to recover from that, Hero seemed settled on getting a win by countout, as he threw a rolling elbow that sent Donst into the crowd. When Donst was coming back in, Hero immediately nailed him with a boot to the side of the head but only got a two count. Donst went for the CHIKARA Special which I immediately popped for, knowing the deep history that hold has dating back to 2007 when Hero was the first one to succomb to it, as well as escape from it. What Hero wasn’t able to escape from was Donst’s “From Dusk til Donst” submission, which he rolled into a crucifix to score what some could consider an upset win. Like I said, the wrestling was great and the story was even better. It’s even more amazing when you consider Donst wrestled the entire bout with a 105 degree fever (as proven when Donst puked into a bucket immediately following the match.) After Hero showed Donst a sign of respect, he hinted that a rematch could be coming. Donst then said he wanted to raise the stakes and get “hardcore” in February. With that, a challenge to CZW’s Danny Havoc was extended. Donst has had his share of brawls in the past, but even he could find himself a fish out of water come February.
It was quite a night for the AIW Absolute Championship. The scheduled title match between UltraMantis Black and Johnny Gargano became a three way when #AllEgo made his way out. He demanded to be added to the contest, and due to Gargano and Mantis’ charitability, an elimination match was made. The action was great. Most three ways see one guy dip out as the other two fight, but all three men fought each other for the vast majority of the bout leading to some creative and fun sequences. Just like ECW Guilty as Charged 99, Mantis, the champion, was eliminated first when he succombed to the Garga-No Escape, ensuring us a new champion. A few minutes later Gargano had #AllEgo in the Garga-No Escape as well. Louis Lyndon returned the favor #AllEgo had done for him earlier and rang the bell, making Gargano think he had won the title and therefore relinquishing his submission hold. While Gargano was celebrating, #AllEgo surprised him with a schoolboy to win the title. It seemed as if #AllEgo and Louis Lyndon would be ending 2013 with AIW’s two single titles around their waists.
Michael Elgin had other plans. Elgin had a 2 out of 3 falls match scheduled with Josh Alexander for the evening, but Alexander could not make the show. Because of this, Elgin challenged #AllEgo to fill Alexander’s spot in the 2 out of 3 falls bout and to put the title on the line. #AllEgo at first said that he would defend the belt again at the next show, but after the crowd chanted “pussy” at him, henailed Elgin with a belt shot to get the impromptu match started. The three falls built as the match progressed. There was crowd brawling to begin with Elgin in charge, but a distraction from Lyndon secured #AllEgo the first fall with his patented Spinning Dwayne. In the second fall, Elgin was prepared for Lyndon and avoided his interference attempt. Elgin also scouted the Spinning Dwayne and got the Crossface locked on, tying up the match one fall a piece. The third fall saw Lyndon ejected from ringside, leading to an all out war. Bombs were dropped. #AllEgo withstood more powerbombs into various places than I can count, a few Backfists, and another Crossface, showing himself to be more than a worthy champion. In the end however, a turnbuckle powerbomb and traditional powerbomb gave Elgin the deciding fall, closing out 2013 with him as the Absolute Champion. The only complaint I have about this is that the match peaked and then kept going. The crowd was still pretty hot for the finish, but they were going totally bonkers just a few minutes before. Had it ended in that moment it would have been damn near perfect. The work put in by both participants was totally stellar. I give #AllEgo a world of credit for competing for essentially an hour straight and busting his ass the entire time. Elgin will make a great champion, but having #AllEgo be only the second guy to become two time Absolute Champion (Eric Ryan is the other) is very fitting.
Overall: Easy recommendation. Lots of fun matches, story advancement, and unique encounters you won’t see elsewhere. AIW had a pretty terrific 2013, but this show stands out as one of the best of the best.
You can pick up this show on DVD from AIW’s store or Smart Mark Video. For a reduced price, you can also download the show as an mp4 from Smart Mark Video or watch it On Demand from SMVOD.
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Quick Results/Match Times/Star Ratings
1. AIW Tag Team Championship: The Jollyville Fuck-Its (“Nasty” Russ Myers & T-Money) retain the titles against Youthanazia (Matt Cross & Josh Prohibition), The Hot Young Best Friends (Briley Pierce & Gary Jay), and The Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy & Evan Gelestico) when T-Money pounced Jay in 10:05. **½
2. Gregory Iron’s Open Challenge was answered by Veda Scott, but Benjamin Boone of the Iron Curtain took her out and no match took place.
3. Bobby Beverly wins a six way scramble that also involved Colin Delaney, Flip Kendrick, Marion Fontaine, Davey Vega, and Ty Colton, pinning Colton with a swinging reverse STO in 12:15. **¾
4. Colt Cabana pins Tracy Smothers with a crucifix pin in 15:25. N/R
5. AIW Intense Division Championship: Louis Lyndon retains the title against Kevin Steen with a prawn hold (thanks to interference from #AllEgo) in 11:12. ***
6.Tim Donst scores an big win over Chris Hero, rolling him into a crucifix pin after locking on From Dusk Til Donst in 17:00. ***½
7. AIW Absolute Championship: #AllEgo wins the title in an elimination match featuring UltraMantis Black and Johnny Gargano.
– UltraMantis Black taps to the Garga-No Escape in 9:08.
-Ethan Page schoolboys Johnny Gargano and holds his tights in 13:16. ***¼
8. AIW Absolute Championship; 2 out of 3 Falls: Michael Elgin wins the title, defeating #AllEgo 2 falls to 1 in 30:28.
– #AllEgo pins Elgin with the Spinning Dwayne in 12:27.
– Elgin submits #AllEgo to a crossface at 18:00.
– Elgin scores the third a final bomb with the Revolution Bomb in 30:28. ***¾