Glory Pro went out of their comfort zone, and brought a completely different show to the table. Eight relative unknowns would compete in a single-elimination, one night tournament. As for the winner? They get the opportunity to face Jimmy Jacobs at the show in May, along with being crowned the newly reinstated Resurgence Champion. The crowd was small, ceiling was low, and show was just under two hours, but did Glory Pro deliver, like usual?
First Round: Cole Radrick vs. Sage Phillips
This was a fun opening match, that had good, clean, and non-stop action throughout. Phillips looked really good, and I’d love to see more of him. He had a great looking Unprettier, and the crowd got into some of his near falls. Overall, this was a good way to kick off the show. They made the best of the time given, and while I don’t think Radrick winning was the right move, I can’t complain. Phillips got a “please come back” chant after the match.
Winner: Cole Radrick
Match Rating: ***
First Round: Pat Monix vs. Airwolf
These two worked a very simple formula, with Monix hitting a Tope and Curb Stomp right out of the gate, and then dominating (as the heel) for quite some time before Airwolf made his big comeback in the end. There was nothing wrong with this match, it just wasn’t on par with the opener. Monix played the heel role great, and is definitely someone that would fit great into Glory Pro’s roster. He’s good looking, good in the ring, and can either play a heel or baby face well. Anyways, Monix shoved the referee down, and she shoved him back, allowing Airwolf to hit a Spanish Fly for the win. Personally, I think the wrong men won both matches so far.
Winner: Airwolf
Match Rating: **1/2
First Round: Danhausen vs. Xavier Walker
Easily the worst match of the bunch so far. In-ring wise, neither man really brought much to the match, and there weren’t any big moves or sequences to make you buy into either guy winning. The finish came out of nowhere, but maybe that was for the better. Danhausen has a very unique look, almost reminiscent of Darby Allin. He stole a roll up on the much larger Xavier Walker to take home the win.
Winner: Danhausen
Match Rating: **
First Round: Edvin Kudic vs. Kobe Durst
Kobe Durst is probably the most well known man in the entire tournament, so it was shocking to see him get eliminated. Thankfully, this was an improvement from the last two matches, getting things back on track. Both men really brought it, and there were tons of great striking changes, and a fun closing stretch. Kudic caught Durst in a rear naked choke, and stole the victory after Durst faded. Shocking finish, would’ve loved to see Durst go far in this tournament.
Winner: Edvin Kudic
Match Rating: **3/4
Three Way Tornado Tag: Viking War Party vs. Space Pirates vs. No New Friends
What happens when you put a Viking, Warhorse, Monkey, Pirate, and a couple of friends into a ring together? PURE CHAOS! This was the best match of the night so far, and was full of action, start to finish. The interactions between KLD and Warhorse were absolutely awesome, and with a lively crowd, it made this match even better. No New Friends looked better than they ever have before, and deservingly picked up the win.
Winners: No New Friends
Match Rating: ***1/4
Semi-Final: Danhausen vs. Cole Radrick
This match started off hot, with good interactions, but had a slow middle stretch that brought down the quality. Thankfully, they picked it up near the end, and brought this one back to life. Danhausen has an awesome look, and looked great in-ring this time around. It’s a big shame he lost here, because I don’t see anything too special in Radrick. Anyways, Radrick hit a very interesting Piledriver to take home the win, and advance himself to the finals.
Winner: Cole Radrick
Match Rating: **3/4
Semi-Final: Airwolf vs. Edvin Kudic
They worked a very similar formula to Airwolf’s previous match, but this one just wasn’t as good. Kudic didn’t bring much to the match, besides getting some heel heat. I’m still not completely sold on Airwolf, he just feels like a generic luchador. The match dragged on at times, and had way too many pinfalls down the stretch. On top of that, Airwolf took way too long to set up the cradle finish, and it was obvious that Kudic kicked our before three, but we left it at the botched finish.
Winner: Airwolf
Match Rating: **
Crown of Glory Chamionship: Jake Something (c) vs. Hakim Zane
As expected, this was the best match of the night. The crowd strongly believed that Zane could walk out as champ, and it really added to the match. Something had Zane beat twice, but somehow Zane had enough left to kick out. Both men got a lot in, it was very back and forth, and they had way better chemistry than I expected. In the end, Zane had Something in an Armbar, but Something countered out of it and got the win. Interesting to note that Something went for a handshake after the match, but Zane kind of shrugged it off and went to the back. Overall, a great match.
Winner: Jake Something
Match Rating: ***1/2
Gateway to Glory Finals – Resurgence Championship: Cole Radrick vs. Airwolf
This was the best Airwolf match of the tournament, but I still don’t think he was the right pick to win it all. That aside, they tried hard to make this feel like a big match, having Airwolf literally kick out of every big move Radrick threw at him, and then even having Radrick kick out of a Canadian Destroyer on the apron. It certainly wasn’t a bad match, but it wasn’t the best thing either. Airwolf got the win off of the Spanish Fly, and now walks home with the Resurgence Championship, and a full time spot on Glory Pro’s roster.
Winner: Airwolf
Match Rating: **3/4
Final Thoughts:
You can’t come into a show like this expecting it to blow you away, and have 4* + matches. Other than the Opener, Three Way Tag, and Something/Zane, everything else on the show felt rather average. That said, this certainly wasn’t a bad show by any means. It flew by, being just under 2 hours. Even with a small crowd and no commentary, this show was enjoyable, especially if you’re a fan of seeing the next generation compete.
Show Rating: 6.0/10
You can watch this show at Highspots Wrestling Network or purchase it on VOD or DVD/Blu Ray at Smart Mark Video