December 10th, 2018
Opening Match: Pittsburgh Pro Wrestling Classic Battle Royale
I dislike battle royales and have only ever watched one that I enjoyed (at All In this year). I understand the urge to get everyone onto the card, especially on a show being billed as one of the biggest of the year, but rarely does anyone stand out in this type of match. This battle royale was actively bad until the match came down to Johnny Patch and Elijah Dean, two new graduates from IWC’s wrestling school. They had an energetic back and forth exchange which made it abundantly clear that the opener should have just been a singles match between them. They will be feuding into 2019, so that’s good. This didn’t change my mind about battle royales as a match concept. Johnny Patch won in 11:39, last eliminating Elijah Dean. *
Match #2: Gory vs. Dylan Bostic
Bostic tried to attack Gory during his entrance again, so Gory sent out someone else in a cloak to get attacked and entered through the crowd. Not only does that reward viewers watching the shows from month to month, but it got the live crowd invested in the contest. Their triple threat with Jonathan Gresham last month proved that they have great chemistry together and this match was further evidence. Bostic in particular has improved quite a bit recently. As they wrestle each other more, the action is becoming more nuanced, with new counters and moments where they anticipate each other’s offense. Even Bostic blatantly cheating down the stretch was more tolerable given how much better he’s gotten in the ring. Gresham against Bostic for the Super Indy Title should be fun. Bostic won in 13:50 with a chair shot. ***
Match #3: IWC Tag Team Titles: Team Storm (Jaxon Argos and RC Dupree) © vs. The Mane Event (Duke Davis and Ganon Jones Jr.)
The Mane Event is a very solid tag team that has been pretty much confined to the Pittsburgh area in terms of bookings. Hopefully that changes in 2019. This match was designed to switch the titles as efficiently as possible. Team Storm controlled for a bit, but the Mane Event was showcased as the better team here. The title change made sense in a lot of ways given that Argos should really be doing his own thing as a singles wrestler. The action was perfectly fine without ever reaching a higher level. The Mane Event became the new IWC Tag Team Champions at 8:49. **¼
Match #4: Bullrope Match: Andrew Palace vs. Jock Samson
This was a fairly run-of-the-mill brawl restricted by a bad stipulation. The stipulation certainly made sense, as they have choked each other with the bullrope on multiple occasions, but it’s just an uninteresting stipulation. It seems as though every bullrope match has to run through the usual tropes (getting tangled in a low blow, rolling out of the ring to prevent your opponent from touching the fourth corner, etc.). The margin for innovation or engaging subthemes is so tiny that you can’t blame the wrestlers for just relying on the usual spots. Another problem was that Palace tried to win the match too quickly (around the four-minute mark) given that Samson has made the past few months for him a living hell. They accomplished presenting Palace in a more serious manner but the match itself didn’t completely work for me. Palace won in 18:20 by touching all four corners of the ring. **
Match #5: The Culmination (Remy Lavey and Atticus Cogar) vs. Keith Haught and Colin Delaney
The idea here was that the Culmination took out Haught’s usual partners (Shawn Phoenix and Daniel Hooven) so he called upon his former partner (Delaney) for help. The action itself was unremarkable but the aftermath with Phoenix and Hooven returning and Haught standing tall was a lot of fun. Haught is extremely limited in the ring but he’s a loveable character. Thus, you’ll get situations like this one where the storyline is generally compelling but the matches are not. Haught and Delaney won in 12:31 when Haught landed a top-rope splash onto Lavey. *½
Match #6: IWC Women’s Title: Katie Arquette © vs. Ray Lyn
Unfortunately, this match was more of a showcase of the lack of depth to IWC’s women’s division. Britt Baker was a breakout star but is largely gone from the promotion. Arquette has a ton of potential and deserves this title reign, but she has no interesting challengers. Ray Lyn, for example, is 0-2 in IWC in the past year. She had done absolutely nothing to earn this title shot aside from being one of the few women’s wrestlers making somewhat consistent appearances in the promotion over the years. Add to the equation that Ray Lyn is not a very good wrestler and this was not the ideal showcase. Last year, IWC brought in LuFisto for a few months to cultivate the division and they should consider doing something similar in 2019. Arquette retained her title in 7:02 with a spear. *
Match #7: Chris LeRusso and Bulk Nasty vs. Jimmy DeMarco and Jimmy Vegas
You might remember Jimmy DeMarco from AIW about ten years ago (he won Gauntlet for the Gold in 2009). This match was incredibly charming insofar as it featured two IWC legends just having fun. That will mean more for people who have watched IWC over the past ten years or so. DeMarco, for instance, hadn’t wrestled in two years but he was still taking a fallaway slam into the third row of chairs. I don’t know. Perhaps the show needed something more focused on in-ring quality here, but I was entertained. DeMarco and Vegas won in 11:25 with an assist from Santa Claus. **½
Match #8: IWC World Heavyweight Title: Three Stages of Hell: Jack Pollock © vs. Wardlow
Some play-by-play will be helpful. The first fall was a normal singles match, which Wardlow won. The second fall was a street fight, which Pollock won with help from Team Storm. Before the third fall (stipulation undetermined), the promoter came out, turned on the house lights, and lifted the gymnasium divider to reveal a second ring with a cage already setup. It was a legitimately unexpected and cool moment. Wardlow then won the final fall by hitting his finisher off the top rope and sending Pollock THROUGH the canvas. That spot ended up receiving some press from various websites.
There were a ton of things to like about this main event. Each fall was treated with respect, as the first two stages could realistically be considered their own standalone match. The reveal of the steel cage and subsequent finish felt special. Most importantly, this was a chance for Wardlow and Pollock to flex a little and have a great match on a big show. They delivered. There seems to be a lot of talk about the future of independent professional wrestling. These two should absolutely be booked in numerous promotions in 2019. Wardlow is a great power wrestler who wrestles smartly and has charisma. Pollock is a genuinely unique character who plays both heel and babyface roles equally well. I haven’t seen every IWC show this year but I would be surprised if this wasn’t match of the year for the promotion. The booking and performances really came together. Pollock and Wardlow deserve a ton of credit for this one. Wardlow became the new IWC World Heavyweight Champion in 29:15. ****