All photos courtesy of @ajsmall37
Enjoy Wrestling has quickly become one of my personal favorite wrestling promotions and the favorite of many others. This is not only because of the tremendous wrestling in the ring, but also their top tier production including the originality of their moving graphics.
For me it is also the diversity of the Enjoy roster and the crowd. Enjoy does not differentiate between genders in their matches and have had a plethora of LGBTQ + talent on their shows, which has led to many dream matches.
While the production for their Youtube shows are amazing, there is nothing like being at an Enjoy show live. I have been to all of their shows where a crowd was allowed and each one has been more fun than the last.
Their first show was scheduled for right after the pandemic put a stop to everything, so their debut had to be delayed and their first taping was a closed set. This taping was the first edition of The Enjoy Cup, which featured such stars as Lee Moriarty, Willow Nightingale, Mr. Grim, Edith Surreal, MV Young, and Ziggy Hiam. Many of these wrestlers would become the cornerstone of Enjoy and some very heated rivalries started in this tournament.
The second taping was open to a limited amount of fans and was held at The Clement in Tarentum, outside of Pittsburgh. This venue is a converted church, which seems to be a theme for Enjoy, as all three of the venues that they have used so far are converted churches (we have a lot of these in Pittsburgh).
This taping brought us season two of Canned Heat, which was 5 episodes and ended with the Enjoy Odyssey Battle Royal. In the Odyssey all the wrestlers that took part in season 2 competed for a briefcase, however they did not know what was in the briefcase. The live audience did not even know until it aired, and we found out that it was directions to a secret safe where the new Enjoy Championship was stored. MV Young, who won the Odyssey, followed the directions and claimed his spot as the first Enjoy Champion.
Their next event, Night Moves, was their first event in front of a full crowd. It was at The Priory, which was also the location of the first Blackcraft Wrestling show. This show gave us our first look at how electric the Enjoy fans would be and that the crowd would be just as diverse as the roster. This was held more as a typical wrestling show as opposed to the tapings previously, but was still shown on YouTube in separate episodes. We really saw what Enjoy was capable of on this night, as there were three separate matches that showed up on lists for matches of the year; Edith Surreal vs Ziggy Haim, MV Young vs Max the Impaler, and Lee Moriarty vs Darius Lockhart.
After the success of Night Moves, Enjoy moved to another former church venue. This time it is the legendary Pittsburgh concert venue Mr. Smalls, for Striking Distance. Striking Distance gave us the incredible action that Enjoy has given us at every show. They added the concert atmosphere with a standing room only crowd on the floor surrounding the ring. This show gave us the Enjoy debuts of two AEW stars, Sonny Kiss and Evil Uno. Uno was a late replacement for Nyla Rose.
It also gave us the incredible spectacle that was the casket match between MV Young and Mr. Grim. We even had the amazing drag performer, Washington Heights, give one of her spectacular performances, leaving the ring covered in dollar bills from the appreciative Enjoy crowd.
The most recent show, Renegade, was a return to Mr. Smalls, which appears to be a permanent home for Enjoy now. For those not from Pittsburgh, Renegade is the Styx song that MV Young now uses as his entrance song. This song has been used for years at Steelers games to get the crowd pumped up whenever the Steelers need a big defensive stop.
In my opinion, Renegade was the most enjoyable show that Enjoy has had to date. The crowd was loud and excited for every match on the show. It doesn’t hurt when the show starts with a main event caliber match like Trish Adora against Alec Price. The event also featured the debut of Zicky Dice with his outlandish behavior. There was a focus on the tag team division. It was announced that the next show will be the second Enjoy Cup. This time it will be a tag team tournament.
As we head into the Enjoy Cup on July 2nd, I decided that I would rewatch my ten favorite matches from Enjoy’s events so far. Obviously this is just one person’s opinion. I feel that there could be an argument that any of the top 5 could be match of the year for any promotion.
10. Trish Adora vs Alec Price (Renegade)
This was the Enjoy debut for both wrestlers and a first-time matchup. Trish has been one of the top wrestlers in the indies for the past couple years and Alec has been one of the hottest young stars. From the time that they came out the crowd was solidly behind Trish and against the cocky Price. This was a great way to open the show as it really got the crowd into the show. Price worked on Trish’s arm throughout the match, but Trish kept fighting back and got the win with her second Lariat Tubman of the match.
9. Effy vs Willow Nightingale for FEST Championship (Canned Heat S2 Ep 4)
This match was another first time match up. It was contested under FEST rules, so it was no DQ. Effy said that he was going to bring out a new side of Willow and he certainly did. We are used to seeing Willow be all smiles but, in this match, she proved that she could be hardcore. When Willow first used a weapon she surprised herself.
Once Effy brought his form of violence, bringing chairs, kendo sticks and doors into the fold, she had no choice but to adapt. Effy had the advantage during a lot of the match, but Willow showed her toughness and kept fighting back. She even drove Effy through a door at one point. However, Effy was able to retain his title with a roll up after a reversal of a DVD attempt. I really enjoyed this match because it was something completely different from what we have seen from Willow. Plus Effy did a great job of antagonizing her the whole match.
8. MV Young vs Allie Katch (Canned Heat S2 Ep 1)
We have three MV Young matches on this list, deservingly so, as he is the first and only Enjoy Champion. This match, however is very different from the other two, as it is mainly a technical match. Allie had recently gone through her change from Kat to Katch and was showing off those katch as katch can skills. Allie and MV used this match to prove that they are a lot more than their characters or social media personalities that they sometimes get pigeonholed as. They exchange holds and strikes throughout most of the match and it is pretty even throughout the whole match. Everytime you think that MV has Allie finished she kicks out and fights back. That is until MV is able to escape the piledriver from Allie and hit her with a knee in the back of the head for the win.
7. Sonny Kiss vs Effy (Striking Distance)
Surprisingly enough this is a first-time matchup between Effy and Sonny. They are very familiar with each other but have never met one on one in the ring until now. These are two of the highest profile LGBTQ wrestlers competing today, and they did not disappoint. Sonny is typically a very fun-loving person, but Effy brought out a very violent side of Sonny Kiss.
Effy has a tendency to bring out that violent side of his opponents, as he had earlier at Enjoy with his match against Willow. The fight went to the outside of the ring and to the stage of Mr. Smalls Theatre. The crowd, who was split in the beginning of the match, becomes more solidly behind Sonny as the match progresses. Sonny tries to use his athleticism to counteract Effy’s strikes and maniacal violence. Effy seems to always be a step ahead of him. Sonny is finally able to get a string of offense going with a 450 splash, followed by a tornado kick. Then he locks Effy into a STF, giving Effy no other choice than to tap out.
6. Edith Surreal vs Lee Moriarty Enjoy Cup Title Tournament Semi Final (Canned Heat Episode 3)
This is a matchup between two of the best technical wrestlers in Enjoy. Lee got to the semifinals by beating Solo Darling and Edith defeated Ziggy Haim. There is no animosity in this match. The only story is that each one wants to prove that they are the better wrestler. They both want to advance to the next round of the tournament. These two may seem to have very different personalities, but they are both masters of their craft in the ring.
They exchange holds through most of the beginning of the match. With some competitors may be considered a feeling out process but with Edith and Lee any of the holds could quickly become a pin attempt or a submission. Lee is the first one to land a kick and some strikes. The pace of the match begins to pick up. Edith hits Fruit by the Foot and begins to work on Lee’s leg. Lee keeps fighting back, but Edith is relentless going after his leg. Lee is basically fighting on one leg, but is able to trap Edith in a rolling pinning combination for the win.
5. MV Young vs Max The Impaler for the Enjoy Title, No DQ Match (Night Moves)
This was the main event of the first Enjoy event with a full crowd. The crowd had just seen a masterpiece from Lee Moriarty and Darius Lockhart. What better way to follow a technical masterpiece then with total brutality and that is what MV and Max gave us. This was MV’s first title defense and was quite a test for him. Max is someone that is very unique in their style and their look. While I feel like a lot of the people at the event had not seen Max before, as soon as they came out and were announced as The Nonbinary Nightmare, they were embraced by the crowd. However MV was still the hometown favorite.
As expected in a Pittsburgh Street Fight, the match went out of the ring and into the crowd very quickly. Many doors and chairs were used in this match. Max used their strength to their advantage and forcing MV to be fighting defensively through a lot of the match. There are not too many people that are able or even willing to exchange strikes with Max. MV did just that and seemed to enjoy it.
Max choked MV with a trash bag that they brought into the ring and slammed pieces of doors on top of MV. MV kicked out and kept fighting back. Max was not very happy with referee Nick Shin’s count, so they decided to give him a choke slam. MV is able to fight back and calls for another referee. Once that ref comes out MV hits Max with a knee strike using a piece of the door for extra damage and pins the monster Max. The crowd at The Grand Priory in Pittsburgh celebrate the first defense of the Enjoy Champion and their champion MV Young retaining.
4. MV Young vs Grim for the Enjoy Title, Casket Match (Striking Distance)
The rivalry between MV and Grim in Enjoy goes all the way back to the first season at the Enjoy Cup, where MV defeated Grim in the semi-finals in a Polyam Street fight. After Lee Moriarty won the Enjoy Cup, Grim proved himself to be the hired hitman for David Lawless Esq. He jumped Lee and stole the Enjoy Cup for Lawless. Then, after MV’s hard fought win against Max the Impaler at Night Moves, Lawless interrupted MV’s celebration and Grim attacked MV from behind.
Lawless has hired Grim to win the Enjoy title for him, to go along with the Enjoy Cup. However Grim may have other ideas and may be doing this job for himself. This match started with theatrics as druids brought out the casket. Grim came to the ring with his children in face paint. I interviewed Grim and asked him about this entrance and he said, “If you watched closely, my oldest looked concerned, and dreaded walking me to the ring. Up until it was time for me to enter the ring, I held Baby Grim’s hand. Before I got on the apron, you see me give her hand to him. This was a passing of the torch, symbolizing that if I don’t come home, that you have to take my place.”
As soon as the introductions are done, they begin battling it out at a brutal pace. There is no feeling out in this match as they are so familiar with each other. They both know they have to hurt their opponent to be able to put them in the casket. Grim dominates the early portion of the match. MV gets the advantage when they go to the outside of the ring and MV gives Grim a piledriver on the apron. Grim gets back in the ring and wows the crowd by flying over the top rope onto MV on the outside. Grim is not a small man and this is an incredibly impressive feat.
After they fight back in the ring, Grim brings MV up on the stage, where the casket is located. Each combatant is put into the casket but is able to get their feet up and kick the lid before it is closed. As MV gets the advantage on the stage the druids begin to attack him and reveal themselves as The Runway.
The Runway and David Lawless bring MV back to the ring to team up on him. MV ends up driving The Runway through two doors in the ring. As Grim and MV make their way back to the stage, Lawless tries to hit MV with the title, but hits Grim instead. MV follows this up with a knee to the back of Grim’s head and is able to put Grim into the casket, put a lid on the casket along with this rivalry and retain his championship.
3. Lee Moriarty vs Mike Bailey (Renegade)
This was an incredible match from start to finish. It was another first-time matchup along with Speedball Mike Bailey’s debut not only in Enjoy but also in the state of Pittsburgh. Lee had been considered the top wrestler in North America before signing with AEW. Now a lot of people have given that label to Speedball. This was in front of Lee’s hometown fans so obviously they were solidly behind him. That seemed to anger Speedball throughout the match.
The match was very quick paced with strikes, holds and reversals, but also made it’s way to the outside. They fought up to the stage of Mr. Smalls Theater, where musicians like Snoop Dogg, Against Me!, Anti-Flag, and many others have played. Speedball hit Lee with their double knee standing moonsault on that very stage. Once they got back in the ring, Bailey hit Lee with the Flamingo Driver and the double knees again, but Lee kept fighting. Lee finally was able to avoid the shooting star knees from Bailey. He locked in the European Clutch for the win.
2. Ziggy Haim vs Edith Surreal, Hair vs Mask Match (Night Moves)
This might be the most emotional match in Enjoy history, as this rivalry has been going on since season 1 where Ziggy stole Edith’s mask. The match starts out with Edith using her technical skills. Ziggy takes the advantage when she takes the fight to the outside. Se hits Edith with a dive and throws her into the chairs as the crowd scattered. Edith comes back when the match goes back in the ring and the crowd is firmly behind her.
This match has no rules and Ziggy is the first to take advantage of this, as she uses a chair on Edith, but Edith throws her into the barber’s chair. Edith brings Ziggy to the back of the building and sets her on a table, but this brings out Ziggy’s partner in The Production, Derek Dillinger. Ziggy tries to drive Edith through the tables, but Edith escapes and gives us one of the most memorable moments in Enjoy history, as she gives Ziggy a Death Valley Driver through two tables.
She gets Ziggy back in the ring, but Derek breaks up the pin. Edith locks in a submission and Derek tries to break that up too, but Edith’s best friend, Willow Nightingale comes out to the ring and puts a halt to that. Ziggy is forced to tap out and Edith gets her revenge and some of Ziggy’s hair.
1. Lee Moriarty vs Darius Lockhart (Night Moves)
This was one of the most highly anticipated matches of Enjoy’s first show in front of a full crowd. After seeing the insanity that was Effy defending the FEST title against Billy Dixon and the hair vs mask match of Edith and Ziggy we are treated to a technical masterpiece. These are two of the best technical wrestlers competing today. They were not here because they had any animosity toward each other, they simply wanted to find out who was the better wrestler.
“The Revolutionary” Darius Lockhart comes out very stoic in black and white, while Lee comes dancing out to the ring to “Boo’ed Up”. While Lee may seem fun loving before the match starts, do not think that he is taking this match lightly. They begin the match seemingly effortlessly exchanging holds with each able to find a counter for the other’s holds.
The pace then begins to really pick up and the crowd is on their feet. Lee begins to slow the pace back down and works on Lockhart’s arm. Darius gets the advantage by slamming Lee’s arm down on the ring ropes. He begins to work over Lee’s arm. Darius seems to turn up his aggression as he gets Lee tied up in the ropes and dropkicks him to the floor. Lee starts to fire up and both combatants are clutching their arms. Both wrestlers seem to have a counter for whatever the other throws at them. Both remain even through the whole match.
They pick up the pace again and hit each other with some fierce strikes. Both exchange quick pinfall attempts and Lee gets the win with a bridging pin. The crowd erupts for the victory for the hometown wrestler. They also show appreciation for the tremendous effort that was put in from Darius Lockhart. Many people had this match as their top match of 2021 and it would be hard to argue that. Hopefully this is not the last time that we see these two go one on one.
You can see all of the Enjoy matches, including the ones that I have listed, on their YouTube channel.