On Saturday, February 10th, Dreamwave Wrestling held its massive event, “Run This Town.” The show streamed live on IWTV.
The show saw a ton of excellent matches and moments from beginning to end. It was headlined by a huge main event that saw Christian Rose defend his Dreamwave Championship against the “Walking Weapon,” Josh Alexander. Brittnie Brooks was also in action as she defended her Dreamwave Women’s Championship against Maggie Lee, and Mustafa Ali in fatal-four-way action for the Dreamwave Alternative Championship, and so much more. Read the full recap and review below.
Dreamwave Tag Team Championship match: Wasted Youth (c) vs. Bang & Matthews
Winners: AND STILL Dreamwave Tag Team Champions, Wasted Youth
Things kicked off in a big way with Dyln McKay and Marcus Mathers, Wasted Youth, defending their Dreamwave Tag Team Championships against Davey Bang and August Matthews. This is a dream match of sorts that pits two of the top tag teams on the independent wrestling scene against each other. McKay and Bang start the match for their respective teams and kick things off with chain wrestling. McKay gains the upper hand quickly in the match, and a quick tag to Mathers keeps Wasted Youth in the driver’s seat.
However, Bang tags in his partner, August Matthews who doesn’t fare much better. Matthews lands a big suplex on Mathers before tagging in Davey Bang. Bang and Matthews, unique tag team expertise lands them in the driver’s seat as the two beat down Dyln McKay. The cohesion, and level of talent that both these teams have is truly remarkable. McKay lands a tornado DDT and follows it up with a twisted suplex into the corner to change the tides of this match.
McKay makes the hot tag on Mathers, and Mathers comes in and takes the fight to both Bang and Matthews. Mathers lands a huge high-flying move onto Bang and Matthews on the outside of the ring. After more great back-and-forth action, Mathers ultimately pins Bang to pick up the win and retain the titles for his team. After the match, Wasted Youth challenges The Hype for the upcoming This was an incredible tag team match and an amazing way to start the show.
Sawyer Wreck vs. J-Rod
Winner: J-Rod
Sawyer Wreck makes her entrance down to the ring, to much of the fans’ applause. Her opponent, J-Rod is greeted with a similar reaction as these are two clear-cut fan favorites. The two kicked off their match with a collar-elbow tie-up. After some back-and-forth wrestling to start the match, Wreck gains the upper hand taking down J-Rod with a sidewalk slam. This leads to Wreck controlling the match and keeping momentum swinging in her favor, as she targets the back of J-Rod.
J-Rod heads to the outside where she tries her best to fight back, to no avail. Wreck sends J-Rod face-first into the ring post and follows that up with a backbody drop on the ring apron. This leads to Wreck gaining just a two-count. J-Rod attempts to battle back and show her resiliency as she lands a massive crossbody from the top rope. She follows that up with a monkey flip on Wreck, and a Samoan drop, but gets just a two-count.
After some more terrific back-and-forth wrestling, ultimately it’s a massive spear by J-Rod that puts Wreck away for the three-count. This was a very fun match by two of the top women in Dreamwave in a budding women’s division. Now that Dreamwave has a women’s champion, a win by J-Rod here could propel her to be a further challenger for the Dreamwave Women’s Championship.
Alex Shelley vs. Stephen Wolf
Winner: Stephen Wolf
This was arguably the most anticipated match of the night. Alex Shelley, former TNA World Champion, made his way down to the ring first, followed by Stephen Wolf. The fans gave both of these men a ton of cheers. The two men start with a good ol’ collar-elbow tie-up. After some more chain wrestling, Wolf quickens the pace and sends Shelley packing to the outside with a big dropkick. As Wolf goes to pull him back in the ring, Shelley catches his leg and hangs it up on the middle rope.
From here, Shelley sends Wolf into the guardrail and beats up on Wolf around ringside. Shelley gets a little cocky, doing push-ups in the ring to taunt a banged-up Wolf. Shelley dissects different body parts of Wolf to keep Wolf down. However, Wolf has the wherewithal to land a big counter on Shelley to quickly get back into this match. Wolf tries to go high-risk but misses, and this leads to Shelley quickly taking out his leg to change the tides of this match.
Shelley locks in a big submission move as he continues to target the legs of Wolf. However, Wolf reaches for the bottom rope and breaks the hold. Wolf lands some big strikes on Shelley and a big running knee to change the momentum of the match. After some more tremendous back-and-forth action, ultimately it’s Wolf who pins Shelley after countering his submission hold with a roll-up. This was an excellent match that saw two of the very best the professional wrestling world has to offer.
Those Damn Coyotes vs. Bobby Orlando and The Hype
Winners: Bobby Orlando and The Hype
Those Damn Coyotes (Connor Hopkins, Brooks Berna, and Damien Deschain) make their way down to the ring first, and the Dreamwave faithful are not shy to boo them. Love them or hate them, Those Damn Coyotes are one of the best factions in the mid-west today and are some top-tier wrestlers at Dreamwave. Their opponents, The Hype (12 Gaige and Hunter Holdcraft) and Bobby Orlando have the Dreamwave faithful behind them.
12 Gaige and Deschain start the match for their respective teams. 12 Gaige quickly gains the upper hand before tagging in Hunter Holdcraft. The three men exchange tags while continuing the onslaught of Deschain. However, Deschain is eventually able to tag in Berna, and Orlando quickly makes light work of him. Just as all seemed to be going in the face’s direction, a cheap shot by Hopkins, who wasn’t the legal competitor at the time, onto Orlando changes the momentum completely.
Hopkins plays to the crowd while continuing to beat down Orlando. It’s the underhanded tactics from Those Damn Coyotes that keep the match in their favor. Orlando is eventually able to land a big double dropkick onto Hopkins and Berna, before hitting Holdcraft with the hot tag. Holdcraft clears out the ring, before tagging in 12 Gaige. 12 Gaige lands a big hurricanrana from the top rope into a power slam from Holdcraft, which was insanely cool. Orlando takes out all three coyotes with a big crossbody from the top.
Ultimately, after a tremendous back-and-forth match, Holdcraft pins Berna after he and 12 Gaige land a Hyper Drive, to pick up the victory for his team. After the match, The Hype accepts Wasted Youth’s challenge, and the match is made official for April 20th. 12 Gaige announces it won’t be just any match and decides to make it a TLC match. This was an excellent six-man tag team match, and all six men truly showed up and showed out in this match. The Hype and Wasted Youth in a TLC match is about to tear the house down too.
J. Fowler (w/ Zeke Zshe) vs. Vic Capri (w/ Shelly Benson)
Winner: J. Fowler
J. Fowler makes his way down to the ring first, accompanied by Zeke Zshe. Zshe tries to cut a promo but can’t get a word in edge-wise because the fans boo him out of the building. Vic Capri’s music hits and Capri, accompanied by Shelly Benson, makes his way down to the ring with the fans firmly behind him. Capri quickly gets the best of Fowler, sending him to the outside and landing a big crossbody. Zshe tries to get involved, but Benson handles it with a right of her own.
Capri sends Fowler into the ring and continues the onslaught. However, it doesn’t last long as Fowler lands a big clothesline flooring Capri. Fowler lands a jackhammer on Capri and gets a near three-count, but Capri gets the arm up at two and a half. He then tries to continue to beat down Capri, but Capri lands a big helluva kick and tries to change the tide in this match. Fowler stays one step ahead however and lands a big power slam for just a two-count on to the Dreamwave legend.
The rest of Zeke Zshe’s Enterprises comes down to the ring and accidentally distracts Fowler. This leads to Capri re-gaining the upper hand with a big suplex and running knee. Fowler quickly gains his bearings and attempts a shining wizard on Capri, but Capri counters with and lands his finisher on Fowler. Zshe gets involved and distracts the official. This leads to Zshe throwing powder in the eyes of Capri, and Fowler landing his shining wizard to win the match.
This was a fun singles match, and both Fowler and Capri looked very good. Love him or hate him, Fowler is truly the one to watch in Dreamwave Wrestling.
Zayda Steel (w/ Bliz) vs. Rebecca J. Scott
Winner: Zayda Steel
Zayda Steel, accompanied by Bliz makes her way down to the ring. The “Real Deal” continues to show why you don’t need the fans behind you to be successful. The Dreamwave faithful let Steel hear their boos, and because of this Bliz says there won’t be a match and attempts to leave. Rebecca J. Scott comes out and attacks Steel before she can leave. This however leads to Bliz distracting Scott, allowing Steel to slam Scott’s head off the ring apron.
The two women waste little time and the match is underway. Scott lands an arm drag of her own and tries to follow it up with a sleeper hold. Scott gains the upper hand in the early going, however, Steel sends Scott into the guardrail to change momentum. Steel remains in control of Scott inside the ring, targeting Scott’s midsection. Scott tries to fight back, to no avail as Steel sends her crashing and burning down from the middle rope.
Scott digs down deep to land a backbreaker on Steel, but can’t capitalize on this as Steel remains in control. Steel lands a stack-up powerbomb for just a two-count. The two women each land a big boot on each other and they’re both down in the ring. After exchanging strikes, Scott fires back and has Steel reeling against the ropes. Scott lands a big crossbody on Steel for just a two-count.
Ultimately after more great back-and-forth action, Steel lands an I’m Prettier on Scott to win the match. This match puts Steel in a prime position to be next in line for Brittnie Brooks’ Dreamwave Women’s Championship. Both women looked great in this match, and the women’s division in Dreamwave is truly beginning to take off.
Trevor Outlaw vs. Hartenbower
Winner: Hartenbower
Trevor Outlaw comes out to cut a promo. However, the lights shut off during his promo and Hartenbower makes his way down to the ring. Outlaw attempts to land a punch on Hartenbower, but Hartenbower counters and slams down Outlaw. He stomps on Outlaw in the corner, much to the crowd’s pleasure. Hartenbower sends Outlaw to the outside, right onto the guardrail. Hartenbower continues his onslaught on Outlaw on the outside of the ring.
Once the match spills back into the ring, Hartenbower lands a spear on Outlaw and wins the match. This was a statement win from Hartenbower. This victory was directed toward the rest of the locker room and truly put them all on notice. Excellent, but very quick, showing by Hartenbower, and it’s always a (dis)pleasure to see Trevor Outlaw.
Colt Cabana’s “Boom Boom” Invitational: Colt Cabana vs. Florida Man vs. Arik Cannon vs. Dakota vs. Jordan Kross vs. Mikko Maestro vs. Manders vs. Dan The Dad vs. Santana Jackson
Winner: Manders
This match is a Colt Cabana “Boom Boom” Invitational. Cabana says there are no rules, the wrestlers will be coming down to the ring one at a time when Cabana says “next.” He says this match will be elimination style until one final wrestler is remaining. The match starts, and Florida Man is the first wrestler out. Florida Man tries to gain the upper hand quickly, but Cabana ducks and quickly gains control in this matchup.
Florida Man locks in a gator roll on Cabana, and Cabana shouts “NEXT!” Arik Cannon is the next wrestler to come out, and Cannon immediately targets Cabana. Cabana is getting double-teamed and he shouts “NEXT!” again, Dakota is the next star out. He helps Cabana and challenges both Cannon and Florida Man. Cannon makes quick work of Dakota, and Cabana shout’s “NEXT!” and out comes Jordan Kross. Kross takes out everyone and looks great from the early going of this match. However, Cannon quickly puts a stop to that.
Cabana shouts “NEXT!” again and Mikko Maestro is the next man out. Maestro lands a purple nurple on Florida Man, and this leads to Dakota rolling up Florida Man and eliminating him. Cabana shouts “NEXT!” and we get Manders out next. Manders quickly eliminates Dakota, Mikko Maestro, and Jordan Kross back-to-back-to-back. Just as Cabana is about to square off with Manders, he shouts “NEXT!” and Dan The Dad makes his way down to the ring.
Dan The Dad squares off with Manders and takes the right to the big man. He lands a stunner on Manders and attempts a big move but Manders catches him. Cabana shouts “NEXT!” and Santana Jackson is the final competitor to come out in this match. Jackson tries to start a dance party in the ring, but quickly stops it and takes down Cabana, Dan The Dad, and Cannon. Jackson eliminates Cannon thanks to the moonwalk DDT.
Colt Cabana and Manders finally have a face-off and the “Thriller” music hits. Santana Jackson comes out from under the ring wearing a werewolf mask and makes his way back into the ring. Jackson lands a big spear on Dan The Dad, and follows it up with an elbow to eliminate Dan. Manders quickly throws out the werewolf mask and lands a huge powerslam on Jackson to eliminate him.
Manders and Cabana are the final two men. Cabana tries to roll up Manders but gets just a two-count. He hammers Manders with rights and controls the match. However, this doesn’t last as Manders lands a huge lariat on Cabana and pins him for the three-count. This was a lot of fun and a great way to get Manders a big win on the card.
Dreamwave Championship match: Christian Rose (c) vs. Josh Alexander
Winner: AND STILL Dreamwave Champion, Christian Rose
Josh Alexander makes his way down to the ring first with the fans very much behind him. The Dreamwave Champion, Christian Rose, makes his way down to the ring next dawning a “Those Damn Coyotes” flag. Love him or hate him, Rose’s name in Dreamwave is truly synonymous with excellence. The stuff he has accomplished is truly amazing. Rose and Alexander is a dream match in every sense of the word, and this is easily one of the more anticipated matches of the night.
The match starts with a feeling-out process of sorts. After some chain wrestling, the two men have a staredown in the middle of the ring. Alexander lands a big kick on Rose and follows it up with an elbow to the head. He hangs Rose up on the top rope and uses his body weight to send Rose to the floor. However, Rose uses the ropes and sends Alexander head-first into the top rope, causing a whiplash-like effect.
Rose targets the neck and now is in firm control of this match. Despite Alexander’s valiant efforts to fight back into this match, Rose remains two steps ahead of the former IMPACT World Champion. Finally, Alexander changes the tides of this match with some strong strikes followed by a series of German suplexes. Alexander locks in an ankle lock and tries to get Rose to tap, but Rose counters with an elevated Boston crab of his own.
After some more terrific back-and-forth action, ultimately it’s Rose who chokes Alexander out to win the match and retain his Dreamwave Championship. This was an amazing Dreamwave Championship match. Love him or hate him, Christian Rose is one of the best that Dreamwave has to offer, and he is just that good.
Dreamwave Women’s Championship match: Brittnie Brooks (c) vs. Maggie Lee
Winner: AND STILL Dreamwave Women’s Champion, Brittnie Brooks
Maggie Lee has been on quite the run in Dreamwave lately, and the fact that she gets this opportunity shows that. Lee doesn’t make any friends at her entrance, as the Dreamwave faithful lets her know their thoughts on her with boos. The Dreamwave Women’s Champion, Brittnie Brooks, is next to make her way down to the ring, and the fans make it very clear who they’re behind in this match.
The match kicks off with chants of “MAGGIE SUCKS!” ringing through the arena. The match starts with a big German suplex from Lee onto Brooks when Brooks had her back turned. Brooks quickly fights back with arm drags of her own, and turns the tide in her favor. However, this doesn’t last as Lee takes Brooks down on the apron and beats up the Dreamwave Women’s Champion at ringside.
Lee continues her onslaught on the champion inside the ring. Brooks is finally able to fight back, landing a big clothesline on Lee in the corner. Brooks follows that up with a springboard elbow for just a two-count. When the referee gets knocked out, Lee uses a steel chair on Brooks and attempts a cover, which draws out another referee. However, she is only able to get a two-count. Lee goes high-risk but crashes and burns on a moonsault.
After the second referee goes down, Zayda Steel makes her way down to the ring, and the two attempt to attack Brooks. However, Brooks moves out of the way and Steel lands a big right on Lee. Brooks sends Steel to the outside and lands her finishing move for the three-count. After the match, Steel and Lee attack Brooks and each reach for the title, and have a staredown.
This draws out the authority of Dreamwave Wrestling. He announces that at the upcoming Dreamwave Anniversary show, Brittnie Brooks will defend the title against Zayda Steel and Maggie Lee in a triple-threat match. This was an amazing singles match. Maggie Lee looked very good in a big spot, even in defeat, and Brooks continues to show why she’s the rightful Dreamwave Women’s Champion.
Dreamwave Alternative Championship match: El Hijo Del Vikingo (c) vs. Gringo Loco vs. Penta El Cero Miedo vs. Mustafa Ali
Winner: AND NEW Dreamwave Alternative Champion, Mustafa Ali
The fans were firmly behind Mustafa Ali in this match. This marked Ali’s return to Dreamwave Wrestling, arguably a place where it all started for him. Ali, Gringo Loco, Penta El Cero Miedo, and of course, the champion El Hijo Del Vikingo were all very ready for tonight’s match, and that was made apparent from the bell. All four men get some love from the fans to start the match. “ALL THESE GUYS!” chants rang through the arena as the match kicked off.
Penta gets into the face of Ali and attempts his signature taunt, but Ali catches his hand. All four men exchange superkicks and we are off to a fast start, with Penta standing tall in the early going. Ali and Vikingo have a faceoff, that ends with Vikingo gaining the upper hand. However, Penta takes out the leg of Vikingo right after and stands tall. This doesn’t last long as Vikingo’s speed and unique offense send Penta packing to the outside.
Meanwhile, Gringo Loco gets in and tries to step to the champion, but Vikingo bests him as well. Vikingo lands a frog splash, for just a two-count thanks to a pin breakup by Ali. After some more great back-and-forth action, ultimately Ali lands a 450-splash onto Gringo Loco to win the match and win the Alternative Championship.
After the match, Penta grabs a mic and congratulates Ali, and thanks him for the match. Thereafter, he puts over Vikingo and Gringo Loco and says he wants a rematch with everyone involved. Following that, Penta then leaves the ring and heads to the back as Ali says a few words. Ali says there’s no place like home, and tells the fans they built this place and none of this would be possible without them. He says it’s an honor and a privilege to be the Alternative Champion again.
This match was a blast and a perfect way to end an incredible show. Mustafa Ali being Dreamwave Alternative Champion is a great nod to the beginning of his professional wrestling career. It’s one of those rare full-circle moments, and honestly, it’s great to see. Welcome back to the independent wrestling scene, and welcome back to Dreamwave, Mustafa Ali!
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