On Saturday, April 20th, Dreamwave Wrestling held its big event, “Anniversary IX.” The event streamed live on IWTV.
The show was headlined by a massive title match that saw Christian Rose defend his Dreamwave Championship against Gringo Loco. We also saw a big triple-threat match which saw Brittnie Brooks put her newly won Dreamwave Women’s Championship on the line against Zayda Steel and Maggie Lee. Also, The Hype and Wasted Youth met in a big TLC match for the Dreamwave Tag Team Championships. Check out all of this and more in the full recap and review below.
Dreamwave Tag Team Championship TLC match: Wasted Youth (Dyln McKay & Marcus Mathers) (c) vs. The Hype (Hunter Holdcraft & 12 Gaige)
Winners: AND NEW Dreamwave Tag Team Champions, The Hype
Kicking off the Dreamwave Anniversary show, we see a big tag team match between Wasted Youth and The Hype for the Dreamwave Tag Team Championships. What makes this match even crazier is the fact that it’s also a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. The match kicks off quickly with both teams taking the fight to each other. This match was the perfect match to kick off the biggest Dreamwave show of the year, “Anniversary IX.”
This match got ugly and violent quickly. Mathers got busted open early on, however, he didn’t let that stop him from being as hard-hitting as ever. The conclusion of this match sees Holdcraft & 12 Gaige send Mathers through a Lego table, essentially eliminating him from the match. 12 Gaige meets McKay on the top of a ladder and uses the title to send McKay through two tables before bringing down the titles. This match had it all. The Hype are the new Dreamwave Tag Team Champions, and this was amazing from top to bottom. All four men showed up and showed out in a big way.
Connor Hopkins vs. Bobby Orlando
Winner: Connor Hopkins
In the second match on the night, we see the “Crown Jewel” of Those Damn Coyotes, Connor Hopkins, go one-on-one with Bobby Orlando. Hopkins announces before the match that tonight is all about learning lessons and tells “Robert” he doesn’t take too kindly to outsiders in his territory. He then allows Orlando to walk out, but Orlando declines, and tells Hopkins he has a “stupid face.” Hopkins reveals a stuffed animal friend of his own, a coyote named “Berna the Third.” Orlando uses Bobby Jr to send the stuffed coyote outside of the ring which officially kicks off the match.
Orlando gets the better of Hopkins in the early going, but Hopkins turns it around with a big stomp in the corner. Hopkins has some fun with Orlando and makes sure to get some style points in this match. However, Orlando tries to fight back, just to get hit with a rebound lariat by Hopkins turning him inside out. Ultimately, after some more fun back-and-forth action, Hopkins goes to use his briefcase but gets hit with a superkick. However, thanks to some help from Those Damn Coyotes, Hopkins lands a tiger driver on Orlando to win this match. Both Hopkins and Orlando looked excellent in this match, and the right wrestler one here. Hopkins is the future of Dreamwave Wrestling.
Black Swan vs. Hyan
Winner: Hyan
Last night, Black Swan fell short in her match with Maki Itoh. However, tonight she looks to get back on track against Hyan. On the other hand, Hyan is coming into this match having picked up a win against Miyu Yamashita last night at “Uprising 2.” The match kicks off with some chain wrestling between the two women. This ends with Hyan gaining the upper hand by hitting a unique move on Swan which turns her inside out. However, Swan doesn’t stay down for long and quickly uses some of her unique moveset to change the tides of this match in her favor.
Swan uses her flexibility on Hyan to bend her forward and try to weaken the legs of Hyan. However, a couple of big lariats by Hyan changes the match once again in her favor. After some more fun back-and-forth wrestling, eventually, Black Swan tries to lock Hyan into the Swan Song, but Hyan reaches the ropes. Ultimately, Hyan lands a huge glam slam on Swan to win the match. Hyan has looked downright incredible this week, and even in defeat, Black Swan has looked equally as fantastic. The sky is truly the limit for both of these ladies.
Manders vs. Hartenbower
Winner: Hartenbower
Coming up next, we see an absolute barn-burner of a war. Manders makes his way down to the ring, to a mixed reaction from the Dreamwave faithful. However, Hartenbower is the one to get a much warmer reaction. These men have spilled each other’s blood in the past, and Hartenbower picked up the first victory between these two men. Back in February, Manders returned and demanded this match. It’s been quite some time since these two warriors met, and tonight we do it all over again. The two men have a faceoff to kick off the match, and Manders lands a hawkeye stampede on Hartenbower for just a two-count in the very early going of this match. Manders continues on the attack, going for a big move on the apron. However, Hartenbower counters and hits a spear of his own on the hardest part of the ring.
The two begin to brawl at ringside. Manders goes for a chop on Hartenbower, but Hartenbower ducks and Manders’ hand collides with the steel. When the match spills back over inside the ring, Hartenbower continues on the attack. However, a lariat from behind courtesy of Manders changes the tides of this match. At the end of this war, ultimately, Hartenbower lands a huge spear to put Manders away and win the match. After the match, Manders extends his hand, shades of one year ago when Manders attacked Hartenbower after the handshake. However, this time around it was a legit handshake and a show of respect. This wasn’t as violent as previous wars between these two men, but it still certainly delivered. Hartenbower and Manders are two of the top hard-hitting stars in Dreamwave today, and this match just epitomizes why.
Alternative Division Scramble Match: Dante Leon vs. Victor Iniestra vs. Arez vs. Stephen Wolf
Winner: Stephen Wolf
In the next contest on the night, we see four of the top Alternative Division wrestlers do battle. The match kicks off with the crowd hyping up Stephen Wolf. Victor Iniestra tries to get them behind him, but it doesn’t work out well as it ends with a double superkick on him from Arez and Dante Leon. Arez and Leon land suicide dives on Iniestra, and as Wolf goes for one of his own, Leon stops him with a big right hand. Wolf beats up on both Arez and Leon in the ring, but things change when Leon lands a big superkick, sending Wolf packing to the outside.
Leon looks incredible in this match, specifically. This match was very fast-paced and was a fantastic showcase of the Dreamwave Wrestling Alternative division, which Mustafa Ali currently leads. Arez and Iniestra work together to beat down Wolf. Ultimately, Wolf lands his finishing move on Iniestra to put him away and secure the victory for himself. All four of these men showed up, showed out, and continued to show why the Dreamwave Alternative division is one of the best in wrestling today.
Jordan Kross vs. Channing Thomas
Winner: Channing Thomas
Jordan Kross makes his way down to the ring and gets a lot of love from the Dreamwave Wrestling faithful. Despite his young age, Kross is immensely talented and is destined for huge things in Dreamwave Wrestling. Kross says that he gets knocked down whenever he comes to Dreamwave Wrestling. However, he also says he gets right back up and does it for the fans. Channing Thomas, accompanied by Sidney Bakabella, interrupts and we get a one-on-one match between the two men. This marks Thomas’s much-anticipated debut for the company. Bakabella cuts a promo, saying “You’re welcome” to the fans. He tells Kross he will “experience something special,” since he gets to wrestle Channing Thomas.
When the match finally gets underway, the two kick things off with a collar-elbow tie-up. After a feeling-out process of sorts, Thomas gains the upper hand. Kross tries to go high-risk, but Thomas moves out of the way. Thomas catches Kross with a piledriver and pins him for the three-count. This was a fairly quick match, but it got the job done. Thomas looked great in his debut at Dreamwave and it’s interesting to think about where Thomas may go from here.
Uprising Alternative Championship Match: Rebecca J. Scott (c) vs. Tara Zep vs. J-Rod vs. Zamaya
Winner: AND STILL Uprising Alternative Champion, Rebecca J. Scott
Last night, Rebecca J. Scott defeated J-Rod, Janai Kai, and VertVixen to become the first-ever Uprising Alternative Champion. One night later, Scott has to put that newly won title on the line against Tara Zep, J-Rod, and Zamaya. Scott defeated J-Rod in the match last night, however, Tara Zep and Zamaya were both victorious in their matches last night with Alice Crowley and Mia Friday, respectively. Zep and Zamaya go right after Scott to start this match, but J-Rod bests both of them with two big slams and a senton bomb on both of them. Eventually, Zamaya and Zep takedown J-Rod and turn their attention back to Scott.
Zamaya and Zep continue to work together, getting the better of J-Rod and Scott. However, this changes when Zep tries to pin Scott. Zamaya takes exception to this and she and Zep begin to brawl in the ring. This allows J-Rod and Scott time to regroup. J-Rod uses Scott as a battering ram, taking out both Zamaya and Zep using her body. Ultimately, Zep taps out to Scott’s armbar, which sees Scott keeping her newly won championship. The Uprising Alternative division is shaping up to be just as fun as the Dreamwave Alternative division. I’m very much looking forward to seeing more matches for the Upcoming Alternative division.
J Fowler & Zeke Zshe vs. Vic Capri & Shelly Benson
Winners: Vic Capri & Shelly Benson
In the next contest, we see J Fowler team with Zeke Zshe to face the team of Vic Capri and Shelly Benson. Zshe cuts a promo talking about how he is what an “all-American body looks like.” Vic Capri and Shelly Benson make their way out to the ring next and have the Dreamwave faithful firmly behind them. The match kicks off with Capri and Zshe kicking things off for their respective teams. However, Zshe wants Benson in the ring, and Capri listens and tags her in. Zshe slaps Benson, but this has no impact on her and she fires away at Zshe. She has some fun with Zshe before Zshe tags out. However, Benson doesn’t see the tag and Fowler attacks her from behind.
Fowler lands a big knee to the gut of Benson and sends her to her corner before calling for Capri. Capri makes light work of Fowler in the early going, however, this doesn’t last. Capri tags in Benson, and Fowler hits another big strike on Benson. Fowler and Zshe do a good job of controlling a good portion of the match. Eventually, Benson makes the hot tag on Capri, and Capri comes in hot and ready to go. After some more fun action, Fowler hits a big slam on Benson and tries to go for a pin, but he doesn’t realize Zshe tagged in. Ultimately, Zshe throws powder in Fowler’s face by accident, and Benson and Capri land a double-team move on Zshe. Benson pins Zshe to win the match for her team. This was a very fun tag match.
Miyu Yamashita vs. Megan Bayne
Winner: Megan Bayne
Next up, we see Miyu Yamashita go one-on-one with Megan Bayne. Yamashita is coming into this match after suffering a rough loss to Hyan last night at “Uprising 2.” On the other side of things, the “Megasus,” Megan Bayne, comes into this match having defeated Masha Slamovich in a very hard-hitting match last night at “Uprising 2.” Yamashita is trying to get back in the win column, however, against someone like Megan Bayne is not going to be an easy task. The match kicks off with Bayne using her power advantage to her favor and throwing Yamashita away from a collar-elbow tie-up.
However, Yamashita puts the match in her favor with a big kick to the back of Bayne. But this doesn’t last long as Bayne just absorbs the strikes of Yamashita. Both of these women put on an amazing match tonight at Dreamwave Wrestling’s 9th Anniversary. However, it ultimately ends with Bayne hitting a big spear on Yamashita, and following it up with a tombstone piledriver to pick up the win. This was a fantastic match, and Megan Bayne is truly making a case as to why she’s the top women’s wrestler of 2024.
Dreamwave Championship match: Christian Rose (c) vs. Gringo Loco
Winner: AND STILL Dreamwave Champion, Christian Rose
In the first of two main events, we see Christian Rose put his Dreamwave Championship on the line against Gringo Loco. Loco, who is the former Alternative Champion, dropped that championship to Mustafa Ali a few months back. Now, Loco has bigger goals on his mind, and that’s winning the Dreamwave Championship and becoming the new face of the company. However, this will prove to be no easy task, as Rose is the longest-reigning Dreamwave Champion for a reason. The crowd is firmly behind Loco, as he plays to the crowd, Rose attacks him to kick off the match.
Rose and Loco brawl at ringside in the early going of this match. When the match goes back into the ring, Loco uses his speed and agility to get the better of Rose. Rose lands a cool move where he walks on the top rope into a hurricanrana on a standing Gringo Loco. Rose continues on the attack. This was a fantastic match for the top prize in Dreamwave Wrestling. Both Loco and Rose showed out and gave everything they had in this match. Ultimately, Loco pins Rose, while Rose has his finishing move locked in. However, each referee saw something different.
Despite Rose getting pinned, Loco also tapped out during all of the confusion. Rose walks out with his title. Loco says that he wants his rematch and there will be a new Dreamwave Champion when all is said and done. There was a bit of confusion with this match that wasn’t explained all yet, but this leaves me wanting more between these two men. This match ruled, and when they do battle again, it’s just going to be that much better.
Trevor Outlaw vs. Camaro Jackson
Winner: Camaro Jackson
Trevor Outlaw makes his way out to the ring with a neckbrace on. He’s demanding justice be served and will be coming to every show until he gets what he’s owed. This draws out Camaro Jackson. Outlaw tries to jump on the back out of Jackson, but it does little. Jackson lands a huge pounce on Outlaw and follows it up with a pop-up powerslam for the three count after a very quick match. Jackson looked excellent in this squash match and shows he’s a very powerful wrestler who shouldn’t be messed with.
Dreamwave Wrestling Women’s Championship match: Brittnie Brooks (c) vs. Maggie Lee vs. Zayda Steel
Winner: AND STILL Dreamwave Wrestling Women’s Champion, Brittnie Brooks
In the main event of the evening, we see Brittnie Brooks put her Dreamwave Women’s Championship on the line against Maggie Lee and Zayda Steel in a triple-threat match. This match comes nearly 24 hours after Maggie Lee and Zayda Steel defeated Brooks and her partner, Billie Starkz in the main event of “Uprising 2.” Lee pinned Brooks to win the match. This has to be weighing on the mind of Brooks, as well as giving Lee much more confidence heading into this match. Bliz performs Steel down to the ring for her entrance, Lee is out next. Brooks is the final competitor to make her way out to the ring, and she has the Dreamwave faithful fully behind her.
The match starts fast as Brooks takes out both Lee and Steel. Brooks goes high risk and wipes out both Lee and Steel who are at ringside. Brooks continues on the offensive, while the match spills over into the backstage area. When they emerge from backstage, Steel and Lee come flying through the curtain, followed closely by Brooks with a steel chair. Brooks does an excellent job at taking out both of her opponents in the early going of the match, but it doesn’t last as Lee sends Brooks to ringside. Lee and Steel go at it in the ring, but Brooks makes her way back and takes out both of them. Lee rips Brooks down by her hair to finally put a stop to the offense of Brooks.
This leads to Lee beating down Brooks in the middle of the ring and putting the tides of the match in her favor. Steel tries to come back, but it doesn’t work as Lee keeps her at bay in the ringside area. Lee hits a huge helluva kick on Brooks, really taking it to the champion at this point. Just as it looks like Brooks has the match won, Lee hits a stomp on the referee and all hell breaks loose. Lee pins both Steel and Brooks at the same time but there’s no referee to count the three. Ultimately, Brooks lands her finishing move on Steel and pins her while Lee is trapped in the corner. After the match, Steel shows respect to Brooks by hugging her before leaving.
This was an amazing main event for the ninth anniversary of Dreamwave. All three women showed up and showed out in this match. Steel said before the match that if she doesn’t win tonight then she will not be back. So, this could be the last we see of Steel for a little while in Dreamwave. Big things are coming to all three of these ladies. Overall, Dreamwave Wrestling’s “Anniversary IX” was an amazing show from beginning to end. There wasn’t a bad match on the card, and the future of Dreamwave looks exceptionally bright.