Beyond Wrestling: Ends Meet Review

Grudges are settled and new factions arise as Beyond Wrestling closes out 2014!

Beyond Wrestling: Ends Meet

Providence, Rhode Island 12/28/14

The show started off with an in-ring promo from JT Dunn, who apologized for his actions at Tournament For Tomorrow 3. He says that he lost his cool after The Juicy Product failed to get their rematch with The Young Bucks. JT Dunn then talks about how he could’ve played College Football with the Florida Gators, but that he chose wrestling, and also mentioned that he’s been clean & sober for two-and-a-half years.

1.) The Doom Patrol (Chris Dickinson & Jaka) vs. EYFBO (Angel Ortiz & Mike Draztik): ***1/4

Larry Legend comes out as the personal ring announcer for The Doom Patrol, who along with Pinkie Sanchez, are known as Team Pazuzu. This was a fun exhibition match, but it was definitely hurt by how long it went. The match was just over twenty minutes, which was waaaaay too long. Again, there was nothing wrong with the action, and it was very entertaining at certain points, but it just felt like it went on forever. The match might have been better if they cut the time in half. Eventually, The Doom Patrol were able to pick up the win.

After the match, The Doom Patrol continued to beat up EYFBO until Pinkie Sanchez (interestingly enough) calms things down. It was explained on commentary that Pinkie Sanchez was also friends with EYFBO, which I guess explains what happened there.

2.) Drew Gulak vs. “Sicilian Psychopath” Tommaso Ciampa: ***1/4

This match had a “There Must Be A Winner” stipulation, which I guess means that the rules for this one were going to be a little more relaxed. Gulak didn’t waist any time, as he went right after Ciampa. While the opening match was a lot longer than I was expecting, this match was significantly shorter than I would have guessed. It only went about six minutes or so, but it was very intense match, and they managed to pack a lot of action into that short time frame. This was a pretty entertaining sprint, and in the end, Ciampa was able to score the victory.

After the match, the two rivals shake hands in a pretty cool moment.

3.) CLL International All-Star Title - Shynron vs. AR Fox: ***1/2

For those who don’t know, CLL stands for Chile Lucha Libre. They’re a wrestling promotion based out of Chile. AR Fox comes out with a valet, who is apparently named Roxy. This match was a lot of fun to watch, and featured a ton of innovative offense from both men. This could have easily been the Match of the Night if not for the finish. After Shynron hit a 630 Senton, Roxy pulled the referee out of the ring, and then kicked him low. AR Fox then hit Shynron with the CLL International All-Star Title, and a second referee came out to make the count. The original referee pulled him out, and called for the bell. He ruled that Shynron won the match by DQ, meaning that he retained his title. AR Fox argued with the referee, and then took out Shynron. Clearly their issues weren’t over following this outcome. As far as this match goes, it was very good, but it sucks that it ended the way it did.

4.) Colt Cabana vs. Pinkie Sanchez: **3/4

As I mentioned earlier, Pinkie Sanchez is also a member of Team Pazuzu, and is introduced by Larry Legend. This was a fun comedy match that featured some good wrestling as well. One of these moments of comedy saw Pinkie Sanchez actually kissed Cabana at one point. I know a lot of people don’t like Pinkie Sanchez, but I think he does well in some of these comedy situations. In the end, Colt Cabana would pick up the win.

After the match, Cabana cuts a promo thanking the fans of Beyond Wrestling for a great 2014. He then gives a backhanded complement to Pinkie Sanchez, but ultimately puts him over, saying that they’re more alike than they think, and suggests that they form a tag team. Cabana is then jumped by Chris Dickinson & Jaka. The latter chastises Pinkie Sanchez for losing to Cabana. EYFBO then come out to apparently make the save, but instead, they join Pinkie Sanchez and The Doom Patrol in beating down Colt Cabana. The newly heel EYFBO hold Cabana down as The Doom Patrol & Pinkie Sanchez hit him with DVDs. Then, in the ultimate sign of disrespect, they place a Yankees Hat on his head. Chris Dickinson, Jaka, Pinkie Sanchez, EYFBO, and Larry Legend now make up the group known as Team Pazuzu. 

5.) The Garden State Gods (Eric Corvis & Myke Quest) vs. The M1nute Men (Devin Blaze & Tommy Trainwreck): **3/4

This match came about after The M1nute Men revealed themselves as the newest members of The Crusade For Change the month prior at Tournament For Tomorrow 3, which led to The Garden State Gods being eliminated from Tournament For Tomorrow 3:16. This was a relatively decent match, but I thought that their match from the first round of Tournament For Tomorrow 3:16 was much better. At one point, Myke Quest takes off his regular tights to reveal a much shorter pair of tights, in a bizarre moment. Darius Carter & TJ Marconi, the leaders of The Crusade For Change, try to interfere, but it backfires, and The Garden State Gods manage to get the win.

After the match, The Crusade For Change attack The Garden State Gods. Then, Darius Carter demands for another to happen right now, with himself & TJ Marconi against Eric Corvis & Myke Quest. The referee, who was being threatened, had no real choice.

6.) The Crusade For Change (Darius Carter & TJ Marconi) vs. The Garden State Gods (Eric Corvis & Myke Quest): N/R

Eric Corvis & Myke Quest were already weakened from the beating they just suffered. Carter & Marconi get the win in about ten or twelve seconds. This was more of a segment than a match to further the feud between these two sides.

7.) Kimber Lee vs. David Starr: ***

This match came about after David Starr claimed Kimber Lee was the reason that The Juicy Product failed to make it to the Finals of Tournament For Tomorrow 3. It was a relatively short match (going about six minutes or so), but it was a lot of fun while it lasted. There was some good action throughout this one, and in the end, Kimber Lee won with a Code Red followed by the Alligator Clutch pin.

After the match, Kimber Lee & David Starr get into a verbal spat, and JT Dunn comes out to cool things down. Then, Chris Hero comes and takes JT Dunn aside, trying to get Dunn to focus on their upcoming tag team match against Brian Myers & Ryan “Rush” Galeone. Hero then diffuses things a bit between Kimber Lee & David Starr, and then slaps JT Dunn in an attempt to get him more focused and fired up. 

8.) Chris Hero & JT Dunn vs. Brian Myers & Ryan “Rush” Galeone: ***3/4

I really haven’t heard of Ryan “Rush” Galeone, but I think he might be a protégé of Brian Myers, which means this match is mentor/protégé vs. mentor/protégé. This match featured some really good action, and in my opinion, it was in contention for the best match on the show. Of course, Chris Hero & JT Dunn were both very good here, but in particular, Ryan “Rush” Galeone had some impressive moments as well. Brian Myers was….well….Brian Myers. Towards the end of the match, Hero went to finish of Galeone, but got distracted by Myers. Then, Dunn when to finish off Galeone, but got caught in a backslide pin, and the team of Brian Myers & Ryan “Rush” Galeone got the win, in what could called an upset.

After the match, JT Dunn got into a shoving match with the winning team, but Hero was able to calm him down. The two partners then shook hands.

9.) Fans Bring The Weapons Match - Matt Tremont vs. Stockade: ***

After Stockade won a Texas Bull Rope Match the month prior, Tremont called for a Fans Bring The Weapons Match. This was a fun garbage brawl, and was the exact opposite of what we saw at AAW One Twisted Christmas 2014. Of course, it wouldn’t a hardcore match without Matt Tremont getting busted open. They used a variety of Christmas themed weapons (including a Christmas Tree), and some more unusual weapons (like legos, keyboards, and so on) as well. Eventually, Stockade won after putting Tremont through a large wooden board set up in one of the corners of the ring.

After the match, Stockade cuts a promo saying that, despite being now 2-0 over Tremont in the last month or so, he and the people in Providence want more violence. He tells Tremont to name the time and place to fight it out again, and Tremont accepts.

10.) Da Hoodz (Davey Cash & Kris Pyro) vs. Team Tremendous: ***1/2

Team Tremendous is coming off winning Tournament For Tomorrow 3, while Da Hoodz were eliminated in the first round. As a whole, this was a pretty good tag team match. There was some solid wrestling to start, but it was a little slow. Some other highlights included Dan Barry hitting a Fallaway Slam/Moonsault to the outside onto a pile of bodies, and Bill Carr hitting a (somewhat botched) Canadian Destroyer. While the action was very solid from start to finish, I felt like the match lacked crowd heat at times. After a fair amount of back & forth action, Team Tremendous were able to score the victory after hitting their tag team finisher, “Book em’ Danno!”.

After the match, the two teams shook hands. It’ll be interesting to see where Da Hoodz go from here, after a string of losses.

11.) Biff Busick vs. Michael Bennett: ***1/2

This match came about after Michael Bennett attacked Biff Busick several months earlier at Americanrana 2014. Bennett came out with his “Title of Love” (Bennett has the announcer refer to it as the IWGP “Title of Love”) which, of course, is the dressed-up version of Jay Briscoe’s custom ROH World Title. Before the match starts, Bennett cuts a promo saying that his attack on Busick several months prior wasn’t anything against Busick, adding that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bennett asks for a fair wrestling match, and wants a handshake. He gets it, but Busick jumps him as soon as the bell rings.

The match itself was actually pretty solid. Bennett was a very good heel, being incredibly cocky and trying every trick in the book against Busick. Despite all of the crap he gets (some of it deserved), I do think Bennett is a very good heel, and can have good singles matches when he’s in there with the right guys. Busick showed a lot of fire here, as he always does, and played a big roll in this match being as good as it was. Towards the end of the match, Bennett superkicks the referee. Then, while the referee was down, Busick hits Bennett with a piledriver on the Title of Love (giving Bennett a taste of his own medicine), and a second referee counts the pin to give Busick the win!

After the match, Busick offers Bennett a beer. Bennett takes it, but then Busick gives him a Stone Cold Stunner!! That was actually pretty funny.

After he recovers from that stunner, Bennett cuts a promo saying that the next time you see him in Beyond Wrestling, he’ll be bringing The Kingdom with him.

12.) 3/5 Falls Match - Dave Cole vs. Anthony Stone: ***3/4

After these two went to war the month prior in a 2/3 Falls Match, they’re now facing off in a 3/5 Falls Match. I can’t say I’ve seen, or heard of, a 3/5 Falls Match before. Cole went up 2-0 in the first four minutes of the match (the first of those two falls occurring in the first fifteen seconds of the match), but Stone was able to mount a massive comeback to win the match 3-2. This was a very good match, and it might have been the best match on the show. You wouldn’t think this would be the Main Event, but these two guys went out there and proved that they deserved to be in this spot. It was a very brutal match at points, and Cole got busted open (either broken nose or a busted lip) very early on. It was a really entertaining match to watch from start to finish, and it was packed with a lot of action. Definitely seek this one out. The two men hugged after the match as the show came to a close.

Overall: 7.5/10

Beyond Wrestling closed out 2014 with a pretty solid showing. While it was a very long card to sit through, the majority of the matches ranged from decent to good to very good. Aside from a match that was more of an angle, the worst match was no lower than **3/4, while the best match was no higher than ***3/4. The 3/5 Falls Match was my Match of the Night, but the Chris Hero & JT Dunn vs. Brian Myers & Ryan “Rush” Galeone wasn’t that far behind. While the first half did feature a very good match between AR Fox & Shynron, as well as two heels stables (Team Pazazu & The Crusade For Change) flexing their muscles, the second half of the show was what really helped this show out. Once again, a solid outing from Beyond Wrestling.

AAW One Twisted Christmas 2014 Review

The Monster Mafia take on AAW Heavyweight Champion Eddie Kingston & Jimmy Jacobs in the Main Event!

AAW One Twisted Christmas 2014

Berwyn, Illinois 12/27/14

1.) Six-Man Tag - Davey Vega, Justice Jones, & Tony Kozina vs. Marion Fontaine & Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza): ***1/4

For those who might have missed it, Davey Vega, at this point, had recently made a heel turn in AAW. In another note, Knight Wagner isn’t out with Justice Jones here. I thought this was a pretty solid opening match. There was some good action throughout, and it was exactly the kind of opening match you would want. At one point, Vega tried to bring in a wrench, but he never got a chance to use it. A screw-up by Tony Kozina leads to the Marion Fontaine & Zero Gravity getting the win.

After the match, Justice Jones attacks Zero Gravity until Paco Gonzalez makes the save, and the three send Justice Jones packing.

Up next, Shane Hollister comes out on crutches with his right foot in a walking boot. He talks about how much his life has changed in the last few months, including becoming a father and suffering his injury. He says he doesn’t just do this for the money…..he does it because he loves wrestling. Hollister says that he’s nowhere close to finished, and then calls out Louis Lyndon. He says Lyndon is one of the best, and thinks he’s going to be a champion someday. Hollister wants to shake his hand, and says he’s looking forward to their eventual 2/3 Falls Match. Scarlett Bordeaux then comes out. She basically reads Hollister the riot act, putting him down for losing the AAW Heavyweight Title and says his recent failures were because he didn’t listen to her. Hollister says he’s been wrestling for ten years, and was wrestling the likes of Tyler Black & Austin Aries back wheb she was just a fan sitting in the front row. Bordeaux retorts by saying he’ll always be second to Tyler Black. Hollister makes fun of her breasts, and Bordeaux slaps him. She then leaves out of fear of retaliation. Hollister then makes his exit, as we get set for our next match.

2.) “Money” Matt Cage vs. Louis Lyndon: ***1/2

As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, Louis Lyndon is someone who needs to get more bookings outside of places like AAW & AIW, because he’s really good. Meanwhile, Matt Cage had a pretty strong 2014, which included a reign as the AAW Heritage Champion. I figured this was going to be good, but it ended up being a little bit better than I was expecting. I really enjoyed this match. Both guys worked pretty hard, and we got a good amount of back & forth action. Unfortunately, the match ended on a 15 Minute Time Limit Draw. I don’t mind the idea of doing a short time limit draw like this, but I don’t think a time limit was ever announced. The crowd wanted five more minutes, but Cage didn’t want any of it, and left. This was definitely one of the better matches on the entire show.

3.) Colt Cabana & Dick Justice vs. The Iron Curtain (Gregory Iron & Benjamin Boone with Mr. Bernard): **1/2

This match was set up back at Windy City Classic X. For what it was, this was a fine tag team affair. Of course, we did get some comedy, but the match did feature some solid action at points. In the end, the team of Colt Cabana & Dick Justice were able to get the win.

After the match, The Iron Curtain attacks Colt Cabana & Dick Justice. Iron hit Cabana with a chair, and then used a ton pepper spray on Dick Justice, blinding him.

4.) Davey Richards vs. Uhaa Nation: ****

I mentioned in my review of AIW Charge It To The Underhills how Josh Alexander vs. Uhaa Nation was in a match that I never knew I wanted. Well, on this show, we have another match involving Uhaa Nation that I never knew I wanted, as he took on Davey Richards. I thought this was a great match! In my opinion, it was easily the Match of the Night. Both guys worked pretty well together, and we saw a ton of really good action in this one from start to finish. It was definitely a hard-fought contest, and the fans were definitely into it. Eventually, Davey Richards was able to put away Uhaa Nation for the victory.

Following the match, Richards cuts a promo where he puts over Uhaa Nation, and says that he’s coming for Eddie Kingston’s AAW Heavyweight Title.

5.) Non-Title Fans Brings The Weapons Handicap Match - AAW Tag Team Champions The Wet Bandits (Dan Lawrence & Markus Crane) vs. Ryan Boz: *

If Ryan Boz is able to win this match, then he gets a shot at the AAW Tag Team Titles. Speaking of Boz, he was hiding under the ring, and jumped The Wet Bandits to start off the match. This match was textbook definition of a garbage brawl. Weapons filled the ring (I think it was a little overdone), and match just wasn’t that good. Crane got busted open about a minute or two into the match, while Boz and Lawrence got busted open later on in the match. A variety of weapons were used here, including bowling pins, a Christmas Tree, crutches, hockey sticks, laptops, and shovels. The match had its moments, but it went waaaaay too long. When you think of hardcore matches, this was a perfect example of a bad hardcore match.

Before the next match, we got an in-ring promo from an emotional Keith Walker, who announced his retirement. It was a really cool promo, and a nice end to his career after the fantastic match he had with Eddie Kingston the month prior at Windy City Classic X. If you’re someone who regularly follows AAW, definitely check it out.

6.) AAW Heritage Title - Christian Faith (with Gregory Iron) vs. ACH: ***1/4

ACH is a former AAW Heritage Champion, and he was looking to win the title for the second time here against Christian Faith. I thought this was a pretty good match, but considering who was involved, I was expecting a little bit better. The match was a little slow at points, as the much-larger Christian Faith was in control, but ACH was able to put up a good fight, and their were some good moments in this once. Again, the match was solid, but I was expecting more. Christian Faith eventually got the win to retain his AAW Heritage Title.

7.) Chris Sabin vs. Heidi Lovelace: ***1/4

One of the bigger stories of AAW in 2014 involved Heidi Lovelace. She’s had a number of inter-gender matches in 2014, and even held the AAW Heritage Title for a few months. Even after losing the title, she’s still going up against some of the men in AAW, as she took on Chris Sabin here. This match was about what I was expecting. It featured some pretty solid action throughout, along with good babyface/heel storytelling, as Sabin didn’t take Lovelace seriously. The match also featured a pretty cool reverse-rana reversal spot. Towards the end of the match, Sabin pretends that Lovelace gave him a low blow, and he used the ensuing distraction from the referee to pick up the win.

8.) The Monster Mafia (“All Ego” Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) vs. AAW Heavyweight Champion Eddie Kingston & Jimmy Jacobs: ***1/4

This match had a very odd setup, as Jacobs was pissed that The Monster Mafia woke him up from his nap. Seriously, I’m not joking, that’s how this match was setup. Once again, The Monster Mafia were involved in another good, yet disappointing, Main Event. Granted, I wasn’t expecting this match to be as good, compared to what I was expecting from the American Wolves/Monster Mafia match from a month prior at Windy City Classic X, but still, for a Main Event, this definitely underperformed. They played into the aforementioned promo earlier in the night that set up the match, which was very weird and took away from the match, in my view. There were a number of good moments in this match, and it was still relatively good, but again, given who was involved, I was expecting better. Fortunately, we did get a pretty significant moment at the end, as Josh Alexander pinned Eddie Kingston clean with his Spinning Tombstone Piledriver, which certainly meant that he would be getting a future shot at the AAW Heavyweight Title. The Monster Mafia celebrated as the show came to a close.

Overall: 7.0/10

AAW closed out 2014 with a relatively lackluster show. While the majority of the show was pretty solid, it would’ve been a pretty worthless show without Davey Richards vs. Uhaa Nation, which was easily the Match of the Night. The other major highlight was actually Matt Cage vs. Louis Lyndon, who managed to have a really good match that went to a time limit draw. Aside from those two matches, the rest of the card was mostly solid, though the Fans Bring The Weapons Match was horrible. Looking back at it, the show was really all over the place, in terms of match quality. Josh Alexander pinning Eddie Kingston was a significant moment, but again, Davey Richards vs. Uhaa Nation is really the only match from this show that’s worth seeing.

AIW Charge It To The Underhills Review

AIW closes out 2014 with their first show in their new home!

AIW Charge It To The Underhills

Cleveland, Ohio 12/26/14

After having their final show in Turner’s Hall, AIW were fortunately able to find a new venue in the Cleveland area: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School. This would be the new home for AIW.

1.) Brian Myers vs. Tyson Dux: **1/2

Tyson Dux was part of the Four-Way Main Event for the AIW Absolute Title back at Hell On Earth X, but he came up short in that match, and now, he’s taking on Brian Myers in the opening match of this show. This was a decent opener. I was expecting this match to be a tad better, but then again, this was the opening match, so it doesn’t really matter that much. There was some fine action in this match, and in the end, Tyson Dux picked up the win.

2.) Team Barley Legal (Alexia Nicole & Jasmin) & Veda Scott vs. The Social Network (Annie Social & Heidi Lovelace) & Tessa Blanchard: *1/4

The story behind the Team Barely Legal name (if it wasn’t obvious) is that Alexia Nicole & Jasmin are both under the age of 21, and because of this, Veda Scott is their “legal council”. Before the match starts, Blanchard & The Social Network get into some verbal spats with fans at ringside. To say that this match was a trainwreck would be an understatement. This match was awful, which was a little surprising, considering some of the talent involved. It had a few bright spots, but this was mostly bad. The less said about this match, the better. Team Barely Legal & Veda Scott would score the victory here.

After the match, Tessa Blanchard was incensed that her team lost, and tries to go after Veda Scott, but she needs to be held back by The Social Network. Scott defeated Blanchard at an AIW Girls Night Out event a month or two prior, so it looks like they were building towards a rematch.

3.) Colt Cabana vs. Louis Lyndon: ***1/4

Lyndon starts this match off wearing a Grinch hat. I thought this was a solid match. It wasn’t spectacular by any means, but both guys seemed to work well together, and they produced some entertaining action. Eventually, Louis Lyndon was able to defeat Colt Cabana via submission. Obviously this was a pretty significant win for Lyndon. He is someone who deserves to get more bookings outside of his usual promotions.

4.) The Beaver Boys (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs. To Infinity & Beyond (Cheech & Colin Delaney with Bobby Beverly): ***1/4

Speaking of people who need to be booked in more places, The Beaver Boys are making their AIW debuts here against Cheech & Colin Delaney, who are part of The League of Justice. This was a pretty entertaining tag team affair. All four guys are very solid wrestlers, so it should be no surprise that this was a good match. It wasn’t spectacular, but for its spot on the card, it worked. After some good back & forth action, The Beaver Boys were able to get the win in their AIW debut. The two teams shook hands after the match.

5.) AIW Intense Title - Davey Vega vs. Chris Sabin: ***

Davey Vega won the AIW Intense Title back at Absolution IX, and he’s already racked up several successful defenses since. Here, he’s defending his title against Chris Sabin. Before the match starts, Sabin cuts a promo where he puts down Cleveland Sports teams, saying that teams from Detroit are better. In response, the fans chant “Bankrupt”, which was actually a very good and very witty retort. This was a good match, but honestly, I was expecting more, considering who was involved. The action was relatively solid throughout the match, but again, I was left wanting more. Sabin tried a variety of heel tactics and shortcuts, but it doesn’t work out for him, and in the end, Vega wins after a sunset flip. Again, this match was fine, but as far as expectations go, it might be the biggest disappointment of the show.

6.) Six-Pack Scramble - Candice LeRae vs. Dick Justice (with Bobby Beverly) vs. Eric Ryan vs. Flip Kendrick vs. Joshua Singh vs. Rickey Shane Page: ***1/4

These matches have become a commonplace in AIW, so it should come as no surprise that we’re getting one here on AIW’s first show in their new venue. In an interesting side note, Candice LeRae is sporting purple hair instead of her usual blond hair here. Meanwhile, before the match began, Dick Justice questions Joshua Singh as a potential illegal, which was very odd, to say the least. This was a crazy spotfest, as you might have guessed, and it was pretty entertaining throughout. All six participants had the chance to shine here. At one point, Rickey Shane Page avoids a number of reverse-rana attempts, but eventually gets hit by one from Dick Justice. That was easily the highlight of the match. Despite that setback, Rickey Shane Page did come back to win the match, as he gained some momentum heading into 2015.

7.) AIW Absolute Title - Tim Donst vs. Tommy Mercer: N/R

As a reminder, Tommy Mercer was formerly Crimson in TNA. Before the match starts, Donst calls Mercer a “TNA reject” (via the ring announcer) and Mercer responds by attacking Donst with the microphone. This match only lasts about three minutes or so, as Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer get involved, which caused an immediate DQ. The Forgotten then start to beat up Tim Donst, until The Jollyville Fuck-Its run out to make the save! Donst then calls for a Six-Man Tag, and it looks like the match is on!

8.) Six-Man Tag – AIW Absolute Champion Tim Donst & The Jollyville Fuck-Its (Russ Myers & T-Money) vs. The Forgotten (Tommy Mercer and AIW Tag Team Champions BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs): ***

The Jollyville Fuck-Its are wrestling this match in their street clothes. This was a fine Six-Man Tag. The Forgotten isolated Donst for a good part of the match. After the babyface side started to fight back, The Forgotten use a chair, but it wasn’t able to get them the win. Eventually, T-Money pounces Mercer over the guardrail at ringside, and then pounces Jacobs, which allows the faces to get the win after a series of moves on Whitmer. Again, this was a solid Six-Man Tag. Nothing much else to say other than that.

9.) Chris Hero vs. Eddie Kingston (with The Duke): ***3/4

These two have a rivalry that’s spanned several years across multiple promotions, and now they’re bringing this rivalry to AIW. This was a really good match, and takes Match of the Night honors, in my opinion. This match was about as hard-hitting as you would have expected, given who was involved. The action from start to finish was intense, and the crowd was definitely into it. These two never disappoint when they’re matched up against each other. After an onslaught of offense, Kingston was finally able to put Hero away for the victory.

After the match, while Hero was getting helped to the back, The Duke cuts a promo asking who’s going to take on Eddie Kingston next. He brings up how Kingston destroyed Ethan Page in a Dog Collar Match the month prior at Hell On Earth X, which leads to Page coming out with a chair to chase them off. Page said The Duke & Eddie Kingston want to kill AIW, but it’s alive and well in their new home. He vows to hunt Kingston down, and says he won’t rest until he beats Kingston.

10.) Josh Alexander vs. Uhaa Nation: ***1/2

This is an example of a match that I never knew that I wanted to see. I thought this was a really good match. While it wasn’t the best match on this show, it was certainly one of the better ones. There was a good amount of back & forth action here, and as a whole, it was pretty entertaining. The match could have been a little better, but still, this was a very good match. Alexander would pick up the win here, in what ended up being Uhaa Nation’s final match in AIW before he signed with WWE.

11.) Dudes On TV (Matt Cross & Zema Ion with Briley Pierce) vs. Johnny Gargano & Josh Prohibition: ***1/2

Ethan Carter III was supposed to team up with Matt Cross here, but Ryan Nemeth/Briley Pierce/Dolph Ziggler’s brother (whichever you want to use) interrupts the proceedings. He says that he’s the official spokesperson for the Carter Family Estate (including both Dixie Carter & Ethan Carter III, of course), and announced that EC3 wasn’t able to compete to do recent bicep surgery. He then reveals Zema Ion from TNA (a former AIW Absolute Champion) as EC3’s replacement. Gargano & Prohibition go on the attack almost immediately to get things going. This was a very good match. Similar to the match prior, it was probably one of the better matches on the show. There was a ton of action from start to finish, and as a whole, it was very entertaining to match. It might have been up there in contention for Match of the Night if not for the finish, which saw a referee distraction and a low blow lead to a victory for the Dudes On TV.

After the match was over, the Dudes On TV continued the attack on Johnny Gargano & Josh Prohibition. Zema Ion & Briley Pierce then held down Prohibition as Cross cuts off parts of his former tag team partner’s beard. They then try to use the ring bell on Gargano & Prohibition, but Alex Daniels makes the save with a steel chair! After the heels had retreated, Prohibition takes the mic, and cuts a promo calling Cross a narcissist. He says that their twenty-year friendship is over, and adds that he, Gargano, & Daniels are willing to fight the Dudes On TV anytime, anyplace. After the heels leave, the show closes with a group promo from Gargano, Prohibition, & Daniels, where they talk about Christmas and sing “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” with a young fan from the front row to send the crowd home happy.

Overall: 7.0/10

This was a relatively decent showing from AIW. While their was only one match that was truly bad, most of the matches on the undercard were solid to good (but not much more) until the final three matches, which really helped this shot out a great deal. Chris Hero vs. Eddie Kingston was easily the best match on the show, with Josh Alexander vs. Uhaa Nation and Dudes On TV vs. Johnny Gargano & Josh Prohibition not that far behind. Those three matches are the only ones that are worth checking out, but again, the rest of the undercard has a lot of solid stuff on it as well.