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AAW Pro Wrestling Redefined kicked off the biannual “AAW-SHIM” weekend in Berwyn, Illinois with its Point of No Return event. Prior to the start of the event, AAW owner Jim Lynam and AAW’s matchmaker Tony Rican went to the ring to address the crowd. While they were remarking about the night’s events, they were interrupted by Kevin Harvey and Nikki Mayday of the “We Are Here” group. Harvey and Mayday were upset at both men after the incidents that occurred at the Take No Prisoners event in Pontiac, Illinois two weeks prior. Mayday was wearing a neck brace and Harvey was still feeling the effects from being attacked by Rhino. Harvey issued a final salvo in the ongoing battle between his group and AAW management by threatening to finally end the career of the already-retired Rican, before Lynam issued threats of his own if Harvey and Mayday wouldn’t leave the ring.
1.) The opening contest of Point of No Return featured a rematch between the Irish Airborne and Los Ben Dejos (Cruz and Rios). The two teams met before at the Path of Redemption event in late February, with the Crist brothers coming out on top. Dave and Jake did not want to waste a moment in their match, as they attacked Los Ben Dejos before they could make the ring. However, Cruz and Rios were prepared for the onslaught and returned the favor to Irish Airborne. One of the key aspects to the success of Irish Airborne is their experience. The brothers have worked together for so long to attain their status as one of the best tag teams in wrestling. They used one of those traits that made them so successful against Los Ben Dejos in this match: isolating one of the opponents. Dave and Jake made quick tags to bring the fresher man in while they kept Rios in their corner for the opening stages of the match. Rios was soon able to break away from the 2-on-1 onslaught to tag in Cruz, who quickly went to work on Jake Crist with some high-spirited offense. But, even with the relatively fresh man in the ring, Los Ben Dejos just could not muster enough work to topple Irish Airborne. The Crist brothers hit their Irish Coffee combination finisher on Cruz, with Dave Crist making the pin to get the victory. As was the case six weeks prior in their initial meeting, the crowd in Berwyn was supportive of the effort by Los Ben Dejos and voiced their desire to see them once again in an AAW ring. The luchadors assured the crowd that they would be back again.
2.) Eddie Kingston came to the ring as he addressed the crowd on the penultimate event prior to his cage match against Silas Young. Kingston issued an open challenge for Point of No Return, as he wanted to have a fight before that big encounter next month. The first person to answer that challenge was Dan Lawrence. However, Lawrence had no intention of facing the hard-nosed New Yorker. Instead, Lawrence offered up Ty Colton as the man to serve as Kingston’s opponent for the night. Colton surprised the “dapper,” as Dan Lawrence called him, Kingston with his early attack. But, it takes a lot to test Kingston’s gangsta, and Eddie delivered the backfist to down Colton for a 3-count and the win within four minutes.
After the match, we see an Jimmy Jacobs being interviewed outside the Eagles Club as he prepares for his match against AAW Heavyweight Champion Shane Hollister in the main event.
3.) With it being the “AAW-SHIM” weekend, it was time for the SHIMMER showcase match, where the women that make up the all-female wrestling promotion get the opportunity to display their talents on an AAW event. It was a tag team match pairing the Ohio natives Nevaeh and Jessicka Havok as the Killer Death Machines against the team of Athena and Heidi Lovelace. Lovelace and Nevaeh started the match, but once the powerful Havok entered the fray, she showed how much of a dominating figure she can be in the ring. Havok took it to Lovelace, using her brute strength and powerful delivery on offense. However, Lovelace used her small stature and quickness to her advantage by tagging in Athena. All four ladies went toe-to-toe in the ring at once and chaos ensued. Athena hit the top rope while Havok was dazed in the ring and proceeded to hit her patented O Face. But, as soon as Athena propped back up, Nevaeh picked her up and delivered a Death Valley Driver. However, Heidi Lovelace stormed in and knocked Nevaeh down, then raced to the top rope and dove onto Neveah with a frog splash to get the pinfall victory.
4.) Just as Eddie Kingston had a match in preparation for his cage match next month, his opponent Silas Young had one of his own. But, Silas’s opponent had a bit more equity than Kingston’s opponent, as the former AAW Heavyweight Champion faced a former AAW Heritage Champion in ACH. Given the crowd’s desire to see Silas exact revenge on Kingston next month, they were fully behind him on this occasion as well. They sang along to Silas’s entrance music, but the man himself was completely focused. Silas said it was his job to humble the exuberant, fan favorite ACH considering all of his antics. Silas’s tunnelvision helped him gain the early advantage as ACH tried to attempt a high-risk move flying to the outside. Silas dodged the bullet while ACH crashed and burned, taking advantage of the weakened ACH. As the match progressed, ACH found his footing and was able to reverse out of some of Young’s attacks, eventually delivering some moves of his own on offense. Later in the match, the self-proclaimed “Last Real Man” decided to pay tribute to the late Ultimate Warrior, who had passed away just a few days prior, by hitting Warrior’s big splash onto ACH. But, Silas was surely not Ultimate, as ACH was able to kick out after a 2-count. While the two competitors were exhausting in the ring, Eddie Kingston found it to be the right time to make his presence felt. Kingston came to the ringside carrying a bottle of water, which he used by spitting water in the eyes of Silas Young. That distraction allowed ACH to hit a guillotine DDT and get the pinfall victory. After the match, Kingston got on the mic and berated Young in the lead-up to their meeting next month. An already rage-filled Silas raced at Kingston and the two brawled until AAW personnel raced to the ring to separate the two.
Once the ring was cleared, we saw a video of AAW Heritage Champion “Money” Matt Cage voicing his displeasure of coming to Berwyn to find out he was scheduled to defend his title against five other men. After Cage finished speaking, he was interrupted by Marek Brave who lost in his match to the champion in Pontiac, IL. The camera followed Brave into the locker room, where he was ambushed by House of Truth members Knight Wagner and Justice Jones.
5.) The next match brought two of the biggest names in independent wrestling head-to-head as Alex Shelley faced Kyle O’Reilly. These two men lived up to all the expectations the fans in Berwyn had had when this match was announced. Shelley looks to be in fine condition after being away from the ring for some time. O’Reilly displayed his powerful kicks and quick bursts of offense. They battled inside the ring and out, giving all that they could for the fans in attendance. After more than 15 minutes of battling, Kyle O’Reilly used a backslide to pin Shelley and escape with the victory.
Following an intermission, we saw a video of Gregory Iron and his Iron Curtain as they say they’ll make the presence felt once again.
6.) The AAW Heritage Title was on the line in the next match as the champion “Money” Matt Cage had to fend off five other men if he wanted to leave Berwyn still carrying the gold. Cage would face Knight Wagner, Juntai Miller, Christian Faith, CJ Esparza, and Louis Lyndon. Cage’s worry at the onset wasn’t to be concerned about by night’s end. The five other men were not able to take away the title that Cage worked so hard to gain. It was Juntai Miller whom Cage was able to subdue to retain his title, forcing Miller down for the 3-count.
Following the match, we saw a video of Markus Crane and Dan Lawrence outside the Eagles Club, with Crane jumping up and down on top of a flatbed truck. Both men were seeking revenge from Ryan Boz for interrupting Lawrence’s hall of fame induction, and Crane went so far as to challenge Boz to a “Markus Crane rules” match for later in the evening.
7.) Back in the ring, the AAW announce team of Phil Colvin and Daryck St. Holmes were going to tape an opening segment for the AAW television show. However, the men were quickly interrupted when the music of former SHIMMER Champion “Sweet” Saraya Knight was played. Knight went to the ring and both Colvin and St. Holmes left the ringside, in fear of what the unpredictable Brit would do. Before Saraya got through her conversation with the crowd, she was interrupted by Arik Cannon. AAW cameras had caught the two in a backstage conversation in the locker room last fall, and it looked like there was going to be a rekindling of that discussion. Cannon wanted to put aside the differences, and the “Official PBR Pro Wrestler” presented Knight with a can of PBR as a toast. Saraya wanted none of it as she threw the can into the crowd. As Cannon turn his back on Knight, it gave an opening for her to strike. Saraya picked up the 12-pack of PBR that Cannon brought with him to the ring and hit him with it. She then took individual cans and launched them at the downed Cannon. The fight was on and weapons besides cans of beer were being introduced. The bloodied Arik Cannon found cookie sheets and pegged them over the head of Knight, bending them ridiculously out of shape. Cannon then lifted Knight up for 20 seconds before sending her down with a suplex. Cannon then went out of the ring, and found a bag full of the thumbtacks under the ring. Cannon poured them out of the bag, as he was prepared to use them on Saraya Knight. However, just as Cannon was going to use them, Gregory Iron and his Iron Curtain struck the ring. The Iron Curtain beat up both Cannon and Knight, but they took great delight in hurting Cannon, as Iron himself denigrated Cannon for being a drunk and a celebrated alcoholic. Christian Faith picked up Cannon and powerbombed him onto the thumbtacks. With Cannon knocked out and his body damaged, they draped the body of Saraya Knight over Cannon as the referee counted to three to end the match.
While the ring was being cleared of the debris, we saw a video of Silas Young where he reminded Eddie Kingston what was to come when the two meet inside a steel cage next month.
8.) It was time for the Men of the Year to put their AAW Tag Team Championship on the line as they faced the team of Rich Swann and Lince Dorado. Michael Elgin and Ethan Page appeared to have a little bit dissension between them, but they had a decided physical advantage over their opponents. Elgin’s brute strength and physique are unmatched in the ring, and when paired with Page’s sly attacks, they are a tough team to beat. Swann and Dorado rely on their speed and cunning to beat their opponents, but sometimes being the stronger team is the key. Elgin and Page showcased why they are the tag champs and worthy of their name being the Men of the Year, putting on a superior display of dominance against Swann and Dorado. As Page likes it, Elgin did most of the dirty work, leaving the goofy Page to steal the glory. Elgin had the match in hand, but Page put it out of reach when he hit a spinning Rock Bottom on Dorado to get the pinfall victory.
9.) Earlier in the night, Markus Crane challenged Ryan Boz to a “Markus Crane rules” match. It was time for the Markus Crane Experience to explain the actual rules to his match. Simply put, Crane said that in a Markus Crane rules match “anything goes”. Boz made his way to the ring and quickly dispatched of Crane in this match, hitting a Boz Driver and getting the victory in exactly 100 seconds.
Following the match, Kevin Harvey and the suspended Keith Walker made their way to ringside. AAW owner Jim Lynam raced to get to ringside, getting on the mic to temper the war. Lynam threatened Boz if he were to begin fighting and promised further punishment to both Harvey and Walker if they were to initiate contact. Cooler heads prevailed and both parties left the ring peacefully.
Once the ring was cleared, we see a video of the celebratory Men of the Year. While Page and Elgin were talking things out backstage, they were ambushed by Irish Airborne. Dave and Jake Crist attacked the champs, then stole their belts and ran away with them.
10.) The main event for Point of No Return arrived as the AAW Heavyweight Championship was on the line. Jimmy Jacobs looked to finish off the champion Shane Hollister once and for all. But, Hollister was determined to continue his reign as champion, regardless of Jacobs’ desire to conquer his goal. Jacobs and Hollister have fought inside the confines of the Berwyn Eagles Club countless times, and they practically know it inside and out. But, in this match, it didn’t take very long for the two combatants to exit the ringside area and take their battle to the crowd. They circled the Eagles Club, going from the merchandise tables and all the way to the bar area. Jacobs grabbed the plastic trash container from there and used it as a weapon on wheels, driving it in the path of Hollister. The two men went back in the ring, but Hollister wanted more weaponry involved. He went backstage and brought out a piece of steel guardrail. The guardrail already had a bent to it, and Hollister leaned it up against a corner of the ring. However, Jacobs was able to use it to his advantage. That attack gave Jacobs the opening he needed to take down Hollister once and for all. But, sensing that her man was in bad shape, Scarlett Bordeaux hit the ring and tried to prevent the worst from happening. Jacobs had to put an end to that distraction, so he speared Bordeaux. As Jacobs got up from delivering the spear, Hollister struck back and hit Shug’s Last Gift, pinning Jacobs to retain his title and justifying the sacrifice that Scarlett took that allowed him to win.
AAW Pro Wrestling Redefined will make its return to 115 Bourbon Street in Merionette Park, Illinois on Friday, May 2nd for “Day of Defiance”. Already scheduled for the show is the steel cage match between Silas Young and Eddie Kingston and the return of former AAW Heavyweight Champion Kevin Steen. Also scheduled to appear are AAW Heavyweight Champion Shane Hollister (with Scarlett Bordeaux), Jimmy Jacobs, and much more.
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