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6/15 AIW JT LIGHTNING MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT NIGHT TWO REPORT FROM CLEVELAND

By Joshua Higham on 2019-06-19 12:06:00

2019 JT Lightning Invitational Tournament (JLIT) Night 2

The Odeon

Cleveland, OH

June 15, 2019

CATCH UP ON NIGHT 1's REPORT BY CLICKING HERE.

JLIT Semifinal (One Fall): Dom Garrini vs Zach Thomas vs AIW Intense Champion Joshua Bishop (with Wes Barkley) vs Nick Gage 

This one started heavy with all four pulling out all the stops and using every trick in their arsenal. Dom Garrini caught Josh Bishop with a rear naked choke on the apron, but Bishop fell backwards through a door. Two piledrivers and a chokebreaker gave Nick Gage the pin on Zach Thomas. 

JLIT Semifinal (One Fall): Pat Buck vs Lee Moriarty vs Savio Vega vs Mance Warner (with The Duke)

The commentators mentioned the Mance Warner hoped that he and Savio Vega would cross paths in the tournament, but that he wanted TNT, not Savio. A spinning heel kick from Vega sent Buck to the floor, a lariat from Warner sent Vega to the floor, and another lariat to Moriarty gave Mance Warner the win. 

JLIT Semifinal (One Fall): KTB vs Marko Stunt vs Matt Justice vs Kid Kash

The commentators mentioned how Matt Justice was a major ECW fan growing up. The match started off with everyone attempting small packages and roll ups on each other. A lot more high-flying in this match than previous two semifinals. Matthew Justice pinned Marko Stunt with a Jig n Tonic off the top rope. Kid Kash showed respect to Justice after the match. 

Eddie Kingston vs Tim Donst

Kingston offered his leg for Donst to attempt a takedown. The long-time animosity between these two boiled up, and the fight went to the floor. A sliding D wouldn’t put away Donst away, but the backfist to the future did.

After the match, Kingston grabbed the mic and continued the idea of wanting to team with John Thorne in a death match. But then he saw Tom Lawlor above the entrance and called him out for their match at Absolution on August 2. Lawlor came to the ring, and they got nose to nose before members of Student Security came between them. 

AIW Tag Team Championship: To Infinity and Beyond issues an open challenge.

Colin Delaney took the mic and said they won’t face the same old teams they’ve beaten before. The music hit, and it’s two-time former AIW Tag Team Champions, Aeroform, Louis Lyndon and Flip Kendrick! Aeroform haven’t teamed together in AIW in a very long time. Colin with a codebreaker on Lyndon while Cheech powerbombed Flip on top of Lyndon to get the win for To Infinity and Beyond.

We head to intermission where Steve Guy and Matt Wadsworth take a look at the rest of the card for the evening. Tom Lawlor crashed the set to cut a promo on “fake tough guy” Eddie Kingston “who wins one amateur kickboxing fight against another old fat guy.” To Infinity and Beyond stopped by to cut a promo on PME. 

We return from intermission with a six person scramble: 

Allie Kat vs CPA vs Mikey Montgomery vs Eric Taylor vs Dr Daniel C Rockingham vs Manders 

Allie Kat tried to get a belly scratch. Instead, DCR tried to give Allie Kat one of his motivational pamphlets, but cats can’t read. Eric Taylor is allergic to cats and sneezes whenever Allie Kat came close. Mikey Montgomery and CPA took a windbreaker selfie. DCR was annoyed at CPA’s clip on tie. A lot of fun multiperson scramble action, and Allie Cat gets the win with a ripcord headbutt on DCR. 

40 Acres (Tre Lamar, PB Smooth, and AJ Gray) come out and claim none of them have a match tonight, so they’ll stay in the ring until they get a match. Derek Director and Danhausen of The Production arrive. PB Smooth laughs that they don’t have a third member with Eddy Only in the hospital with the ankle he injured earlier in the day. 40 Acres and The Production brawl with 40 Acres getting the upperhand. Eddy Only comes out with his ankle heavily taped using a steel chair to walk. PB Smooth hits a chokeslam on Eddy Only and demands Dave the Potato to count the fall. Dave the Potato correctly said this isn’t a match. 40 Acres intimidated Dave the Potato to ring the bell and… 

40 Acres vs The Production 

PB Smooth pinned the injured Eddy Only with a foot on his chest. 

AIW Absolute Title: Erick Stevens vs Tom Lawlor (c)

Erick Stevens didn’t wait for the match to stop with a heat seeking missile to surprise Lawlor. Stevens went for the Choo Choo and got backdropped deep into the audience. A bunch of brawling on the floor before they made their ring in the ring. They traded exploders, German suplexes, and lariats. Lawlor tried to lock in a choke, but Stevens was able to counter. It took two tombstones (they were called tombstones, but looked more like Rikishi Drivers) to give Lawlor the win. A show of respect from Lawlor to Stevens. 

JLIT Finals (Elimination Rules): Matthew Justice vs Mance Warner vs Nick Gage

Mance Warner’s entrance to Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd may become one of those legendary entrances in wrestling. All three men attempted quick pinfalls to start the match. Gage went under the ring and found some doors and took some chairs from the crowd. Gage hit a piledriver on Warner through the chairs, but only got a two count. Matt Justice speared Gage through a door, then Warner chokeslammed Justice through a door. Jock Samson came out of nowhere to attack Mance Warner with a chair, but Duke stopped him, only to do it himself. Jock Samson and The Duke threw Mance Warner back in the ring and pulled Justice on top of Warner to eliminate Warner. Justice and Gage took what’s left of the doors and started hitting each other. Gage with a chokebreaker but only got a two count. A Spicoli Driver into an open chair from Justice only got a two. Justice then piled all the plunder on top of Gage and hit an elbow from the top, but only got a one count. A Gage piledriver only got one. Justice hit another Spicoli Driver onto the pile of plunder got a two count. Gage hit a chokebreaker and when he went for another, Justice countered into a small package and got the three count. 

JT Lightning’s son and daughter presented the trophy to Matthew Justice. Justice took the mic and paid tribute to the rest of the competitors in the tournament and to JT Lightning and Chandler Biggins. He thanked John Thorne for keeping all this going. He thanked the fans for the love and the energy they provide, saying it’s the reason he keeps going. 

Notes: AIW President Matt Wadsworth took the lead as play by play and Brian Carson, The Duke, Wes Barkley, Ryder Reid, Dom Garrini, and Eddie Kingston rotated on color commentary. Savio Vega jumped on commentary during the Six Way Scramble to sing his praises for AIW. JLIT Weekend was AIW’s first foray into live streaming with FITE.tv on their own. You can order all three events from the weekend for a combined $24.99. 

The next AIW tentpole event is Absolution on August 2.   Already announced: 

*Eddie Kingston will cash in his Gauntlet for the Gold win to challenge Tom Lawlor for the Absolute Championship

*PME will cash in their Biggins Memorial win to challenge To Infinity and Beyond for the AIW Tag Team Championship

*Dom Garrini vs Tim Donst in a Submit or Surrender Match 

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