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MIKE VERNA VS. BRAD HOLLISTER & MORE: NORTHEAST WRESTLING STUDIO WARS EPISODE 12 ON HIGHSPOTS WRESTLING NETWORK REPORT

Northeast Wrestling “NEW Studio Wars: Episode 12”
3/30/21

Available Now at www.HighspotsWrestlingNetwork.com

Last week on Studio Wars, we established a bunch of potential contenders for NEW’s set of championships but the biggest story was the return of NEW Heavyweight Champion Dan Maff, who destroyed the main event match, gave interviewer Jon Roy a Burning Hammer, put the locker room on notice and terrorized commentator Paul Crockett. Paul Crockett is back on commentary but Jon Roy, still recovering, has been replaced by Matt Taven this week.

Match 1: “Mucho” Chris Moljo vs “Red Lion” Chris Battle

Lock up and Battle lands some shots and a running head scissor for one. Battle clubbing Moljo down with strikes and knees. Moljo retreats to the corner and pokes the eyes of the Red Lion, out of sight of the ref. Falling headbutt to the back of Battle for two. Moljo is talking trash while he lays in shots in the corner. Sidewalk slam for two. Moljo forces Battle to expend energy for another two count. Battle to the apron, sunset flip for two. Battle wants a cross body but Moljo with a World’s Strongest Slam for two. Moljo with a body lock, pressing on the ribs of Battle to grind him down. Moljo gets caught up in a taunt for his finish and that’s the opening Battle needed. Big running elbow and a running palm strike, Moljo with a roll up attempt. Moljo tries a uranage but Battle dodges it, rebounds and spears Mucho for the pin. 

Winner: Chris Battle

Solid matchup worked here. Mucho fell victim to his own ego and desire to taunt, allowing Battle to get the big shots in for the win. We get a profile of Studio Wars standout Gio Galvano.

Match 2: “Club Cam” Cam Zagami (w/ Nikii Duke) vs Ichiban

Nikii Duke??? Did Tony Vega get a VIP pass into the club? Duke opens the velvet rope for Cam to come through. His opponent wants to come into the club but Duke and Cam say he can’t be wearing his lucha mask or pants. Cam ambushes Ichiban over the rope, has the sound guy hit his music and lands a prolonged beat down. Ichiban lands a couple of shots and tries a head scissor but Cam pancakes him flat. Cam hits a full Nelson Russian legsweep for the pin and win. 

Winner: Cam Zagami

Zagami exits Ichiban from the ring in painful fashion while his club music thumps through the arena. He’s clearly rebounded after his previous loss to Thrillride. Curious where he takes it from here. 

Match 3: Steven Stetson vs Ray Jaz

Aggressive lockup as Stetson muscles Jaz to the corner. Ray snaps Stetson down into a neck crank. Stetson keeps trying to power out but Jaz’s superior athletics keep dragging him to the mat. Shoulder block and a high cross body from Jaz but Stetson hits a high angle back suplex on the follow up. Big vertical suplex and a running splash for two. Jaz trying to chop his way out but another big back drop. Kick out! Stetson is frustrated and angrily stomping out his opponent. Stetson misses a elbow drop. Jaz with some judo tosses, dropkick and a belly to belly for a close two. Stetson gets a stealth eye poke in and hits Jax with a huge lariat for the pin.

Winner: Steven Stetson

Both guys looks pretty good here. Stetson needed to rebound from his loss to the Wrecking Ball. Ray Jaz looked awesome in defeat here. I really want to see him against Gio, in the future.

We get a Flashback to “Wrestling Under the Stars III” in 2014 where Jerry Lawlor and Kevin Steen had a Piledriver vs Package Piledriver match. Lawlor cuts a wicked promo on Steen, who was about to have his last match before heading to WWE. Steen’s promo is feeling surreal about who he is addressing...but also in full Kill Steen Kill mode. The full match can be seen on NEW’s Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/lbd7FqWSRpY

Match 4: Channing Thomas (w/ Jared Silberkleit) vs Matias 

Matt Taven & Paul Crockett express confusion about why anyone with the bright future and talent of Channing Thomas would lower his standards and align himself with a “worm” like Silberkleit. I TRUST Jared will quote this and provide an answer to them via Twitter. Matias is making his debut, coming from Uruguay. Matias with some smooth arm drags and a dropkick for two. Jared is immediately on the apron to distract and open up Matias for a lariat to the back of the head. Matt Taven suggests having a weasel at ringside MAY have helped Channing here. Thomas is stalking Matias down but almost gets caught with a sunset flip for two. Thomas dropping knees to the throat and trying to wrench at the neck. Matias firing back up with a back kick and an enziguri. Flying forearm and a high knee, running knee but Thomas kicks out again. Thomas catches a superkick and drags Matias down into STF to get the tap.

Winner: Channing Thomas

The match was good but we got a lot of Jared Silberkleit talk on commentary, which makes sense since he was perpetually in the line of sight of the commentary station. Jared probably will hate the content of their talking but the fact he’s constantly on the tip of their tongues is certainly Trust Fund Approved. Good debut for Matias as Channing Thomas notches a needed W. 

We get a Chris Battle promo. He’s happy Dan Maff is back but he’s talks down HOW the champ made his return. Battle calls out Maff for a match next week.

Match 5: Moshpit vs “The American Sumo” Mike Gamble

After last week’s ambush by Dan Maff, Moshpit doesn’t have a good draw here with Sumo. Sumo with a running kick and a body splash. Moshpit gets tossed from the corner, another corner splash and a cross body. Moshpit is staggered and crushed with a Samoan drop. A Banzai drop finishes this massacre. 

Winner: Mike Gamble

So yeah, Moshpit’s had a rough couple of weeks. Sumo lost a shot against Dan Maff when Covid happened so you know he’s looking to get that shot back. Gamble always brings it, this was a stake in the ground. 

We get a promo from NEW LIVE Champion Big Bacon Brad Hollister. He lets Mike Verna know that he’s coming for him. The champ is FIRED UP.

Match 6: The Brick City Boys (Victor Chase & J. Cruz) vs Waves & Curls (Traevon Jordan & Jaylen Brandyn)

Jordan tries to get Chase stuck into his dancing shtick but he ain’t having it. W&C double teams, sending the BCB to the floor. NOW it’s a dance party! The ref tries to get Jordan back to his corner and the BCB take the chance to double up on Jaelyn. Chase with a big suplex for two. Jaelyn tries to fight his way out but eats a double suplex for his trouble. Jaelyn up again but Cruz turns him inside out with a lariat. Enziguri/Northern Lights combo but Jaelyn guts through the pain and kicks out. Jaelyn makes space and gets the tag. Jordan with a big back elbow, corner splash and gets Cruz to ddt his partner into a leg drop. Jordan wants a chokeslam but Cruz hits a german. Jaelyn cuts offf the pin, Cruz is dumped outside. W&C hit the chokeslam/ elbow drop combo for the pin!

Winners: Waves & Curls

Another good outing for Waves & Curls! They have great chemistry and the Brick City Boys were game opponents tonight. Both should be putting Inzanely Rude’s tag belts in their sights....but OH NO JARED CAME BACK AND HE’S GOT THE GRAYSONS WITH HIM NOW. Jared Silberkleit says the tag champs aren’t even here but his Amazing Graysons ARE. Jared wants Waves & Curls to take on his boys next week. Waves & Curls takes that challenge....they are ready to dance with somebody. I certainly look forward to the match but can we suspend Jared above the ring in a shark cage for this one? Or just feed him to a shark? Or a Wrecking Ball? Any or all of those things is fine. 

Main Event: Big Bacon Brad Hollister(c) vs “Man of Steel” Mike Verna (for the NEW LIVE Championship

Hollister gets right into Verna’s face with loud slaps. Verna takes him down and lands repeated shots to the face. Verna stomping a mudhole and tossing Bacon from the corner. Hollister tries to catch his breathe on the barricade and Verna gives chance. Knee to the face on the apron and a dropkick from the top rope for two. Verna tries a tope suicida but Hollister eats an uppercut. The champ posts him and smashes him into the barricade. Bacon is A-OK with a count out win but Verna makes it back in time to get beat up some more. Hollister grinds the Man of Steel into the mat. Verna escapes and we get a brief flurry of maneuvers into a clothesline double down. “This is what you wanted, right?” Says Verna as they work to their feet. Verna with clotheslines, a shotgun dropkick and a spinning powerslam. Bacon kicks out but Verna transitions right into a cross face. Verna with a super rana and a Swanton bomb for another two count! Verna comes running but Brad hits a headbutt and deadlift suplexes him from the second rope. Man of Steel kicks out and we’re trading shots and headbutts. Verna going for the kill over and over but Hollister keeps slipping away, hitting a sitout powerbomb for the pinfall victory!

Winner (And Stillllllll): Brad Hollister

This was awesome. Brad Hollister had to gut through a very motivated and aggressive Mike Verna, who put on the best performance I’ve seen from him in the last year+. But it was not enough to dethrone the NEW LIVE champ tonight.

And that’s all for Episode 12! This was the longest of the series so far but the show didn’t drag at all. Some solid matches throughout this 78min show, some exciting debuts and a emotionally charged main event war between two former friends. Next week we’re getting Chris Battle vs Dan Maff for the NEW Heavyweight title but we ALSO are getting the Studio Wars debut of recent ROH arrival Dutch (fka Bill Carr). Innnnnteresting. Until then!

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