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AIW presents "Jet Black New Year"
Tadmor Shrine
Akron, OH
December 30, 2022
With just nine days notice, AIW had to switch gears and venues, moving to their Akron homebase from their Cleveland homebase, which was recently sold and all but closed. The stream starts on time, which has been a bit of an issue since AIW took production in-house. A frayed wire caused a delay at Hell on Earth last month.
Ring announcer of sorts, Steve Guy, is wearing his pink sequin jacket. It looks like the hard camera is on the opposite side of the building than I'm used to, which is a little disorienting. Commentary is set up on the stage, as we start the event.
Money Shot (Elijah Dean and Zack Nystrom) vs Bang Bros (August Matthews and Davey Bang) vs Members Only (Calvin G. Lewis and Malcolm Cambridge) vs TME (Duke Davis and Ganon Jones)
One of the stories in this match is Members Only feeling disrespected that they're a full-time AIW team in a match with three AIW part-timers, for lack of a better term. But TME gets the win with a Flea Flicker on Davey Bang. TME (aka The Main Event, not The Mane Event) continue to look impressive.
A video package highlighting the feud between Wes Barkley and the Major Players.
Brian Myers vs Wes Barkley
Wes Barkley pinned Matt Cardona at Hell on Earth, so now he's looking for revenge on the other half of the Major Players, Brian Myers. Brian Myers takes the mic, and there's no audio. Until the last two words of his promo. Apparently, he was dedicating the match to Cardona. Barkley and Myers brawl through the crowd. Back in the ring, Myers was able to avoid the K-Dawg. Myers has control for most of the match, until he connects with a jackknife pin, which is how he beat Cardona. Myers is able to kick out. Barkley tries for K-Dawg again and eats a spear. Barkley hits the Stroke, but Myers gets his foot on the rope. A frog splash is finally enough to pin Brian Myers. Myers gives everyone the finger as he leaves.
PME (Philly Collins and Marino Tenaglia) vs Youthanazia (Josh Prohibition and Matt Cross)
This feud goes back years and intensifies as Josh Prohibition was asked to team with the Rip City Shooters to take on Matt Cardona and PME last year. Then, when Prohibition challenged Cardona for the AIW Absolute and Intense Championships, Prohibition's 10-year-old daughter got involved and got a bearhug from Philly Collins. The teams brawl early, but when the bell rings, PME are able to separate Matt Cross and focus their attack on him. Cross fights out and tags Prohibition in. Philly kicks out of the double stomp/Death Valley Driver. Marino slips something to Philly, who punches Prohibition and knocks him out for the three count.
Matt Cross grabs the mic and says if Prohibition is knocked out, something shady happened, so if you want a Street Fight, you'll get a Street Fight.
Shaw Mason vs Filthy Tom Lawlor
I can hear Tom Lawlor's music, but I can't see anything. The stream comes back, and apparently, a fan got him with some champagne and maybe the cork. Lawlor is wearing a set of tuxedo tights. This is a rematch from Wrestlerager earlier this summer. They grapple on the mat for a while with Mason grabbing a front face lock multiple times. Lawlor takes to striking to gain an advantage. Lawlor connects with a number of Stun Guns on the guardrails and apron. Lawlor runs a lap around the venue before a PK to Mason's back. Back in the ring, Mason climbs to the top, but Lawlor avoids the Podium. Mason kicks out after a powerbomb. Mason fights back, hits the Podium and a number of elbows. Mason locks in the Ankle Lock, but Lawlor calmly fights out. Mason with an enzuigiri and another Ankle Lock. Lawlor rolls out. Lawlor hit the straitjacket knee to the back of the head and hammerlock brainbuster variation to finally get the win.
Matt Justice (w/ Bill Alfonso) vs Joey Janela
Announced as a tribute to the Odeon and under Intense rules. There are no balconies in the Tadmor Shrine to jump off of. Matt Wadsworth says this is a first time one-on-one match. Any time they've fought before has been three way matches. Early in the match, Janela throws a chair at Fonzie at ringside, which makes part of the crowd turn on Janela. Fonzie is bleeding from above the eye. Gross. Fonzie recovers enough to throw a chair at Janela, allowing Justice to grab a door and plunder. Janela escapes to the ringside and sets up a table in the crowd. Justice with a kendo stick. Justice climbs back in the ring and to the top rope, diving quite some distance on to the prone Janela on a table. Justice throws Janela back into the ring, but only gets a two count. Both men are back on their feet, and we have a chair sword fight. Justice hits the Blu-Ray, but Janela hulks up and hits Justice with the chair. Janela sets up a clearly higher quality door, and Justice catches him with Death Valley Driver and just a two count. As Janela climbs to the top rope, Fonzie hits Janela with a chair. Justice buries Janela under the broken tables and chairs and hits a Van Terminator. Janela still kicks out. Justice goes back under the ring and gets another real table. Justice tries for another DVD, but Janela fights out and hits a piledriver. They bounce off the table and hit the floor. Gross. Janela tosses the table in the ring, sets Justice up with a chair on his chest, and hits a double stomp off the top. Janela unhooks a section of the guardrail and throws that in the ring, bridging it between two chairs. Janela takes Justice to the top for a rana, but Justice hits another DVD through the guardrail. Two count. Justice buries Janela under the guardrail, table, chairs, and whatever else was left in the ring. Splash off the top, and Justice finally gets the win.
Matt Justice grabs the mic and calls Janela the original madman and that he loves going to war with him. Janela soaks up the admiration as he leaves.
We go to intermission so the student security squad can clean up.
We are back with…
Sam Holloway vs Joseline Navarro vs Swoggle vs Austin James vs Chase Oliver vs Jeffrey John
'The Babushka Baron' Jeffrey John is replacing Uncle Chase Burnett, who was originally announced. Sam Holloway uses his size advantage over everyone, including Swoggle who takes his own bump. Austin James, a recent AIW Academy graduate with a softball player, tries to run the bases with four opponents but gets smashed by Holloway. Swoggle convinces Holloway to dive onto his opponents on the floor. Joseline hits a diving rana on Holloway who responds with a big boot. Swoggle tries to face to face with Holloway, but Holloway no sells it. Landon, Swoggle's son, runs into the ring and hits Holloway with a stunner. Austin James tries a moonsault on Jeffrey John, who rolls out of the way. Eclipse and frog splash on Joseline from Jeffrey John, but Holloway breaks up the pin, hits a chokeslam, and gets the win.
AIW Tag Team Championship Bulking Season (Arthur McArthur and Chuck Stone) © vs BitcoinboiZ (Mikey Montgomery and Eric Taylor) w/ The Duke
Commentary mentions that Bulking Season and BitcoinboiZ are from the same graduating class at the AIW Academy. They also mention how BitcoinboiZ spent most of the summer in singles matches before refocusing as a tag team this autumn. Montgomery and Taylor focus on Stone's wrapped up leg. Bulking Season hit a double team powerbomb, but The Duke pulls the ref out of the ring. The referee ejects The Duke from ringside. Bulking Season goes for the Tenderizer, but Mikey Montgomery sits down and grabs the ropes for leverage to get the pin. New Tag Team Champions!
AIW Intense Championship: Derek Dillinger (w/ Ziggy Haim) © vs Kaplan
Kaplan took exception to Dillinger using Kaplan's Bill Alfonso Tournament title at Hell on Earth. They start throwing chops before heading to the floor. Dillinger actually broke a chair hitting Kaplan repeatedly, and commentary mentioned not to break the venue's chairs. Kaplan catches Dillinger with the edge of a chair, which busts Dillinger open hardway. Gross. Back into the ring, and Ziggy gets in Kaplan's way before Kaplan hits Dillinger with a cannonball. Dillinger breaks a second chair over Kaplan. Kaplan hits a fallaway slam on Dillinger and breaks another chair. They go to the floor, and Kaplan tries another cannonball to the seated Dillinger. Breaks a fourth chair. Dillinger with Roll Credits into the ringpost, but can he get Kaplan up and into the ring? Double knees in the corner, stacked up, but Kaplan kicks out. Dillinger calls for the title, and Kaplan hits Ziggy with a lariat. Dillinger grabs the other title and hits Kaplan. Curb stomp onto the belt, and Dillinger wins. DIllinger throws Ziggy over his shoulder. She comes to, happy they still have the title.
AIW Absolute Championship: Joshua Bishop © vs Isaiah Broner
We see their video promos, when Josh Bishop says when Broner had the big spotlight, with matches against Minoru Suzuki and Eddie Kingston, Broner lost. After the big fight introductions, Broner starts hot with a spear, and Bishop rolls to the floor. They brawl around ringside as Bishop focuses on the arm. Broner tosses Bishop into the ringpost, and Bishop is busted open. Gross. Broner tries to powerbomb Bishop onto the apron, but Bishop is able to block it. Broner instead throws Bishop over the guardrail. Broner gets Bishop back in the ring. They trade forearms and headbutts. There's a table in the ring and two doors set in the corner. Broner with a black hole slam and an F5. Broner tries for a lariat, but Bishop blocks it with a chair. DVD through the doors, and Broner kicks out at 1. Broner laughs at Bishop. Bishop Bomb through the table, and Bishop retains the Absolute Championship.
Bishop takes the mic, thanks the crowd for coming despite the venue change, and issues an open challenge for the next time AIW is at the Tadmor Shrine on February 4. Tom Lawlor comes through the front door and accepts the challenge. Lawlor mentions he was in Japan yesterday and rushed back to be at AIW, and that Bishop is doing every Gut Check and WWE tryout to try to leave AIW. Lawlor headbutts Bishop, and the locker room and Student Security come to the ring to settle the chaos. Lawlor and Bishop brawl out of the building.
Notes: Charles Van, Jake Clemons, and Tom Dunn were your referees. AIW President Matt Wadsworth was your play by play, while The Duke did color for the first two matches, Brian Carson took the rest of the first half, and Dustin Alberti took the second half.
AIW returns to Kent, OH, on January 21 for Wasted Youth; Akron, OH, on February 4 for Join the Swarm featuring Paul London; and Youngstown, OH, on February 11 for This Aggression Will Not Stand.
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