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3/16 WRESTLING OPEN LIVE REPORT FROM WORCESTER, MA

Wrestling Open Week 63 -3/16/23 Worcester, MA

The Wrestling Open Title Tournament continues its 1st round tonight and we have a hell of a tag team partner clash tonight to cap the night!

Spotlight Match: Rip Byson vs Travis Jacobs

Byson is giving up some size to Jacobs tonight and is on the receiving end of some big hands. Rip takes the heat and finally lands a reversal shoulder block. He can’t lift Jacobs? He rams him to the buckle and uses the rebound to hit the reverse falcon arrow for the win!

Winner: Rip Byson

We’re kicking this off with an IWTV Title Match! Milk Chocolate can’t make it tonight so Miracle Generation is opening up the challenge…they want to Discover new challengers? THE HAVEN IS HERE! 

Match 1: Miracle Generation (Kylon King & Dustin Waller) vs The Haven (Shawn Knyte & Jay Onyx) for the IWTV Tag Team Championship)

LETS F***ING GOOOOO! These teams have great chemistry and friendship and put on one of the best and emotional tag matches of the original Eliminator Cup Tournament. The Haven is a little more in your face tonight, this is business. King and Waller have no problems leaving their brotherhood at the door as they unload on Onyx & Knyte. Slingshot X factor from Dustin, Onyx takes Kylon off the apron and Flash is in trouble. “It’s our time!” Yells Onyx as he pops up Knyte for the corkscrew splash. Dustin getting beat up in the corner, Kylon is heating up for the tag. Flash fighting both Haven members but eats a backbreaker and German for two. Demolition knee drop! Flash stays alive! Flash finally sends Knyte flying, tag to Kylon! Onyx is terrified! Kylon killing them…double stack German for two! Knyte stunned on the top, Powerplex incoming! Onyx is no where to be found! KNYTE KICKS OUT?!? They try the wheelbarrow cutter but Onyx Germans Flash out of the air! Haven is hitting a Spanish fly splash combo! Dive to Flash. 2.99999 kick out from Kylon! That was CLOSE! Everything flying in with the big hits, Kylon catches Knyte with a tombstone. DVD Powerbomb from Miracle to retain! Exciting final minutes. Good action throughout. That said, I’m not sure if it was the higher stakes, the surprise matchup, the opening spot with the not-yet-full crowd, or just overall expectations based on last time…but something emotionally was missing here? 

Winners: Miracle Generation

The vet in Tina in confident in her chances against Mimi. Tina wraps her up with a reverse surfboard, Mimi almost poses her way to victory.  Tina dodges a dropkick, Kokeshi headbutt!!! Mimi almost decapitated on the bottom rope. Mimi holds out for a head scissor reverse. Big side slam from Tina but Mimi kicks out. This is alllll San Antonio, as she drop elbow after elbow. Mimi rolls away, big dropkick! X factor! Two count! Spinning back kick as Tina tries to slow her down and she’s down for the three! Both ladies really worked hard here. Really enjoyed this. 

Winner: Notorious Mimi

Match 3: “World clASS” Channing Thomas (w/ Sidney Bakabella) vs RJ Rude

Thomas is confident and the crowd absolutely running him down. Rude is showing off some fantastic speed and agility but it’s a matter of time before Channing blasts him off his feet. Ch Ch Ch Channing dropping knees but Rude kicks out. Apparently they need to Show The People…his knee cap? He misses and Rude starts to target that joint. Rolling codebreaker for two! Channing is in deep trouble and can barely stand. He knees RJ out of the sky doing a moonsault out of nowhere and that’s the three?!? Did Bakabella stuff the kneepad again??? Regardless, This was really good.

Winner: Channing Thomas

Channing on the mic. He is promising victory in the Championship tournament and saying it’s going to validate Wrestling Open, not just himself. When World Class wins, he promises this will springboard him out of here and force us to remember him…and a post-concussion Marcus Mathers is in trouble next week. 

Match 4: Uptown Andy Brown vs Love Doug

Doug is looking for Love in all the wrong places, like in the strong arms of the Thicc Daddy….Brown is just clubbing Doug out of the air and powering through everything. Brown stuck in the prom pose but he pops up Douglas to the flapjack. Doug just taking a beating here. He finally starts to fire back but can’t take Brian off his feet. He tries the bulldog…and Andy yeets him across the ring. Roll through cutter for two. Brown tries the Piledriver but Doug reverse to the Slice of Love for the win!

Winner: Love Doug

Next week, Doug still doesn’t know who he’s facing in the Championship tournament next week but he believes Love is stronger than anything. We shall see…

Match 5: Boulder vs Ichiban

We may love Ichiban but Boulder is in full Vader mode again and just massacres number one. Huuuuge press slam. He wants Ichiban to just leave. Not happening. He launches Ichiban to the floor repeatedly but he keeps coming back just in time! Ichiban skins the cat, take out the legs, Ichiban flying around. Boulder is stunned but he catches the flatliner to a black hole slam! Kick out! He tries a second rope moonsault…Ichiban rolls away…jackknife pin! He gets the big man! Boulder is SHOCKED! Loving Boulder’s last couple of weeks here. God help the tag division if the Iron Savages decide to make a run for those IWTV belts.

Winner: Ichiban

And it’s Wrestling Open tournament time! Cue cheap plug for title sponsor and MY band, DnA’s Evolution (dnasevolution.com). Please check us on on all major music streaming services! 

Match 6: Aaron Rourke vs Bobby Orlando (1st Rourke Round Wrestling Open Championship Tournament Match)

I know what these two can do to each other when properly motivated and this is as good a reason as any to have a mid-show banger. Rourke just straight up disrespecting our mom…but Bobby knows how to dish that right back. They know each other so well, piling on reversal after reversal to the stalemate. Bobby finally hits an atomic drop to an elbow drop for two. Rourke is right back trying to KO Orlando. Stiff spine kicks, Bobby dodges the 619, roll up doesn’t work. Dimepiece with a lariat and Bobby is just struggling. Running Shooting star INTO the corner cannonball! Bobby shoots off Rourke into the buckles, shoulder blocks! Lariat! Kick out! Rourke catches him on the top….power slide under a meteora! Tornado ddt to Bobby for two! Rourke hits a 450! Kick out! 619 connects! Bobby backstabber! Orlando tries the dab elbow but Rourke hits the ropes. Bobby fights off a superplex…sunset flip bomb! Sick trick cutter! Kick out! “Club Cam is dead and so are your hopes” yells Bobby. Rourke runs him into the ref, Bobby blocks the low blow! Michanoku driver! Dab elbow drop! Orlando advances!!! Hell of a battle here.

Winner: Bobby Orlando

 

Match 7: BRG vs Dezmond Cole

The Church mustn’t be happy Cole has a match and they don’t. BRG trying to control Boofa early but his dance fight style is proving a little tough for the ranchhand. Hard chop from BRG, but Dezmond powerslides into a powerslam. Sick move. Great BRG sequence of corner charges and a sunset roll through to a PK. He’s trying to grind Boofa down. Boofa rolls through with a shotgun and pull up uranage for two. Oh Brother Greatness and Anastasia Morningstar are out here. They just stare down Cole as BRG runs in with the Unprettier for the win. Winner: BRG

Greatness and Anastasia take the ring to read a verse to a fallen Dezmond Cole. Greatness says Anastasia is with him. But no one is here to help Cole. He says it’s time to go to church…cue Tyree Taylor’s music!!! Greatness is backing up! He’s definitely here to help Boofa….wait no! Tyree takes him off with a lariat, oh noooooo! BG says that isn’t enough…Tyree pulls him up and Ana mists Cole. It’s not enough. Brooklyn Zoo bomb! Greatness says THIS is just the beginning. Oh no. Tyree is THE MYSTERY OPPONENT for Love Doug next week?!? The church does have a horse in this race! The refs hit the ring to help Cole to the back. Love seeing this more serious side of the church.

Main Event: Fancy Ryan Clancy vs TJ Crawford (1st Round Wrestling Open Championship Tournament Match) 

We opened the night with a friend fight with a lot on the line and we close the night the same way…The Fancy Snipers explode! They hesitate to circle but Ryan runs him right to the buckles. TJ with the fireman’s carry takeover and Clancy to a knee. Good graps and pinfall traps, back and forth they go, TJ standing tall over his partner again. TJ hasn’t really fired up yet, he’s still playing this clean and calm. Clancy doesn’t want that, he slaps TJ. Crawford is mad now! He’s just unloading the clip of kicks on Clancy but can’t finish him. Corner spear, Clancy with a reverse to an enziguri. Senton flip for two! Running uppercuts back and forth! Hard shots, Clancy tries to rock TJ but it’s not enough. Huge lariat turns Clancy inside out! Butterfly spin slam! Kick out! TJ trying to tear the arm from Clancy…Fancy rolls out and hits a powerbomb! Single leg crab! TJ is screaming! He fights to the rope! Clancy has to be told to break the hold! He WANTS this! TJ dodges the side Russian but Fancy gets an airplane spin going! Running European uppercut! Kick out! Back and forth they are trying to finish…TJ reverses the side Russian again, butterfly spin slam for two! TJ misses the shining wizard! Clancy trying to get the jackknife pin, TJ out and hits the wizard! This should be it, Clancy rolls out of the ring! TJ brings him back…hard corner chops! Fancy catches him on the top….super back suplex! We hit the 15 min mark in this contest! TJ kicks out! They can barely throw forearms at this point…Both guys are exhausted. Slowly back to their feet and still fighting. TJ landing some good shots, ducks a head kick and starches Clancy with one of his own! TJ sets up for the shining wizard again…Clancy ducks and hits a destroyer out of the corner?!?! TJ’s down! Clancy advances! This was excellent.

Winner: Fancy Ryan Clancy

Is there bad blood? TJ wearily does the fancy pose and hugs his victorious partner. Speaking of VICTORIOUS…here comes BRG to mockingly clap for TJ…he slaps Crawford….TJ blasts him with a stunnnnnner! 3:16 is saved! Good pop at the right time of the show on the right day of the year. Really glad TJ got to shine in this spot and stand tall. He’s earned it.

It’s time to toss turds into the Stetson hat again! No one is on target tonight but hey, we got to show the Stetson ranch how much we truly love them. 

Really enjoyed tonight’s show overall. I generally DO but I think the biggest takeaway of tonight was how good this show was compared to who WASN’T on the show. Many of the established core pillars of Wrestling Open (Price, Stetson, Jaz, Hollister) were nowhere to be found and folks like Miracle Generation, Love Doug and Channing Thomas started the night. Brother Greatness, Dezmond Cole, Ryan Clancy, TJ Crawford, Bobby Orlando, Aaron Rourke put the back half of the night on their shoulders and ran with it. Wrestling Open has spent the last year+ building a ROSTER of future stars that the audience can truly care about. A roster that can step up (or down) into any position and kill it. Tonight was a test for the next generation and they passed with flying colors, proving how good this team is. 

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