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FIRST CHAMPION CROWNED IN ICHIBAN VS. HOLLISTER CLASSIC: 4/20 WRESTLING OPEN LIVE REPORT

Wrestling Open Week 68

4/20/23

If you’ve been reading this coverage for a while, you’ll know all roads have been leading to here: The Crowning of the first Wrestling Open champion. Let’s be real, this is the closest thing to a promotional champion that Worcester will likely ever see. This is a real belt and not a theoretical “Ace” title. The room is already filling up and there’s excitement in the air.

Spotlight Match: Hammer Tunis vs Bobby Buffet 

Bobby hungers! It’s time to eat! Tunis come back but Bobby bowls him over. Hammer tries a spear and bounces off. A dropkick bounces off. He runs Buffet in the buckles. Hammer tries to wear the big man down but Buffet waits for the right moment, big spinning slam. Running splash for two! Tunis gets caught again, he rebounds himself off the top rope into a tornado ddt! Buffet hits a huge corner splash and a pumphandle Samoan drop for the win! 

Winner: Bobby Buffet

And we’re live on IWTV! I’m seeing a lot of people who have come out for what we hope is a historic moment for the Worcester faithful! Paul Crockett & Denver Colorado are on commentary! Rich Palladino is your announcer Let’s do this! 

Match 1: Bryce Donovan vs Aaron Rourke

This has been a WHILE coming since Bryce’s injury. These former friends and partners feel each other out, quick reversals, no one getting an advantage until Bryce boots Rourke out of the sky! Huge corner elbow, big slam! Jumping elbow drop! Rourke getting hung up on the ropes. He eats mat and gets Stuck in a tree of woe! Dropkick into the corner! Rourke kicks out! He dodges Donovan, flying codebreaker for two!  Rourke tries a slingshot stunner…Bryce reverses…dodge to a crucifix! Rourke caught and chokeslammed to the apron! Bryce stuns him on the top…Rourke fights it off…Bryce sits up in the tree of woe and throws Aaron off! Flying clothesline! Pop up bomb! Bryce begging Rourke to his feet! CHOKESLAMMMMM!!! Rourke kicks out! Rourke avoids the ripcord and X factors Donovan off the ropes. Diamond dust! Rourke yelling “I was your friend!” Aaron chops him into the corner and almost gets DQ’d. He comes flying, Bryce catches him with a black hole slam. Anaconda Vise is rapped up…Rourke rakes the eyes of the ref! He grabs a chair but he can’t bring himself to use it?!? Bryce catches another black hole slam and a vertical face buster for the win! Bryce pulls Rourke up and shakes his hand…The Dimepiece doesnt QUITE know how to react to this. Main event level opener.

Winner: Bryce Donovan

Match 2: Pedro Dones vs Bobby Orlando

It’s a Championship tournament showcase match! Orlando is out here but Pedro’s music keeps hitting and the Shot Caller is no where to be found? The ref awards the bout to Bobby by forfeit. Mom does a sick trick but it’s clear he’s disappointed. 

Winner: Bobby Orlando (by forfeit)

Match 3: Mortar & Brian Milonas vs Rex Lawless & RJ Rude

Lawless and Rude just tackle their foes as soon as they hit the ring. Milonas sent out, Mortar eats a rolling codebreaker. Brian quickly posts Lawless the side quickly turns. Huge one arm bomb from Mortar. Milonas throwing his weight around and RJ is just getting squashed. Lawless is offering his hand but RJ needs to weather this storm. RJ dodges and Milonas eats a big chop as Lawless gets into the fight. Huge corner attacks, Milonas sent flying! Mortar takes a spear but kicks out! Lawless tries to backdrop RJ into Mortar but the knees are up. Milonas distracts Rex. Huge Mortar clothesline and Milonas is in to pick the bones. One earthquake splash later, RJ takes the three.

Winners: Mortar & Brian Milonas 

Match 4: Judas Icarus vs Marcus Mathers

We may not know Judas but Marcus almost always has an entertaining match in store for us.  It’s an early chess match, Marcus wants to get going but Judas wraps him up. HARD chop and a stomp to the ankle! Marcus out to the apron but Judas drives that foot into the mat. Running knee to the back sends Mathers flying. Midas twists at the neck, another hard chop and a stomp to the gut. Butterfly slam elbow drop combo! He’s going for the finish but Mathers slams him…Marcus’ back is clearly hurting. Mathers throwing hard shots to get back into it…slingshot stunner! Gutwrench German for two! Mathers trying to bomb…Judas with a second rope rebound to a lariat! He tries again but Mathers meets him with a knee! Plancha to the floor! Judas is clearing the cobwebs as Marcus goes up. Dodge the double stomp! Trading in the center…Marcus hits a sitout bomb for the win! This was awesome. What a damn debut for Judas Icarus.

Winner: Marcus Mathers

Match 5: Fresh Air (Junior Benito & Macrae Martin) vs Hispanic Mechanics (Jos A & Jos B)

Can Fresh Air handle this insane energy? Hotstepper Macarae Martin bumped down but he breakdances right back up. Jos A tricks Martin into a dance-off, big hip toss sends Martin away and Junior in. B tries a Macarena elbow drop but Junior speeds this up and takes this to the big man. The Mechanics powder and grab a big piece of cardboard…it’s a real dance off now! Everyone shows their stuff…except Jos B, who has…no moves and just tricks Junior into an arm drag! A with a rolling clothesline to Martin. Benito has A measured but B runs and catches him out of the air…A2B connects! The Mechanics win!

Winners: Hispanic Mechanics

Match 6: Anastasia Morningstar (w/ Brother Greatness & Tyree Taylor) vs Notorious Mimi

Mimi wants a test of strength…angels and demons. Ana is amused that Mimi is trying to hurt her. Huge electric chair facebuster to the top buckle. Mimi eats a German. She tries to dive…Ana catches her with a powerbomb. Morningstar is getting overconfident and Mimi staggers her with a kick and bulldog…..spinning back kick finally drops the demoness. Mimi winds up another kick but Ana catches it and a Fade to Black later, the church takes a W!

Winner: Anastasia Morningstar

Something is happening over the speaker system and Greatness and Tyree head to the curtain to investigate…Dezmond Cole flies in to attack Ana. She tries to red mist him…he ducks, Boofa has blue mist! Ana goes down and Boofa runs off before her stablemates can get back there!

Match 7: Miracle Generation (Dustin Waller & Kylon King)(c) vs Stetson Ranch ( Steven Stetson & BRG w/ Alec Price) vs Fancy Snipers (Fancy Ryan Clancy & TJ Crawford) (for the IWTV Tag Team Championship)

Stetson says he’s tried to be patient with Alec Price. He’s sick of the disrespect. Stetson has an idea. He has Price’s Ranch contract. It’s signed. He demands Price OBEY him because he’s the ranch’s b****. He threatens to stop paying his grandfather’s hospital bills. He has a set of handcuffs to lock Price to the corner so he can’t HELP. The champs are ready for this double challenge. Dustin and TJ try to keep this a fun fight but the ranch can’t help but just be jerks and take all the cheap shots. Both teams hate these guys but the ranch seems like they are riding home with the belts maybe? Big backbreaker to TJ and the ranch is just double teaming the hell out of him. Stetson pulls the champs off the apron, Clancy is in. MG blasts the big cowboys with superkicks! TJ dropkicks a caught crossbody into the champs! Miracle and Snipers are down…The Ranch leaves?!? Pure heel s***. Price is also gone. Did he escape? This seems like we’re down to two teams if the third one has abandoned the fight. TJ with a cutter as Clancy gutwrenches Kylon! Dustin in, he tries the handspring but TJ catches him and blasts him down into a fancy uppercut! Clancy tries the pin but Kylon flies off the top to break it up. Hard chopping between Clancy and Kylon. Dustin in, he blocks a double side Russian…Kylon flies in! Huge tandem bomb to Clancy…kick out! They try the Powerplex but TJ stops it…pop up right hand from TJ! Clancy almost gets the rollup! Blind tag from Dustin as Fancy dropkicks Kylon mid moonsault! They try a head kick side Russian but TJ takes off Clancy’s head. Big German from Kylon to TJ. They get the three!

Winners: Miracle Generation

Main Event: Big Bacon Brad Hollister vs Ichiban (Tournament Finals for the Wrestling Open Championship) 

It’s all down to this. One match. 60 minutes. The first match for the Wrestling Open Championship! Both guys are serious as hell for this, Bacon gets pie faced and pretends to have raked his eye. It fools no one and Ichiban unloads chops and a leg drop! Brad starting to fire back but Ichiban catches a leg lariat for two!  Ichiban pounding shots to the abs. Bacon drops Ichiban to the apron. Thudding chops on the floor. Bacon is bullying his opponent and eating up the boos. Bacon arguing the count and Ichiban lands a hard kick to the gut. “that’s the guy?!?l” yells Brad at us. Ichiban rallying back as Bacon tries to pop his head like a zit. Sping slam and a senton, Ichiban kicks out! Bacon with headbutts and Germans but he can’t put him down. Ichiban with a stunner! Back elbow! Tornado ddt! Bacon is down again and the crowd is firing up. Bacon tries another German…poisonrana! Brad catches the flatliner…huge lariat! He goes for another…Ichiban with a destroyer!!! Kick out! Tornado ddt out of the ring to the floor! Brad picks him out of the air…sitout powerbomb! Brad is losing it…he’s gonna do the flatliner??? Ichiban reverses to a backslide! Kick out…Bacon tosses him…he hits the flatliner! Ichiban kicks out of his own finish! Bacon with a headbutt and tries the jackhammer…..Ichiban pushes him off…Ichiban hits the tornado jackhammer! Bacon kicks out! They slowly get to their feet. Face to face! They scream and unload huge shots! Headbutt! Flying kick! 

Pedro Dones is here! He’s calling his shot?!? Why is Ray Jaz here too?!? Ichiban dropkicks Pedro into Jaz! Flatliner to Pedro! Bacon blasts Ichiban in the head with the shot caller contract folder! Ref Tyler turns back to make the count….two count! Ichiban kicks out! Where’s Ray and Pedro?!? Brad slapping at Ichiban to show some fight. Ichiban firing away and hits a high cross body! It’s ove—-Jaz pulls out the ref and decks him! Ray and Pedro try to double team but Miracle Generation is here to even the odds! Ten punches by three combos is Thirty Corner Punches! Miracle launches themselves out at Jaz and Dones. Ichiban watches them fight to the back…Bacon struggles to his feet. New ref! Flatliner hits clean! Bacon kicks out at 2.9999!!! Wrestling Open clap clap clapclapclap! Ichiban off the top, Bacon uppercuts him out of the air! Deadlift tornado jackhammer….Ichiban kicks out!!! This is crazy good.

Bacon takes him up top for a super German…Ichiban is fighting it…Ichiban lands on his feet! Bacon is shocked as Ichiban runs up the ropes and hits a super flatliner for the win!!!!

Winner: Ichiban (and INAUGURAL Wrestling Open Champion)

Ichiban has some words for us???? “Thank You”. Holy hell, what a match. What a tournament. An absolutely fire crowd throughout this stacked show. The main event was damn special. A ton of long build storytelling culminating in a huge moment. Both guys deserved this. Bacon with his redemption story of being injured in this building and finding a new fire for wrestling. Ichiban with his rise from a pure unknown in the first weeks of Open to being its first champion almost a year and a half later. This was earned. This was a moment. 

 

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