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Wrestling Open “Back to the Beginning”
Worcester, MA 1/1/25
Happy New Year and welcome to the first day of the 5th year of Wrestling Open!
Spotlight Match: Flyin Ryan O’Neill vs Kody Lane
Holy hell. THIS is a matchup. THIS is the spotlight??? Ryan tries to start friendly with a happy new year and Lane responds by trying to rip his arm off. Ryan is still flying though and keeps Lane staggered until he gets booted through the ropes and eats a wicked slingshot senton. Kody with a powerbomb and deadlifts the kid into a DVD! Lane misses the lionsault. Flyin Ryan hits a senton to get the three in a fantastic spotlight contest.
Match 1: Miracle Generation (Dustin Waller & Kylon King) vs Davey Bang & August Matthews (for the vacant IWTV Tag Team Championships)
This is poised to be an utter war. MG trying to take back the crowns they held for a long time; Bang and Matthews trying to take the prize that has eluded them for a long while, including a previous clash with Miracle generation for these belts. The match? Both teams are pulling out all the stops. Miracle Generation, embracing their new heelish side, just trying to keep Bang & Matthews isolated from each other. But both teams are going for the kill throughout. Bang & Matthews follow up a double party with a double double stomp to Waller’s back. Kylon trying to help out and sets up Dustin to hit a doomsday destroyer! Kylon and Dustin go for the double knees to the head….Bang pulls Kylon’s leg. A taste of their own medicine…Matthews rolls up Dustin. HE GETS THE THREE! We have new IWTV tag Team champs! Congrats to Bang & Matthews! This was a blast!
Match 2: Rain Conway vs Sammy Diaz (w/ Brother Greatness)
Rain added a new trait. Not only does he have that dog in him but he has ICE IN HIS VEINS. Anyways, Sammy hits a Michanoku driver and beats him in 56 seconds. Delightful.
Greatness on the mic. This dominate performance should be a message to Christian Darling.
Match 3: Pedro Dones vs 23 Hazard
Hazard looks to cut a wacky promo but Dones’ music cuts him off and he charges the ring. Dones throws him out of the ring, crazy brawl. “You wanted this!” As he strips Hazard’s shirt off and pummels him with chops on the post. Hazard rallies back and runs his mouth on his hatred of teachers. This rules. Pedro with a cactus clothesline and they brawl on the floor. They get counted out. It’s a double countout.
Pedro on the mic. He’s furious at hazard for talking smack about his role as a father. Pedro is bringing his son next week to watch his dad lay Hazard out. I loved the energy of this.
Match 4: Laynie Luck vs Gabby Forza
Back to back matches for Laynie Luck against Open faves. Like last night, this isn’t for the WWEID Women’s Championship but you have to figure people are watching. Gabby has had a ROUGH 24 hours so this is a chance for redemption in Worcester. Forza out muscling Luck early but Laynie starts to figure out the timing and gets some reversals and trips in to start working over our Gnomie. Gabby hits a huge stampede but misses a Vader bomb. That move is like 0-50 on the weekend. Gabby dodges an apron double stomp….her spear connects! Forza with the jackhammer and GNOMIE PINS THE WWEID WOMEN’S CHAMPION CLEAN FOR THE THREE! She doesn’t win a title here…but there’s an argument to be made here now.
Match 5: Stetson Ranch (Steven Stetson & Brian Morris (w/Bobby Casale)(c) vs Aaron Rourke & Marcus Mathers (for the Wrestling Open Tag Team Championships)
If Worcester wants something badly, it’s for the Ranch to be sent back to New Jersey without the titles. Bobby proves to be a lynchpin in the ranch’s strategy for retaining. That said, Mathers and Rourke are fired up and pummeling these cowpokes. Stetson ejects Rourke, setting up Mathers for a high lo big boot for a very close two. Stetson superkicked away. Rourke hits Morris with a Molly Go Round for two! Stetson uncorks a damn Spanish Fly from the top?!? How dare he do something cool! Morris eats a split leg moonsault and that should be it but Casale puts the foot on the ropes. Mathers flies out at Stetson & Bobby but Morris rolls up Rourke with a handful of tights and gets the three. BOOOOOOOOO (awesomely hot match).
Match 6: Bobby Orlando(c) vs Eye Black Jack (for the Wrestling Open Championship)
There’s a lot of factors you can take into consideration for tonight’s match. Jack is only one year into his career. Bobby is a day one staple of Open. But…more presently: Last Night, Bobby Orlando was on the winning side of a 8-man tag match while Jack had a 1on1 war with Donovan Dijak that he LOST. Energy & Damage Levels must be on the champ’s side tonight. The crowd loves Bobby but tonight it is VERY PRO JACK. They brawl in the ring. They brawl in the crowd. Jack hits a great delay vertical suplex for two. Orlando rallies back with some hard strikes and kicks but Jack has those two. Bobby with a blue Thunder bomb for two. This could go either way but this FEELS like Jack’s night. A top rope splash can’t end it but the crowd reaction to the kick out shows how much they WANT this. Even more than we hate the Ranch??? Orlando escapes the uranage. Sick trick cutter connects! Jack is down for the three! OH MY GOD. The crowd is big mad. Bobby says that tonight wasn’t his night…but Jack will definitely win this title down the road. This was easily Jack’s best match.
DJ Powers hits the ring and wipes out Bobby Orlando. He lays him out with the Open title belt. DJ on the mic to remind us that he’s the number one contender for this title and he is VERY goal driven. His goal is to be the youngest Open champion in history…and next week, he will achieve that. He holds the Belt up while standing on Bobby.
Match 7: Krule(c) vs Fancy Ryan Clancy (for the IWTV Undisputed Independent Wrestling World Championship)
Krule won this belt about 18 hours ago. I’m sure he’s fine. Bill rings the bell and Bear Bronson immediately hits the ring and attacks Clancy, giving Ryan the win by DQ. Krule lets this happen but he doesn’t like losing so he hits Gabby Forza (who was trying to calm Bear down) with a Scorched Earth. Bear runs back to help his wife as Krule leaves holding the belt high. I’m tickled at how this went.
Main Event: Alec Price vs Tyree Taylor (no time limit)
One a crazy night, this is an equally crazy main event. Price may have our love as the Northeast Beast but he called down some thunder by demanding this match with Taylor. They have a tense handshake at the bell. “May the best man win”. Price tries the Suprize kick immediately but he’s not ready for Taylor’s quickness at size. Tyree going for some big man moves but Price is quick to evade and start flying. Triangle dropkick sends Tyree to the floor but he catches a flying Price and just slams him into the apron repeatedly. Taylor just clubbing the hell out of Price and stomping the life out of him. Price pops himself up for a stomp but Tyree catches him with a one handed sky high bomb. Craaaaazy spot. Price kicks out! Price with a head scissor finally gets some space to rally. Huge dive to the floor sends Tyree flying! A block bustah connects! Kick out! Tyree with a huge pounce and a spear but only gets two! What does he have to do? He’s going for Righteous Judgement….Price slips it. Trading forearms and elbows! Price with a popup to the shoulders and hits a destroyer on Tyree from there! Price tries the trash knee strike but Tyree clubs him. He brain busters Price into the top buckle. A discus clothesline. The Righteous Judgement bomb! One. two. three!
Tyree wants a title shot. This is clear. He does the move. He gets in Price’s face, I can’t hear the convo but he gets up and shakes Tyree hand. They get a loud “both these guys”. What a crazy night. Wrestling Open rarely has BAD nights, most shows are solidly entertaining. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t be covering them as much as I do. But the BEST Open shows have that perfect mix of work rate, storytelling and hot crowd. This was one of THOSE nights. The show was called “Back to the Beginning” but this felt miles beyond that 60-person crowd on 1/1/22. If anything, it’s a reminder how far we’ve come in four years. Happy New Year all. See you next week.
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