This CHAOS COLUMN is a recap of AWS 12th Anniversary Show, American Legion Post #355, South Gate, March 22nd. Standing room only for this 10-match anniversary card that lived up to its hype.
1 – El Ridiculoso (w/ Datura) p. Sasha Darevko (w/ Fidel Bravo)
Opening match featured Referee Jason McCord diving onto the four from the corner to get the two wrestlers back into the ring. Ridiculoso dodged Sasha’s Pump Kick to get the rollup and the pin, but he & Datura paid the price for it in the form of a Revolution beatdown.
2 – Che Cabrera (w/ his fellow “Revolutionaries”) p. Peter Avalon
Sasha & Fidel didn’t have to do much in the form of interference, as Che was able to roll out of the ring after eating the Marti-Knees, then later hit the Uprising for the pin.
3 – El Chupacabra (w/ Sage Sin) v. Chris Kadillak (w/ Dino Winwood) — “Manager Throw in the Towel” Match for the AWS Lightweight Title
Hard-hitting match that saw Sage & Dino try to intimidate one another & the opposing wrestler, as well as distract Referee Rick Knox. Dino took advantage of Rick Knox being distracted by Sage, throwing in the towel that Kadillak hid while in a submission hold. That allowed Dino to throw in a few hard shots at Chupacabra, and Kadillak locked in a Sharpshooter to force Sage to throw in the towel.
*** NEW AWS LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION: CHRIS KADILLAK
4 – Aaron Aguilera (w/ El Jefe) p. Tyler Bateman
Tyler tried everything to match up with the former WWE Superstar and current NJPW Gaijin (foreign wrestler), but didn’t quite have enough take down the bigger man. Aaron hit the Top Rope Clothesline for the pin, then thanked Bart, among others, for the opportunity to wrestle in So Cal, as well as an opponent that he hadn’t had a chance to work with…since 1998.
Shot of the Night 03-22-14
5 – LuFisto (w/ Pegaboo) p. Hania HowlingHuntress
A fantastic ladies match. Hania, who was subbing for Candice LeRae in the wake of family-related matters, had a great showing against one of the top ladies in the indie scene. Not only was Hania able to virtually go the distance with LuFi, but she also showed some great heart, and some great offense. In the end, it was LuFi who hit the Burning Hammer for the pin.
6 – AWS Tag Team Title Match: Los Bandidos (C – Rico Dynamite & Tito Escondido) v. Joey Kaos & Supreme (w/ Jezabel)
Santinos-Style Classic. No punches were pulled in this hard-hitting match, complete with Kaos leaving chop marks on Tito’s chest, and Supreme getting a cut between the eyes. Supreme, though, didn’t see Rico reverse the attempted team move, doing a Headscissors takedown on Kaos, with Tito hitting the Frog Splash for the pin and another successful title defense.
* After intermission, Hector Canales came out to cut a promo, which was then cut short by Mondo Vega & Ryan Taylor.
7 – Joey Ryan p. Ryan Taylor (w/ Mondo Vega)
Even match that turned when Referee Jason McCord took a bump. That’s when “Superman Canales” came out, hit the ring, and threw a Superman Punch at Ryan Taylor. Hector threw the ref into the ring after Joey Ryan nailed the Superkick for the pin.
8 – AWS Women’s Title Match: Christina Von Eerie (C) v. Hudson Envy
A serious wrestling match that was also quite the brawl. Hudson was able to match up with CVE this time, despite the bloody nose, and this time, got in a title-clinching Olympic Slam for the pin.
*** NEW AWS WOMEN’S CHAMPION: HUDSON ENVY (4th different woman to hold the title, ending CVE’s 4-year run)
SM – 10-Luchadores Lucha Libre Match: L.A. F’ers v. Los Luchas, Mercurio Jr., Mariachi Loco, & Sin Limite Jr.
Controlled chaos at best in a wild & crazy lucha match, and it wasn’t a piece of cake for Piloto Suicida & his fellow luchadores. The tecnicos dished out all they had, but it was the L.A. F’ers who hit simultaneous powerbombs late for simultaneous pins.
M – Anything Goes Match for the AWS Heavyweight Title: B-Boy (C) v. Lil Cholo
Several steel chairs, 3 wooden boards, 2 kendo sticks, thumbtacks, a trash can & lid, a fork, a 1×4 with barbed wire wrapped around one end, a ladder, and someone’s PSOne was used in this hardcore match (sorry, no cupcakes). Both men traded big moves and hardcore spots, but it was B-Boy who put Cholo in the Triangle Submission for the win.
To me, each match built upon the previous one as the night wore on; so there was a real buzz going on when they got to the main event. Every wrestler on the card left everything in the ring, especially B-Boy & Cholo. There were plenty of candidates for MOTN, but that will go to the B-Boy/Cholo match, followed by the Hania/LuFi match, then the lucha match.
For more photos, please visit my gallery here…