(Still alive, & still kicking butt.)
September 26th, AWS “The End…???? So Cal wrestling fans can only hope they hadn’t seen their last AWS show, because they came out in force to the legion hall. Before the 10-match card got started, a moment of silence was observed, to honor the recently deceased Drunken Irishman.
1) Eli Everfly, Chris Kadillak, & Mondo Vega d. Douglas James, Jacob Diez, & Biggie Biggz
Strong opener that ended with Eli countering Jacob’s powerslam attempt, into a Double-Knee Drop for the pin.
* Mondo Vega stayed in the ring after the match, to call out Referee Rick Knox. Rick didn’t buy into Justin Borden’s “injured right wrist” (legit or otherwise), and the “Battle of the Referees” match was still on.
2) “Uptown” Andy Brown p. Jacob Tarasso
As the match played out, Justin Borden ran to the ringside area, and put Tarasso’s foot on the bottom rope, forcing a rope break. Justin then tried to distract Andy, who would ultimately have none of it, and hit what looked like a Small Package Powerbomb for the pin.
* Trina Michaels comes to the ring, and did a version of the “Chris Jericho’s 1,000 moves list”, naming it “69 Reasons why AWS Sucks!” Trina got to reason #7, before Raze interrupted her. Raze went on to hand out a butt-kicking, capping it with the Running Double-Knee Drop in the Corner. Trina probably should’ve called on The Ballard Brothers for backup (in ref. to the days AWS did it outdoors).
3) Hector Canales p. The Human Tornado
Tornado started off w/ the rest of “The Revelation”, while Hector started off with his best Sting impersonation. As the match went on, however, as The Revelation constantly distracted Referee David Brown. For some reason, the stable left the ring, letting Tornado finish the match on his own. That’s when Hector went “Ultimate Chido”, hulking up, then hitting his own version of the Overhead Military Drop, leading up to the pin. That’s when The Revelation came back out, and went after Tornado, for what he did at UEW, when he won the i-TV title, on his own. Hector came back out, going “Real Man”, and cleared The Revelation out of the ring.
4) Sage Sin Supreme p. Thunder Rosa
A very even ladies match that ended with Sage hitting the Code Red for the pin.
5) Tyler Bateman p. Johnny Paradise
One of the more technical matches on the card, where Tyler laid out Paradise with his “End of Days” finishing Elbow Strikes.
6) Four-Way Elimination Lucha Libre Tag Match. Piloto Suicida & Shamu Jr. v. Acero Dorado & Dr. Maldad v. Mercurio Jr. & Legacy v. Mariachi Loco & SoCal Crazy
Classic AWS Lucha action, with plenty of clusters, out-of-the-ring brawls, and rudo moves. Piloto & Shamu eliminated Mercurio & Legacy first, before being eliminated themselves by Acero & Maldad. Mariachi & SoCal Crazy did a Huracanrana into a Roll-Up cover, with Mariachi ripping off Acero’s mask in the process, for a double-pin.
7) Raze & Leah Von Dutch d. Datura & Kitana Vera
Good ladies action, that saw Raze & Leah hit simultaneous Spears for a double-pin.
8) No-DQ Battle of the Referees Match between Rick Knox, & Justin Borden
Justin tried continuously to evade Rick Knox. He tried to escape to the kitchen area of the legion hall, only to be stopped by Raze. Then he tried the back way to the backstage area, only to be stopped by Andy Brown. He thought going out the front doors would do, only to get put into a Headlock by Bart, and dragged into the ring. That’s when the carnage began, with Mondo bringing a trash can full of weapons into the ring. A golf club, a USB charging cable, a baking sheet, & the trash can & lid were used. Fortunately, neither an old 8-bit NES box, or a GameCube controller, were used. However, that didn’t stop Justin from busting Rick wide open during the match. Yet in the end, Rick, battle-hardened from doing battle with PWG-caliber talent, hit his signature clothesline, then got some help from Raze & Andy, who put the trash can over Justin’s head, then Rick hit a Superkick onto the lid, for the pin.
SM) Non-title match. Lightweight champion Scorpio Sky p. Che Cabrera.
Strong semi-main that Scorpio ended with a 3-move combo: A Bicycle Knee Strike, into a Roundhouse Heel Strike, into the Ace of Spades for the pin.
M) Battle of the Champions. Willie Mack, PPA, & Ryan Taylor d. B-Boy, Lil Cholo, & Famous B
Alot of championship hardware were on display in the main: Willie with his AWS Heavyweight & PWR Tag Team titles, PPA with his IWL Heavyweight & CWFH Heritage titles, B-Boy with the AWS & UIPW Tag Team titles–which he shares with Famous B, & Cholo with the other AWS Tag Team title, to go with his 13-month run with the Vendetta Pro Heavyweight title. The match itself was nothing short of main event caliber, with a high amount of wrestling moves & spots. In the end, it was PPA who won the cover battle with B-Boy for the pin.
AWS Championship Six Man Tag
It’s hard to say how long it’ll be before AWS returns. Long-time veterans of the So Cal Indie scene will remember that it took almost 3 years for AWS to return to So Cal. Hopefully, with the big turnout, and a great venue, AWS will make a return sooner. For now, the SBWA should make great use of the venue, when they do their next show on 10/10.
MOTN:
1) 6-man “Battle of the Champions” tag match
2) Battle of the Referees
3) Thunder Rosa / Sage sin Supreme
4) Lucha Libre match
2 (maybe 3) shows coming up in October, before the “Comikaze Break”:
10/3 – IWL “New Era X”
10/10 – SBWA “Kaostrophe” (still in the air on this one)
10/16 – Stardom USA at the “EWF Arena”
After that, maybe a few top cards that may come from the SBWA or EWF events, or a possible “PWG Season Finale”, along with the first set of LU Season 2 Tapings, scheduled to begin in December