AIW Built To Last | 7.2.20 | Clevland, OH. | The Odeon
By Dennis DuBay
Great opening promo talking about what it means to Built to last. What kind of athlete is best built to last. If the card lineup didn't get you pumped, mother fucker, if this didn't, you're dead.
Quick observations from the matches (Spoiler Free, results at end of column)
Chase Oliver v. Zach Thomas
Nice opener between these two. Crowd is lit from the beginning, which is always a plus for an opener. Just gives ya that feeling there's something special in air, Oliver hit a beautiful 450 that i thought was going to end the match quickly. Thomas was able to somehow bounce back from that.
Thomas seemed to be winded 12 minutes or so in, I'm not sure the exact time, as i'm not timing them and i'm drinking. So sue me if the match time is incorrect. Thomas is clearly not liked as the fans are flipping him off, but he returns the favor.
Oliver doesn't look like the prototypical high flyer and maybe hes not normally, but he took to the air quite a bit tonight and I dug the fuck out of it.
Dominic Garrini v. VSK
VSK just oozes asshole, am I right? But in a former life, I wrote on the the handle VBK, so i feel connected to VSK. Plus, I'm an asshole too. Garrini scares the fuck outta me. He just looks like he's going to literally rip apart his foe, then fucking cook them on a smoker and eat them in front of said foes family. Maybe that's just me. Maybe i need help.
Whoever taped Garrini up should probably be fired. It fell off seconds within the match. I'd try to get away from him that fast, too. Garrini opens the match by basically showing Brock Lesnar how to do a real suplex.
VSK somehow shakes off these Herculean maneuvers and takes control of the match.
Oh, I was wrong. There's still one piece of tape left on Garrini. One lonely strip. VSK and Dominic are trading chops and than fists and then feet.
Garrini hits VSK with a gut-wrench suplex that made me literally jump in the air and run to the bathroom in fear. You ever see that scene on Johnny Carson where the cheetah jumps at Johnny and he runs and jumps into the arms of Ed McMahon?
Yeah. That was me. Somehow VSK survived that move. These two are strong mother fuckers.
Alex Shelley v. Lee Moriarty RECOMMENDED MATCH.
Shelley has been pretty active lately. Makes me wonder if there's something bigger in the works for him and he's getting this all out of his system? Anyways, I love watching Alex wrestle. I think he's one of the most unsung talents in the business. I'd love to see him on a nice run with NWA. Fuck, I just want everyone who's good to jump on the NWA train.
Moriarty doesn't seem as impressed with Shelley as I am. He seems pretty fucking annoyed with Alex, to be honest. Crowd is still lively as fuck.
This was an amazing match. Back and forth, heated at times. There wasn't' a minute in this match that I was fully sure of who was going over in this one. Moriarty was a real treat in this one. Took a lot of damage on that chest. Frustrated Shelley at one point.
To see that level of frustration for a vet like Alex was a great spot. A simple spot. It's not even a spot, it's a human trait analyzed. Such a great segment in the match.
I was going to make an inappropriate joke about trying to surfboard an ex, but I don't need that twitter heat. So, i'll just leave it at this - go out of your way to watch this match, because it's all kinds of fucking great.
At the end, Alex Shelley told Lee Moriarty he'd be the man in wrestling in five years. Told him he'd have his back in Japan. Awesome moment.
Swoggle v. Super Oprah
Let's be honest ... it was a fun little match and the perfect mind cleanser from that FUCK of a Match between Shelley and Moriarty. That's how you know when you are watching a good show with a good booker. They understand how transitions fucking work man.
I think the main thing we gotta ask though, is, when is AJ Gray gonna challenge Super Oprah?
#1 Contender Match for AIW Tag Titles: The Bitcoin Boyz v. AeroForm v. 40 Acres v. To Infinity And Beyond
These tag team four ways are way too much for my beer addled brain to accurately describe what the fuck is going on. So have some BAMS! and BOINGS! and BLAMOS! and AJ Gray is fucking monster and all of these teams are scary in their own fucking way.
Note: I"m not trying to disrespect this match ... this is one of those matches you should just watch to get a real feel for it. I seriously miss more than i catch on these fucking bangers.
Allie Kat v. Nick Stapp
Honestly, I was slow on the take with Allie Kat. I didn't get the idea around the character ... but then one day I woke up and I realized, dogs fucking bark to much and Allie Kat is a goddess. I don't know who the fuck CPA is, but his dancing around the ring makes me want to punch the wall. So if that's what he's trying for, nailed it bub.
How this maniac 1) wastes alcohol, and 2) stunners the most amazing women this side of .. wait, she's drinking his spilt white claw off the mat. That's the grossest and most hardcore spot in the history of this sport.
It seems to have rejuvinated her. This mother fucker is dead! Match goes to the outside and he takes liberties with an intoxicated women and ddt's her onto the floor.
I hate this CPA fella.
She's back to her feet and their punching the shit out of one another. Nice back and forth going between the two, lots of ring stomping, too. CPA hits Kat with a drop kitt from the top rope right into the kisser.
All jokes aside, Kat is a helluva wrestler and I don't think I've disliked a match with her in it in quite a while and that's saying something. Not because i'm special, but because she is. Stapp is okay too. Even though he abused a Kat.
Philly Marino Experince v. Bear Country - AIW Tag Team Title Match
While super fucking scary, every time i see Bear Country's mask, I think of that Nick Cage, not Gage, movie where he gets the fucking bee's in the face. Yeah. that's fucking hardcore.
This is just a match of brawn and speed and PME is a very talented team, but I wonder how long it is before BC get's a call from one of the big companies. Their look and their movements are so prime time ready.
Strange observation, because i'm not really a gear guy, but I like the color scheme of PME - it reminds of Miami Vice, for some reason. And that's not a bad thing, it takes me back to the eighties when I was much younger and the world was still my oyster.
Bear Country could probably eat a ton of oysters. You can see the sweat flying off of Bronson. So you know the shots a fucking legit.
This match is legit. PME is the read deal meal ticket, baby. That fucking finish was hot as fuck.
Jeff fucking Cobb v. Tom Lawlor RECOMMENDED MATCH.
Never in the history of today has a match between two dudes i love so much existed right now .. or two days ago but onDemand it's today.
Cobb is a beast. Lawlor is the best. We're living in beautiful fucking times man.
This match starts off with some of the grapples, ya know? But neither seem to get the better of it. Then they start with the fisticuffs. Somehow, Lawlor picks Cobb and holds him there for a minute .. well, it seemed like a minute. Now they are kicking each other in the shins.
Cobb gets bored with that and starts to chop the fuck out of Tom. Tom says, you know what, let's do that. And they do that. And my ribs break watching it.
They move on to kicks to the chest. I don't get this game but they seem to be enjoying it.
This match is everything you believe it will be, but it's much more. Cobb is so damn agile and fast for his size, not that he's huge - but he's not small. Six months ago, I thought there was something wrong with Cobb. He seemed to be slowing down, peaking almost. Maybe NJPW style wasn't what he thought it'd be and he wasn't ready.
He's back to being Jeff fucking Cobb. Thing is, Tom Lawlor has always been Tom Lawlor.
Nick Gage v. Mance Warner v. Erick Stevens v. Daniel Rockingham v. Joshua Bishop for the #1 Contendership of the AIW Absolute Title
So, when I started my foray into the world of Independent Wrestling just under 1,000 days ago, I didn't realize how fucking over Nick Gage was. He's the kind of over Vince McMahon dreams of.
Two of my favorites are in this one. Mance Warner and Erick Stevens are everything that is right and amazing about independent wrestling. Steven's story is that of "what if, fuck that, let's see". It's the story of every kid who grew up wondering if he could and never getting the chance.
Erick Steven's is a god damned hero in the largest sense. Plus, i'm trying to get some free goddamned cookies. Mancer is who I would have been, had a grown taller than i grew and braver than i am. I got the beer drinking down. And I'm a super nice guy with a love for wrestling. And a bald head. I'm really reaching right now, aren't I?
The facts are this though. I told you all to watch TWO talents about seven months ago. Those two talents were Elayna Black and Joshua Bishop. Bishop is a future force in this fucking sport. And I don't care what anyone says.
And then the bell rang and all hell broke loose in the most beautiful way possible. Gage and Yuta going after each other is a thing. A thing I never thought I'd see, but here we are anyways. Gage alone in the ring for a moment, till Mancer comes in but Gage leaves.
Oh, right. Doors. He was looking for doors. Most open doors, Mancer and Gage were going to swing on each other. Stevens and Mancer are staring each other down and this Dorky Dan fuck interrupts. He get's DOORED!! DOORED!!!
Stevens and Yuta are now battling for a bit, interrupted by Bishop wanting to dance with Wheeler. This shit is all kinds of chaotic now. Wheeler just got tossed into the crowd.
I hear chops, so many chops, but i can't see who all is getting killed right now. I see a broken door and people on the floor and Mance Warner standing tall.
We've totally abandoned the ring at this point. I heard a women yell "Get off" but i'm not sure exactly what she meant by that. Wheeler stabbed Steven's in the forehead with a trident, i think. He's not getting any of Steven's kookiesandkreamsarasota.com cookies.
Wheeler is sitting face to fucking face with Gage and trading punches. Confirmed: Wheeler ain't smart. Now Bishop and Stevens and Gage and fuck, everyone is sitting and punching each other. Is this some sort of Union Meeting? Warner is sitting on a chair searching for air and I've never felt more close to the simple man.
Gage is about to kill the Dr. And i'm all for watching murder live (taped) on my TV (computer monitor). Yuta attempts theft on Gage.
BACKFIRES.
Everyone is calling Wheeler a fucking idiot and now I feel kind of bad for him. He's fighting back. DVDriver on a chair and Gage is hurt.
In the middle of my flirting with Harley, somehow Bishop and Stevens are back in the ring and beating the shit out of each other.
FONZIE IS HERE. He is swinging chairs and braking hairs (it's the only thing i could think of that rhymed, okay?) ECW ECW ECW.
What a fun fucking match. Like, this is the very fucking reason I watch pro wrestling. This chaos. Watching Nick Gage killing everyone and Erick Stevens living his deadline dream, sharing fists with the most over man in pro wrestling.
What a match, Motha Fucker.
Allie Kat v. Nick Stapp
Honestly, I was slow on the take with Allie Kat. I didn't get the idea around the character ... but then one day I woke up and I realized, dogs fucking bark to much and Allie Kat is a goddess. I don't know who the fuck CPA is, but his dancing around the ring makes me want to punch the wall. So if that's what he's trying for, nailed it bub.
How this maniac 1) wastes alcohol, and 2) stunners the most amazing women this side of .. wait, she's drinking his spilt white claw off the mat. That's the grossest and most hardcore spot in the history of this sport.
It seems to have rejuvinated her. This mother fucker is dead! Match goes to the outside and he takes liberties with an intoxicated women and ddt's her onto the floor.
I hate this CPA fella.
She's back to her feet and their punching the shit out of one another. Nice back and forth going between the two, lots of ring stomping, too. CPA hits Kat with a drop kitt from the top rope right into the kisser.
All jokes aside, Kat is a helluva wrestler and I don't think I've disliked a match with her in it in quite a while and that's saying something. Not because i'm special, but because she is. Stapp is okay too. Even though he abused a Kat.
Philly Marino Experince v. Bear Country - AIW Tag Team Title Match
While super fucking scary, every time i see Bear Country's mask, I think of that Nick Cage, not Gage, movie where he gets the fucking bee's in the face. Yeah. that's fucking hardcore.
This is just a match of brawn and speed and PME is a very talented team, but I wonder how long it is before BC get's a call from one of the big companies. Their look and their movements are so prime time ready.
Strange observation, because i'm not really a gear guy, but I like the color scheme of PME - it reminds of Miami Vice, for some reason. And that's not a bad thing, it takes me back to the eighties when I was much younger and the world was still my oyster.
Bear Country could probably eat a ton of oysters. You can see the sweat flying off of Bronson. So you know the shots a fucking legit.
This match is legit. PME is the read deal meal ticket, baby. That fucking finish was hot as fuck.
Jeff fucking Cobb v. Tom Lawlor RECOMMENDED MATCH.
Never in the history of today has a match between two dudes i love so much existed right now .. or two days ago but onDemand it's today.
Cobb is a beast. Lawlor is the best. We're living in beautiful fucking times man.
This match starts off with some of the grapples, ya know? But neither seem to get the better of it. Then they start with the fisticuffs. Somehow, Lawlor picks Cobb and holds him there for a minute .. well, it seemed like a minute. Now they are kicking each other in the shins.
Cobb gets bored with that and starts to chop the fuck out of Tom. Tom says, you know what, let's do that. And they do that. And my ribs break watching it.
They move on to kicks to the chest. I don't get this game but they seem to be enjoying it.
This match is everything you believe it will be, but it's much more. Cobb is so damn agile and fast for his size, not that he's huge - but he's not small. Six months ago, I thought there was something wrong with Cobb. He seemed to be slowing down, peaking almost. Maybe NJPW style wasn't what he thought it'd be and he wasn't ready.
He's back to being Jeff fucking Cobb. Thing is, Tom Lawlor has always been Tom Lawlor.
Nick Gage v. Mance Warner v. Erick Stevens v. Daniel Rockingham v. Joshua Bishop for the #1 Contendership of the AIW Absolute Title
So, when I started my foray into the world of Independent Wrestling just under 1,000 days ago, I didn't realize how fucking over Nick Gage was. He's the kind of over Vince McMahon dreams of.
Two of my favorites are in this one. Mance Warner and Erick Stevens are everything that is right and amazing about independent wrestling. Steven's story is that of "what if, fuck that, let's see". It's the story of every kid who grew up wondering if he could and never getting the chance.
Erick Steven's is a god damned hero in the largest sense. Plus, i'm trying to get some free goddamned cookies. Mancer is who I would have been, had a grown taller than i grew and braver than i am. I got the beer drinking down. And I'm a super nice guy with a love for wrestling. And a bald head. I'm really reaching right now, aren't I?
The facts are this though. I told you all to watch TWO talents about seven months ago. Those two talents were Elayna Black and Joshua Bishop. Bishop is a future force in this fucking sport. And I don't care what anyone says.
And then the bell rang and all hell broke loose in the most beautiful way possible. Gage and Yuta going after each other is a thing. A thing I never thought I'd see, but here we are anyways. Gage alone in the ring for a moment, till Mancer comes in but Gage leaves.
Oh, right. Doors. He was looking for doors. Most open doors, Mancer and Gage were going to swing on each other. Stevens and Mancer are staring each other down and this Dorky Dan fuck interrupts. He get's DOORED!! DOORED!!!
Stevens and Yuta are now battling for a bit, interrupted by Bishop wanting to dance with Wheeler. This shit is all kinds of chaotic now. Wheeler just got tossed into the crowd.
I hear chops, so many chops, but i can't see who all is getting killed right now. I see a broken door and people on the floor and Mance Warner standing tall.
We've totally abandoned the ring at this point. I heard a women yell "Get off" but i'm not sure exactly what she meant by that. Wheeler stabbed Steven's in the forehead with a trident, i think. He's not getting any of Steven's kookiesandkreamsarasota.com cookies.
Wheeler is sitting face to fucking face with Gage and trading punches. Confirmed: Wheeler ain't smart. Now Bishop and Stevens and Gage and fuck, everyone is sitting and punching each other. Is this some sort of Union Meeting? Warner is sitting on a chair searching for air and I've never felt more close to the simple man.
Gage is about to kill the Dr. And i'm all for watching murder live (taped) on my TV (computer monitor). Yuta attempts theft on Gage.
BACKFIRES.
Everyone is calling Wheeler a fucking idiot and now I feel kind of bad for him. He's fighting back. DVDriver on a chair and Gage is hurt.
In the middle of my flirting with Harley, somehow Bishop and Stevens are back in the ring and beating the shit out of each other.
FONZIE IS HERE. He is swinging chairs and braking hairs (it's the only thing i could think of that rhymed, okay?) ECW ECW ECW.
What a fun fucking match. Like, this is the very fucking reason I watch pro wrestling. This chaos. Watching Nick Gage killing everyone and Erick Stevens living his deadline dream, sharing fists with the most over man in pro wrestling.
What a match, Motha Fucker.
Spoilers AFTER THE AD. BUY A SHOW. PAY US MONEY. LET US BUY BOOZE AND DRUGS.
The Results:
Chase Oliver defeats Zach Thomas, VSK over Dominic Garrini, Lee Moriarty upsets Alex Shelley, Swoggle victorious over Super Oprah. To Infinity And Beyond take #1 contendership match over 40 Acres, AeroForm, and The Bitcoin Boyz. Allie Kat defeats Nick Stapp, The Philly Marino Experience retain the AIW tag straps against Bear Country, Tom Lawlor survives Jeff Cobb, and in a six way scramble for the number one contendership for the AIW Absolute Title, Joshua Bishop defeats Dr. Daniel C Rockingham, Erick Stevens, Mance Warner, Nick Gage and Wheeler Yuta. Run time: 2 hours, 53 minutes.