ANNIVERSARY II on April 9th, 2011

Jay Repsel makes his way to the ring to start the show. He says that it’s been a long 48 hours for the DREAMWAVE family. He announces that Jason Hades will not defend the DREAMWAVE World Title tonight. As a result, Hades will forfeit the title to Kevin Thorn later tonight. The crowd doesn’t like the decision and Repsel looks frustrated.


Opening Match: Marshe Rockett vs. Matt Mayday

This is a rematch from last month’s pre-show where Mayday scored the upset win. Rockett means business early on with some stiff offense. Mayday hits a chinbreaker and connects with a dropkick. He comes off the middle rope with a hurricanrana. Rockett hits a powerslam and takes over. Mayday fights back with a facebuster and tries an o’connor roll to no avail. Rockett plants him with a TKO but misses a swantan. Mayday comes off the top rope with a leg drop for a nearfall. He goes up top again but Ryland Foxx distracts him. Rockett hits an ace crusher from the middle rope for the win at 6:55. This was much better than their previous match as both men received a chance to stand out. Rockett seemed to be frustrated with Foxx’s managerial abilities, so it’s fitting that Foxx gave Rockett an opening to pick up the victory. Rockett has a unique presence and I hope to see him featured in DREAMWAVE this year. **½

Ace Martino comes to the ring, mocking Prince Mustafa Ali with his attire. He wants to know if his challenged has been answered. Ali interrupts as Martino comically talks over his music. Ali says that he made a promise to never compete in a professional wrestling match again. Martino starts making fun of Ali’s wife. Ali says that he can still kick Martino’s ass and attacks him. Justice Jones runs out to provide a distraction, allowing Martino to chop block Ali. Matt Heiden comes out to check on his mentor.


Match #2: DREAMWAVE Alternative Title: Mason Beck © vs. “Mr. 450” Hammett vs. Dan Lawrence

Beck and Lawrence immediately gang up on Hammett. Lawrence tries a rollup on Beck to no avail and gets a boot for his troubles. Hammett connects with a springboard forearm smash on Beck and lands a lionsault onto Lawrence. He hurricanranas Beck into Lawrence. Beck blocks a springboard maneuver from Hammett and works him over. Lawrence tries to help but Beck keeps pushing him away. Beck applies a double bearhug and hits a double uranagi. Lawrence attempts a top rope hurricanrana on Beck, who counters with a powerbomb. Hammett springboard dropkicks Beck and kisses Nikki when she tries to interfere. Lawrence low blows Hammett and hits a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Hammett goes up top but gets dazed. Beck carries Lawrence to the top rope with him. Hammett hits a sunset bomb on Beck, sending Lawrence across the ring. Hammett is able to pin Beck to become the new DREAMWAVE Alternative Champion at 7:50. They had a great dynamic with Beck being the unstoppable monster, Hammett playing the spunky underdog, and Lawrence providing the comedy. Although I wish the match would have received more time, I definitely agree with the result. It’s time for Beck to leave the Alternative division and focus on the main event scene. I’ve also liked what I’ve seen from Hammett and I’m interested to see how his title reign progresses. This was a fun but short showcase for the Alternative Title on the biggest show of the year. **¾


Match #3: Colt Cabana vs. Juice

Cabana interrupts a pre-match musical performance by Juice. He chases Cabana around the ring and to the back. When they come back into sight, Cabana is the one chasing Juice. Cabana spits water into Juice and Ryland Foxx’s face and they take some time to regroup. Cabana grabs Juice by his hair and brings him back into the ring. Juice finds an opening to hit a senton and gains the advantage. Cabana blocks a double axe handle and connects with a series of strikes. He hits the flying asshole. Foxx jumps into the ring but Cabana fights him off. Juice connects with a brass knuckles shot behind the referee’s back for the victory at 5:53. I wholeheartedly expected Cabana to win but I’m not disappointed with the result since Juice was able to come off as semi-legitimate. As long as he’s kept in shorter undercard matches, I won’t have a problem with him. *½

After the match, Juice and the A-List celebrate in the locker room. Marshe Rockett mentions how he won his match as well. Nick Brubaker promises to defeat Acid for the Good As Gold briefcase tonight. Rockett points out that the match isn’t even for the briefcase. Brubaker storms away in frustration.


Match #4: Matt Heiden vs. Justice Jones

Jay Repsel names Terry Funk the special guest referee for this match to neutralize Ace Martino at ringside. Jones jumps Heiden at the opening bell and Martino chokes him on the middle rope. Heiden blocks a charge but runs into a chokeslam. Jones shoves Funk, so Funk starts punching him. Martino runs into the ring and blindsides Funk. Prince Mustafa Ali comes out and spears Martino. Funk plants Jones with a DDT and Heiden follows with a DDT of his own for the win at 4:11. Jones did his best given the circumstances, but Heiden isn’t the most fluid wrestler and Funk is far from being a capable referee. This match was simply used to feature Ali on an anniversary show and hopefully Jones can move onto bigger and better things. *


Match #5: Acid vs. Nick Brubaker

Acid once again refuses to put the Good As Gold briefcase on the line so Brubaker attacks him before the opening bell. Acid connects with corner punches but Brubaker simply rakes his eyes to regain the advantage. They exchange strikes in the corner and Ryland Foxx interferes as Brubaker distracts the referee. He boots Acid to the floor but gets thrown into the ringpost. Acid misses a chop and his hand collides with the ringpost. Brubaker repeatedly rams him into the apron and Nikki gets some shots in at ringside. Acid knocks Foxx down with a chop and chases Nikki away. Brubaker connects with a baseball slide and the action goes back into the ring. Acid catches him with a vicious overhead suplex into the turnbuckles. Jesus. Acid connects with a flurry of chops and hits a gourdbuster. Brubaker dodges a dropkick and connects with a yakuza kick. They exchange kicks, ending with an enzuigiri from Brubaker. Acid counters a fisherman buster into a small package for the victory at 8:37. Brubaker was a man on a mission and he looked great throughout this contest by just bringing the fight to Acid. He was clearly frustrated with Acid for not putting the Good As Gold briefcase on the line and that frustration came through in his offense. The finish was also incredibly smart, with Acid catching a determined Brubaker off-guard with a quick small package. This was a nice extension of their match from last match and really showcased the personalities of both men while keeping the action focused. ***

The A-List try to comfort Brubaker after the match. Brubaker calls Juice “a total failure” out of frustration. Juice says that he has bigger and better things ahead of him and quits DREAMWAVE. Marshe Rockett takes the microphone and announces that he’s leaving the A-List. Rockett plants Brubaker with an ace crusher. After Brubaker recovers, he attacks Ryland Foxx and curb stomps him into the canvas. Brubaker finishes off Foxx with a fisherman buster as staff rushes the ring. The A-List is in shambles.


Match #6: DREAMWAVE Tag Team Titles: Tables Match: Waylon Beck and Cousin Bobby © vs. C.J. Esparza and Bret Gakiya vs. Brian Nelson and Greg Glover

Apparently Nelson was assaulted in the locker room earlier and isn’t in this match. Zero Gravity and Glover form an alliance against the champions early on. Glover connects with a double clothesline on the Beck Family and brings a table into the ring. Esparza connects with a springboard dropkick on Bobby. He takes out Beck with a springboard crossbody to the floor. Bobby hits a belly to belly suplex on Gakiya and lands a plancha to the outside onto Esparza. Glover follows out with a dive of his own. Gakiya uses Beck as a platform to land a dive. In the ring, Beck drop toe holds Glover into the legs of a table. Glover catches Gakiya with a spinning uranagi and powerbombs Esparza. He hits a samoan drop on Beck but Bobby chop blocks him. Beck hits a death valley driver, sending Glover through the table. If Looks Could Kill have been eliminated. The Beck Family prop another table in between the ropes. Esparza gets catapulted into the table and Bobby lays him out with a boot. Gakiya hits a reverse hurricanrana on Beck but gets planted by a spinebuster from Bobby. Yet another table is setup at ringside. Gakiya connects with a flying double stomp on Beck. He dropkicks a propped table into Bobby’s face. Zero Gravity setup the table in the ring. Gakiya dropkicks Bobby onto the table. Nikki jumps onto the apron and Beck comes up to assist her. Gakiya springboard dropkicks them both through the table at ringside. Esparza sends Bobby through a table with a shooting star press and Zero Gravity become the new DREAMWAVE Tag Team Champions at 13:57. Zero Gravity have been the most consistent tag team in DREAMWAVE this year and I’m glad that they were the ones to dethrone the Beck Family. I’m still not quite clear on why Nelson wasn’t in this match, but Glover delivered a terrific performance and I could definitely see a singles run in his future. All three table spots came off extremely well, especially the shooting star press through the table to finish the match. After building towards this contest for the past two months, I’m glad that DREAMWAVE gave these three teams enough time to showcase themselves on the biggest show of the year. ***½


Match #7: Austin Roberts vs. Steve Boz

They exchange stiff punches and Boz snaps off a headscissors. He connects with a spin kick followed by a high knee strike. Roberts sends him into the middle turnbuckle but gets taken down by a crossbody. Roberts blocks a superkick and connects with a lariat. He applies an STF but releases the hold before Boz’s arm drops for the third time. They connect with clotheslines at the same time and fall to the canvas. They knock each other down with a hard right hand. Boz connects with a leg lariat and a dropkick. He hits a modified neckbreaker. Roberts dodges a superkick and hits a DDT. Boz reverses a back suplex into a crossbody for a nearfall. Roberts avoids yet another superkick and hits a pedigree. He attempts a tombstone but Boz uses leverage to hit a tombstone of his own for a two count. Roberts misses a charge and accidentally takes out the referee. Boz is finally able to connect with a superkick but there’s no referee. A new referee comes out to count the nearfall. Roberts blocks another superkick and hits a side slam. He gets mad at the referee and plants him with a side slam as well. Roberts brings a chair into the ring but Boz superkicks it into his face. Another referee tries to come out but Silas Young appears out of nowhere and punches him. Young levels Boz with a chair shot and drags Roberts over to make the cover. Young revives a referee and Roberts picks up the win at 12:25. While these two had to use some bells and whistles, they managed to produce an entertaining and suspenseful match without relying on weapons or massive amounts of brawling. Roberts was especially effective at putting over his hatred for Boz. I’m a big fan of Silas Young and I’m really happy that he’ll most likely have an important role in DREAMWAVE. There’s quite a bit to like about this match if you’re willing to look at the sum of its parts. ***

Jay Repsel is in the ring and calls out Kevin Thorn. Yabo the Clown appears with Thorn close behind. Repsel presents the DREAMWAVE World Title to Thorn but Acid interrupts. The crowd begins to chant “cash it in.” Acid officially announces that he’s going to cash in his Good As Gold briefcase…right now! Repsel takes the briefcase and the referee rings the bell…

Match #8: DREAMWAVE World Title: Kevin Thorn vs. Acid
The title is vacant due to Jason Hades having to forfeit it. Acid hits Thorn with the briefcase and then throws it at Yabo. They brawl into the crowd and towards the entrance set. Thorn is able to gain the advantage after utilizing a chair. Acid fights back and rams him into the ringpost. He hits Thorn across the back with a crutch and knocks out Yabo with a right hand. Thorn rams Acid into the apron and takes control in the ring. The most entertaining part about this whole thing is Yabo randomly blowing up a balloon at ringside. Thorn props the Good As Gold briefcase in the corner. Acid avoids a charge and connects with corner punches. I guess the briefcase fell out of the corner. Thorn pulls the referee in the way of a forearm. He connects with a clothesline and both men are down. Yabo walks the ropes and hits a leg drop on Acid. Acid responds with a neckbreaker-DDT combination on Yabo and Thorn. He hits a lungblower on Yabo as the crowd comes alive. Thorn hits a rope-assisted stunner for a nearfall. Acid escapes a splash mountain powerbomb and hits a lungblower to become the new DREAMWAVE World Champion at 18:06. I can’t say enough good things about DREAMWAVE crowds. They remained energetic through about ten minutes of methodical and bland offense from Thorn. The beginning and end of this match featured a few bright spots, although the referee bump was ineffective due to the same thing happening during the previous match. I think DREAMWAVE did their best considering Hades’ sudden absence and I’ve liked what I’ve seen of Acid. I would hope that Thorn is done with the promotion at this point. **¼

Acid celebrates as the locker room empties out. Jason Hades makes his way to the ring shortly after. Hades puts the DREAMWAVE World Title across Acid’s shoulder and hugs him. Acid thanks the crowd and says that he has some big shoes to follow after Hades’ title reign. Hades apologizes for not wrestling tonight and announces his retirement from professional wrestling. Prince Mustafa Ali enters the ring and invites everyone into the ring. A tribute video is played for Hades to close the show.


Overall
: DREAMWAVE was able to top their first effort on iPPV with ANNIVERSARY II by providing a much more consistent card. Acid and Brubaker built off of their match from last month and delivered a worthwhile outing. The tag team title encounter was unsurprisingly the match of the night and Zero Gravity are exciting new champions. Finally, Roberts and Boz were able to come through in their big singles showdown. The show also has some historical value with Acid winning the DREAMWAVE World Title and Hades delivering his retirement speech to end the night. This is a really well-rounded show and it does enough to earn a recommendation.

For more information, check out dreamwavewrestling.com

One thought on “DREAMWAVE: ANNIVERSARY II Review”
  1. I really hope this leads to a Prince Mustafa Ali return. I really dig the guy, and was sad to hear he’d retired.

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