POE-DVD

-Resistance Pro is a local federation. I like some of the people involved. Let’s take a close look at couple of their 2012 shows and… compare them to the local federation I follow.

-Taped from Racine, Wisconsin

-Your hosts are Dr. Keith and C-Red

-Robert Anthony talks about being in a new building and being nervous. He’s not going to joke around and have fun. Tonight he cares and wants to have a moment. He wants to proceed to the next level of professional wrestling. Anthony wants to make a moment that people will never  forget. He talks about the ring gear he’s wearing tonight being what will help him. The gear is from the first match he wrestled as Robert Anthony. He says he has the passion and the want to for the heavyweight championship.

-This show was done in conjunction with David Herro’s GLCW company, so this is more like a half of a show than a full one.

-The Baron brothers bury Harry Smith to start. He would care, but he’s a little busy wrestling for the best company in the world, New Japan Pro Wrestling. Lou D’Angeli and Nikki St. John come out. D’Angeli says he could come out and rip everyone a new one, but Racine, Wisconsin is a terrible place anyway. He wants the women’s title to be given back to Nikki St. John. D’Angeli actually calls the Baron brothers money marks. I love shoot comments… you know the rest. Jacque Baron implies St. John is a slut. THIS SEGMENT. Thankfully, Melanie Cruise comes out as we get to the action.

-Resistance Pro Women’s Championship: Melanie Cruise (champion) vs. Nikki St. John

Match in Five Words or Less: Schmozz

Match Summary: The graphic showed Cruise as the champion. Dr. Keith said this was for the vacant title. This is the kind of quality control Resistance Pro desperately needs to get better at. Immediate boot by Cruise. Forearm. Into the corner goes St. John. D’Angeli trips Cruise up. St. John with arm wringer and Russian legsweep. Choking along the middle rope. D’Angeli becomes involved again. Now to the choking in the corner. Dr. Keith explaining the previous month’s angle was incredible. Jackknife pin but Cruise bridges out and backslides St. John. Double axehandles by St. John. Boot to the midsection and facebuster. Cocky cover for two. Boot and a neckbreaker. Cruise boots out of the corner. Side slam. D’Angeli pulls the referee out of the ring. Cruise yells at the referee. The referee calls for the bell. Melanie Cruise is disqualified? For grabbing the referee’s shirt?

The Barons restart the match even though Dr. Keith just said the referee’s word is final in Resistance Pro. Cruise hits a back suplex. Only a two count. Forearm. Flapjack but St. John kicks out. Leg drop hits for Cruise. Elbow drops. Forearm smash. Clothesline misses. St. John with a facebuster. Elbow pad comes off. St. John ties Cruise in a pretzel. Cruise into the roll-up. St. John goes for a choke sleeper. Bodyscissors applied. Cruise comes back with a boot to the midsection. They take turns in the mount position. St. John shoves the referee. Cruise does it too. HOW IS THAT NOT A DISQUALIFICATION? They both shove the  referee. Now it’s  a double disqualification. The belt is still held up (I guess.) The girls are still brawling because why not. Cruise ends the brawl with a rydeen bomb. Lou D’Angeli hits Cruise with a cell phone because he’s a Paul Heyman gu…knock-off.

-Jacque Baron gets on the microphone (again) says the women’s title will be crowned on the next show. It’s an “I Quit” match and D’Angeli is banned from ringside. Remember that.

Match Analysis: Someone needs to explain to me how pulling a referee out of the ring is okay, but grabbing a referee’s shirt constitutes a disqualification. It’s one match and I feel like my intelligence has been insulted.  These girls work hard and deserve much better than to be placed in these dumb angles. Can you imagine someone in Racine seeing  this company for the first time? I bet they were very confused and not sure what to think about the DQs. Just confusing, frustrating, and way too long of an explanation for my liking. Pro wrestling isn’t that hard, yet some people insist it must be.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: No-contest/7:08/*1/2

-Chris Castro and Matt Knicks introduce themselves. These guys look like Wayne and Garth from a recent Chikara show. Somehow the kings of the dark match get a chance at the tag team titles.

-Samuray Del Sol is the king of air. Lince Dorado can’t make it. Aztec Emperor is here to take Dorado’s spot. Del Sol claims not to know their opponents but say they’re bringing Lucha Libre to R-Pro.

-Resistance Pro Tag Team Tournament: Two Star Heroes (Chris Castro and Matt Knicks) vs. Rising Sun 2.0 (Samuray Del Sol and Aztec Emperor)

Match in Five Words or Less: Still Going?

Match Summary: I’m confused. Are Knicks and Castro replacing the Briscoes or Rock ‘n’ Roll Express? Knicks tries to break dance but fails. Del Sol takes him down and ties his legs up. Knicks reaches the bottom rope to break it up. Del Sol maintains the advantage on the mat. Knicks comes back with am armdrag. Off comes the head band, so this is serious. Emperor and Castro check in. Armdrag by Emperor. Lucha armdrag. Running rana. Shoulder block by Castro and armdrag. Takedown. Castro goes for the mask, but Emperor gets mad. Palm thrust connects. Castro goes for a hug. Del Sol reenters the match. Armdrag by Knicks. Del Sol with one of his own. Lucha springboard armdrag. More flips. Boot by Knicks and a left hand. Into the corner. Knicks with a nice Lucha armdrag. Spinning armdrag off the top rope. Spin kick misses. Duel dropkicks and we have a stalemate. Emperor controls Castro. Firemen’s carry and another armdrag by Emperor. Uppercut. Double hip toss. Double team as Del Sol is tossed on top of Castro. Springboard splash. Double drop toe hold. Emperor ends up on top for two. Leaping enziguri by Castro. Del Sol knocked off the apron. Heat segment on Emperor. Roll-up by Emperor. Crucifx pin. Kick to the head by Castro. Knicks crotches himself coming back in the ring. Head to the lower nether regions on Emperor. Overhead throw sends Knicks hard into the corner. Castro boots Del Sol off the apron. Emperor battles off both men at last. Del Sol hits a high cross body. Spin kick to Knicks’s head. Double team by Castro and Knicks. Del Sol flips and sends them over. Del Sol sent flying. Dropkick sends Castro and Knicks to the outside. Del Sol launches Emperor into a dive. Huge spinning dive by Del Sol. Thrusts and kicks in the ring by Del Sol on Knicks. Low dropkick on Castro. Double team backcracker by Two Star Heroes. Emperor comes in. Samoan drop on Knicks. Castro with a kick to the back of the head. Acecrusher. No one knows who’s legal at this point. Knicks with a kick on Del Sol. Del Sol with a release German suplex. Side kick. Northern lights suplex. Chop by Castro. Gringo killer countered. Reverse rana by Del Sol on Castro.

Match Analysis: Knicks and Castro showed some flashes of brilliance, but they’re not ready to have quality tag team matches on major independent wrestling shows. Emperor didn’t look particularly great and was easily the sloppiest of the four. Del Sol is a fine performer, but he cannot carry three other guys. I liked some of what I saw, but the action was not consistent enough for me to say this was a worthwhile match.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Rising Sun 2.0/14:30/**

-Ashton Vuitton says the number one export in Wisconsin is cheese. He doesn’t know how to eat it and calls the people of Wisconsin pigs for eating it.

-Ashton Vuitton (w/Eric St. Vaughn) vs. Mr. 450

Match in Five Words or Less: Vindication for Luchadors

Match Summary: Vuitton has shown flashes of brilliance in the ring with Samuray Del Sol, and he seems to be embracing his character quite well too. After hearing a pretaped promo, we get the live version. He puts over New York for whatever reason and buries Racine. Vuitton tells the referee to wash his hands before checking him. Good gimmick actually. Vuitton with a cheap shot to the back. Chop war. Boot by Vuitton. Springboard forearm and dropkick by 450. Kick to the chest. Up and over by Vuitton. Suplex blocked by 450. Battle on the apron. 450 sends Vuitton down. Superkick. Tope suicida connects. Kick by Vuitton. He walks cat walk style on the stairs. 450 hits a rana on the floor. Chop. Vuitton misses a charge and gets kicked. St. Vaughn puts Vuitton’s fur coat on 450’s head. Kick to the head. 450 tossed away. Springboard cross body. Chops in the corner. Whip across. Back elbow by 450. Vuitton follows 450 and hits a release German suplex. 1-2-NO! Taunting boots and slaps. Flapjack and Vuitton kips up. He uses 450 as a cat walk. Knee to the head. He kisses his muscles but gets kicked. Roll-up by 450. Slap in the face. Knee to the face and a running dropkick. Vuitton goes to town on 450 with rights and lefts. He puts 450’s mask back on him. More right hands. Chop by 450. Knee to the midsection by Vuitton. Forearm in the corner. Chop. Vuitton crotches 450 on the top rope. 450 flips off. Sitdown powerbomb. Both men  are down. Clothesline misses or Vuitton. 450 hits one. Running enziguri to the back of the head. Running kick.  Swinging neckbreaker by 450 and a springboard moonsault. Kick blocked. Vuitton hits a dragon sleeper suplex. Vuitton holds on. Knees by 450. Shove in the corner. Charge misses. 450 hits a tornado DDT. 450 splash gets three.

Match Analysis: Best match of the night so far. Crowd hasn’t really been into things all night and in front of the Chicago crowd, I think this plays way better. Vuitton is one of R-Pro’s best heel acts, and I would have liked to have seen him get the win and keep the streak going. 450 is decent, but he seems more concerned with getting his moveset in as opposed to telling a story in the ring. Case in point going on the offense so quickly after having the coat thrown on him and subsequent kick to the face.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Mr. 450/9:37/**1/2

-“Lonesome” Jay Bradley is readying for his main event three way match for the Resistance Pro heavyweight title. He has no time for words.

-Resistance Pro Heavyweight Championship: Jay Bradley vs. Robert Anthony vs. Bobby Lashley

Match in Five Words or Less: A Deserving Champion

Match Summary: We’re about to crown the second ever R-Pro champion, and the first one isn’t even going to lose it in the ring. *shakes head*This is an elimination style contest, which I very much approve of. Bradley hits Anthony in the back and takes him down. Lock-up with Lashley. Shoulder block and clothesline over the top by Lashley. Anthony grabs a headlock on Lashley. He gets tossed out. Lashley goes for a powerslam. Kick by Anthony. Lashley hits a stalling vertical suplex. Anthony heads to the outside, and Lashley is now the only wrestler in the ring. Anthony and Bradley argue with each other. Lashley continues battling both R-Pro regulars. Elbow in the corner on Bradley. Anthony comes off the middle rope and gets caught. Press slam sends him in the corner. Flatliner on Bradley. Right hand and kick by Lashley. Whip across and running splash. Football tackle hits. Clubbering blow to the back. Anthony with a low dropkick on Lashley. Missile drop. Bradley hits the BOOMSTICK! Lashley is gone.

Bradley tosses Anthony out of the ring. I’m stunned Lashley is gone that quickly. A fine use of money there. Anthony sent hard into apron. Bradley with a clubbering blow across the chest. Snapmare and knee to the face. Series of right hands. Snap suplex doesn’t go very well. Knee to the face. He gets into with the Racine crowd. Stomp to Anthony. Bodyslam. Leaping knee drop. Forearm and  a clubbering blow. Anthony takes him into the ropes. Anthony hits a neckbreaker across the top rope. Springboard leg drop. Bradley rolls to the outside. Bradley misses a clothesline. He brings Anthony down with a lariat to the legs. Anthony sent into apron. Anthony sent into the barricade. Back drop into the front row. Anthony runs all around the ring and hits a flying hip attack. Elbow to the back of the head. Anthony with a series of strikes in the corner. Boot to the midsection. Up and over. Bradley misses. Anthony misses a clothesline. Back suplex into the top turnbuckle. Snapmare into a chinlock. Knees from Anthony as he works out of the hold. Blow to the head. Bradley appears to hit Anthony low. Dropkick. Running forearm. He brings Bradley down and hits an eznuguri. Kick. Running boot from Bradley. Anthony hits a springboard acecrusher. To the top rope. Bradley grabs his foot. Moonsault misses. BOOM.. no. DVD by Anthony. 1-2-NO! Bradley plants him. Short DDT. Bradley with a blow to the back. Anthony with elbows. Bradley counters. Tombstone piledriver! 1-2-NO! Off comes the elbow pad. Anthony inside cradle. 1-2-3! NEW CHAMPION! Anthony outsmarts Bradley to get the victory.

Match Analysis: A smart finish to set up one final contest the following month. The difference between these two and so many of the other wrestlers on the Resistance Pro roster should be pretty clear after watching this match. These two were able to tell a story and put together a very good little match. Maybe not a main event level affair but at least the right man has the championship now.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW Heavyweight Champion-Robert Anthony/19:30/***1/4

-Dr. Keith tries to get a word with Jay Bradley. Bradley doesn’t know what to do. The brass ring always alludes him. He talks about being thrown away by WWE. He tells Dr. Keith to go type about this on the internet. Man, even when you’re in the business, us IWC folks cannot get any love.

-Nikki St. John plays the piano because why not. She and D’Angeli talk about DESTINY. He relates it back to the piano and getting the note right. St. John talks about being close. D’Angeli says St. John can’t quit. He says he won’t be at ringside the following month. St. John says she’ll do it on her own. She’s not scared anymore and vows to fulfill her destiny.

The Verdict: Hard to justify paying 20 dollars for this show given its run time, 90 minutes, and the match quality, which wasn’t exactly sterling. The company has its flashes of brilliance and some quality talent, but they continue to shoot themselves in the foot with their inconsistent booking and inability to bring in talent month-to-month. Thumbs down.

For more information on Resistance Pro, including event information and the opportunity to purchase this and all other DVDs, please check out their website.

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