VWAA Out of The Ashes 2013
February 23rd 2013
Villa Park,IL
Commentary provided by Jordan Pryde & Kirby Alexander
Opening was an odd sequence with tongue in cheek references to Back to the Future and some B level movie where the White House blows up. Referencing that VWAA is starting anew and with this being their first event of 2013, I can kinda dig where they were going with this. It got a chuckle out of me, and that’s not easy to do. For better or worse. Fun start to the DVD.
Prince Mustafa Ali vs. Rickey Shane Page
Prince Ali truly knows how to get heat for this crowd. The opening video sequence for Ali was intriguing with overtones to issues Americans are facing, while also being a heel. Match was basic with some decent chain wrestling in the beginning, with some rather basic heel tactics by Ali which after awhile got tedious. When the match went into second gear though, both men were on their mark and the intensity was picked up a few notches. Ali pulling out a splash to Shane’s arm and focusing on it the rest of the match with some innovative moves has to be the story of this match with Page tryin to do everything he could to Ali with that injury. A swinging DDT from the ring apron (albeit a short apron) to the floor and a top rope drop kick to Page’s arm were what led Ali to a win. Great opener that got the crowd ready for the rest of the night.
Joe Firoz vs. Benjamin Boone
Boone got mentioned in WWE recently and so it was interesting to see the interest level in him suddenly increase. Firoz being the smaller, quicker athlete and Boone being the power tactician turned in the match that you would expect. Boone brought a tire to the ring and came into play in a small way during the match that was rather questionable when the ref didn’t chastise Boone more for the open use. Firoz fought back though and was able get a win with the use of his Elephant’s Graveyard (code breaker) and Flyin Lion (head scissor takedown) and a very well timed reverse on a pin attempt by Boone. Basic match which was highlighted by Boone continuing to scream forever, channeling Funk for some reason. Might have to get the background on that.
Thunderkitty w Dr. Pinder vs. Mia Martinez
This was an interesting match. Somehow the phrase, “Kick him in his doogie howser” was shouted at Dr. Pinder before the match was just as entertaining as the fan interactions throughout the night with a particular fan in the front row. Thunderkitty is tremendous, as if any of you reading this didn’t know that already from her appearances throughout the indy circuit. Mia was said to be returning to the ring after a bit of a hiatus, but Thunderkitty would not be my first choice of a comeback match. Mia was able to out wrestle her in many situations of basic holds such as arm wrenches and leg locks but ultimately Thunderkitty proved her strength to be having Pinder at ringside as the winning advantage getting the pinfall with her feet on the ropes. A good match, better than I was expecting.
The League (Tripp Cassidy & Reed Bentley) vs. Bobby Beverly & Eric Ryan
The guys of the former School of Roc went up against team AIW(technically #NIXON I guess) and while it seemed some of the crowd were unaware of what The League could bring, this was my favorite match of the night so far. The hard strikes and technical grappling showcased in this match would require a master of play by play writing such as Kevin Ford could provide, I unfortunately do not possess those skills. But I can say for certain that this match certainly delivers on all accounts. The dual forearms to Bentley’s face made my cheeks hurt as did the a lot of the great tandem wrestling from all four men. This match alone is worth the $7 pricetag of the DVD. The League get the win in an awesome contest. Must see in my opinion.
Thomas Sinclair vs. Dale Patricks
Patricks being from Sacramento, CA tears me in this match since Sinclair I feel is one of the must underrated wrestlers on the circuit today. If you have not picked up the combo DVD pack with all of VWAA’s Jan to Apr events for only $18 and seen the great feud between Sinclair and Velazquez, you’re missing out. These guys shake hands and it seems sportsmanship is still alive. Thomas it seems has left Dr. Pinder by the wayside but he has not left behind any of his technical skill. Another School of Roc graduate in Dale Patrick and it shows what good training he has here as both men are putting on a clinic. Great technical match. I hope we get another chance to see this somewhere down the line.
Methias Kelevra vs. La Reina Plata (not sure of spelling)
This was essentially a squash match with Plata getting literally no offense in. Kelevra killed him with a double arm front suplex. Kelevra was awesome in 2012, 2013 is going to be interesting to watch.
Johnny Gargano vs. Isaias Velazquez
This is the match I’ve been waiting to see. Not only is Isaias putting on some awesome wrestling in other promotions we follow here at PWP, but Johnny Gargano is one of the best on the indy scene as the Open the Freedom Gate champion in DGUSA and this is truly a test of skill for Isaias. If the tag match was worth the $7 alone, this match makes the DVD a steal at that price. Gargano is in classic form though when it comes to jaw jacking with a certain fan. The styles of these two really meshed well with a great mix of striking and technical know how. It was actually interesting to hear a crowd legit give some heat to Gargano whereas usually it’s tongue in cheek. This was a good match per the action, but the story they were telling along with the fan interaction really understated that both men knew what to give the crowd. Isaias gets the win but it was close and I hope to see more of Gargano back in VWAA.
OVERALL: I thought this was a good showing for their first show of 2013. I had not seen them in this venue before and the ceiling was pretty low hanging otherwise I feel we would have seen some different wrestling. The overall look was ok, though in the past I’ve seen better production from them in terms of lighting and entrance so that also was probably the limitations of the venue. Wrestling was decent to good. Nothing over “3 stars” if I had to rate them but I dislike that because a lot of factors go into a match and for what it’s worth, I feel that several of the matches are worth seeing with two being recommendable to any wrestling fan who wants to check out something new. I’m hopeful to check out their second event soon and keep an eye on these guys in 2013. They have a lot of talent coming in and a lot of core talent that will be names to watch for.
Update: Smart Mark Video now has it on VOD HERE!
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