Tag team wresting is dead. How many times in recent years have you heard someone utter those five words or some similar combination? Mainstream wrestling has neutered the artform to the point where WWE fans are already calling for the split of Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
Fortunately for wrestling fans, tag team wrestling lives and thrives on the independent scene. Dreamwave Wrestling has an impressive tag team division, filled with the likes of Members Only, Zero Gravity, the Beck Family, Helter Skelter, PRIDE, Super Clean and others. At March 2’s “Road to Anniversary: Misfortune,” though, the focus was on a different flavor of tag team wrestling.
The annual lethal lottery-style show split teams – except Members Only and PRIDE, who ended up together by luck of the draw – and forced enemies to coexist and friends to compete against each other. The lethal lottery concept allows for unique pairings and matches that wouldn’t make logical sense any other way, and because of that, some magic had an opportunity to unfold.
The eight Misfortune tag matches featured some brilliant wrestling, as well as launched and advanced stories moving into April’s big Anniversary event. With an event like this, the best way to examine and analyze the happenings is with a match-by-match look at the tournament’s opening round.
Vic Capri and Colt Cabana vs. Members Only (Shane Hollister and Dan Lawrence): The reigning Tag Team champions faced off with an oddball pairing in this opener, which featured a fair amount of comedy from Cabana, as is to be expected. The set-up of the match allowed for some tweaks to Cabana’s routine, which helped keep things feeling a bit fresher. He “questionably” and “accidentally” had several moments of miscommunication with Capri, which provided some entertainment. Hollister and Lawrence obviously worked well together as a team and ultimately picked up the win in a fun, solid opener that set the stage for what was to come.
CJ Esparza and Prince Mustafa Ali vs. Samuray Del Sol and Lince Dorado: This match. There’s so much to say about it, but it has to be noted up front that for the second month in a row, Ali has stolen the spotlight with his performance. He and Esparza, one half of Zero Gravity, played their roles well, as they didn’t get along up front but began to work together out of necessity by the end. The masked luchadors gelled tremendously as a team, and all four men busted their backsides here to put on an engaging, extremely fun match. They hit high gear and had the crowd buying into every nearfall. In the end, Ali and Esparza won with a little help from Ali’s manager, C-Red, as Ali made Del Sol tap to a standing Figure Four variation. Watch this match. When you’re done, consider watching it again.
PRIDE (Ace Martino and Tyler Priegel) vs. Justice Jones and Matt Knicks: This is one of those storyline-driven matches, but it also told a good story and featured good in-ring action. Jones, a former member of PRIDE, defeated Priegel and Martino in a tag match at February’s Season Premiere, but this time, he was forced into a three-on-one situation, as he teamed with PRIDE apprentice Knicks. Jones is a talented big man and played his role to perfection. Throughout the match, he never got his hands on Martino, the group’s leader, but he managed to pin Priegel for the win. He called out Martino for Anniversary, giving this match some meaning as he’s gone through hell to get his hands on his former partner. Good mix of storytelling and wrestling here.
Matt Cage and Lamar Titan vs. Brett Gakiya and Marshe Rockett: Much like his partner Esparza earlier in the show, Zero Gravity’s Gakiya had the distinction of being part of one of the best matches on this card. Cage and Titan played the partners at odds, while Gakiya and Rockett were the babyfaces willing to cooperate. Both pairings made for some interesting developments, especially Gakiya and Rockett who worked really well together as a team, despise an amusing size differential. This match was filled with a lot of fun action and cool spots. Gakiya picked up the win for his team with a Randy Orton-style RKO, perhaps a tribute to his partner’s own M-80 finisher. After the match, Cage laid Titan out, saying he’s tired of being a victim of circumstance. All four men shined in this match and deserve big opportunities in Dreamwave and beyond.
Alex Castle and Cousin Dixie vs. Markus Crane and Waylon Beck: With partners/stablemates on opposite sides of the ring in this one, it became all about storyline with very little wrestling actually involved. Cage tried getting Crane to lay down, which Dixie wasn’t having. In the end of a short match, Dixie charged Crane in the corner, but Castle pulled him out of the way. Beck capitalized by rolling up Dixie for the win. Dixie appeared mad, but the rest of the Beck Family came out, including special guest “Uncle” Hillbilly Jim (dressed in dress slacks, a Hawaiian shirt and shades, mind you) and they all danced and had a good time. The match was kept short and inoffensive and played off ongoing issues between Helter Skelter and the Becks, so this was perfectly acceptable, if not spectacular.
Matu and Arya Daivari vs. Steve Boz and Judd the Janitor: Boz started this match against the two foreign heels alone, as it wasn’t even announced who his partner would be. There was some good wrestling and a few stereotypical Samoan comedy spots involving Matu in the beginning. When things looked bleak for Boz, “Real American” hit and Judd came out dressed as Hulk Hogan. Much like his John Cena shtick at the Season Premiere, he ran through the motions. Instead of ending this match, though, the shenanigans caused Boz to turn on his partner, deliver a superkick and walk out on the match. I don’t know enough about Boz or his role in Dreamwave to contextualize the heel turn, but it seemed rather odd. Hopefully it leads to something in the future, as Boz appears to be a talented performer.
Bucky Collins and Luther vs. Cousin Bobby and Tony Rican: Once again, members of the Beck Family are on opposite sides in this contest, and Collins has to team with the man who attacked Waylon Beck last month. This was another storyline match with little action of note, though Collins and Rican, who competed on the pre-show at the Season Premiere, were given a slight opportunity to shine. Bobby and Luther brawled to the back, and when Rican had Collins set up for a top-rope move, Cousin Nikki kissed him, distracted him and shoved him off, allowing Collins to score the win without knowing what his Southern beau had done. All might not be as happy in this relationship as originally seemed. Again, decent storyline set-up, especially with Collins and Nikki, but not much of note in the actual match.
Christian Rose and Dan the Man vs. Nick Brubaker and Jason Hades: Rose, Hades and Brubaker are the three men at the center of Dreamwave’s top story this season, and this match did a good job continuing to build the stories between the three of them. After the events of the Season Premiere, Brubaker, the Dreamwave World Champion, and Hades were at odds from the get-go, and they worked to isolate Dan the Man while playing a game of one-upsmanship against each other. Rose played his role extremely well, launching psychological warfare and driving a wedge between the two friends, including tricking Hades into assaulting Brubaker at the end of the match, allowing Rose to score a win for his team and remain undefeated. Rose still isn’t 100 percent likeable, but the crowd bought into him and cheered his name on several occasions. The issues between Rose, Hades and Brubaker can only intensify from here, and seeing these three work together, that’s perfectly fine. Watching a season’s length of these three interacting will provide a number of quality matches and moments that will shape this season’s legacy.
The first round of the Misfortune tournament managed to successfully blend quality wrestling with storytelling in a manner that flowed well and kept interest alive. Throughout the tournament matches, the commentators repeatedly mentioned how matches like this could only happen because of a lethal lottery, and that’s what makes the concept one worth keeping an annual tradition.
Quick Hits
– The 16 winners of the first-round matches met in a main event battl e royal that really didn’t do much to stand out. After eight tag team matches, that all worked in their own way, the finals of the tournament were, for the most part, a typical cluttered battle royal. There were little hints of stories being advanced and told throughout the match, but it was mostly standard fare until it came down to the final four of Hollister, Rose, Ali and Rockett. At this point, the lights went out and John Morrison’s music hit, but unlike his surprise appearance at February’s Season Premiere, this time Morrison only appeared on the video screen.
It was odd seeing all four men just standing there, captivated by the video. One would think at least Ali would be capitalizing on the distraction to attack his opponents, but he was courteous enough to wait for the video to end before tossing Rose. Hollister would go out rather quickly, too, and then perennial rivals Ali and Rockett were able to put together a fun home stretch with a number of near eliminations, including an M-80 on the apron. In the end, interference from C-Red allowed Ali to eliminate Rockett. On a personal level, it’s still weird seeing C-Red and Rockett on opposing sides, as I’ve known them more as members of Da Soul Touchaz.
After the match, CEO JC Costilli announced that Ali and Rockett would meet in a TLC match for the Alternative Championship at Anniversary. Rockett attacked Ali immediately, Rose went after Costilli, Hades chased Rose and Brubaker came out. The show faded to black with chaos in the ring, a fitting end to the build to Anniversary.
– The two pre-show matches, Knight Wagner vs. Kenny Sutra and Moondog Bernard vs. Maxwell Chicago, were good for their spot on the card. Wagner and Sutra put together a fun sprint of a babyface-babyface match that allowed Wagner to show off more than he could at the Season Premiere. Sutra also showed some talent, and I’d like to see more of him in the future. In the other match, Chicago provided some welcome comedy, from his tuxedo-designed gear to his antics in the ring. He’d be a welcome addition on most shows. Bernard, on the otherhand, didn’t really stand out as much more than a big guy in caveman jorts.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this show felt like a step up from a really solid Season Premiere. There were some bigger-named stars here like Cabana and Del Sol, and they blended well with the regulars to create good, fun matches. Lethal lottery is a great concept that’s always fun to watch play out, and this was no exception. Dreamwave did a great job building on the stories that have already been and setting the stage for what seems poised to be an amazing Anniversary show. While Season Premiere is the most logical starting point for someone looking to check out the product, it’s hard not to direct them to this show instead. This show is an easy recommendation, and I’m looking forward to Anniversary tremendously.
Match Rundown
Knight Wagner d. Kenny Sutra (Pre-Show)
Maxwell Chicago d. Moondog Bernard (Pre-Show)
Members Only d. Vic Capri and Colt Cabana
Prince Mustafa Ali and CJ Esparza d. Samuray Del Solo and Lince Dorado
Justice Jones and Matt Knicks d. PRIDE
Brett Gakiya and Marshe Rockett d. Matt Cage and Lamar Titan
Waylon Beck and Markus Crane d. Cousin Dixie and Alex Castle
Arya Daivari and Matu d. Steve Boz and Judd the Janitor
Bucky Collins and Luther d. Tony Rican and Cousin Bobby
Christian Rose and Dan the Man d. Nick Brubaker and Jason Hades
Prince Mustafa Ali won the Misfortune Battle Royal
Dreamwave events are available on DVD and as digital download from www.smartmarkvideo.com. To learn more about the company, visit www.dreamwavewrestling.com. Find them on social media at www.facebook.com/dreamwavewrestling and www.twitter.com/dwwrestling.