gangsta

“PC Load Letter? The fuck does that mean?”

AIW’s “Damn It Feels Good To Be a Gangsta” event is like a tale of two shows. The first four matches were fairly inconsequential though they had some solid action. The last four matches really picked things up, played heavily into the company’s direction, and brought some crazy action. In fact, every match on this show was under street fight rules.

During the Jollyville Fuck-Its and Submission Squad opening match, a plastic goose came into play and was used in an atomic drop spot from T-Money onto Evan Gelestico. T-Money wore a hubcap that says “FUCK IT” around his neck that was also used. The ending was a bit weak as in just a little over 5 minutes the Submission Squad got the win. As I’ve said in the past two reviews, the Fuck-Its seem like a team who could be AIW tag team champions by the end of the year. Losing to the Submission Squad won’t get them there any faster. It was short and the outcome wasn’t great, but not offensive or anything. I appreciate them incorporating comedy into the show’s street fight atmosphere.

ACH, Louis Lyndon, Davey Vega, and Gary Jay brought all the energy and high flying you would want. The only street fight aspect used here were some pool noodles that ACH used on Vega’s back. This is one of those matches where it was best served for everybody to stay in the ring anyways. Lyndon surprisingly ended up getting the win with a low blow to ACH. As good as Lyndon has been in the ring I must say it’s about time he developed a character too. Maybe this is a sign that he will be something more than a utility player for AIW, but if not, this goes to show that him and everyone else in this match fit that bill just fine.

I feel like a broken record complaining about Hope & Change every month. I must admit, their match with the Batiri built very well and I was looking forward to it, but only to a certain extent. It’s really hard to look forward to a Hope & Change match when you just know the lame four count rule, some cheating, or both will come into play. I was happy to see the Batiri on offense for a long while. This was a very good night for them, as they got to look formidable and strong against the reigning champs. They even had me thinking that they had the titles won when Obariyon nailed the Rapture on Iron. He managed to get a three count, then Scott came in to Oklahoma Roll him before the four count and steal the pin. While the finish was clever and the Batiri really looked strong, Hope & Change did not pull their total weight. Outside of Scott willing herself to take some spots into bacon and getting DESTROYED with a reverse waterwheel slam/knee strike combo, I can’t think of any outstanding contributions they made to this match. Proof positive that The Batiri should have those belts back sooner rather than later. That move they killed Veda with should be a world ending finisher, always and forever.

Addy Star and Jody DiMilo had a good match, but there’s nothing really more to pontificate on. Starr won with the Sliding D to build her feud with Donst, but that’s really all there is to say. It was good too, and Starr’s 100th match, so good for them.

The six man street fight is where things really picked up. NIXON has been on a tear about tearing AIW down, so who better to pit them against then Colin Delaney, who will be challenging for Eric Ryan’s Absolute title quite soon, and two Cleveland legends in Matt Cross and Josh Prohibition? Knowing how strong they could be, The Duke appointed himself the referee. To his credit, I don’t think it compromised the match at all. These six men tore the house down. They hit hard, they flew the air, and there were weapons upon weapons upon weapons. Rickey Shane Page must hate himself. Taking light tubes to the face is not something a sane, confident person does, but it was pretty vicious. Him taking a dump through a table with Bobby Beverly was also quite a sight. Colin Delaney ended up pinning Ryan with a rope-assisted Code Breaker to give him some momentum towards Absolution. It was refreshing to see the AIW team win in this feud, especially in a “clean” manner. Chest Flexor has been jumping in to attack the Duke and NIXON most every show, and his appearance led to Matt Cross blasting Duke over the head with a guitar. Flexor then used Duke’s unconscious hand to make the count. I’d say this was on par from the awesome and insane brawl that occurred back at “Hell on Earth 8.” Quality stuff.

Ethan Page and Josh Alexander trumped their National Pro Wrestling Day match in a big way. Out of all the matches on the show, this had the most weapons based offense. The six man tag had a lot more blood and utilized weapons more often, but these two incorporated weapons into their usual repertoire. Page used an Iconoclasm through some chairs. Alexander gave Page the Implant not just on the stage, but off the second rope through two tables. Page caught Alexander with “Boom! Head Shot” onto some guardrails, while Alexander would then superplex Page onto those very same guardrails moments later. This led to a very interesting finish. Page’s manager Seleziya Sparx, who had left the ringside area earlier, came to Page’s aid after he was superplexed onto the guardrails. Feeling concerned for her man, Sparx takes off her white panties and uses them as a “white flag” to end the match and award the match to Alexander. Once he came too, Page angrily threw Sparx down with the “Spinning Dwayne” and officially ends their relationship. This would lead to an awesome development at the JLIT, but we’ll save that for the review of those shows.

Finally, we had Chris Dickinson and BJ Whitmer got to choose each others opponents for the night. Dickinson chose Michael Elgin for Whitmer giving me a match I’ve wanted to see for awhile. While these two certainly didn’t disappoint, it certainly didn’t have the epic feel I would have wanted. I guess when there’s no real story to a match it’s too be expected but both guys still worked their asses off. Needless to say, it was the best match both guys had to offer in a one off scenario. Whitmer chose MASADA for Dickinson, bringing him back to the company after an over year long hiatus from the company. I think the problem with putting this in the main event is that the three matches the preceeded it already had so much violence and stiff strikes that it was extremely difficult to put on a match that went above and beyond those bouts. While there were heavy strikes and some weapons utilized (such as a Death Valley Driver through a table) the crowd had already seen it all and barely gave these guys a reaction. I felt bad, but that goes to show that card structuring is important. Has this not been the main event and (for example) the first match after intermission, it would have had a much larger and favorable reaction. It was fine but not an ideal way to end the show.

Overall: The four way and the second half of the card make this a thumbs up show. Alexander/Page and the six guys in the street fight especially bust their humps while the Pick Your Poison bouts offer something unique and really fun. I know anticipate to see what the company has in story for the #JLIT and Absolution VIII because they are on a roll.

You can pick up this show on DVD from AIW’s store or Smart Mark Video. For a reduced price, you can also download the show as an mp4 from Smart Mark Video or watch it On Demand from SMVOD.

AIW presents “Absolution VIII” on iPPV on June 30th through SMVOD. You can pre-order this stacked show ft. Derrick Bateman, Michael Elgin, Johnny Gargano and others here.

For more information on AIW, check out their official website, their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter, and follow them on Tumblr.

Quick Results/Match Times/Star Ratings

Every match is under Street Fight rules

1. The Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy & Evan Gelistico) defeated The Jollyville Fuck-Its (Russ Myers & T-Money) in 5:37 when Gelestico schoolboyed Myers. *

2. Louis Lyndon defeats ACH, Gary Jay, and Davey Vega in 13:55, cradling ACH after kicking him in the groin. ***

3. AIW Tag Team Championship: Hope & Change (Gregory Iron & Veda Scott) successfully defended the titles against The Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama) when Scott Oklahoma Rolled Obariyon at 9:24. **

4. Addy Starr pins Jody DiMilo with the Sliding D at 8:49. **½

5. Colin Delaney & Youthanazia (Matt Cross & Josh Prohibition) defeated NIXON (Eric Ryan, Rickey Shane Page, & Bobby Beverly) in 20:31 when Delaney pinned Ryan with a top-rope assisted Code Breaker. ***¾

6. BJ Whitmer triumphs over Michael Elgin with a super wrist-clutch exploder suplex in 18:42. ***½

7. Josh Alexander defeats Ethan Page at 22:50 when Page’s manager Seleziya Sparx uses her white panties as a towel to surrender on Page’s behalf. ***¾

8. Chris Dickinson pins MASADA with the Brain Eater onto (but not through) a table in 18:06. **¾

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