After enduring the Arlington Heights show, AAW thankfully returned home for Day of Defiance on what was a big wrestling weekend in Chicago given Chikara (R.I.P) ran a doubleshot the very next day about 25 minutes north of Berwyn. Going into the show, the card looked very solid, and there was definitely I was looking forward to, particularly the match involving Davey Richards against Mixed Martial Archie. What I got on this show was everything I want an AAW show to be. No filler two star matches. No wasted time. Every match and segment that took place in the ring served some sort of purpose. This was very close to being my independent wrestling show of the year, and one match in particular really stood out as an example of being able to have a violent, intense main event.
Shane Hollister and Sami Callihan received a lot of time to end their feud. Most importantly, Hollister ultimately won the match buy himself without the help of others. Marcus Crane did interfere but got hit with a back drop driver from the apron to the floor. To answer your question, the man is probably insane. Dan Lawrence tried interfering, but Colt Cabana prevented that from happening. Finally, Scarlett had the stretch muffler applied to her, so she was taken out of commission. This left Hollister and Callihan alone. They brawled all over the place and took a tour of the building without resorting to light tubes, thumb tacks, or barbed wire. They basically only used chairs in their “Last Man Standing,” and they were a big part of the match. Hollister worked over the midsection and ribs while Callihan worked on the once broken left leg of Hollister. The ability to incorporate psychology and meaning is why this match was so great. They could not have executed this in better fashion.
I talk so much about AAW using Ring of Honor wrestlers better, but they really brought out the best in Sami Callihan, both in the ring and as a character. Callihan has not always been my favorite person at times, but he’s certainly been toned down in the right way to where his character comes off better and his in-ring work makes a lot more sense. The connection with the Berwyn crowd also helped his cause as well. Hollister is someone who has done everything he’d needed to elevate himself to the next level with improved promos and ring work. He also seems to be getting himself into the best shape of his career. I have no doubt in my mind both men are ready to move onto the next level. Callihan into WWE and Hollister with ROH/DG USA.
While watching the DVD, Callihan versus Hollister became my favorite match of the night because of the story that was told, and the fact there was a real storyline to sink my teeth into. Another easy match of the year contender could also be found on Day of Defiance. Team Ambition of Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly wrestled ACH and Michael Elgin in what could best be described as an indyrrific tag team match. These four have interacted numerous times the last few months in various combinations, so at least this dream tag team match didn’t come out of nowhere. Elgin and ACH had some fun interaction. Elgin hit the stalling suplex on both members of Team Ambition. ACH did a stalling bodyslam to a great reaction from Elgin and the crowd. Richards and O’Reilly cut ACH off for the heat segment. Once Elgin tagged in, things got real. Just a great final few minutes turned this from a good match into a truly amazing must see battle. I loved the ending specifically with ACH hitting Air Jordan, colliding with O’Reilly’s knees on a 450 splash attempt, and being pinned. Good to see O’Reilly actually get a win in AAW. In a post-show promo, ACH challenged O’Reilly to a 2-out-of-3 falls match whenever they’re both on a show together. This should be a ton of fun as these two guys have had some very good matches together. One more could be something special.
The funny part of this night was Davey Richards actually pulled double duty. Just before the intermission main event, he fought in the most anticipated match of the night with Mixed Martial Archie. I say fought because this was built as an MMA fight and not a typical wrestling match. There was a lot of concern about whether people would even remember MMArchie, but with a well-placed training video and one of his appearances actually being in Chicago one year prior, this became a tremendous segment. I loved the interaction. Both guys played their roles well with Richards being the straight man. I can’t imagine him doing something like this even a year ago, but it’s nice to see him not always take himself so seriously. This was everything I could have wanted from these two. Comedy early as MMArchie got in some leg kicks. He started counting points to the appointed judges on the outside. Lots of back and forth gave way to Richards taking some control. Archie came off the top and applied his deadly guillotine choke. Richards used his guillotine kicks and appeared to knock his opponent out. Archie came up. Moments later, he put himself in the crane position only for Richards to knock Archie out with one final kick to the head.
Given how crazy Eddie Kingston’s debut was, it speaks to the quality of the show that I would consider it the fourth most important aspect of it. The fact that he went 3-0 in one night is almost immaterial. What mattered more was the role he played. He cut multiple in-ring promos and came across so well. He commanded the crowd and had them all the way through like no one I’ve ever seen. I’m almost sad it’s taken Kingston this long to get to AAW because he fits in well. I’m not a fan of some of the language he uses, but tonally, he jives perfectly with the atmosphere. After a very good Silas Young/Samuray Del Sol match, Kingston came back and positioned himself into a feud with Young. It appears Young is going to be the default babyface who doesn’t want anyone but himself to make fun of the Berwyn faithful. Young and Del Sol was a really solid wrestling match that I think could be overlooked given everything else that happened, but Young knows how to adapt styles better than almost anyone else I’ve seen. I’m glad he got the submission win the same night as Kingston picked up essentially three wins. Given Kingston’s vicious attack, including a piledriver through a table, and an attack on Val Malone, their first match is going to be a big deal within the context of AAW. I’m psyched for what they put together and for this reason alone, could be a great starting point for a new fan looking to get into AAW.
To show the depth of the show overall, we can go back to the opener. Zero Gravity wrestled Marion Fontaine and Louis Lyndon in what was just a fun opener to get the crowd into things. Fontaine and Lyndon smartly were booked to win here after the big pinfall victory in the eight man tag three weeks earlier. For the first time in over a year, there was an AAW women’s match not involving MsChif. It was slow going for Heather Patera and Heidi Lovelace, but they had a solid contest. Lovelace played the smallish, underdog babyface to the bigger, veteran heel Patera. The crowd seemed to be into Lovelace by the end, and more consistent appearances (maybe even without MsChif around) can only help these two get over more.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Hoopla Uncensored segment. Normally, I consider them to be hot garbage whether they take place in AAW or Ring of Honor. Instead of attractive girls, this time we got Joey Eastman. He may not be Scarlet or Selezyia, but he has a personality that has gotten over with AAW fans for many years. Their interplay and chemistry carried this segment from beginning to end. The climax was an arm wrestling match which featured one of the more creative endings I've ever seen as Martini kissed Eastman on the forehead. Martini then nailed Eastman with his “Book of Truth.” Very fun segment.
Jimmy Jacobs continued his resurgant 2013 with another really good match against Jake Crist. The Crist brothers have wrestled a lot of singles in places like CZW but not in other spots. I liked Crist getting to be on his own and getting a clean victory clean. Irish Airborne have come off way more threatening and heelish in their second title reign. It's honestly been an underrated aspect of AAW this year as IA has shined in almost every match they've been in. After intermission, there was a six man tag involving a number of people without any issues plus Dan Lawrence and Colt Cabana. Lawrence evened up the feud a bit with a win after holding Cabana's tights. Mat Fitchett and Juanthai Miller were the work horses of the match as they delivered and took much of the offense from the heel team. Keith Walker and Tweek Phoenix were on the same team as Lawrence, and it will be interesting to see where We Are Here goes since they're in a holding pattern after defeating Northstache Express. I think a more definitive feud would really benefit the group. A feud with someone important that will get attention and make them matter. Kevin Harvey can talk. Lamar Titan, Phoenix, and Walker can be decent pieces, but without a direction, it's tough to see their purpose on an AAW card.
Day of Defiance was probably one of AAW's best efforts. A lot of good wrestling. Comedy that made sense and was entertaining. An important debut which immediately led to a big-time feud. Not all wrestling shows can be this good, but for AAW, I hope they can see some of the things they did right on this show and incorporate into all future shows from here on.
Grade: A
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-Taped from Berwyn, Illinois
-Commentators: Phil Colvin and Dave Prazak
-Louis Lyndon and Marion Fontaine defeat Zero Gravity. Fontaine pins Esparza after a springboard moonsault. (Bret Gakiya and CJ Esparza)/8:21/***
-Heather Patera defeats Heidi Lovelace by pinfall with the swinging full nelson bomb/9:24/**3/4
-Jake Crist (AAW Tag Team Champion) defeats Jimmy Jacobs by pinfall with a bridged Canadian Destroyer/10:27/***1/4
-Davey Richards defeats Mixed Martial Archie by knock-out with a kick to the head/7:58/****
-Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly defeat Michael Elgin (AAW Heavyweight Champion) and ACH(AAW Heritage Champion). O’Reilly pins ACH after getting his knees up on a 450 splash and rolling him up/23:58/****1/4
-Keith Walker, Tweek Phoenix, and Dan Lawrence (w/Kevin Harvey and Nikki) defeat Colt Cabana, Mat Fitchett, and Juanthai Miller. Lawrence pins Cabana with a roll-up after holding the tights./9:18/***
-Eddie Kingston defeats Jordan McEntyre with a Backfist to the Future/1:23/N/R
-Eddie Kingston defeats Marcus Crane by pinfall with a back drop driver/0:44/N/R
-Eddie Kingston defeats Knight Wagner by pinfall with a Backfist to the Future as Wagner was diving off the top rope/2:03/N/R
-Silas Young defeats Samuray Del Sol by submission with the Stock Lock/15:31/***1/2
-Shane Hollister defeats Sami Callihan in a “Last Man Standing” match after a brainbuster through a chair/35:14/****1/2
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