On July 14th VWAA followed up their Numbers Game 3.0 show with Paving the Path. This show featured such talent as Ophidian, Chuck Taylor, Mustafa Ali and the first VWAA Circuit title defense of Trip Cassidy against Isaias Velazquez. So, if you’re ready…I’m ready. Let’s get to it!
Paving the Path
July 14, 2013
Addison, IL
Reed Bentley vs. Jervis Cottonbelly
Small crowd here tonight for this show. That’s been the case with most of the 2013 VWAW shows that I’ve watched, but the lighting in this venue makes the small crowd more glaring
This was a fun opener. The main story that was being told was the change in Reed Bentley. These two guys work well together, mainly because of the stark contrasts in styles. I mean, it was what it was. Cottonbelly always gets a positive reaction and having a freshly heel Reed Bentley go up against him was a good booking decision. This match was all about Bentley, though as they continue to build up both members of The League.
Winner: Reed Bentley via the Reed Awakening (11:21)
Ophidian vs. Qefka The Quiet
So we’ve got a cobra facing off against a mime in our second contest tonight. Just making sure we’re all on the same page here.
This match was fairly hard hitting, despite the gimmicks involved. As I was watching I just kept waiting for shenanigans relating to their gimmicks to get involved…and there they are! Qefka nails Ophidian with a mimed pair of brass knuckles. Qefka then builds an imaginary wall so he can’t be affected by Ophidian’s snake-like abilities. But the Ophidian broke through the wall and the match continued.
Winner: Ophidian via the Cobra Clutch (7:00)
Daryck St. Holmes Esq. vs. Estonian Thunderfrog
I didn’t love this match. Both guys put forth a good effort, and I like both of the character. But, this match just felt really disjointed to me. It never really seemed to click and it was evident. Since there was also no real storyline involved that also hurt my enjoyment of the match. The opening bit was fun (dueling clubs and hammers), but aside from that there wasn’t a whole lot here for me.
Winner: Estonian Thunderfrog via the Frog Splash (8:35)
After the match St. Holmes tries to jump Estonian Thunderfrog from behind with the Indian clubs, only to be pushed back by the power of the mighty hammer.
Matt Cage vs. Prince Mustafa Ali
I love everything about Prince Mustafa Ali. I should just go ahead and throw that out there. If you listened to the VWAA Podcast that Christ GST and I did (WHICH YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD HAVE) I’m pretty sure I dubbed him the VWAA MVP through half the year. Before the match even begins, both guys take turns fawning over a guy who is sitting ringside. This guy is ridiculously jacked. None of that is important though.
Taking my Mustafa Ali biased glasses off and watching this match…it’s still really good. They told a great story of Ali being the heel who sees everything as a racially motivated attack and takes every dirty tactic (when he clearly doesn’t need to). Matt Cage is a great wrestler and the fact that he got beat on a cheap roll-up after Ali faked an injury helps keep him important. These two guys really worked well together. This match is easily match of the night to this point.
Winner: Prince Mustafa Ali via Roll Up (11:23)
Newcomers Showcase: The Proletariat Boar of Moldova vs. Mallaki Mathews vs. Jeff O’Shea vs. Josh Crane
This is planned as a four way match, until Dr. Louis J. Pinder comes out and announces his newest client will be entering..making it a five-way.
Newcomers Showcase: The Proletariat Boar of Moldova vs. Mallaki Mathews vs. Jeff O’Shea vs. Josh Crane vs. Vic Capri
This is a newcomers match, so I don’t know a whole lot about any of the guys in this match. From what the announcers are implying, none of the competitors have wrestled in VWAA before. I actually really enjoy matches like this. It’s always fun to see guys new to the independent wrestling scene get a shot.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I really enjoy multi-man matches. This one was no exception. This was a fun match that maybe could have used a little bit more time. 5 guys and a short amount of time meant there was plenty of action, however. The Proletariat Boar, Mathews, O’Shea and Crane all performed well, but this match was all about Vic Capri and Dr. Louis J. Pinder. Mathews impressed me the most out of the four true wrestling newcomers, but I would definitely like to see all of these guys get some more chances in VWAA.
Winner: Vic Capri via The Icepick (8:00)
After the match Pinder gets on the microphone an announces that Vic Capri’s wrestling services are officially available to the highest bidder and that if anyone in the back has the means and opportunity, his office is open.
Chuck Taylor vs. Thomas Sinclair (Winner gets a Circuit Medallion) 1:05:15 1:16:57
The winner of this match will receive a circuit medallion. What is a circuit medallion, you ask? A circuit medallion means that the wrestler who has the medallion will get a title shot at the VWAA Circuit Champion at a later date. So, essentially it is a number-one contendership for the VWAA Circuit title. I’m also super excited for this match, because I think both of these guys are fantastic. Sinclair is a guy who doesn’t seem to get a ton of buzz outside the Midwest, for whatever reason. He’s a guy I always enjoy watching wrestle though.
I can’t say enough good things about this match. Maybe it’s just me being my super-positive self, but I really enjoyed this one. Chuck Taylor is such a fascinating wrestler to me. His in-ring work is always great, but he blends it so well with his unique brand of comedy. His style of wrestling meshed great with Sinclair in this one and the result was a solid match that made both men look good. As a result of his victory, Sinclair gets the Circuit Medallion which gives him a shot at the Circuit Championship sometime down the road.
Winner: Thomas Sinclair via Section 8 (11:42)
VWAA Circuit Championship Match: Isaias Velazquez vs. Tripp Cassidy (c)
It’s main event time here at Paving the Path! This was a solid, solid match. It wasn’t as good as I was expecting, though. I’m a huge Velazquez fan, and Tripp Cassidy is a really good heel champion. They were having a great match up until the ending. It wasn’t so much the run-in by Bentley and Sinclair, but rather the fact that the match just kind of…stopped. It was a solid back and forth match, with Velazquez in control before the run-in. Bentley provided the distraction to get Cassidy back into the match. A couple of holds later and then..boom. Head kick and it’s over. It just felt weird to me. I still enjoyed the match quite a bit though and thought it was a solid main event.
Winner and STILL VWAA Circuit Champion: Tripp Cassidy via a kick to the head (18:20)
Overall Show Thoughts:
I thought this was a good show, but it was a step down from Numbers Game 3.0, but that was to be expected given the concept of Numbers Game. There are definitely some things worth watching on this show as Matt Cage vs. Prince Mustafa Ali, Thomas Sinclair vs. Chuck Taylor and Isaias Velazquez vs. Tripp Cassidy are all somewhere in the range between good and great. And when you consider the price for the DVD ($9) and VOD ($9.99) you definitely get your money’s worth. This is the show which kicks off the road to Manifest Destiny VI which will take place this coming weekend on November 24th. I give this show a solid recommendation. The last two matches alone are worth the price in my book.
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