The Fight Before Christmas on December 7th, 2013
There is a pre-show battle royal included on this release. However, with a lack of familiarity with all of the talents’ names along with no commentary, it would be incredibly difficult for me to do play-by-play. The match ends with Ace Martino sneakily eliminating Justice Jones for the victory.
Opening Match: Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin vs. Brett Gakiya and CJ Esparza
Gakiya snaps off an armdrag on Cannon and connects with a dropkick. Esparza catches Corbin with a slingshot double stomp. Gakiya lands a dive to the floor onto Cannon. Corbin prevents Esparza from diving but whiffs on a plancha attempt. Esparza then follows out with a dive of his own. In the ring, Corbin hits a suplex on Gakiya and ACDC isolate him. Gakiya blocks a charge from Corbin, hits a tornado DDT, and makes the tag. Esparza lands a standing shooting star press onto Cannon and hits a bulldog while crotching Corbin on the top rope. Zero Gravity hit a lungblower-flying knee drop on Corbin for a nearfall. Cannon just punches Gakiya in the face while Corbin spears Esparza. Cannon superkicks Esparza after a powerbomb. Corbin gets dropkicked into the bottom turnbuckle. Gakiya connects with a spin kick on Cannon but falls victim to a brainbuster. As soon as the brainbuster hits, Esparza connects with a shooting star elbow drop on Cannon for the win at 11:01. Zero Gravity have been staples of DREAMWAVE for most of its existence, so the crowd is always behind them. ACDC played off of that perfectly and this was exactly what you wanted out of an opener. The finishing stretch featured a lot of great action with a hot crowd to boot. ***
Jay Repsel comes out after the match and announces that he’s currently the interim CEO of DREAMWAVE. He compliments Zero Gravity and reveals that they will wrestle the American Wolves at Season Premiere. The American Wolves would unfortunately go on to back out of that match.
Match #2: Chris Castro vs. Ricochet
Ricochet is making his debut in DREAMWAVE. They have a shoulder block battle. Ricochet backflips into a headscissors and dropkicks Castro to the floor. He teases a dive and Castro has to regroup with Matt Cage at ringside. Back in, Ricochet takes over, grabbing Castro’s nipples on multiple occasions. Cage tries to interfere, so Ricochet takes him out with a dropkick through the ropes. Castro hits an exploder and takes control. Ricochet fights back with a series of kicks and connects with a springboard lariat. He lands a standing moonsault but runs into a spinebuster. Castro transitions into a triangle choke but Ricochet makes it to the ropes. Ricochet blocks a brainbuster and connects with a knockout kick. Castro elevates him into a powerslam and goes back to the triangle choke. Ricochet is actually able to power out of the hold and powerbomb Castro. Both men are down. Castro connects with a superkick. Ricochet comes off the top with double knees and lands a standing shooting star press. He hits a dead-lift regalplex for a nearfall. Cage interrupts a springboard attempt by Ricochet but eats a knockout kick. Castro avoids a springboard 450 and hits a spike piledriver for a nearfall! Castro locks in another triangle choke for the victory at 16:20. Ricochet was very much the ring general here, but this was still an absolutely awesome performance by Castro, who looked like a monster throughout. His power game combined with his various submissions make for a believable offense. Once again (and I’ll say this a lot about DREAMWAVE), the crowd legitimizes these kind of matches and they were vocal for the entire sixteen minutes. Ricochet looked great in his debut but I think the real story here is Castro’s performance. ***¼
Match #3: Cousin Bobby vs. Waylon
Waylon attacks Bobby during his entrance. He sends Bobby into the ringpost and slams him onto the floor. In the ring, Bobby connects with a double stomp and lands a splash. Waylon responds with a nice backcracker. Bobby finds an opening to lay in a series of punches but runs into a slingshot spear. Waylon takes control until Bobby fights back with a missile dropkick and a spinebuster. Bobby escapes a fireman’s carry and sneaks in a rollup for the win at 4:43. Waylon’s attack during Bobby’s entrance set the stage for a grudge match, but the match ended too abruptly with a rollup. They’re obviously setting up future encounters with Waylon low blowing Bobby after the match, but I’m unsure how much this contest accomplished. *¾
Waylon tries to further injure Bobby with a chair shot but Dan the Man comes out to make the save. Bobby hits Waylon with the chair and Dan the Man follows with a tiger feint kick.
Match #4: DREAMWAVE Tag Team Titles: Elimination: Alex Castle and Markus Crane © vs. Arya Daivari and Vic Capri vs. Dan Lawrence and Judd the Janitor vs. Matt Knicks and Tyler Priegel
Priegel and Judd get into a battle with their signature weapons (a dodgeball and plunger respectively). Lawrence snaps off a headscissors on Capri after a nice exchange. Lawrence adds another headscissors on the floor. Knicks takes them both out with a moonsault. Castle adds a rolling senton from the apron. Daivari back drops Crane onto the group. In the ring, they do a tower of doom spot in the corner. Daivari covers Judd to eliminate Lawrence and Judd. Crane hits a double blockbuster on Daivari and Capri. Knicks connects with a knockout kick on Crane for a nearfall. Knicks misses a standing shooting star press and Crane hits a dragon suplex. Helter Skelter hit Revolution #9 on Knicks to eliminate Sports Entertainment. Foreign Affairs attack Helter Skelter from behind and take control. They isolate Crane until he manages to avoid enough offense to make the tag. Castle hits a uranagi on Daivari. Capri saves his partner from Revolution #9. Everyone connects with a strike and all four men are down. C. Red jumps onto the apron to distract Capri. Crane rolls up Capri with a backslide and Helter Skelter retain their titles at 9:57. This felt like a normal tag team match between Helter Skelter and Foreign Affairs rather than a four-way elimination tag. The first two eliminations felt too rushed and inconsequential. The good news is that there’s a lot of talent in the tag team division. However, these multi-team matches should not be happening too frequently in order to stand out when they do happen. **¼
Match #5: DREAMWAVE Alternative Title: Marshe Rockett © vs. Reed Bentley
Rockett hangs onto a side headlock and connects with a dropkick. Bentley avoids a plancha and connects with a forearm to the back of the head. Rockett blocks a dive attempt by Bentley and lands a flying crossbody back in the ring. Rockett lays in a series of punches and chops. Bentley hits an inverted DDT out of the corner and takes control. Rockett reverses a ripcord elbow into a DDT. Bentley is able to connect with the ripcord elbow on his second attempt for a nearfall. Angelus Layne appears on the apron and starts talking to Bentley. Rockett hits the M80 but Bentley rolls to the floor. Layne stops Rockett from going after Bentley. Back in, Rockett comes off the top rope but Bentley catches him with a forearm. Bentley covers and Layne knocks Rockett’s foot off the bottom rope. Bentley becomes the new Alternative Champion at 9:20. They seemed to have good chemistry together, making it disappointing that the match only lasted nine minutes, especially if a title change was occurring. However, I always liked Bentley in IWA Unlimited and he stands out on the DREAMWAVE roster with his distinct strike-based offense. I thought the booking was reasonable here but the match could have been better. **½
After the match, Helter Skelter come out to congratulate Bentley, signifying the start of a new faction – the Fellowship.
Match #6: Last Man Standing: Matt Cage vs. Nick Brubaker
They exchange punches at the opening bell. Brubaker whips Cage over the ring steps. He drapes Cage over the top rope and hits him with a chair. Cage kicks out Brubaker’s legs and he hits his head on the chair. Cage connects with a running knee strike and takes control with a neckbreaker. His entourage even gets involved at ringside, attacking Brubaker. Cage withstands a series of forearms and connects with a leg lariat. Brubaker drop toe holds him into a chair and creates some space with an enzuigiri. Both men are down. Chris Castro enters the ring and picks Cage up. They trade forearms and kicks. Cage hits a leaping backbreaker but Brubaker responds with an exploder into the turnbuckles. Brubaker brings a ladder into the ring and hits Cage with it. Cage recovers and connects with a flying elbow drop from the top of the ladder. He follows with a shining wizard. Cage’s entourage throw chairs into the ring. Brubaker hits a fisherman buster through two chairs. The entourage finally rush the ring and attack Brubaker. Cage celebrates around the ring as Brubaker tries to stand up. Everyone has to continually stop Brubaker from beating the count. Brubaker finally fights off the entourage with chair shots. Cage hits a chair-assisted Money Shot but Brubaker answers the count! Brubaker sends Cage into an exposed turnbuckle and hits him with the Good as Gold briefcase. Cage cannot answer the count and Brubaker wins at 19:30. There were some good and bad parts to this match. Many times in no disqualification-type matches, I wonder why individuals at ringside do not become involved from the start. Cage’s entourage made their presence felt throughout the entire match but I don’t necessarily think that held the action back. However, while they told a good story, the ending lost me a bit. I was hoping Cage would pick up the win to build the feud, but I disliked Brubaker fighting off the entire entourage by himself. With a more believable finish, I think this would have been a perfect way to continue this rivalry into the new year. **¾
Match #7: Chris Hero vs. Prince Ali
Ali backs Hero into a corner and then shoves him. Hero blocks a leapfrog with a boot but finds knees on a senton. Ali snaps off a hurricanrana. Hero blocks a kick and connects with a knee strike. Ali retreats to the floor, where Hero catches him with a dropkick through the ropes. Hero lays in a stiff punch on the floor and takes over in the ring. Ali comes back with an armbar. He tries to go after the left arm but Hero backs him off with a roaring elbow. Hero hits a senton. Ali rolls through a sunset flip and connects with a basement dropkick. Ali feigns a headscissors and applies a fujiwara armbar. He transitions into a crossface but Hero is able to use his body weight to leverage out of the hold. Ali hits an inverted DDT but runs into a mafia kick. Ali slingshots into the ring but gets met with a roaring elbow for a nearfall. Hero misses the Deathblow and falls victim to a neckbreaker. Ali goes up top but Hero catches him with a kick. Ali falls into a tree of woe and Hero connects with a sliding dropkick. They battle up top and Ali yanks on the injured arm. Ali lands a 450 splash onto the injured arm and cradles Hero for the victory at 14:40. Hero’s recent matches have all been very good, but this might be my personal favorite. A lot of his other matches have been centered around his opponents reacting to his offense, but this contest told the exact opposite story. Ali flew around the ring, busted out some incredible visual offense, and Hero did his best to catch Ali off-guard and lay in various strikes. Hero trying so desperately to avoid Ali working over his arm made Ali look like a killer and it certainly paid off the finish. Someone explain to me why more promotions are not giving Ali serious consideration. This was a great match and the fifteen-minute duration was refreshing. ***¾
Match #8: Mason Beck, Cousin Dixie, and Bucky Collins vs. Gangrel, Luther, and Yabo the Clown
Gangrel and Luther attack before the opening bell. Beck fights back with a double clothesline. Collins lands a flying crossbody onto Gangrel. Luther hits a side slam on Beck. Collins connects with a missile dropkick on Gangrel. The lights go out and Yabo makes his entrance. The crowd goes crazy for him. Meanwhile, Gangrel plants Collins with a bulldog and he expresses some frustration at Yabo’s antics on the apron. Collins is isolated until he connects with an enzuigiri on Gangrel and makes the tag. Yabo throws popcorn at Gangrel, allowing Beck to roll him up for the win at 10:57. This was a harmless enough match used to fit Gangrel onto the card and reintroduce Yabo. The match would have been tiresome if the crowd was dead, but as usual, the fans were receptive to the action in the ring. *½
Ryland Foxx makes his way to the ring. He announces that he’s leaving professional wrestling and thanks the DREAMWAVE fans. Jason Hades, Nick Brubaker, and Marshe Rockett (the former A-List) come out to send him off along with Prince Ali. After everyone leaves, Shane Hollister runs out and hits a brainbuster on Foxx. Christian Rose makes the save, leading to…
Match #9: DREAMWAVE World Title: Christian Rose © vs. Shane Hollister
Hollister connects with a shotgun dropkick at the opening bell. Rose ducks a baseball slide and lays in a forearm smash. Hollister traps him in the ring skirt and stomps him repeatedly. He takes control until Rose connects with an elbow and hits a DDT. Hollister responds with a brainbuster but Rose pops up with a yakuza kick. Both men are down. Hollister connects with an enzuigiri. Rose blocks a second one and applies a boston crab in the ropes. The action goes to the apron where Rose connects with a double stomp. The champion follows with a slingshot senton but runs into a basement dropkick. He blocks a knockout kick and goes back to the boston crab. Hollister fights out of the hold and hits a bucklebomb. He connects with a superkick for a nearfall. Hollister rolls through a sunset flip and locks in a guillotine choke. Rose manages to get to his feet. Hollister lays in a knockout kick for a two count. Rose creates some space with a roaring elbow. They battle up top. Hollister knocks Rose to the canvas with an enzuigiri and connects with a flying double stomp for a nearfall. Rose ducks a knockout kick and synchs in a boston crab. Hollister is able to reach the bottom rope. He connects with a superkick in the corner and hits a brainbuster for a two count. They battle up top again and Rose hits a falcon arrow. Rose connects with a spin kick and hits Ride the Lightning to retain his title at 19:31. They told a great story of Rose having to keep his recent concussions in mind during exchanges but Hollister forcing the champion to give everything he had. I’m unsure how much Hollister was built up leading into this match, but he provided a real threat to Rose’s undefeated streak and title. They had solid chemistry together and the back and forth nature of the match separated itself from the rest of the card. This was a fitting way to end the show and what seemed like a terrific 2013 for DREAMWAVE. ***½
Matt Cage immediately appears with his Good as Gold briefcase. Reed Bentley interrupts before he can cash in. JC Costilli and Jay Repsel intervene. Repsel calms everyone down and gives Costilli his job back. Repsel announces that Rose will defend the title against AJ Styles at Season Premiere.
Overall: The Fight Before Christmas was a very good show, with consistency in its match quality throughout the card. The show is highlighted by perhaps my favorite Chris Hero match since he returned to the independent scene as well as a solid title defense by Rose in the main event. There are also some standout performances from DREAMWAVE regulars like Chris Castro, Reed Bentley, and Prince Ali. DREAMWAVE seems to have found the right balance of bringing in names to get people talking and positioning their regular talent in ways to succeed. Everything on this show served a purpose and I would have to nitpick to find any major complaints. I can give the Fight Before Christmas a solid recommendation. Based on the Season Premiere card, 2014 looks to be a huge year for DREAMWAVE and I’m excited to be following the promotion on a regular basis.
Make sure to check out DREAMWAVE’s website and watch them on Smart Mark Video On Demand