June 10th, 2017
Preshow Match: PSW All-Out Title: Cabana Man Dan © vs. Donnie Primetime
They wrestled a pretty basic match, which was fine for the preshow as the fans were still entering the building. I don’t know. There really isn’t a ton to say about this one. Cabana Man Dan used his sandal to chop Primetime and the crowd let out a collective cheer. Cabana Man Dan retained his title in 4:52 with a leg lariat. *
Opening Match: Brandon Greene and Ethan Alexander Sharpe vs. AC Hawkes and Matty Starr
This match did not turn out well and it would not have been my choice for the opener given that it was designed to showcase Greene and Sharpe. They were in control for most of the contest and wrestled at a much more methodical pace than you would want out of an opener. The finish was supposed to be Greene falling on top of Hawx during a suplex attempt and pinning him while Sharpe held Hawkes’s feet down from ringside. In execution, Greene did not fall on top of Hawkes and an incredibly awkward rollup resulted as the finish. Greene and Sharpe won in 9:26 when Greene rolled up Hawkes. ½*
Match #2: Fred Yehi vs. John Kermon
Kermon’s 2017 in NOVA Pro has been filled with showcase matches against outside talent and I think that has substantially added to the quality of the cards. I can’t remember the last Yehi match that I didn’t enjoy. When Yehi turns up the intensity and starts striking, his offense looks so incredibly impactful to the point that it’s difficult not to become invested. They began with some enjoyable enough mat wrestling but the finishing stretch took things to another level. If Kermon was going to win, I liked that they went down the route of him “catching” Yehi with a cross armbreaker. This was a really enjoyable exhibition and I didn’t expect anything less. Kermon won in 12:33 with a cross armbreaker. ***¼
Match #3: The Carnies (Kerry Awful, Nick Iggy, and Beau Crockett) vs. The Sandwich Squad (Aaron Biggs and Mecha Mercenary) and Lucas Calhoun
This match didn’t set the world on fire but I thought it was quite smart from a booking perspective. Crockett turning on Innocent Isaiah last month was a BIG deal. I’m not being facetious. You would have been hard-pressed to find a more beloved act in NOVA Pro than Cutie and the Beast. So I think keeping them mostly separate this month made a lot sense (barring Isaiah attacking Crockett after this match). The Sandwich Squad and Calhoun are colorful personalities and giving the Carnies a win over them allowed the crowd to see what a heel Crockett would look like. The match itself accomplished that goal nicely and didn’t overstay its welcome. The Carnies won in 10:35. **½
Match #4: Veda Scott and Allie Kat vs. Faye Jackson and Jordynne Grace
If nothing else, they played around with an interesting dynamic and I actually wish they would have had more time to tell a story. Scott was trying to avoid Jackson at all costs and was successful for the most part. Scott and Kat were able to keep Grace in the ring for about 85% of this match. When Jackson was finally able to tag in, Scott essentially fed Kat, a newer wrestler, to the wolf. It was a fun enough story that needed some more time to make its point. Jackson and Grace won in 7:15 when Jackson hit a fisherman suplex on Kat. **
Match #5: Anthony Henry vs. Tim Donst
Admittedly I have not seen many of Henry’s matches this year, but he seemed off in his execution here. Donst did a great job of reigning in the action and being a ring general, but there were some exchanges in this match that just didn’t pan out. That’s not to say that they weren’t working hard or that the crowd wasn’t enjoying the action. The crowd seemed to love this contest. And really, you should always keep in mind while reading these reviews that I’m just some debt-ridden college kid behind a keyboard. For me, the action lacked cohesion and didn’t really come together. I’m extremely confident that they would have a better match if given another chance. Donst won in 13:17 with From Dusk till Donst. **¼
Match #6: Arik Royal vs. Sugar Dunkerton
I’m going to try to make a case for Sugar Dunkerton here. In my opinion, the man is legitimately funny, which is important when you’re in the space that Dunkerton is in character-wise. He makes his antics matter insofar as they usually lead to him gaining an advantage in the match. When he transitions from comedy to seriousness, his offense actually looks threatening. Finally, I’ve never seen him not connect with a crowd. That’s important. Although Dunkerton’s opponents may be smart enough to realize that they shouldn’t play into his antics, there’s also a building full of people wanting them to bite.
Dunkerton is a proficient comedy wrestler who also comes off as a legitimate threat. I think he’s criminally underrated and this match was a pretty good example of why Dunkerton’s shtick works really well. He made Royal look great and they had a quality match. I would love to see Dunkerton wrestle on a regular basis. Royal won in 16:00 with a pounce. ***
Match #7: Angelus Layne vs. Rachael Ellering
For whatever reason, independent wrestling cards usually just have room for one women’s match and it’s typically a showcase match. This, however, was a pure grudge match and I would certainly support more independent promotions allowing women’s wrestling to enter this territory more often. They spent the first six minutes of the match brawling around ringside and everything looked great. Layne seems to be very comfortable brawling and Ellering’s strikes are vicious. The heel winning clean was icing on the cake. Ellering tweaked her knee and Layne won with a leg submission. See how easy professional wrestling can be? Layne won in 7:58. ***
Match #8: PWI Ultra J Title: Chet Sterling © vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Bobby Shields vs. Jean Jean LeBon
On the afternoon of this show, NOVA Pro had tryout matches and from those tryouts Jean Jean LeBon earned a spot in the main event. He has a mime character and the crowd had an enjoyable enough time with the antics. The match was progressing along just fine until Shields hit Sterling with a foreign object and LeBon took off his mask to reveal himself as Logan Easton LaRoux. You really have to follow NOVA Pro on a somewhat consistent basis to appreciate the lengths to which LaRoux is willing to go to be an inconvenience to those he is feuding with and the fans. The dread that came across the crowd while LeBon was unmasking was tremendous. This was certainly a match used for storyline purposes, but it was well-done. The match was ruled a no contest at 12:30. **¾
-Show Grade: C+
–You Need to See:
–You’d Enjoy Watching: Yehi/Kermon, Royal/Dunkerton, Layne/Ellering
–You Should Avoid: Greene+Sharpe vs. Hawkes+Starr