Match #1: PROGRESS Atlas Title Match: Matt Riddle (c)  vs. Penta el 0M

 

This was a fun little match that should have been a great match. I’ll explain.

I don’t mind that they went about 9 minutes. I’ve seen some truly fantastic matches take place even under 5 minutes. But to do so, the pacing of the match should be appropriate for it, and here, the pacing is almost there. The transitioning from mat wrestling to just trading strikes and slamming each other while there was an overbearing sense of tension between the two is a great idea, but that tension didn’t go off. If anything, the match felt more like a usual Indy style match than a fast paced slugfest between two very good strikers. 

This is probably just me feeling let down after a tease, but what these two men did was still fine. They hit their move sets, traded Canadian Destroyers, and did whatever they could to fit in 10 minutes of action. A harmless, if mindless, bit of fun.

Riddle Def. Penta el 0M to retain the PROGRESS Atlas Title

Match Rating: ***

 

Match #2: Isaiah Wolf & TK Luthor V vs. FEDERATED (Mike Orlando & Nick Comoroto)

 

Man, good squash matches are hard to find these days. While this isn’t one of the best squash matches I’ve ever seen, I was still entertained, be it Wolf and Luthor just making me laugh through incompetence or their facial expressions or Comoroto and Orlando just manhandling the both of them. I can’t rate this, but just know I was thoroughly entertained by this encounter.

 

FEDERATED murders Isaiah Wolf and TK Luthor V

 

Match #3: John Silver vs. Stockade

Well. This was unexpectedly fun.

 

I’ve seen Silver before when he has teamed with Alex Reynolds as the Beaver Boys, and I was always impressed with Silver’s strength at his size. Stockade, however, I only know of in passing thanks to his deathmatches in CZW. But what a great introduction to his non-deathmatch stuff because, as I said, this was a lot of fun. A standard pro wrestling match, sure, but these two threw everything they had against each other and the final third is an exhilarating finish. A hidden gem of a match.

 

Stockade def. Silver

Match Rating: ***¼

 

Match #4: FBW Heavyweight Championship: “The Man of Steel” Mike Verna vs. “The Product” David Starr

The point of this match was to put on a good match up until the Cutthroat Kings came in, beat down both men, and rubbed it in the crowd’s face that they ruined a match that was probably going to end up being good.

They succeeded. That’s all I got.

Mike Verna and David Starr wrestled to a No Contest
Match Rating: N/A

 

Match #5: Anthony Greene vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mike Law vs. Tony Deppen

 

These are the kind of matches I hate reviewing the most: the ones that don’t give me much to talk about. This is a standard 4-way match where every person gets a chance to shine and show off at least one cool spot. Outside of MJF getting killed with a lot of superkicks and Anthony Greene busting out an Alley Oop Piledriver onto Law (which I am amazed didn’t kill him), not much else to say. I will say that with this being my first real exposure to Deppen and Greene, both performed well, and I especially love Deppen’s “piss and vinegar” fire.

 

MJF def. Greene, Law, and Deppen

Match Rating: **½

 

Match #6: Ace Romero vs. Chris Dickinson

 

In my last review, I lamented how Dickinson vs. Lee was a promising match that sadly didn’t live up to my expectations in being a hoss match for the ages. This match, while not as great as my expectations again, was still a decent hoss fight. What hurts the match was ultimately the time and the fact it felt neither men wanted to go all out, especially seeing that Dickinson was to wrestle later that night at EVOLVE. However, I still enjoy both of these men and what they gave was fine. Slightly better than Dickinson vs. Lee.

 

Dickinson def. Romero

Match Rating: **¾

 

Match #7: Tier 1 Wrestling Tag Team Title Match: Cutthroat Kings (Logan Black and Connor Claxton) © vs. The Starr and Steel Connection (David Starr and Mike Verna)

 

If I’m going to be completely honest, I’m disappointed with this being how the Cutthroat Kings lost the titles. Don’t get me wrong, the match itself was fine within the context of the story and it is ultimately satisfying to see the Kings get their payback for ruining so many matches with interference, but for it to come out of the blue like this rubs me the wrong way. This is all a personal gripe, keep in mind. It’s good to see Tier 1 backing a talent like Verna like this, and seeing more David Starr is always good for me. I do hope there is a resolution to the Breakfast Club vs. Cutthroat Kings story.

 

Starr and Steel def. Cutthroat Kings to win the Tier 1 Tag Titles

Match Rating: **½

 

Match #8: Tier 1 World Title Match: Darius Carter © vs. Keith Lee vs. Sonny Kiss vs. Bobby Fish

 

The best 4-way on the show as well as a decent little main event. Everyone in the match was good, including the surprise entrant, Bobby Fish, with no noticeable holding back among them. I also appreciated the unique spots that came from this, especially with Fish and Carter going 2-on-1 with Lee. I will say that I am disappointed that Sonny Kiss was eliminated as soon as he was, considering the story with him and Carter. However, if this does lead to Kiss’s eventual revenge, I’m all for it.

Carter def. Everyone Else to retain the Tier 1 World Title

Match Rating: ***

Final Thoughts: Looking at the whole, this is probably the most consistent Tier 1 show I’ve watched, with everything ranging from decent to good. However, there wasn’t a match I’d say was a standout and this all felt slightly like a filler show until the two year anniversary in July. Sure there was the tag title change and a pretty good match with Silver vs. Stockade, but I still didn’t feel that this was a great show. Par for the course isn’t bad at all and I’d prefer that over a bad show any day, but this still felt like a show for the sake of a show. I’d also like to criticize the production team of this show, who numerously throughout the show made mistakes from bad graphic choices to shoddy camera work. They were not show ruining and I’d take their flubs over the Battle Club/Tier 1 show I previously reviewed, but they did get annoying.

However, at the end of the day, while I can’t say this is a must see show, I still had fun with it in some areas and if you are at all interested in any of the matches here, I’d say you should pick the show up.


Average Star Rating: 2.8

If you wish to purchase this show, you can do so via digital download from Smart Mark Video here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @RVDinator and be sure to follow PWP @PWPonderings.

 

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