AAW was back at the Logan Square Auditorium on May 25 for Take No Prisoners, and the company hit the reset button in the most fashionable way possible, running a number of hot angles and quality match ups, delivering a unique main event, and promising a future that seems inspired and backs away from the “super indie” formula they’ve been adhering to the last couple years. While this wasn’t the best AAW show ever, it was perhaps my favorite I have ever attended in my seven-and-a-half years of being a fan. But what made it work? Read below to find out.

Everything delivered
I say this both unironically and as somebody who’s been known to tune out and turn off when Colt Cabana is performing, but yes, even Colt’s match held my attention on this night as every single match delivered in one way or another. While The Besties in the World vs. Cabana and Juice Robinson was the low point of the night from a pure wrestling perspective, one that highlighted AAW’s lack of depth in its tag division, it was a fun, silly comedy match that broke up the tension inspired by the rest of the performances throughout the evening — something sorely needed on a card this intense. Meanwhile, every other match, from the opener to the low-card six-man tag to the impromptu bout between Kylie Rae and Scarlett Bourdeaux, simply did what it needed to do, and that’s more than all right by me.

Everything got time
One of my main critiques of AAW in recent months, which is blisteringly obvious and honestly sort of annoying if you’ve been following me on Twitter, is the length of their matches. Short main events, matches that don’t quite kick into that next gear, and some matches that overstay their welcome all have led to a feeling of disappointment in recent months, but Take No Prisoners remedied that, and in spades. Every single match got ample time to develop, and the fans inside Logan Square Auditorium reacted accordingly. There were more near-falls than I think I’ve ever seen on any one AAW show, and that helped everybody invest into the action and really sink their teeth into what they had in front of them. On top of that, there was variety: A six-minute match, an 11-minute match, a match that went nearly 18 minutes, and so on. They mixed it up this time around, and to tremendous effect. Well done.

The right angles
After a chat with some of those involved in the company, it appears the days of AAW aiming to be the “PWG of the Midwest” are over, while a more story-centric product will step into its place. This was highlighted by a pair of angles they ran, first during a pre-show brawl between newcomer Brody King and AAW stalwart Sami Callihan, who got into it as the latter was selling his merchandise, for reasons yet known. This story reared its head again after the conclusion of the main event, with King kicking Jessicka Havok square between the eyes, enraging Callihan, her real-life boyfriend. Additionally, an outraged and irate Jimmy Jacobs took the mic during intermission questioning why he didn’t get booked on the show in a “pipe bomb”-style worked shoot that left fans torn whether to support him or boo him out of the building. Reality infused with wrestling can often be hit or miss, but either way, I applaud the effort shown here to create interest in what these characters will be doing going forward.

An electric atmosphere
Crowd involvement has long been a selling point for AAW shows, as beloved ring announcer Jimmy D. will inform fans before any show that the wrestlers may throw one another over the barricades and into the seats, but at Take No Prisoners, this concept was taken to another level. Five of the nine matches asked fans to move out of the way and clear their respective areas, which all told might have been a bit much, but the willingness to involve the audience was clearly there, and it served a very pivotal purpose: to keep people on their toes all night long. Whereas AAW has had its fair share of shows where the crowd dies down post-intermission, this wasn’t the case here, as they remained hot throughout, even going nuclear at several points in the evening. All told, it was a blast to be a part of, and I would love to see this level of aggression every single month.

Kingston’s finest
Eddie Kingston wrestled maybe his finest match to date in an AAW ring on this night against the more than game Fred Yehi, who has shown up in each of his appearances for the company, and should be looked at as a regular going forward. But this was Kingston’s match, as he and Yehi went “King’s Road” style, no pun intended, a style focused on longer, hard-hitting action that not every performer is capable of pulling off. If you were at all into the 30-plus-minute classics from All Japan in the 1990s, there were plenty of elements of that style employed in this match, probably enough for you to enjoy, despite its somewhat shorter run time. For over 16 minutes, Eddie put his work boots to good use, taking hit after hit after hit before dropping Yehi with two backfists for the pinfall. It was a great showcase of will and spirit between two men full of that sort of stuff.

Best AAW tag match ever?
I’ve only been tuning into AAW since January 2011, so I will concede a blind spot for the company’s formative years. However, from everything I have seen, either watching it back through various streaming services to being a member of the live audience, The Lucha Bros. vs. AR Fox and Myron Reed may well be the best tag team match AAW has ever produced. At the least, it is on the short list. Nearly 18 minutes of white-hot action, high spot after high spot, and a crowd that was receptive to everything the two teams did, made for one special contest between the four men. Whether it was Fox and Reed executing tandem 450 splashes, Penta and Fenix busting out tandem avalanche destroyers, or that wild finish, there was plenty to love here. Go out of your way to see it as soon as it drops.

The women go hard
With women’s wrestling becoming a bit of a Chicago staple between SHIMMER and now RISE, AAW knew it had to up its game in that department, and they did so by creating the AAW Women’s Championship last year, with Jessicka Havok its inaugural title holder. Havok’s first few defenses of the championship were fine but nothing special, and they were usually short matches, as well as the only women’s match on whatever card they appeared on. AAW, having heard its fans loud and clear, decided to step up to the plate this time around, and they offered two women’s contests, including an impromptu bout between Kylie Rae and Scarlett Bourdeax, while letting the title match between Havok and Kimber Lee main event — all told, a solid choice. Women’s wrestling is here to stay, and I am happy AAW is playing such an integral role in its progress.

Kylie Rae is Chicago-made
One of the biggest surprises of the night that absolutely should not have been a surprise was just how over Kylie Rae was with the Logan Square faithful. Despite performing in that building once a month for Freelance Wrestling and having familiarity with the audience from working almost every other local promotion including Zelo Pro, the response Kylie received on this night absolutely astounded me. Never have I seen an independent crowd this completely enveloped in one performer, male or female, like they were for her. This was, I believe, a combination of having built her reputation in front of her home audience over time and the fans understanding they are witnessing a Chicago-made, WWE-ready performer while they still can. Kylie Rae has bright lights in her future, but she perhaps shined no brighter than at Take No Prisoners.

Social media influence
While there was plenty to digest on the live action portion of the show alone, from the worked shoot angles to the matches themselves, AAW stepped up their game and continued the fun over social media with some very basic but effective pre- and-post-match promos posted to their social media. Cameras caught up with Darby Allin as he prepared for his match, while Trey Miguel commented on his surprise victory over DJZ and his forthcoming Heritage Championship match with Trevor Lee, Curt Stallion and his crew proved how funny they can be while not being too funny, and Stephen Wolf showed frustration in losing yet another match. These promos were brief but fun little additions to the show that will hopefully help expand AAW’s breadth on an evening where seemingly every other company ran a good show. Whatever gets the name out there, at the end of the day, and this use of social media was top- notch in that regard.

A sense of urgency
On a day where PWG ran for the last time in Reseda, and AIW ran its annual JLIT Tournament, as well as a host of other big-time shows happening around the world, AAW more or less has its back against the wall and felt it had to deliver a show that was memorable and established the future of the company all in one fell swoop. My biggest takeaway from Take No Prisoners was just how urgent everything felt, how hard every wrestler worked to get the most out of their matches or to put over their individual stories, how much the people working in production and tech cared, and so on. Overall, it just felt different. I’ve long criticized AAW for what feels like being complacent and coasting along, but there was none of that here. There was no coasting, just a company trying to produce a killer show in front of a radiant audience, and you know what? It did just that. Now, let’s do it again.

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