source: facebook
Chicago Heights, Illinois
Marian Catholic High School
May 11, 2018
I recently went to an independent wrestling show, and I was inspired to write pieces shining a spotlight on smaller, non-WWE shows I attend. Warrior Wrestling is a new promotion in the Chicago area, and their first show was full of former WWE stars and great indy talent. Here’s a breakdown of the card along with my opinions about each match!
Robbie E and Stevie E vs. Matt Knicks and Pat Monix
Winners: Matt Knicks and Pat Monix
Robbie and Stevie’s gimmick is strange but entertaining. While Robbie claims to be from Jersey Shore and Stevie is from West Hollywood, both men were obsessed with their looks and physique. Stevie E even brought a mirror to the ring and didn’t let go of it until after the match was underway. The bout was a good way to kick off Warrior Wrestling’s first event, using a notable former Impact star to elevate local wrestlers in Knicks and Monix.
Winner: Hijo de Fantasma
This match offered a pretty good back and forth between two luchadors. What stole the spotlight on this match was Sam Adonis, who was scheduled to compete later on in the night for the NWA Championship, who ran out and attacked both luchadors after Fastasma got the win. Adonis took off Dos Caras’ mask before praising President Donald Trump, allowing him to garner some heat ahead of his match later.
Winner: Chelsea Green
Chelsea Green’s “hot mess” gimmick is great—while she comes off as crazy and odd, she’s a threat between the ropes, and it’s unlike any woman I’ve seen in wrestling before. It was hard to take her seriously at first, with the loud jacket and messy lipstick, but when the bell rang, she was able to incorporate her weirdness with her in-ring ability. Deonna Purrazzo is fantastic in the ring, as well, and at only 23 years old, she is destined for stardom in women’s wrestling.
Swoggle vs. James Ellsworth (special guest referee: Frank the Clown)
Intergender Wrestling Championship Match
Winner: James Ellsworth
Just like the other competitors, Frank was given his own entrance, where he milked his WWE Network appearances for all it was worth and it was great. He had two men in white t-shirts and clown wigs carry him to the ring, and was billed as a “WWE Network Megastar”. Frank played a heel, where he counted quickly when Ellsworth pinned Swoggle and pretended he had something in his eye when Swoggle went for a pin. The two WWE alumnus worked well together, and there was a good spot where Swoggle tried to trap Ellsworth in a chinlock several times but, due to Ellsworth’s lack of a chin, was out of luck.
Penta vs. DJZ vs. Matt Sydal
Winner: Penta
From bell to bell, this was probably the best match. I’ve never seen DJZ and Penta before, and they both put on very good showings. There was a lot of high-flying, especially from Sydal, who used a Woodstock-like gimmick. With no prior experience watching DJZ, I found it funny that he would shout part of his name and horn would go off (this sound bite was also used in his entrance theme).
An intermission allowed fans to go to a separate area and meet some of the wrestlers from tonight’s event.
Shane Sabre and Space Monkey vs. Mark Wheeler and Kobe Durst
Winners: Shane Sabre and Space Monkey
At first, I was skeptical of the “Space Pirate” gimmick, but after watching a man in a monkey mask put on a good, entertaining match, I was won over. Space Monkey used his tail as a weapon and ate a banana as the match started, allowing for Wheeler to slip on the banana. Even with these comedy spots, Sabre and the Monkey worked well together and were able to get the win. Similar to the first match, this was a perfect post-intermission match that allowed the lesser-known wrestlers to compete in a somewhat gimmick-y but still entertaining match.
Nick Aldis vs. Sam Adonis
NWA Championship Match
Winner: Nick Aldis
Adonis’ attack on Dos Caras was a great way to hype the fans up before this match. Adonis is a great heel, and he attacked fans verbally throughout the night. The clear heel, Adonis praised the “Make America Great Again” mentality, while Aldis ignored his mannerisms and let his ring work speak for him. Aldis retained his 10 pounds of gold with a sharpshooter, and was even able to fend off Adonis in Adonis’ post-match attack.
Winner: Brian Cage
Also known as the “Swolverine”, Impact star Brian Cage is entertaining to simply look at. This guy is huge. For the first half of the match, it seemed like Edwards couldn’t get ahead. Following a hurricanrana and suicide dive, Eddie was able to get the upper hadn’t more often and the two fought back and forth. This match received a “this is awesome” chant from the fans, and they were right. After several close finishes, Cage won with a brutal pump handle stout face buster (his finisher, called the GMSI
Zelo Pro Women’s Championship Match
Winner: Tessa Blanchard
Tessa and Santana were so popular that before the match, fans chanted “new champ” “old champ”. Blanchard was a heel in this match, and after several pinning predicaments, Blanchard teases that she’s gonna run away. She was visibly angry when she couldn’t get the clean pin, and resorted to putting her feet on the middle rope to get the pin. Both Blanchard and Garrett are very athletic and talented.
No Disqualification Match
Winner: Alberto El Patron
After it was announced that Sam Adonis would accompany Swagger to the ring, it was clear that Swagger would be a heel. Swagger and Adonis praised Donald Trump and sang the national anthem, making the Americans the bad guys for the third time in the night. El Patron gets the fans to call Swagger and Adonis “putos”, and after an attack,
Jack tries to shake Alberto’s hand, even getting on his knees and doing the sign of the cross but gets a dropkick instead. The fight spills out into the crowd and involved both men getting hit with cookie sheers and Swagger sending El Patron through a table in the corner. At the end, Ricardo Rodriguez (who reunited with El Patron for the first time in years) speared Sam Adonis and Alberto forced Jack to tap in an arm bar. Alberto El Patron followed his victory by thanking the fans for supporting a charitable cause and for being so passionate about wrestling.
All in all, this match was a fantastic way to start a promotion, and if Warrior Wrestling decides to continue doing shows, they will only increase in popularity. I’m glad I was able to attend this event!