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AAW Pro Wrestling Redefined kicked off their first event of 2014 with some exciting news before the first match started. AAW owner Jim Lynam informed the crowd that he had some good news and bad news. The bad news came first, and it was that Val Malone would no longer appear in AAW given what happened last month at One Twisted Christmas. Also, Silas Young was barred from the building for tonight’s event, but would appear at next month’s event. But, the good news from Lynam was that AAW would be producing a TV show that would begin airing on the Maddy GTV channel on Roku, starting March 1st.
1.) The first match of the show was a 4-man scramble with one fall for the finish. Of the four competitors, two were newcomers to the AAW roster, both DC Dynamite and Ty Colton. Joining them in the scramble match were Knight Wagner, who was accompanied by Truth Martini, and Marek Brave. DC Dynamiteimpressed in his debut, displaying immense athleticism from his small, but muscular frame. It was he and Marek Brave that showed off their aerial prowess early on in the match. Brave dove off the top turnbuckle onto Colton and Wagner on the outside. Then, with his 3 opponents on the outside, Dynamite flew out of the ring to add to the punishment being doled out.
Dynamite later found himself in trouble as he was hanging in the tree of woe. Colton, Wagner, and Brave were in the same corner and it looked like they were going for a superplex of sorts. However, Dynamite was able to lift himself up and turn the tables on those that ignored him, hitting a superplex to inflict damage on his 3 opponents.
Dynamite wasn’t so lucky later in the match, as he looked to capitalize on a solo matchup with Marek Brave. Dynamite looked to springboard himself into a move onto Brave, but Brave changed that from happening, delivering a powerful superkick. Brave covered Dynamite for the 3-count and the win in the 4-man scramble match.
2.) Before the next match, we saw a video of Jimmy Jacobs, as he prepares for his match against AAW Heavyweight Champion Shane Hollister. Jacobs earned the match by virtue of winning the Allegiance Tag Team Tournament. Jacobs, who once held the title for a brief period more than four years ago, is looking to win the match in order to prove some validation for his 15-year career in the ring.
Back to action in the ring, as there was a tag match pitting theteam CJ Esparza and Brett Gakiya of Zero Gravity against Dan Lawrence and Markus Crane. The wacky duo of Lawrence and Crane looked to disrespect their opponents, as Lawrence referred to them as “Zero Personality” trying to gain a mental edge.
Lawrence looked to one-up the high-action duo of Gakiya and Esparza with his own bit of flying action. But, as Lawrence looked to bring the downed body of CJ Esparza closer to the ropes to hit a springboard moonsault, he failed to execute it. Lawrence botched it badly and hurt himself to the amusement of the crowd in Berwyn.
The Markus Crane Experience and the Dan Lawrence Project, as they are referred to by themselves, provided plenty more hilarity in the match. When Crane entered the ring to hit a bodyslam on Esparza, he exclaimed that this was his Andre the Giant bodyslam by Hulk Hogan from WrestleMania III. The duo also attempted a combo move from the top rope, which had Lawrence put his butt in the face of his partner Crane.
But, in spite of their hilarious offerings, the teamwork failed toresult in a victory. With Lawrence downed on the outside, Esparza and Gakiya double teamed Crane and hit their Flippy Cup combination finisher to pick up the victory.
Following the match, the commentary team of Phil Colvin and Derek St. Holmes hit the ring to tape a welcoming segment for their TV show to air on the Maddy GTV Roku channel.
3.) The “We Are Here” group led by Kevin Harvey is back in the ring. Harvey, along with Nikki Mayday, bring Keith Walker and Tweek Phoenix for some in-ring competition. Their opponents are Colt Cabana and the returning Juntai Miller. Miller, eager to get back to action, chose to start the match against the massive Keith Walker. Walker showed his brute strength against Miller, forcing him to make the tag to bring in Cabana.
Later in the match, Walker and Miller went at it again with the bigger Walker once again showing his strength. Walker lifted Miller in the air, standing for about 25 seconds before hitting a suplex. Walker and Phoenix punished Miller, welcoming him back in the cruelest way possible. Miller was eventually able to separate himself from Walker and Phoenix, diving to tag in his partner, Colt Cabana. Cabana ran roughshod on Walker and Phoenix, although he was stymied in his chance to gain control of the match.
Miller eventually came to the aid of Cabana, and with Keith Walker down on the outside, the duo took it to Tweek Phoenix. Miller helped lift Phoenix for Cabana, as Cabana had him in fireman’s carry on the middle rope in the corner, setting him up for the Chicago Skyline. Cabana dropped off the turnbuckle and let go of Phoenix, as he hit the turnbuckle down to the canvas. Cabana got the pinfall and the victory for he and Miller.
The loss angered the “We Are Here” group as there was signs of dissention among the group as they head back to the locker room.
4.) Before the next match, we hear from the AAW Tag Team Champions Michael Elgin and Ethan Page, the Men of the Year. Page displayed his humorous methodology as he tried his best to cut a promo, but Elgin helped get the message across that they were looking forward to their match against Ricochet and Uhaa Nation.
The following match saw the debut of Jonathan Gresham, a young standout wrestler out of Atlanta. In his first match, he would have to deal with the maniacal Eddie Kingston. Kingston got on the mic to discuss the news from before the show regarding Val Malone’s departure from the company and Silas Young not being in the building. In the meantime, Kingston introduces a valet, his girl Jordynne.
Gresham did a good job taking on Kingston, but whenever Jordynne got involved, it halted Gresham’s progression to a victory. Kingston did offer a nice welcoming gift to Gresham, as he chopped him about 15 times in the corner. Gresham mounted a comeback against Kingston, but it was not enough to counter the attack of New Yorker. Kingston hit his patented backfist against Gresham and got the victory, as he celebrated with his new “honey” Jordynne.
5.) Prior to the start of the next match, we saw a video of the AAW Heavyweight Champion Shane Hollister along with Scarlett Bordeaux. Hollister just became a two-time champ, and is looking to make his second run as the champ longer and more effective than his five-month reign went the first time around.
It was now time for Davey Richards to compete in his final match with AAW, as he teamed up with his pupil, Kyle O’Reilly. Team Ambition was going to face the former AAW Tag Team Champions Kung Fu Manchu, Louis Lyndon and Marion Fontaine.
It was apparent in the early goings of the match the differences between the two teams. Team Ambition consisted of two of the more established wrestlers on the independent scene in Richards and O’Reilly. On the other hand, Lyndon and Fontaine don’t have quite the polish as their opponents, but their slick style and flashy moves in the ring have served the duo well, especially having held the Tag Team titles.
However, it appears the newly found spotlight that Davey has reached may have gotten to his head. During one moment in the match when he was beating up Louis Lyndon, he shouted that Lyndon was “the reason why I’m bigger than the indies”. That outrageous comment may have sparked a fire in Kung Fu Manchu, as they found a way to get back in the match and take control over Team Ambition.
Towards the conclusion of the match, which featured many near-falls and a handful of submission attempts to claim victory, it was Louis Lyndon who snuck behind Kyle O’Reilly and rolled him up for the 3-count and the win.
After the match, Davey got on the mic ensuring the crowd that he did compete in his last match with AAW. But, he put the praise on his tag partner, Kyle O’Reilly. Davey did say that if he had one more match in AAW, he would want it to be against O’Reilly. After Davey was done, O’Reilly delivered a swift kick to Richards, laying him out. O’Reilly did it because Davey wanted to challenge and then told him that it was a proper send-off.
6.) After intermission, we see video of an interview conducted by Kevin Kellam with the AAW Heritage Champion “Money” Matt Cage. Cage will face the former champion ACH one more time. When the interview ended, the camera caught the in-fighting with the “We Are Here” group, but Kevin Harvey ensured that he will remind them and the rest of AAW so they can show why they are here.
Back to action in the ring, as ACH challenges Cage for the Heritage title. As soon as the bell rang, ACH darted right at Cage to get the initial attack out of the way. For as much effort as ACH put into trying to regain the title, Cage shifted it away tactically. ACH was trying to use the crowd to his advantage, but Cage would do whatever he could to assuage those attempts.
Towards the end of the match, ACH had Cage down in the ring and was looking to hit a splash from the top rope on his downed opponent. Cage was ready in the waiting, as he lifted his knees to block the attempt. The pained ACH rolled away, allowing enough time for Cage to chase after him and go for the roll-up pin attempt. Cage held on to the ropes, away from the sight of the referee, and got the 3-count to retain the Heritage title.
After the match, Cage inflicted further damage on his rival, taking the belt and hitting ACH with it. Juntai Miller raced to the ring to prevent Cage from continuing his post-match attack, as it appears that Cage may have a new challenger for his title.
Once the ring was cleared, a video was shown of Ricochet and Uhaa Nation as they look forward to their title match against the Tag Team Champs, the Men of the Year. After the video finished, Phil Colvin was in the ring to introduce Tony Rican.
Rican announced that he will no longer compete in the ring given his age and the general injuries he’s endured in his career. He says that owner Jim Lynam has offered Rican his old role of being the matchmaker for AAW, and Rican has agreed to return to that position.
However, while Rican was talking, the “We Are Here” group made their way to the ring. Walker, Phoenix, Nikki Mayday, and Kevin Harvey surrounded Rican in the ring. Harvey sends the duo of Walker and Phoenix to unleash their fury on Rican. With Rican beaten up, Harvey caps off the attack by delivering a ball of fire to the face of Rican.
Several wrestlers that compete in the pre-show rushed out to the ring to break up the confrontation, but they couldn’t stop it. Then, out came fan favorites Sea-Man and Moondog Bernard, but they too could not stop the destruction created by the “We Are Here” group.
7.) After the dust settled from the ruckus that ensued beforehand, the AAW Heavyweight Title was put on the line. Jimmy Jacobs earned this match as a reward from he and Silas Young winning the Allegiance tag team tournament. Jacobs just wanted one more shot at the Heavyweight Title, and he had to go through the champion Shane Hollister, who was joined by his valet Scarlett Bordeaux.
The match took a very slow, plodding pace as the two men tried to wear one another out. Jacobs tried to hit his Contra Code move a few times in the match. On his first try, Jacobs wanted to hit it while he and Hollister were duking it out on the apron. Hollister blocked the attempt by shoving Jacobs back in the ring, but it only served to push Jacobs back into a run as he speared Hollister through the middle rope and onto the guardrail.
Once the two men got back to their feet, it appeared that Jacobs took more punishment from the spear and came up with his face bloodied. That opened the door for Hollister to attack, which he did. But, as always, Jacobs endured the punishment and surged on. But, the toll taken from that spear and the bloodied face stunted his attack. Referee Andy Long had to check on Jacobs condition after Hollister’s attack left him downed. Hollister took Jacobs away and finished Jacobs off with Shug’s Last Gift to get the victory and retain his title.
With the match over, Markus Crane came into the ring to celebrate with Shane Hollister and Scarlett Bordeaux. Crane and Hollister then attacked the prone Jacobs, but not until Colt Cabana came racing in with a pool cue to clear house.
8.) The main event finally came and it featured the AAW debut of Uhaa Nation. Uhaa joined together with Ricochet to do battle with the AAW Tag Team Champions Michael Elgin and Ethan Page, the Men of the Year.
It was an interesting pairing of match-ups among the opponents. Page and Ricochet have their history in AAW as the two paired up to compete in the Allegiance tournament, but broke up after they were eliminated from the competition. As for Uhaa and Elgin, two of the biggest powerhouses in independent wrestling, they would be meeting in the ring for the first time ever. And, it didn’t take long for those two to go head-to-head. Their one-on-one matchups during the match brought the crowd to their feet, especially towards the latter moments of the tag match.
Uhaa Nation impressed in his debut as he hit consecutive standing shooting star presses onto Ethan Page, but could only get a 2-count for his effort. It was a shining example of the kind of work all four men put into this match.
The nearly 25-minute long match hit its climax when Elgin and Page double teamed Ricochet. After Elgin got his licks in to Ricochet, Page stole the glory by hitting a spinning Rock Bottom to cap it off and get the victory for the Men of the Year.
Following the match, Elgin addressed the crowd thanking them and AAW for putting together this dream match. He assured the crowd that this won’t be the last time that AAW would offer a dream match of this type. And, in his usual method, Ethan Page got the last word in, admonishing his opponents saying no one’s better than the Men of the Year and everyone else sucks.
AAW announced their return date at the Berwyn Eagles Club for Friday, February 28th. On tap for “Path of Redemption” is the Heritage title match pitting the champ “Money” Matt Cage against Juntai Miller. All of the AAW titles will also be put on the line. In addition to those announcements, scheduled to appear on the show are Silas Young, Colt Cabana, ACH, and Kung Fu Manch (Marion Fontaine and Louis Lyndon).
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