Thursday, October 31, 2019

My Experience at NXT Live on October 23rd, 2019

Last week, I attended my first NXT event from Full Sail University. After an amazing show in Durham earlier this year, I was excited to see NXT at its home arena. No doubt, Full Sail will go down as an iconic wrestling venue in the future, so I’m glad I was able to check this off my wrestling bucket list.

By now, you all probably know what happened on the show, so I’m going to spend less time talking about the matches and more about the experience at Full Sail.


The arena at Full Sail University is located in what is best described as a strip mall. Within the same parking lot as the arena are a few restaurants like Wendys, McDonalds, an ale house, and a Taco Bell. Across the street is a Costco, so this isn’t the type of place you traditionally watch wrestling. What’s nice about this location is there is plenty of free parking, it’s easily accessible, and the arena is small, probably about the size of a CVS drug store. With it being that intimate, there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

My girlfriend Brandy and I arrived about forty minutes before the doors open and found a line that was already eighty people deep waiting. We hopped in line and listened to wrestling fans banter while waiting for the doors to open up.


Outside of the arena is a small NXT merchandise trailer where you can buy the latest swag. Inside there is a small table which seemed to be run by student volunteers who were selling canned soda, bagged chips, and some candy bars. It had a very low budget indie feel to a big budget indy product, which was interesting.

Full Sail has some extremely strict rules regarding bags that can brought into the arena. Basically, you can bring in a wallet or a very small purse and that is it. The woman in front of us had what I’d describe as a small purse, and it was still too big to be brought into the arena. They have metal detectors and when they give you the canned soda, they tear the tabs off the top of them. It seemed a bit excessive, but I guess you can never be too careful.

The staff was organized and directed everyone onto the bleachers in an orderly fashion leaving. What I didn’t realize is that Full Sail only has bleachers on one side of the arena. It’s not completely surrounded by seating. It’s also much smaller in person than it seems on TV. Some of these pictures might give it better scale than what’s on TV.


It was very abundant that NXT is a television production and not a wrestling show. The referees were constantly directing the talent when to taunt the camera, exit the ring, pose on the ramp, etc. The camera men were constantly working the crowd up in a frenzy and I’ve just never seen that before at a wrestling event. It felt so staged and really killed any suspension of disbelief that may have been occurring.

The matches were decent, but nothing too memorable. It was nice seeing Cameron Grimes (Trevor Lee) in a match where he should have gone over, and the main event was wonderful on paper Keith Lee vs. Roderick Strong vs. Donovan Dijak, but it just didn’t go off as well as I think it could have.

Of course, this event will always be remembered for the heel turn of Finn Balor, which was stunning and left the crowd speechless. After the attack on Johnny Gargano, they spent a lot of time putting him on a stretcher and getting him into the ambulance. Then they forgot to close the ambulance doors and this led to everyone in the arena yelling at the screen as the ambulance drove away.


There was no closing of the show nor a  second main event following Balor’s turn, so the crowd all exited the arena rather awkwardly. I really felt like something was missing and maybe a proper closing to the show should have occurred instead of the fans just trying to squeeze out of the single entrance of the arena at once. Heck, even an announcer coming out to let everyone know the show was over probably would have helped a little.

If I lived near Orlando, I’m sure I’d be at Full Sail every Wednesday night. It’s affordable wrestling in a very cool venue. I cannot get over how much I liked the parking, how great all the seating was, and how on top of things the staff seemed to be. However, I will say as a wrestling product, it was lacking. There are no meet and greets or really anything wrestling related at the arena other than the single merch truck outside. The whole experience has that very sterile WWE feel to it and that was a bit of a disappointment, since NXT is always looked at as the grittier little brother to the flagship shows. I guess, I just assumed since NXT had a permanently weekly venue, they would put a little more effort into being a bit more in line with the popular aspects of indie wrestling, and not just a WWE lite production.

I had more fun at the NXT house show and I highly recommend checking NXT out if they ever come nearby. However, I would not make a special trip to Orlando to visit the Full Sail University, because it just isn’t worth it.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Limitless Wrestling Live Report 10/25/2019


Friday October 25th Limitless Wrestling  returned to action, this time in a new venue, at the AMvets Hall Post 2 in Yarmouth, Maine.  Canaan rode down with me and we met Mikey, Josh, & Roy there.  Carolynn attended her second ever Limitless show, the first being last month's Expo event.  Also saw the usually cast of regulars, Phil, Jess, Megan, Alex, and many others.

I like the venue a lot, easy to find, right of 295, big parking lot.  The place was packed, leaving little room for the gimmick tables but we all make due the best we can.  I would wager it was basically a sell out.

Pres-show Let's Wrestle showcase


CJ Cruz pinned "The Prize" Alec Price

These guys have has some great matches in Let's Wrestle, and if you are going to showcase the promotion you couldn't pick two better guys to represent the brand.  They brought everything that they had tonight and absolutely killed it!  Honestly this match set a very high standard for the rest of the card to have to follow.  Cruz pinned Price after a wicked missile dropkick.

Main Card

Leyla Hirsch pinned John Silver


Hard hitting match that was fast paced at times.  Several times it appeared that Silver had completely wrecked Hirsch but she just kept coming.  At one point Silver hit her with an impressive helicopter style blue thunder bomb.  It wasn't enough though as in the end Leyla walked out with her hand raised in victor.  

Maine State Posse: Aiden Aggro & Danger Kid defeated Violence is Forever: Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini


Excellent tag team match! My first time seeing Violence is Forever live, they work very well together and utilize quick tags and high impact offense.  At one point this match broke down into a slap fight, the most violent slap fight I have ever seen.  MSP continued their winning ways pinning Ku after their finish.  I'm excited to see who is next for MSP. 

Kris Statlander pinned Caleb Konley


This was a great match, no surprise with the competitors.  We've seen Konley here in Maine before with Big Time Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Experience, including this past August in Fairfield.  However this was his first time with Limitless and I'm guessing that he'll be back.

Awesome combination tonight as Konley reversed an avalanche hurricanrana rolling through and coming with with a powerbomb, bucklebomb, and variation of a sit-out powerbomb for a two count on Stat.  Stat picked up the win with her finisher.  

Kris Stat just keeps getting better and better every time I see her.  I've heard that she signed with WWE but doesn't start until January which is great for her but bad for us.  I had gotten my picture taken with her the night she debuted in Limitless and I got another one tonight.



Gangrel defeated DL Hurst, Alexander Lee with Joey Eastman, & Danhausen in an elimination match


This was a fun match!  Lee had a lot of heat with the crowd, rightfully so, and Eastman is just a natural at getting people to hate him.  It was super cool hearing Gangrel's music and seeing his entrance, he had his goblet of blood and spit it before the match.

At the bell DL Hurst hit a quick package piledriver on Lee causing him to roll to the floor.  Danhausen then stood on the ring apron as "Tequila" began to play and he did the Pee Wee Herman dance kicking Lee in the face a couple times.  Trying to get away Lee ran into Hurst who also did the dance and kicked Lee in the face.  Rolling back in the ring he had a double kick will the fans yelled Tequila, it was a pretty amazing moment that got even better when Gangrel started doing the Pee Wee Herman dance.

The action picked up with Gangrel hitting is patented double arm suplex on Hurst.  A bit later Hurst had the upperhand on Lee but after being distracted by Eastman, Lee chop blocked Hurst and rolled him up for a three count holding the tights.

Danhausen was the next to be eliminated also by Lee after being hit with a low blow and what I'm going to call a reverse pedigree.  Not before Danhausen poured his jar of teeth down Lee's throat.

Eastman attempted to help Lee but got blood spit in his face from Gangrel who then pinned Lee after a wicked implant DDT.  For a guy that is 50 years old Gangrel looked awesome. 

Anything Goes: Dan Maff pinned Mathew Justice

WOW!  I'm not even going to try just go find this match and watch the hell out of it!  They beat the piss out of each other in and out of the ring first with just their first and then brought in tables and doors.  When the match was over the ring was a mess of broken door debris.


I'm a HUGE fan of Mathew Justice now and I want him at every Limitless show going forward.  The matches he could have with Ace Romero, Briggs, Greene, and basically everyone. 

Women's Scramble Match
Ashley Vox defeated Masha Slamovich, Jody Threat, Allie Kat, & Skylar with Jeremy Leary

This was the first match back after intermission and it got the crowd back up.  Got to see Slamovich with a sweet wheelbarrow suplex on Vox and Saito suplex on Kat.  Threat was irish whipped by Kat on her skateboard into Slamovich spearing her into the chairs.  Vox got the win when she submitted Slamovich.


Post match Kris Stat came out to celebrate with Vox, who got up on Stat's shoulders.  Stat then cut a promo stating that they were a team and proposed they take on MSP.  Then she said they should challenge the winner of Greene vs. Briggs in a triple threat match.  But ultimately she decided "How about I finish what I started and fucking murder you" dropping Vox on her face.

After a pull apart brawl Statlander challenged Vox to a Last Creature Standing Match.

"Red Death" Daniel Garcia submitted Fred Yehi

And now for something completely different.  This match was an excellent mat based encounter with striking, reversals, and submissions.  I friggin loved it!  So glad to see Yehi back and I hope he doesn't take so long to comeback next time.

Garcia submitted Yehi with a modified sharpshooter.

JT Dunn, Christian Casanova, & Joshua Bishop defeated Kevin Blackwood & The Butcher and The Blade

This was a wild and fast paced match.  One sick spot the Butcher had Casanova in a Texas cloverleaf, he picked him up and slammed him back down into a powerbomb and right back into a cloverleaf, it was friggin brilliant!


Blackwood had Casanova up in a fireman's carry and wiggled out, Dunn then appeared to accidentally hit Blackwood with death by elbow getting the pin. 

Limitless Wrestling World Champion: Anthony Greene pinned Josh Briggs 

Solid main event Glad to see Briggs back, it's been a long time since he was last in Limitless since his hip injury.  These two guys brought it for a solid match that saw Greene retain with his super tomikazi.


Post match Greene cut a promo challenging Teddy Hart, which everyone seemed to really like the idea of Greene vs. Hart one on one.  But then he said to bring Davey Boy with him and he would get Ace to be his partner.  Still an awesome match, but I hope we get Greene vs. Hart down the line. 

It was another great show from top to bottom for Limitless.  Through-out the night they announced their return to this venue on Black Friday November 29th for what will presumably be their last show of the year.

Warhorse returns, AG & Ace vs. The New Hart Foundation, the return of JD Drake, and Last Creature Standing Kris Statlander vs. Ashley Vox.  I think tickets go on sale on November 11th at www.limitlesswrestling.com

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network.

Until next time!

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Let's Wrestle Live Report, 10/12/2019


Let's Wrestle returned to the American Legion in Orono on Saturday Night the 12th of October for Volume 10 Don't Lose Your Head.  Mikey joined Canaan, Addison, & I for a night at the matches.  This is my 20th wrestling event of year!  That pretty damn good if you ask me, but isn't as good as  Mikey as this marks his 46th show of the year.  Incidentally this is the 17th show that Mikey and I have gone to together this year.

We got up to the venue about 6pm and walked up to the Orono House of Pizza for dinner.  They have solid food and I like that we can park at the venue first and walk over to dinner.  The doors opened promptly at 7pm, I had already bought us front row seats prior to the show, Mikey got General Admission and sat behind us for the first half and then he hung out with Bradford and Roy for the second half.

Doug Wyzer with Jacob Drifter & Ike the Bite pinned Perry Von Vicious


Von Vicious jumped the Dirty Drifters sending Doug and Jacob to the floor and then pressed slammed Ike the Bite onto the them.  I fully expected Wyzer to get squashed in this match but he picked up the win.  Vicious had him up for a splash mountain and after a distraction by Jacob, he reversed it into a sunset flip style pin for the three count.


General Manager Jonny Torres brought out the tag champs for a special announcement.  On Saturday December 14th Let's Wrestle returns for a fundraiser show for former Maine wrestler Mark Godfrey.

The Syndicate: Owen Brody, BA Tatum, & Murdock defeated Tag Team Champions: The Stigma: Eric Johnson & Brandino Davis and Malik Logan


Match started with all six men in the ring brawling, it spilled to the floor and around ringside.  Eventually Bandino Davis did a somerset dive out of the ring onto the Syndicate taking them out but he injured his knee in the process.  For the next several minutes the settled into a tag and the Syndicate worked over Davis' knee.



He finally made the hot tag to Malik Logan who came in and cleaned out.  He really looked impressive.  The match broke out into a brawl again, however this time the Syndicate isolated Logan in the ring hitting him with a sky hi, falling headbutt and Brody with a nice looking elbow drop from the top rope for the win.


This has to put the Syndicate in contention for the tag team titles.

Mac Daniels pinned Scotty Wild


This was my first time seeing Wild live since October 29, 2016 at Limitless Wrestling, and he looked damn good in the ring tonight.  This match was fast paced with a lot of action.  Wild was flying around the ring with quick precision striking offense while Daniels muscled Wild with high impact moves.



Post match Daniels cut a promo challenging Luke Robinson to a match on December 14th.  Later in the night General Manager Jonny Torres came out stating that he had heard from Robinson who had accepted Daniels chhallenge for the 14th.

Brett Ryan Gosselin pinned Davienne



I really enjoyed this match, it had a quick pace with both of them laying it in to each other.  No one dominated the match for any length of time as there was a lot of back and forth.  Davienne was the heel tonight, I enjoy Davienne much better as a heel than a babyface.  BRG got the pin after a nasty looking double arm DDT.  I'm not sure at all what the intention of the move was, but from my point of view Davienne landed really rough on the top of her head.



Maine State Posse: Danger Kid & Aiden Aggro defeated "The Prize" Alec Price & Channing Thomas

This was the match of the night!  I'm not sure if Thomas and Price have teamed before but I want to see them team more in the future.  This isn't one I'm going to try to breakdown beyond when this is posted on the YouTube make it a point to go and watch it.  Everything shined in the match whether it was from selling their ass off or showing their impressive high flying offense.  At one point MSP has a bit of miscommunication and I thought Prize and Thomas were going to pick up the win.



This was another great tag team match with MSP cementing that they are not only the best tag team in Maine but possible New England.  Watching their growth in the ring over the last four years has been awesome, can't wait to see them continue to get better and branch out.



At the beginning of the match when Price was making his entrance my daughter was booing him, she's 10 she boos the bad guys and she gets very emotionally involved, very.  Well Price said something to her along the lines of "I don't like you, not one likes you, your parents don't like you."  To which my daughter cried giant alligator tears.  I told her that he was wrong, that obviously I like her, that didn't matter.  At the end of the match after MSP has won, Price was on the floor near us and my daughter just kept screaming that's what you get, that's what you get.


Post match Danger Kid and Aggro stated they wanted to have fun on December 14th and challenged the Dirty Drifters to a match.

Intermission

Inaugural Gordon Stuart Battle Royal: CJ Cruz won last eliminating Alec Price


This match featured 20 competitors, most of whom had either wrestled earlier on the card of in matches yet to come.  It was fun a fun Battle Royal with the final four being Owen Brody, Mac Daniels, CJ Cruz, & Alec Price.  Fittingly it came down to Cruz and Price who had had a great feud in Let's Wrestle.  Cruz walked away with the bragging rights and solidified his spot in the 2020 Let's Wrestle Rumble in January.



Masha Slamovich defeated Ava Everett & Angel Sinclair


At the beginning of every match my daughter would ask me who were the good guys and bad guys so she knew who to boo and cheer, after their entrances though they all appeared to be faces, but that didn't last.  After the bell Ava and Angel appeared to be plotting against Slamovich but then Ava turned on Angel with a wicked beat down that ended with Ava throwing a chair at Angel hitting her in the head area.  Angel was brought to the back.  Addison turned to me and said about Ava, "what happened, she seemed like such a sweetheart?"




Ava and Masha then had a wild brawl themselves including Masha hitting Ava with a fall away slam onto the chairs in the front row.  This was my first time seeing Masha live and I'm a fan!  I'll be honest it's because she yells in Russian and she throws a mean suplex!  Saito suplex, german suplex, and even a wicked nice looking wheelbarrow suplex, which you don't get to see often.



Angel returned mid match and it got back to being a triple threat.  What I liked the most is that it was legit each lady for herself with no one teaming up together during the match.  Ava tried to steal the win after Masha laid out Angel but she just herself tossed out of the ring.  Masha got the pin on Angel after a beautiful diving headbutt from the top rope.   I think she should go by "Dynamite" Masha Slamovich.


KenneLee: Alexander Lee & Kennedi Copeland defeated CJ Cruz & Ricky Archer



The exception to her rule, my daughter is a fan of Kennedi Copeland so in this case it was ok to cheer the bad team.  This was a fun match that I really enjoyed, I am partial as I'm a Lee fan.  Cruz looked excellent though in this match.  At one point Lee and Copeland hit a double headbutt on I think Archer. Kennedi fell in the corner after while Lee slapped his own head asking her "Didn't that feel great!?" she responded with a resounding "No!" which tickled me.



Lee got the pin on Archer after landing a top rope splash while Archer was on his hands and knees.

Let's Wrestle Champion: Kalvin Strange pinned "Masshole" Mike McCarthy


There was a lot of brawling on the floor before the bell rang.  Strange even tried to take his championship and head to the back but McCarthy chased him to the back and brought him into the ring where the referee finally called for the bell.



This was a much more serious McCarthy in the ring tonight, he wasn't picking his nose and eating it or forcing other to do it.  McCarthy dominated the match for the most part unfortunately when he got Strange up on his shoulder Strange's legs took out the referee.


McCarthy locked in the his finisher, a variation of the rings of Saturn but the referee wasn't there to see Strange tap out.  McCarthy thinking he'd won  the match relinquished the hold to celebrate.  However Strange took the opportunity to take McCarthy out with the championship, revive the ref, and score the three count to retain.


Strange attempted to leave the ringside area but Brett Ryan Gosselin attacked him throwing him back in to McCarthy.  Torres came out and made a match for December 14th, BRG & McCarthy will team against Strange and Dave Dwyer.  If Strange win then McCarthy can never challenge for the Let's Wrestle Championship if McCarthy wins he gets another shot in January and get's the pick the stipulation of the match.


What's strange to me is what does BRG get out of this?  As far as I know he's not running mates with McCarthy, I get him coming at the champion though.  Seem's a bit odd to me.

Let's Wrestle returns December 14th in Orono with three matches announced already.  In January they will be presenting the second annual Let's Wrestle Rumble.


Before, during, and after the show Addison got her picture made, as they say in the south,  with Ava Everette, Aggro, Kennedi, Scott Wild, Alexander Lee, Davienne, and others. 

Limitless Wrestling returns in under two weeks, October 25th with "Fresh Blood" at the Amvets Post 2 in Yarmouth featuring Gangrel, Limitless Champion Anthony Greene defending against Josh Briggs and more!

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network.

Until next time!