Post by Sam Fain on Oct 15, 2017 13:06:21 GMT -5
Had the pleasure of attending AAW's Second Annual Jim Lynam Tournament on Friday & Saturday. Friday was solid and a fun night, but Saturday is up there with one of the best cards of the year. Easily on par with anything PWG is doing and blows away most WWE & ROH. Just incredible matches from top to bottom and a little bit of everything as far as the kind of in-ring action.
Night 1
Opening Round Match: DJZ over Andrew Everett in 8:22 with his Jumping DDT finisher
Not bad, a couple of miscommunications but some great high spots and DJZ is so solid. A wonder he can do some of the things he does so shortly after his injury in Mexico.
Opening Round Match: ACH over Curt Stallion in 7:34 with a brain buster
Solid stuff. Stallion is getting better and better, but he did unintentionally poke ACH in the eye and ACH was having a little trouble, but he rebounded well. ACH is great. Fun to watch and interactive in a logical way.
Opening Round Match: Mark Haskins over Eddie Kingston in 12:59 with a DVD-like move (no idea what it's called)
Kingston is good at what he does and has a lot of great psychology and works well as the brawler. Haskins is great. First time seeing him live and he impressed the hell out of me. He was very over with the crowd too. Good match, but nothing too remarkable.
Opening Round Match: Jeff Cobb over Zachary Wentz in 5:40 with Tour of the Islands
Basic big man Cobb taking it to Wentz. Wentz had a couple of nice high spots, but this was clearly about getting Cobb over as the monster he is.
AAW Championship Match: Rey Fenix over Trevor Lee in 12:08 with the Fire Thunder Driver
Trevor is so great. Excellent heel work in and out of the ring. Fenix is an incredible talent and both are two of the better workers in the world today, no doubt. That said, this felt a little short and unremarkable. Still very solid and a lot of fun. Trevor got some genuine heat for tell a fan to "suck my d*** f****t"...
Keith Lee & Shane Strickland over Matt Riddle and Zack Sabre Jr in 20:45. Strickland pinned Sabre Jr after the Spirt Stomp (diving doomsday splash into a powerbomb)
Tremendous match. Worth seeing. Probably 4 stars. One comment, tho, it felt like they skipped a page. They started slow, built really nicely, but then, out of nowhere, they kicked it into high gear and kept it at that level for the rest of the match. It was incredible, don't get me wrong, and I'm probably nit-picking, but it was a different kind of flow. Sabre and Riddle teased a break up after when Sabre slapped away Riddle's hand. All four are super over, by the way. Especially Sabre and Riddle.
Opening Round Match: AR Fox over Desmond Xavier in 7:33 with a 450.
This was interesting. Started off really strong and then the bottom rope broke when Xavier went for a drop kick between the ropes to the outside on Fox. It didn't hurt the match per se, but it didn't do them any favors either. Both are a lot of fun to watch, tho.
Opening Round Match: Myron Reed over Brian Cage in 9:26 with a reversal into a pinning combo.
Good stuff. Reed tried to use his speed and agility, but Cage over-powered him at every step. Cage looked to finish him and Reed reversed into a surprise pin. Fans were shocked, pleasantly so as it wasn't a very pro-Cage audience.
Opening Round Match: Sami Callihan over Matt Fitchett in 10:06 with the Stretch Muffler
This was all right. Seemed to be missing something. Not bad by any stretch, just nothing remarkable. They worked a good portion of the match outside with Sami doing some sick spots with his spit... Yep, you read that right. Callihan is great with psychology and works a unique style that meshes well with just about anyone.
Opening Round Match: Michael Eglin over Pena El 0 M in 19:46 with the Burning Hammer.
This was great. Tied with the tag match for match of the night, easily. Elgin is fantastic. Penta is great. They had a great match. Plain and simple. The finishing stretch was fantastic with both men hitting finishers and getting the shoulder up. Elgin finally hit the buckle bomb, Elgin Bomb, and a Burning Hammer for the win. The prior two matches felt just little off, but this one made me forget the bottom rope was missing. These two are that good and it showed.
Night 2
Quarter-Final Match: DJZ over ACH in 6:42 with a pinning combo
Solid sprint with lots of crazy high spots outside to start off. Definitely popped the crowd in a big way and got things off to a hot start.
Quarter-Final Match: Michael Elgin over Myron Reed in 15:21 with and Elgin Bomb
Wow. This was fantastic. Told an incredibly basic, but intriguing story and the end result had Elgin advancing, but Reed looking better and being more over in spite of the loss. Elgin really amped it up from the night before and Reed brought his best, but it wasn't enough in the end.
Quarter-Final Match: Jeff Cobb over AR Fox in 9:28 with Tour of the Islands
Totally different than the last match with lots of brawling outside, but still a great story. Fox ripped his pants on a crazy dive over the corner and they had trouble staying up. They worked it into a great spot where Cobb tore them off the rest of the way (Fox had tights on underneath) and choked him with the pants. Fox came close, but Cobb put him away with Tour of the Islands. Damned good stuff.
Quarter-Final Match: Sami Callihan over Mark Haskins in 15:58 with the Cradle Killer
Good stuff. Fantastic chain wrestling early on the inside and then crazy brawling outside. They went back and forth and brought some chairs into the match which helped set Sami up for the win. Crowd didn't expect Sami to win which made the finish even better. Haskins continued to impress, tho. Definitely hope he comes back.
Four matches in, this night was already better than the previous and easily hanging with any card I've seen in the past year as far as back to back, top to bottom action.
Teddy Hart over Stephen Wolf, Brian Cage, & Andrew Everett in 9:54 with a flip pile driver off the top rope on Everett.
Wow. Teddy Hart was very over and looked great in the ring. Did some awesome stuff, but all four guys looked great. Made a lot of sense and felt like a nice story for Hart, in particular.
Semi-Final Match: Michael Elgin over DJZ in 10:52 with the Elgin Bomb.
Great stuff. Lots of back and forth and DJZ came close, but Elgin wouldn't be denied. Told a nice story and Elgin pulled out a lot agility moves that had folks doing the "Lucha Elgin" chant. Right guy won, but he's had two tough matches in the tournament so far.
Semi-Final Match: Jeff Cobb over Sami Callihan in 33 seconds with Tour of the Islands
You read that right. Cobb mauled Callihan on the outside before the match began and took out his manager, JT Davidson, with a headbutt. Bell rang, Tour of the Islands, 1, 2, 3. Big win. He hit another finisher after the bell and Callihan had to be helped out. If rumors are true and Sami is headed to Japan, this is a great way to explain an absence. Or it sets up a nice feud with Cobb which makes sense, since AAW is clearly positioning Cobb to be a top contender.
The Besties (Davey Vega & Matt Fitchett) over Paco & Eddie Kingston, & Connor Braxton & Curt Stallion in 12:24 with Vega over Paco with a roll up after Braxton waffled Paco with the ring bell.
Solid Lucha style 3-way. Braxton has hateful go-home heat, but was better here than the last time I saw him. Eddie really brought it tonight, even more than the night before. Paco is over huge with the Berwyn crowd and the story of Vega & Fitchett continues with some great spots and moments between the two. Sick dive spot where all 6 men hit dives to the outside. After the match Paco cut a promo on Braxton and challenged him to a Fans Bring The Weapons match for the 11/3 card at the Eagles Club.
Lucha Bros (Penta & Fenix) over Xavier & Wentz in 16:02 with an assisted package pile driver on set up chairs.
This was phenomenal and told a fantastic and fun story. Wentz & Xavier were wearing the Lucas Bros masks, but that wasn't all, they actually "pretended" to be them (Xavier was Penta and Wentz was Fenix) and it so worked. They were doing the others moves and pulling them off picture perfect. Lots of double teams, lots of all four in the ring at once, lots stereo moves. Just a fantastic back and forth match that had fans throwing money in the ring after. The finish was incredible as they set up three chairs (I think they wanted four, but one was destroyed from the Haskins/Callihan match and they didn't seem to have a replacement) They battled over them until finally Penta his a package pile driver on Wentz with the assist from Fenix. Huge ovation after. Teddy Hart was on the stage watching the match and after he put both Lucha Bros over on the mic and challenged them each to title matches, saying that he was definitely coming back to AAW. Penta then cut a promo in English (his skills have definitely improved, it was impressive). Great stuff. See this one.
Tournament Final: Michael Elgin over Jeff Cobb in 20:01 with the burning hammer.
This was everything you could want it to be and probably 4.25 stars, maybe 4.5. They clobbered one another and worked some great spots into the match. Elgin pulled out all the stops and Cobb did the same. Unfortunately, the finishing stretch saw Cobb go for a reverse Tour of the Islands, but couldn't pull it off an his knee buckled. He was clearly hurting, but gutted it out big time. It barely took anything away from the match and he almost won, but Elgin came back and hit a big Burning Hammer for the win. He gave a speech after that literally put tears in peoples' eyes. I legit saw three people crying as he talked about his love for wrestling and the fans and how important it was to honor Jim Lynam for helping to create one of the best promotions in the world. Big Mike was very over (so was Cobb, to be fair) and it felt like the right guy won.
Incredible night of wrestling. I literally defy anyone to find 10 shows better than this so far this year. It was that good. You might find 8 or 9, but not 10. Top to bottom it was amazing and I was lucky to be there.
Had a chance to talk to Michael Elgin a bit and mentioned the Suzuki match. Apparently, he was not happy with how that went down. To the point that the office was worried about how unhappy he was, but ultimately he was fine and they were fine and the understanding was that Suzuki is at the point in his career where he does what he does well, but isn't quite able to go all out with a guy like Elgin anymore so they wouldn't be able to have the blow away some folks (myself included) wanted. Elgin has nothing but respect for him and understood, he just wanted it to be a tear down the house match and it couldn't be. Take that for what you will, but Elgin was awesome. So kind, so open. Just a great guy and a super talent.
Night 1
Opening Round Match: DJZ over Andrew Everett in 8:22 with his Jumping DDT finisher
Not bad, a couple of miscommunications but some great high spots and DJZ is so solid. A wonder he can do some of the things he does so shortly after his injury in Mexico.
Opening Round Match: ACH over Curt Stallion in 7:34 with a brain buster
Solid stuff. Stallion is getting better and better, but he did unintentionally poke ACH in the eye and ACH was having a little trouble, but he rebounded well. ACH is great. Fun to watch and interactive in a logical way.
Opening Round Match: Mark Haskins over Eddie Kingston in 12:59 with a DVD-like move (no idea what it's called)
Kingston is good at what he does and has a lot of great psychology and works well as the brawler. Haskins is great. First time seeing him live and he impressed the hell out of me. He was very over with the crowd too. Good match, but nothing too remarkable.
Opening Round Match: Jeff Cobb over Zachary Wentz in 5:40 with Tour of the Islands
Basic big man Cobb taking it to Wentz. Wentz had a couple of nice high spots, but this was clearly about getting Cobb over as the monster he is.
AAW Championship Match: Rey Fenix over Trevor Lee in 12:08 with the Fire Thunder Driver
Trevor is so great. Excellent heel work in and out of the ring. Fenix is an incredible talent and both are two of the better workers in the world today, no doubt. That said, this felt a little short and unremarkable. Still very solid and a lot of fun. Trevor got some genuine heat for tell a fan to "suck my d*** f****t"...
Keith Lee & Shane Strickland over Matt Riddle and Zack Sabre Jr in 20:45. Strickland pinned Sabre Jr after the Spirt Stomp (diving doomsday splash into a powerbomb)
Tremendous match. Worth seeing. Probably 4 stars. One comment, tho, it felt like they skipped a page. They started slow, built really nicely, but then, out of nowhere, they kicked it into high gear and kept it at that level for the rest of the match. It was incredible, don't get me wrong, and I'm probably nit-picking, but it was a different kind of flow. Sabre and Riddle teased a break up after when Sabre slapped away Riddle's hand. All four are super over, by the way. Especially Sabre and Riddle.
Opening Round Match: AR Fox over Desmond Xavier in 7:33 with a 450.
This was interesting. Started off really strong and then the bottom rope broke when Xavier went for a drop kick between the ropes to the outside on Fox. It didn't hurt the match per se, but it didn't do them any favors either. Both are a lot of fun to watch, tho.
Opening Round Match: Myron Reed over Brian Cage in 9:26 with a reversal into a pinning combo.
Good stuff. Reed tried to use his speed and agility, but Cage over-powered him at every step. Cage looked to finish him and Reed reversed into a surprise pin. Fans were shocked, pleasantly so as it wasn't a very pro-Cage audience.
Opening Round Match: Sami Callihan over Matt Fitchett in 10:06 with the Stretch Muffler
This was all right. Seemed to be missing something. Not bad by any stretch, just nothing remarkable. They worked a good portion of the match outside with Sami doing some sick spots with his spit... Yep, you read that right. Callihan is great with psychology and works a unique style that meshes well with just about anyone.
Opening Round Match: Michael Eglin over Pena El 0 M in 19:46 with the Burning Hammer.
This was great. Tied with the tag match for match of the night, easily. Elgin is fantastic. Penta is great. They had a great match. Plain and simple. The finishing stretch was fantastic with both men hitting finishers and getting the shoulder up. Elgin finally hit the buckle bomb, Elgin Bomb, and a Burning Hammer for the win. The prior two matches felt just little off, but this one made me forget the bottom rope was missing. These two are that good and it showed.
Night 2
Quarter-Final Match: DJZ over ACH in 6:42 with a pinning combo
Solid sprint with lots of crazy high spots outside to start off. Definitely popped the crowd in a big way and got things off to a hot start.
Quarter-Final Match: Michael Elgin over Myron Reed in 15:21 with and Elgin Bomb
Wow. This was fantastic. Told an incredibly basic, but intriguing story and the end result had Elgin advancing, but Reed looking better and being more over in spite of the loss. Elgin really amped it up from the night before and Reed brought his best, but it wasn't enough in the end.
Quarter-Final Match: Jeff Cobb over AR Fox in 9:28 with Tour of the Islands
Totally different than the last match with lots of brawling outside, but still a great story. Fox ripped his pants on a crazy dive over the corner and they had trouble staying up. They worked it into a great spot where Cobb tore them off the rest of the way (Fox had tights on underneath) and choked him with the pants. Fox came close, but Cobb put him away with Tour of the Islands. Damned good stuff.
Quarter-Final Match: Sami Callihan over Mark Haskins in 15:58 with the Cradle Killer
Good stuff. Fantastic chain wrestling early on the inside and then crazy brawling outside. They went back and forth and brought some chairs into the match which helped set Sami up for the win. Crowd didn't expect Sami to win which made the finish even better. Haskins continued to impress, tho. Definitely hope he comes back.
Four matches in, this night was already better than the previous and easily hanging with any card I've seen in the past year as far as back to back, top to bottom action.
Teddy Hart over Stephen Wolf, Brian Cage, & Andrew Everett in 9:54 with a flip pile driver off the top rope on Everett.
Wow. Teddy Hart was very over and looked great in the ring. Did some awesome stuff, but all four guys looked great. Made a lot of sense and felt like a nice story for Hart, in particular.
Semi-Final Match: Michael Elgin over DJZ in 10:52 with the Elgin Bomb.
Great stuff. Lots of back and forth and DJZ came close, but Elgin wouldn't be denied. Told a nice story and Elgin pulled out a lot agility moves that had folks doing the "Lucha Elgin" chant. Right guy won, but he's had two tough matches in the tournament so far.
Semi-Final Match: Jeff Cobb over Sami Callihan in 33 seconds with Tour of the Islands
You read that right. Cobb mauled Callihan on the outside before the match began and took out his manager, JT Davidson, with a headbutt. Bell rang, Tour of the Islands, 1, 2, 3. Big win. He hit another finisher after the bell and Callihan had to be helped out. If rumors are true and Sami is headed to Japan, this is a great way to explain an absence. Or it sets up a nice feud with Cobb which makes sense, since AAW is clearly positioning Cobb to be a top contender.
The Besties (Davey Vega & Matt Fitchett) over Paco & Eddie Kingston, & Connor Braxton & Curt Stallion in 12:24 with Vega over Paco with a roll up after Braxton waffled Paco with the ring bell.
Solid Lucha style 3-way. Braxton has hateful go-home heat, but was better here than the last time I saw him. Eddie really brought it tonight, even more than the night before. Paco is over huge with the Berwyn crowd and the story of Vega & Fitchett continues with some great spots and moments between the two. Sick dive spot where all 6 men hit dives to the outside. After the match Paco cut a promo on Braxton and challenged him to a Fans Bring The Weapons match for the 11/3 card at the Eagles Club.
Lucha Bros (Penta & Fenix) over Xavier & Wentz in 16:02 with an assisted package pile driver on set up chairs.
This was phenomenal and told a fantastic and fun story. Wentz & Xavier were wearing the Lucas Bros masks, but that wasn't all, they actually "pretended" to be them (Xavier was Penta and Wentz was Fenix) and it so worked. They were doing the others moves and pulling them off picture perfect. Lots of double teams, lots of all four in the ring at once, lots stereo moves. Just a fantastic back and forth match that had fans throwing money in the ring after. The finish was incredible as they set up three chairs (I think they wanted four, but one was destroyed from the Haskins/Callihan match and they didn't seem to have a replacement) They battled over them until finally Penta his a package pile driver on Wentz with the assist from Fenix. Huge ovation after. Teddy Hart was on the stage watching the match and after he put both Lucha Bros over on the mic and challenged them each to title matches, saying that he was definitely coming back to AAW. Penta then cut a promo in English (his skills have definitely improved, it was impressive). Great stuff. See this one.
Tournament Final: Michael Elgin over Jeff Cobb in 20:01 with the burning hammer.
This was everything you could want it to be and probably 4.25 stars, maybe 4.5. They clobbered one another and worked some great spots into the match. Elgin pulled out all the stops and Cobb did the same. Unfortunately, the finishing stretch saw Cobb go for a reverse Tour of the Islands, but couldn't pull it off an his knee buckled. He was clearly hurting, but gutted it out big time. It barely took anything away from the match and he almost won, but Elgin came back and hit a big Burning Hammer for the win. He gave a speech after that literally put tears in peoples' eyes. I legit saw three people crying as he talked about his love for wrestling and the fans and how important it was to honor Jim Lynam for helping to create one of the best promotions in the world. Big Mike was very over (so was Cobb, to be fair) and it felt like the right guy won.
Incredible night of wrestling. I literally defy anyone to find 10 shows better than this so far this year. It was that good. You might find 8 or 9, but not 10. Top to bottom it was amazing and I was lucky to be there.
Had a chance to talk to Michael Elgin a bit and mentioned the Suzuki match. Apparently, he was not happy with how that went down. To the point that the office was worried about how unhappy he was, but ultimately he was fine and they were fine and the understanding was that Suzuki is at the point in his career where he does what he does well, but isn't quite able to go all out with a guy like Elgin anymore so they wouldn't be able to have the blow away some folks (myself included) wanted. Elgin has nothing but respect for him and understood, he just wanted it to be a tear down the house match and it couldn't be. Take that for what you will, but Elgin was awesome. So kind, so open. Just a great guy and a super talent.
