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| Photos by AAW |
In match that will go down as one of the most historic in AAW history, Rey Fenix defeated Gringo Loco and gave Chicago indy wrestling everything it could have asked for.
Uno Mas! mark the first AAW appearance for Fenix, a former AAW Heavyweight Champion and two-time AAW Tag Team Champion since he signed with AEW in 2019. Fenix had been regularly featured on AAW shows for three years.
A standing room only crowd of 350+ were shoehorned into Irving Hall in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago. Intensity was inescapable.
Going to the first wrestling show at this venue was a mind blowing experience for me. The house my great grandfather built in 1908, where my mother still lives, is one block away from the former West Irving State Bank opened for business in 1927. The bank space was recently redone as a banquet hall with a 40 foot ceiling and terrazzo flooring.
The show streamed live on highspots.tv with Tyler Volz and Marty DeRosa on commentary.
(1) Shane Hollister defeated Jah-C in 4:57. It was OK. Hollister needs more physical presence to be someone in this league. The fans like Jah-C. He's athletic but he didn't knock my socks off. Hollister used the ref to block a charging Jah-C's and rolled him up using the tights.
(2) Sierra defeated Shazza McKenzie in 8:55. McKenzie was working the crowd and getting heat. Sierra has become an AAW fan favorite. She's got desire to go with ring speed and explosiveness. Sierra pinned McKenzie after a stunner. The crowd popped big and gave Sierra an extended round of applause.
(3) Robert "Ego" Anthony defeated Isaiah Moore in 12:27. Anthony brought the look, the size and aura of a major league performer to bear. WWE didn't sign him for nothing 16 years ago and he just finished a run with the NWA National Championship as Cyon. Moore has been moving up the ranks at AAW and had a crowd that was really starting to loosen up, firmly behind him. They had a good match. Anthony planted Moore on his face out of La Tapatia. Moore hit a spectacular spinning, twisting DDT. Anthony evaded Moore's swanton bomb and ended his night with a Death Valley Driver.
Anthony put Moore over on the mic, then cut a promo challenging Mance Warner to a pure rules match on June 10. Warner would have to be the person he hated -- a pro wrestler. Did my eyes deceive me or did Anthony grab a phone away from a fan using it to take a photo and take it to the back with him?
(4) Silas Mason won a six-man scramble over Hartenbower and Anthony Catena and Brayden Lee and Solomon Tupu (with Chuck Smooth) and Dante Leon in 8:51. Mason was over like rover. It's ridiculous he is not signed to a major company. The guy is Magnum TA 1985 XL size. All six got a chance to shine, none of the others with the brilliance of Mason. Tupu was the "El Gordito" of the match. The match cycled back to where it started - Mason, Hartenbower and Catena. Mason pinned Catena with The Thrill Ride (a spinning black hole slam).
(5) Joe Alonzo (with Chuck Smooth) defeated Heather Reckless in 12:37. Smooth said he promised outgoing mayor Lori Lightfoot to rid AAW of Reckless. Alonzo was having a crisis of conscience. He told Smooth he couldn't do the match. Got on one knee and told Reckless he had fallen for her hard and couldn't get her out of his mind. It was a swerve. Alonzo tore into Reckless verbally shredding her with such cruelty she was starting to weep. Reckless slapped the taste out of Alonzo's mouth and it was on.
Reckless is tiny, as in under 5 feet tall, and took a fierce beating. Alonzo ripped the hair weave right out of her head. Alonzo twice had Reckless pinned and pulled her up at two. Reckless dug down deep and came within an eyelash of pinning Alonzo with a curbstomp before Alonzo ended it with a CrossRhodes.
Alonzo and Reckless kept it feeling real. They pulled a lot of raw emotion out the crowd.
Afterward, Alonzo laid Reckless out again and kissed her, then hung her in the tree of woe while he went for a chair. A pissed off Conan Lycan (formerly a member of Smooth's squad) chased Alonzo off.
(6) Jake Something defeated Fred Yehi to retain the AAW Championship in 25:33. This was fucking great. The AAW title is not a world championship. Being THE championship of Chicago is more important.
Crowd could have used a breather and that wasn't happening. Something and Yehi willed the the people into the match with their work ethic and a simmering, unrelenting build to the finish. I was in awe of Yehi's ability to have a totally believable match against such a massive opponent and how Something sold just enough and in just the right ways.
Yehi went for the Koji Clutch about 10 minutes in but the power of Something kept him from fully applying the hold. Yehi hit a senton that appeared to knock the wind out of Something and tried for near naked choke. Yehi did a tope with such force that it knocked Something through the barricade. Something responded with a spear into the barricade. As they jockeyed for position, Yehi lodged Something's arm inside the post. Yehi went after Something with a spike he pulled out from under the ring for a "you sick fuck" chant. Yehi got the Koji Clutch locked in. Something tapped but the ref saw his feet were already in the ropes. Something hit a black hole slam for a near fall. Something gave Yehi powerbomb number one. Yehi tried to counter with a triangle choke. Something powerbombed out of it, then gave Yehi a brutal release powerbomb and pinned him with another black hole slam.
Intermission with Fenix appearance. People lined up for days.
Kevin Kellam opened the second half and interviewed Ren Jones. Ren has the gift of gab. He's also got a cut physique. Ren recently served as the enhancement talent for LA Knight on Smackdown. Ren introduced Xavier Walker as his insurance policy and issued an open challenge.
"El Gordito" Solomon Tupu offered to share his bag of Zapp's potato chips. Made my night.
(7) Ren Jones (with Xavier Walker) defeated Sean Logan in 3:54. Crowd bit on Logan's codebreaker for a close near fall. Walker interfered. Ren finished with pumphandle powerbomb.
Walker said let's double down. Bring out another challenger.
(8) Russ Jones defeated Ren Jones (with Xavier Walker) via disqualification. Crowd got one look at the tatted up maniac Russ and chanted "you fucked up" at Ren. Walker interfered. Ren hit the pumphandle powerbomb BUT Russ kicked out. Walker attacked Russ. The heels tossed the ref out of the ring. Russ got laid out with his tag title belt. AAW doesn't do DQs but were forced into one here.
(9) Gnarls "Big Beef" Garvin defeated Conan Lycan in 12:47. Chicago loves them some Beef. 50/50 match. Garvin was bleeding from the nose. After Lycan's moonsault turned into a belly flop, Garvin came on strong with discus lariat, a crossbody to the back and a frog splash for the win.
Show of sportsmanship between Garvin and Lycan after the match.
(10) Davey Vega (with John E. Bravo & Hartenbower & Sean Logan) defeated Levi Everett to retain the AAW Heritage Championship in 8:05. Vega is the most hated man in AAW. Everett does a Mennonite gimmick.
Before the bell, Hartenbower and Logan attacked Everett and clocked him with his butter churn. Not a misprint. Vega and his crew were getting molten heat. The crowd broke out a "Ohhh, fuck Davey Vega" chant. Tons of shenanigans. As Logan was in the ring trying to interfere, Everett tossed the butter churn to him and pulled an Eddie Guerrero. Referee Dan Perch ejected Logan who threw a hissy fit and refused to leave. Perch dragged Logan to the back by his ear. Vega kabonged Everett with the butter churn and covered as the ref returned but Everett kicked out. Vega collided with Hartenbower. Everett slugged Hartenbower for good measure but Vega capitalized with a roll up using Everett's overalls for extra leverage.
A huge "bullshit" chant erupted after the match. Everett reassembled his butter churn in the ring. The crowd chanted for Everett to "churn".
(11) Rey Fenix defeated Gringo Loco in 15:31. It wasn't perfect but it was pretty damn great. Loco noted the specialness of wrestling Fenix in a main event in his hometown of Chicago. As electric as the atmosphere was for Vikingo/Komander at Centerstage for GCW, the atmosphere in a space as tightly packed as Irving Hall topped it. Crowd was nuts for Fenix. They liked Gringo most of the time but chanted "mierda" at him when he went after Rey's mask. They nailed all the big spots. Fenix did a plancha from top rope that connected with Gringo in the second row. Fenix ran the top rope to punt Gringo in the face. Fenix did a double jump cutter off the top for a double down. Fenix did a double jump huracanrana for a near fall. Gringo got near falls with a Spanish Fly and an incredible double jump Canadian destroyer off the top. Ray won it with poison rana followed by a cutter.
The postmatch was tremendous. Fenix reminisced about his time as a regular for AAA and put Gringo over for coming to Mexico City to learn to be a luchador and how it made him happy to see the success Gringo is having. The two men hugged center ring as the crowd cheered. Fenix said this was Gringo's night and tried to give the stage to Gringo. Gringo made Fenix get back in the ring. Gringo told Fenix it had been an honor and privilege to share the ring with him. Fenix was his idol, his inspiration and the greatest luchador in the world today. The hugged again and raised each other's hands.
NOTES: Dan Perch, Derek Martha and Donnovan were the referees...In matches taped for AAW Alive, Axel Rico defeated Krotch, August Matthews (one half of Bang Bros) defeated ???, Xavier Walker defeated Joey Avalon with the help of distraction by Ren Jones and "Hawaiian Hitman" Koa Laxamana (with Kallies Hayden) defeated Trevor Outlaw in an entertaining match.
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