Alexander Lev won the 2025 Jimmy Rave Invitational Tournament to become the first GWC Junior Heavyweight Champion. Lev defeated Rave's close friend, Sal Rinauro in an emotional finale.
Attendance at Meta Multimedia was 60. If you're an AWE fan and you didn't there last night, you missed something special.
This show will haunt me.
The tournament was top drawer. The competitors all brought their A game. AWE is running some scorching hot angles.
The show streamed live on Twitch with Carmen Michael and Rob Weathers on commentary.
(1) Alexander Lev defeated Chris Crunk and Noah Veil to advance the semifinals in 9:20. Lev was greeted with a "piece of shit" chant. I don't know what Lev was up to Saturday night. Friday night in Canton he was adored. Sunday night at AWE, Lev was the most hated man in the building.
They did the two guys wrestle, one guy lays out style. Veil's work was as crisp as I've seen from him. Crunk appeared to have the match in hand. Lev cut him off with a Ushigiroshi. Veil gave Crunk a tornado DDT simultaneously spilling Lev off the ropes. Not to be denied, Lev speared Veil and pinned him with the Lev Clash.
(2) Bryce Cannon defeated the debuting Rosario Grillo and KC Rocker (with 3MP) to advance to the semifinals in 5:54. It was great to see him back in an AWE ring showing zero ill effects from the knee injury that kept him out action for most of 2024. Rocker got a lot of offense and went after Cannon's knee. Cannon hit a stunner on Rocker. That brought 3MP onto the apron. Lucky for 3MP, Cannon punched him the gut instead of brutally bringing him in the hardway like AJ Francis did. Cannon Rocker with the Keg Stand.
Promoter/emcee Josh Wheeler interviewed Cannon. Bryce said he almost won the first Rave Cup (losing to Danny Briggs in the finals) and wanted to face Rinauro, who he beat in the semifinals on the first Rave Cup.
(3) Sal Rinauro defeated DeSilva (with Taliaferro) and Topaz Bearcat to advance to the semifinals in 9:50. DeSilva was super impressive (again). Taliaferro is salivating about the opportunity to manage this guy. Bearcat (out of FSPW in Greensboro) was out of his league. Rinauro did something I'd never seen before -- DeSilva and Bearcat were locked in a struggle for control of a backslide. Rinauro turned them upside down and sat on them for a near fall. Nice finish - DeSilva gave Sal a spider german onto Bearcat. Sal then pinned Bearcat with the Salvation flatliner.
(4) Tristan Moody defeated Chip Day and Jackie Thad to advance to the semifinals in 9:12. Crowd loving Chip. They did a lot of three way stuff. Out of the three way down, Moody ran wild. Thad got a near fall on Moody with a Chaos Theory suplex. Case ran to ringside and tried to give Day his boot. Chip wanted nothing to do with it. Moody hit a top rope double stomp on Thad and Case blocked Day from getting back in the ring to break up the pin.
Wheeler announced that Skrilla's AWE debut had to be scrapped.
(5) Kenway (with Joe Black) pinned Jonathan Moody with a piledriver in 6:31.
Wheeler asked Kenway about chasing Lev out of the building after Lev hit headline hip hop act Veto with a chair at the last show. Kenway said he wanted to get back at that POS for the First Blood match and went to Veto in the crowd. Kenway told him he needed to wait for his payback. He was going to get his first.
Day stormed out of the dressing room and headed for the parking lot with his roller bag. Case was right behind him. They argued before Day got out the back door. Case then went over to the production area and got in Rob Weathers' face.
I have no idea where this angle is going next but it's been fantastic so far and Wheeler announced Day vs. Case for Homegrown in April 6.
(6) Alexander Lev defeated Tristan Moody to advance to the finals (7:02). Moody has great babyface fire and executes. Size is his only obstacle. Lev speared him and complained bitterly to referee Adam Hunter about the count. Lev evaded Moody's top rope double stomp and mule kicked him in the groin. Lev got the three count with Gonorrhea.
(7) Sal Rinauro submitted Bryce Cannon at 10:52 to advance to the finals. They did a shitload of great near falls. Cannon rockbottomed Sal and did a People' Tip headbutt. Rinauro blocked the Keg Stand and clipped Bryce's surgical knee, then used a Tiger Bomb to set up the heel hook. Todd Sexton might have called it poetry.
(8) Lost Family (Warden & Austin Thorne) defeated Luscious Laron & Azriel Row (with Vougan) and Xander Seabolt & DJP and Posse (Chris Delray & KC Rocker with 3MP) and House of Spades (Rey Xion & Bobby Chrono) and Raylen Albey & Jake Parker in a tag team gauntlet match to become the number one contender for the GWC Tag Team Championship (19:57). Lost Family ran the table. Kind of a reckless, crazy match. Warden was unquestionably the star. I'd never seen him so aggressive or dish out this level of abuse. He was killing people with his finishing moves.
(9) Alexander Lev defeated Sal Rinauro to win the 2nd Jimmy Rave Invitational and become the inaugural GWC Junior Heavyweight Champion in 16:54. Cannon joined in on commentary. The pit was full. Murder One was lurking in the shadows. Wheeler invited the crowd to join him in a doing a shot for Jimmy. Many did. Lev came out to "House of the Rising Sun." Tears running down Rinauro's face as he came to the ring.
At the bell, Rinauro superkicked Sal on the button for near fall. Lev spit in Sal's face. Lev pulled the same trick he used to beat Moody in the semis. Rinauro kicked at one. Rinauro did the Danielson stomps. They were working stiff. Lev kicked out of Gonorrhea. Rinauro kicked out of the Lev/Rave Clash. Rinauro got the heel hook applied. Lev almost tapped before reversing the hold and beat Rinauro clean with an avalanche Lev Clash.
Crowd stunned. Lev weeping.
The belt awarded to Lev was the belt Rave wore as the NWA Wildside Junior Champion.
Lev said he wanted to be real for a minute. Talking through his tears, Lev said Rave was one of his biggest heroes and greatest influences. He cared for him deeply and if Jimmy was there right now, he would tell him to kiss his ass. "My name is Alexander Lev and I am your crown jewel."
It was an ending Jimmy would have loved.
Referees for the night: Max Recon, Stan Robinson, Darryl Hall and Adam Hunter.
