ROAR -- Marietta on March 15

Photos by Peter Sigmund From Larry Goodman: AWE returned from hiatus with an all women's show at the El Palenque Event Center. It's ...

Photos by Peter Sigmund

From Larry Goodman:

AWE returned from hiatus with an all women's show at the El Palenque Event Center. It's difficult to imagine how this promotion could have gotten off to a better relaunch. They put on a show that was a smash hit with their audience, one that left them exhiliarated on their way out. If this show did not convince people to come back for more, I do not know what would.

Great crowd. They were there to celebrate women's wrestling with a rowdy night of raw fun and entertainment. Once they picked a rooting favorite, they were all in and not a "both these girls" kind of group. 

AWE's ROAR division dates back a decade to their run at The Quad on Spring Street with Ashton Starr was one of the pioneer of the division. Sunday night was the first time AWE attempted a pure ROAR show.

Promoter Josh Wheeler had his best presale in AWE history (4K) for this show and one of their largest crowds ever (close to 200). 

AWE has run a shit ton of different venues through the years. They've got themselve a winner this time - great sound, theatrical lighting, ample free parking and alcohol is served.

Wearing the shortest skirt in AEW history, host Kiera Hogan introduced Chianne Michaels as the ring announcer for the evening. 

(1) Robyn Renegade (with Charlette Renegade) defeated Joiya Blake in 9:13. The action spilled outside the ring. Havoc dispatched with Charlette and used Robyn like a human battering ram. Back inside, Blake contolled Robyn while she taunted Charlette. Robyn countered Blake's gutwrench sending her out of the ring. Charlette threw Blake back in. Trade of big near falls here. Blake's coming off a wheelbarrow face plant, Renegade with corkscrew suplex. Blake connected with a running knee.

Blake then pulled a chain out of her corner right in front of the ref. There are no stinkin' rules in ROAR (well, not exactly). Charlette took the chain away from Blake and Robyn pinned her with a pumphandle facebuster. "I'm back, baby".

This match was an outstanding choice to open the show -a hard-hitting, competitive match between women with major league size and athleticism. Robyn had the homefield advantage. Didn't matter Blake was outnumbered, nothing she could do to get this crowd to like her.  

(2) Bobbi Thunder defeated Crystal Rose and Ravenna Vein and Ezebella Wilder in a fatal four way (5:21). Crystal punched Thunder in the mouth and they were off and running. They did a four-way double suplex/missile dropkick combo. A sequence of finishing moves and saves concluded with Thunder's  Samoan drop to pin Wilder.

The crowd's love affair with Bobbi Thunder got underway. All of the women made positive impressions. Short and sweet, the crowd ate it up.

Murder One thanked the crowd for showing love. Marietta was were he came up and attended Wheeler High School. Murder reminded the crowd there were no rules in ROAR except one -- no touching the ladies or somebody would come from the back and touch you. There's actually another ROAR rule which I'll get to later.

(3) Alexis Littlefoot defeated Brooke Havok in 7:05. Havoc subbed for Kylie Alexa. Havoc hit a nice spinning fisherman suplex for a near fall. Ditto Littelfoot's full nelon slam. Littlefoot won with a step up leg drop. 

A solid upper tier indy match. Littlefoot's finisher popped the crowd.

Crystal Rose returned to the ring with fire in her eyes. Rose said she came for a fight and dared Thunder to come back out and pin her. They brawled in the aisle and around the building with the crowd chanting "Bobbi". Murder and Josh Wheeler got in the middle of it. Wheeler got knocked down by Crystal. The crowd chanted to "let them fight."

Crystal retreated. "Corn meal, twisted steel and sex appeal" Thunder wanted Crystal back out there so she could stick her double wide boot in Crystal's single wide ass. Wheeler said Crystal had left the building.

Southern Wrasslin' off the rails, out of control, and crowd was loving it. Thunder is a force of nature and a character and a half. Crystal got to do what she does best -- fight.

(4) J-Rod defeated Savannah Evans in 11:20. Evans hit standing spinebuster and one hell of a spinning back suplex but missed an assbuster of a  leg drop. Crowd was all Evans. J-Rod got a viciferous "you suck" chant for no apparent reason.

J-Rod landed a high boot the face and did push up while she covered Evans. J-Rod pulled the ropes down to spill Evans and worked her over outside the ring. Evans hit a big time pop up powerbomb that had the crowd chanting her name. Evans kicked out of J -Rod's powerdrive back suplex. In desperation, J-Rod rolled Evans up with feet on the ropes.

This match has some serious high impact offense. Whatever the feminine of "hoss fight" is, this was it. Both women are absolute powerhouses.  I'm not sure what she did to earn it, but the people hated J-Rod and she leaned into it. 

Kiera Hogan introduced the main event. Said the show had been lit and got a "women's wrestling" chant. Kiera said she will be medically cleared to wrestle next month and had a history with one particluar woman in the match. "I'm ready. Let me know when you ready, boo."

(5) Violent Romance (Nixon Newell & Miranda Alize) defeated Chemical X (Shotzi Blackheart & Priscilla Kelly) in 21:47.  In AWE tradition, fans were invited crowd around the ring and pound the mat for the main event.  The shine was fun.  Shotzi gave Newell the female equivalent of beach balls. Kelly gave Violent Romance a double bronco buster. Kelly hit a beauty of flying body press. 

Violent Romance cut of a double dive but Chemical X. Alize used a kid as weapon against Kelly. The kid loved it. Due to a past incident, there is a ROAR rule against using babies. The combatants retired to the bar. The fought on the bar and traded punches  as seen below. 

Back inside, Violent Romance isolated Shotzi for a long time. Newell put her arm around the ref while Alize committed atrocities on Blackheart. Alize took the biggest bump of the match on a missed cannonball. Violent Romance got a close near fall with  a double choke slam on Shotzi. Kelly had Alize pinned after nailer her with a running knee but Alize got a foot on the ropes. Alize raked Kelly's eyes and rolled her up. 

They worked hard and smart. They gave the crowd plenty of action. By the same token, this was a relatively safe, low risk match, not that I'm complaining. Heidi Lovelace (Ruby Soho) got concussed bad in a ROAR match on a top rope senton. The bar scene was wild. Crowd hated the finish. 

Prologue. Rose was back in the building. She and Thunder were ready to go at it again. 3MP came to the ring as a representative of AWE management to say the show was over. He tried to do a beer toast with Thunder and got laid out with a Stone Cold Stunner.

Murder One said he needed to restore decorum. Murder One and decorum, now there's an oxymoron. This of course only riled the crowd up more. Murder said Rose and Thunder had to calm down because he couldn't afford to lose the venue, come back for the next ROAR show on April 26. "As a business man, it's gotta be that way". 

Tremendous. The show ended on a high energy note that erased the downer of Priscilla and Shotzi losing.

NOTES: ROAR returns on April 26... AWE has their season 12 premier at El Palenque on March 29 with Carlie Bravo defending the GWC vs. August Artois, Sal Rinauro (c) vs. Hunter Drake for the GWC Junior Championship and Martin Stone vs. Joe Black and another El Palenque show on April 12...AJ Styles, Sal Rinauro, Dani Jordyn, Shean Christopher, Elijah Drago, Nathan Mowery, Taliaferro,  Corey Tatum, Jabari Michaels and Carmen Michaels were among those in the house... Michaels will add commentary in post production...The womend did brisk business at the merch tables during intermission and after the show...Thunder trained at Nightmare Factory and wrestled for GPW (among others) as Thunder Blonde in 2019ish. She left wresting to pursue a music career and returned to wrestling 2025, based out Pensacola training with Scott Armstrong...The referees were Darryl Hall, New Brian (Waites) and Mason Pike.