Views from the Hawke’s Nest: AAW Point of No Return 2012

Commentators: Phil Colvin & Dave Prazak

The Sex Bob-ombs (Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) vs. The Awesome Threesome (Knight Wagner & Jordan McEntyre with Eryn & Ryland Foxx)
Vega and Whitmer are a regular tag team, but Fitchett had recently been teaming with BJ Whitmer in AAW. Whitmer was out with an injury though, so Fitchett teamed with his regular partner.

The Bob-ombs had a lot of success early. Eryn distracted the referee, which allowed Ryland Foxx to trip up Vega. The Threesome started to get the heat on Vega. Vega avoided a German from Wagner and make a hot tag to Fitchett who ran wild on the rudos. Wagner hit Fitchett with a high kick. The rudos tried for an assisted DDT, but Vega broke it up. Vega held McEntyre up for Fitchett to hit a standing shooting star press: 1…2…3!

A nice energetic sprint to start the show. I like Fitchett and Vega a lot, so I am glad their team has started off strong in AAW. Both men have a lot of potential, and I think most promotions would be wise to use them somehow. Well, when Fitchett comes back from his injury that is.
Match Rating: **1/2

Markus Crane vs. Dan Lawrence
Lawrence came out drinking a beer. I guess that is why they call him “The Party Danimal.” Crane took his beer and spit it at Lawrence. Lawrence immediately took him down and started laying in some shots. Crane cut him off with an inverted blockbuster. Crane went for a back senton, but Lawrence got his knees up. Lawrence hit a Cobra Clutch legsweep, and he then locked in the Cobra Clutch. Crane taps out! That was certainly fast.

Just a quick squash to make Lawrence look strong for whatever was in store for him.
Match Rating: *

Truth Martini and Danny Daniels are backstage. Martini says he will be MsChif’s savior tonight. He says she should go home where she belongs for her own safety. Daniels disagrees. He says that his own wife left him, and that this woman won’t get out of it. Ok.

The CLASH (Austin Maddox, Cameron Sky, & Tommy Treznik) vs. Josh Raymond, Christian Able, and TD Thomas
The CLASH have been seemingly stuck in the undercard of AAW since I started paying attention to the promotion.

The CLASH were able to work over Thomas at first. The CLASH did not seem that over, which made sense when Phil Colvin explained that they had not won in a few events. Thomas managed to tag out to Raymond. Able hit a dropkick on Sky. Treznik tagged in and cut off Able. Thomas tagged back in, only to be cut off by the CLASH. The CLASH got the heat on Thomas. Thomas managed to escape the beatdown and make a hot tag to Able. Able gave Treznik an Alabama Slam. Raymond wiped out Maddox with an Asai Moonsault. Sky went for a diving corss-body on Able, but the big man caught him and gave him Snake Eyes. Lariat from Able: 1…2…NO! Good nearfall. Raymond hit a Tidal Wave on Treznik. Able and Raymond hit an assisted Lionsault on Treznik, but Maddox made the save. Treznik hit a diving legdrop on Able, but Raymond made the save. They all traded some big moves. Treznik hit the Bus Driver on Able: 1…2…Raymond makes the save! Thomas avoided a double team move, and he took down Treznik with a series of kicks: 1…2…3.

I thought this was a mess, but the live crowd got really into it. Thomas seemed to be on a different page in a couple of key moments, but he impressed me with presence and his athleticism. The CLASH are clearly missing something at the moment, and their losing streak is probably not helping. Crowd investment made this match come off much better than I would have expected.
Match Rating: **1/2

Silas Young is backstage. Young says he is not worried, because he has beaten everyone that AAW has put in his path.

Jimmy Jacobs & Arik Cannon© vs. Darin Corbin & Marion Fontaine [AAW Tag Titles]
Jacobs and Cannon had a huge blood feud in 2011, but they ended up being Odd Couple tag champions at the beginning of 2012.

Jacobs and Fontaine started the match off. Fontaine did some Fontaine stuff at the start as he is wont to do. Cannon and Corbin tagged in, and they did a sequence they have probably done a million times. Their gimmick seems to have been that they were drunk, so they couldn’t do a kip up. Cannon offered him a PBR. Cannon held Fontaine in a submission, while he spat beer at Corbin. The champs then started to work over Fontaine. Fontaine hit the teabag on Jacobs, and Corbin tagged in. Corbin hit a nifty gutbuster on Jacobs for the first real nearfall. Jacobs came back with a spear on Corbin. Cannon and Fontaine tagged in. Fontaine hit Cannon with a Lionsault: 1…2…NO! Cannon came back with an enzugiri for Fontaine and a brainbuster for Corbin, but Fontaine broke up the pinfall attempt. They all did the sequence where everyone hits big moves until they all fall down. As Kevin Ford would say, all wrestlers should finish that sequence by standing up and screaming, “WRESTLING IS FAKE!” Corbin caused Cannon and Jacobs to accidentally attack each other. Then they started punching each other. Jacobs then locked Corbin in to End Time, while Cannon hit Fontaine with Total Anarchy: 1…2…3!

Tag champions that openly don’t get along and don’t work well together (in story) is a tricky line to walk because the story could end up burying the whole division. I think AAW has managed to pull it off though (at least here anyway) where it didn’t feel like Fontaine and Corbin were buried. Instead, Cannon and Jacobs just seem really talented. It’s definitely a story though that is hard to judge without seeing it all play out. Regardless, this was a fun match, and I like Jacobs and Cannon as a team.
Match Rating: ***

Mason Beck vs. Jacob Olliver
Beck jumped Oliver before the bell. He hit the Razor’s Edge: 1…2…3. He won in 12 seconds.

That was quick.
Match Rating: Squash

ACH vs. Mason Beck
ACH is making his AAW debut here, and I couldn’t be more excited. He is extremely talented.

Some people in the crowd chant “Beck is gonna kill you.” Fools. ACH quickly hit a springboard dropkick and then hit a facewash style lariat through the ropes. That endeared him to the crowd. Beck caught ACH’s diving cross-body attempt and gave him a big fall-away slam. Beck started to get the heat after that. ACH eventually avoided a corner splash and hit a stunner and a big running knee: 1….2…NO! Beck cut him off with a big boot and hit the Razor’s Edge: 1…2…3

While I am ecstatic that ACH got a shot in AAW, I was very disappointed to see him lose so quickly to Beck. I don’t really dislike Beck, and he is the homegrown talent, but ACH is a potential star. They don’t just show up on your stoop every day. This is not how I would have booked this.
Match Rating: **1/4

Davey Richards vs. Shane Hollister (w/ Scarlett)
Hollister beat Davey clean a little over a year ago in AAW. Hollister was the babyface Heritage Title champion at the time, so it was a big defense.

Davey locked in a submission early, but Hollister made it to the ropes. Davey then locked in his surfboard variation, which he transitioned into a rollup. Hollister predictably reversed that into the same surfboard attempt. I’m tired of that spot. Davey came back with a sole butt and a big kick to the chest. And another kick to the chest. Davey went for a third, but Hollister caught him and delivered a dragon screw legwhip. Davey managed to send Hollister to the floor. He went for the soccer punt from the apron, but Hollister hid behind Scarlett. Davey hesitated, which allowed Hollister knock him off the apron. They brawled around the ringside area. Hollister sent him into the barricade. Hollister brought him back to the ring where he got the heat. After a while, Davey managed to low bridge Hollister to the floor, which allowed him to finally hit the soccer punt. Davey followed it up with a tope suicida. Scarlett failed at interfering, and Davey then hit a missile dropkick back in the ring for a nearfall. Both men got to their feet and started trading big strikes. Davey won that battle and hit an exploder suplex: 1…2…NO! Davey hit a bridging German: 1…2…NO! Davey hit a Ghetto Stomp, but he didn’t fully connect apparently. They traded more strikes until Hollister hit the Final Cut: 1…2…NO! Hollister called for the brainbuster, but Davey blocked it. Both men ended up on the top rope. Davey then hit his superplex/Falcon Arrow combo: 1…2…NO! Davey immediately transitioned into an ankle lock. Scarlet low blowed Davey from the outside. Hollister hit a kneeling superkick. Hollister went for a buzzsaw, but Davey ducked it and rolled him up: 1…2…3!

Hollister hit Davey with a brainbuster after the match. Dan Lawrence ran out to make the save. Davey cut a post-match promo. He didn’t put over his opponent!

I enjoyed the hell out of this match. These two have great chemistry, and they put on a very entertaining contest that the crowd was really into. I’m hoping Davey is being set up for an AAW Title match, otherwise I don’t see the point of him going over Hollister. Hollister is one of those indy guys who is really talented and well-rounded, but he is just missing that “x-factor” that would make bigger companies want to push him hard. It’s a shame, because he probably deserves a chance in ROH, DGUSA, etc.
Match Rating: ***1/2

MsChif vs. Danny Daniels (w/ Truth Martini)
At the last show, Daniels gave her a “viscous” piledriver and now they are having a 1v1 match.

MsChif jumped Daniels from behind to start the brawl. MsChif almost got her hands on truth right away, but Daniels saved him. In the ring, Martini tripped her from the outside, but she then just screamed at him to get him to run away. MsChif sent Daniels to the floor. She went for a hurricanrana off the apron, but they botched it. MsChif then just shoved him into the ring barricade. Back in the ring, MsChif hit a standing moonsault. Daniels cut her off and sent her crashing to the floor. Martini smacked her on the ass hard. Daniels brought her back in the ring. Daniels grabbed a microphone and said no woman is his equal. Daniels said he will leave forever if he lost this match. Nothing like an impromptu Loser Leaves Town stipulation. MsChif immediately got a nearfall with a small package. Daniels locked in a Boston Crab, but MsChif didn’t quit. MsChif made a comeback and shoved Daniels in the corner. MsChif then sent Martini into Daniels’s crotch. MsChifi then dispatched of Martini. MsChiif then gave Daniels a facebuster variation: 1…2…NO! Daniels locked in a Gory Special, but MsChiif headbutted her way out of it and hit a Code Green: 1…2…NO! Daniels grabbed her hair and hit a lariat. Truth tried to interfere again, but MsChif crotched him on the top turnbuckle. MsChif hit Daniels with a swinging DDT: 1…2…NO! MsChif went to finish off Martini, but Daniels saved him and went for a tombstone. MsChif reversed it into a rollup: 1….2…NO! Martini went for a diving shoe attack, but he hit Daniels by mistake. Another scream from MsChif sent Martini to the floor. MsChif hit Daniels with the shoe: 1…2…NO! Daniels cut her off with a powerslam. MIST from MsChif: 1…2…NO! MsChif locked in a submission. Daniels threw the referee into MsChif to break up the submission. Daniels then hit a piledriver: 1…2…NO! MsChif went to the top rope and hit a diving cross-body, but Daniels rolled through (kind of). Daniels then hit a tombstone: 1…2…3.

This went on much longer than I expected, but the length wasn’t a negative at all. This was basically a handicap match with Truth Martini interfering throughout. Because of that, MsChif looked especially strong in this match, despite losing. I didn’t like the way Daniels turned heel back at the War is Coming show in 2011, but there is no doubt that he and Martini make for a fun heel duo. I look forward to the a Daniels/MsChif rematch.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Silas Young© (w/ Val Malone) vs. Michael Elgin [2 out of 3 Falls/AAW Heavyweight Title]
Elgin is still the AAW Heritage Champion. Elgin has pinned Young in a tag match, but Young retained their previous AAW Title match via nefarious means (as Young is wont to do).

Elgin went for a crippler crossface early, but Young retreated to the floor. Elgin got a jackknife pin attempt for a very early nearfall. Young started to go after Elgin’s left arm. Elgin caught him with a powerslam. Young retreated to the floor, but Elgin gave him a backbreaker on the apron. Back in the ring, Elgin was still in control. Young had moments of offense, but this was the Michael Elgin show for a while. Elgin gave him a legdrop on the apron. Elgin got a little cocky and put on a fan’s sunglasses. Young then shoved him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Elgin hit a slingshot flying elbow. Young finally cut off Elgin after Elgin crashed into a ringpost. Young went after Elgin’s left arm again. Young just went after this arm non-stop for a while. Elgin finally escaped the attack and hit a stunner. Both men down. They got to their feet, and Elgin hit a trio of German suplexes: 1…2…NO! Elgin hit a Brogue Kick: 1…2…NO! Sole butt from Elgin, but Young cut him back off with a double knee armbreaker. Elgin came back with an enzuigiri. Elgin hit an Air Raid Crash: 1…2…NO! Young hit a tornado Divorce Court: 1…2…NO! Never seen that before. Young transitioned that into an armbar. Elgin escaped, but Young hit the backbreaker/lariat combo: 1…2…NO! They got to their feet and started trading strikes. Elgin went for the Chaos Theory, but Young blocked it. Young set up for a moonsault, but Elgin crotched him. Elgin then hit a super back suplex. Both men down again. Young hit the Finlay Roll, but Elgin blocked the Pee Jee Waja Plunge. Elgin hit a Backfist/Buck Bomb/Spinning Powerbomb combo: 1…2…3! Elgin is up one fall to zero.

Elgin pinned Young again, but Young kicked out. Young low-bridged Elgin to the floor. Young gave him Russian legsweep into the metal barricade and rolled Elgin back into the ring. Young locked in another submission on Elgin’s injured arm. Elgin escaped once, but Young locked it back in. Elgin escaped and locked in a Crippler Crossface. Young escaped and went right back at Elgin’s injured arm. Elgin reversed it into a Hellevator style move: 1…2…Val Malone ran in. Young threw powder in Elgin’s face. Rollup: 1…2…NO! Young threw Malone into Elgin who hit a Black Hole Slam on the valet. Young tried for the Finlay roll, but Elgin escaped and hit a lariat. Elgin looked annoyed that he attacked a woman. Babyface. Some referees ran in to check on Malone, and they carried her out. Mason Beck ran in, but Elgin sent him into the barricade. Elgin went to the top rope. He dove off, but Young hit him in the head with the world title: 1…2…3! Young and Elgin each have one fall.

Jimmy Jacobs ran in and attacked Beck. Young tried to attack Jacobs, but Jacobs gave him a spear. Arik Cannon ran down. The tag champions made clear that they both want to be the AAW Heavyweight Champion. Cannon hit Young in the head with his beer can. Jacobs and Cannon started to fight. Jacobs locked in End Time, but Cannon reversed it into a brainbuster. Elgin gave Cannon a lariat. Young gave Jacobs a spear. Elgin and Young went back to slugging it out. Elgin sent Young into the crowd. They brawled throughout the crowd for a while. Plunder was involved. Young punched him in the crotch at one point. They were fifty minutes just before they made it back to ringside. Elgin was in firm control until Young hit a pedigree on the hardwood floor. Young rolled him into the ring, but Elgin kicked out. Young went for the Finlay roll, but Elgin reversed it into a Chaos Theory: 1…2…NO! That nearfall needed Nigel McGuinness yelling “CHAOS THEORY!” No offense Phil. Elgin went for a top rope corkscrew senton, but Young avoided it. Pedigree from Young: 1…2…NO! Young hit the Finlay Roll/Pee Jee Waja Plunge: 1…2…NO!!! Elgin avoided another Finlay roll and hit another spinning backfist. Young fell to the floor. Elgin brought him back to the ring, but Young crawled right back to the floor and ran into the crowd. Can’t be too much time left in the 60 minute time limit. Elgin got him back in the ring, but Young hit a pedigree: 1…NO!!! Young had a great look on his face after that. Elgin hit a Pele kick: 1…2…NO! Two more spinning backfists from Elgin. Bucklebomb and spinning powerbomb: 1…2…NO!!!! Wow. Elgin was shocked, but he recovered and locked in the crossface! Young reversed it into a rollup, but he locked the crossface back in! Young was about to tap out but the bell rang, as the time limit expired. Crowd and Elgin wanted five more minutes. Young tells them to “go fuck themselves.” The match ends in a sixty minute draw.

This is definitely a MOTYC. Elgin and Young are two of the most under appreciated wrestlers in North America right now, and they showed how talented they truly are right here. The story of the match was very simple: Elgin is a dominant and athletic powerhouse, and Young had to use all of his past tricks just to survive the sixty minutes. Elgin mostly ran though Young for the first third of the match (although I admit I wasn’t keeping time). Young couldn’t get anything going until Elgin went for one move too many, and Young was lucky enough to avoid it. Young then went through all of his tricks: working on the arm, powder, a belt shot, Mason Beck interference, Val Malone interference, and his finishing combination (Finlay Roll/Pee Jee Waja Plunge), but he couldn’t put Elgin away more than once. Elgin finally had Young locked in the jaws of defeat, but the time limit expired. While the finish to their first match was an annoying way to set up a rematch, I would dare say this was a perfect way to set up a rematch. The Jacobs/Cannon feud being inserted in the middle of the match was at first annoying, but at least it set both men up as challengers and it also came with about fifteen-twenty minutes left. This was one of my favorite matches of the year.
Match Rating: ****1/4

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The 411: This DVD didn't start off as anything special, but it certainly ended on a high note. Elgin vs. Young is one of those matches that you really have to make the time to see. It's not on the level of the CM Punk/Samoa Joe draws, but it's definitely going to be considered one of the best matches of the year. 2012 has been a breakout year for Michael Elgin, and AAW is very smart to be going along for the ride. While this matches definitely has some good matches on the undercard, the main event is why you want this DVD. You can buy this DVD at the AAW Store or at Smart Mark Video. You can also buy a $9.99 stream of this DVD at SMVOD.com. If you want to sample AAW for free before buying it, head over to the AAW section of FreeProWrestling.com. I recommend that you start with BJ Whitmer vs. Mat Fitchett or Zema Ion vs. Christian Faith vs. Shane Hollister vs. Johnny Wave.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]