Views from the Hawke’s Nest: AAW War Is Coming 2012

Berwyn, Il
October 26, 2012

Commentators: Phil Colvin, Daryck St. Holmes, & Dave Prazak

Davey Vega vs. Dan Lawrence
Not much of note happened early on until Lawrence hit a neckbreaker over his thigh. The crowd was not very hot for this match. Lawrence was in control for a bit until Vega hit a release German suplex. Vega went for a diving crossbody, but Lawrence managed to roll through, and he grabbed a handful of tights: 1…2…3

This was a very flat opener. I don’t understand why Lawrence is getting a renewed push, especially at the expense of guys like Davey Vega. Maybe this match will lead to an extended feud with Vega though (but I’m not going to hold my breath).
Match Rating: *3/4

Some geeks were cutting a promo. Silas Young walked by and beat them up. He was pissed that he wasn’t given the promo time. Silas says he’s going to beat Davey tonight, and he wants Davey’s title shot.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Mr. Miller
Kyle still comes out to the Dropkick Murphys. Miller is one of the best talents AAW has. Naturally, he is not being pushed. I don’t understand.

Neither man was able to get an early advantage. Miller hit a series of strikes, but Kyle came right back with a running soccer punt to the chest. Miller came back with a STO into the turnbuckle and a slingshot springboard back elbow. Kyle was in control for a bit after that. Miller eventually came back with a roundhouse kick, and both men went down. Miller came back with a slingshot bulldog and a curbstomp variation: 1…2…no. Kyle came back with a saito suplex, which got him a nearfall. Kyle then hit a Yakuza kick, a tornado DDT, and a brainbuster: 1…2…3.

O’Reilly showed Miller a lot of respect after the match.

This was a fun, compact match. I really think AAW could be doing a whole lot more with Miller, but I would have to imagine his good performances are not going unnoticed. O’Reilly should be a singles main eventer in AAW.
Match Rating: **3/4

ACH vs. Shane Hollister (w/ Scarlett & Markus Crane)
ACH defeated Hollister in a match last month, and he was running through Hollister at the start of the match. ACH went for a split-legged moonsault to the floor, but Hollister avoided it. Hollister then cut ACH off with a shotgun dropkick. Hollister was in control for a while. Hollister hit a nasty buckle snap powerslam: 1…2…NO! ACH eventually escaped Hollister’s beatdown and took out Crane with a tope suicida. The crowd was really behind ACH by this point. Hollister then accidentally took out Crane with a tope suicida. ACH then hit a Deadman suicida on Crane & Hollister. Back in the ring, Hollister hit a superkick for a nearfall. ACH came back with a Tiger Suplex: 1…2…NO! Hollister came back with an Alley Oop. The crowd has noticeably cooled on this match. Hollister hit a Shining Wizard: 1…2…NO! ACH came back with the giant swing into the Texas Clover Leaf! Hollister made the ropes. ACH called for the middle rope 450, but Crane and Scarlett jumped up on opposite aprons. That distraction allowed Hollister to hit God’s Last Gift: 1…2…3

I think I’m going to copy and paste the following sentence every time the issue comes up. AAW advertises their product as having no countouts and no disqualifications. Why do heels feel the need to do things behind the referee’s back?

Hollister challenged Cabana to a match at the next show. Cabana responded via video message. Cabana said he agreed, but only if he accepted his stipulation: Scarlett has to be Cabana’s servant for a week. Cabana came across like a misogynistic douche in this promo. ECDUB! ECDUB!

These guys showed off their immense talent here, but the storytelling kicked in at the end and took the match down. ACH is the type of talent that should not be treated as an afterthought to get another angle over. Hollister has the potential to carry this promotion one day. I hope some other promotions book him a lot in 2013.
Match Rating: ***

We Are Here (Keith Walker, Lamar Titan, & Tweek Phoenix w/ Kevin Harvey & Nikki) vs. Zero Gravity (CJ Esparza & Brett Gakiya & Isaias Velazquez
We Are Here are an invasion/insurrection/revolution stable. The teams went back and forth for a bit to start the match. They did a labored everyone (but Walker) dive to the floor sequence. Back in the ring, We Are Here started working over Velazquez. Zero Gravity were eventually able to tag into the match, and they ran wild. Harvey held Walker back from entering the match. Walker finally entered the match and destroyed Zero Gravity. Velazquez tried to fight back, but Wa;ler killed him with a lariat. Titan then hit Velazquez with an urinagi backstabber: 1…2…3.

We Are Here beat up everyone some more after the match. Joey Eastman, Darin Corbin, & Marion Fontaine ran off We Are Coming.

We Are Coming beating geeks and then getting run off by geeks certainly doesn’t do them any favors. If this stable of misfits was going to be taken seriously, they needed to take on and defeat main eventers (and have great matches doing it). This angle feels very mid-card and uninspired right now. The action itself was fine.
Match Rating: **1/2

Kellie Slater vs. Christina Von Eerie vs. Nicole Matthews vs. Athena
Not much of note was happening early on. Athena was getting worked over by Matthews and Slater for a bit, as if it was a tag match. I hate four-way matches that aren’t elimination, but they use tags. The lack of consistency in wrestling for that is one of my big pet peeves. Von Eerie tagged in and worked over Athena as well. This match is weird. Athena hit CVE with an enzuigiri, but Matthews and Slater cut her off. Athena rolled out of the ring. The match broke down. Athena hit a diving Stunner on Nicole Matthews: 1…2…3. Wow, that finish was about a million times better than everything else in this match.

This match was completely forgettable and boring until the finish. The finish ruled. This was not an effective showcase for the SHIMMER brand.
Match Rating: **1/4

Davey Richards vs. Silas Young (w/ Val Malone)
Now, THIS is a match that I am interested in.

Things started slowly, with each man establishing their role in the story. Davey was going for some submissions. Young was trying to be a little bit more physical. Davey channeled Rick Rude a couple of times, to the amusement of many. Young got sent to the floor. Davey went for the soccer punt off the apron, but Young pulled Val in front of himself. Davey hesitated, and Young sent Davey into the ringpost. Davey came back with a Yakuza on the floor. Young avoided a second Yakuza, and Young got control of the match after that. The ref stopped Young from choking Davey with his wrist tape. What about no DQs? Young worked Davey over for a while. Davey eventually fired back with some chops and a superplex. Davey managed to send Young to the floor. Davey finally hit the soccer punt kick from the apron. Davey followed that up with a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Davey hit a missile dropkick, an enzuigiri, and an exploder: 1…2…no. The crowd is not especially hot. Young came back with the backbreaker/lariat combo: 1…2…NO! Davey came back with a double stomp. Young came back with a fisherman buster: 1…2…NO! Davey came back with a roundhouse kick, a German, and a lariat: 1…2…NO! Young went for the Pee Jee Waja Plunge, but Davey blocked it. Davey hit a tombstone piledriver: 1…2…NO! Davey then hit a Ghetto Stomp: 1…2…NO! DRUNK LOCK FROM DAVEY! Young reversed Davey, and Davey ran into a loaded fist from Val. Silas with an O’Connor Roll, but Davey somehow rolled through: 1…2…3!

This was such a step-up from everything else on this show, and I think these two are capable of blowing this match out of the water one day if they want. Davey had a great 2012, and his work in AAW was arguably his best stuff. Silas Young continues to show why he is one of the best wrestlers in the world not being booked outside of his region.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Markus Crane & Austin Mannix vs. The Northstache Express (Marione Fontaine & Darin Corbin w/Joey Eastman)
This match is filled with guys who do not interest me. Mannix and Crane attacked the babyfaces before the match. A tag match broke out shortly after that with Mannix and Crane in full control. While Crane and Mannix were bickering, Corbin wormed his way to the corner and tagged out to Fontaine. Crane got dumped to the floor. Eastman ran in and gave Mannix stunner. Fontaine hit Crane with a high heel kick. The Express then hit Crane with a Unprettier/Ghetto Stomp combo. Fontaine followed that up with a frogsplash: 1…2…3.

We Are Here attacked the Express after the match. Eastman made the save with a plancha. We Are Here backed down. Eastman ran down We Are Here after the match. Despite having the numbers advantage, We Are Here completely backed down. Eastman challenged them to a Street Fight at the next show. I think Harvey accepted, but he gave somewhat of a cryptic answer.

This match was just a showcase match for Fontaine and Corbin. I am not into this feud at all.
Match Rating: *1/2

Saraya Knight© vs. MsChif [SHIMMER Championship]
Knight got on the microphone before the match. She made sure to let everyone know that she was a villain. MsChif got an early nearfall with a schoolgirl. They started brawling on the floor. Knight got control and brought the action back to the ring. Knight then kicked MsChif right in the vagina. Ouch. DDT from Knight: 1…2…NO! They went back to the floor, and MsChif fired back and got control of the match. They ended up in the crowd. They eventually made it back in the ring with Knight in control. This wasn’t the most interesting match. They ended up back on the floor. MsChif repeatedly drove Knight’s head into some steel steps. Truth Martini ran in and sprayed mist into MsChif’s eyes. Knight pinned her: 1…2…3.

The effort was certainly there, but I was never really gripped by this match. The brawling felt repetitive, and I stopped caring about who was going to win very early in the match.
Match Rating: **3/4

Jimmy Jacobs & Arik Cannon© vs. The House of Truth (Danny Daniels & Jesse Emerson w/ Truth Martini) [AAW Tag Team Championships]
I don’t think Daniels and Emerson did much (if anything) to earn this tag title match. The tag title scene in AAW has been a mess for a while now in AAW. If their Heavyweight Title division is one of the best main title scenes in America, their tag title scene is one of the worst (of the relevant indies).

Jacobs and Cannon are tag champs that don’t get along. They were aping Team Hell No before the match. The match started as a brawl on the floor and in the crowd. Eventually the match ended up in the ring. Jacobs and Cannon used beer as a weapon. Jacobs eventually spat beer in Cannon’s face. Truth Martini jumped up on the apron. The House of Truth managed to cut off Jacobs, and they worked him over for a while. This went on for a while. Jacobs eventually hit Daniels with a Thugbait. Cannon tagged in and ran mild. Emerson hit Cannon with a Rock Bottom. Jacobs made the save. Jacobs went for the End Time on Daniels, but Daniels reversed it into an inverted atomic drop. Jacobs then got the End Time on Daniels. Emerson made the save, but Jacobs got Emerson in the End Time. Martini interfered. Jacobs hit Emerson with a Contra Code. Cannon then hit him with a brainbuster. Jacobs and Cannon then hit dueling kneeling superkicks: 1…2…3

Blah. I was tempted to not write anything else, but that would probably be unprofessional. Jacobs and Cannon are an awful tag team that bury the entire AAW tag division. AAW has to do some serious work to rebuild the division. Danny Daniels is another performer that doesn’t interest me much. Emerson has a lot of talent, but he didn’t get to show it here.
Match Rating: **

Michael Elgin© vs. Sami Callihan [AAW Heavyweight Championship]
This is Elgin’s first title defense since he took the belt from Silas Young in September 2012.

Sami went for the Stretch Muffler early, but Elgin escaped. Elgin reversed it into the crossface, but Sami got to the ropes. Elgin was in control for a while. He methodically dominated Sami. They ended up on the floor. Sami came back with a brogue kick and a chair shot to the back. Back in the ring, Sami hit a sliding lariat for a nearfall. The crowd is very quiet so far. Elgin avoided the superkick to the leg and hit a double stomp. Elgin then hit the Fucking Machine Suplex. Elgin then got a nearfall with a Bossman slam. Elgin got another nearfall with the Blu-Ray: 1…2…NO! Sami managed to finally come back; he hit a Silverking Lariat and a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Sami got a nearfall with a lariat. Sami hit a delayed saito suplex and a sliding D: 1…2…no. Elgin came back with CHAOS THEORY: 1…2…no. Phil Colvin not calling that Chaos Theory makes me a sad panda. Sami came back with the superkick to the leg. Sami then locked in a sleeper. Elgin escaped. They struggled to their feet and traded forearms. Elgin hit a rebound German, a buckle bomb, and a backfist. Sami avoided the Elgin Bomb and locked in the Stretch Muffler. Elgin made the ropes. Sami hit a pair of brogue kicks. Elgin delivered a series of slaps. Sami hit another Brogue and followed it up with a powerbomb. Elgin got the Stretch Muffler. Sami escaped, but he then ate a pair of backfists from Elgin. Two more backfists. Buckle Bomb. Elgin Bomb reversed into a pinning combination: 1…2…NO! Sami then hit an enzuigiri and got a schoolboy: 1…2…NO! Stretch Muffler from Sami. Elgin reversed it into the crossface. Sami escaped. Liger bomb from Elgin. Buckle Bomb. Elgin Bomb: 1…2…3.

This was a very strong first defense for Elgin. Elgin is one of the very best wrestlers in the world, and Sami makes for a great opponent for him. These two have excellent chemistry, and I’ve really enjoyed both of their matches together. I think they have the potential for greatness though, and I think they will achieve that soon.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to my Twitter or to my email address: [email protected]. Also, feel free to check out my own wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com. Also, check out my Best of Chikara blog and an archive of all my 411 video reviews.

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The 411: This DVD is reflective of my expectations for AAW right now: there are two to three matches that are absolutely worth going out of your way to see, but there is also a bunch of matches on the undercard that don't feel worth the time it takes to watch them. Michael Elgin, Silas Young, Davey Richards, Sami Callihan, ACH, Shane Hollister, and Kyle O’Reilly continue to make AAW a good promotion with Thumbs Up DVDs. However, if this promotion really wants to excel and break through the glass ceiling, they need to cut out the fat and make their DVDs a more consistent viewing experience. Buy this DVD for $15 at the AAW store. You can also go to Smart Mark Video and get the show as a $15 DVD, a $11.99 MP4, or as a $9.99 Video on Demand.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]