wrestling / Video Reviews

Views from the Hawke’s Nest: AAW Windy City Classic 2012

April 12, 2013 | Posted by TJ Hawke
6.5
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
Views from the Hawke’s Nest: AAW Windy City Classic 2012  

Merrionette Park, Il
November 24, 2012

Commentators: Phil Colvin, Silas Young, & Daryck St. Holmes

AAW had booked Sami Callihan vs. Ken Shamrock for this show. There was either a communication error between Shamrock and his agent or Shamrock just decided to no-show. (For the record, Shamrock’s people claimed that his agent/manager never told him about the booking. I am dubious.)

We Are Here (Tweek Phoenix & Lamar Titan w/ Kevin Harvey & Nikki) vs. The Northstache Express (Darin Corbin & Marion Fontaine) [Street Fight]
This feud had not really done anything for anyone involved.

We Are Here were intimidating AAW Matchmaker, Tony Rican, when the Northstache Express made the save. The match started as a brawl. Not too much of note happened. Eventually in the ring, Fontaine and Corbin hit their double team finish on Titan, but Nikki sort of stopped the referee from counting the pinfall. Phoenix attacked Fontaine and Corbin with a loaded boot. Titan hit Fontaine with his urinagi backstabber. The Express came back and sent the rudos to the floor. Corbin wiped them out with a tope con hello. Fontaine went to hit a dive, but Keith Walker showed up and stopped him. Walker killed Fontaine with a lariat. Corbin kicked Walker in the balls. Walker bitch slapped Corbin and gave him a baldo bomb. Fontaine was handcuffed to the ringpost, as Phoenix pinned Corbin: 1…2…3

Walker “whipped” Corbin with a chain after the match. It was really obvious that Walker was just hitting Corbin with his hand. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that people should be actually whipped with metal chains for a pro-wrestling angle. Walker just should have done something that would have looked good. Harvey then lit up a fireball in Corbin’s face. Walker then whipped the handcuffed Fontaine after that. I don’t really get We Are Here’s motivation. They are trying to destroy AAW…by taking out their undercarders

The action was fine. I think We Are Here either need a main eventer in the group, or they need to be feuding (and defeating with relative ease) with main eventers. Having a feud with the Northstache Express and Joey Eastman where they have to cheat just to defeat them makes them seem like a midcard stable. Maybe that’s all they are supposed to be.
Match Rating: **1/2

Isaias Velazquez vs. Danny Daniels (w/ Truth Martini)
Velasquez started the match with a hilo from the stage. Velazquez went for a headscissors, but Daniels managed to send Velazquez into the ropes. Daniels worked over the talented babyface after that. Velazquez came back with an enzuigiri, a springboard forearm, and a diving paydirt: 1…2…NO! Daniels came back with a buckle DVD. Daniels went for a super Canadian Destroyer, but it didn’t look all that good.

Danny Daniels being pushed at the expense of young and talented performers like Isaias Velazquez is very frustrating. The action itself was fine though. The crowd liked Velazquez.
Match Rating: **

Truth Martini (w/Danny Daniels) vs. MsChif
Martini disingenuously asked for a handshake. MsChif gave him an atomic drop and then drove his head into the turnbuckle, repeatedly. Martini’s fighting spirit failed. Martini hit MsChif in the throat. His charge into the corner resulted in groin damage. That distracted the referee, which allowed Daniels to hit MsChif with a piledriver. Martini pinned her: 1…2…no. Martini tossed MsChif to the floor so that Daniels could lock her in the torture rack. Martini went to use some tape to choke her, but MsChif avoided it. Martini locked in an abdominal stretch. Martini then did the Steve Corino Thumb in the Bum spot. MsChif then shoved Martini’s thumb into his mouth. She gave Daniels the mist and locked Martini into a submission. Martini tapped out.

Daniels hit MsChif with the Book of Truth after the match. MsChif then challenged Daniels to a Fans Bring the Weapons Match at the next show.

Having two nothing matches on the biggest show of the year to set up a match on the next show is a bit much. I’m a big fan of Truth Martini, but this was just there overall.
Match Rating: *

Arik Cannon & Jimmy Jacobs© vs. The Irish Airborne (Jake & Dave Crist) [AAW Tag Team Championships]
AAW desperately needs to get the belts off Cannon & Jacobs. I’m not a big fan of the Airborne, but almost any team would be better than the Jacobs/Cannon duo.

The match started as a brawl. Jacobs hit a tope suicida on Dave. They did a lot more crowd brawling. Dave and Jacobs ended up on a stage with a bunch of bar tables and fans. Dave left Jacobs on the stage and returned to the ring. Cannon gave both Crists the “Golden Mist.” The Airborne eventually were able to isolate Cannon, and they worked him over for a while. No tags have been used in this match, which is fine with me. Cannon was eventually able to make his own comeback, and they all ended up on a different part of the stage. Jacobs appeared out of nowhere and did a plancha from a higher stage. The crowd liked that, and it was definitely set up well. Back in the ring, Jacobs hit a neckbreaker and then a thugbait on Jake. Cannon gave Dave Total Anarchy on the stage. Jacobs asked Cannon for a kiss. Cannon went to punch him, but he accidentally punched out the referee. The champs started fighting each other. The Airborne then knocked out the champs with their own belts: 1…2…NO! That was actually a pretty good nearfall. Jacobs got a nearfall on Jake with a spear. Cannon hit Jake with a kneeling superkick and a brainbuster: 1…2…NO! Cannon then hit Jake with a saito suplex, and Jacobs locked in End Time. Jake and Jacobs spilled to the floor with the End Time locked in. Jake tapped out, but obviously it didn’t count. Dave kicked Cannon in the balls and rolled him up with a handful of tights: 1…2…3. New champs. Finally.

This match was a fine brawl, and I am very happy that there are new champs. I’m not sure why the Airborne were heels here since their style seems much better suited for the other side of the coin. Also, the champs hated each other, which made them less than ideal babyfaces because they put themselves over the greater cause of the team.
Match Rating: **3/4

Silas Young vs. ACH vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. BJ Whitmer
This match should rule. I love all four of these guys.

The match started as a brawl on the floor, which surprised me. Young and ACH quickly ended up back in the ring though. ACH hit the diving lariat through the ropes. ACH hit O’Reilly with a tope suicida. Young hit ACH with a fireman’s carry into a gutbuster. All of a sudden, tag rules applied, as Young worked over ACH. O’Reilly tagged in and delivered a number of strikes to ACH. O’Reilly was in his wacky heel persona here with inexplicable body movements. ACH and Young were acting like a tag team. ACH eventually tagged out to Whitmer, who made a very professional comeback. ACH got involved and hit a cool delayed dropkick on Young. O’Reilly and ACH squared off. O’Reilly got a nearfall with a bridging Regalplex. All four men connected on strikes until they all went down. O’Reilly and ACH ended up on the floor. Young then caught Whitmer with a rollup and a handful of tights: 1…2…3!

This was a fun match featuring four of the best performers on the AAW roster. I think they probably could have packed in so more action for the time they were given, but what they did was certainly good.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Dan Lawrence vs. Juntai Miller
The lack of Juntai Miller push is one of the more infuriating parts of AAW.

Miller hit some kicks early, but Lawrence quickly cut him off. Lawrence worked over Miller for a bit. Miller ended up on the stage. Miller then came back with a yakuza kick, a slingshot bulldog, and a kneeling curb stomp: 1…2…NO! Miller went for another yakuza, but he got caught in the Tree of Joey Lawrence. Miller hit a dropkick, but Miller came back with a yakuza. Miller went for a ghetto stomp, but Lawrence avoided it. Lawrence got a schoolboy and grabbed the ropes: 1…2…3.

Much like Danny Daniels dispatching of Isaias Velazquez with relative indifference, this makes absolutely no sense to me. Miller was about to start his journey in the AAW Heritage Championship tournament, and I see no reason for why he should be losing to The Party Danimal in such a lame fashion.
Match Rating: *

Shane Hollister came out with Markus Crane & Scarlett. Hollister was supposed to face Colt Cabana here, but the latter had a major finger injury. Hollister made an open challenge. Sami Callihan came out. Sami said many things. Eventually, Sami accepted the challenge. The lights went out. Sabu showed up with a chair. Sabu threw the chair at Crane’s face.

Sami Callihan vs. Sabu vs. Shane Hollister (w/ Markus Crane & Scarlett)
This reminds me of the god-awful Sabu vs. Sami Callihan feud in DGUSA/Evolve. Sabu hit a springboard DDT on Sami. Everyone ended up on the floor. Sami hit Crane with the chair again. Sabu threw the chair at Sami. Back in the ring, Sabu threw a chair at Hollister’s knees. Sami hit Hollister with a chair. Sami threw the chair at Sabu. Sabu hit Hollister with an Arabian Facebuster, but Sami broke up the pinfall. Hollister was laid out on a chair. Sabu hit him with a legdrop. Sami tackled the referee and lowblowed Sabu. Hollister hit Sami with a brainbuster, but Sabu broke up the pinfall. Crane and Scarlett tried to interfere, but Sami got them simultaneously in the torture rack position. Hollister saved them with a superkick to Sami. Sabu gave Hollister another Arabian Facebuster. Sami took Hollister down with a lariat and then killed him with a Liger bomb: 1…2…3

Sami gave Crane a couple of Liger bombs after the match.

This was a far more entertaining car wreck than I expected. They probably overdid the chair spots considering the ratio of chair spots to every other spot. Sami vs. Hollister would have been better, but AAW obviously felt like they had to make up for Colt Cabana being injured and Ken Shamrock not showing up.
Match Rating: ***

Michael Elgin© vs. Davey Richards [AAW Heavyweight Championship]
Davey had defeated Hollister, Sami, Finlay, and Silas Young in singles matches in the six months before this match, which makes his title shot TJ Hawke Approved ©. Seriously though, it’s nice that AAW actually set up Davey as a logical challenger for one of the biggest shows of the year.

Elgin caught Davey with a snap powerslam for an early nearfall. Davey locked in a modified Indian Deathlock. Elgin made his way to the floor. Davey went for a tornado DDT to the floor, but Elgin caught him and drove Davey into a ringpost. Back in the ring, Elgin hit a delayed vertical suplex. Davey came back with a German and a Drunk Lock. Elgin escaped, but Davey was in control for a while after that. Elgin eventually came back with a gamengiri. Elgin hit a bossman slam, but Davey came back with a double stomp. Elgin ended up on the floor, and Davey hit the running soccer punt. Back in the ring, Davey hit a Tombstone: 1…2…NO! Elgin tried to come back with a Fucking Machine Suplex, but Davey avoided. They traded some strikes on the apron, until Davey hit an exploder on the apron. Davey then hit a ghetto stomp: 1…2…NO! Davey hit a couple of kicks, and he then got another Drunk Lock. Elgin escaped and went for another gamengiri, but Davey caught his foot and got the Drunk Lock again. Elgin made the ropes. Elgin came back with a middle rope Samoan Drop, and he then transitioned into a crossface. Davey escaped, but he then ate two spinning backfists, a buckle bomb, and an Elgin Bomb: 1…2…3.

Davey and Elgin verbally blew each other after the match. I don’t get bent out of shape about these types of speeches, but they don’t really need to be on the DVD.

This was a great main event. It probably didn’t reach the levels of their matches at Showdown in the Sun or the Battle of Los Angeles, but this is definitely worth checking out. Elgin is the perfect person to carry this company as their champion. He is one of the best wrestlers in the world, and I can’t imagine I’ll get tired of watching his main event matches anytime 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.


For more information on AAW, check out their:
Facebook
Twitter
DVD Store
Youtube Channel

The 411: This was another top-heavy DVD from AAW. The main event is worth going out of your way to see, but this DVD is really lacking in depth. Once the Cabana and Shamrock changes had to happen, I think AAW should have broke up the four-way and spread those four men (four of their most talented wrestlers) throughout the card so there was more consistency throughout. 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:  6.5   [ Average ]  legend

article topics

TJ Hawke

Comments are closed.