Views from the Hawke’s Nest: AIW JT Lightning Invitational Tournament Night 1 2013

AIW has an iPPV coming up. Order it if you are so inclined. The iPPV is being done by Smart Mark Video; they have an excellent record on iPPV so far. The card is Eric Ryan vs. Colin Delaney, Tim Donst vs. Michael Hutter. Michael Elgin vs. Josh Alexander, BJ Whitmer vs. Chris Dickinson, Gregory Iron & Veda Scott vs. The Batiri, The Submission Squad vs. Marion Fontaine, Jock Samson, & Tracy Smothers, Josh Prohibition & Matt Cross vs. Rickey Shane Page & Bobby Beverly, Louis Lyndon vs. ACH, The Jollyville Fuck-Its vs. The Sex Bob-Ombs, and Johnny Gargano vs. Ethan Page.

Also, check out Alex Torres‘s AIW article, which is hosted by Wrestling On Earth.

May 24, 2013
Cleveland, OH

EXTENDED VIDEO OF PROMOS TIME

Aaron Bauer tried to ask Ethan Page some questions. Page cut a promo instead.

Rickey Shane Page says that he cares more about hurting Colin Delaney, rather than winning.

Josh Prohibition talked about how gifted his daughter was at life. Prohibition talked about how wonderful he was at life. He then put over JT Lightening and cut a pro wrestling promo. It was whatever. Second straight show where a Josh Prohibition promo came across flat for me.

Tim Donst cut a promo about how he and Adam Cole are going to prove how good they are, and that Donst is going to prove to Cole how good he is.

All 24 tournament competitors came to the ring for a picture. The most notable thing about this was that Michael Elgin was wearing a Tapout shirt.

Commentators: Matt Wadsworth, Aaron Bauer, Ethan Page, Pedro Deluca, Denver Colorado, Pierre Abernathy, Eric Ryan, The Duke, Paul Rodgers, & Josh Prohibition

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Bobby Beverly (w/ The Duke) vs. Kimber Lee
Beverly is a very sound performer. I don’t think I have ever seen Lee before. The Duke looks like a gym teacher. I think that look is on purpose. It is delightful.

They traded some strikes. Lee went for a tope suicida early, but Beverly blocked it. They traded more strikes on the floor. Back in the ring, Beverly cut her off with a back suplex. Lee eventually came back and got a nearfall with a bulldog. Lee got another nearfall with a German. Beverly came back with a saito suplex. Beverly called for a kneeling superkick, but Lee got a rollup: 1…2…3!

This match came out of nowhere (for me at least). I think they really told a good story of Lee trying her best to make an impact and solidify herself as a legitimate contender to win the tournament. Beverly played his part well, and I pretty much enjoyed the whole thing. I also think Lee going to the next round is more interesting that Beverly moving on. Good stuff all around.
Match Rating: ***

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Gary Jay vs. Davey Vega
I really like Davey Vega. I haven’t been impressed with Jay over the years, but these two should have a good match.

Things started off kind of blah, but then Vega gave Jay a powerbomb into the ringpost (on the floor). Jay came back with a tope con hello. Jay looked like he landed poorly. In an apparent tryout for PWG, Vega and Jay battled on the apron. Jay won that battle. Back in the ring, Vega got a nearfall with a discus lariat. Jay came back with a Michinoku Driver. Davey came back with some kicks to the head and the Falcon Arrow on the knees: 1…2…3

The effort was definitely there, but I was not really into this. They threw out some cool movez, but I never got invested. I’m glad Vega won.
Match Rating: **1/4

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Louis Lyndon vs. Tadarius Thomas
This should be SO cool.

They did a bunch of cool flippy kick stuff early, as these two are wont to do. Lyndon hit a fantastic springboard moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, Lyndon got a dragon sleeper. Thomas survived, but Lyndon was still in control. Thomas came back with some awesome kicks. Thomas got a nearfall with a sling blade. Lyndon came back with a MOONSAULT DRAGON SLEEPER. Awesome. Thomas made the ropes. Lyndon got a nearfall with a bridging German suplex. Lyndon got a third Dragon Sleeper, and Thomas finally tapped!

This was a good undercard match. They did cool shit and told a simple story of Lyndon continuously going for the Dragon Sleeper until he finally got the win. Thomas needs to be in AIW again. I really enjoyed this.
Match Rating: ***1/4

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Chris Dickinson vs. “Nasty” Russ Myers
Dickinson is awesome. I have never see Myers in a singles match.

Dickinson was very dominant early. The crowd didn’t seem all that invested in Myers. Myers finally got significant offense in when he hit the top rope cannonball splash. Dickinson managed to come back though, and he hit the Braineater: 1…2…3.

This was a glorified squash. Dickinson seemingly got 95% of the offense, and Myers never seemed like a threat to win. Considering this show has 12 matches, I’m not going to complain about one of the matches pretty much being a squash.
Match Rating: *

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Marion Fontaine vs. Veda Scott (w/ Gregory Iron)
Veda and Fontaine are not performers that I openly seek out. Fontaine is very talented, but he hasn’t done a lot of stuff recently that I have enjoyed.

The crowd chanted at Veda, “You Suck Dick!” Veda was irate and said she did not. Poor Pelle Primeau. Sidenote: why is sucking dick an insult? The world would be better if there was more head being given. You too fellas. Fontaine is doing an “old school” gimmick. He’s quite great at it. At one point, Fontaine tried to let Veda into the ring, but she attacked him. Fontaine kept trying to dance with her. Veda kept trying to fight. Iron tried to interfere, but Fontaine used Veda to hit him. Fontaine then accidentally teabagged Veda. Iron took a nasty sounding bump to the floor. Veda came back, and she shook her vagina in Fontaine’s face. If a woman shakes her vagina in a man’s face without consent, is it sexual harassment? Someone get Holzerman on the case. Fontaine came back with a Liger Bomb: 1…2…3. Fontaine is very, very good in his new roll.

Veronica came out to The Batiri’s music. Veronic blew out a candle in a very dramatic fashion. Intrigue.

Well, I guess that was the best Veda Scott match I’ve ever seen.
Match Rating: **

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Colin Delaney vs. Rickey Shane Page (w/ Eric Ryan & The Duke)
Delaney will be challenging Eric Ryan for the Absolute Championship on AIW’s annual biggest show, Absolution. Delaney is one of the most improved wrestlers of the last eight months (or so). Rickey Shane Page has long been a favorite of mine. He just has lots of good matches.

Delaney hit three tope suicidas early on. RSP cut him off and started to work him over. Delaney made a comeback. Delaney took off his cast and hit a diving elbow. Delaney went for his skin-the-cat elbow, but his injured arm didn’t allow him to. RSP hit a discus forearm for a nearfall. RSP came back with a SUPER POWERBOMB: 1…2…NO! Great nearfall in an otherwise flat match. Delaney came back with a super hurricanrana. The Duke hopped up on the apron, and Ryan kicked Delaney’s injured arm. RSP then hit Delaney with an Air Raid Crash variation: 1…2…3

This match was a tad underwhelming given the talent in the ring. The finish made sense since Ryan and Delaney will be meeting in an iPPV main event. Delaney has looked really strong lately, so I don’t think it’s a big deal that he “jobbed.” I am also very much looking forward to watching Elgin vs. RSP.
Match Rating: **1/2

JT Lightening’s kids came out. His son gave a speech, and it got really emotional. The son then invited his girlfriend in the ring. He then proposed. The crowd chanted “Please Say Yes!” She said yes. This was all awesome. I’m glad it ended up on the DVD.

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Josh Prohibition vs. BJ Whitmer
I have no idea if this will be good. Whitmer has been on a tear recently, but Prohibition is definitely on the downside of his career. He’s also apparently injured.

The match started pretty flat. Prohibition had control for a bit. Then Whitmer was in control. Prohibition made a comeback and got a couple of nearfalls. Whitmer came back with his suplexes combination. Prohibition came back with a TKO and a lariat for a flat nearfall. Whitmer avoided a Drunken Driver and hit a reverse STO. Whitmer then locked in the Peruvian Necktie. Prohibition tapped out.

Chris Dickinson, who will now meet Whitmer in the second round, said he would beat Whitmer tomorrow.

I’m just going to assume that Prohibition was very, very injured. This was flat and boring. I wish Whitmer had a better first round matchup. Prohibition’s injury should have been a tool to get a heel over instead of him dragging down a match with one of AIW’s most over babyfaces.
Match Rating: *3/4

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Ethan Page vs. Seleziya Sparkx
Sparx had been Page’s valet for a year in AIW. Page was abusive. Sparx threw in a “towel” at the last show, which caused Page to lose. Sparx was also a somewhat last-minute replacement for Addy Starr.

Page told Sparx that she should forfeit. Sparx called him a little bitch. Sparx got a couple of pinning combinations and a satellite DDT early. Page overpowered her for a bit, but Sparx came back with a BLU RAY: 1…2…NO! Page came back with a massive chokeslam. That would have given him the win, but he elected to keep hurting her. Sparx then got a nearfall with a small package. German from Sparx. Page killed her with a kick to the head a thrust kick to the crotch. Page finished her with a Rock Bottom: 1…2…3.

This was a really energetic match. Even though it was short (less than five minutes I think), they absolutely made the most of their time. Ethan Page is clearly someone that AIW is high on, but I need to see more of him before I fully develop my opinion of him. There have definitely been times when he has really impressed me. Sparx did a really good job in this match, and from a storyline perspective, it definitely made more sense that she was in this spot against Page instead of Addy. Sparx vs. Page had been building for a while, and I think the match was more fun than the Page/Addy would have been (and I say that as a fan of Addy).
Match Rating: **3/4

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Biff Busick vs. Michael Elgin
As the original Biff Busick mark, I am very excited to watch this. Elgin has yet to win in AIW. He has lost to Gargano, ACH, and Whitmer.

Biff took a spill to the floor early. Elgin was in control after that. Elgin gave Busick an Air Raid Crash on the apron. Elgin then gave him an Air Raid Crash on the floor. Elgin continued to dominate after that until he went for the corkscrew senton, but Busick avoided it. Elgin’s batting average on the corkscrew senton is atrocious. Busick hit a blockbuster for a nearfall. Elgin came back with a Buckle German for a nearfall. Elgin got another nearfall with his Hellevator variation. Busick came back and dropped Elgin on his head with a German: 1…2…NO! Elgin came back with the deadlift Fucking Machine suplex: 1…2…NO! Elgin and Busick traded big shots. Elgin seemingly killed him with a ripchord lariat, a buckle bomb and an Elgin Bomb: 1…2…3.

Considering that several people told me how great this match was, I couldn’t help but be a bit underwhelmed. My only real complaint about the match was that Busick was never portrayed to be a legitimate threat to Elgin, which prevented the match from creating the drama that great matches tend to have. That being said, this match was very compelling, and I enjoyed it immensely. The match was just much more about Busick surviving Elgin, as opposing to creating an epic match where you believe both men can win. Busick and Elgin are absolutely two of my favorite performers going today, and I am so glad that AIW put this match together.
Match Rating: ***3/4

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Josh Alexander vs. ACH
Alexander got control early and worked ACH over. ACH came back. He hit a Bronco Buster, which made me giggle. This match moved at a much slower pace than I expected. ACH went for a slingshot move, but Alexander caught him with a forearm. Alexander hit a pop-up powerbomb. ACH came back and hit the Air Jordan. ACH got a nearfall in the ring with a slingshot Ace Crusher. They went to the top rope, and Alexander hit a SUPER JIG ‘N’ TONIC: 1…2…NO! ACH came back with a twisting piledriver and a 450 Splash: 1…NO! ACH then botched the Spirit Bomb. Alexander hit a discus forearm and a twisting tombstone: 1…2…3.

This was solid. I really thought these two would have great chemistry, but the first half of the match was really underwhelming and nothing from it played into the closing stretch. They did some very cool stuff towards the end to make up for it, but then the botched Spirit Bomb kind of deflated me again. The Super Jig ‘N’ Tonic was fantastic. It probably should have been the finish.
Match Rating: ***

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Adam Cole vs. Tim Donst
The AIW crowd botched Cole’s “Suck My Dick” chant. This does not surprise me.

Donst looks to be getting back into good shape. I’m very intrigued by this matchup. Donst blocked a plancha and urinagied Cole on the apron. Donst was in control after that. Cole eventually came back, and he was in control for a bit. Cole hit a slingshot DDT on the apron and a Superfly Splash for a nearfall. Donst came back with a middle rope brainbuster: 1…2…NO! Cole escaped the From Dusk Til Donst, but Donst then hit a Gator Roll: 1…2…NO! Cole came back with a superkick to the knee and a figure four. Donst made the ropes. They got to their feet and traded strikes. Cole hit a superkick, but Donst avoided the Florida Key. Donst came back with a Sliding D and another Gator Roll for another nearfall. Cole came back with two superkicks and a Sliding D: 1…2…3.

This was a solid match that I enjoyed, but the Cleveland crowd definitely lived down to their reputation here. Neither man seemed to want to go all out as either a heel or a babyface. I don’t really understand why, but I think if Cole was in full “Suck My Dick” gimmick, this match may have gotten over more. That being said, Cole and Donst tried their best in the ring to have a good match, but the environment didn’t allow this match to be especially memorable. Good effort though.
Match Rating: ***

JT Lightening Invitational Tournament First Round
Johnny Gargano vs. Matt Cross
These were two of JT Lightening’s students, and the crowd chanted for their fallen trainer before the match.

Matt Cross interests me a lot more with his amazing mountain man beard. Gargano hit four tope suicidas early on. Gargano was in control for a while, but Cross eventually made a comeback. Gargano came back with a rolling kick to the face for a nearfall. They got to their feet and slugged it out. Cross got a nearfall with a standing shooting star. Gargano came back with a kick to the head and a lawndart. Gargano then hit two corner dropkicks, but Cross avoided a third one and hit a middle rope DVD: 1…2…NO! Gargano avoided a shooting star. Cross avoided a superkick. Cross hit a sloppy reverse hurricanrana and a brogue kick: 1…2…NO! Gagrnao avoided the shooting star again and then hit the Hurts Donut: 1…2…NO! Gargano hit two more Hurts Donuts: 1…2…NO! Cross rolled through on a fourth attempt, but Gargano then got the Hurts Donut again: 1…2…3.

This was a very solid main event. I have never been a big fan of Cross’s singles matches, but Gargano seemingly just does not have bad matches these days. While this wasn’t the “biggest” matchup on the card, I understand the sentimental reasons for putting it in the main event. Cross is seemingly better in AIW than anywhere else.
Match Rating: ***1/4

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 AIW, check out their:
Facebook
Twitter
Online Store
Youtube Page

The 411: While I don't think any one match makes this show worth buying, I think this show is consistent enough that everyone should consider purchasing it. AIW has a very passionate online fanbase, and the company truly tries to put on the best shows possible. You can really see them trying to get better with every show. They could have easily filled their 24 person tournament with a lot of unworthy talent, but AIW clearly invested a ton into making this tournament as deep as they could reasonably make it. That investment pays off for the most part. Support AIW directly by buying this show at their Online 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:  7.3   [ Good ]