By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S AAW “DAY OF DEFINANCE” REVIEW
MAY 17, 2013
Berwyn, ILL.

The show started with Keith Lipinski catching up with Christian Rose in the parking lot after “Take No Prisoners” back on April 13. Lipinski congratulated Rose on his big win. Rose said MsChif now had a footprint on her face, but he did what he had to do to her. He said MsChif and Marek Brave aren’t loved and respected. He said he’s not the bad guy here. Rose said he’s going to start a revolution in AAW. He was then attacked by Marek Brave as he tried to get into his car.

Phil Colvin and Dave Prazak are handling the commentary tonight.

(1) Zero Gravity (C.J. Esparza & Brett Gakiya) vs. Marion Fontaine & Louis Lyndon. They went to a big sequence with all four men going at it in the ring and both teams came to a stalemate. Zero Gravity took control and began working over Fontaine. Fontaine fired back on Gakiya and tagged in Lyndon. They took down Gakiya with a double dropkick and began working him over. Esparza got the tag, but ate a knee to the face from Lyndon. The fans tried to rally behind Esparza, as Fontaine continued to work him over before tagging in Lyndon. Lyndon hit a delayed German suplex with a bridge on Esparza, but Gakiya broke up the pin. The fans tried to rally behind Esparza, who mounted a comeback by leaping off of Lyndon’s back and hitting a DDT on Fontaine. Gakiya got the hot tag and finally took down Lyndon with a jumping double knee press to the chest. Both men were down because Gakiya ate a knee and then decided to sell it after taking out Lyndon.

Esparza tagged back in and sent Fontaine to the floor with a kick out of a pin attempt. He then wiped out Fontaine with a big dive. Lyndon went for a dive, but Gakiya cut him off. There were lots of moves exchanged between both teams. Fontaine finally pinned Esparza with a moonsault after he took a big series of kicks.

Winners: Marion Fontaine & Louis Lyndon

Star rating: (*3/4) – This was a decent opening match. There wasn’t much of a flow to match, as both teams just went back and forth. The spot with Gakiya taking a knee to the face and waiting until after he wiped out Lyndon to sell it boggled my mind.

They showed footage of two men laughing in a parking lot from “Take No Prisoners” back in April. It was Jake & Dave Crist, who said they had just beaten up Arik Cannon.

They showed a ref backstage announcing Christian Rose wouldn’t be on the show because he was attacked by Marek Brave. The ref said Brave had lost a Loser Leaves Town match several years ago and wouldn’t be allowed into the show unless he had a ticket. Jimmy Jacobs came into the picture complaining about him and Cannon being attacked last month. The ref told him he would face Jake Crist tonight.

(2) Heidi Lovelace vs. Heather Patera. Heather is the daughter of Ken Patera. Prazak said Patera had 12 years of experience while Lovelace only had around 2 years of experience. They did a crisscross spot and Patera took Lovelace down, but Lovelace was able to continually counter her until they came to a stalemate. Lovelace sent Patera to the floor with a head scissor takedown. The fans chanted for Lovelace while Patera regrouped on the floor. Lovelace tried to hit a baseball kick through the ropes, but Patera caught her and tossed her into the barricade. Lovelace took a heck of a bump after being whipped head-first into the ringpost by Patera on the outside. Lovelace began mounting a comeback and hit some big chops to Patera’s chest. Patera reversed a whip and caught Lovelace with a bear hug as she came off the ropes. Lovelace escaped with a sunset flip, but ended up walking into a huge clothesline for a 2 count. Lovelace tried to fire back again, but Patera sent her flying back-first into the turnbuckles before covering her for a 2 count. Lovelace fired back and took off her ring vest. Lovelace began kicking Patera in the chest and went for the shining wizard, but Patera blocked it and hit a big slam for the win.

Winner: Heather Patera

Star rating: (**3/4) – I really enjoyed this match. Patera played the powerhouse in the match with Lovelace attempting to make comebacks throughout the match. The crowd really got behind Lovelace at times during the match, but Patera was too much for her in the end. I loved the crisscross spot they did early in the match. I just had to throw that in there.

Truth Martini came down to the ring for a Hoopla Uncut segment. Martini asked if they liked the previous match and then insulted Lovelace by saying she had the body of a 12 year old boy. Martini said he hates his guest tonight. Martini introduced Eastman, who had been out of AAW for a year. The fans seemed happy to see Eastman. Martini asked Eastman to put the past behind them. Martini asked Eastman what he had been up to for the last year. Eastman said he’d grown up and now he has a real life and a real job. Eastman says he misses AAW, but follows the company on Twitter. Martini said Eastman was a great manager, but he wasn’t in the league of Truth Martini. Martini said people mention him in the same breathe as Jim Cornette, Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer, and Jimmy Hart. Martini said he’s the greatest manager alive now that Paul Bearer is dead. Eastman got on the mic and told him he sucks. Eastman said he’s not a wrestler, but he will stand up to Martini. He challenged Martini to settle this like men. He challenged Martini to an arm wrestling contest.

A couple of refs came down to the ring with a table and chairs for an arm wrestling contest. Prazak said this is the only way to settle things. Martini said in 1993 he was an ametuer arm wrestling champion. Martini said he was going to embarrass Eastman. The fans chanted for Eastman before he and Martini locked hands. They locked up, Martini popped up and did some stretching. They locked up again and the ref said they would go at the count of 3, but Martini popped up once again. Eastman started a p----- chant directed at Martini. They locked up again, but this time Eastman bailed and did some stretching. The fans chanted for Eastman and Martini looked upset. They finally engaged in the arm wrestling contest at the table. Both men seemed to be at a stalemate. Martini got the upper hand, but Eastman fired back. Martini kissed Eastman on the head, which allowed him to slam Eastman’s hand down on the table.

Martini said Eastman looked like an embarrassed fool. Eastman tackled Martini and hit some punches. The ref’s tried to hold Eastman back, but allowed Martini to hit him with The Book of Truth. Martini then got on the mic and thanked Eastman for his time to end the segment.

(3) AAW Tag Team Champion Jake Crist vs. Jimmy Jacobs. Crist attacked Jacobs as he got into the ring. Jacobs pulled the ropes down on Crist and followed up with a big dive through the ropes. They went back and forth on the outside. They ended up back inside the ring and Jacobs fired up and put the boots to Crist in the corner. Jacobs went for a charge into the corner, but it appeared that Crist popped up and caught him with a powerslam into the turnbuckles. Jacobs immediately favored his knee. Jacobs tried to fire back, but ate a boot to the face from Crist. Crist locked Jacobs in the sugar hold. Jacobs struggled, but eventually kneed his way out of the hold. Jacobs tried to bounce off the ropes, but he favored his leg and Crist took him down with an elbow. Jacobs tried to fire back, but Crist tossed him to the floor and tossed Jacobs back-first onto the ring frame. They ended up battling on the apron and Jacobs no-sold a kick and nailed Crist with a spear and both men spilled to the floor. Jacobs hit another spear back inside the ring a short time later for a 2 count. He then applied the end time, but Crist powered up and slammed him into the turnbuckles, but Jacobs got a sunset flip for a 2 count.

Jacobs hit a springboard ace crusher, but Crist kicked out at the last second. The announcers said Crist didn’t have a lot of singles experience. Jacobs went for the contra code, but Crist blocked it and hit a superkick, and spinning kick, and a tiger suplex for a nearfall and both men were down. Crist signaled for the finish and went up top. He took forever to go up top, which allowed Jacobs to cut him off. Jacobs went for a super Contra Code, but Crist flipped him down to the mat. Jacobs cut Crist off again and they battled up top. Crist got a chain and punched Jacobs in the face. Crist looked like he was setting up for Pepsi plunge, but he turned it into a Canadian destroyer off the top.

Winner: Jake Crist

Star rating: (***) – This was a good match with Crist dominating a lot of the action. Jacobs got in some nice offense and made some good comebacks. The finish of the match with nuts with Crist hitting a super Canadian destroyer to finish of Jacobs.

They did hilarious MMA style introductions for the Mixed Martial Archie vs. Davey Richards match. Archie was introduced as wrestling out of Tank Abbott’s camp.

(4) Mixed Martial Archie vs. Davey Richards. Richards offered a handshake and Archie slapped his hand away. Archie looked at Richards and said, “We pound fists!” Archie hit a leg kick on Richards and celebrated. They had judges for the match at ringside. The crowd chanted “You’re going to get your f------ head kicked in at Richards.” Archie hit another leg kick and celebrated. The fans booed a “Davey’s gonna kill you” chant. Richards hit a leg kick and Peck looked to be in a great deal of pain. They did some chain wrestling and Prazak said you don’t see that in a MMA fight. Archie ducked a kick and told Richards that’s the end of round one. Archie went and got some water and the announcers said they would give that round a 10-9 score. Richards went after Archie and Archie turned around and nailed him with a big right hand. Archie celebrated like he had knocked out Richards. Archie got on the ropes to celebrate and Richards crotched him. Richards unofficially began round 2 by kicking Archie as hard as he could. Richards charged at Archie, who caught him with a big knee to the chin. Prazak said Archie had won the match twice now.

Archie went up top and jumped off and landed on his feet. He then applied a guillotine choke on Richards. The fans chanted for Richards to tap, but Richards escaped and hit a flurry of kicks to Archie’s head. Prazak said Archie was out of his element in a wrestling match. The ref checked on Archie, who surprised Richards with a heel hook with a grapevine. Richards teased tapping, but ended up getting the ropes. Archie wouldn’t let go and the ref finally forced him to let go. Archie thought he had won via stoppage. Archie ran around the ring celebrating and Richards waited for him and nailed him with a running kick from the apron. Archie managed to pull himself to his feet and went into the karate kid stance. Richards nailed him with a big roundhouse kick to the head and the ref called for the bell.

Kyle O’Reilly came down to the ring and they put the boots to Archie until ACH and Michael Elgin made the same.

Winner: Davey Richards

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was amazing. I have no idea how to rate this match, but I loved every second of it.

Both teams continued to brawl and it led right into their scheduled tag match.

(5) AAW Heritage Champion ACH & AAW Champion Michael Elgin vs. Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly. The crowd fired up after ACH sent Richards to the floor. Archie nailed Richards with a kick as ACH held him on the outside. The action settled down inside the ring with Elgin working over O’Reilly. Elgin hit a running splash on O’Reilly in the corner and hit his signature delayed vertical suplex. Richards tried to run in, but ACH nailed him with a dropkick. ACH did pushups while Elgin held O’Reilly in the suplex position. Elgin finally dropped O’Reilly at the 1 minute count from the fans and covered him for a nearfall. O’Reilly fired back on ACH and tagged in Richards, who kicked Elgin off the apron before going after ACH. Richards and O’Reilly tagged in and out to work over ACH. ACH mounted a comeback and hit a big dropkick on O’Reilly before tagging in Elgin. Elgin shoved O’Reilly in the corner and told him to tag in Richards. Both men began exchanging forearms until Elgin caught Richards with a suplex as he came off the ropes. Elgin held Richards up in the vertical suplex position and ACH kicked O’Reilly to the floor. ACH did sit ups while Elgin held Richards high in the air. Elgin did a few squats before dropping Richards to the floor for a 2 count.

ACH picked up Richards for a slam and the fans began counting as he held Richards in position. ACH did squats while holding Richards before slamming him to the mat. The fans chanted “holy s---“ after ACH slammed Richards, but he only got a 2 count. Richards fired back on ACH and tagged in O’Reilly. ACH nailed O’Reilly with a big right hand and slammed him into the turnbuckles. ACH hit another big strike to O’Reilly’s face after putting him on the top turnbuckle. They battled up top, but O’Reilly caught ACH with a super gut buster and tagged in Richards, who nailed ACH with a running knee to the mid-section. Richards told Elgin head he could hold ACH in the suplex position just like him, but he ended up tossing ACH over the top rope instead. O’Reilly and Richards continued to tag in and out while working over ACH’s mid-section. Elgin ran in to break up an abdominal stretch on ACH from O’Reilly and the crowd tried to rally behind ACH. Richards grounded ACH with a body scissors on the mat. O’Reilly slid to the outside to add extra leverage to the floor. The ref finally caught O’Reilly forcing Richards to break the hold. ACH hit a DDT/stunned combination on Richards and O’Reilly. The crowd fired up and Elgin finally got the hot tag.

Elgin ran wild on Richards and O’Reilly. Elgin ended up nailing Richards and O’Reilly with clotheslines in the corner. Elgin hit a running DVD on Richards in the corner, but he kicked out at 2. Richards and Elgin went to a big strike exchange. Elgin nailed Richards with several clotheslines against the ropes. ACH ran in and nailed Richards with a big kick and Elgin hit a lariat, but Richards kicked out at the last second. Richards fired back with a pinning combination on Elgin. ACH charged at him right into a suplex with a bridge for a double 2 count. Richards countered a buckle bomb and hit a double stomp on Richards. ACH tried to surprise Richards off the top, but Richards caught him with a drop kick. Richards and O’Reilly hit a tombstone/superkick combo on ACH, but he kicked out at the last second. Both teams continued to go back and forth. O’Reilly nailed Elgin with several forearms. O’Reilly went for a standing guillotine, but Elgin nailed him with a back breaker. Richards hit a brainbuster on Elgin, but ACH came off the top right away with a big splash on Richards and the fans went nuts after he kicked out.

Richards and O’Reilly ended up alone in the ring with ACH. They nailed him with a series of kicks and Richards followed up with a leg capture suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. Richards and O’Reilly hit a kick to the head/brainbuster combination, but Elgin ran in and broke up the pin with a dead-lift German on O’Reilly. Elgin looked at Richards and told him to bring it. They began exchanging strikes. Richards hit a series of kicks, but Elgin wouldn’t go down. Elgin caught a kick attempt from Richard and powerbombed him into O’Reilly in the corner. He went for another powerbomb on Richards, but O’Reilly nailed him with a dropkick off the top. ACH pulled the ropes down on Richards, who flew to the outside. O’Reilly then ran in and rolled him up with a handful of tights, but ACH kicked out. ACH fired up and hit a series of kicks and then the spirit bomb for a nearfall. He then hit a crazy step up dive to the outside to wipe out Richards and Elgin. He went for a 450 on O’Reilly, but he got his knees up and rolled him up for the pin.

The crowd stood and applauded after the match ended. The fans chanted “AAW, AAW.”

Winners: Kyle O’Reilly & Davey Richards

Star rating: (****1/4) – This was an awesome match. They did some great spots during the early going highlighting Elgin’s power. O’Reilly and Richards worked over ACH’s mid-section forever, which I think the announcers could have done a better job of highlighting that, as it could have played into the story of the finish. The last five minutes featured some insane action, especially ACH’s crazy sequence at the end of the match before he got rolled up by O’Reilly.

Shane Hollister cut a backstage promo about his Last Man Standing match against Sami Callihan. Hollister said he had backup and pointed to Marcus Crane and Dan Lawrence, who were standing behind him. Hollister was upset that Crane was eating cake. Scarlett was also with Hollister. Hollister promised to put Callihan down for the ten count.

The cameras stopped rolling and Kevin Harvey came out and asked Dan Lawrence, who was with Hollister, if he wanted to be in a tag match. He wasn’t interested until he heard Colt Cabana’s name brought up and they went somewhere private to talk.

Kevin Harvey and Nikki came down to the ring with Dan Lawrence, Tweek Phoenix, and Keith Walker. Colt Cabana, Matt Fitchett, and Juntai Miller were out next. Cabana picked up a small child and taunted Walker before putting the child back into the crowd.

(6) Dan Lawrence & Keith Walker & Tweek Phoenix (w/Kevin Harvey & Nikki) vs. Colt Cabana & Juntai Miller & Matt Fitchett. The announcers said nothing had been resolved yet between Lawrence and Cabana. Lawrence tried to work a headlock on Cabana during the early stages of the match, but didn’t have much luck. Cabana told Lawrence to hit the ropes, but he tripped him and the hit a school boy with an assist from Fitchett. Lawrence tagged out and Cabana got in a shouting match with Nikki, who was on the outside. Cabana cut off Phoenix and tagged in Miller. The pace picked up and Miller hit a springboard face plant on Phoenix. Fitchett got the tag and came off the top with a double knee strike on Phoenix, but he kicked out. Phoenix tagged in Lawrence, but he was cut off immediately with a big slam from Fitchett. Everyone then took turns tagging into the ring to hit a body slam on Lawrence. Walker took down Fitchett from the apron. He then tagged in and hit a series of suplexes on Fitchett capped by a delayed vertical suplex. Fitchett took a beating for a long period of time.

Fitchett finally made the hot tag and Cabana ran wild on Lawrence. Phoenix and Walker tried to run in, but Cabana tossed them all into the corner. Cabana hit a pair of flying apples on Lawrence and Phoenix, but Walker ended up catching him on the third flying apple attempt and he nailed him with a huge German suplex. The action broke down and Miller went at it with Walker and Phoenix, but they cut him off and hit total elimination. Fitchett ended up hitting a sunset bomb on Phoenix. He followed up with a SSP off the top, but Walker broke up the pin. Cabana hit a modified GTS on Walker, but Lawrence ran in and rolled him up with a handful of tights for the pin.

Winners: Dan Lawrence & Tweet Phoenix & Keith Walker

Star rating: (**3/4) – This was a good six man with some fun action. Fitchett took a beating for a long period of time and after the hot tag, there was some really good back and forth action. Lawrence getting the win over Cabana in a cheap manner played nicely into the storyline.

Jordan McEntyre came out to a chorus of boos from the fans. He got on the mic and ran down the crowd saying they weren’t in good enough shape to be going to the beach. He said Ryan Boz was supposed to be his opponent, but he wasn’t in the building. McEntyre said he had an open challenge to anyone in Chicago. This was all cheap heat.

Eddie Kingston’s music played and he came to a big reaction.

(7) Eddie Kingston vs. Jordan McEntyre. McEntyre hit some elbows and blew kisses to the crowd. Kingston hit a T-bone suplex, but McEntyre hit a spinebuster and called for the finish. Kingston ended up suplexing McEntyre into the turnbuckles and he followed up with the backfist to the future for the win.

Winner: Eddie Kingston

Star rating: (n/a) – McEntyre got humbled in this encounter.

Kingston got on the mic and the fans applauded. He said it had been awhile since he’d been in AAW. He shouted out Dave Prazak and started talking crazy. He said he didn’t come to Chicago and take two flights just to wrestle for a minute and a half. Kingston then picked out a fan that was heckling him. Kingston called the male fan a lesbian and ran him down on the mic. Kingston said to bring someone out to face him. Markus Crane ended up coming down to the ring.

(8) Eddie Kingston vs. Markus Crane. Crane drew a line between him and Kingston. Kingston teased crossing the line. Crane drew another line and Kingston crossed it. Crane flexed and Kingston ended up picking him up and hitting a backdrop driver for the win.

Winner: Eddie Kingston

Star rating: (n/a) – Crane didn’t do as well as McEntyre.

Kingston put on Crane’s shirt. Music played and Knight Wagner came down to the ring. Prazak said he was wearing a shirt that serves as a ring jacket. Wagner got on the mic and the fans were all over him. He said he says what he wants, when he wants, whenever the f--- he wants. He asked if he was supposed to be afraid of Eddie Kingston. Wagner said he’s been to New York and all the people there are pussies. Kingston laughed and Wagner slapped him in the face. Kingston for a backfist, but Wagner ducked it.

(9) Eddie Kingston vs. Knight Wagner. Wagner hit a flying kick to the head to start the match. He taunted Kingston with some slaps. Kingston fired back and hit a T-bone suplex. Kingston then hit a huge clothesline on Wagner. Kingston took his straps down and said he was going to break Wagner’s neck. Wagner fired back and tossed Kingston to the floor and hit a big dive over the top to the outside to wipe him out. Wagner tried to come off the top, but Kingston nailed him with a backfist as he came down towards the mat for the pin. Wow!

Winner: Eddie Kingston

Star rating: (n/a) – That backfist Kingston hit to finish off Wagner was nasty.

The crowd chanted for Sea Man. Kingston pretended to ejaculate on the crowd and left the ring.

Footage from earlier today outside the venue was shown of Sami Callihan. Callihan said he was thinking about a lot of memories of the Berwyn Eagles Club. He said the building was put on the map when Jimmy Jacobs dropped the IWA-MS Title in the trash. Jacobs said this was the top company in the mid-west and was becoming the top company in the country to be. Callihan said this was the last time he would face Shane Hollister in the ring. He said it was a match of good vs. evil. Callihan said there would not be any flukes or rewriting history. Callihan said he was going to hit harder than Hollister. He said when all is said and done, he would be victorious in the legendary Berwyn Eagles Club. He said tonight was his day of defiance. This was a heck of a promo.

(10) Silas Young (w/Val Malone) vs. Samuray Del Sol. The announcers said Young had been the man in AAW for the last few years. They then talked about how Del Sol had risen from the pre-show to a prominent position in the company. Young worked over Del Sol’s arm during the early stages of the match, but Del Sol managed to escape an arm bar with a nice kick to the head from his back. They went to a nice exchange out of a Greco-Roman knuckle lock. Both men went for a cartwheel to escape at the same time, but Young maintained the advantage. They went to a big exchange and Del Sol ducked a dropkick and grabbed a leg submission, but Young got the ropes. Del Sol went for a springboard and Malone grabbed his foot and tried to drag him off the apron, but Young landed on his feet. He then ducked a baseball dropkick from Young through the ropes and followed up with a big dive to wipe him out. That was a nice sequence with Del Sol countering the interference from Malone. Young fired back a short time later and hit a back breaker.

The fans chanted for Del Sol as Young regrouped. Young began working over Del Sol’s back inside the ring. Young taunted Del Sol and told him he was going to break him before nailing him with a headbutt. Del Sol tried to fire back, but ended up taking a backdrop. Young grabbed a chin lock and the fans died down. Del Sol tried to fire back and eventually hit a leaping Canadian destroyer off the second rope for a 2 count. Del Sol went for a springboard splash, but Young caught him and hit a back breaker for a 2 count. Young grabbed another chin lock on the mat to keep Del Sol grounded. Young said he would sit there in the hold all day. Young then mocked the fans for chanting “Lucha, lucha.” Del Sol tried to fire up and he went for a hurricanrana, but Young blocked it and dropped him neck-first over the top rope. Del Sol finally monkey flipped Young into the turnbuckles.

The pace picked up once both men got to their feet. Del Sol took control and hit an asai DDT for a 2 count. The fans began to pick up steam with Del Sol on the attack. Del Sol went up top and missed a moonsault, but landed on his feet. He walked right into the killer combo form Young for a 2 count. Young continued to taunt Del Sol as he worked him over. Young climbed the ropes and taunted Del Sol. Del Sol came up off his back and nailed Young with a kick to the face. They battled up top and Del Sol hit the rinsing sun off the top for a nearfall. The fans fired up after the nearfall. Del Sol began nailing Young with kicks. Young ended up ducking a kick and went for the handstand into a moonsault off the top, but Del Sol got out of the way and spiked Young on his head with a hurricanrana. Del Sol followed up with a big kick to the head for a nearfall. The fans fired up again with both men slow to get off the mat after the nearfall. Del Sol went for a reverse hurricanrana, but Young countered and hit a Bubba bomb and then applied the stock lock for the win.

Del Sol offered Young a handshake after the match. Young accepted it and the fans applauded. Del Sol then posed for the fans.

Eddie Kingston came down to the ring and Del Sol left. Kingston put over the match between Del Sol and Young. Kingston told Young the people were booing him 5 seconds ago. Kingston said it made him sick that the fans were so fickle. He said the fans make him sick. He asked Young how long he carried the company as champion. He said the people had a lot of nerve booing Young. He said the AAW fans mine as well be CZW fans. Kingston says the fans don’t pay him, but someone like Young does. Kingston then challenged Young to a match. Young said the fans were about as dumb as they come, but they’re his fans. Young says Kingston came here and beat three goofs. He said he hadn’t done anything to prove himself in AAW. Young said Kingston would have to earn a match. He said if Kingston wanted a fight, he would give him one.

Kingston said he’s all about getting into a fight. He told Young to relax because he’s not getting paid to fight. The fans chanted pussy at Kingston. Young turned his back and Kingston charged at him. They went back and forth exchanging punches until Kingston kicked Young right in the family jewels. Kingston got a chair and Malone dove on top of Young. Kingston teased hitting her with a chair, but stopped. He then lifted up Malone and nailed her with a punch. Kingston set up a table on the outside. He nailed Young with a chair to the back. He then dragged Young out to the apron and powerbombed him through the table. The fans went nuts. Kingston sat down on the chair inside the ring and called the fans retards. Kingston said the best coming going was going to change because it finally has a king.

Winner: Silas Young

Star rating: (***) – There was some good action during the match, but when Young was on offense for certain stretches during the match I felt like taking a pillow out and going to sleep. Once things picked up for the last five minutes of the match, the match featured some really good back and forth action. The post-match showdown between Kingston and Young was well-done with Young turning face and Kingston turning heel.

Knight Wagner was shown sitting backstage. He said he had lost to Kingston, but he put himself in the ring with someone like that. He said he may have lost, but it was just a bump in the road. Another man came into the picture and laughed at Wagner. Wagner said he was still on the pre-show. Both men began brawling and Dr. Keith called for security.

Shane Hollister came out for the main event to a chorus of boos. Sami Callihan then came out to a good ovation.

(11) Shane Hollister (w/Scarlett) vs. Sami Callihan in a Last Man Standing match. The announcers mentioned this was the rubber match in the series with each man holding a victory in their previous encounters. Hollister opened things up with a big open hand slap to Callihan’s face. Callihan fired back with a headbutt and put the boots to Hollister in the corner. The fans fired up as Callihan set up for a running boot in the corner. Hollister bailed to the floor and Callihan immediately got out of the ring and nailed him with a running kick on the floor. Hollister eventually ducked a charge on the outside and Callihan crashed into the guardrail. Hollister took Callihan down and flipped off the fans. Callihan recovered and stood behind Hollister. Callihan nailed Hollister with a kick to the gut before powerbombing him onto the apron. Callihan lifted up Hollister and told the fans to move. He then got a running start and powerbombed Hollister into a section of seats. They brawled into the crowd and the announcers couldn’t see what was happening. Callihan placed Hollister on a cart and tossed him into the curtains. The fans chanted for Callihan as the ref began the ten count. Hollister told Callihan to bring it, so Callihan nailed him with a kick to the face. Callihan chopped Hollister over the barricade and continued to maintain the advantage back near the ring. Callihan took a sign made for him and put it over Hollister’s chest before nailing him with a chop on the floor.

They ended up going at it on the apron a short time later. Hollister started doing the shug step, which allowed Callihan to pick him up and hit a DVD on the apron. Both men were down on the floor as the ref counted. Both men got up to their feet and Callihan tossed Hollister back into the ring. He went under the ring and began tossing plunder into the ring. Scarlett got up on the apron and tried to distract Callihan. Hollister spit at him and tried to charge at him, but Callihan got out of the way. Scarlett grabbed Callihan’s foot while he was on the apron a short time later and Hollister kicked him into the guardrail. Hollister dominated the action on the outside and worked over Sami’s mid-section by tossing him into the guardrail several times. The action ended up back inside the ring and Hollister continued to target Callihan’s mid-section. Callihan tried to fire back, but Hollister nailed him with a superkick to the ribs. Callihan collapsed to the mat and got to his feet at 7. They brawled near the apron and Callihan hit a diving lariat. He followed up with a dive through the bottom rope and both men went flying into the guardrail. Markus Crane ran down to the ring and nailed Callihan with a kick. Callihan no-sold the kick and suplexed Crane off the apron to the floor.

The fans chanted for Callihan as he regrouped inside the ring. Callihan hit a headbutt on Hollister and he told him to bring it. They began exchanging big strikes in the center of the ring. Hollister fired up and hit several strikes to Callihan’s head. Callihan tried to block a big strike, so Hollister nailed him in the ribs with a big forearm and Callihan went down. Callihan caught kick and yelled at Hollister, but Hollister freed himself and nailed Callihan with a kick to the mid-section. Hollister hit a big running knee and told the ref not to count. Hollister lifted Callihan’s arm and leg and stomped on Callihan’s stomach several times. He then nailed Callihan with a series of elbows and knee strikes to the head. Callihan started to stir as the ref’s count reached 7. Hollister went for a kick, but Callihan ducked it and went on the attack. Callihan hit a clothesline and Hollister got up and tried to surprise him, but Callihan turned around and nailed him with a huge clothesline. Callihan then set up a chair and powerbombed Hollister on top of it.

Both men were down, but got up at 9. Callihan began working over Hollister in the corner. The fans chanted for Callihan with Hollister slumped in the corner. Callihan placed Hollister on the top turnbuckle. They ended up exchanging blows up top. Callihan ended up ducking an elbow and he followed through with a big clothesline and both men went crashing down to the mat. The crowd fired up as both men were down. Callihan got up at 5 and put a chair over Hollister’s leg. Callihan went and grabbed another chair. Dan Lawrence ran down to the ring, but Cabana cut him off and punched him to the backstage area. Scarlett slapped Callihan. Callihan applied the stretch muffler on her, but Hollister was able to get him to let her go after 2 superkicks. He then hit a brainbuster on the chair on Callihan and both men were down. The announcers said there was nobody left to help Hollister now. Callihan barely beat the 10 count and the fans applauded. Callihan and Hollister went face-to-face in the middle of the ring and began exchanging kicks and strikes. Hollister hit several headbutts. Both men hit a superkick at the same time, but didn’t go down. Callihan blocked a kick and nailed Hollister with a bicycle kick. He followed up with a running kick to Hollister’s face. Callihan then lifted Hollister’s arms and began stomping on his chest and neck.

The ref began counting for both after Callihan collapsed to the mat. Callihan got to his feet and stopped the ref from counting. Callihan got a chair and began working over Hollister with it. Callihan hit some hard chair shots to Hollister’s back. Callihan put a chair over Hollister’s leg and slammed another chair over it. Hollister was bleeding from his ear. Callihan hit another chair shot on the chair set up over Hollister’s leg. Callihan took off Hollister’s shoe and kick pad. He placed his leg inside a chair and went to smash Hollister’s leg, but Hollister kicked Callihan in the mid-section and hit a brainbuster on the chair. The ref began counting again with both men down. Hollister managed to use the ropes to get to his feet, but Callihan was unable to get up.

Winner: Shane Hollister

Star rating: (****1/4) – This was a war with both men going all out here to blow off their feud. They exchanged some brutal strikes throughout the match. The crowd was hot for Callihan for most of the match and provided a good atmosphere. The biggest compliment I can give this match is that it felt like a real fight.

Jake Crist cut a promo backstage and talked about the AAW Tag Team Titles. Crist said they were the best tag team in AAW. He said Marion Fontaine and Louis Lyndon had no chance at beating him and his brother. He closed the promo swearing a bunch of times, which was bleeped out.

Kingston cut a promo backstage. He said his feet were tired from kicking a--. He said tonight was just a small taste of what he can do. Kingston said he’s not an entertainer. He said he’s been a fighter since the day he was born. Kingston said he doesn’t care about getting MOTY. He says he only cares about winning and making money. He said AAW was going to get a lot more of Eddie Kingston.

Heidi Lovelace cut a promo. She said she didn’t fit in during high school because she was dreaming of pro wrestling. She said after two years, her dreams were coming true. She said she wanted a rematch against Patera next month.

ACH cut a promo backstage. He said people don’t remember the guy that comes in second place. He said he had lost tonight. He said he had beaten O’Reilly and now O’Reilly had beaten him. ACH said he wanted a 2/3 Falls match. He said it is that weird the champion challenges the challenger. ACH said he had an ego and the next time O’Reilly was in AAW, he was challenging him to a match.

Two men backstage said they wanted to join Truth Martini. Martini asked them what they knew about getting off. The men didn’t seem to know. Martini asked them to take their pants off. The man with pants on took his pants off. The masked man said he didn’t have pants. Martini told them they weren’t ready.

Keith Lipinski then asked Martini about the man he had coming into AAW. Martini said 2013 was a good year because MsChif was out of the picture and he had knocked out Joey Eastman. Martini said he was looking for someone for the HOT. He said good wrestlers don’t cut it. He needs someone great with the hoopla running through his veins. Martini said everyone needed to be prepared.

McEntyre was up next. He said he didn’t come back to AAW to change the makeup of the company. He said he was upset about dealing with a savage like Kingston. He said he’s an artist and not a fighter. He said he wants to wrestle gentleman in professional wrestling contests that look and act like him. He said AAW could send any savage to the ring and it didn’t matter if they beat him because they would still be losers. McEntyre then began running down Chicago.

Elgin cut a promo backstage. He said he was a different man the last time he faced Hollister. He said Hollister beat him, but now he’s a different man. Elgin said since he won the title, they both knew they would wrestle for the AAW Championship. Elgin asked if Hollister was ready to beat Michael Elgin. Elgin said he knew Hollister wasn’t ready by looking in his eyes.

Hollister was shown backstage. He said his throat was beat up. He said his leg was also hurting. Hollister said he was going to tell everyone why he has a chip on his shoulder. Hollister said he was supposed to be on a big show on the east coast, but he broke his leg. Hollister said it was like living a terrible dream. Hollister said he came back a better wrestler, but the phone call never came from the company on the east coast for him to come back. He said he was happy in AAW, but wanted things to brighten up elsewhere. Hollister said he had beaten Elgin, Richards, and Aries, but no phone call came. Hollister said the frustration continued to build. He said he had been the Heritage Champion, but he wanted more. He said now all he sees is red. Hollister said he had beaten one of the best in the world tonight. He said his AAW career was culminating with a title shot. He promised not to disappoint when he faced Elgin next month.

Overall score: (8.5) – AAW has something good going on. I’ve heard the whispers and sampled the product during the last year, but the production left a lot to be desired the last time I watched the product. Things have changed this year and this show looked good on DVD. The quality of in-ring action mixed with strong in-ring segments, backstage segments, and in-ring promos made this a really enjoyable show, as it seemed that nearly everything felt important from a storyline standpoint.

The under card was strong. Jacobs-Crist had a good match, but the show really hooked me once Mixed Martial Archie vs. Davey Richards hit the ring. It was nice to see Richards participate in a match like this. Sure it was a comedy match with Archie thinking the action was being contested under MMA rules when it was actually being contested under pro wrestling rules. I laughed the entire way through and it was definitely a match you’re going to want to see.

Speaking of matches you’re going to want to see, I was blown away by the ACH & Elgin vs. Richards & O’Reilly tag match. If not for the main event, this would have stolen the show. Elgin’s power and ACH’s athleticism make for a perfect combination. The last portion of the match was fantastic once ACH made the hot tag leading into a good finish.

The second half of the show was strong as well. Eddie Kingston was really impressive squashing three men, but his mic work left a lot to be desired, as it was just crude. Kingston cut a promo at the end of the show that was so good that it made me forget his work on the mic when he was out in front of the fans. I really liked the setup for the Kingston-Young feud as well. Kingston’s powerbomb off the apron through a table set up on the outside felt like a big spot because it set up what should be a big feud.

The main event was awesome. Callihan cut a really good promo during the show to set the stage for the blow off to his feud with Hollister. Both men wrestled the match like it was a fight, which made the Last Man Standing stipulation come off well. I’m not usually a fan of Last Man Standing matches because they seem to be predictable. That wasn’t the case with these two, as they engaged in a wild brawl that went all over the building. It was also a good move to not let the outside interference from Scarlett, Lawrence, and Crane not cost Callihan the match.

What I really liked was the physicality of the match and the way both men went at each other throughout the match challenging the other man to bring it. The finish caught me by surprise, as I thought maybe they would go for a few more minutes, but overall, this was excellent. Hollister’s phone should be ringing off the hook if DGUSA and ROH officials get to see this match.

The show closing with a series of promos was a nice touch. I really liked how several of the wrestlers talked about wins and losses being important. They also talked about how winning titles was important and did the little things you don’t see very often from other independent shows. The promos from ACH, Elgin, and Kingston were especially good during this segment.

I highly recommend ordering this show if you’re looking to try out a new independent promotion. AAW seems to have a solid booking foundation and the mix of storylines combined with in-ring action was strong on this show.

You can purchase “Day of Defiance” as a VOD on SMVOD.com or DVD/MP4 on SmartMarkVideo.com

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