By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S AIW “ABSOLUTION X” REPORT
JULY 10, 2014
CLEVELAND, OHIO
LIVE EDIT AVAILABLE VIA SMVOD.COM

The ring announcer, Pedro, got a huge pop coming out to introduce the show. He said the company had come a long way in the last 10 years. Pedro said this would be his last show. The fans booed and then chanted “Thank you, Pedro.” Pedro thanked John Thorne and Chandler Biggins for all of the things he got to do in the wrestling business. Pedro then thanked the fans. The fans chanted “We will miss you.”

(1) The Iron Curtain (Benjamin Boone & Gregory Iron & Jerry & Joey Martini) vs. The Singh Warriors (Joshua Singh & Kaplan & Frankie Flynn & Brian Carson) – 8 Man Tag match. Iron flipped off Singh and tagged in Boone. Boone eventually cut off Carson and tagged in Martini. Singh’s team is comprised of AIW trainees. Carson took a beating for a long period of time and tried to mount a comeback on Boone. Carson went to the second turnbuckle and dropped an elbow for a 2 count. Carson tagged in Kaplan, who went to work on Boone. Flynn tagged in and the commentators called him the Prince of Freakness. Flynn hit a series of chops on Boone and Jerry. Flynn sent Boone, Martini, and Jerry to the floor, but Iron distracted the ref and the rest of the Iron Curtain grabbed him from the outside and tossed him into the guardrail. The Iron Curtain tagged in and out to work over Flynn. Flynn ducked a charge in the corner from Iron and he crotched himself on the ropes. He also ended up with his rear end hanging out. Kaplan got the hot tag and ran wild on The Iron Curtain. Kaplan lifted Jerry onto his shoulders. Iron tried to catch him with a dive, but Kaplan caught him. He then tossed both men over his head and the fans fired out. Iron continued to wrestle with his rear end hanging out. Kaplan wiped out the Iron Curtain with a big flip dive to the floor and the fans fired up. Flynn then hit a step up senton off the top to the floor to wipe out everyone. Carson followed up with a big splash to the floor and the fans fired up again. Singh climbed up top and hit a huge corkscrew splash to wipe out everyone and the fans went nuts again. Jerry tried to break up a pin on Martini, but Carson got out of the way and he nailed him with an elbow drop. Jerry and Carson traded some Mortal Kombat style moves and Jerry hit a signature Mortal Kombat Style uppercut on Carson. Singh hit a big lung blower on Iron, but he kicked out at the last second. Iron finally pulled his tights up and the fans applauded. Iron grabbed the ref and hit a low blow on Singh. Kaplan grabbed Iron, but Martini cut him off and nailed him with a F5. Singh ended up alone in the ring with The Iron Curtain. He sent Martini off the apron with a superkick. He wiped out Jerry with a kick from the apron to the floor. He nailed Boone with a slingshot code breaker through the ropes and the fans fired up. He then powerbombed Iron on top of Boone. Singh then put Iron next to Boone and went up top. Jerry cut him off, but Singh kicked him away. Singh hit a 630 on Boone and appeared to land right on his jaw. Iron had gotten out of the way and he rolled up Singh for the win.

After the match, The Iron Curtain put the boots to Singh. Vader’s music then played and he came out to make the save. Vader asked for the mic and the announcers speculated he was joining the Iron Curtain. Vader hit his catchphrase and the fans fired up. Vader then wiped out the entire Iron Curtain one by one. It was down to Iron, who nailed Vader with several punches. Vader then waffled Iron with a punch. Vader then hit a big choke slam on Iron and the fans fired up. The Iron Curtain eventually carried Iron to the back to end the segment.

(2) AIW Absolute Women’s Champion Veda Scott vs. Athena. Scott tried to run to the floor during the early going, but Athena nailed her with a series of dives through the ropes to the floor. Scott continued to try to avoid Athena. She eventually caught Athena with a very light spear on the apron. Both women went back and forth and Scott hit a back breaker and followed up with a flatliner. She then applied a variation of the Koji clutch on Athena in the middle of the ring. Athena escaped, but Scott caught her with another arm submission from her back. Athena tried to pin her shoulders down, but Scott managed to kick out. Athena then lifted Scott and dumped her down to the mat for a 2 count. Scott hit a Regalplex with a bridge for a 2 count. Scott hit a pair of Saito suplexes on Athena. Then she hit a snap mare driver, but Athena kicked out at the last second. Athena caught Scott going for a kick and hit a leg capture suplex. She followed up with a running kick in the corner. Athena twirled Scott around and dumped her face-first on the mat for a 2 count. Scott shoved Athena and Athena fired back with a huge kick to the face and finished her off with the O face for the win.

Scott recovered and was left alone in the ring. The fans booed her and she went to the back.

Winner: Athena to become the new AIW Women’s Champion – This was kept short, which was probably for the best given how awkward some of the sequences were between these two during the early going. The match didn’t have much of a self-contained story either, so it was hard to get into it other than the finishing sequence.

The fans sang “Happy Birthday” to Vega before he defended the Intense Championship against Whitmer.

(3) AIW Intense Division Champion Davey Vega vs. B.J. Whitmer. Vega dominated the action early and nailed Whitmer with a big flip dive over the top to the floor and the fans fired up. The announcers mentioned that Vega had set a record for most title defenses with the Intense Division Championship and in August he will past Whitmer for longest reign by the end of the month. Whitmer finally cut Vega off with a big spinebuster. The announcers mentioned that Whitmer is 4-0 in his career at Absolution. Whitmer methodically worked over Vega for a long period of time. Vega finally mounted a comeback and nailed Whitmer with a flying forearm for a 2 count. Whitmer fired back and hit a super belly to back suplex, but Vega managed to kick out at 2. Vega fired back and hit a tilt-a-whirl DDT for a 2 count. Whitmer hit a twisting neck breaker right into a fisherman’s suplex with a bridge for a 2 count. The fans chanted for both men with Whitmer in control. Vega fired back and hit a DVD for a near fall. Both men began trading blows in the middle of the ring. Whitmer caught Vega with a forearm and an exploder for a near fall. They went at it up top and Whitmer ended up hung upside down. Vega nailed Whitmer with a double stomp and made the cover for the win.

Vega offered Whitmer handshake after the match, but Whitmer flipped him off and left.

Winner: Davey Vega to retain the AIW Intense Division Championship

Star rating: (**1/2) – The action was solid in this match. The crowd fell dead when Whitmer got a long stretch of offense in on Vega. The action down the stretch was solid, albeit uninspiring, with both guys trading big moves and near falls until the end.

Eddie Kington interrupted the ring introductions for his I Quit match against Ethan Page. He told the ring announcer to beat it. He asked The Duke if he had something to say> The Duke asked a fan if he had made his sign at the adult work center. The fans chanted “That sign sucks” at the fan. The Duke said he had more wins on this show than anyone else in history. He said he knows what’s supposed to happen on these shows. He said Page and Kingston had been involved in some of the most brutal matches this company has seen. The Duke said he’s not stopping Kingston tonight and he can do whatever he wants to. The Duke told Page he could just say I quit now. He told Page to quit and they could go home. The fans chanted “Jesus didn’t quit.” Page teased saying I quit, but said I hate you to Duke. They then brawled to the floor.

(4) Eddie Kingston (w/The Duke) vs. Ethan Page in an I Quit match. The Duke went after Page on the floor, but Page fended him off. Kingston then jumped on Page and whipped him into the barricade on the floor. They went back and forth around ringside before Kingston took control back inside the ring. The Duke brought a table into the ring after Page refused to quit. The Duke helped Kingston set up the table so he could dropkick the edge of it into Page’s head, but Page wouldn’t give up. This was essentially a 2 on 1 match at this point. Page fired back and went after Kingston’s eye. He yelled at Kingston to quit, but The Duke broke it up. Page mounted another comeback and hit a spinebuster on Kingston through a chair structure that Kingston and The Duke had set up in the ring. Page choked Kingston with a chair, but The Duke broke it up once again. Page tried to fire back and hit a slingshot ace crusher on The Duke through the table while kicking Kingston at the same time. The fans fired up, but Kingston got a chain and hit a spinning backfist with the chain wrapped around his hand. Kingston whipped Page with the chain. He then wrapped it around Page’s head, but he wouldn’t quit. The fans chanted “Jesus didn’t qui” once again. Page powered out and tore the chain off his head before saying, “F—k you, Eddie!” Page then hit a fallaway slam and the fans fired up. Page tossed the chain aside and went under the ring. He came up with a roll of barbed wire. Page went to get back into the ring, but Kingston cut him off. Kingston picked the roll of barbed wire up, but Page hit a bicycle kick that sent it into Kingston’s head. Page then picked the barbed wire up and dug it into Kingston’s head and he quit.

The fans chanted “You’re a pussy” at Kingston after he quit. Page left and the fans chanted “quitter” at Kingston before he left with The Duke.

Winner: Ethan Page

Star rating: (**) – This was a bit disappointing for a blow off match to a blood feud. I’ve never been a huge fan of the I Quit stipulation since it usually makes the match drag. The fans weren’t into the match until late when Page mounted a comeback. In the end despite taking a 2 on 1 beating, Page didn’t generate a lot of sympathy and the finish was rather tame for a feud of this nature.

Dux & Williams came out first to face Delaney & Cheech for the tag titles. Williams blew a couple of confetti cannons, which Dux seemed to have some trouble with. They then both blew some confetti cannons once they got into the ring. Dux got booed when he was introduced as the most entertaining man in wrestling. All four wrestlers were wearing black tights for the match.

(5) AIW Tag Team Champions To Infinity and Beyond (Colin Delaney & Cheech) vs. Hot Sauce Entertainment (Tracy Williams & Tyson Dux). The announcers mentioned that both teams were on a roll. To Infinity and Beyond had recently beaten the F.B.I. and The Young Bucks to retain their titles. Delaney and Cheech got the upper hand on Dux during the early going and hit him with a series of double team moves before they began to work him over. Williams eventually made a blind tag and got a cross-arm breaker on Cheech from behind, but he managed to get to the ropes. Williams went to work on Cheech and targeted his arm. Cheech fired back on Dux with the help of Delaney, who made a soft landing for him by getting in the way when he was whipped in the corner. Cheech went for the tag, but Williams managed to cut him off. The fans tried to rally behind Cheech, but Williams nailed him with a big spinebuster. Williams got the cross-arm breaker again, but Cheech escaped. Williams then caught Cheech in an arm bar. Cheech eventually managed to get to the ropes to break the hold. Dux tagged in and applied an arm submission on Cheech, but he managed to get to the ropes. Cheech finally mounted a comeback with his good arm and tagged in Delaney, who ran wild on Williams. Dux ended up suplexing Delaney off the apron to the floor. Cheech then hip tossed Williams over the top to the floor to wipe out both men. Cheech finished the sequence with a twisting splash to the floor to wipe out everyone. Both teams went back and forth in the ring a short time later and Dux ended the sequence with a DDT on Delaney that left everyone down on the mat. Both teams went back and forth as the pace picked up. Dux locked Cheech in a Boston crab. Williams then applied an arm bar on Cheech. Delaney ran in and made the save. Delaney got placed up top a short time later. He managed to fend off both of his opponents. Williams eventually nailed him with a running European uppercut. Cheech then recovered and hit him with a sunset bomb. Delaney then dropped the elbow off the top for the win.

Winners: Cheech & Colin Delaney to retain the AIW Tag Team Titles

Star rating: (**1/2) – The action was fine, but the crowd was flat for most of the match. There was a long heat segment on Cheech where Williams did some good submission work on his arm, but it never felt like Cheech was in any danger during the match. The match also seemed to end abruptly after a seemingly endless series of back and forth sequences that didn’t build to the desired boiling point.

(6) Candice LeRae vs. Louis Lyndon vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Flip Kendrick vs. Tyler Thomas vs. ACH in a 6 Pack Scramble match. ACH ended up being the mystery competitor and he got a big pop coming out for the match. Lyndon jumped LeRae when she was introduced and nailed her with a running kick. The announcers mentioned that Sabin was originally supposed to be in the match, but could not be there tonight. The ring was filled with confetti and streamers, but the wrestlers managed to work around it. ACH went to shoot an invisible ball, but Lyndon blocked it. ACH got mad, but Lyndon bailed to the floor. ACH fired up on Thomas, but Lyndon pulled him to the floor. The action continued at a rapid pace and it’s going to be impossible for me to keep track of everything. LeRae finally recovered and went after Lyndon. Lyndon countered a ballplex and tripped LeRae into the ropes before nailing her with a dropkick. Lyndon managed to hit the chaos theory on Kendrick, but he only got a 2 count. ACH and Alexander had a fantastic exchange that ended with ACH hitting a back breaker into a suplex. LeRae wiped out Lyndon with a moonsault to the floor, but looked to bang her leg pretty bad on the steps near the entrance as she crashed down to the mat. LeRae tried to get up for a tower of doom spot, but her leg gave out. Lyndon eventually hit a double super hurricanrana on Thomas and Alexander. LeRae ran wild hitting ballplexes on everyone. She went for a ballplex on Alexander, but he countered it into a sick back cracker that sent LeRae flying about four feet into the air. The announcers said ballplex city had just been burned to the ground. Lyndon eventually caught LeRae in a dragon sleeper and ACH couldn’t make the save in time. The fans were not happy with Lyndon winning the match in this manner.

LeRae got a big ovation after the match and made up with Alexander. The fans also chanted for ACH to come back after the match. John Thorne came out behind him and made throat slashing gestures, which was hilarious.

Winner: Louis Lyndon

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was a fun spot-fest, especially LeRae taking everyone to ballplex city until Alexander obliterated her with a back stabber that sent her flying across the ring. I’m not a big fan of intergender wrestling, but this match was well-done.

Donst came out to face Gage and the fans chanted “Welcome home.” The ring filled with streamers. Nick Gate was out next. Gage got a huge chant when he made his entrance. Donst got a big reaction during the formal ring introductions as well and a “Tim F’n Donst” chant as well.

(7) Tim Donst vs. Nick Gage in an Anything Goes match. This is Donst’s return to the ring after beating cancer. Gage recently returned to wrestling after getting out of jail. The announcers talked about how Donst had had his kidney removed two months ago. Eddie Kingston was in on commentary for this match. Kingston said when you face Gage, it’s not a wrestling match, it’s a fight. Donst had the upper hand during the early going and he nailed Gage with a Russian leg sweep into the guardrail. Donst went for a dive, but Gage nailed him with a chair shot as he came through the ropes. Gage dominated the action in and outside of the ring for several minutes, but Donst fired up and caught him with a dive through the ropes. Donst missed a move off the apron and Gage dumped him chest-first over the guardrail. Gage tossed Donst back inside the ring and nailed him with a suplex. The fans tried to rally behind Donst. They battled up top and Donst ended up nailing Gage with a slingshot clothesline. Donst went on the attack and placed Gage’s legs over the top rope before dropping him down with an ace crusher for a 2 count. Gage ended up going to the back a short time later and he came back with a bag of tacks that he dumped on top of Donst. Gage set up for a piledriver on the tacks, but Donst fought out of it. They began exchanging blows on their knees. Both men ended up going into the tacks after hitting a double clothesline. Both men got right up and began trading blows on their knees. Donst spit in Gage’s face and he obliterated him with a flying forearm off the ropes. Donst then followed up by surprising Gage with an ace cutter into the tacks for a near fall. Donst got a guardrail and set up between the ring and the apron.

They battled up top and Gage hit a fallaway slam. Gage ended up dumping himself into the tacks in the process. Gage followed up with a running kick in the corner once he recovered, but he only got a 2 count. Donst ended up hitting a backdrop over the top that sent Gage into the barricade on the outside. Donst then hit the Donstitution on the tacks, but Gage kicked out at the last second. The fans fired up and chanted “This is awesome.” Donst set up a section of the guardrail in the corner of the ring. He whipped Gage into the guardrail, but Gage no-sold it and hit a DDT and then a spinebuster into the tacks for a near fall. Gage set up a chair in the corner and tossed Donst into it. Gage then hit a huge piledriver onto the tacks for a 2 count. Gage argued with the ref after Donst kicked out. Gage hit the choke breaker on Donst, but didn’t go for the cover. Gage went to the floor and got a table. The fans chanted “You can’t kill him” at Gage and another portion of the crowd chanted “Yes, he can.” Donst ended up surprising Gage with a small package for the win. Kingston said the wrestler had pulled a victory out of nowhere.

Kingston said they needed to get Gage out of the ring. Gage claimed that he had kicked out in time. The fans chanted for Donst once he began to get to his feet. Gage offered Donst a handshake after the match and the announcers were stunned. Donst shook Gage’s hand and Gage left the ring. Donst said that is why AIW has the best fans. Donst said it had broken his heart not to be able to wrestle. He said in his darkest days, he thought of the AIW ring because of the fans. Donst said he was able to come back not just because of his doctor and Mick Foley, but because of the support of the fans. Donst concluded by saying his name is Tim F’n Donst and he’s the F’n man. Gage came out and jumped Donst from behind. Gage tossed Donst into the table set up in the corner. Gage lifted Donst up and dumped him right into the table. Gage got on the mic and heeled on the fans. Gage then left the ring.

Winner: Tim Donst

Star rating: (***1/2) –This was a good match. I’m not a fan of this type of match, but they had some really good hard-hitting exchanges. The match lost some steam down the stretch with all the near falls, but it was a nice touch to have Donst win the match with a wrestling move.

(8) AIW Absolute Champion Josh Alexander vs. Rickey Shane Page. Aaron Bauer and Ethan Page were in the commentary booth for this match. They went at it right away and the action quickly spilled to the floor. Bauer talked about how Alexander had tormented Page for months. Page said if Alexander wins, he will take the title home with him to Canada. Bauer said that although RSP doesn’t win a lot of matches, he does win big matches. Alexander took a beating, but mounted a comeback and went after RSP’s legs. Both men ended up trading kicks to the head on the apron. Alexander got the upper hand and eventually both men began trading slaps. Alexander then put the boots to RSP in the corner and choked him with his boot. RSP mounted a comeback and hit a flurry of offense on Alexander. RSP set up for the powerbomb off the top, but Alexander shoved him down to the mat. He tried to follow up with a moonsault, but RSP got out of the way. RSP went for the backwards powerbomb again from the top rope. Alexander fought him off, but RSP connected with a superplex that left both men down on the mat. The fans fired up and chanted for RSP. RSP nailed Alexander with a series of kicks and a twist of fate for a 2 count. Alexander went for the rusty nail, but ended up stumbling backwards before hitting it for a 2 count. Ethan Page wondered where Veda Scott was, as she hadn’t come out in Alexander’s corner yet. RSP fired back and nailed Alexander with a huge kick on the apron that sent him spilling to the floor. Page set up Alexander against the guardrail and nailed him with a series of running kicks to the head and the fans fired up. RSP then hit a big splash off the top back inside the ring for a 2 count. RSP followed up with a rolling elbow on his knees, but Alexander kicked out again. Alexander continued to take a ton of punishment, but RSP couldn’t put him away. Alexander fought out of a tombstone attempt and tried to crawl away, but RSP grabbed him.

Alexander hit a ripcord elbow, but Page kicked out and flipped Alexander off. Alexander yelled at RSP and slapped him in the face over and over. Alexander then grabbed the ref and hit a low blow. He then hit the tombstone, but RSP kicked out at the last second. Alexander hit the ref after RSP kicked out. The ref was down and RSP caught Alexander in a pinning combination. Page hit a roaring elbow and Alexander sold that he was hurt. A new ref came down and eventually checked on Alexander. Scott came down to check on Alexander. Alexander sold being unable to move his arm. He then popped up and caught RSP in a pinning combination for the win.

Winner: Josh Alexander to retain the AIW Absolute Championship.

Alexander and Scott celebrated on the outside. Wadsworth then came out and told Alexander he’d screwed RSP month after month. He said this was the biggest night and the biggest crowd in AIW history. He said it won’t happen again and restarted the match.

(8a) AIW Absolute Champion Josh Alexander (w/Veda Scott) vs. Rickey Shane Page. RSP ran wild on Alexander once the match was restarted. Scott tried to hit RSP with powder, but hit Alexander instead by accident as they battled up top. RSP then hit a backwards powerbomb off the top on Scott and the fans went nuts. Alexander went for a ripcord elbow, but RSP cut him off with a rolling elbow of his own. Page then hit a tombstone that was good for the win.

The fans stood and applauded and Page seemed emotional after the match. The fans chanted “You deserve it” at Page.

Winner: Ricky Shane Page to become the new AIW Absolute Champion

Star rating: (***1/2) – The match told a good story with RSP getting screwed by Alexander for months and then nearly getting screwed out of the title again when Alexander faked an injury. The backwards powerbomb off the top on Scott was unnecessary, but other than that, this was a nice way to take the title in another direction with Alexander retiring due to his neck injury.

TNA Champion ECIII came out first wearing his belt. He said 10 years ago he had become a champion in AIW. He said now he returns a champion of a real promotion, which drew some boos. Carter said he had assembled a great team and he said if The Young Bucks beat his team, he would suck it. Carter then called out the rest of his team. Matt Cross came out next to a mixed reaction. Raymond Rowe was out next to another mixed reaction. DJ Z was out next to a remix of Goldust’s music. Samoa Joe was out last to his classic ROH music to a good reaction. Carter tried to shake Joe’s hand, but Joe gave him a thumbs up and then shook hands with everyone else on the team. Carter didn’t seem pleased with this.

Team AIW was out next beginning with Alex Daniels. Josh Prohibition was out next to a big pop. Johnny Gargano then came out to a big reaction from the fans. The Young Bucks came out last to the Bullet Club theme and got a big pop. The fans chanted “Suck it” while Matt and Nick threw crotch chops at Dudes on TV, who were out on the floor.

Joe was announced as an NXT superstar and a soon to be WWE superstar during the formal ring introductions. He got a big pop and streamers. Matt grabbed the mic when The Young Bucks were introduced and said they’re Melzter’s favorite tag team.

This is an insane match with WWE, TNA, EVOLVE, ROH, Lucha Underground, and NJPW talent all in the same ring. The announcer disagreed with The Young Bucks being Meltzer guys and said he’s more of a Sean Radican guy and also shouted out Bruce Mitchell and Wade Keller.

(10) Dudes on TV (Ethan Carter III & Matt Cross & DJ Z & Raymond Rowe & Samoa Joe) vs. Team AIW (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson & Alex Daniels & Johnny Gargano & Josh Prohibition). Team AIW tried to do a massive crotch chop on Dudes on TV, but they got jumped and everyone brawled to the floor. Several wrestlers paired off and Joe was shown working over Matt on the floor. Everyone ended up in a chain submission on the floor and Joe turned them all over with a Boston crab on the floor. Matt broke up the chain submission with a superkick on Joe. EC3 teased a moonsault to the floor, but The Young Bucks wiped him out. Matt asked EC3 if he wasn’t going to suck it. Nick then threw crotch chops and Matt was going to make him suck it, but Z made the save. Z then wiped out both of the Young Bucks. Z and Gargano then had a fast exchange in the ring. Rowe got a chance to shine briefly in the ring a short time later by wiping out Daniels and then Prohibition. The Young Bucks then wiped him out with a double superkick. Joe ran into the ring and wiped out the Young Bucks and several other men. Joe sent Daniels to the floor and went for a dive, but The Young Bucks tripped him and nailed him with a double superkick. The Young Bucks then wiped everyone out with stereo suicide dives. Daniels set up and wiped out a pile of men with a huge twisting dive to the floor. Cross then set up and hit a space flying tiger drop to the floor. Z set up for a dive, but Prohibition cut him off and hit a razor’s edge to the floor. Rowe got isolated in the ring and ate a five way superkick from Team AIW, but Joe broke up the pin. Joe then took on Team AIW on his own and wiped out everyone. Dudes on TV isolated Daniels and cross finished the sequence with a springboard double stomp and then a standing moonsault, but the pin got broken up.

The Young Bucks wiped out Carter and said they were going to make him suck it. The fans fired up, but Carter hit a low blow on Matt and then tossed him head-first into Nick’s crotch. ECIII was going to force Matt to suck it on Nick, but it got broken up. They went to a rapid-fire sequence and Cross missed a SSP on Daniels and ate at triple superkick from Gargano and the Young Bucks. A superkick party was then thrown in the ring and the fans went nuts. Gargano and The Young Bucks hit a double Meltzer driver on Cross and Z. Prohibition then finished off Rowe with the drunken driver for the win.

Carter got on the mic and said he’s never going to suck it, but Joe stopped him at the entrance ramp. Carter said he was going to take the TNA Championship with him. The fans chanted “Joe’s gonna kill you.” Carter walked by Joe, who grabbed him in a choke. Joe then tossed Carter into the ring and he ate a triple superkick from Gargano and The Young Bucks. The Young Bucks then forced EC3 into Gargano’s crotch while he did crotch chops. Carter was then forced to do the same thing to the ref. Carter tried to leave but Pedro tossed him back into the ring. The Young Bucks then forced Carter into Pedro’s crotch while he threw crotch chops. The fans then chanted “Thank You, Pedro.” Prohibition got on the mic and put over Pedro and all of the things he did for AIW. He said AIW was going to miss him. The fans chanted “Thank you Pedro” again. Pedro then gave his farewell speech. He said the 10 men match we just saw shows the talent that represents AIW. Pedro put over the locker room and said Cleveland is spoiled. Pedro mentioned he had a child at home that he needed to spend more time with. Pedro then dropped the mic and walked away to end the show.

Winners: Josh Prohibition & Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson & Johnny Gargano & Alex Daniels)

Star rating: (****1/4) – This was a fantastic main event. It was all action from bell-to-bell with some incredible multi-man sequences. The Young Bucks were awesome in this match, but several people got the chance to shine. I loved the chain submission match on the floor and the double Meltzer driver as well. This was a great way to cap off Absolution.

Overall thoughts: (7.5) – I’m basing my score on the live edit. I had some trouble hearing the crowd at times during certain matches, but this is a quality live edit of AIW’s Absolution X. The show started out with a fun multi-man tag and hit a lull for the rest of the first half of the show. The second half of the show was particularly good and was capped off by a fantastic Dudes on TV vs. Team AIW 10 Man Tag match that tore down the house to end the show.

The Iron Curtain vs. Singh Warriors match was a fun way to start the show, although it overstayed its welcome. The same could be said for a lot of matches on the undercard that would have been served better by tightening the match up and cutting a little time. That being said, I enjoyed the match a lot.

Nothing was bad on the first half of the show, but nothing grabbed my attention either leading into the second half of this event. Veda Scott-Athena was the only match that really didn’t click. Scott just isn’t very smooth in the ring and it was disappointing to see someone as talented as Athena defend the AIW Women’s Champion against Scott, who just hasn’t improved much over the last few years.

The second half of the show turned the corner. I really enjoyed the Six Pack Scramble match. There were a ton of fun spots and the energy in the building really lifted from that point forward. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t enjoy intergender wrestling. LeRae is a heck of a talent and this really good in this match, but seeing a woman launched across the ring by another man isn’t something that most wrestling fans are going to find entertaining. That being said, this match was outright offensive in terms of how LeRae was booked in the match and everyone worked really hard and overall it was a fantastic match.

I liked Alexander getting the cheap win over RSP in the semi-main event to retain the AIW Absolute Championship. The match being restarted was a nice touch as well, as the announcers had teased a title tournament if Alexander left with the title given that he was retiring from AIW after this show. Again, I wasn’t a fan of RSP nailing a backwards powerbomb off the top on Scott in the match. It was a sloppy looking move and unnecessary. That complaint aside, it’s nice to see RSP given a chance to run with the ball. I haven’t seen a lot of his work recently, but he was good against Alexander and the fans responded well to him winning the match after the restart.

The main event 10 Man Tag was fantastic. Just seeing that collection of talent in the ring from nearly every major promotion in the world was impressive enough, but the rapid-fire action delivered and The Young Bucks tore down the house once again, although several wrestlers got the chance to shine. I wish they had been given a little more time, but overall it was an incredible way to end the show.

Overall, this is definitely show worth watching. The first half of the show drags and AIW would be wise to cut down on the length of their shows a bit and tighten up some of the matches on the undercard. The second half of the card was really enjoyable and although this wasn’t on the level of some “Absolution” events in the past, it was a darn good show overall.

You can watch AIW’s “Absolution X” on VOD by clicking HERE or by visiting SMVOD.com. The final edit will be available in the near future. You will also be able to purchase this show on MP4 and DVD at SmartMarkVideo.com in the near future as well. For more information about AIW visit AIWrestling.com.

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RADICAN'S ROH "All-Star Extravaganza VII" PPV BLOG 9/18: Booking issues dampen excellent in-ring action