1/6 F1RST WRESTLING “WrestlePalooza XI” in Minneapolis, Minn.: Arik Cannon, Shane Strickland, Ethan Page, Colt Cabana, Fire Ant, Chuck Taylor, Candice LaRae

F1RST WRESTLING “WRESTLEPALOOZA XI”
JANUARY 6, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. AT FIRST AVENUE NIGHTCLUB
REPORT BY KEITH HUSON, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

ATTENDANCE: 1,000+

I attended F1rst Wrestling’s Wrestlepalooza XI event this Saturday.  The Wrestlepalooza events are unique in that they take place in the world famous First Avenue nightclub in downtown Minneapolis, are 18+, feature live music and burlesque shows, and have no seating with the crowd barricaded off about ONE foot from the ring.   The show sold out several weeks ahead of time and attendance was announced as “more than 1,000” which seemed credible given the size of the venue.

Show rundown and results:

(1) Thunder Frog & Wild Cat defeated Rob Justice & Scott Story.  This was announced as a “lucha” tag match.  The first of many comedy spots was Justice, who does a cop gimmick, frisking Wild Cat in the corner and finding a bag of cat nip hidden in his trunks.  Fun match to kick off the show with lots of crowd involvement and chants of “Meow!” and “Ribbit!” for the anthropomorphic babyface team.

“All Ego” Ethan Page interrupted the celebration to attack Wild Cat while cutting a heel promo on Minneapolis until Colt Cabana made the save.

(2) Colt Cabana pinned Ethan Page in a crowd-pleasing match.

Punk band “Off With Their Heads” played a short set.

(3) Candice LaRae defeated Chuck Taylor.  I’m not a huge fan of intergender matchups, but the crowd was into it.

Up next was a burlesque performance by dancer Scarlet Revolver.

(4) Arik Cannon defeated Shane Strickland and Jason Cade and Fire Ant in a Fatal Four-Way to retain the Wrestlepalooza Championship. This match highlighted the drawback of having the crowd standing right up against the ring, as highflyers Cade and Strickland were limited to relatively tame dives into the ring.  Still a good match with (F1rst Wrestling promoter) Arik Cannon picking up the win after a brainbuster.

“Off With Their Heads” played another set before being interrupted by local heel Darin Corbin, who stole a guitar and threatened us with an Elias-esque acoustic set.  “Off With Their Heads” took back their guitar and hit Corbin with it, sending him to the back in a fun segment.

(5) Air Wolf & Space Monkey defeated The Ugly Duckings of Lance Lude & Rob Killjoy in the match of the night. This was my first time seeing any of these guys and I was very impressed.  Air Wolf in particular was great and quickly had the crowd chanting his name.  After the match, Air Wolf challenged Wrestlepalooza champion Arik Cannon to a title match at the next event.

(6) Local talent Chaos 300 beat Cody Rice in a basic match.

More burlesque with performer Sweat Pea.

(7) Ryan Cruz defeated Darin Corbin for sole possession of the Wrestlepalooza Tag Titles.  Cruz and Corbin were longtime tag partners in the Midwest as North Star Express until the dastardly Corbin turned on his best friend Cruz.  This was a no DQ match with lots of big bumps and brawling. In the end, Cruz hit a frog splash off a ladder for the win.  After more than three hours and many over-priced drinks, the crowd seemed tired but still managed some decent pops for the two local guys.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Overall an enjoyable show with a hot crowd, I would definitely recommend F1rst Wrestling to anyone in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area.

NOW CHECK OUT THIS PREVIOUS REPORT: 1/6 NXT in Charlotte, N.C.: Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream headlines, plus Lars Sullivan, Ember Moon, No Way Jose, Nikki Cross, Undisputed Era, Baszler