PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

1/1 & 1/9 WRESTLING OPEN REPORTS

Wrestling Open “3 Year Anniversary”

Spotlight match: Julius Draeger vs Gabriel Skye 

Welcome back Gabe Skye!!! Draeger does a good job of showing his technical aggression but Gabe Skye has that strong spirit, and unloads hard shots on BIOPro’s resident butthole. Good butterfly suplex from Draeger. But that’s prolly his best shot before Skye hits his kicks, powerbombs him and submits him with a cloverleaf.

Tonight, we’re having an 8-man one-night tournament to determine the #1 contender to Fancy Ryan Clancy’s newly won championship! 4 singles matches leading to a main event Fatal 4-Way!

Match 1: Brad Baylor (w/ Ricky Smokes) vs Bobby Orlando (#1 Contender Qualifying Match)

Is tonight the first step on the path to the first dual Open champ? NO. Highly competitive back and forth match. Both guys taking this seriously…Bobby with the rollup pulls the rug on Baylor to advance! “Baylor is a failure” rings true as a highly frustrated Brad pounds the mat in defeat. 

Match 2: TJ Crawford vs Handyman Jake Gray (#1 Contender Qualifying Match)

Crawford is wearing Kevlar tonight. Is it because someone took out the CEO of Big Business last week? This is the biggest opportunity of Jake Gray’s career so far. TJ doesn’t care. He lost to a BIOpro student a couple weeks ago and NEVER AGAIN. Jake with a rollup rally late in the match but Crawford stuns them handyman, hit the silver bullet and gets the three on a Styles Bomb.

Rich Palladino brings out our NEWWWWWW IWTV WORLD CHAMPION, Marcus Mathers! Marcus is clearly over the moon. He thanks Open for giving him a home when he was at a low point. He is glad he kept his promise to win the title before 2024 ended…with only SECONDS to spare! He promises to bring prestige and importance back to the belt. If you want it? EARN IT and STEP UP. Cue GABE SKYE! That’s why he’s here!!! He’s back and better than ever. Marcus reminds them who won their last clash. Gabe says it was a different time and place…THIS VERSION can beat him. Marcus says he was offered any match he wants for Open’s debut at Electric Haze on 1/30…so be it! Marcus wants to fight Gabriel Skye! Let’s go!

Match 3: Bryce Donovan vs Landmine Joe Ocasio (#1 Contender Qualifying Match)

A clash of two of Open’s biggest dudes. Bryce sent to the floor early. Joe wants to be a sportsman but Bryce is just a f***ing d***. He throws Joe into the apron and posts him, trying to take the easy count out.  Bryce bullies Joe until the Landmine explodes into action. Joe looks to be cruising to the win but Bryce strips the second buckle trying to block a German, rams Joe into the exposed steel and hits a black hole slam for the win!

Match 4: Lucas Chase (w/ Steven Stetson) vs Eric Chacha

Lucas Chase is out here, accompanied by Steven Stetson, after betraying the Church of Greatness at The Last Stand last week. Chase quickly hits a discus lariat, turning Chacha inside out for what could be the win…but he pulls the win to hit a bomb before taking the three in just over a minute. Bag him up. He ded.
 

Stetson grabs the mic and runs everyone down for being stupid and holding Chase back. Lucas says grabs the mic and says he’s sick of being the 5th most important member of the church. So he responded when Stetson opened the checkbook. I love a good heel promo where they make a LEGIT POINT. Even if it IS for the ranch. 

Match 5: Ricky Smokes vs Jermaine Marbury (#1 Contender Qualifying Match)

Brad Baylor is present on commentary for this one so it’s possible he becomes a factor. Much like our opener, both guys are taking this VERY seriously. Hard hitting back and forth. Ricky is such a greasy heel, I love it. Marbury hits the Kobe and Ricky rolls out to prevent the finish. But he gets too wrapped up in yelling at Benny the Basketball and gets counted out. He is biiiiiiig mad! 

Match 6: Brick City (Victor Chase & Julio Cruz) vs Miracle Generation (Dustin Walle & Kylon King)

This is a DEFINITIVE classic Wrestling Open matchup to celebrate the three year mark! Brick City starting very strong, out muscling both Dustin and Kylon early. Flash with the fire tag and he flies out of and back into the ring! It only lasts so long as Kylon is still wiped out. Ky tries to make the enter the fray but he eats an errant superkick from his partner! Brick City hits Business is Booming on Flash and gets their first CLEAN WIN over the former tag kingpins! Honestly, I’m stoked for this. 

Kylon is FURIOUS and says he can’t take losing like this over and over. Dustin slaps the mic away…but then picks it up and says “you’re right”. Oh no! Is the Miracle Generation crumbling?!?

 Match 7: Brett Ryan Gosselin vs Eye Black Jack

BRG making his return and Worcester has one question: “WHERES YOUR HORSE?”. EBJ is doing incredibly at taking it to him and preventing Brett’s sweet victory. Huge one arm press slam! BRG is just MAD at how this is going for him. This is a BIOPro kid! This should have been an easy night for the rogue horseman. Jack almost gets the pin with a running powerslam! Brett is having such a bad time, he just punts Jack in the crotch. Brett is instantly DQ’d, it was that blatant. Brett tries a post match beatdown but he’s sent flying. It may be a DQ but Eye Black Jack is currently 3-0 in Wrestling Open! 

Main Event: Bobby Orlando vs Bryce Donovan vs TJ Crawford vs Jermaine Marbury (#1 Contender Tournament Final)

We have a lot of drama headed into this main event. Bobby and Bryce had a dramatic stare down at the Last Stand. Marbury and Bryce have some unfinished business. TJ Crawford has an opportunity to step out of the shadow of Brad Hollister and take on his former tag partner for Open’s biggest prize. Bobby cannot take his eyes off Bryce. He comes through the ropes normal. He’s stone cold. TJ is precise with his kicks early. Bobby tagging the sniper with dusty punches. Marbury joins the fun for a popup facebuster before circling with Orlando. Bryce is about to destroy Marbury with a chokeslam but he catches the stare of Bobby and is distracts him. Jermaine and TJ are definitely keeping these two from working each other. Marbury with the juke and cutter to TJ for two! Bobby with a sunset flip and atomic drop! Sick trick cutter? TJ serves up enziguris! He beats down our mom. We don’t like it. Bryce back in and he might be looking to save Bobby? Bryce stops Crawford…he still has a heart??? he goes for a chokebomb…Marbury with a double Kobe! He flies out at Bryce on the outside! Bobby firing up on TJ! Superkick into a Bobby bomb! Kick out! TJ dodges a moonsault. Marbury tries to capitalize! Bryce drops him with a popup bomb! Finally, Bobby and Bryce are face to face, staggered and circling! The crowd chanting for the disbanded Shook Crew! TJ tries to get in the mix but they absolutely destroy him. Marbury flies in, Bobby pushes Bryce out of the way! Bryce slams Marbury for two! Jermaine with the juke cutter! Kick out! Jermaine back to the top, TJ crotches him on the buckles! He hits a Styles bomb for the three before Bryce can recover to stop it! The Silver Sniper is your #1 contender!

 TJ celebrates in the ring but another story happens on the outside as Bryce stares at a fallen Bobby Orlando and declines to do anything further, leaving the building from the side. What ARE his intentions towards his former partner? 

Fancy Ryan Clancy is out here to stare down the new #1 contender, a man who he has a LOT of history with. One thing to note here: I keep hearing TJ say “I RUN THE WORLD”. Hmmm. Brick City comes out and this could be a three on one but they opt to pull the big bread back from the brink.

I liked a LOT of this show’s story. Bryce and Bobby in the main was great. Never touching, always staring, working together at one point but really you still don’t know where they ARE with each other post-match. Open has something happening with Eye Black Jack for sure. TJ is a very good choice for Clancy’s first real arc as champ. Add into the mix Brick City’s clean win over Miracle Generation and we might be looking at some changes in management at Big Business? I guess we’ll see what happens after Brad Hollister slinks back to Worcester. 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet