The first half of IWTV’s Family Reunion show featured Lee Moriarty’s first IWTV title defence, alongside matches from across the IWTV universe.
Quick Results
Boar, Erica Leigh & Boomer Hatfield pinned Travis Huckabee, A Very Good Professional Wrestler & Matt Makowski in 17:13 (**¾)
Daniel Makabe submitted Jaden Newman in 9:53 (***½)
Will Wrestle pinned Judge Hugo Lexington Black in 6:20 (*)
Wheeler Yuta pinned Adam Priest in 10:05 (***½)
UWFi Rules: Dominic Garrini defeated Robert Martyr via referee stoppage in 5:40 (**¾)
Funnybone, Super Beast & Nurse Ratchet pinned James C, D-Rogue & Willow Nightingale in 8:05 (**)
John Wayne Murdoch pinned Jake Crist in 8:46 to win the IWA:MS Heavyweight Championship (***)
Lee Moriarty pinned Edith Surreal in 10:40 to retain the Independent Wrestling Championship (***¼)
Last seen in 2019, the Family Reunion shows are a mish-mash of matches from promotions that appear on the IWTV streaming service… and this year it kicks off the Showcase of the Independents at 81Bay Brewing in Tampa. I’ll not be going as blow-by-blow for these shows – although every time I say that, my reports end up longer… so let’s see! Today’s shows are dedicated to the memory of Shannon Place – a member of the IWTV/Smart Mark Video crew, who got a ten bell salute before things got going.
Matt Makowski, Travis Huckabee and A Very Good Professional Wrestler vs. Boomer Hatfield, Boar & Erica Leigh
Camp Leapfrog, what some may call a spiritual successor to CHIKARA, is on the hook here for a lucha rules tag.
We’ve a throwback to CHIKARA too as A Very Good Professional Wrestler started with Boomer Hatfield, as A Very Good Professional Wrestler worked tried to work the arm early on only for Boomer to escape. Boomer’s attempt at ground work ends in the ropes, before the pair traded armdrags ahead of a springboard that Boomer saved ahead of a sunset flip. Headscissors from Boomer take down A Very Good Professional Wrestler, as did a dropkick, before tags bring us to Erica Leigh and Travis Huckabee to do a wrestle. Leigh’s front kick dumps Huckabee, as did a leg lariat, before a slam dropped Travis ahead of a back senton. Huckabee rolls outside, so in comes Makowski and Boar, with Makowski trying his luck with kicks early.
Boar has to defend a roll-through into an armbar, eventually coming back with a powerbomb before a double boot with Boar and Erica forces Huckabee in to make the save. That distracts the referee, but Leigh rolls outside to go for Makowski as the lucha rules seemed to catch folks out. Knees from Makowski lead to Huckabee coming in to clear house, snapping Leigh’s arm in the process. Makowski’s back to keep the pressure up, with a slam and an elbow drop for a two-count on Leigh, before an attempt at a cutthroat neckbreaker ended with Boomer coming in with a crossbody to save Leigh.
Lucha armdrags ensue as things break down… A Very Good Professional Wrestler’s low blow stops Boomer ahead of a German suplex from Makowski. A Very Good Professional Wrestler hoists up Boomer for a Three Seconds Around The World, but Hatfield armdrags free before… something happened? I thought it was a ref bump, but instead they end in the ropes as A Very Good Professional Wrestler then grounded Boomer with a camel clutch.
A Gory bomb into the buckles from A Very Good Professional Wrestler gets a two-count as Boomer tries to fight back, leading to a double clothesline and a pair of kip-ups. Boomer’s Saito suplex gives him time to tag out to Boar, who lands a load of lariats before a spinning sidewalk slam on Huckabee cleared house. Things go outside for… reasons, as Huckabee tries to dive on Boar, only to get caught and thrown into his partners… before a Boar dive wiped out the team.
Back in the ring, A Very Good Professional Wrestler nearly beats Leigh with a Fisherman suplex, before a big ol’ Parade of Moves broke out, until a Total Elimination dropped Boar for a near-fall. Huckabee and Makowski gang up on Boar before Boomer comes in with a Meteora… things continue to get “in-dee” as they set up for a Tower of Doom with A Very Good Professional Wrestler superplexing Boomer, but Boar and Leigh throw Huckabee onto the pile to break it up before another Parade of Moves ends with a Boar F5 for the win. This started out fine, but descended into something spotty that could have done with being shorter. **¾
Daniel Makabe vs. Jaden Newman
Best known for their tournaments of the same name, Scenic City Invitational are putting forward this match between the 2019 tournament winner and someone who’s really been putting the miles in…
We open with a handshake as Makabe looked to work Newman’s wrist early on. Makabe teases a Makabe Lock early on, but Newman backs off before he came in with a cravat. Makabe slips out but gets slapped before he teased a Big Unit punch and tripped Newman instead. A sunset flip gets a one-count, before Makabe rolled through the reversal and into a STF that quickly was stopped in the ropes. Makabe’s back with uppercuts and a German suplex that bridges for a two-count, before Newman came back with a scoop slam off the ropes for a two-count of his own. A chinlock slows things down, before a shot to the head looked to bust open Makabe. Newman takes him from corner-to-corner before a Northern Lights gets a two-count.
Boots in the corner from Makabe keep Newman at bay, before he teased him into a cross armbar, Newman rolls out for a two-count before the Big Unit punch was stopped because of Makabe’s dizziness. Newman capitalises with a back suplex for a two-count, then with a flip neckbreaker, before an inverted cravat on the mat was escaped as Makabe instead took Newman across the turnbuckles for a knee to the head. Newman responds by pulling Makabe into the corner, where he then used Makabe’s scarf to choke on him. It’s broken as Makabe then wrapped Newman’s arm around the ropes ahead of a headbutt, following up with a dropkick to knock him down as a superplex brings Jaden back in. A Tiger Driver plants Newman in the middle of the ring for a near-fall, but Newman picks Makabe’s ankle and rolled him down for the Hangman’s Clutch STF… only for Makabe to break the hold. Instead, Newman rolls him up for some Danielson elbows and his version of the Makabe Lock π, but Makabe counters back into a rear naked choke.
After it’s broken, Makabe finally lands the Big Unit punch for a two-count, then trapped Newman in a Fujiwara armbar for the quick submission. They kept this tight, and played the punch to the head – to Makabe’s previously-injured ear – well into the story, but in the end Newman was outclassed. ***½
Judge Hugo Lexington Black vs. Will Wrestle
Olde Wrestling here for some old timey wrestling with guys who look a lot like… nah. You can look on Cagematch if you want to kill kayfabe even more! Judge Black’s here on vacation and wants to go to the beach, so he wants to keep this quick…
Will Wrestle picks Black’s pocket as he looks for money to buy him a second shoe. Black gets it back as they switch waistlocks, and this is really a match all about give and take. Money. Black stomps on Wrestle’s bare foot before a drop down from Wrestle actually tripped Black. It’s back to the foot though as a no-bump suplex drops Wrestle for a two-count, then followed up with a spinning toe hold, which somehow ended with Wrestle escaping with a shoe.
Black’s now one-shoed, but he gets it back as Wrestle throws it into him ahead of a tornado DDT for a two-count. Will goes up top, but Black throws money on the floor to distract him. Black grabs the ropes to block a sunset flip, but he eventually lets go when Will grabs a $5 bill, and this is mercifuly over. It wasn’t long, but the joke didn’t seem to land with the crowd. *
Wheeler Yuta vs. Adam Priest
This is for a shot at the IWTV title – Yuta declared at the end of Beyond’s Fool’s Paradise show last week that he should have this shot anyway, but instead he’s got to go through Adam Priest, who’s been around a fair bit lately, winning New South’s HOSS tournament while also appearing on AEW Dark.
Yuta rolls outside at the bell as he looked to dictate the pace… when he made it to the ring, he grounded Priest and slapped him around ahead of an armbar attempt, but instead they reset with Yuta taking Priest into the corner. Priest comes back with chops and uppercuts, before a back elbow off the ropes gets nary a one-count. Kicks and chops keep Priest ahead, as he begins to toy around with Yuta… a drop toe hold lands as Priest transitions into almost a Tequila Sunrise, before a Sharpshooter was blocked as Yuta grabs Priest’s ear.
Hammerfists from Yuta knock Priest down, as the pair end up outside with Priest teasing a German suplex off the apron… instead, Yuta elbows Priest down to the floor before they went back in, with Yuta’s top rope elbow landing for a near-fall. Yuta uses his boot to choke on Priest in the corner, before a snapmare and a knee drop gets Yuta another two-count. Yuta goes back to the arm as he torques it back for a stomp to the elbow. An armbar followed, but Priest charges into the corner to break it up as he lights up Yuta with chops, only for a Manhattan drop, an enziguiri and a bridging German suplex to get Yuta a near-fall. Priest elbows out of a waistlock and hits a German suplex, but couldn’t hold a bridge… so he’s back with another enziguiri before a bridging German suplex gets a near-fall.
Priest nearly nicks it with a brainbuster, before he threw Yuta outside… Yuta skins the cat to get back in, then hit a single arm DDT out of the corner that looked gnarly. A Fujiwara armbar’s next, but Priest rolls up Yuta for a two-count before a punt to the arm and a bridging Gedo clutch gets Yuta the win. This was a nice technical match, with Yuta’s aggressive side shutting down Priest at almost every turn. I’d love to see a rematch down the line between these two. ***½
UWFi Rules: Robert Martyr vs. Dominic Garrini
Paradigm Pro representing here – their interpretation of the UWFi rules aren’t fully explained, but it’s akin to the wXw Ambition style.
An early rope break for Martyr costs him a point, but without any kind of explanation on here I have no clue how significant that is. Garrini grounds Martyr for a rear naked choke, but it’s broken up in the ropes as Martyr loses another point. A headbutt from Martyr drops Garrini, but Garrini gets back as he took Martyr’s back ahead of a German suplex which apparently was another points deduction. Some elbows to the side of the head from Martyr were answered as Garrini rolled into the mount for some palm strikes, before a guillotine headlock was escaped by Martyr… who quickly has to break a cross armbar in the ropes. Martyr tries his luck with more shots from above, but Garrini gets up and drops him with a palm strike as the referee started a standing ten count.
Martyr gets back up, but is instantly on the defensive as a flurry of knees leads to a neck crank… Martyr escapes it and puts Garrini in a chicken wing, but Garrini needs the ropes to break it up. Another suplex throws Garrini across the ring as he had to answer a ten-count, before a strike battle ended with a German suplex from Garrini, who floated into a bully choke for the submission. Take out the confusion around UWFi rules that weren’t explained and this was a fine scrap – with Garrini outclassing the newcomer. **¾
James C, D-Rogue & Willow Nightingale vs. Funnybone, Nurse Ratchet & Super Beast
This one’s from California’s Hoodslam promotion… Willow Nightingale subbed for Johnny Butabi here, with no reason announced (nor a graphic updated…)
Willow and Ratchet start us off as they set up for a Test of Strength… but Ratchet instead grabs Willow’s neck. Willow grabs the pigtails to free herself, then came in with headbutts before a slam dropped Ratchet. She bridges up at two and does a crab walk, so Willow tagged out to James C to hit an inside-out slam. Sole Food drops Ratchet back into the crab walk. She followed up with some rope walking – in heels – before she dropped a chop to the arm. Funnybone’s in with a back cracker, only to get caught with a spinning leg lariat from James C… D-Rogue’s in, but gets mauled by Super Beast, who throws him around with ease.
D-Rogue pulls Super Beast to the outside, but Funnybone and Nurse Ratchet stop him from doing a dive… Ratchet eats a Gunnslinger before D-Rouge hits a tope. In comes Willow Nightingale to hit a uranage and a moonsault to Ratchet, but Ratchet rolls away as D-Rogue was laid out on the floor. A slam from Ratchet has Willow down, but James C hits a pumphandle into a short piledriver to keep the Parade of Moves going, until a slam from Super Beast and a stomp from Funnybone got the win. This was fine, but the character stuff didn’t seem to click with the crowd live. **
IWA Rules Match for IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship: Jake Crist (c) vs. John Wayne Murdoch
Crist has held the IWA:MS title since last July and has had over 30 defences thus far as IWA:MS has been running pretty damn frequently. One of those defences was against Murdoch back in March at IWA:MS’ 1000th show… and we’ve got doors in the ring, so don’t expect much in the way of wristlocks.
Crist chucks a door at Murdoch at the bell, taking him outside for a tope before a crossbody back inside clattered. Crist looks to keep it short with a bevy of kicks for a two-count, before Murdoch baited him outside and tossed Crist into the bar. The door’s brought into play again as the pair brawl around ringside, with Crist throwing Murdoch into chairs. He grabs a second one for a bar fight (there’s a bar right there lads!), before they head back inside. Murdoch jabs Crist in the ribs with a chair… and it’s not long before he goes for plunder. Another chair’s handed in and thrown at Crist’s head, before Murdoch sandwiched the chair between the turnbuckles…
A pop-up death valley driver from Crist gets him a two-count, before Crist landed some kicks and slammed Murdoch into the chair in the corner. Crist gets another chair from the crowd so he could set up a door/chair contraption, but Murdoch stops him and takes him up top, only to get caught with a top rope cutter through the door before a backslide gets a two-count. Murdoch fires back with a Destroyer for a two-count, as Crist came back in with a backslide, only for Murdoch’s brainbuster to nearly give him the win again. The other door’s set up across the chairs, with Murdoch looking for an avalanche Destroyer, he overshoots the door… but that doesn’t matter as it’s enough for Murdoch to unseat Crist and become the new IWA:MS champion. This was fine while it lasted – they kept the plunder light, and didn’t fall into the trap of “lets redo the finish” either. ***
Independent Wrestling Championship: Edith Surreal vs. Lee Moriarty (c)
Surreal earned her title shot by winning the Cassandro Cup tournament that aired last month. Apparently this was the 94th defence of the IWTV title… and Surreal gets a fancy entrance (by indie standards), with the camera showing artwork of her before her entrance.
Moriarty gets a waistlock takedown to start, before a wristlock has Surreal down on the mat. Edith’s headscissors get her free, but Moriarty floats free into a front facelock, only for Surreal to counter out with a stranglehold. It’s rolled out of, but Surreal scissors the legs for an ankle lock as they head to the mat briefly. A Cornish Hipe from Surreal has Moriarty in trouble, before she rolled him down into a lucha pin as the pair trade two-counts. Surreal hits the ropes for some lucha stuff, leading to an armdrag and headscissors that took Moriarty into the corner, before a back elbow gets a two-count. Moriarty finds a way back in with some bodyscissors, rolling Surreal into a pinning attempt before she got herself free.
Moriarty lands an uppercut in the ropes, but gets caught with a lucha roll through into a seatbelt pin… he’s back up, and charges Surreal into the corner before he tried to sneak in a pin. Surreal kicks out, so Moriarty wrenches on her shoulder, then caught her with an abdominal stretch, counters take us to the mat, with Surreal taking Moriarty into a unique cradle pin that he escapes, only to get caught in a monkey flip into a sunset flip for a near-fall.
A spinning bulldog from Surreal drops Moriarty for a two-count, before she dropped him with a slam. That sets up for a flying leg drop off the top, but Moriarty’s up at two, before a seatbelt pin ended in the ropes with Moriarty having saved his proverbial bacon there. Surreal looks to follow up, but Moriarty escapes and rolls her up… before more pinning attempts led to the flash finish as a Euro clutch was kicked apart… but Surreal couldn’t get her shoulders up in time, and the three-count was counted. That looked to be a little off, but a nice flash finish among a frantic finale – and add another match I’d like to see rematched down the line. ***¼
Post-match, one of Surreal’s frame-holders hits the ring and whacks her over the head with a picture frame… and then the show ends abruptly after unmasking as Wheeler Yuta, amid a stare-off for the future title match with Moriarty.
The straight-up wrestling we got here was good… the rest, was a little hit and miss, as the crowd didn’t seem to be awfully familiar with what was on show. These variety offer shows can be like that, but on the whole a good start to IWTV’s Mania offerings.