We’re back for another trip to the 81Bay Brewing Company in Tampa, as we take a look at Tony Deppen’s Bier Haus!
Quick Results
Brayden Lee pinned Ace Austin in 11:39 (**¾)
TJ Crawford pinned Nolan Edward in 7:28 (**¾)
Kasey Catal pinned Ava Everett in 5:17 (**)
Tank pinned Manders in 8:09 (**)
Andy Brown pinned Myron Reed in 13:40 (**¼)
Simon Grimm defeated Brandon Kirk via referee stoppage in 7:37 (**¾)
The Whisper pinned Jared Evans, Eric Corvis, Joey Silver, Ellis Taylor and Cole Radrick in 8:12 (***)
Shane Mercer & KTB pinned Tye Hyll & Rohit Raju and M3 & JP in 9:47 (**½)
Heather Monroe pinned Billie Starkz in 12:52 (***)
Daniel Garcia submitted Charles Mason in 13:25 (***½)
Jordan Oliver pinned JD Drake in 12:42 (***¼)
We’re back at the 81Bay in Tampa for a replacement show after the promotion that originally had this slot was sent packing. Tony Deppen’s out first to welcome everyone as El Drunko’s MIA. Deppen chugs a pint and immediately regrets it…
Ace Austin vs. Brayden Lee
Brayden’s using Kurt Angle’s TNA theme, which is a win for me…
Austin’s sent outside early after some grappling, but he’s back to ground Lee with a side headlock. When he pushes free, he’s able to catch Austin with a dropkick, before Austinr returned fire with a knee to the back and his take on a Dragon sleeper. He keeps going with a snap suplex for a two-count, then another, before Lee began to fight back with elbows. Lee pushes out and fires back with forearms, but fell to a Northern Lights suplex for a two-count before he ducked a head kick… then rolled up Austin into the ropes. Another head kick cracks Brayden for a two-count, but Lee returns fire with elbows into the corner before he’s bounced with an Irish whip into the buckles.
Lee blocks another suplex but runs into a pump kick… then a second… with Austin getting a two-count from that. A springboard dropkick from Brayden takes Ace off the apron, as we set up for a dive… but Lee’s caught up top and dragged down as he instead hits a superkick… then got caught with an Orihara moonsault off the buckles. An enziguiri back inside keeps Ace down, before a whip took him into the corner… where Lee gets lifted onto the apron ahead of a springboard clothesline. A standing moonsault gets Lee a two-count, ahead of a Batista Bomb that nearly got Lee the win. Lee heads up top for the finish, but he aborts a shooting star press and gets caught by a double-springboard enziguiri from Austin, who quickly followed up with a sorta stomp for a two-count.
Austin picks up from there as Lee’s taken back to the top rope, but Brayden pushes him down and followed him with a shooting star press… landing in Ace’s feet. A running overhead kick cracks Lee in the corner, before a snap ‘rana got the upset. **¾
TJ Crawford vs. Nolan Edward
The feed began to struggle a little here, but it recovers as Nolan took down Crawford in a tie-up for an early two-count.
Some grappling on the mat takes Edward into the tease of an Overdrive, but Crawford escapes and snapmares Nolan down for a kick to the back. Edward chops back, before he took Crawford outside for a tope… but Crawford reverse-skins the cat as Nolan tried to throw him back inside. Crawford takes Edward to a supporting pole, but ends up punting it as Nolan returns with uppercuts… then chopped the pole. Back inside, Crawford cracks Nolan with a high kick, then a brainbuster, before they head outside as another tope took Nolan towards the back row. They return to the ring again, but Crawford leaps into a kick as Edward pushed on for a spinning release Regalplex, which nearly wins it.
An overhead kick in the ropes from Crawford leads to a double-jump springboard stunner, then a backwards Slingblade out of the corner for a near-fall, as a load of Windows notifications distract. A high knee from Crawford leads to a backbreaker and another head kick, before a rebound Blue Thunder Bomb drew a two-count for Edward… only for a death valley driver to get Crawford the win. A fun sprint this, but perhaps a touch too in-dee as they squeezed in two dives to the outside in their time. **¾
Kasey Catal vs. Ava Everett
Catal was out with Brandon Kirk at ringside…
… and got a birthday cake from Everett before the match. It led to an awkward attack from behind by Catal as Ava went to check on, erm, something. Right hands from Everett lead to a crossbody for a two-count, before they’re taken outside. Brandon’s got the cake on a chair, but Catal tries to suplex Everett onto it… only for it to be reversed as Kasey hit the floor. Back inside, Everett elbows Catal as she built up a head of steam, taking Catal into the corner for a back elbow. A superkick drops Kasey for a two-count, while a sunset flip nearly gets Everett the win… only for her to be sent outside. She caught Catal in the ropes for a flying double legdrop across the ropes, before Brandon Kirk popped up on the apron to distract Everett.
Everett swings for him, but gets hit from behind again as Everett flies outside with a tope into Kirk… Catal capitalises with a cannonball off the apron into the pair of them, before Kirk held Everett for a cake shot. Ava escapes and throws the cake into Catal’s face, then threw a piece at Kirk before they went back inside. A low blow and a Magic Screw drops Everett back inside, and that’s the win. Very short, and we saw the baddies with cake all over them by the end, so that’s a win-win. **
Tank vs. Manders
There’s something weird about having a manager who’s face-painted and in gimmick… when you look like you could wreck the joint by yourself…
Manders charges in after his song’s long intro and I don’t think we have an opening bell as they start scrapping. Headbutts from Manders have Tank in the ropes, before chops back and forth led to Tank hooking away at Manders by the ropes. Cue weaponry as Tank pulls a fork out of his boot, but Manders blocks it and stabs Tank with his own tool. Tank’s taken outside as he comes up red, with Manders exacerbating the cut with the fork again. Headbutts follow as Tank pokes the eye, then took Manders around ringside to throw him through the chairs. We get a sit-down bar fight next, leading to back and forth headbutts, before a lap around the ring from Manders ended with him having a chair chucked at his head.
More chops from Tank wear down Manders, who then gets his legs swept on the apron as they return to the ring, but Manders manages to knock Tank into the corner before the veteran came back with a back elbow and some choking. Some more back-and-forth ends with a chokebreaker from Tank for a near-fall, before Kawada kicks and a lariat from Manders lead to a back suplex on some chairs that nearly ends it. Tank hits back with a backfist and a Saito suplex onto the chairs, then a second, and that’s enough to put down Manders. I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but this wasn’t really my cup of tea. **
Andy Brown vs. Myron Reed
An unadvertised match this, and we start with Reed working over Brown’s arm ahead of a headlock takedown.
Some headscissors lead to a kip up escape from Reed, who then returned to work on the wrist as Brown reaches for the rope to escape. Reed keeps going with a slingshot sunset flip, then a dropkick to knock Brown outside, but Brown’s back to cut off a dive as he pancakes and punts Reed for a one-count. A suplex throw tosses Reed across the ring, as Brown looked to build up some momentum, clattering into Reed with an elbow. Brown then chops Reed’s chest protector… and figured a punch to the face was more effective. Reed begins to escape as he nails a springboard uppercut for a two-count, before a snapmare and a low dropkick left Brown laying.
Brown counters a springboard with a German suplex, before chaining in a second one ahead of a spinebuster… and I thought that was the win, but the ref called it a two-count. Brown throws some strikes from above, then measured up for a rolling cutter… but Reed blocks it and fires back with forearms. A head kick from Reed lands, before he Matrix’s out of a clothesline and takes Brown outside for a tope. Reed returns with a slingshot legdrop for a two-count, before a stunner and a superkick leads to a rewind cutter off the top rope for another near-fall. Brown returns with a roll-through cutter and a diving forearm… but Reed kicks out before a short piledriver keeps the two-counts coming.
Reed keeps kicking out after a diving knee to the back of the head as I feel this one’s gone past its peak. They keep going. They keep kicking out. Brown rolls onto the apron, and looks to hit a piledriver… but Reed heads back inside to counter suplex into a stunner, before a flying cutter to the floor was blocked, with Brown countering with the short piledriver on the concrete instead. Of course, it’s only a two-count back inside, before a jack-knife pin from Andy Brown got the win. Yep. The effort was there, but it lost my interest after the false finish halfway through and the endless kick-outs. Not for me today, was this. **¼
Brandon Kirk vs. Simon Grimm
Kirk’s at least washed the cake off his face…
Grimm boots and suplexes Kirk at the bell for an early two-count, forcing Kirk to roll outside. Grimm gives chase with chops, then slammed him into a garden table in the venue before posting Kirk. The fight continues, much like the ref’s count, as Grimm throws some hand sanitizer at Kirk before they headed back into the ring. A chinlock has Kirk down, as did a bulldog choke, but Kirk fights free as he stomps on Grimm’s face. Kirk throws in headbutts, but gets punched out by Grimm ahead of a roll down… but Kirk’s got plenty left as he absorbs some kicks from the former Vaudevillain. A clothesline from Kirk nearly ends it out of nowhere, but Grimm’s back on top as he grinds the elbow into Kirk’s face.
Grimm’s knees keep Kirk down, including one between the ropes for a two-count, before Kirk found a way back in with repeated stomps and a Regalplex for a near-fall. A back body drop from Grimm countered a bloodied Kirk ahead of a cradle piledriver… before a bulldog choke led to the referee stoppage. This was a good little scrap, with Grimm using wrestling holds to scrape out the win against the brawler Kirk. **¾
Eric Corvis vs. The Whisper vs. Ellis Taylor vs. Cole Radrick vs. Joey Silver vs. Jared Evans
Hopefully this scramble is more contained than yesterday’s in this slot!
Jared Evans was the last man out, annoyed his response to Tony Deppen’s open challenge on the show-that-would-have-been-here was changed into a scramble. He gets beaten up as he ran his mouth, and then the scramble madness begins. A Parade of Moves starts us off, ending with a Corvis headbutt to Taylor, who’s then crushed with a crossbody in the ropes… that ended with a splash to Silver on the outside. Cole Radrick dives onto Corvis too, before Evans faked out a dive, only for Whisper to hit him with a backbreaker instead.
Whisper keeps going with a corkscrew splash out of the buckles to the floor. Silver’s sent flying with a back body drop from Taylor to the pile on the floor… before Taylor tried for a suplex back inside, and ended up falling to some satellite headscissors from Silver. Corvis is back, but he’s hung into a Tree of Woe as Silver ends up hitting a sunset bomb to knock Whisper into Corvis. Radrick’s knocked into the corner for hip attacks from Silver, before Evans hits a back cracker… he follows up with a ropewalk Meteora to Whisper, then a diving knee to Corvis, before Radrick snuck back in with kicks and an Air Raid Crash to Taylor for a two-count. Corvis nicks back in with chops to Radrick in the corner, before he went up top for a frog splash to Taylor… then a palm strike to Radrick as Corvis’ knee looked to be shot…
He hobbles into a step-up cutter on Radrick as Whisper and Evans get pulled into each other… with Corvis then setting them up for an accidental sunset flip. Jawbreakers from Corvis look to build new momentum, but he’s dropped by a Taylor superkick, before an avalanche brainbuster on Silver almost wins it. Corvis still has something left in him as a Parade of Moves breaks out, but it’s a TKO from Radrick to Whisper that should have gotten the win. Evans rolls him up for a near-fall, then nailed a curb stomp before Whisper countered a second curb stomp into torture rack spin-out slam for the win. This didn’t feel as flat-out dangerous as the scramble yesterday, so that’s a win… but Corvis seemingly tweaking his knee almost derailed things towards the end. ***
The ExerGuys (JP & M3) vs. IronBeast (KTB & Shane Mercer) vs. Rohit Raju & Tye Hyll
I have no idea who the ExerGuys are. They fortunately tell us with a promo ahead of this unadvertised match…
Mercer and KTB stare down the other two teams as the ExerGuys get beaten on. Hyll and Raji clear the ring, before Hyll nailed a nice springboard inside-out Asai moonsault to the floor. The ExerGuys cut off Raju before doing some push-ups, only for Raju to turn it around with some stomps of his own. Hyll leaps into IronBeast with a double high knee while Raju’s dropped with a facebuster by JP inside for a two-count. Mercer clobbers JP before M3 took out Mercer’s knee ahead of a wind-up elbow that seemed to be more insulting than anything else. Mercer’s up, but he’s attacked from behind by JP, who then charged into his own man as KTB hits a death valley driver into a Mercer powerbomb on JP.
Mercer then suplexes M3 into a suplex by KTB… before Hyll dives into IronBeast. He’s caught, but Raju’s dropkick knocks them down ahead of dualling cannonballs for a near-fall. M3 responds on Raju before JP’s slam led to a delayed cover… it gets a two-count as Raju’s then slingshotted into the corner, with the ExerGuys then trying their luck against KTB and Mercer again. They’re clotheslined to the outside as we get topes con giro into the pile. JP’s back up, but mocks a dive with a trust fall off the apron. Back inside, Hyll’s taken down with a fireman’s carry facebuster for a near-fall, as things just keep going…
KTB suplexes M3 from the floor into the clutches of Mercer in the ring, who then nails a powerbomb… but Raju slips in to batter Mercer with kicks for a near-fall. A big boot from KTB stops that ahead of a Drilla piledriver for a near-fall… with Hyll’s shooting star press nearly getting the win. M3’s leaping leg lariat after the kick out adds another two-count, before Mercer does reps with M3 and throws him into JP on the floor. A clothesline to Raju leaves Hyll behind, and while he tries his best he springboards into a KTB powerbomb before getting passed into a German suplex from Mercer for the win. This was fun and wild in parts, but for an unannounced match, I’d have gone with a tighter, wilder squash. Hyll looked pretty good in his few spots, so there’s a name to keep an eye on. **½
Billie Starkz vs. Heather Monroe
Our second women’s match on the bill, which feels somewhat rare this weekend…
From the opening lockup, Starkz and Monroe take each other into the corner before Monroe went for a hammerlock… then a wristlock… before Starkz found her way free with a front facelock. Monroe counters out into an armbar, before they broke in the ropes, with a waistlock from Starkz quickly ending in the same place. Monroe elbows free, but gets caught with a lucha roll-up for a two-count, then crucifixes Starkz as the back-and-forth pinning leads to Starkz unloading with some right hands in the corner. A reversed Irish whip sparks more pinning attempts, with Starkz slapping Monroe to the outside… only to get caught with a neckbreaker through the ropes as Monroe picks up another cover.
Starkz rolls to the outside, but gets stretched around the ring post before a senton back inside gets Monroe a two-count. Monroe keeps the focus on the back with some forearm shots, ahead of a cartwheel hip attack in the corner and a backbreaker… before rebounding Starkz’s head into the middle buckle. Monroe’s stomp knocks Starkz through the ropes for a near-fall, before Starkz finally found back with a rebound kick out of the corner. She shoves Monroe into the ropes for a rebound German suplex, then chained it together with some more Germans before Monroe’s Dragon suplex turned it around in a hurry.
Starkz returns with another German suplex for a near-fall, before a Boston crab trapped Monroe… Starkz couldn’t keep the hold on because of her back, so she just stomps Monroe for a bit before reapplying the half crab, with Monroe eventually making it to the ropes. The pair trade strikes, but it’s Starkz who looked to pull ahead, because she sidesteps a high kick and returned with a low dropkick for a near-fall. Monroe crotches Starkz as she went up top… and then brought her down with a superplex… rolling it through into a Falcon arrow for the win. This was a good little match, if not a touch on the long side – with Monroe ekeing out a win over a Starkz who has been getting a fair amount of ring time this weekend. ***
Jon Alba’s out with his Emmy to introduce the answer to Daniel Garcia’s open challenge.
Charles Mason vs. Daniel Garcia
Garcia’s had a pretty good weekend – having defended both the Limitless and C4 titles in one go on Friday…
Garcia instantly grounds Mason with some headscissors, but Mason spins out… only to get caught as Garcia floated over into a pinning attempt. A rope break saves Mason as Garcia looked for a hold…
They roll on the mat, but Garcia sinks in a rear naked choke attempt… so Mason bites free before he worked an armbar. Garcia escapes for a chop, before he charged down Mason, as a crucifix leads to a two-count ahead of a back suplex. A slam and a low forearm keeps Mason down for a two-count before a brief trip outside ended with Garcia backing up Alba towards the ring post. Mason sprays something in Garcia’s eyes ahead of a see-saw DDT onto the edge of the ring… with a baseball slide knocking Garcia to the floor. Back inside, cravat knees and a neck twist keep Garcia down, as did a drop toe hold into the ropes which opened the door for some choking from Mason and Alba.
A back suplex drops Garcia for a two-count, before some hanging headscissors in the ropes keep Garcia in trouble. Mason keeps going, but Garcia fought back with a clothesline and a Saito suplex, before a Dragon screw spins Mason out of the corner. A diving Shining Wizard nearly wins it for Garcia, before Alba popped up to distract Garcia in mid-Sharpshooter attempt. Garcia knocks Alba down, but gets caught in a tornado guillotine. He punches his way free, then rains down blows from above on Mason as I thought the ref stopped it… but instead it’s just a separation as the pair get up and tee off on each other again, leading to a uranage and another guillotine from Mason. Garcia escapes with an overhead suplex, but fights out of a goozle as Mason ends up getting caught with a diving knee and a suplex for a near-fall. Mason has something left in him as he charges Garcia to the corner for a slingshot dropkick and a running double knee… before he pulled him up into a neat death valley driver for a near-fall.
Garcia tries to retaliate, and shrugs off a fish hooking before he rolled Mason into a Sharpshooter. Jon Alba distracts, but Garcia smartly pulls the ref away to actually DO HIS JOB as Mason ends up submitting. I liked that finish, with Garcia clearly fed up of all those easily distracted referees in history. A pretty good match with Mason looking solid here, while Alba played the mouthy chicken-shit manager well. ***½
Post-match, Mason chokes out Alba before having a staredown with Garcia… who then puts Alba in the Sharpshooter while raising the Emmy aloft. Just for the LOLs.
JD Drake vs. Jordan Oliver
Our main event sees JD Drake getting the top billing against a Jordan Oliver who came away with the Acid Cup on one of GCW’s many shows yesterday.
Drake stings Oliver with kicks early on, before they locked up… Oliver grabs a waistlock, which Drake breaks as he just hurls Oliver aside. A cross armbar from Drake’s furiously defended before Oliver tried his luck with a chop. A dropkick takes Drake outside ahead of a plancha that’s almost missed by the camera crew… back inside, a slingshot jawbreaker stops Drake, who then shoves Oliver away ahead of a nice spinebuster. Oliver’s lit up with chops from there, then kept under Drake’s boot as a knee drop lands for just a one-count. A suplex drops Oliver for a two-count, with Drake then sinking in a choke before he decked Oliver with a forearm for a nonchalant one-count. My feed drops… and recovers as Drake squashes Oliver with a Vader bomb for a near-fall, before Oliver began to fight back.
Forearms to Drake in the corner have some effect, before Drake hit back with a powerbomb attempt… but Oliver grabs the legs and ends up countering with a Code Red, only to take a nasty spill on the landing. Oliver shakes it off, and nearly nicks it with a roll-up before a springboard cutter out of the corner was caught. Drake grabs a rear naked choke, but Oliver mounts the buckles and flips backwards, finding enough in him to snatch the win over Drake with that. ***¼
The show cuts to an impromptu end as Oliver looked hurt. Hopefully it’s not too serious, … then returns as JD Drake has the mic and asks the fans to appreciate everyone who’s worked this weekend – and put their lives on the line.