AAW presents Defining Moment: Us Vs. Them
Date: 9/5/2009
From: Berwyn, IL
The owner of AAW, Jim Lynman, comes out and puts over the product that AAW is and the great ticket prices along with low beer prices. He says they are driving everyone out of business.
Backstage, AAW Heavyweight Champion Jay Bradley cuts a promo saying that the message he’s seen sending out hasn’t been received. Bradley notes that he’s beaten Tyler Black two times and says that the golden child has earned another title shot against him. Jimmy Jacobs walks into the scene, but Bradley grabs Jacobs and asks him if he has a problem. Bradley teases throwing Jacobs over the edge, but it doesn’t happen.
Opening Contest: Faith In Nothing (Christian Faith & Vincent Nothing) vs. Flip Kendrick & Louis Lyndon: Nothing and Lyndon kickoff the tag team match. Lyndon runs the ropes and delivers a kick to the midsection. Lyndon arm drags Nothing, but Nothing responds with an arm drag, as well. Nothing nails Lyndon with a big boot and Kendrick tags into the match. Faith tags into the match as well, but Kendrick arm drags Faith a couple of times followed by a leg sweep and a standing moonsault leg drop. Faith is sent into a corner and Lyndon hits a standing hurricanrana allowing Kendrick to get a two count. Kendrick works over Faith with a few strikes. Faith lifts Kendrick into the air with a backdrop and delivers a kick on the way down. Nothing returns to the match and puts a submission on Lyndon a modified London Bridge, but Lyndon kicks out at two. Nothing hits a bridging suplex for a near fall. Faith tags in and delivers an elbow strike followed by a standing fist drop for a two count. Nothing tosses Lyndon and Faith connects with a kick to the back. Nothing controls Lyndon with a front face lock on the mat. Nothing drops Lyndon with a back elbow and Faith returns to the match.
Nothing slams Lyndon and Faith hits a middle rope moonsault for a near fall. Faith splashes Lyndon in the corner and Nothing delivers a knee. Lyndon is tossed out of the corner with a double hip toss for a near fall. Lyndon fights back with strikes, but Nothing tosses Lyndon. Lyndon knee strikes Nothing and Kendrick hits a missile dropkick. Faith drops Kendrick with a big boot. Kendrick spikes Faith with a tornado DDT. Lyndon takes Nothing out with a dive to the floor. Kendrick climbs to the top, but Faith cuts him off. Faith hits a modified backbreaker for a two count. Kendrick is driven down with a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo for a two count. Nothing and Lyndon trade strikes in the middle of the ring. Nothing big boots Lyndon and Faith tosses Lyndon into a German suplex. Kendrick is driven down with a Cop Killa/reverse DDT combo leading to a three count. (***. Faith In Nothing impressed me with their double team moves that came across very impactful. Lyndon and Kendrick are a good fast pace team and that allowed their styles to mesh well throughout the match.)
Before the show, Jim Lynman noticed Chandler McClure waiting in line, but notes that McClure is on strike. McClure gets pissed about the fans chanting his name. Lynman says the other guys need to work while McClure notes they are on strike with him. Lynman says the other guys have three seconds to get into the building or they are out of AAW. Of course, the run back into the building ditching McClure.
In the ring, Shane Hollister cuts a promo saying he needed to find his confidence after his matches with Arik Cannon. So, he got rid of his hair to not look like an idiot anymore. Hollister promises that he’s still chasing Cannon for the AAW Heritage Championship. Danny Daniels and Ryan Boz make their way down to the ring with Nick Brubaker. Daniels brags about Marek Brave being kicked out of AAW because of them. Daniels says that Hollister doesn’t mean anything and tells Brubaker to stop laughing. Daniels tells Brubaker he needs to prove he belongs with them.
Second Contest: Shane Hollister vs. Nick Brubaker: Hollister slaps Brubaker followed by forearm strikes and a spinning heel kick. Hollister dropkicks a kneeling Brubaker and slams Brubaker. Hollister hits a slingshot elbow drop for a two count. Hollister charges, but is dumped to the apron and is kicked by Brubaker. Brubaker continues with a springboard kick to knock Hollister to the floor. Brubaker stomps on Hollister followed by a vertical suplex for a near fall. Hollister forearms Brubaker, but is stopped by a strike over the back. Brubaker sends Hollister into the corner and follows up with a forearm strike. Hollister drop toe holds Brubaker into the corner, but Brubaker nails Hollister with a lariat for a near fall. Hollister elbows Brubaker, but Brubaker hits an overhead suplex for a two count. Hollister connects with a backbreaker on Brubaker and connects with a running boot in the corner. Hollister is dumped to the apron and kicks Brubaker. Hollister leaps off the top, but lands on his feet. Brubaker boots Hollister in the corner and hits a tornado suplex and holds on to hit a sit out suplex. Hollister nails Brubaker with a stunner and a powerbomb. Hollister drives Brubaker down to the mat face first for the win. (*1/2. I’m not sure if this was suppose to come across as a showcase for Hollister, but I didn’t leave this match thinking that Hollister is a viable contender for the main event scene or anything. It was a fine match that didn’t overstay it’s welcome, but it was just there and didn’t do much for me.)
Chandler McClure, who is still on strike, has gotten past security to be at ringside for McEntyre and Wagner in their tag match. McClure doesn’t last and is escorted out by referees.
Third Contest: Juice Robinson & Krotch vs. Jordan McEntyre & Knight Wagner: Krotch and Wagner kickoff the tag match with Krotch getting a head scissors on the mat, but Wagner breaks free. Krotch dropkicks Wagner and Robinson tags into the match. Robinson drives Wagner down to the mat with a suplex for a near fall. Robinson tries for a suplex, but Wagner eye rakes free. Robinson slams McEntyre and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Robinson hits a leaping shoulder block to nail McEntyre and Krotch gets a two count after a splash. Jordan bails to the floor, but Krotch barely takes Jordan out with a dive. Wagner misses Krotch on a dive and takes his partner out on accident. Robinson dives off the top to take everyone out with a crossbody. Krotch hammers away on Jordan, but runs into a heel kick. Jordan stomps Krotch on the mat and tags in Wagner. Wagner continues with strikes to prevent a tag to Robinson. Wagner gets a two count after a snap suplex. Wagner fights back with strikes to the midsection. Jordan tags into the match and drives Krotch down to the mat gut first. Jordan slams Krotch and hits a middle rope elbow drop for a two count. Krotch tries to tag out again, but continues to be stopped by a splash to the back until Krotch gets his knees up.
Robinson and Wagner are tagged in and Robinson cleans house with strikes. Robinson plants Jordan with a spinebuster and plants Wagner with a powerbomb for a two count. Jordan forearms Robinson a few times and Wagner nails Robinson with a big boot. Jordan leaps off the top to hit an elbow drop. Krotch springboard splashes Wagner, but is stopped by Jordan. Krotch drop toe holds Jordan in the corner and hits a bronco buster and a dropkick. The referee gets distracted allowing the North Star Express to attack Krotch. They hit an elevated DDT on the wooden floor to leave Krotch laying. Robinson tosses Wagner with a German suplex and a reverse DDT on Jordan. Robinson delivers a gut buster to Johnny Wisdom. Wagner gets a rollup on Robinson with a handful of tights to win the match. (**. It was fairly clear to me that Robinson and Krotch are much better and seasoned wrestlers compared to their opponents. The North Star Express laying out Krotch was a devastating move and an effective way to cause them to lose the match. Robinson’s charisma is obvious early on into his career.) After the match, Jimmy Jacobs storms the ring and attacks Wagner.
Jimmy Jacobs gets a microphone and says people are talking about him being here unannounced. Jacobs talks about getting beaten up last month, and this month he saw Jay Bradley talking. Jacobs doesn’t have a match, but wants one. Dave Prazak comes out to confront Jacobs. Prazak says that last time they were here there wasn’t any competition worthy of a title shot. Prazak is going to give Jacobs a chance to get a shot at the title tonight. Prazak awards Jacobs a title match.
Fourth Contest: AAW Heavyweight Champion Jay Bradley vs. Jimmy Jacobs: Jacobs starts the match with a quick baseball slide dropkick to send Bradley into the railing. Jacobs punches Bradley, but is shoved away. Jacobs avoids Bradley and sends Bradley into the railing shoulder first. Jacobs strikes Bradley several times at ringside. Jacobs pulls the railing and drives Bradley into the railing ribs first. Jacobs is sent over the railing into the crowd and Bradley follows. Bradley forearms Jacobs and tosses Jacobs into a few chairs. Bradley drops Jacobs chest first over the railing to maintain control of the bout. Bradley knee strikes Jacobs on the floor and taunts the crowd. Jacobs avoids a slam by sending Bradley into the ring post. Jacobs rams Bradley onto the apron before returning to the ring. Prazak distracts Jacobs, but Jacobs dumps Bradley to the floor. Jacobs tries for a suicide dive, but Bradley avoids it and Jacobs hits the railing. Bradley continues with a few right hands to drop Jacobs. Jacobs is bleeding at this point as Bradley focuses on the wound in the ring. Bradley puts Jacobs in the tree of woe. Bradley slides to the floor and pulls back on Jacobs head. There is a pool of blood in the corner. Bradley strikes Jacobs several times and headbutts. Bradley avoids Jacobs strikes and hits a running powerslam after ramming Jacobs into the corner for a near fall.
Bradley clubs Jacobs over the apron and delivers a big boot before dropping Jacobs to the floor. Jacobs locks in a choke, but Bradley breaks free with an overhead suplex. Bradley casually covers Jacobs for a near fall. Bradley delivers a knee drop and taunts the fans. Jacobs tries to fight back with strikes, but Bradley hits a snap suplex for a two count. Bradley rolls to the floor and grabs a steel chair. Jacobs avoids the chair by hitting a battering ram. Bradley manages to jab Jacobs with a chair shot. Bradley signals for a lariat, but sits Jacobs on a chair. Bradley looks for the lariat, but Jacobs dropkicks Bradley and Bradley hits the chair face first. Jacobs pulls himself up and grabs a chair to smash Bradley with it. Jacobs nails Bradley against with the chair. Jacobs goes to the middle rope and leaps off to connect with a chair shot. Bradley tries for a chokeslam, but Jacobs low blows Bradley and hits the Contra Code onto the chair for a near fall.
Jacobs goes under the ring to bring a table into the mix. Bradley kicks the middle rope to low blow Jacobs. Bradley plants Jacobs with a powerbomb. Bradley accidentally hits Prazak and is almost pinned by Jacobs. Bradley recovers and decks Jacobs with the championship. Bradley lays Jacobs onto the table and climbs to the top rope. Bradley misses a dive and crashes through the table. Jacobs leaps off the top to hit a senton splash and pins Bradley to win the title! (***. A little bit of context here. Jacobs recently left ROH, so he’s probably got a bit of buzz attached to him at this point. Putting the title on him likely leads to short-term success. The match was a fine brawl and the crowd reacted well to the title change. AAW wanted the viewer to think that Tyler Black was next in line for Bradley, so it may have been even more of a shock for Jacobs to win here.)
Fifth Contest: Gran Akuma, Hallowicked & Jigsaw vs. AAW Heritage Champion Arik Cannon & The North Star Express (Darin Corbin & Ryan Cruz): Akuma and Cruz kickoff the six man tag match with Akuma kicking Cruz on the leg. Cruz gets wrist control on Akuma, but Akuma breaks free and kicks Cruz on the leg. Cruz eye rakes Akuma and locks in an abdominal stretch. Akuma kicks Cruz on the arm and puts a standing octopus on Cruz. Cruz drop toe holds Akuma, but misses a kick. Akuma also misses a kick and they have a standoff. Hallowicked tags in to square off against Corbin. Hallowicked plays to the crowd and Corbin does the same, but the crowd boos Corbin. Hallowicked gets a two count on a rollup. Hallowicked manages another two count and chops Corbin in the corner. Hallowicked and Corbin trade pins. Hallowicked hits a hurricanrana to send Corbin to the floor. Cannon gets in the ring and nails Jigsaw with a strike to the midsection. Jigsaw blocks a suplex, but Cannon ducks a clothesline and gets a two count with a rollup. Cannon nails Jigsaw with a strike and avoids a head scissors. Jigsaw arm drags Cannon a few times and gets a tow count with a rollup. Cannon stops Jigsaw with a kick to the midsection. Cannon accidentally chops his partners and Hallowicked hit a top rope crossbody. Cannon chops his partners on accident, again.
Akuma hits a double crossbody to the Express. Akuma chops Cannon, but gets double teamed by the Express. Jigsaw and Hallowicked knocks the Express to the floor where Hallowicked hits a dive to the floor. Jigsaw is stopped by Nikki on the apron and grabs Nikki. Cannon clotheslines Jigsaw and tries to remove the mask. Cannon pulls Jigsaw to the corner and Corbin stomps Jigsaw on the mat. Corbin holds Jigsaw for Cruz to deliver a strike to the back. Cruz forearms Jigsaw against the ropes and keeps control with a chin lock. Jigsaw is stopped by an elbow from Cruz. Cannon chops Jigsaw in the corner a few times and delivers a delayed vertical suplex. Cannon tries for a cover, but Jigsaw kicks out at two. Corbin gets involved to cause a distraction and Jigsaw is triple teamed with splashes in the corner. Cannon hits a running dropkick for a two count. Cannon drags Jigsaw to the corner and continues to be triple teamed. Corbin shoulder rams Jigsaw in the corner several times. Cruz returns to the match and dropkicks Corbin into the corner. Hallowicked gets tagged in and cleans house with clotheslines to Cruz. Hallowicked hits a Sky High on Corbin. Hallowicked runs into a kick by Cruz. Jigsaw delivers a spinning elbow and a brainbuster. Jigsaw elbows Cannon, but misses a superkick. Cannon drops Jigsaw with a twisting neckbreaker. Akuma avoids Cannon in the corner and delivers a kick. Akuma spikes Cannon with a tornado DDT. Akuma heads to the top rope, but is met by Corbin with a cutter in midair, but the cover is broken up at two.
Cannon chops Hallowicked in the corner, but Cannon ends up getting double stomped by Jigsaw and kicked allowing Akuma to hit a Code Red for a two count. The Express get dumped to the apron and are kicked to the floor where Akuma hits a somersault dive. Jigsaw accidentally hits Akuma with a suicide dive. Cannon drops Hallowicked with a back suplex and a shining wizard to win the match. (**1/2. It’s a decent match, but I find myself not usually caring for the CHIKARA guys when they are given a showcase match for the promotion on other indie cards. I found myself digging the North Star Express as they are an entertaining heel team.)
Backstage, Dave Prazak tries to calm Jay Bradley, but Bradley is pissed about losing the title. Bradley demands Prazak get the AAW Heavyweight Championship back. Bradley mentions he beat Tyler Black twice before storming off.
Sixth Contest: Johnny Gargano vs. Shiima Xion: They trade wrist locks to start the match until Gargano gets control with a front face lock. Xion counters with a leg lock until Gargano reachs the ropes to break the hold. Gargano kicks Xion in the midsection and arm drags Xion out of the corner. Xion head scissors Gargano, but Gargano comes back with an arm drag. Gargano holds the ropes to avoid a rollup, but runs into an arm drag. Xion gets a two count with another rollup. Xion puts a front face lock on Gargano, but Gargano tosses Xion to break free. Xion hits a hurricanrana and a baseball slide dropkick on the floor to send Gargano into the railing. Xion brings Gargano up the aisle and sends Gargano into the railing. Gargano avoids the post and sends Xion into the post instead. Gargano rams Xion onto the apron face first. Gargano continues to chop Xion on the floor, but Xion shoves Gargano into the railing. Xion arm drags Gargano into the ring steps. Xion hits a slingshot curb stomp and a basement dropkick for a two count. Xion chops Gargano in the corner, but runs into an elbow. Gargano yanks Xion off the middle rope and pummels Xion with left hands on the mat. Gargano chokes Xion in the corner for a few moments to maintain control of the match.
Xion dropkicks Gargano on the back of the head for a two count. Gargano kicks Xion in the corner and continues with a running elbow. Gargano drops Xion with a chop and a boot scrape on the mat for a two count. Gargano keeps a sleeper on Xion, but doesn’t get a submission. Xion powers to his feet and elbows free. Xion hits a hurricanrana, but Gargano kicks Xion and runs into a boot. Xion kicks Gargano away and goes to the top hitting a splash. Gargnao misses a spear in the corner and misses a clothesline. Xion atomic drops Gargano and hits a reverse DDT. Xion goes to the apron and is kicked off by Gargano. Gargano slides to the floor and spears Xion from the apron into the ring for a two count. Xion takes Gargano down with a crossface, but Gargano breaks free. Xion kicks Gargano into the corner and hits a running elbow. Xion nails Gargano with a kick to the jaw. Xion double knee strikes Gargano over the ropes. Gargano hits a Fame-Asser, but Xion drops Gargano over his knee face first for a two count. Xion sits Gargano on the top turnbuckle delivering right hands. Xion tries for a superplex, but Gargano breaks free and kicks Xion into a tree of woe. Gargano hits a twisting slam for a two count. Gargano misses a superkick and Xion almost wins with a rollup. Gargano gets a two count and they collide on stereo clotheslines.
They trade a few forearms until Xion delivers a jawbreaker. Gargano kicks Xion and runs the ropes, but is met with an uppercut. Gargano hits a springboard kick and is elbowed by Xion. Xion counters a slingshot spear and puts the Crossface on Gargano, but Gargano reaches the ropes to break the hold. Gargano superkicks Xion, but Xion manages to counter Gargano and wins with a rollup. (**1/4. While they are known names, this kind of felt like a filler match. I felt a little disappointed by this one.) After the match, Gargano attacks Xion and tries to go after Xion’s eyes. Gargano kicks Xion to the floor and remains in the corner.
Backstage, Silas Young is interviewed regarding his match with Bryan Danielson. Young is reminded about coming up short in recent big matches. Young says his last year in wrestling has been crappy and his personal life was brought into it. Young made mistakes because people got in his head. Young is going to show that it only takes three seconds for him to be the world’s greatest wrestler. Jim Lyman enters the scene and says this is Silas Young’s defining moment and doesn’t want Silas to let him down. Silas promises he won’t.
Seventh Contest: Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparaza) vs. Danny Daniels & Ryan Boz: Daniels and Brett kickoff the tag match with Daniels slapping Brett followed by strikes and chops against the ropes. Brett hits a head scissors and a leg sweep followed by a dropkick for a near fall. Daniels chops Brett several times. CJ hits a springboard clothesline for a two count on Daniels. Daniels tosses CJ into the corner and Bret dropkicks Daniels. Daniels bails to the floor, but Boz gets tagged in. Boz is met with a double dropkick, but stops Brett on the apron only for CJ to hit a dropkick. Daniels is dumped to the floor by Brett. Zero Gravity hit stereo somersault dives to opposite sides of the ring. Boz sends Brett into the railing, but misses CJ in the ring. Boz hits the corner and CJ dropkicks Daniels, but is nailed by a clothesline from Boz. Boz plants Brett with a Tiger Bomb for a two count. Boz nails Brett off the apron and knee drops CJ on the mat. Daniels shoulder blocks CJ coming off the ropes and manages a two count. Daniels chops CJ and Boz puts his boot up for CJ to be rammed into the corner. Boz continues with a knee drop to keep control of the match. Boz knocks Brett off the apron.
Boz rams CJ into the corner and continues with several strikes. CJ tries to fight out of the corner, but Boz stomps CJ several times. Boz backs CJ into a corner to deliver several more strikes. CJ kicks free and hits a leaping DDT off the middle rope. Daniels chops Brett, but Brett spin kicks Daniels followed by a cutter for a near fall. Brett connects with another kick to the head. Brett drives Daniels down with a double knee and knocks Boz down in the corner. Daniels drives Brett down with a gut buster, but Brett counters a piledriver with a double knee for a near fall. Boz grabs Brett, but CJ dropkicks Boz off the apron. Brett takes Boz out with a corkscrew dive to the floor. Daniels drops CJ over the ropes chest first and looks for the piledriver. Brett nails Daniels with a kick and accidentally hits CJ. Daniels dumps Brett to the floor where Boz catches Brett. Boz tosses Brett over the railing into the crowd. Daniels puts CJ on the top rope, but CJ shoves Daniels off and hits the shooting star elbow drop, but Boz makes the save. Boz spikes CJ with the Boz Driver and Daniels covers to pickup the win. (**1/2. Zero Gravity seems to have the potential to be a fun tag team. The Boz Driver is a fantastic finishing move and looks even more deadly when performed on smaller wrestlers.)
Eighth Contest: AAW Tag Team Champions The House Of Truth (Christian Able & Josh Raymond) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson): Raymond and Matt kickoff the tag title match. Matt gets wrist control on Raymond, but Raymond counters with a waist lock. Matt head scissors Raymond into his corner and Raymond regroups. Able and Nick tag into the match where they trade some mat wrestling for a few moments. Nick gets a hammerlock on Able, but Able breaks free and decks Nick with a right hand. Able shoulder blocks Nick and runs the ropes, but Nick hits a hurricanrana and an arm drag. Matt tags in to hit an axe handle off the top rope. Nick comes off the top to double stomp Able on the arm. Able tags out to Raymond after a jawbreaker, but Nick arm drags Raymond. Bucks hit a double dropkick leading to a near fall for Matt. Able tags back into the match, but Matt drop toe holds Able and Nick delivers a slingshot strike to Able’s arm. Nick controls Able with a modified surfboard. Bucks hit a double team dropkick, but Matt only manages a two count on Able. Nick hits a slingshot senton onto Able. Raymond knee strikes Nick from the apron, but gets knocked off the apron. Able plants Nick with a belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Nick is sent to the floor by Able where Truth Martini stomps on Nick. Mason Beck also gets a few cheap shots in.
Able covers Nick, but only manages a two count. Raymond returns to the match and strikes Nick followed by a knee drop. Raymond rams Nick into the corner face first and tags in Able. Able takes Nick over with a snap suplex for another near fall. Nick gets out of a back suplex and Matt gets in and cleans house with strikes. Matt dropkicks Able and hits a snap powerslam for a near fall. Matt almost gets a three count on a rollup, and almost collides with Val on the apron. Matt hits a Slice Bread for a two count on Able. Val crotches Matt on the top rope. Raymond pulls Matt to the corner and knee drops Matt. Matt is double teamed and Able tries for a cocky cover, but only gets a two count. Able avoids a dropkick and gets a two count on Matt. Raymond returns to the match and hits a standing fist drop for a near fall. Matt is driven down to the mat gut first by the champs. Nick saves Matt from another pin attempt. Raymond clubs Matt over the back and Able delivers a shoulder block for a two count.
Able chops Matt against the ropes and Raymond returns to the match, but they miss a double clothesline. Matt drives Raymond down with a neckbreaker over his knee and tags in Nick. Nick cleans house with a clothesline and springboard dropkick to knock Able off the apron. Nick decks Martini and hits a springboard crossbody on Raymond. Nick hits a slingshot facebuster, but Raymond kicks out at two. Matt tags back into the bout and knee strikes Raymond from behind. Bucks hit a swanton/leg drop combo for a two count on Raymond. Raymond connects with a spinning heel kick on Matt while Able and Nick battled on the floor. Raymond climbs to the top rope, but is cutoff by Matt with forearms. Raymond shoves Matt of the ropes and hits a shooting star crossbody for a near fall! Able returns to the match and hits a powerslam on Nick. Matt counters the Tower Of Truth for a near fall. Able decks Matt with a a backbreaker, Raymond hits a superkick and Able hits a clothesline for a two count.
Raymond tries for a corkscrew dive, but Matt gets his knees up. Nick knee lifts Able in the corner and takes Raymond out with a suicide dive. Matt hits a flip stunner out of the corner, but Able kicks out at two. Matt spears Able and the Bucks hit a standing moonsault/splash for a two count as Martini pulls the referee out of the ring. Mason Beck gets in the ring, but is nailed by a double superkick. Nick hits a somersault dive to the floor onto Beck. Martini digs a cigarette into Matt’s eye. Able covers and pins Matt to retain the titles. After the match, Truth Martini cuts a promo about the Bucks getting burned. Faith In Nothing come out and lay out Raymond with a powerbomb. The crowd approves of this. (***. Honestly, it’s a rare instance of a disappointing Bucks match, but I’m putting the blame on the tag champs here. Able and Raymond didn’t have interesting or compelling offense when they had the long heat segments. I found their action to be rather boring. When the Bucks got going the action picked up and it ended up being a decent match.)
Both entrances for the main event are shown and it gives the main event a big match feel. Danielson is on his way to the WWE and this is one of his final indie appearances
Main Event: Silas Young vs. Bryan Danielson: The crowd is 50/50 as the match begins. Young backs Danielson into a corner, but cleanly backs off. Danielson gains control with a hammerlock, but Young cartwheels out and gains control with a wrist lock. Young takes Danielson down to the mat, but Danielson breaks free with a dropkick. Young regroups in the corner. Young gains control with a test of strength and Danielson drops to his knees. Danielson rolls through and gains control in the test of strength. Young gets a two count with a backslide and they have a standoff. Danielson shoulder blocks Young and they have another standoff. Danielson delivers another shoulder block and they continue to have standoff. Danielson takes Young over with a side headlock to maintain the advantage. Young arm drags Danielson followed by a hip toss and dropkick to send Danielson to the floor. Danielson returns to the ring and gets a two count. Danielson controls Young with a head scissors on the mat, but Young doesn’t submit. Young struggles, but eventually breaks free from the hold. Young bridges out and locks in a single leg submission. Danielson breaks free and kicks Young into the corner. Danielson wiggles his ankle to loosen it up. They shake hands to show respect for each other.
Young takes Danielson down with a headlock, but Danielson gets up quickly. Young delivers an arm drag and keeps arm control on the mat. Danielson sends Young into the ropes and blocks a kick to flip Young onto the ropes gut first. Danielson kicks Young off the ropes to the floor. Danielson baseball slides Young into the railing and continues with kicks against the railing. Danielson tosses Young into the railing again. Danielson kicks Young several times against the railing and drops Young with an uppercut. Danielson takes Young down to the mat and attempts a surfboard managing to pull back on Young’s face. Danielson locks in the surfboard and pulls back on Young with a chin lock. Danielson switches to a dragon sleeper, but Young refuses to submit. Young fights out of the hold. Young uppercuts Danielson, but Danielson responds with an uppercut to drop Young to the mat for a near fall. Danielson puts a top toe lock on Young, but doesn’t get a submission. Young reaches for the ropes to break the hold. Danielson kicks Young several times in the corner. Danielson covers, but Young kicks out at two.
Danielson slaps Young in the corner and hits a running dropkick to keep control of the match. Danielson uppercuts Young several times, but Young counters managing to hit a powerslam and both men are down. They begin to trade forearm strikes with Danielson getting control. Young connects with a kick to the head and a springboard moonsault. Young shoulder blocks Danielson from the apron and hits a springboard kick for a near fall. Young elbows Danielson and ducks a clothesline. Young tries for a rollup, but Danielson pops out only for Young to get a submission locked in and pulls back on Danielson with a chin lock. Young doesn’t get a submission. Young backs Danielson into a corner and delivers a few strikes. Danielson avoids Young in the corner and delivers a jawbreaker. Danielson drops Young with a kick to the head. Danielson heads to the top rope hitting a missile dropkick to send Young to the corner. Danielson hits a German suplex for a near fall. Danielson locks in the Cattle Mutilation. Young breaks out of the hold by ramming Danielson into the corner. Danielson misses a clothesline and Young hits a backbreaker followed by a clothesline for a two count.
Young locks in a full nelson stretch in the middle of the ring, but Danielson reaches the ropes to break the hold. Young tries for a suplex, but Danielson knee strikes free. Young forearms Danielson several times and blocks a knee strike to hit a suplex for a two count. Danielson locks in a triangle choke in the middle of the ring, but Young appears to be fading. Young gets to his feet and tosses Danielson into the corner followed by a clothesline and both men are down. Young tries for a cover, but Danielson kicks out at two. Young gets up and hits a rolling fireman’s carry followed by an attempted moonsault, but Danielson got his knees up. Danielson hits a running knee strike and pummels Young with a flurry of elbow strikes. Danielson locks in Cattle Mutilation, but Young reaches the ropes to break the hold. Danielson reminds the referee he has until the count of five. Young counters a German suplex with a hurricanrana, but Danielson rolls through for a near fall. They trade a series of pin attempts and they roll around the ring. They trade forearm strikes and Danielson delivers a few kicks. Danielson gets an inside cradle on Young and wins the match. After the match, Young slaps Danielson and walks off. (****. This had a big match feel and it delivered to close out the show. Young is without a doubt a top guy for AAW and I could see this making Young a big name moving forward for the company. Danielson is an all-time great wrestler and busting his ass on the indies to help create a new wave of guys while he departs is a class act move.)
Backstage, Silas Young cuts a promo wanting to apologize to Bryan Danielson. Young puts over Danielson for being a great guy and sportsman. Young apologizes to Danielson and the fans. Young hopes they understand.
Backstage, AAW Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Jacobs is interviewed. Jacobs says tonight was a huge night for him. Jacobs inspired people tonight just as he was inspired by others. Jacobs noted a year ago that he made it known that the only thing left for him to do in AAW was to win the title. Jacobs will give a rematch to Bradley, but also wants Ryan Boz to come after the belt.
Backstage, the House of Truth cut a promo with Truth Martini being pissed that Faith In Nothing ruined their celebration. Raymond is upset that his girlfriend had to see him in pain. Christian Able chimes in and says they are the best and the Young Bucks found that out. Able says they are a family. Martini says they have faith and they can’t handle the truth.
Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed the show as the main event was a strong encounter and the undercard had some solid wrestling throughout. I’ll give this a recommendation to check out.
Thanks for reading.