1UP Wrestling presents Press Start
Date: 3/23/2024
From: Liverpool, NY
NOTE: 1UP Wrestling is a new wrestling promotion in the Syracuse area and is a family friendly promotion. All their shows are available on YouTube. This is their first official show aside from a showcase they had called WrestleCuse in joint production with Xcite Wrestling. On their YouTube page the matches are posted individually, but I believe the rest of them moving forward are full show in one video.
Opening Contest: Pat Sawyer vs. Matt McCoy: They have a standoff in the middle of the ring. Sawyer shoves McCoy into the corner to start the match. McCoy puts a headlock on Sawyer, but Sawyer easily picks McCoy up and delivers a shoulder block. McCoy stomps on Sawyer foot, but runs into another shoulder block. Sawyer chops McCoy in the corner followed by a toss out of the corner. Sawyer continues with a chop in the corner. Sawyer tosses McCoy out of the corner a second time followed by a scoop slam and a leg drop for a two count. Sawyer tries for a slam, but McCoy breaks free to deliver a chop block and a DDT for a two count. McCoy delivers a few strikes to the back and tries for a crossbody, but bounces off of Sawyer. Sawyer misses a big boot and crotches himself over the top rope. McCoy runs into the ropes to knock Sawyer down and hits a slingshot senton splash for a near fall. McCoy keeps Sawyer on the mat with a headlock. Sawyer fights out with chops, but McCoy decks Sawyer with a leaping strike. McCoy stomps on Sawyer in the corner. McCoy shoulder rams Sawyer in the corner a few times. McCoy kicks Sawyer low, but Sawyer delivers a left hand punch. McCoy dropkicks Sawyer into the corner. McCoy hits a middle rope crossbody for a near fall. McCoy is nailed by a running boot by Sawyer. Sawyer nails McCoy with a couple of chops. Sawyer nails McCoy with a big boot for another near fall. Sawyer signals for a chokeslam, but McCoy eye rakes free and hits a leg lariat for a two count. McCoy waits in the corner, but Sawyer hits the Broken Treaties and pins McCoy to win the match. (**. Not an awful start to the show. Sawyer has potential to be a good big man wrestler. McCoy kept it mostly basic and didn’t anything all that interesting or entertaining this time out. The crowd seemed to dig Sawyer and his finishing move looked pretty good.)
After the match, Matt McCoy confronts the commentator Super Beast, who use to wrestle regularly. McCoy shoves Beast and walks off as Beast grabs a chair.
Second Contest: Black & Yellow (Corey Jackson & Ting Shi) vs. Hired Gun Inc. (Brute Van Slyke & Thomas Kennedy): Brute and Jackson kickoff the tag match. Brute backs Jackson into a corner and delivers an overhand chop a few times around the ring. Jackson fights back with chops of his own and plays to the crowd. Brute stops Jackson with a knee lift in the corner and rams Jackson into the corner allowing Shi to tag into the match. Shi kicks Brute on the knee a few times, but Brute doesn’t budge. Brute knocks Shi down to the mat with a chop. Jackson saves Shi from a suplex and they hit a double dropkick to send Brute into the corner. Kennedy is hip tossed several times by Black and Yellow. Brute regroups with Kennedy on the floor. Kennedy returns to the ring and is again hip tossed. Shi kicks Kennedy and Jackson hits a double knee. Shi delivers a running senton and Jackon hits a knee drop leading to a two count. Kennedy is backed into a corner and is taken over with a double suplex. Jackson covers for a near fall. Jackson hits a flapjack on Kennedy, but Father Derek gets on the apron to cause a distraction. Dick Justice has a finger gun to distract Jackson on the other side. Kennedy delivers a jawbreaker and Justice elbow strikes Jackson. Kennedy delivers a spinebuster and tags in Brute to keep control of the match.
Brute sends Jackson into the corner and delivers a big splash. Brute continues with a running back splash to leave Jackson laying in the corner. Brute scoop slams Jackson and tags in Kennedy. Brute slams Kennedy onto Jackson and Kennedy delivers a senton splash for a near fall. Kennedy slaps Shi and the referee gets between them as Brute tags back into the match. Brute drops Jackson with a headbutt. Jackson sunset flips Brute, but Brute doesn’t go down. Brute misses a sit down splash attempt. Kennedy enters back into the match, but is kicked into Brute in the corner. Shi gets the hot tag and uses his speed to confuse Kennedy before hitting a sling blade. Kennedy kicks Shi in the corner. Shi hits a blockbuster off the middle rope. Shi hits a Falcon Arrow, but Brute breaks the cover. Brute headbutts Shi to the mat and hits a double under hook DDT for a near fall as Jackson makes the save. Jackson pummels Brute with strikes against the ropes. Brute sends Jackson and Shi into each other. Brute charges, but is dumped over the top to the floor. Kennedy goes after Shi, but Shi nails Kennedy with a superkick. Jackson has Kennedy on his shoulders, but Brute knocks Shi off the top rope. Justice accidentally decks Kennedy and Jackson manages to get a rollup on Kennedy for the win. After the match, Dick Justice attacks Jackson. Shi tries to get involved, but he’s stopped as well. Justice pummels Shi in the corner with several strikes. Brute sends Jackson into the ring steps shoulder first. Justice drives Shi down with a chokeslam. Kennedy goes to the top rope and hits a clothesline on Shi. (**. A mostly formula tag match, but not bad by any means. I like Black and Yellow. They have great energy and come across as your ideal babyface tag team. The aftermath means these two teams will continue to feud in 1UP.)
Third Contest: Sebastian Braun vs. Steve McKenzie: Braun taunts the fans and is nearly pinned by McKenzie with a rollup. Braun shoves McKenzie out of the corner. McKenzie strikes Braun in the corner and runs into an elbow by Braun. Braun forearms McKenzie into the corner and taunts the crowd some more. McKenzie fires back with right hands to stagger Braun. Braun elbows McKenzie coming off the ropes and plays to the camera. Braun knee lifts McKenzie and delivers a scoop slam. Braun delivers an elbow drop after moving his hips. McKenzie tries to knock Braun off his feet, but fails to do so. McKenzie punches Braun several times in the corner. Braun counters, but McKenzie leaps off the middle rope to hit a dropkick for a near fall. McKenzie is stopped by a knee strike and a clothesline, which is good enough for the three count. (*. This was just an extended squash for Braun. The commentator has some kind of love for Braun when prior to this match he was impartial, but not here.)
Fourth Contest: Garrett Holiday vs. Trevor Terry: Terry gets the early advantage with a headlock, but Holiday breaks free quickly only for Terry to hip toss Holiday. Holiday yells at the fans at ringside as Terry remains ready for action. Holiday shoulder blocks Terry and runs the ropes. Terry arm drags Holiday into the corner and dropkicks Holiday into the corner. Terry splashes Holiday in the corner and delivers a running dropkick to a seated Holiday. Terry plays to the crowd as Holiday regroups with Father Derek. Holiday kicks Terry in the midsection followed by an overhand strike to the back. Holiday scoop slams Terry followed by an elbow drop for a near fall. Holiday kicks Terry in the corner followed by strikes. Holiday sends Terry hard into the corner. Holiday insults the crowd, and drops Terry with an uppercut. Terry fires back with right hands and runs the ropes. Holiday misses a strike and tries for a slam, but Terry counters with a rollup for a two count. Holiday plants Terry with a spinebuster. Holiday tries for a suplex, but Terry drops to his knees. Terry breaks free and kicks Holiday on the head. Holiday rebounds off the ropes and they collide on stereo clothesline attempts. Holiday and Terry trade strikes from their knees in the middle of the ring. Terry runs the ropes, but Holiday drops Terry over his knee for a near fall. Holiday chokes Terry on the mat for a few moments. Terry kicks Holiday away and nails Holiday with a forearm strike. Terry comes off the ropes with a clothesline. Terry boots Holiday in the corner and hits a missile dropkick off the middle rope for a near fall. Terry pulls down his knee pad and signals for a strike. Father Derek grabs Terry’s leg from the floor. Terry misses a knee strike and Holiday delivers a running boot followed by a snapmare driver for the win. (*1/2. I felt this was a bit a disappointment. Holiday hasn’t impressed me much from what I’ve seen from him. Terry is a young wrestler and seems to be another wrestler that has potential once he finds his groove. This is a match that just kind of happened and it was tough to hold my interest.)
Fifth Contest: The Trenches (Patrick Saint & Red Sawyer) vs. Polar Ephex (Don Freeze & Isys Ephex): Ephex and Sawyer kickoff the tag match. Sawyer controls Ephex with a hammerlock, but Ephex takes Sawyer down to the mat to put a chin lock on Sawyer. Ephex switches to a wrist lock. Sawyer sends Ephex into the ropes, but Ephex delivers a hurricanrana. Ephex elbow strikes Sawyer and tags in Freeze. Freeze tries for a rollup after an axe handle from the middle rope. Freeze arm drags Sawyer and keeps arm control. Sawyer backs Freeze into a corner and delivers a strike to the chest. Freeze does a cartwheel and dropkicks Sawyer leading to Saint being tagged into the match. Saint shoves Freeze to the mat and taunts the crowd. Freeze tries for a rollup, but Saint blocks it. Freeze settles for a strike and a kick to the head. Sawyer pulls the ropes down and Freeze falls to the floor. Sawyer holds Freeze allowing Saint to deliver a big splash. Saint scoop slams Freeze for a near fall. Saint shoves Ephex on the apron and drags Freeze to his corner where Sawyer pummels Freeze with strikes on the mat. Sawyer cheap shots Freeze from the apron allowing Saint to scoop slam Freeze. Saint suplexs Sawyer onto Freeze for a near fall. Freeze sunset flips Sawyer, but Sawyer rolls through and splashes down onto Freeze’s back a few times. Sawyer delivers a headbutt to the lower back of Freeze and drags Freeze to the corner. Saint casually steps on Freeze’s lower back.
Saint puts a bearhug on Freeze in the middle of the ring. Freeze breaks free and superkicks Saint before hitting a running crossbody and both men are down in the middle of the ring. Saint sits up and drags Freeze to the corner to tag in Sawyer. Sawyer accidentally splashes Saint in the corner. Ephex forearms Sawyer and Freeze backdrops Sawyer. Ephex cleans house with strikes and a clothesline to Sawyer. Ephex knee lifts Sawyer and nails Saint with a kick to the head. Ephex hits a sit out back suplex for a near fall on Sawyer. Freeze splashes Sawyer in the corner and Ephex delivers a knee strike in the corner. Ephex climbs to the top and hits a crossbody on Sawyer. Freeze hits a top rope frog splash, but Saint makes the save. Saint sends Freeze into the corner and they hit a couple of splashes. Saint decks Freeze with a lariat, but Freeze kicks out at two on a cover by Sawyer. Saint misses a spear and hits the post before falling to the floor. Freeze drives Sawyer down with a Samoan Drop and suplexs Ephex onto Sawyer leading to the three count. (**. I had missed this match live as I had gotten something to eat, so I didn’t have any idea of the quality going into this one. I was quite surprised by the quality of match. They had a decent standard tag match. Aside from Ephex, I hadn’t ever seen any of the three guys compete before. Freeze could easily become an underdog favorite in 1UP. I mean, he already is, but when they introduce championships he is the type of character and wrestler that a lengthy chase could lead to a good moment for the promotion down the line.)
Sixth Contest: Nick Sullivan vs. Rizzy: Sullivan takes Rizzy down to the mat easily, but Rizzy quickly reaches the ropes to break the hold. Rizzy shoves Sullivan, but is shoved down into the corner. Rizzy slaps Sullivan, but is backed into a corner and Sullivan delivers several strikes. Sullivan tosses Rizzy across the ring with a hip toss. Sullivan misses a splash in the corner and Rizzy delivers a few chops. Sullivan knee lifts Rizzy and delivers a few strikes to the back. Sullivan tries for a suplex, but Rizzy breaks free and tries to clothesline Sullivan a few times to no avail. Sullivan barely staggers and drops Rizzy over the top rope throat first. Sullivan nails Rizzy with a vicious clothesline and a stomp to the back. Sullivan continues with an elbow drop. Sullivan drives Rizzy down with a delayed front suplex. Father Derek cheap shots Rizzy from the floor. Rizzy elbows Sullivan, but is met with a chop to the back. Sullivan tosses Rizzy with a release German suplex. Sullivan grabs Rizzy to hit another German suplex. Rizzy is seemingly lifeless at this point. Sullivan heads to the middle rope and misses a splash attempt. Rizzy pulls himself up in the corner and superkicks a kneeling Sullivan. Rizzy follows up with a knee strike and heads to the top rope. Rizzy hits a frog splash, but Sullivan powers out at one. Rizzy tries for a top rope crossbody, but is caught and slammed to the mat. Sullivan pulls Rizzy up at the count of two on a cover attempt. Sullivan drives Rizzy down with a powerslam and wins the match. (**. Sullivan is a powerhouse and should be seen as a dominate force in 1UP. He’s the kind of guy, to use a video game reference, he’d be the final boss at some point. Rizzy had a few moments of shine as the underdog, which I didn’t mind. This didn’t need to be a complete squash. I’d like to see Rizzy compete in a more competitive match with someone who works his style. I think that could be fun. I’m a fan of Sullivan, and it’s not only because I went to school with him. I promise.)
Seventh Contest: Shayne Stetson vs. Ichiban: Stetson shoves Ichiban to the mat and taunts the crowd. Stetson takes some time to strut. Ichiban arm drags Stetson, but Stetson delivers a kick and strikes in the corner. Ichiban avoids Stetson in the corner and delivers a few arm drags. Stetson misses a strike and is met with a dropkick. Ichiban splashes Stetson in the corner and delivers several right hands in the corner. Ichiban nails Stetson with a thrust punch. Ichiban continues to work over Stetson with strikes, but Stetson drops Ichiban over the top rope. Stetson continues with a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Stetson stomps Ichiban on the mat and continues with strikes in the corner. Stetson delivers shoulder rams in the corner and nails Ichiban with a seated clothesline for a near fall. Stetson mounts Ichiban with right hands on the mat and taunts the crowd. Stetson continues with a neckbreaker for a near fall. Stetson forearms Ichiban and chokes Ichiban over the middle rope. Stetson continues with a forearm and elbows Ichiban coming off the ropes for a near fall. Stetson keeps a sleeper on Ichiban on the mat to maintain control of the match. Ichiban fights back with right hands before getting a rollup for a two count. Ichiban nails Stetson with a stunner to send Stetson into the corner. Stetson clotheslines Ichiban in the corner and delivers a running uppercut. Stetson continues with a running clothesline in the corner and a running discus lariat for a near fall.
Stetson tries for a piledriver, but Ichiban counters with a backdrop. Ichiban favors his lower back, but fires back with right hands. Stetson misses a clothesline and Ichiban head scissors Stetson to the floor. Ichiban slides to the floor and is met with a kick to the face. Stetson rolls Ichiban back into the ring and heads to the top rope. Stetson is stopped by a kick to the face and is slammed off the top to the mat. Ichiban and Stetson trade right hands in the middle of the ring. Ichiban staggers Stetson with right hands some more. Stetson misses Ichiban in the corner and Ichiban heads to the top rope after a forearm. Ichiban nails Stetson with an axe handle and a handspring elbow in the corner. Ichiban hits a missile dropkick and plays to the crowd. Ichiban misses Stetson and delivers a heel kick. Sebastian Braun has gotten on the apron to distract the referee. Ichiban comes over and confronts Braun. Stetson misses a sneak attack and Ichiban dropkicks Stetson into Braun. Ichiban leaps over the top to dive onto Braun and kicks Stetson from the apron. Ichiban leaps off the top and rolls through to deliver a superkick. Stetson responds with a superkick and tries for a middle rope cutter, but Ichiban counters with a backslide to win the match! (***. Stetson gives me The Miz vibes in the sense that he’s easy to hate. He carries himself very well as a heel. There were sequences here that showed that Stetson is a capable worker and his progression will be fun to see. Ichiban is one of the few guys on the show that has had experience in bigger independent companies such as MLW and Beyond Wrestling. Ichiban is fun to watch and this turned out to be an enjoyable match and easily match of the night to this point.) After the match, Stetson attacks Ichiban in the corner and Braun enters the ring to give a hand in the beating. Braun signals for a powerbomb, but instead… JAY FREDDIE returns from injury and makes the save. Freddie storms to the ring and cleans house. Freddie plants Braun with a tornado DDT. Freddie clotheslines Stetson a few times. Freddie backdrops Stetson and Ichiban clotheslines Stetson over the top to the floor. Ichiban and Freddie dropkick Braun to the floor and stand tall to end the segment. Freddie grabs a microphone and says that Stetson thinks he’s the new top dog in New York wrestling scene. Freddie is BACK!
Main Event: Slyck Wagner Brown vs. Mike Skyros: Skyros shoulder blocks Brown and plays to the crowd. Brown backs Skyros into a corner and sends Skyros into the corner, but Skyros does a handstand to kick Brown away and delivers a pump kick. Skyros chops Brown against the railing several times. Skyros rams Brown onto the apron face first, but Brown fights back with chops around ringside. Skyros continues to chop Brown before getting on the apron, but Brown gets Skyros on his shoulders and drops Skyros face first onto the ring steps. Brown grabs a drink and hits Skyros with a plastic water bottle. Brown rolls Skyros into the ring and continues to deliver stomps in the corner. Brown drags Skyros out for a near fall. Brown keeps a sleeper on Skyros, but doesn’t get a submission. Skyros fights free with strikes to the midsection and gets a rollup for a two count. Brown hits a flapjack for a two count. Brown keeps a neck vice on Skyros, but continues to not get a submission. Skyros gets to his feet and punches Brown, but Brown sends Skyros to the floor. Brown chops Skyros against the railing. Brown puts on a sunglasses from a young kid, who appears to cry thinking Slyck was stealing them. Brown returned the sunglasses. Skyros responds with chops around ringside, but Brown stops Skyros with a water bottle shot. Brown grabs a beer can and hits Skyros over the head before returning to the ring where Brown manages a two count on a cover.
Brown keeps Skyros on the mat with a sleeper. Skyros gets to his feet and strikes Brown a few times. Skyros elbows free from a fireman’s carry position. Skyros kicks Brown and runs the ropes to deliver a clothesline. Skyros elbows Brown and delivers a clothesline. Skyros plants Brown with a spinebuster for a near fall. Skyros rams Brown into the corner and continues with chops in the corner. Skyros sits Brown on the top turnbuckle and delivers a strike. Brown counters a hurricanrana attempt with a powerbomb off the middle rope for a two count. They trade a few strikes in the middle of the ring. Skyros chops Brown a few times, but Brown clotheslines Skyros to the floor. Skyros avoids a suicide dive with an uppercut. Skyros tries for a springboard DDT, but Brown tosses Skyros overhead with a suplex. Skyros side steps Brown to hit a back suplex. Skyros traps Brown the seatbelt rollup and picks up the win. (**. The finish felt a little bit abrupt as it didn’t feel like it got past the first gear, for the most part. I feel like the match is the old guard passing on to the new guard as Slyck had been one of “the guys” in the Syracuse area when 2CW was operating. Skyros is getting a chance to become the next guy and I’ll hold judgment on how well that goes until there’s been much more to see and form a proper opinion.)
Final Thoughts:
There’s not one standout match that would make me recommend this show. Ichiban/Stetson is the best match and it’s a solid match, and everything else is very much average. The wrestling is not bad, at all. There are a lot of young guys getting better each time out. Ichiban, Stetson, Freddie, Skyros, Black & Yellow, Nick Sullivan, Rizzy, Don Freeze and Pat Sawyer is not a bad crop to start off with for 1UP. I’ll give the show a mild thumbs up as nothing was a chore to get through and I felt like it was an entertaining time watching the show.
Their next show takes place April 20th in Fulton, NY and is next up to be reviewed. It was called High Score.
Thanks for reading.