USA Pro presents All Hell Breaks Loose
Date: 1/11/2002
From: Queens, NY
The show starts off with the USA Pro Tag Team Champions Boogie Knights and Kid Kruel cutting a promo with their female manager. The microphone is awful and it is impossible to make out what they are saying. They have a cardboard cutout of Matt Striker and a trash bag along with a championship. They introduce a new member to their stable as being Chris Chetti. Chetti has grown a goatee to fit his gimmick of pointing at his face. USA Pro Heavyweight Champion Xavier and Da Hit Squad join the segment. Mack insults Drake for not being able to talk because of damaged jaw. Xavier doesn’t go to the ring to brawl because he has a title match tonight. Da Hit Squad get beaten down by the group until Little Guido comes out and brawls with Kid Kruel. Simon Diamond also gets in the ring to make the save. Da Hit Squad continue brawling on the floor and they head backstage.
Opening Contest: Simon Diamond vs. Chris Chetti: Chetti gains the early advantage with a wrist lock, but Diamond counters with a wrist lock. Chetti shoulder blocks Diamond, but Diamond arm drags Chetti a couple of times sending Chetti to the floor to regroup. They do a test of strength with Chetti getting the advantage for a moment. Diamond kicks Chetti into the corner and monkey flips Chetti for a two count. Chetti kicks Diamond into the corner and monkey flips Diamond for a two count. Diamond leg sweeps Chetti for a two count. Chetti gets a one count after taking Diamond down to the mat and they have a standoff. Chetti cheap shots Diamond after a brief embrace. Diamond strikes Chetti against the ropes and is grabbed by the woman at ringside. Chetti nails Diamond with a savant kick and taunts the fans before getting a two count. Chetti strikes Diamond a few times and delivers a snap suplex before hitting a leg drop for a near fall. Chetti sends Diamond to the floor. Chetti strikes Diamond against the railing and sends Diamond back first into the railing. Chetti rams Diamond into the guard railing chest first followed by a chop. Diamond sends Chetti into the railing. Chetti stops Diamond with a low blow. Chetti rolls Diamond into the ring and delivers a few strikes. Chetti boots Diamond and misses a clothesline. Diamond sends Chetti into the corner chest first. Chetti kicks Diamond several times followed by a heel kick. Chetti covers Diamond for a two count.
Chetti snapmares Diamond and keeps control on the mat. Diamond strikes Chetti and hits a sit out powerbomb. Diamond strikes Chetti several times. Diamond clotheslines Chetti followed by a snap suplex. Diamond delivers a few rolling suplexs and a front suplex for a two count. Diamond sends Chetti into the ropes and they collide on stereo clothesline attempts. Chetti nails Diamond with a championship and the referee calls for a disqualification to end the match. (*. I’m not sure what I expected to see here, but there wasn’t much going on here. I was a surprised they’d do a DQ finish as that’s a bit of a lame way to end a match between two ECW wrestlers.)
The Masked Maniac comes out and says he has an announcement. It’s the ticket seller match. I’m not going to bother reviewing the ticket seller battle royal.
Second Contest: Iceberg vs. Prince Nana vs. Chris Divine vs. Damian Dragon vs. Tim Arson vs. Wayne in an elimination match for the vacant USA Pro New York State Championship: Iceberg got a massive pop from the crowd, and I’ve never heard of him prior to this appearance. At least I don’t recall ever seeing him compete. Iceberg and Divine kickoff the match. Divine takes Iceberg down to the mat and keeps control with a front face lock. Iceberg counters with a hammerlock, but Divine elbows free and gains control with a waist lock. Iceberg kicks Divine away and Divine hip tosses Iceberg followed by a dropkick. They have a standoff. Divine shakes hands with Iceberg and tags out to Wayne. Wayne attacks Iceberg, but Iceberg forearm smashes Wayne and delivers chops in the corner. Iceberg nails Wayne with a middle rope back elbow. Iceberg missile dropkicks Wayne and plays to the crowd. Iceberg tries for a crossbody, but is dumped to the apron. Arson hits a TKO on Iceberg and Wayne pins Iceberg for the first elimination. That seems like a massive mistake.
Nana chops Wayne and hits a belly to belly suplex driver for a three count and eliminate Wayne. Divine and Arson trade strikes with Arson gaining the advantage and clotheslines Divine. Arson scoop slams Divine and delivers a splash for a near fall. Divine takes Arson over with a hurricanrana and stomps Arson on the mat. Divine dropkicks Arson coming off the ropes for a near fall. Arson low blows Divine and delivers a forearm smash to the chest. Arson tosses Divine with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Arson hits a top rope moonsault, but can’t followup with a cover attempt. Divine hits a tilt a whirl side Russian leg sweep to pin Arson for another elimination.
Dragon works over Divine in the corner with stomps and hits a slingshot senton splash. Divine stops Dragon with a dragon screw leg whip. Divine puts a half Boston Crab on Dragon, but doesn’t get a submission. Dragon victory rolls Divine for a near fall. Dragon sends Divine into the corner and they mess up a kick. Dragon counters a victory roll and puts his feet on the ropes to eliminate Divine.
Nana works over Dragon with strikes and stomps on the mat. Nana misses a back splash. Dragon nails Nana with a kick to the head a couple of times. Dragon covers for a two count. Nana spikes Dragon with a lifting DDT for a two count. Nana is given a chair, but the chair is kicked into his face by Dragon. Nana ducks a heel kick and ends up getting powder into his eyes. Dragon hits a Slice Bread out of the corner for the win to win the title. (*1/2. I’m glad the eliminations were quick and they didn’t prolong the match. Iceberg seems to be quite popular with the crowd and his elimination deflated the crowd it felt like.) After the match, Dragon cuts a promo insulting the crowd from what I can understand.
Third Contest: Homicide vs. Low Ki: Ki backs Homicide into the corner and takes Homicide down to the mat while remaining in a lockup. Homicide forearms Ki and delivers a big boot, but Ki gets up and boots Homicide to the floor. Homicide goes over the railing into the crowd. They trade a few holds on the mat with Homicide getting control with a waist lock, but Ki counters and kicks Homicide on the chest and in the head. Ki chops Homicide in the corner and delivers a handspring kick to drop Homicide. Ki elbow drops Homicide and gets a two count. Ki puts a dragon sleeper on Homicide, but Homicide reaches the ropes. Ki keeps a headlock on Homicide to maintain control of the bout. Ki shoulder blocks Homicide, but is tripped to the mat and Homicide puts an STF on Ki. Ki manages to reach the ropes. Homicide chops Ki in the corner followed by forearms. Homicide puts an STF on Ki in the ropes. They fall to the ropes where Homicide finally lets go of the hold. Homicide sends Ki into the guard railing. Homicide tries for a dive to the floor, but Ki kicks Homicide. Ki tries for a suicide dive, but misses and crashes to the floor. Homicide scoop slams Ki and they trade strikes on the floor with Ki knocking Homicide down on the ground. Ki returns to the ring and successfully hits a suicide dive onto Homicide! Ki rolls Homicide into the ring for a two count. Ki chops Homicide in the corner and Homicide responds with a forearm strike. Ki locks in a dragon sleeper, but Homicide doesn’t submit. Homicide takes Ki down to the mat and keeps leg control.
Ki counters with a body scissors and strikes Homicide on the mat. Homicide gets up and Ki locks in a sleeper on the mat. Ki switches to a dragon sleeper, but Homicide gets to the corner. Homicide drops Ki throat first over the top rope. Homicide forearms Ki off the apron into the railing. Homicide takes Ki out with a somersault suicide dive! Homicide covers for a two count. Homicide fakes a crossbody and double stomps Ki from the middle rope. Homicide sends Ki into the corner, but runs into a boot. Ki heads to the top rope hitting an elbow drop for a two count. Ki chops Homicide in the corner and delivers a somersault kick in the corner. Ki sits Homicide on the top turnbuckle and delivers a few strikes. Ki tries for a hurricanrana, but Homicide suplexs Ki. Homicide tries for a cover, but Ki kicks out at two. Ki somersault kicks Homicide coming off the middle rope and both men are down. Ki tries for a Ki Krusher, but isn’t able to. Homicide spikes Ki with the Cop Killa! Homicide tries for a cover, but Ki kicks out at two. Homicide clotheslines Ki and does it again from behind. Homicide hits a third clothesline coming off the ropes for a near fall. Homicide tries for another Cop Killa, but Ki counters with a dragon sleeper and plants Homicide with the Ki Krusher! Ki covers, but Homicide kicks out at two. Ki locks in another dragon sleeper, but Homicide breaks free only for Ki to lock in an STF. Ki switches to another dragon sleeper and Homicide is forced to submit. (****. That was obviously great and the best thing on the show to this point. They did some fantastic spots and the match flew by. I haven’t seen Homicide hit the Cop Killa in this manner in a long time. It looked deadly.)
Fourth Contest: The Masked Maniac vs. Ken Sweeney: Maniac hits Sweeney with a chair as soon as he comes through the curtain and delivers a clothesline on the floor. Maniac slams Sweeney on the floor after sending Sweeney into the ring post face first. Maniac hits Sweeney with a kendo stick and tosses Sweeney into the railing. Maniac kicks Sweeney out of chair on the floor. Maniac pulls down someone’s pants at ringside and hits him on the butt with a chair. Maniac dangerously drops Sweeney on his head for a two count. Sweeney slams Maniac and hits a middle rope leg drop. Sweeney delivers another middle rope leg drop. Sweeney climbs the ropes and there’s music playing. Balls Mahoney appears and shoves Sweeney off the ropes. Maniac slams Sweeney and stomps Sweeney for the win. After the match, Sweeney low blows Mahoney. Sweeney cuts some of Mahoney’s hair. Mahoney responds with a superkick to Sweeney. Mahoney destroys Sweeney with a chair shot. Mahoney puts Sweeney on the ropes, but someone comes out and begs Mahoney to stop. Mahoney does stop and instead hits the Nutcracker Suite on the woman. (DUD. The match was dumb. Mahoney got a good pop for attacking the woman.)
Fifth Contest: USA Pro United States Champion Little Guido vs. Kid Kruel: Kruel stomps Guido on the mat several times to gain the advantage. Guido runs the ropes, but Kruel avoids an Un-Prettier. Guido leg drops Kruel on the groin followed by a dropkick. Guido is tripped from the floor, but avoids an elbow drop. Guido catches Kruel in an arm bar coming off the top rope. Guido fireman carries Kruel and gets a cradle for a two count. Kruel powerbombs Guido and puts a leg lock on Guido. They go to the floor where Kruel strikes Guido. Kruel sends Guido into the railing. Kruel strikes Guido several times on the floor. Kruel rams Guido onto the apron chest first. Gudio drops Kruel chest first onto the floor to avoid a head scissors. Guido hits Kruel with a weapon handed to him by a fan. Guido tries for a cover, but Kruel kicks out. Kruel takes Guido down to the mat and locks in an arm bar, but Guido reaches the ropes. Kruel sends Guido through the ropes to the floor. Kruel slams Guido and hits a middle rope moonsault for a near fall. Kruel eye rakes Guido and delivers a punch followed by a side slam. Kruel heads to the top rope hitting an elbow drop for a near fall. Kruel sits Guido on the top turnbuckle and hits a hurricanrana for a near fall. Kruel sends Guido into the corner, but is met with a boot. Guido hits a middle rope leg drop over Kruel’s head for a near fall. Guido leaps off the middle rope to dropkick Kruel for a near fall. There’s a catfight at this point. Guido drops security with a cutter. Kruel kicks Guido and gets a near fall. Guido hits a middle rope side Russian leg sweep for a near fall. They trade strikes with Guido managing to hit an Un-Prettier for the win. (*1/2. A mostly bland match between these two. I kind of thought Kruel would win considering his focus earlier in the show.)
Sixth Contest: The Solution (Papadon & Havok) vs. Rednecks From Hell (Big Jay & Matt Lariat): All four men are in the ring trading strikes until the Solution deliver elbows. Papadon is decked by a clothesline from Lariat. Papadon fights back with strikes and a snap suplex for a two count. Havok headbutts Lariat in the ribs and delivers a splash in the corner. Havok hits an overhead suplex for a two count. Havok strikes Lariat against the ropes and is met with a Hart Attack clothesline by Jay off the middle rope. Jay strikes Havok in the corner, and avoids a splash in the corner. Lariat and Jay splash Havok in the corner followed by running knee strikes. Jay is caught and slammed by Havok. Solution hit a powerbomb/blockbuster combo on Jay to win the match.
Apparently this is a gauntlet match as two other guys come out and continue the match. However, the match isn’t advertised on the DVD or Cagematch so I have no idea who they are. Havok gets pinned after a top rope hurricanrana. Whomever the team is they retained the ACW Tag Team Championships. (*. I don’t know what I just watched honestly.)
Seventh Contest: The Sandman vs. Tony DeVito: DeVito attacks Sandman before the bell with strikes and taunts Sandman while talking into a microphone. DeVito stomps Sandman and calls him a drunk. Sandman responds with a knee lift and rams DeVito to the mat. Sandman drop toe holds DeVito and plays to the crowd. Sandman hits DeVito with a kendo stick shot. Sandman plays to the crowd and hits DeVito a second time. Sandman slides a ladder into the ring. Sandman lays the ladder over the ropes and suplexs DeVito onto the ladder. Sandman slams DeVito and lays the ladder onto DeVito. Sandman leaps off the top to hit a swanton bomb to pin DeVito for the win. (1/2*. Well, I was not expecting a squash for Sandman here. I thought there would be more substance to the match.)
Eighth Contest: USA Pro Tag Team Champions The Boogie Knights (Drake & Tobin) vs. Da Hit Squad (Maff & Mack) in an anything goes match: Knights attack the Squad as soon as the bell sounds, but the Squad fight back and send the champions to the floor. Maff delivers a kendo stick shot to Drake’s back. Tobin springboard senton splashes Mack. Tobin misses a springboard leg drop attempt. Mack puts a gorilla mask on and hits a top rope diving headbutt onto Tobin. Maff hits Drake over the back with a keyboard. Maff hits Tobin over the head with a bag of powder. Tobin is slammed to the mat gut first. Squad hit a wheelbarrow suplex/clothesline combo. Drake missile dropkicks the Squad to gain some momentum. Mack hits Tobin with a fake leg. Maff hits Drake with rubber chickens. Drake hits Mack with the fake leg. Tobin nails Mack with a Nintendo from the apron. Drake elbow drops Maff from the top rope. Maff nails Drake with a weapon from the apron. Drake puts a figure four on Maff in the middle of the ring. Mack nails Drake with a middle rope frog splash. Maff grabs Drake, but the woman gets on the apron and shows her bra to Maff to cause a distraction. She rubs Maff’s face in her breasts. Maff is met with a double superkick and is pinned. (*. Well, there was a few weapon shots but I wouldn’t consider this some kind of crazy hardcore match as the match graphics suggested. I certainly expected a lot more out of this.)
Ninth Contest: USA Pro Heavyweight Champion Xavier vs. Balls Mahoney in a last man standing match: Mahoney starts off with jabs and strikes Xavier to the mat. Mahoney bites Xavier’s forehead in the corner, but Xavier responds with chops. Mahoney delivers a few more chops. Mahoney splashes Xavier in the corner. Mahoney misses a chair shot and Xavier bails to the floor. Xavier shoulder rams Mahoney from the apron and nails Mahoney with a kick to the head sending Mahoney to the floor. Xavier tries for a slingshot crossbody, but is dropped over the railing chest first. Mahoney slides a table into the ring and jabs Xavier to the mat. Mahoney decks Xavier with a clothesline. Mahoney strikes Xavier in the corner a few times. Xavier sends Mahoney into the corner and Mahoney crashes through the table. Xavier slams the broken table onto Mahoney followed by stomps. Xavier overhand strikes Mahoney on the mat and dropkicks a chair into Mahoney’s face. Xavier kicks Mahoney and delivers a running forearm smash. Mahoney is busted open by this point. Xavier overhead tosses Mahoney and taunts the fans. Xavier strikes Mahoney against the ropes and tries for a pump handle suplex, but Mahoney breaks free and superkicks Xavier. Xavier kicks Mahoney into the railing and leaps off the top to dive onto Mahoney followed by strikes on the floor. Xavier goes under the ring to grab something, but Mahoney jabs Xavier with a stick and whacks Xavier against the railing. Mahoney hits Xavier over the groin with the stick.
Xavier smashes Mahoney with a chair shot, but Mahoney gets a second wind. Mahoney whacks Xavier with a chair shot. Mahoney delivers another chair shot to knock Xavier down again. Xavier gets up at eight and ducks a chair shot to dropkick the chair into Mahoney in the corner. Xavier strikes Mahoney in the corner and delivers a DDT onto the chair. Xavier heads to the top rope hitting a 450 splash. Mahoney low blows Xavier and hits a middle rope Nutcracker Suite. Mahoney answers the ten count, but Xavier fails to get up. Mahoney wins the title. (*1/2. The finish was good, but this wasn’t the kind of Last Man Standing match you’d expect with more violence. It was a tame match with some basic weapon shots, but nothing too crazy. There wasn’t the one major hardcore spot to get to the finish. The crowd didn’t erupt for the title change either, so I don’t know how much they wanted Mahoney to win the gold.)
Main Event: Eddie Guerrero vs. Devon Storm: Storm backs Guerrero into a corner, but the referee gets a clean break. Guerrero controls Storm with a hammerlock and switches to a wrist lock. Guerrero arm drags Storm and keeps a head scissors on the mat. Storm switches to a leg lock and gets an arm bar on Guerrero. Guerrero arm drags Storm and keeps wrist control. Storm kips up and slams Guerrero overhead causing Guerrero to roll to the floor. Guerrero takes Storm to the mat and keeps control with a front face lock, but Storm quickly counters. Storm and Guerrero trade holds until Storm scoop slams Guerrero and is kicked to the floor. Guerrero takes Storm down with a side headlock, but Guerrero shoulder blocks Storm to the mat. Guerrero keeps Storm on the mat with a headlock. Storm breaks free, but Guerrero regains headlock control quickly. Guerrero elbows Storm in the corner and keeps Storm on the mat with a head scissors. Storm counters out and knee strikes Guerrero a couple of times and puts a bow and arrow on Guerrero for a moment. Guerrero breaks free for a two count. They shake hands, but Storm shoves Guerrero. Guerrero shoves back and blocks a kick. Guerrero runs into a knee in the corner. Storm head scissors Guerrero out of the corner. Storm springboard heel kicks Guerrero for a near fall. Storm forearms Guerrero followed by a headbutt. Guerrero head scissors Storm to the mat. Guerrero drop toe holds Storm to the floor. Guerrero dives over the ropes to take out Storm. Guerrero strikes Storm against the railing. Guerrero grabs Crowbar’s female manager, but is met with a baseball slide.
Storm scoop slams Guerrero on the floor and leaps off the apron to splash Guerrero on the floor. Storm suplexs Guerrero into the ring from the apron for a near fall. Storm snapmares Guerrero and delivers a kick to the back. Storm drives Guerrero down with a neckbreaker for a near fall. Storm kisses his manager and is nearly pinned by Guerrero. Storm stops Guerrero’s momentum with a clothesline. Storm slams Guerrero to the mat gut first and continues with a strike. Storm powerbombs Guerrero leading to a near fall. Storm chokes Guerrero over the middle rope until the referee pulls him off. Storm slingshots Guerrero off the ropes and leg drops Guerrero on the lower midsection. Guerrero hits a side suplex and heads to the top rope. Guerrero is stopped by Storm with a strike and headbutt. Storm kicks Guerrero and hits a superplex. Storm climbs to the top rope hitting a split legged moonsault for a near fall. Storm slingshot splashes Guerrero followed by a springboard moonsault for a near fall.
Guerrero strikes Storm against the ropes and delivers a heel kick as Storm ran the ropes. Guerrero stomps Storm on the mat several times. Guerrero boot scrapes Storm, but Storm responds with a jawbreaker. Storm puts a surfboard on Guerrero, but doesn’t get a submission. Guerrero breaks free with an eye poke. Storm crotches Guerrero on the top rope and forearms Guerrero over the back. Storm tries for a back suplex, but Guerrero counters and lands on top. Guerrero kicks Storm and tries for a springboard hurricanrana, but Storm falls down. Guerrero delivers a slingshot senton from the apron. Guerrero stands on Storm’s hair and pulls Storm’s arms. Guerrero hits a bridging suplex for a near fall. Guerrero spikes Storm with a brainbuster. Guerrero is crotched on the top rope and the female manager hits a tornado DDT. Guerrero delivers a back suplex to the woman followed by a senton splash from the apron. Storm plants Guerrero with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Storm plants Guerrero with a front suplex for a near fall. Storm continues with a reverse DDT for a near fall. Storm grabs a chair and sits Guerrero on the top turnbuckle. Guerrero shoves Storm off to avoid a hurricanrana. Guerrero delivers a tornado DDT onto the chair. Guerrero heads to the top rope and hits the frog splash to pin Storm for the win. (***. A solid match in front of a burnt out crowd since the USA Pro shows tend to take forever. Watching Guerrero on the indies is a memorable experience especially knowing that in a short time later he’s main eventing WrestleMania.)
Final Thoughts:
This show is basically a two match event with Ki/Homicide being the match of the night with Guerrero/Storm having a quality main event. However, they don’t bring this to a recommendation level. If you can get Ki/Homicide on its own then check that out and if you want to watch Eddie’s run on the indies it’s worthwhile but the complete event is skippable.
Thanks for reading.