Something special is happening in the Louisville wrestling community. Everyone’s smiling. Everyone’s supporting one another. Everyone’s enjoying some phenomenal wrestling.
And by everyone, I don’t just mean the fans and friends of Bryan Kennison and Stevie J, co-founders of Powerbomb Wrestling. Grindhouse owner/promoter 2 Tuff Tony was in the crowd with his family. And Girl Fight owner/promoter Billie Starkz wrestled the semi-main event. Everyone in attendance – at least everyone with a seat – found a flyer for her upcoming Pajamas and Piledrivers show November 25. The return of Midnight Girl Fight is nigh!
There were even a few OVW folks present at yesterday – and not just the former wrestlers who worked on the card. It’s a far cry from the days not too long ago when local promoters were ripping down flyers and calling the Clark County Health Department on one another.
I was thrilled to see a standing room only for the third Powerbomb event – and even more thrilled by the seating available. Seriously, guys, comfortable seats at a wrestling show? It’s such a great idea!
And then the action started. With an all-DQ match between Jack Vaughn and Carson Drake.
The all-DQ match was an idea Bryan and Stevie had to wait until they were out on their own to try. As the name suggests, anything physical action toward your opponent will get you disqualified. So how does one win such a match? Carson Drake did his best to goad Jack Vaughn into striking first, but it was Carson who touched Jack – when Jack’s tag team partner Dalton McKenzie pushed Carson into Jack. An easy pay day for two guys who, frankly, deserve it.
Well, Jack does anyway.
Dalton McKenzie had to work a bit harder in the second contest for a win. His dance partners in the four-way included Grindhouse trainees OG Ugly and Ethan Heyre, along with the very entertaining Ray Bruce. I’ve been watching Heyre since his first year in the business, and Ugly since the day he started training. To see how far they’ve come, how much they look like they belong, it truly remarkable. Proof positive Grindhouse is only just beginning to churn out great talent.
But it was McKenzie who got the win – and frankly, looked like he could be a break out star for a major promotion in the coming years.
Powerboat favorite Sam Beale – imagine the Duff Man in wrestling trunks – had to fight for his career against David Barnabas Spector and The Outbreak. Beale, who draws power from beer the way Popeye does with spinach, came out on top, but Spector assured the crowd The Outbreak would return. Good thing, too. As I’ve said many times before, The Outbreak is the most original act I’ve ever seen in indie wrestling, one that even non wrestling fans (who love zombies) could easily fall in love with.
The first hour ended with a battle for Sean Ross Sapp’s credit card between Anna Ray and Alexis Littlefoot. It was one of three matches to include ladies, demonstrating the commitment Kennison and Stevie J have to promoting women’s wrestling on equal footing with the men. Littlefoot got the win and opened a tab at the bar on Sapp’s card, just in time for intermission.
The second half of the show was one frenetic match after another, beginning with a mixed gender tag match stolen by “The Spark” Jada Stone. Once a fan favorite at OVW, Jada’s seen the world, become WWE star Bayley’s favorite wrestler, and continued to build an arsenal of physical moves that make her one of the most exciting performers in all of wrestling. Stone and partner Camryn Avery got a win over Connor Knox and Ava Brooks.
In the sixth match former OVW star Orion faced off with Rich Swann, a last minute replacement for TNA star Trey Miguel. Fast paced and high flying, this was the first contest of the day to receive “Holy shit!” and “This is awesome!” chants. Deservedly so. Seeing Orion, who started his Louisville career as the masked Blanco Loco, go toe-to-toe with Rich Swann was nothing short of awesome. Orion proved he belonged in the ring with one of the very best. Swann did the honors, then raised Orion’s hand in victory while fans gave both men a standing ovation.
The hometown girl Billie Starkz wrestled Dani Mo in the semi-main event, pitting the two best smiles in all of wrestling against one another. I’ve never seen Dani or Billie have a bad match, and the crowd was split cheering for both ladies. Billie didn’t seem to mind hearing her hometown chant for Dani – though she did give the Dani fans some snarky faces when she went on the offensive. Billie got the win, but once again, the fans showed their appreciation for both wrestlers.
Tyler Breeze didn’t get the babyface reception of Swann and Dani Mo – but he wasn’t looking for it. The Lance Storm trainee and former NXT standout smirked and sneered and talked trash with the fans through out his match with Louisville’s own “Big Beef” Gnarls Garvin. The main event was truly Beauty and the Beast – or rather, Beauty and the Beef, a heavyweight slog fest in which Beef proved he belonged alongside a man who’s been to the top of the business.
It looked like Breeze was going to get the win. Beef had him dead to rights, but referee Dallas Edwards was on the mat, knocked out by a Tyler Breeze super kick. After knocking Breeze flat on his back, Beef had to revive Edwards, giving Breeze time to recover. But after attacking Beef from behind, all Breeze could manage was a two count. Beef made his comeback and got the win.
It was almost too much, seeing Dallas take a shot to the head less than a year after the OVW incident. His girlfriend, Mercy Keller, certainly didn’t enjoy it. But Breeze is a pro and took care of the ref, who took the bump knowing he could give everyone in the crowd a good scare.
I mean, it was a Halloween show!
Mad props to Bryan Kennison and Stevie J on the event. The boys are clearly having fun creating dream matches and using gimmicks they were told would never work. And it’s awesome to see such a great community of fans and other promotions coming together.
And shout out to A’s Tees for making a $13 Powerbomb shirt available! That’s a fan-friendly price for sure.
Can’t wait to see what Powerbomb delivers next. And I’m very excited for the next big event on the local calendar. Midnight Girl Fight? Seriously, there’s nothing like it.