When your show kicks off with Dalton McKenzie and Lord Crewe, you’re making a statement. Especially here in the Midwest.
With a curtain jerker that big, you’re telling the fans, “This show is going to kick your ass in the best possible way.”
The Outrunners Summer Party in Louisville delivered on that promise in every aspect. This was a monster show with one entertaining match after another.
And none of the wrestlers – indie, AEW, whatever – did it for the money.
This was about “Rebel” Tanea Brooks. This was about family.
Your hosts for the evening – Truth Magnum, Turbo Floyd, and Jamin Olivencia – called in favors from their wrestling fam to put on a fundraiser – not even for Rebel, but for ALS research. The star-studded evening delivered some big moments, huge pops, and crocodile tears.
Prior to the opener, co-MCs for the evening Marti Belle and Allysin Kay got everyone on their feet (which wasn’t hard; it was standing room only) to shout, “We love you Rebel!” over a live stream via Jamin Olivencia’s cell phone. It was the first of many shout outs sent back to the OVW/AEW star who has brought so much attention to ALS in recent months.
McKenzie and Crewe, who held nothing back in the opener, were followed by an eight man tag contest: Man Scout Jake Manning, Dan the Dad, Jeremiah Plunkett, and the Mad Tailor Xodiak faced off against Beef, Michael Kombat, Serpentico, and Garrett Borden.
Yep, Garrett Borden. Sting’s kid. Who looks like a star in the making.
This was my first time seeing the unmasked version of Xodiak, and the Mad Tailor gimmick suits him well. He was a last minute addition to the show, thanks to a phone call from Beef, and the match gave him several big moments to show off his comedic skills.
Dan the Dad got some laughs as well, and Jake Manning got a huge pop when he brought his infamous camping tent to the ring. But the moment belonged to the local boys. “Beef!” chants shook the walls of Headliners, and Michael Kombat (formerly Michael Hayes at OVW) drew a monster ovation after unveiling the prosthetic leg that had covertly taken out every member of the opposition.
TME and The Righteous delivered a fantastic tag match following the 8 man scuffle. Referee Dallas Edwards worked the tag contest, splitting duties on the night with AEW ref Stephon Smith. Smith wore his AEW shirt during the show, and several fans recognized him from his days at OVW as Rump Thump.
The first half of the show ended with a perfect pairing: Big Trouble Ben Bishop vs “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal. Escorted to the ring by Nixi XS, who would later wrestle Erica Leigh, Lethal was in full Machismo mode, taking the ring to the tune of “Pomp and Circumstance” while referring to Nixi XS as Scary Sherri.
Nixi didn’t stick around for long. Seeing Allysin Kay standing in the corner, Black Machismo did a double take, and went down to one knee: “Elizabet! Elizabet! Will you marry me?”
Nixi knocked Machismo down and powdered, letting Bishop take over.
Bishop, by the way is huge, and Black Machismo initially thought he was facing Andre the Giant. But when Bishop ripped open his red and yellow “Troublemania” shirt, Machismo lost it.
“I knew it! I knew you were Hogan!”
Entertaining to the last. And yeah… Bishop’s gonna be fun to watch.
Before taking the briefest of intermissions, Jamin Olivencia rolled tape on a WDRB news story by local anchor and wrestling promoter/announcer Gilbert Corsey. Corsey ran a story earlier this week about Tanea Brooks and her battle with ALS, including a powerful yet painful interview with Brooks. The conversations in the room died down quickly, and it was hard to hold back the tears during the segment.
A bitter reminder of why we were all assembled last night. There’s a reason Jamin, Truth, Turbo, Michael “Kombat” Hayes, Stephon Smith, Jay Lethal, and so many more were on this show. There’s a reason OVW legend Dean Hill dropped by. A reason why Berto (formerly OVW’s Mexecutioner) stood at the rail all night.
This was about family. This was for Rebel. This was about making sure future generations do not have to see their friends and loved ones suffer the same, horrible disease.
Former WWE star Viktor kicked off the second half of the show in a singles match against one of the biggest stars on the card: Dalton Castle. The veterans put just as much into their contest as anyone last night, and it was fun not only seeing Dalton so close, but seeing a familiar face among his minions at ringside.
Hello there, Brandon Wolfe.
Dallas Edwards refereed the singles match between Nixi XS and Erica Leigh. In the wake of his viral incident in the spring, Dallas is getting more and more attention across the wrestling world – and not simply because of his injury. Simple put, he’s one of the best referees in the business. He’s a damn fine wrestler too, and he knows how to bump. But the fans do not want to see it. When Nixi used Dallas as a human shield mid-match, the crowd nearly lost their minds.
“Don’t hit Dallas!!!” several screamed.
All through the night, Gilbert Corsey made appearances pushing a storyline that The Outrunners had not arrived for the show. Neither Truth nor Turbo had made an appearance all night, and their opponents, The Midnight Heat, made it clear they had done nothing to prevent them arriving – like cutting brake lines or draining gas tanks. It was all a gag, of course, and The Outrunners made one of the greatest entrances I’ve ever witnessed live, kicked off by the drum solo from Phil Collins’ masterpiece “In the Air Tonight.”
Scroll back through my blogs, and you’ll read a lot about the journey of The Outrunners. I was a fan of them from the first time I saw them at Davis Arena post-Covid. One look and you knew the artists formerly known as Shiloh Jonze and Randall Floyd had found something. They refined it over months and months at OVW. They turned babyface. They wore more chains, more fluorescent colors. They got bigger, swoler, and somehow… younger.
They are also teachers and locker room leaders. I hear countless stories from younger wrestlers of the times they’ve made appearances at training classes to help out and mentor. They will not tell you these things, but the younger wrestlers they’ve helped will.
There are many reasons The Outrunners struck gold with AEW/ROH – and it’s not just the in-ring stuff.
Of course, the in-ring stuff is as entertaining as it gets. And these are old school OVW boys, so you know, this match had so many false finishes, so many hope spots, so many, “Wait, it’s not over yet?” moments. It all culminated with an assist from Dalton Castle, with whom The Outrunners currently own the ROH 3-Man Tag Team Championships, and their signature move.
Seriously. They turned the beefy bicep handshake from the movie Predator into a finisher. “You son of a bitch!”
The Outrunners of course sent The Midnight Heat packing, and Truth Magnum took the mic ever so briefly to thank the fans for coming.
Then Turbo got the mic. Turbo not only thanked the fans but put Truth over. It was Truth, he said, who put the whole night together, who convinced everyone to do the show for Rebel. It was also Truth who gave him the life he has now as Turbo Floyd, as an Outrunner.
It was a great, full-circle moment for the two of them.
One last time, Jamin Olivencia recorded a “We love you, Rebel!” from the crowd. The party was over – at least at Headliners. Fans headed for the door. Some bound for the afterparty. Some, like me, bound for home and family.
An incredible night of wrestling in Louisville. This was truly about family. This was something special.
Throughout the night, fans were encouraged to scan a QR code on the main video screen and donate for ALS research. The fight isn’t over, and scientists believe a cure is in sight.
If you’d like to donate, go to iamals.com and please give what you can.