The big day is finally here. Will give live updates for as long as my wonky phone battery permits. 

Arrived early to potentially take advantage of a merchandise markdown. Never did get my NWA merch due to their Shop page being a mess. So I was hoping the NWA would have a merch table set up. They did not. And I came up empty on Aldis gear when digging through the boxes of ROH stuff. Meaning it was a complete waste of time to get here 3 hours early.

I promptly escaped before being stuck there for the rest of the day. No reentry policies seem to be a big thing nowadays. Do not approve! It was certainly not the case 10 years ago. People were always filtering in and out of buildings at wrestling shows, concerts, etc.

There were not a lot of people taking advantage of the merchandise markdown. Less than 100 for sure. The vast majority of them were wearing some sort of ROH gear. A few people were repping New Japan. One guy was wearing an awesome Ric Flair shirt. No NWA representation though. How sad.

Ian Whatshisname and Caprice Coleman came out of the building to chat with fans and film a spot. They ended up focusing on an elderly woman who looked to be around 80 years old. They were interviewing her ("YOU'RE a wrestling fan!?!") when I left. 

I'm really only here for Aldis. Though it will also be cool to see PCO. One tag match and the Battle Royal could be fun as well. Hoping another NWA act or two shows up. Maybe in the Battle Royal? Also wondering if I will run into any of my old wrestling fan friends.

Chilling at a nearby library now. Then I'll grab a bite to eat. Then it's back to the show. Expect the next update in approximately an hour and a half.

Master and Machine beat SOS in the dark match. Never seen or heard of either team before. SOS are reminiscent of the Usos in appearance. Lol at ref Todd Sinclair and cameraman “Gator” getting Titantron videos. Show proper starts in minutes.

Mark Haskins made Alex Shelley tap to the Sharpshooter in a good match. Shelley still has it.

Feb 9, 2020 20:20:39 GMT Baker said:

Shelley still has it.

I know wrestling takes it's toll on you, but this one wounds me deep since he's only like 6 months my senior. :woot:

Vincent, Bateman, and Friends are the Dollar Tree Wyatt Family. They beat Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry in a face vs heel tag match highlighted by Castle & Hendry doing some cool strong man spots.

The fan sitting behind compared Dalton Castle to The Ultimate Warrior....TWICE! I’m not seeing it.

Guy behind me also loves Flip Gordon.

Flip beats Slex with a curb stomp

Snuck down closer to the ring. I’ll end up at ringside before the show is over. Shane Taylor and (I think) SOS jumped Slex. Taylor then cut a promo.

Alex Zayn beat Andrew Everett in a battle between high flyers.

Some guy just walked by wearing an XFL hat. I’ve also seen multiple BWO shirts here in the year 2020.

Briscoes beat Bandido & Flamita in a wild match with multiple “This Is Awesome” chants. Crowd was like 5x hotter for this than anything else so far.

Intermission time. Bullet Club shirts still outnumber everything else by a wide margin.

Crowbar is in this Battle Royal. I can only assume it is THE Crowbar. The Bouncers legit got one of the biggest pops of any entrant. The Blue Meanie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gangrel!!! Biggest pop yet.

#reformthebrood

Bully Ray getting nuclear heel heat in 2020. Absolute legend.

Let’s go Silas! Final 4. Take it home, champ.

Epic swerve. Flip Gordon went undercover as Dragon Lee. He unmasked at the end to win the Battle Royal over Kenny King, who employed a shady Jerry Lawler style strategy of his own.

Session Moth Martina vs Sumie Sakai is the first dud of the night. Dead crowd. Lots of comedy that didn’t hit the mark. And a hilarious amount of “epic” nearfalls for a comedy match. Highlight was the dad in front of me covering his son’s eyes while Martina was doing the world’s longest Bronco Buster. Martina picked up the win in her debut.

Jeff Cobb looks like Rhino and Jonathan Gresham has a cool mask.

Maff and Cobb beat Lethal & Gresham in a match that never really got out of first gear. Crowd popped for the finish but they’ve mostly been dead since the Battle Royal.

Just walked by one of the Briscoes on my way out of the bathroom. This show is starting to drag. Wish they would just skip this next match of Rey Horus vs Brody King.

Brody King vs. Rey Horus was a pretty fun glorified squash with Brody going over. Crowd is still pretty dead though.

The Champ Is Here!

Feb 9, 2020 23:21:26 GMT Baker said:

The Champ Is Here!

Someone call Jeff, Cena has changed the game.

Main event has heat. PCO just crashed and burned

PCO pinned Aldis with a moonsault after that jerk Rush walked out on The Champ. Sadly no Crockett Cup announcement.

Feb 9, 2020 23:46:43 GMT Baker said:

PCO pinned Aldis with a moonsault after that jerk Rush walked out on The Champ. Sadly no Crockett Cup announcement.

Feb 9, 2020 20:22:09 GMT @ness said:

Feb 9, 2020 20:20:39 GMT Baker said:

Shelley still has it.

I know wrestling takes it's toll on you, but this one wounds me deep since he's only like 6 months my senior.

Pfft. Pretty sure I'm older than every non-Battle Royal participant on this show other than PCO & Maff. 

Doesn't Shelley have a long history of injury issues? And didn't he actually retire a year or two back? Could have swore I read that at some point. Anyway, that's where the "he's still got it" stuff came from. 

Feb 9, 2020 23:27:58 GMT @ness said:

Feb 9, 2020 23:21:26 GMT Baker said:

The Champ Is Here!

Someone call Jeff, Cena has changed the game.

Now, now. If I'm referring to The Champ in a modern wrestling context it can only mean Nick Aldis. Let that be a lesson to you all. Other wrestlers may be "the champ." But only Slick Nick is The Champ. Or sometimes THE Champ (or some similar variation) if I'm feeling froggy.

*Was going to write a more in depth show report. But now I'm tired. So maybe tomorrow if I'm in the mood and/or anybody is interested.