This show features a host of intergender matches, which really could go either way. The show also started at midnight local time so the attendance is sparse. Having been part of a midnight Mania weekend show crowd, I can safely say that they will at least be nicely drunk.
Matt Riddle vs Deonna Purrazzo
This is Riddle's third match of the day, and his previous two matches were against Suzuki and Sabre Jr. They have a pretty good straight up wrestling match here, with Purrazzo getting the better of it. In the end, Riddle hits a powerbomb and a big knee to pick up the win. Riddle looks at the camera and says 'I had to. She was beating my ass'. Good stuff. ***
After the match, Riddle is attacked by James Ellsworth. Ellsworth tries to cut a promo but Riddle gets back up. Ellsworth runs for cover and Riddle tells him that he fucked up, bro.
Team PAWG vs LAX
It's good to see LuFisto in the ring given her battles with cervical cancer. This match was a bit rougher than the first, partially due to some minor misjudgments. It was still decent for a post-midnight match though. Team PAWG picked up the win. **1/2
Davienne vs Josh Briggs
This was a fun, hard-hitting sprint between two people I know very little about. They impressed me a bit though. **1/2
Doom Patrol vs Twisted Sisterz
This was a fun match, albeit one that was held back a bit by slight miscommunication. It got given a decent amount of time and Thunder Rosa looked really good. ***
Karen Q vs Jonathan Gresham
This was an excellent exhibition of chain wrestling. I don't know a great deal about Karen Q but she impressed me a lot here. If Gresham was a bit bigger he would be getting booked everywhere cuz the man is incredible. Really good stuff. ***3/4
Joey Ryan & Laura James vs Rumblerees
This was bad in many ways. *
Powerbomb.tv Independent Title - Kimber Lee vs Tracy Williams
Lee is back from not being used in NXT. She was impressive here, and the match was good fun. They teased a title switch but in the end Williams won with a crossface. A well worked match. ***1/2
Mia Yim vs Tessa Blanchard vs MJF vs Wheeler Yuta
MJF is being a tremendous prick at the start of this, running down everyone and insinuating that Blanchard's real dad is Ric Flair. This was a fun cluster, with Blanchard continuing to look good and MJF showing great upside too. ***
Jimmy Havoc vs Jessicka Havok
This didn't work. Jimmy's style doesn't work if he is holding back, and I've never really been enamoured with Jessicka. **
Joey Janela & Penelope Ford vs Session Moth Martina & Orange Cassidy
This was all of the craziness. Janela looked bewildered that he was the third most insane thing in this match. It featured the greatest hot tag of all time though. There was no real match to be found but it was a laugh. **1/2
Timothy Thatcher vs Toni Storm
During the course of this day Thatcher faced Toni Storm, Sawa & Sekimoto, and Nick Fucking Gage. It's been a random day for him. The way they structured this match, with Toni Storm playing the never say die babyface and Thatcher looking annoyed that he hadn't won already, was the right way to go. Storm managed to catch Thatcher in an armbar and he was forced to tap. Good main event. ***1/2
Overall Grade - C+
This was another show that it was hard to give an accurate rating for. It was a bold experiment and it mostly paid off. The quality varied wildly, and the show ran too long considering how late it started, but there was enough good here to make it worthwhile.
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