Having forked out a lot of money on a range of different\nshows on Fite, I felt it only good and honourable to review the very first show\nof the weekend \u2013 WrestlePro\u2019s \u2018Does Funny = Money?\u2019. As I\u2019m not the most\nvoracious of indy wrestling fans, I changed up my review style for these shows \u2013\nmy own knowledge of the competitors will come alongside the match and my\nverdict. I look forward to some people working their way onto my radar this\nweekend, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bobby Wayward versus\nKikutaro<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>I\u2019ve\nalways enjoyed a Kikutaro match; I\u2019ve never seen Bobby Wayward but apparently\nhe is a stalwart of WrestlePro according to the commentary team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match: <\/strong>Wayward played straight man to Kikutaro\u2019s fool against a backdrop of mostly silence during the opening exchanges, though Wayward did draw a few chants from the WrestlePro fans telling him he sucked. The crowd did pop for Kikutaro sending the referee into Wayward following two failed corner charges of his own, whilst the referee also ended up on the receiving end of a misguided low blow from Kikutaro. The ref not only then crumpled on an attempted count from a Fisherman Suplex by Wayward, but caught Wayward with a clothesline and a DDT following some manoeuvring by Kikutaro. This ultimately cost Wayward as Kikutaro won with the Shining Wizard<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>It got\nbetter as the match went on, but by-the-numbers Kikutaro for the most part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dan Lambert, the founder of American Top Team, came out to\nthe ring joined by Colby Covington and John Hartnett. The focus is Hartnett\u2019s\nOpen Challenge, though Lambert decided to cancel it after running down all\nmodern wrestling, including WrestlePro. As the trio headed to leave, Scarlett\nBordeaux came out to seemingly answer the challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Hartnett\u2019s Open\nChallenge \u2013 versus Scarlett Bordeaux<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know:<\/strong> I\nknow pretty much nothing about either of these, except that Bordeaux wrestles\nfor Impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match:<\/strong>\nBordeaux hits some pretty ropey looking strikes, but nails a big running butt\nbump in the corner. A Teabag Driver (as I\u2019ve seen it called) ends the match\nwithin seconds. Post-match, Dan Lambert jumped Bordeaux, only for the\nintroduction of a door to backfire as Bordeaux ended up putting Hartnett\nthrough it with a spear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict:<\/strong> Short,\nbut at least a payoff for the pre-match interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pat Buck versus\nSantana Jackson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know:<\/strong> I\u2019ve\nnever seen Pat Buck, but have seen the moonwalk DDT video that appears to have\nmade Jackson a notable figure in wrestling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match:<\/strong>\nAccording to commentary, Buck\u2019s role recently has been beating up \u2018buzz-worthy\u2019\nwrestlers. If it wasn\u2019t already clear, Jackson does a Michael Jackson gimmick,\nincluding all the dance moves and a glittery glove. A jiving take on Old School\ninto an armdrag is fun, whilst a Thriller-themed \u2018Hulk Up\u2019 followed a spinning\ntombstone from Buck that saw Jackson kick out at two also gets a pop.\nUnsurprisingly, Jackson landed the moonwalk DDT, yet Buck ended up in the ropes\nduring the pin in an awkward moment. Buck finally put Jackson down with a slam\nvariation from the electric chair drop position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>Your\nmileage will vary depending on your thoughts surrounding a Michael Jackson\ngimmick. If you get past that, there are some half decent spots to be\nenjoyed\/laughed at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Johnny Clash versus\nAnthony Bowens versus Jake Manning versus Matt Macintosh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>At\nthe risk of becoming repetitive, I don\u2019t know about any of these, though I do\nlike that Jake Manning is doing a \u2018Man Scout\u2019 gimmick, bringing a tent to the\nring with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match: <\/strong>The\ntent was eventually removed by Matt Macintosh, kicking the match into high gear\nfrom the beginning. Manning\u2019s tent contains props that include a scout book and\na rope, each which get a brief airing as the latter in particular sees Clash\nget wrapped up and spun out. The tent made its return later on with all four\nmen fighting inside of it before Manning slammed it onto his three opponents as\nthey stood at ringside. A wrestling match broke out as the men traded nearfalls\non some high impact offense including an incredibly close count on a top rope\ntrust fall by Manning on Clash. It was Manning who picked up the win after a\ntypical multi-man stacked superplex drove Clash through the tent itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>As\nsomeone who hasn\u2019t seen Manning before, I enjoyed it. Bowens and Macintosh both\nalso looked like decent wrestlers in amongst the messing about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Team Tremendous (Bill\nCarr and Dan Barry) versus Demon Bunny (Rosemary and Allie)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>I thought\nit was possible that I\u2019d seen Demon Bunny during the Wrestlemania Weekender\nlast year, but I was mistaken. I\u2019ve heard good things about Team Tremendous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The match: <\/strong>After\nsome early exchanges showcased that Rosemary didn\u2019t entirely understand that biting\nand gouging aren\u2019t legal, nor that she was scared of Carr\u2019s imaginary pistol,\nRosemary ended up briefly isolated, only to land a tornado DDT on Barry for the\nhot tag to Allie. She even took it to big Bill Carr with three sliding\nclotheslines in a row. An assisted STO by Team Tremendous almost put Allie away\nas their size began to win out, but a collision allowed Demon Bunny to get the\npin on Barry following a codebreaker\/German suplex combination. We even saw\nCarr get misted to boot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>More feel-good\nthan good, perhaps, but it was fun enough while it lasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Birdbox Match: Shawn\nDonavan versus Buster Jackson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>I\ndidn\u2019t watch Birdbox, I know that much at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match: <\/strong>A\nBirdbox match is one that sees everyone, including the ring announcer and the\nreferee, blindfolded, hearkening back to the Jake Roberts\/Rick Martel classic\nof yesteryear. Various shenanigans ensued, the type you\u2019d expect when both the\nwrestlers can\u2019t see such as missed elbowdrops, charges into the ropes by\nmistake, hiptosses by the referee, and so on. As heel, Donavan was on the rough\nend of most of this, before his blindfold was ripped off. His behaviour\nreferenced the film in an interesting choice of booking insofar as it caused\nhim to do a diving senton onto no-one. One very slow count followed to give\nJackson the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>Really\ndidn\u2019t like this. There isn\u2019t really anything you can do to make it \u2018work\u2019 for\nme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tag Team Gauntlet\nMatch: Grim\/Freddy Flamingo IV versus Shook Crew (Max Caster\/Bryce Donovan\/Bobby\nOrlando) versus The Breakfast Club (Kip Stevens\/CPA) versus Massage Force\n(Dorian Graves\/VsK) versus J.O.B Security (Officer Ronald\/Big Malcom) versus\nKevin Matthews\/Fallah Bah versus The BWO versus Team Espana (Jos A and Jos B)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>I\nwasn\u2019t a fan of ECW at the time that the BWO were running wild, but they were\nboth wrestlers I got to see during the Attitude Era in particular. Neither\nnecessarily inspired me if I\u2019m honest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match: <\/strong>Grim\nis a big man and the majority of the first contest focused around him using his\nsize, including in a \u2018Grim Job\u2019 stinkface on Donovan. Unfortunately, he ran\nhimself into the ground on a ringside chase, distracting the referee long\nenough for Caster to hit a low blow on Flamingo IV and end the first match.\nBobby Orlando was substituted in for Donovan to allow the Shook Crew to get the\njump on The Breakfast Club, but it doesn\u2019t work initially as it leads to a\nseries of miscommunications. Grim was still in the ring and his ample rear\nturned the tide after some Shook Crew offense, Caster finding himself colliding\nhead first to crack following a drop toehold. After dealing with the Shook\nCrew\u2019s toy goat via Canadian Destroyer, a Hart Attack took out Orlando. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Massage Force are out next and they began with the Massage\nof the Day, but they were unable to put their opponents away so quickly. This\nportion of the Gauntlet seemed the most \u2018independent wrestling\u2019 for lack of a\nbetter term as some big combination moves landed, though there was still time\nfor ridiculous spots like an assisted corner headbutt that made good use of\nmassage oil. An assisted codebreaker eliminated the Breakfast Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Massage Force became the only team to get through a second\nteam as they eliminated J.O.B. Security after some brief big man offense from\nSecurity, ending another contest with the assisted codebreaker. They had less\nsuccess with Fallah Bah and Kevin Matthews, though the new team failed\nmiserably on their attempt to do the massage slide headbutt. Multiple Panda\nExpress rolls saw even the ref and McKenzie on commentary getting involved,\nbefore Bah got the pin with the Banzai Drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The BWO, ever popular, were up next, leading to a Bah\/Blue\nGuy sumo showdown. The threat of a Blue Guy dive dispersed the other three\nwrestlers to all four corners of the building, yet Bah being the legal man cost\nhis team as he was counted out. An impromptu hot dog break \u2013 dogs provided by a\nreturning Bah \u2013 allowed the BWO to get jumped by Team Espana, the final team in\nthe match. Unfortunately, the finish was blown as a suplex from the apron by\nHollywood Nova should have seen Jos B trip him, but Nova went down before the\ncontact. Shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>The\nmiddle section with Massage Force was by far the best in my opinion, but this\nwent too long for my tastes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No Holds Barred: Dan\nMaff versus Swoggle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>Considering\nhow long Maff has been around, I\u2019ve somehow never seen him in a match. Swoggle\nis Swoggle\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match: <\/strong>The\nfirst of what feels like many Swoggle \u2018freakshow\u2019-style matches this weekend.\nSwoggle used a stepladder, a trash can and a kendo stick to try and take Maff\nout early, but this turned into torture porn quickly as Swoggle used a\nMaff-introduced staple gun on Maff\u2019s twig and giggleberries. Both men were\nintroduced to some Duplo bricks, whilst a barbed-wire chair DDT earned Swoggle\na two count. An ugly spot saw Maff reverse an RKO and dump Swoggle on the chair.\nMaff offered Swoggle a chance to walk out, yet the story was Swoggle\ncontinually coming back. He wasn\u2019t able to fight his way out of a\nladder-assisted camel clutch though, tapping out to end the pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>Some\nsurprisingly fun nearfalls, but just too much of a freakshow feeling to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Main Event: The\nHeavenly Bodies (Gigolo Justin\/Desirable Dustin) versus Santino Marella and\nColt Cabana<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>I\nlove the Heavenly Bodies gimmick, so like seeing a new team with it. I was a\nbig Marella fan; less so, Cabana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The match: <\/strong>Various\nearly teases\/reactions to the Cobra meant things took a little while to get\ngoing. Cabana and Marella both ran through their spots early, including dual\nbionic elbows and Marella hitting an elbow off of the first turnbuckle. Cabana\nended up blindsided following a blind tag to allow the Bodies to build some\nheat. This was uninspiring, though did include a close tag where Marella was\npulled off of the apron in a spot I\u2019ve always enjoyed. This was all to build to\nMarella\u2019s hot tag, though a ref bump allowed Killer Kross to hit the ring and\nattack Marella before things could culminate. A fiery Kross promo in which he\nderided comedy wrestling and hit low blows on Cabana and Marella followed, only\nfor Joey Ryan to come out to defend comedy wrestling\u2019s honour. Ryan saw off\nKross, penised (if that\u2019s a word) the Bodies, and dual Cobras finished the\ncontest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>People\ndon\u2019t like Ryan, but this was about the most interesting thing about an\notherwise insipid match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know now: <\/strong>WrestlePro\n\u2018Does Funny = Money?\u2019 was by no means a bad show, it just felt like a slog as\nthings progressed due to the running time and the one note nature of a lot of\nthe acts. A quiet crowd didn\u2019t help at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best match: <\/strong>Johnny\nClash versus Anthony Bowens versus Jake Manning versus Matt Macintosh<\/p>\n\n\n\n Less good: <\/strong>Grim\/Freddy\nFlamingo IV versus Shook Crew (Max Caster\/Bryce Donovan\/Bobby Orlando) versus\nThe Breakfast Club (Kip Stevens\/CPA) versus Massage Force (Dorian Graves\/VsK)\nversus J.O.B Security (Officer Ronald\/Big Malcom) versus Kevin Matthews\/Fallah\nBah versus The BWO versus Team Espana (Jos A and Jos B)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Having forked out a lot of money on a range of different shows on Fite, I felt it only good and honourable to review the very first show of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":11986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,38],"tags":[918,973],"class_list":["post-11985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-us-indy-reviews","tag-indy","tag-wrestlepro"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9jnWd-37j","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/wrestlepro-does-funny-money-600x600top.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11985"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11989,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11985\/revisions\/11989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}