Live Wrestling Review // Pro Wrestling Magic That 90's Party! (IWTV)

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I started watching Pro Wrestling Magic on FITE TV because of the feud between Erica Leigh and Darius Carter.   I think it's interesting that this is the first show for Pro Wrestling Magic to air on IWTV because it sort of starts this new chapter with Erica Leigh as their Heavyweight Champion.   I had reservations about going to live wrestling shows during the pandemic- which is why Quentin and I didn't go to one for nine months- but since we started going again I mapped out how far this was, found out it was only about two hours away and decided to go.  I would find out at this show (in a backwards time way now) that this Knights Of Columbus is where we saw BCW and in two weeks it would host GSW and then the week after that Battle Club Pro.

As I type this I wonder how much do I break what's left of kayfabe- how far do I let you peak behind the curtain?  But, what you saw on IWTV is really what was presented to us at the live tapings.  There wasn't a lot of over-production or anything like that.   The only things which differed from the live event and the show on IWTV is that 1) We didn't see the backstage promos when we were live (which is understandable for time) and 2) The second match was actually the first and they noted that as it aired on IWTV as well, so, no big surprise there or anything.  The night really went how it played out on IWTV and not to overuse the term but it was magic.

The live crowd for this was just insane and I'm not sure if that fully translated on IWTV.  I heard a lot of the cheering, the boos and the chants, but just being there in person was this energy that you really can't capture on television.  I know this was titled "That 90's Party!" but this really felt like a party.  Everyone was just having a good time, vibing and just really into the show.  What Pro Wrestling Magic is doing right now is so special because not only did they get me off my couch and into the Magic Kingdom but they just present you with wrestlers you already know and have seen there, some you haven't seen there but have seen other places and then of course just wrestlers you might be seeing overall for the first time.

Right away we had four of the Pro Wrestling Magic staples open the show with Killian McMurphy and Big Dust (who I like to boo), Sebastian Cage, Everett Cross and JGeorge.  I will tell you, dear reader, that the television screen does not do proper justice: you must see JGeorge in person to fully experience his awesome.   After that we went into the tag team #1 Contenders match and the funny thing is I actually saw BRG at a Northeast Wrestling show a while back and now The Prestige is seemingly everywhere.

Darius Carter is just a heel in the truest sense of the word.  Seeing his opponent be Eric Corvis was nice because there were more than one moments of hope that Eric Corvis was going to pick up the win.  Eric Corvis is someone who I've seen wrestle in person but also has recently been on IWTV during Mania Weekend and the Dropkick Depression comeback.   Meat Locker vs. The Prestige was a lot of fun and I'm not sure anyone can defeat Meat Locker but I'd love to see them have some equally sized opponents.   Perhaps The End (Parrow and Odinson) can make their way to the Magic Kingdom?

Insider Note: After the Tag Team Title match they edited it out, but as The Prestige was being cleared from the ring I loudly yelled "Somebody get out the pooper scooper".   Yeah, I did that.

Bonesaw Brooks is someone I was excited to see but then when Masha Slamovich came out as her opponent I just had to cheer for Masha.  This was one of those hard-hitting matches though where they just went all in and it could have easily been the main event for all they went through during the match.   The same can be said for the triple threat which saw Little Mean Kathleen pick up a victory over Abby Jane and Ziggy Haim.  Everyone was singing and dancing for all of the entrances- and, yes, Cher got a lot of love- but I still think that Ziggy Haim coming out to Lit was the most well received entrance song of the night.  (Also, these three women can GO and should be booked everywhere)

I'm not sure how to describe the singing that happened next because it was about as awkward for all of us watching as it was for the viewers on IWTV.  Jordan Blade coming out and putting a stop to the nonsense was what we all wanted to see.  When Jordan Blade issued an open challenge, music hit and Allie Katch came out, the place just exploded.  When I saw on Twitter that Allie Katch would be on this show, I tweeted saying I'd like to see her vs. Jordan Blade, which then Jordan Blade retweeted and agreed and I just... the fact that I didn't know this match was happening until Allie Katch came out at that very moment but I wanted it to happen so badly... what else can I say?  It's magic.

Though I don't remember the first time I referred to Dan Champion on Twitter as "Lil Dan", I know it seemed to annoy him and since he's a heel I just went with it and kept calling him "Lil Dan".   During his match, he would randomly yell out "Big Dan!" and I'd yell back "Lil Dan!"  Oh.  We also had a sign that said "Lil Dan" on it which apparently bothered him to the point that during the match he actually left the ring, came over and took it from Quentin.   Lil Dan took the sign back into the ring as if to rip it (but really just to confirm he's Lil) and then Erica Leigh saved it for us.  That was a pretty special moment during the match for us and if you want the behind-the-scenes scoop I'll tell you that the sign is currently in the trunk of my car.

As much as that was just one of those moments which Quentin and I will always remember, it shouldn't take away from the fact that the match itself was just one of those Match of the Year candidates.   Both Erica Leigh and Dan Champion told such a great story on Twitter before the match even happened.  It was the first title defense of Erica Leigh, so she picked the biggest and the best.  Dan Champion, Lil Dan, wanted to end the title reign and sort of crash the party and win the championship.  It's just these little things which tell the story that makes the match itself so much better.

But then you have the size difference.  You have Dan Champion (who is really big, the television doesn't do him justice) just throwing Erica Leigh around the ring.  There were more than one power moves Dan Champion hit where I thought it might be over.  Erica Leigh deserves all the credit in the world for not only hanging in there with Dan Champion but defeating him.   This was just storytelling at its best, but also in ring action at its best as well.

Following the match we had Killian McMurphy and Big Dust come out saying that Erica Leigh would be defending her title in a 30 Day match, which is currently playing out on the Pro Wrestling Magic social media accounts, and you know, there does exist this time in between shows and pretty much everyone uses social media now so this is just a great way to keep the fans interacting with Pro Wrestling Magic.  I'm almost completely certain that no one else has done anything like this before and so if you're not watching Pro Wrestling Magic yet there is no time like the present because they are just doing it like no other.