Wrestling Preview // Pro Wrestling GRIND "Electric Crown" Easthampton, MA (9/30)

  Pro Wrestling GRIND returns to the Pulaski Club in Easthampton, MA on September 30th after a bit of an absence.   They are just underway with The Emerald 12, which is a tournament to crown their first ever Grand Champion.    At the RPM Fest back on September 4th, they held the opening round and so what's interesting is as we head into this show and are down to the final eight competitors half of them have already defeated and eliminated someone else while the other half got a bye.

Quarterfinals Matches

Ryan Mooney vs Rip Byson

Ryan Mooney avenged an earlier loss in GRIND by defeating Alec Price to make it to this match against Rip Byson.   Rip Byson is one of the few in GRIND who is undefeated and as such this will be a sight to see simply because Ripper has ran through all of his opponents thus far (and not without a war ensuing and not without Derek Neal ending in a draw either) so it feels like this should be a match (and tournament) which favors Rip Byson but it is very possible he could be eliminated in this match.  Ryan Mooney has fought and clawed since day one in GRIND and in ways it also feels like he feeds off of being underestimated.   Betting odds for this would be in favor of Rip Byson, but knowing the heart of Ryan Mooney says this one will be absolutely brutal.

Joseph Alexander vs Jay Freddie

Though O'Shay Edwards defeated Joseph Alexander in the opening round, a scheduling conflict has taken O'Shay Edwards out of The Emerald 12 and placed Joseph Alexander right back into it.   Now, some may assume that since Joseph Alexander lost previously he would just lose again but that experience of losing, knowing what it feels like to be out of the tournament is something that A Game doesn't want to feel again.   This gives him a particular edge over those who have not felt that yet.  Jay Freddie is a guy to build a company around for sure and him winning this whole thing would be, in many ways, him getting his flowers.   This match feels like what would've happened back when Kurt Angle wrestled Hardcore Holly in WWE only it will somehow hit much harder.

Perry Von Vicious vs Logan Black

In many ways, I could say this about all of these matches but I feel it most about this one: Perry Von Vicious vs Logan Black feels like the finals.   These two wrestlers both could have worked their side of the brackets and met in the finals and it would have been spectacular.  However, they're meeting here, in the quarterfinals, and only one of them can move on.  Perry Von Vicious and Logan Black have a lot in common.  PVV comes out to ska, Logan Black comes out to punk, which makes it feel like they'd go to the same shows.  They both have been doing this for a while and just now seem to be really finding their groove in GRIND.   It is the common theme of this tournament, but either of these wrestlers could go on to win it all.   This match is going to be special.  

Delmi Exo vs Travis Huckabee

Perhaps the two most evenly matched competitors in this tournament, Delmi Exo remains undefeated in Pro Wrestling GRIND but Travis Huckabee has appeared on all but one show.   Another situation where either of these wrestlers could not only win this match but the entire tournament and not too long ago they were a tag team in Limitless Wrestling representing GRIND!   A lot of these matches going into them you have an idea of what to expect, but this might be that sleeper match of the night that everyone is talking about for some time to come after it.  

In non-tournament action...

The Mane Event vs Brick City Boyz

Going all the way back to "Doctor, Doctor", The Brick City Boyz made their GRIND debut and lost to MSP.   The Brick City Boyz had a choice to either be respected by the crowd for their power and precision inside of that ring or they could've talked smack to the crowd and got booed.  They chose the latter.  The Mane Event is the only undefeated tag team in Pro Wrestling GRIND, defeating Miracle Generation on that same show, and so that experience is going to come into play here for The Mane Event.   The Brick City Boyz aren't going to want to fall to 0-2 however, so you can bet that they're going to want to make a statement and what better way to do it than by beating the best tag team in Pro Wrestling GRIND.  

And then...

The Emerald 12: Finals

When it comes down to the finals, it's really all speculation at this point.   The thing that's so great about these eight competitors is that not only are they all capable of making it to the final four, but they're all capable and worthy of winning it all.  As a kid growing up, I was a big fan of the King of the Ring tournament in WWE but there was always that round where you knew who would win.  It was always something like "Bret Hart vs one half of the Bushwhackers" and you just knew Bret Hart was winning.

This tournament has no filler and to bet on any of these matches would be tough to do.  Statistically, based on wins and losses and overall total matches, I could see the semifinals being Rip Byson vs Jay Freddie and Logan Black vs Travis Huckabee (or Delmi because statistically I feel they are both very evenly matched)  Then Rip Byson would face Logan Black in the finals simply because they are the two undefeated wrestlers in GRIND with the most overall matches as well.  That would be somewhat of the predictable route, but who is to say Perry Von Vicious doesn't meet Jay Freddie in the finals?

And perhaps that is the best part and why this tournament feels so important now.  Any of these eight wrestlers could win it all.  You could make a case for any of them, really.  But most of that comes down to them being hungry, tired of being underestimated and just ready to show the world what they are capable of because other places may not see their full potential but whether it be years and years as a veteran or someone just coming up, GRIND seems to have realized their potential and become a home for them.  

"Electric Crown" goes down Friday night, September 30th, 2022 at the Pulaski Club in Easthampton, MA.  For tickets and more information please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/electric-crown-tickets-411851116777 and be sure to follow Pro Wrestling GRIND on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/GRINDpuro