Riot In The Streets

Heidi Lovelace VS Seleziya Sparx - A1 Wrestling 5/10/2015

CJD: Bad commentary goes as hand in hand with indy wrestling as bleachers, flat beer, and lukewarm hotdogs. And wanting to further explore her pre-PC days, all of the Lovelace matches I had in the que to play forward were indy to say the least. I had no idea just how scummy Heidi's roots were but I was so close to playing matches with her VS Ian Rotten, matches where you can see the locker room entrance where fans are awkwardly walking out from the bathroom, stuff that totally makes sense why Ruby Riot is such a well rounded product when you see her VFW Hall roots. This match is more polished than that, but dear god is the commentary atrocious. If you can get past it, this is the type of indy wrestling that paved the way for where women's pro wrestling is now in the US. But pretty please, turn down the volume... maybe even watch this one on mute?

JJZ: Oh I'm definitely listening to the commentary.

Well... starting off strong with calling her LOVELESS. Indy wrestling has a charm to it that I love so much. I'm not familiar with Sparx but Heidi is definitely the senior worker in the ring. LOVELACE is controlling the body of the match with Sparx firing up after the shine. The ladies do a great trading elbows spot that leads to a killer snake eyes into a big boot. Killer finish that would of made Gladiator proud. Soild match Chris. The commentary was really bad but the ladies totally over shadowed it.

Editor's note: Well chalk one up for the A1 commentators... it turns out it is pronounced "Loveless" after all!! Our bad!

Princess And The Pauper

Kimber Lee (c) VS Heidi Lovelace - CHIKARA Grand Championship 3/19/2016

JJZ: So I actually tried to avoid playing this match because I thought it was low hanging fruit. But then I figured that would be ignorant to what these ladies did to get to this point and to what they did in the ring. If you had to list the top true Indy promotions in the states Chikara would have to be on that list, so the fact that two women are wrestling for they top title can't be ignored or under appreciated. Their banter during the match adds such a nice story in the ring. There is no real heel in this match but Heidi comes out super aggressive and stiff setting the tone of the match. Lee has no problem taking the future Ruby Riot to suplex kingdom. Both wrestlers dig down deep during this match leaving the other to wonder what they need to do to walk out as champion. I'm a little embarrassed I haven't watched more of these two since they were clearly built to wrestle each other.

CJD: This match is an emotional roller coaster. Quack's vision for pro wrestling isn't for everyone but give him credit where it's due, he has a vision that is uniquely his, and he's been executing it for decades with limited resources and talent. As you said, a true indy through and through. And give these ladies even more credit, as they delivered a main event title match that nobody in that crowd could go home unhappy with, and a match that was a few years ahead of its time for the US. Suplex Kingdom felt like a bit of overkill to me but once again Quack pulls a page out of his creative playbook to keep the focus on the importance of the match rather than the moves being executed. I loved the personal edge Heidi brought to the table and her selling was top notch. Post match tugged on my heart strings. Heck of a match JJZ!

Crazy Like AR Fox

AR Fox VS Kimber Lee - Beyond Wrestling 3/23/2014

CJD: If you're like me you were wondering when and how we'd get here. I'm not a fan of intergender wrestling. But I understand that we're in an era, on the US indies especially, where it's accepted and to an extent necessary. And I don't want PIF to exclusively be a boy's club, so I've been keeping my eye out for chances to cross this bridge. This seemed like as any. This was such a great heel performance from Fox, who is nothing if not unpredictable and captivating. Lee hung right in there and delivered on an equally high level as a babyface who you couldn't help but root to kick this living shit out of her opponent. There are some rough moments in this one, some pro wrestling at its finest booking choices, and man does that ref eat shit! But at the end of the day I dare you not to enjoy this ride. Beyond Wrestling delivers once again.

JJZ: Finally we are here! I've tried several times to break into women's wrestling and couldn't find anything of note. This is why Beyond is one of the best indies in the states. I always loved the secret show idea with the intimate venue. Really wish I knew if there was any backstory going into this match. Fox is playing such a good shit heel. Lee is pulling so much sympathy from the little crowd. I believe there is another first in PIF history in this match which caught me a little off guard in a good way. You got a little bit of indy sloppy joe but then they make up for it with a stiff drink on the side. You defiantly charted some new ground here baby cakes. Really excited to explore the roads we have found ourselves in front of.

CJD: Chickenshit all the way. I've said it before but I really love when we get to see two sides of the coin for a wrestler from week to week. Fox was so effective as a face last week but even better here as a heel for my money.

JJZ: And they did such a good job of building up to the point when Lee loses it. One hell of a receipt for all those kicks to the face.

Tell Your Children Not To Do What I Have Done

Jimmy Rave (c) VS AR Fox - AWE GWC Championship 2/21/2016

JJZ: Some newerish Rave. Going pretty indy for this one with the single cam action. Heard a new chant during this match that I got a kick out of. I'm 50/50 on Fox. He brings a wild man's approach to his matches that I do enjoy but I'm still not sure how he has never broken his neck. I think Rave is supposed to be the heel in the match but the crowd is going crazy for everything. Styles clash here or should I say Rave clash. Fox is trying to jump off of everything while Jimmy is grounding and grinding every chance he can. I'm digging this standing room only venue. This is a chant happy crowd biting on everything. I think both guys look great in this match, going all out for the fans, and I thought the ending was smart and fit the flow.

CJD: You mentioned the flow of this match and that's the main thing that stands out to me. This was just smooth. They put their foot on the gas when they needed to, but more importantly let things breathe to get the most out of everything. Rave looks like he's been skipping more than just leg days but he still makes this match look easy, and it isn't by the numbers by any means. He's also been wrestling in Georgia for the better part of two decades so this crowd is probably going to give him more leeway than most. He makes a great foil for Fox here who brings all his best qualities to the table. This is as indy as indy gets but it's also simply good fundamental pro wrestling.