Sermon on the Mat (Sept. 21, 2017): APW, CMLL, NOVA, PCW, BLP, Beyond, NJPW, & Lucha Forever cards

Welcome back to the Sermon on the Mat, your weekly one-stop shop for news from the wider world of wrestling beyond the big cable TV monoliths that get all the coverage.

Coming soon...

APW Gym Wars (September 22, 7PM Pacific)

1. Synn vs. Will Cuevas
2. John Redito vs. Styker Ngongoseke
3. Clay Jack vs. JR Kratos
4. Funny Bone Jacob Fatu
5. Bison Braddock vs. Karl Fredericks (c) (APW World-Wide Internet Championship)
6. MNM (Joey Mercury & John Morrison) vs. Reno Scum (Adam Thornstowe & Luster the Legend)
7. Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Willie Mack (APW Universal Championship)

All Pro Wrestling are back in Daly City California, and no, your computer is fine, that IS a reunited MNM you're seeing tagging against Reno Scum! Plus a big lads dream match as Jeff Cobb defends his title against Chocolate Thunder himself! Best of all, it's a fundraising event for Jefferson High School, so all this grappling is for a good cause.

Get your tickets here or check it out when it hits APW's YouTube channel, folks.

CMLL Super Viernes (September 22, 9:30PM Eastern)

1. Electrico & Fantasy vs. Mercurio & Pequeno Nitro
2. Dalys, Reyna Isis, & Zeuxis vs. Lady Maravilla, Princesa Sugehit, & Silueta
3. Angel de Oro, Dragon Lee, & El Valiente vs. La Peste Negra (Barbaro Cavernario & El Felino) & Luciferno
4. Negro Casas vs. Sam Adonis (Match Relampago)
5. Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone, & Niebla Roja vs. Gran Guerrero, Kraneo, & Satoshi Kojima
6. Flip Gordon, Mistico, & Volador, Jr. vs. Los Guerreros Laguneros (Euforia & Ultimo Guerrero) & Mephisto

CMLL are back at their usual Friday night timeslot with some fallout from the 84th Anniversary and it's a pretty solid card. Freshly maskless Sugehit and Roja are in trios action hoping to even the score at least a little, and Casas/Adonis takes the next step in one of CMLL's trademark ten-minute lightning matches.

Check it out, as always, free for nothing on ClaroSports or CMLL's Facebook page.

Due to the recent earthquake in Mexico City it seems that in order for this show to happen, the city has to approve of Arena Mexico being reopened. So while there’s no structural damage to the arena, it’s out of CMLL’s hands.

NOVA Project 3 (September 22, 7:30PM Eastern)

1. Chet Sterling & "Progressive Liberal" Daniel Richards vs. the 1% (Alexander James & Bobby Shields)
2. John Kermon vs. Tim Donst
3. Allie Kat vs. Jordynne Grace (Making Towns Classic Qualifying Match)
4. Carnies (Kerry Awful & Nick Iggy) vs. Ugly Ducklings (Lance Lude & Rob Killjoy)
5. Chip Day vs. Dominic Garrini
6. Angelus Layne vs. Mia Yim
7. Beau Crockett vs. Innocent Isaiah (Last Man Standing Match)
8. Curt Stallion vs. Sonjay Dutt
9. Arik Royal vs. Logan Easton LaRoux

NOVA Pro are back in Fairfax, Virginia, and as always I'll hand you off to our helpful hype man for NOVA Pro, Duke (follow him on Twitter!), who has laid out in excellent detail exactly what makes every last one of these matches on this card pop.

Two years on, and Arik Royal is the top face of NOVA Pro, but it's Logan Easton LaRoux who holds the firsts: first cage match win, first ladder match win, first title change, first Commonwealth Cup. Now he tries to be the first to win back-to-back NOVA Project main events, but he'll have to repeat the singular feat of pinning Arik Royal, which in NOVA Pro he and only he has done. He won't have Alexander James' help this time, as PWI has threatened to strip Logan of the Ultra J title if he employs outside interference.

The Cutie and the Beast were a team formed out of nowhere in January of last year that went from an odd couple to a strong partnership... until Beau Crockett saw a chance to move up and joined the Carnies, destroying Isaiah in the process. But he can't keep Isaiah down; the little guy keeps coming back for more. Now, Crockett will have to keep him down to get the win, and while he has three allies, Isaiah has promised backup.

Ever since the announcement of the Making Towns Classic, a May 2018 women's wrestling tournament hosted by the SCI folks, NOVA Pro has been influential in spreading the word. In fact, Mike E King, NOVA Pro's promoter, will have a hand in producing the event. How appropriate, then, that the first person to join Delilah Doom in the field will be named in NOVA Pro on Friday.

As with last year's NOVA Project, Mia Yim makes a return to the place she grew up (she's from Virginia, not South Korea, WWE). And with Angelus Layne coming off a war against Keith Lee that got her name out to the indy scene, she gets the honors of this high-profile match.

John Kermon and Tim Donst have been defending NOVA Pro against all comers over the course of 2017. But which one is the better at being the ambassador? We hope to find out at NOVA Project 3.

Two of Kermon's conquests are "Bone Collector" Dominic Garrini and "Atlanta Arrow" Chip Day. Both thoroughly enjoyed their NOVA Pro appearance despite the defeat, and NOVA Pro is glad to have them back. In a celebration of how far NOVA Pro has come, two of their newest faces square off!

The Carnies have been the straw stirring the drink this year. From Iggy and Awful breaking up Cutie and the Beast with their mind-games to Tripp Cassidy aiding Logan Easton LaRoux against Arik Royal, things have moved through the demonic Tennessee trio. But now, they face one of the hottest acts in the company in the Ugly Ducklings, who have dazzled in their two prior appearances. Get the tape collection ready for this one!

While Donst and Kermon have been there month in, month out, in 2017, Sonjay Dutt was the man in that role in 2016. Although GFW is his first priority, the man raised in nearby Burke still finds time to put on dream matches (such as with Donovan Dijak, Matt Corss, and Jimmy Rave) in his backyard. Curt Stallion is ready to burst on the scene, but can he keep up with the veteran?

The NOVA Pro crowd loved the mic work and anti-Trump banter of Daniel Richards as he vanquished Money Green last month. He goes from money to privilege this month, as Logan Easton LaRoux's Trifecta of the 1% teammates look to end his momentum. Fortunately, Chet Sterling -- who faced LaRoux in the ladder match AND in the Weaver Cup final -- is always willing to lend a hand against the 1%. Will familiarity triumph in this one?

Hey, can you tell I'm pumped? This is our supercard, our WrestleMania, our anniversary show! Celebrate two years in Fairfax with me! (I'm the dude with the stache in the Tim Donst shirt -- stop by!)

Get your tickets here or check it out when it hits Smart Mark Video or eventually Powerbomb.tv.

PCW It’s Bigger on the Inside (September 22, 2PM Eastern)

Big T & Tel Banham vs. Matthew Brooks & ???

Jake Long vs. Lionheart

Charlie Sterling vs. "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Ricky Knight, Jr. vs. Soner Durson

Nightshade vs. Veda Scott

New Age Kliq (BT Gunn & Chris Renfrew) vs. ???

Bubblegum vs. T-Bone (Last Man Standing Match)

Chris Ridgeway vs. Dean Allmark (c) (PCW Cruiserweight Championship)

The UK's Preston City Wrestling are back in Preston, England, and the stakes are high indeed on this one, folks. Bubblegum and T-Bone go head to head in Last Man Standing action, and should Bubblegum fail to make the ten-count, he will retire. Add that to the promise of Speedball in wild four-way action and a championship celebration for Iestyn Rees, who is now officially the longest reigning PCW Heavyweight Champion of all time, and you've got a good time going.

Get your tickets here or watch it live on Powerbomb.tv, folks.

BLP Darkest Timeline Championship Tournament: Phase 1 (September 23, 1PM Central)

1. Dominic Garrini vs. Donovan Danhausen vs. GPA vs. Leva Bates vs. Rory Gulak (Darkest Timeline Championship Tournament First Round Match)
2. B-Boy vs. Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Simon Grimm vs. Space Monkey (Darkest Timeline Championship Tournament First Round Match)
3. Dasher Hatfield vs. "Chainsaw" Joe Gacy vs. Mordecai (Darkest Timeline Championship Tournament First Round Match)
4. Keith Lee vs. Sammy Guevara (Darkest Timeline Championship Tournament First Round Match)
5. Darby Allin vs. Super Crazy (Darkest Timeline Championship Tournament First Round Match)
6. Matt Riddle vs. Tom Lawlor (Darkest Timeline Championship Tournament First Round Match)
7. Ernest "the Cat" Miller has an open challenge
8. Everett Connors vs. Sandman

Black Label Pro are in Crown Point, Indiana to kick off their Darkest Timeline Championship Tournament and hoo boy just look at those names! Allin/Crazy and Riddle/Lawlor are perhaps the most obvious dream matches on the card, but every match here is a dream match on some level... even if those are fever dreams hallucinated as a result of taking a little too much NyQuil. Lookin' at you Connors/Sandman. Wild!

Get your tickets here or keep an eye on their social media for distribution plans, folks.

Beyond Far Beyond Wrestling (September 24, 2PM Eastern)

1. "Supercop" Dick Justice vs. Francis Kip Stevens
2. Jay Freddie & Rory Gulak vs. "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams & Wheeler Yuta
3. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Penelope Ford
4. Ace Romero vs. Matt Tremont (15,000 Thumbtack Match)
5. Joey Ryan, Johnny Cockstrong, & Massage NV (Dorian Graves & VSK) vs. ???
6. Maxwell Jacob Friedman has an open challenge
7. Amityville Project (Mike Verna & Ryan Galeone) vs. Doom Patrol (Chris Dickinson & Jaka)
8. Brian Milonas vs. John Silver
9. Gentleman's Club (Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy) vs. PAWG (Jordynne Grace & LuFisto)
10. JT Dunn vs. Martin Stone
11. AR Fox vs. Joey Janela

Beyond are back in Worcester, Massachusetts, and while I've chosen to present this as one card here, it's actually two! Those first four matches, including what should be an excellent HOSS DEATHMATCH, will be broadcast by Powerbomb.tv totally for free! And if you so choose to buy a subscription, you can catch the rest of it, naturally, including that wild main event between two of the wildest guys in indie wrestling today.

Get your tickets here or check it out live on Powerbomb.tv, folks.

NJPW Destruction in Kobe (September 24, 3AM Eastern)

1. Hirai Kawato & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Monster Rage (Katsuya Kitamura & Tomoyuki Oka)
2. Funky Future (Ricochet & Ryusuke Taguchi), Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask IV, & Togi Makabe vs. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
3. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) vs. Chaos (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)
4. Beretta vs. Yujiro Takahashi
5. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa) vs. Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Lance Archer) vs. War Machine (Hanson & Ray Rowe) (c) (IWGP Tag Team Championship Tornado Tag Team Match)
6. David Finlay & Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin
7. Chaos (Rocky Romero, Tomohiro Ishii, & Toru Yano) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, SANADA, & Tetsuya Naito)
8. Chaos (Kazuchika Okada & Will "the Cat" Ospreay) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi)
9. Juice Robinson vs. Kenny Omega (c) (IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship)

It's time for New Japan to wrap up the Destruction tour with a third and final big show in Kobe, and while it's a little lighter on title matches than Hiroshima, they've still got plenty of good stuff on tap. Two Chaos/LIJ tags, Finlay and Ibushi against the old Ace and BIG MIKE, plus they've upgraded the big lads tag to a tornado match, War Machine's specialty. But the main event is what's most worth looking forward to here, as Juice has delivered every time he's been called on this year, and Kenny Omega is, well, Kenny Omega.

Check it out live or VOD on NJPW World, folks.

Lucha Forever Hello (Is It Me, Your Luchador?) / Never Touch Another Man’s Umbrella (September 26-27)

—Hello (Is It Me, Your Luchador?) (September 26)—

1. Dahlia Black vs. Kay Lee Ray
2. El Ligero vs. Pete Dunne

—Never Touch Another Man’s Umbrella (September 27)—

1. ???

Okay so, yes, details are a little light on the ground for these two shows in Manchester and Southampton, respectively, but those titles, come on!

Get your tickets here or check 'em out on Lucha Forever On Demand.

Free matches here!

Alpha-1 The Purge

So, after the Bytown Championship Wrestling debacle last week, Alpha-1 took it on themselves to prove that not all Canadian indie wrestling promotion is a fly by night (away from here) operation, and they did so by releasing an entire show for free on YouTube! Featuring "Speedball" Mike Bailey challenging for the Zero Gravity Championship, Ethan Page wrestling Cheeseburger, and a killer sounding women's three-way between Heidi "Ruby Riot" Lovelace, Seleziya Sparx, and Veda Scott, don't miss it!

APW Weekly Episode 17

The free shows roll on and I get to show my biases a little here, because this week's episode features the two biggest matches from APW Civic Slam '17. Matt Cross takes on Timothy Thatcher in a match with a scary rope snap, and Jeff Cobb defends the Universal Championship against Penta el Zero M. Check it out!

Deonna Purrazzo vs. LuFisto

Last but not least, we have some women's action from Beyond's sister promotion Women's Wrestling Revolution. The legendary Wounded Owl herself LuFisto takes on a big name in Deonna Purrazzo, enjoy!

Results

IWA Mid-South Ted Petty Invitational 2017 (September 14-15)

—Night One (September 14)—

1. Mance Warner over Space Monkey (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
2. Zodiak over Calvin Tankman (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
3. Su Yung over Ludark Shaitan (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
4. Homicide over Gary Jay (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
5. Jonathan Gresham over Anthony Henry (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
6. Shane Strickland over Ace Perry (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
7. Aaron Williams (c) over Arik Cannon to retain the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
8. Larry D over Kongo Kong (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
9. David Starr over Shane Mercer (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
10. Devon Moore over Johnathan Wolf (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
11. Eddie Kingston over "Spyder" Nate Webb (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)
12. Jake Crist over Dave Crist (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 First Round Match)

—Night Two (September 15)—

1. Jake Crist over Shane Strickland (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Quarterfinal Match)
2. Eddie Kingston over Zodiak (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Quarterfinal Match)
3. Jonathan Gresham over Devon Moore (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Quarterfinal Match)
4. Larry D over Mance Warner (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Quarterfinal Match)
5. Su Yung over Homicide (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Quartefinal Match)
6. Aaron Williams (c) over David Starr to retain the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Quarterfinal Match)
7. "Spyder" Nate Webb over Space Monkey
8. Jonathan Gresham over Larry D (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Semifinal Match)
9. Aaron Williams (c) over Eddie Kingston to retain the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Semifinal Match)
10. Jake Crist over Su Yung (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Semifinal Match)
11. Gary Jay & Ludark Shaitan over Anthony Henry & Shane Sabre
12. Ace Perry, Cole Radrick, Dave Crist, & Kongo Kong over Arik Cannon, Calvin Tankman, Johnathan Wolf, & Shane Mercer
13. Aaron Williams (c) over Jake Crist and Jonathan Gresham to retain the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (Ted Petty Invitational 2017 Finals)
14. Aaron Williams (c) over Devon Moore to retain the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship

The TPI has come and gone (without Davey Richards, who has cleared the entire rest of his 2017 schedule due to injury) and IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion has proved definitively that he is the man in those parts, defending his title four times to win the tournament and throwing in another defense afterwards for good measure! Plus Su Yung vs. Homicide is a thing that happened, my god. What a war that must have been!

Check it out on Smart Mark Video, folks.

AIW Cool As Ice (September 15)

1. Bobby Beverly over Shawn Shulz
2. Britt Baker over Faye Jackson
3. Frankie Flynn over PB Smooth
4. DJ Z, Ethan Carter III, "All Ego" Ethan Page, Gringo Loco, & Laredo Kid over AJ Gray, Garrison King, Joshua Bishop, Malcolm Monroe III, & Tre Lamar
5. Matthew Justice over Maxwell Jacob Friedman
6. To Infinity and Beyond (Cheech & Colin Delaney) (c) over Colt Cabana & Grado to retain the AIW Tag Team Championship
7. Joey Janela (c) over Sonjay Dutt to retain the AIW Intense Championship
8. Tom Lawlor over Dominic Garrini
9. Tim Donst (c) over Louis Lyndon and "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams to retain the AIW Absolute Championship

AIW go into their nine week hiatus with a show that from everything I can see delivered. I mean, hey, Ethan Page completed his metamorphosis into Indie Lucha Man by winning that ten-man tag with a Swanton! But this is one of those shows where the big news is kind of about the next show. You folks remember how Nick Gage made a shocking return at Absolution to beat down Absolute Champion Tim Donst? About that... Hell on Earth 13 has a hell (pun not intended but welcome) of a main event. Plus Jody Fleisch returns to the United States for the first time in fourteen years!

In the meantime, check this guy out at Smart Mark Video, where they've already got a rough cut of the VOD up for sale.

Shine 45 (September 15)

1. Kamilla Kaine over Miss Hannah (Sparkle Showcase Match)
2. ACR over La Rosa Negra (Anything Goes Match)
3. MJ Jenkins over Natalia Markova
4. Stormie Lee over Lady Chardonnay Darcy
5. Vanessa Kraven over Dementia D'Rose
6. Cutie Pie Club (Aria Blake, Candy Cartwright, & Kiera Hogan) over Aja Perera, Dominique Fabiano, & Lea Nox
7. Allysin Kay over Brandi Lauren
8. Priscilla Kelly (c) over Jordynne Grace to retain the Shine Nova Championship
9. LuFisto (c) over Holidead and Ivelisse to retain the Shine Championship

For more detailed results you can hit the live results post right here, but Shine 45 was a strong show for the most part. Kraven and D'Rose had a hell of a HOSS FIGHT, Kay and Lauren had the usual good physical Allysin Kay match with an ending that set up a potential (and very welcome) no DQ rematch, and the triple threat for the Shine Championship was as good as you'd hope, but the match that really shone (pun not intended but welcome) was the Nova Championship match, a strong back and forth contest with some tight nearfalls that really refused to let go of my attention once it started.

Check it out on FloSlam, folks.

NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima (September 16)

1. Chaos (Hirooki Goto, Jado, & YOSHI-HASHI) over Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Liger, & Tiger Mask IV
2. David Finlay & Juice Robinson over Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Leo Tonga)
3. Roppongi Vice (Beretta & Rocky Romero) over Bullet Club (Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)
4. Kota Ibushi, Michael Elgin, & Togi Makabe over Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku, & Takashi Iizuka)
5. Funky Future (Ricochet & Ryusuke Taguchi) (c) over Suzuki-gun (Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
6. War Machine (Hanson & Ray Rowe) (c) over Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa) and Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Lance Archer) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship
7. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, & Tetsuya Naito) over Chaos (Gedo, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, & Will "the Cat" Ospreay)
8. KUSHIDA (c) over El Desperado to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
9. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) over Zack Sabre, Jr. to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship

As always when I've got a recap or recommendations to point you to I'll keep it short and sweet here. This second Destruction show started off a bit slow and stodgy but heated up to a fever pitch with the last three matches, and perhaps more importantly, did a lot of setup work for King of Pro-Wrestling, adding Tanahashi/Ibushi, Ospreay/KUSHIDA, and Funky Future vs. Rocky Romero's new junior team, Roppongi 3K.

Check it out on NJPW World, folks.

PWX He Who Casts the First Stone (September 16)

1. Darius Lockhart (c) over Nathan Cruz to retain the PWX iTV Championship
2. Chip Day over David Starr
3. Aerial Monroe over Katherine D'Arcy
4. Elijah Evans IV over Alexander James, Ethan Case, Fred Yehi, and Jason Cade to qualify for the PWX X16 Tournament
5. Martin Stone over John Skyler
6. Jonathan Gresham over Tracer X
7. Ugly Ducklings (Lance Lude & Rob Killjoy) over "Manscout" Jake Manning & White Mike
8. Anthony Henry (c) over James Drake to retain the PWX World Heavyweight Championship

As always, with a promotion I recap I'm going to keep it short and sweet in here... and in fact, I'm not going to talk about this show at all, because it is official! October 21. Hollis. Skyler. UNSANCTIONED STREET FIGHT! Arguably the best feud in independent wrestling this year is finally coming to a head!

Check it out on Highspots Wrestling Network soon.

Style Battle Season 1, Episode 7 (September 17)

1. Darby Allin over Kai Katana (Style Battle S1E7 Block A Quarterfinal Match)
2. Matt Palmer over Leon Ruff (Style Battle S1E7 Block A Quarterfinal Match)
3. Saieve Al Sabah over Nathan Cruz (Style Battle S1E7 Block B Quarterfinal Match)
4. AR Fox over Snoop Strikes (Style Battle S1E7 Block B Quarterfinal Match)
5. Darby Allin over Matt Palmer (Style Battle S1E7 Block A Semifinal Match)
6. AR Fox over Saieve Al Sabah (Style Battle S1E7 Block B Semifinal Match)
7. James Bandy (c) retains the WWA4 Championship in the Free-For-All
8. Priscilla Kelly (c) over Candy Cartwright to retain the Shine Nova Championship
9. Darby Allin over AR Fox (Style Battle S1E7 Finals)

So as usual when it's a promotion I recap, I... actually didn't have time to watch and recap Style Battle this time. Which is unfortunate, because the finals saw AR Fox going as far as an avalance Tombstone piledriver in his efforts to put Darby Allin away!

Check it out on FloSlam, folks.

As always...

Remember folks, no matter what type of wrestling you like, no matter how down you feel about the state of WWE, Impact, ROH, or any other "big-time" pro wrestling, there's something out there for you. There's a pro wrestling product that can hit you in the right spot and make you love wrestling like you thought you'd never be able to love it again. It's there, I promise. You just gotta reach out and find it, and that, my friends, is what the Sermon on the Mat is all about.