Sermon on the Mat (Aug. 30, 2018): AAW, CMLL, Chikara, Progress, All In, Alpha-1, & Warrior Wrestling 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...

AAW Destination Chicago / Defining Moment (Aug. 30 / 31)

—Destination Chicago (Aug. 30, 7:30PM Central)—

1. DJ Z vs. Laredo Kid vs. Myron Reed
2. Colt Cabana vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman
3. Curt Stallion & Jake Something vs. OI4K (Dave & Jake Crist)
4. Bandido & Flamita vs. Lucha Brothers (Penta el Zero M & Rey Fenix)
5. Brody King & Jimmy Jacobs vs. Death Machines (Jessicka Havok & Sami Callihan)
6. Ace Romero vs. Trevor Lee (c) (AAW Heritage Championship)
7. Besties in the World (Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) (c) vs. WRSTLING (David Starr & Eddie Kingston) (AAW Tag Team Championship

—Defining Moment (Aug. 31, 7:30PM Central)—

1. Darby Allin vs. Shane Strickland
2. AR Fox & Myron Reed vs. Bandido & Flamita

It’s All In weekend, folks, and AAW are kicking Chicago’s big wrestling weekender off right with two gigantic shows. Most of Defining Moment is being held close to their vests, but the two matches we know should be absolute spectacles. And the night before is a tag team extravaganza, with four matches that should all be very different and very exciting, form the King/Jacob vs. Death Machines bloodbath to the lucha stylings of Bandido & Flamita vs. Lucha Bros., to the crown jewel, WRSTLING’s latest attempt at claiming AAW gold.

The shows are sold out, but you can catch them on VOD at Smart Mark Video and Highspots, and Destination Chicago will air LIVE on the Highspots Wrestling Network to boot!

CMLL Super Viernes (Aug. 31, 9:30PM Eastern)

1. Akuma & El Coyote vs. Arkalis & Robin
2. Amapola, Dalys, & Reyna Isis vs. La Jarochita, Lluvia, & Marcela
3. La Peste Negra (El Felino & Negro Casas) & Tiger vs. Nuevo Generacion Dinamitas (Cuatrero, Forastero, & Sanson)
4. Klan Kaoz (Ciber the Main Man, Scharly Rock Star, & the Chris) vs. Los Guerreros Laguneros (Euforia, Gran Guerrero, & Ultimo Guerrero)
5. Barbaro Cavernario vs. Matt Taven
6. Diamante Azul, LA Park, & Volador, Jr. vs. Los Ingobernables (BUSHI, Rush, & Tetsuya Naito)

CMLL are back with your usual Friday night dose of lucha libre action from the legendary Arena Mexico and holy hell, we got Tetsuya Naito in the house! He and BUSHI will be teaming with RUSH (EVIL will also be there, but due to being banged up from the G1 Climax, he’ll just be seconding the other Ingobernables at ringside) against a trio including Volador, Jr. and LA Park, so you know that’s gonna be some hot action right there! Plus that Casas family vs. Dinamitas trios match should rule pretty hard in and of itself, so it’s a good night to tune into CMLL!

Check it out, as always, free for nothin’ on Marca Claro, folks.

Chikara King of Trios 2018 (Aug. 31 - Sept. 2)

—Night One (Aug. 31, 7:30PM Eastern)—

1. Millenium Throwbacks (Boomer Hatfield, Dasher Hatfield, & “Mr. Touchdown” Mark Angelosetti) vs. Raiders of the Beyond (Brian Milonas, Cam Zagami, & Chris Dickinson) (King of Trios 2018 First Round Match)
2. Ancient Order of the Nations (Adam Hoffman, Jack Bonza, & Mick Moretti) vs. Xyberhawx Techno Union (Danjerhawk, Nytehawk, & Razerhawk) (King of Trios 2018 First Round Match)
3. FIST Order (Icarus, Tony Deppen, & Travis Huckabee) vs. Galactic Wildlife Commission (Air Wolf, ThunderFrog, & Wildcat) (King of Trios 2018 First Round Match)
4. Dark Lords of the Proteus (Callux the Castigator, Frantik, & Volgar) vs. the ResistANTce (Fire, Green II, & Thief Ants) (King of Trios 2018 First Round Match)
5. Shimmer Collective (Jessica Troy, Madison Eagles, & Shazza McKenzie) vs. Tokyo Joshi Freedom Fighters (Miyo Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, & Yuka Sakazaki) (King of Trios 2018 First Round Match)
6. Ohnaka Gang (Katarina Leigh, Pierre Carl Ouellet, & Rey Bucanero) vs. Society of the Deep (Cajun Crawdad, Hermit Crab, & Merlok) (King of Trios 2018 First Round Match)
7. New Republic (El Hijo del Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Jr., & Kikutaro) vs. Sisters of the Mighty (Aja Perera, Molly Holly, & Solo Darling) (King of Trios 2018 First Round Match)
8. Nexus Alliance (Fred “Darren Young” Rosser, Michael Tarver, & “Darewolf” PJ Black) vs. the Regime (Juan Francisco de Coronado, Rick Roland, & Sloan Caprice) (King of Trios 2018 First Round Match)

—Night Two (Sept. 1, 7:30PM Eastern)—

1. Cam Carter vs. Carlos Romo vs. ??? vs. ??? (Rey de Voladores 2018 Eliminator)
2. A-Kid vs. Facade vs. Ophidian vs. ??? (Rey de Voladores 2018 Eliminator)
3. King of Trios 2018 Quarterfinal Matches

—Night Three (Sept. 2, 3PM Eastern)—

1. Beast Warriors (Oleg the Usurper & Proletariat Boar of Moldova) vs. Cornelius Crummels & Sonny Defarge vs. Dez Peloton (Donald Kluger & Jasper Tippins) vs. Legion of Rot (Frightmare & Hallowicked) vs. Nouveau Aesthetic (Still Life With Apricots and Pears & Ursa Minor in the Night Sky) vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ??? (Tag Team Gauntlet Match)
2. Rey de Voladores 2018 Finals
3. King of Trios 2018 Finals

It’s time to return to the Palmer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the absolute highlight of Chikara’s calendar year, King of Trios! They’ve really outdone themselves this year, folks-- did you ever expect you’d see a real-life Nexus reunion or Molly Holly working King of Trios?! Big time guests, all the Chikara regulars you know and love, plus the usual sidebars at the Fan Conclave on the afternoon of day two, Rey de Voladores, and the annual tag team gauntlet match, it all adds up to a special event of the sort that only Chikara can deliver.

Get your tickets here or check it out when it hits Chikaratopia, folks.

Progress Germany (Aug. 31 - Sept. 2)

—Hamburg (Aug. 31, 12AM CET)—

1. Timothy Thatcher vs. TK Cooper
2. Alpha Female vs. Jinny vs. Killer Kelly
3. Anti-Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Federales Santos, Jr.) vs. Sexy Starr (David Starr & Jack Sexsmith) (Thunderbastard Tag Team Series)
4. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) vs. the 198 (“Flash” Morgan Webster & Wild Boar) (Thunderbastard Tag Team Series)
5. Chris Brookes vs. WALTER (c) (Progress World Championship)

—Oberhausen (Sept. 1, 3PM CET)—

1. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Sexy Starr (David Starr & Jack Sexsmith) (Thunderbastard Tag Team Series)
2. Anti-Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Federales Santos, Jr.) vs. M&M (Connor Mills & Maverick Mayhew) (Thunderbastard Tag Team Series)
3. British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, & Tyler Bate) vs. RISE (Ivan Kiev, Lucky Kid, & Pete Bouncer)
4. Chris Brookes & Timothy Thatcher vs. the 198 (“Flash” Morgan Webster & Wild Boar) (Thunderbastard Tag Team Series)
5. WALTER (c) vs. Zack Gibson (Progress World Championship)

—Frankfurt (Sept. 2, 2PM CET)—

1. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) vs. M&M (Connor Mills & Maverick Mayhew)
2. Anti-Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Federales Santos, Jr.) vs. Chris Brookes & Timothy Thatcher (Thunderbastard Tag Team Series)
3. Emil Sitoci vs. Tyler Bate
4. Avalanche vs. Trent Seven
5. Lucky Kid vs. Pete Dunne

The road to Wembley is almost clear, but before Progress make that final exit, they’ve got a three-day tour of Germany to attend to! The Thunderbastard Tag Team Series will wrap up, WALTER will make some final defenses of his title, and of course, some of wXw’s finest will get a chance to show their stuff. Perhaps most exciting are the BSS/RISE trios and Kid/Dunne, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout Cooper/Thatcher out after how great TK’s Freedom’s Road match against Matt Riddle was way back in season one.

Get your tickets here (Hamburg, Oberhausen, Frankfurt) or check ‘em out when they hit Demand Progress, folks.

All In (Sept. 1, 6PM Eastern)

1. Zero Hour: Billy Gunn vs. Brandon Cutler vs. Brian Cage vs. Colt Cabana vs. “All Ego” Ethan Page vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Marko Stunt vs. Moose vs. Punishment Martinez vs. Rocky Romero vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ??? (ROH World Championship #1 Contender’s Over Budget Battle Royal)
2. Zero Hour: Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky)
3. Britt Baker vs. Chelsea Green vs. Madison Rayne vs. Tessa Blanchard
4. Jay Lethal (c) vs. Over Budget Battle Royal Winner (ROH World Championship)
5. Christopher Daniels vs. Stephen Amell
6. Hangman Page vs. Joey Janela (Chicago Street Fight)
7. Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon, Jr.
8. Bandido, Fenix, & Rey Mysterio vs. Golden Elite (Kota Ibushi, Matt Jackson, & Nick Jackson)
9. Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll
10. Cody Rhodes vs. Nick “Magnus” Aldis (c) (NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship)

The biggest non-WWE show in North America in years is here at last! I’m not going to spend too much time talking All In up here because I’m sure we’ll have plenty of standalone coverage but let me just say this... I haven’t been invested in the NWA title since Tim Storm lost it; I’ve run hot and cold on Cody Rhodes the entire time I’ve seen him wrestle. But by god am I excited to see the grandson of a plumber claim the Ten Pounds of Gold on the biggest stage indie wrestling has to offer!

Tickets are sold out, but you can watch through HonorClub or FITE, folks.

Alpha-1 King of Hearts 2018 (Sept. 2, 4PM Eastern)

1. Brett Michael David vs. Kobe Durst (King of Hearts 2018 First Round Match)
2. Gregory Iron vs. Josh Alexander (King of Hearts 2018 First Round Match)
3. ”All Ego” Ethan Page vs. JT Dunn (King of Hearts 2018 First Round Match)
4. Mark Wheeler vs. Rickey Shane Page (c) (A1 Alpha Male Championship King of Hearts 2018 First Round Match)
5. Space Pirates (Shane Sabre & Space Monkey) (c) vs. the Frat (Channing Decker & Trent Gibson) (A1 Tag Team Championship)
6. Alex Daniels (c) vs. Josh Briggs (A1 Zero Gravity Championship)
7. King of Hearts 2018 Semifinals and Finals

Alpha-1 are back in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and it’s tournament time! Even better, Rickey Shane Page is putting the Alpha Male Championship on the line and it will continue to be defended through the entire tournament! Can Kobe Durst overcome his losing streak and return to glory?

Get your tickets here or check it out when it hits Powerbomb.tv, folks.

Warrior Wrestling 2 (Sept. 2, 7:30PM Central)

1. Darby Allin vs. Jay Bradley
2. Colt Cabana vs. Sam Adonis
3. Bryce Benjamin, Robert Anthony, & Stevie Fierce vs. Gringo Loco, Isaias Velazquez, & Matt Knick
4. Britt Baker vs. Chelsea Green vs. Mia Yim vs. Santana Garrett
5. Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Tessa Blanchard (BLP Championship)
6. DJ Z vs. Pat Monix
7. David Arquette & RJ City vs. Frank the Clown & James Ellsworth
8. Austin Aries vs. Brian Cage vs. Jeff Cobb vs. Penta el Zero M vs. Rey Fenix vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Rich Swann vs. Sammy Guevara (Warrior Championship War of Attrition Match)

Closing out our four-day extravaganza in Chicago, we have Warrior Wrestling and, I mean... holy hell that main event alone is enough to catch anybody’s eye. You toss in two super strong women’s matches and the vortex of wrestling weirdness that is David Arquette and Frank the Clown standing across the ring from each other and this is gonna be something else entirely, folks.

Get your tickets here, or catch it LIVE on the Highspots Wrestling Network!

Free matches here!

Matt Cross vs. WALTER

From the good people over at Smash, we’ve got a classical-style power vs. flight matchup pitting one of the longest-tenured indie stars in the US against the Austrian powerhouse WALTER. Enjoy!

Team JWP (Command Bolshoi, Hanako Nakamori, & Manami Katsu) vs. United Nations (Juan Francisco de Coronado, Prakash Sabar, & Proletariat Boar of Moldova)

From Chikara by way of Beyond we’ve got a King of Trios 2016 match to get you hyped for this year’s edition. Three of Japan Women Pro-Wrestling Project’s finest take on a very international squad of home-grown Chikara talent, check it out!

Athena vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams

And one more throwback match, this from the good people over at AIW. WWE’s Ember Moon takes on Evolve’s Tracy Williams in the not-too-distant past in Ohio, don’t miss it!

Results

NOVA Summer of George (Aug. 24)

1. Faye Jackson over Barbi Hayden
2. Isaiah Frazier (c) vs. Josh Fuller went to a double pinfall draw (CRAB Wrestling Championship)
3. Logan Easton LaRoux over Marko Stunt
4. Alexander James over Bobby Shields
5. Ugly Ducklings (Lance Lude & Rob Killjoy) over Pop Culture (Jason Cade & Veda Scott)
6. Arik Royal over John Skyler
7. Terra Calaway over Aspyn Rose
8. Terra Calaway over Jinx
9. Terra Calaway over Emma Lou
10. Terra Calaway over Jordan Blade
11. Brittany Blake & Penelope Ford over Terra Calaway (Handicap Match)
12. Jordynne Grace over Shotzi Blackheart
13. Homicide & Nick Gage over Tim Donst & Wheeler YUTA
14. Hooligans (Devin & Mason Cutter) over Philly-Marino Experience (Marino Tenaglia & Philly Collins)
15. Dominic Garrini (c) over Kevin Ku to retain the SUP Bonestorm Championship
16. Beau Crockett & Teddy King over Carnies (Kerry Awful & Nick Iggy)
17. Sage Philips over Jonathan Gresham

The big news coming out of NOVA Pro is the card for NOVA Project 4 is starting to take shape and I’m going to start with a doozy that spun out of the fallout from this show— Logan Easton LaRoux vs. Alexander James, with the leadership of the 1% on the line... and the loser leaves NOVA Pro for good!

Plus Terra Calaway ran the gauntlet only to fall to her own willingness to take on all comers, Wheeler YUTA in his dismay at losing due to referee stoppage put hands on the official and is suspended, Beau Crockett’s team with Jake Hollister has expanded into a full stable with the addition of Teddy King and Paul Jordane, and after Philips climbed the mountain in an epic-length main event, Garrini and Ku attacked, leading to one of two tag team matches to be booked for NOVA Project 4, with Gresham and Philips set to team against their attackers. The other tag set up out of here is the Ugly Ducklings and the Hooligans going at it one more time coming off their victories here, and it’ll be a DLC match-- no, you don’t have to pay extra, it’s DUCKS, Ladders, & Chairs!

(Hat tip, as always, to our NOVA Pro man Duke for filling in some of the deeper detail here and making sure I have a full picture of the goings on to report for you, folks!)

Check the replay out on Powerbomb.tv, folks.

AAA Triplemania XXVI (Aug. 25)

1. Astrolux, Dragon Bane, & Freelance over Aramis, Draztick Boy, & Latigo
2. Sammy Guevara over ACH, Australian Suicide (c), and Shane Strickland to win the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship
3. Big Mami & Nino Hamburguesa (c) over Angelikal & La Hiedra, Dinastia & Lady Maravilla, and Hijo del Vikingo & Vanilla to retain the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship
4. Bandido & Flamita over Aerostar & Drago, Andrew Everett & DJ Z, and Golden Magic & Laredo Kid to become #1 contenders to the AAA World Tag Team Championship (Ladder Match)
5. Poder del Norte (Carta Brava, Jr., Mocho Cota, Jr., & Tito Santana II) over Mamba, Maximo, & Pimpinela Escarlata and Black Tauro, Hijo de LA Park, & Puma King
6. OGTs (Averno, Chessman, & Super Fly) over MAD (Jack Evans, Juventud Guerrera, & Teddy Hart) (Lumberjack Match)
7. Los Mercenarios (La Mascara, Rey Escorpion, & Texano, Jr.) over Joe Lider, Murder Clown, & Pagano (Street Fight)
8. Lady Shani over Faby Apache (Mask vs. Hair Match)
9. Fenix over Brian Cage, Jeff Jarrett (c), and Rich Swann to win the AAA Mega Championship
10. LA Park over El Hijo del Fantasma, Pentagon, Jr., and Psycho Clown to claim Fantasma’s mask (Poker de Ases Mask vs. Mask Steel Cage Match)

For some great in-depth analysis of the show, check out our man Manolo’s recap right here, but suffice it to say, Triplemania was pure AAA action in every meaning of that phrase, good and bad. The ladder match in particular was absolutely nuts and worth seeking out a replay for.

Check that replay out (with a paid subscription), on AAA’s Twitch channel, folks.

AIW WrestleRager 3 (Aug. 25)

1. Gringo Loco over AJ Gray, Brian Carson, “Spyder” Nate Webb, Rex Brody, and Ryder Reid
2. Britt Baker over Allie Kat
3. Dominic Garrini over TKD
4. Joshua Bishop over Derek Director, PB Smooth, and Zach Thomas
5. The Production (Frankie Flynn & Magnum CK) (c) over Jollyville Fuck-Its (Russ Myers & T-Money) to retain the AIW Tag Team Championship
6. Hornswoggle over Dr. Daniel C. Rockingham
7. Pierre Carl Ouellet over Matthew Justice and Sabu
8. Young Studs (Bobby Beverly & Eric Ryan) over the Production (Danhausen & Eddy Only)
9. Eddie Kingston over Wes Barkley
10. John Thorne, Philly-Marino Experience (Marino Tenaglia & Philly Collins), & Weird World (Alex “Worldwide” Kellar & Evan “Weird Body” Adams) over #DukeMoney (Jock Samson, Mance Warner, Parker Pierce, the Duke, & “Big” Twan Tucker) (Fans Bring the Weapons Match)

AIW’s new outdoor tradition rolled on, with a packed house and a rare wrestling appearance from owner John Thorne, who got his hands dirty as part of his long-running feud with the Duke, joining PME and Weird World against #DukeMoney in a fans bring the weapons match that somehow ended up with Hornswoggle doing double duty as referee and left the ring absolutely crusted in violent detritus.

Check it out when it hits Smart Mark Video, folks.

Progress Chapter 75: These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends (Aug. 27)

1. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) over M&M (Connor Mills & Maverick Mayhew) (Thunderbastard Tag Team Series)
2. Millie McKenzie over Candyfloss, Chakara, Charlie Morgan, and Laura Di Matteo to become #1 contender to the Progress Women’s Championship
3. Chris Brookes & Timothy Thatcher over Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) (Thunderbastard Tag Team Series)
4. Doug Williams & WALTER over British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven)
5. Tyler Bate over Mark Haskins
6. Will Ospreay over Jimmy Havoc (No Disqualification 2/3 Falls Match)

As always for a show I’m going to recap eventually I’ll keep it short and sweet here, but Tyler Bate’s goin’ to Wembley to face WALTER! Alas, the same can’t be said for Jimmy Havoc, who fell to Ospreay with a little help from special guest refere Paul Robinson.

Check it out when it hits Demand Progress, 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.