PWX X16 2016 recap & review: Anthony Henry wins it all

Both nights of the X16 are live in the FloSlam archive, so let's break the tournament down together, folks.

Night One

The Revolt! are out with microphones waiting for Darius Lockhart's mystery opponent. Zane Riley welcomes us to the beginning of the all new Revolt! and promises brand new PWX Tag Team Champions. Darius gets on the mic and says he's gonna win the whole X16. He says it doesn't matter who his opponent is because they won't make it past the first round.

It's former PWX World Heavyweight Champion John Skyler!

Darius Lockhart vs. John Skyler (PWX X16 First Round Match)

Skyler nearly wins it out the gate with a huge superkick! Skyler takes Lockhart pillar-to-post on the outside but the other members of the Revolt! manage to cheat Lockhart an advantage back in the ring. Skyler manages a comeback dodging a dropkick and goes to his submission game, grabbing an ankle lock and forcing Lockhart to make the break.

More back-and-forth from there until Lockhart dropkicks John to the outside and gets caught by the slingshot spear for a tight nearfall! Caleb Konley and Zane Riley get caught trying to interfere and the referee sends them to the back for their trouble! Skyler lies in wait for Darius...

John Skyler wins by pinfall with a DDT.

Fun opener, and Skyler, while not the most exciting mystery entrant, is a great add for the tourney.

Last year's winner Ethan Case is interviewed backstage about his chances of a repeat victory, but Case turns the table, asking what's better than winning the first one? Winning the X16 twice.

James Drake vs. Jason Cade (PWX X16 First Round Match)

PWX iTV Champion Drake dominates early, using his superior size and strength, but Cade continues to make openings for himself. A tilt-a-whirl headscissors takes Drake outside, Cade cracks the door with a superkick but James catches him and cracks him in the face with that big pop-up haymaker onto the apron! Drake continues to dominate with hard chops, and soon after goes for Drill Bit and gets caught with a drop toehold into the turnbuckles.

Cade with a series of running knees into the tornado DDT but it's not enough. Low dropkick into a blockbuster, same trouble, the iTV Champion will not fall. Drake catches Cade with a Sick Kick for a nearfall of his own. They slug it out before ducking and dodging some maneuvers, Drake with a pop-up powerbomb but Cade reverses. Drake holds on and tries to powerbomb him over the ropes but Cade manages to shift his momentum and send Drake outside instead.

Cade is flying; Suicide dive, tope con giro, Drake ducks the third, eats a superkick... SENTON ATOMICO OVER THE RINGPOST! Cade follows it in the ring with a frog splash but Drake kicks out! Drake catches Cade into an Alabama Slam...

James Drake wins by pinfall with the Drill Bit.

Very good match. Always love a flyer chipping down a big man, and Cade is one of the best flyers around.

Zack Sabre, Jr. is interviewed backstage. He says it feels like he's been in a tournament every week this year, some he's won, and some he's lost. He's glad the Bravado Brothers aren't in the tournament and says his mother would love to have the X16 trophy in the house.

Chip Day vs. Trevor Lee (PWX X16 First Round Match)

Match starts hot with both men throwing and ducking a series of knockout kicks in an awesome exchange. Day takes a bit of a lead, getting off a couple pinning attempts and a sick knee drop bulldog, but a low dropkick to the knee turns the tide. The Carolina Caveman smells blood in the water and immediately stomps the back of the knee before continuing to work at it, kicking away.

A particularly brutal roundhouse to the bent knee issues a crack that reverberates around the arena and Trevor keeps the press on with a shinbreaker and a dragon screw. Chip manages to make a bit of separation but his knee gives out and Lee cracks him with a leaping forearm! Day fights out of another shinbreaker and starts throwing his hardest kicks with the good leg.

Rope-hung leg drop bulldog into a missile dropkick and Day keeps kicking, careful to not put too much weight on the bad leg. Step-up tornado DDT, Chip keeps the facelock on but Trevor rolls him through for a half-crab, stomping his head in and shifting to an STF but Day is right in the ropes. Chip leans on knees but a Lee catches him with the feet on one...

Trevor Lee wins by submisssion with an STF.

Great match. I counted all of three kicks where Chip used the bad leg in anyway, everything else was jumping or a leg-feed kick or otherwise kept weight off the leg at the time of impact. And of course, Trevor Lee's offense is focused and violent.

Anthony Henry vs. Martin Stone (PWX X16 First Round Match)

Grappling early, Stone wrenching Henry's arm back and taking a bit of an advantage. Test of strength leads to Henry getting ahead a bit with a flying headscissors. Dragon sleeper in the ropes, wearing Stone down, pinfalls exchanged and Henry chains offense sending Martin outside, only to get cut off with a forearm on a dive attempt.

Anthony gets the upper hand on the outside, throwing a wicked dropkick into the first row, around for the victory lap and Stone drops him with a forearm! In the ring, the Englishman grounds Henry a while before they slug it out. Knockout kick begets a headbutt and Henry is wobbly on his feet but keeps pushing.

Lariat for lariat, double lariat, double lariat, double neckbreaker drop! Moves dodged, tight exchange, Ace Crusher from Stone! Hard right hands from both men, gove way to other strikes until Henry gets off a neat knee drop headscissors and a jumping neckbreaker for two. Looking for the Vertebreaker, Stone for his crossface, the struggle continues...

Anthony Henry wins by pinfall with a prawn hold.

Good match, bit of an abrupt ending but in a cool way, with nearly the entire match being jockeying for position.

Backstage with the Ugly Ducklings, Lance Lude says they've been around for 11 months without any corporate backing or sponsorships and got to where they are now as home-grown local boys. Rob Killjoy says ducks fly everywhere, and recounts their issues with the Bravados and the Revolt! in short, pledging that the titles will stay with the Ducklings. Colby Corino runs down their battle plan in vague terms and promises to win the X16.

Bravado Brothers (Harlem & Lancelot Bravado) vs. the Revolt! (Caleb Konley & Zane Riley) vs. Ugly Ducklings (Lance Lude & Rob Killjoy) (c) (PWX Tag Team Championship)

The Bravados jump the Revolt! right as the bell rings! The Ducklings come in to try and break it up but they eat a beating as well. Chaos and brawling, Lance Lude with a tope con giro into the pile but they catch him and chuck him onto the ramp, but Rob Killjoy's dive lands square and settles the match into a more normal rhythm, he and Harlem Bravado as the legal men.

Quick tags from the Ducklings, Riley in and the champions keep working, the same with Konley, setting up double knees and an assisted cannonball but Riley catches Killjoy and powerbombs him into Lude! The Revolt! to work now, grinding Killjoy down until he escapes enough to tag Harlem in. He and Lancelot clear the Revolt! down, superkicks to both Ducklings, off the top with a crossbody for two.

Lancelot in with Chaos Theory as things break down a little, Riley clobbering both Ducklings with a double clothesline, and he and Konley run a double team on Lancelot, spinning DVD into the quebrada. Killjoy with the triangle dropkick, getting fired up and Riley pounces him before hitting a suicide dive onto the Bravados! Riley and Killjoy trade snot and spit, the Riley and Lancelot piled up, Lude gets monkey flipped onto the pile!

Lude Awakening connects, Killjoy off the top with a double stomp but Konley and Harlem dive in to break up the pin. Konley going in on the Bravados, Harlem drops him and they double team him with a wheelbarrow Ace Crusher. Setting up the Gentleman's Agreement when Darius Lockhart rolls in with a steel chair...

The match is declared a no contest.

Bummer of an ending but it makes sense for story reasons, and the match itself was a lot of fun.

Lockhart nails the ref with the chair, too, and the Revolt! runs wild on the Bravados while the Ducklings get out of town. Jake Manning gets up from commentary and heads to the ring with a chair of his own. He fends them off and gets on the mic, castigating the Revolt! for turning their back on the Bravados after they were on the same team in War Games back in March.

They made him into a martyr, and when he came back, they got pissed off. But he's no martyr, no sacrificial lamb, he's a fighter. If it's a revolution they're looking for, they got it. He's gone to war with the Bravados and he'll do it again, and best of all, he'll do it tomorrow.

And on this note, the show heads to intermission.

Ethan Case vs. Fred Yehi (PWX X16 First Round Match)

Struggle to start, settling on a test of strength and having the same thought to pick a leg, but Yehi drops fist to foot and Case has to take a breather outside. Waistlock battle, Fred breaks and comes off the ropes with a shoulder block and looking for the stomp and Case ends up going for the ropes.

Backfist ducked, stomp to the foot connects, then the hand, low dropkick follows, Yehi pushing the attack and forcing Ethan in the corner. Case gets back in with the pop-up forearm and a suplex into clubbing blows. Struggle in the corner, Yehi thinking superplex but Case knocks him down and fends off a suplex on the mat.

Looking for the springboard cutter and Yehi catches him right into a German suplex! Case is in big trouble, corner thrust, foot stomp, arm wringer, knee stomp, rolling elbow... not enough! Case catches a second elbow, springboard cutter connects for two. Yehi blocks a suplex into a small package, Case kicks out but Fred locks the Koji Clutch on! Ethan looking for the iconoclasm Yehi German suplexes him into the turnbuckles and soon back into the Koji Clutch.

Case breaks and ends up outside, Yehi happy to take a count-out win but Ethan gets back in. Cutter, knee strike...

Ethan Case wins by pinfall with the release suplex neckbreaker.

Good match, especially once the suplexes started coming.

Colby Corino vs. Tracer X (PWX X16 First Round Match)

Wristlock sequence early, Colby with two off a jackknife pin. Fakeout handshake, Corino dumps Tracer outside, thinking about a dive but he stops short, has to psych himself up. A second try comes up empty and he gets the crowd quacking, third try X dives over him back into the ring before throwing a slingshot dropkick on a Colby who is now outside.

Corino reverses a tornado DDT attempt into a Falcon Arrow and lays hard chops in the corner. Colby dodges a moonsault and throws chest kicks, leaving Tracer crumpled to the mat but not quite out of it. Whip reversals, Corino cracks off a spear and a Jackhammer! Tracer with an F5 but he's taken enough abuse that he can't jump right to capitalizing on it.

He throws up the X and charges in for a corner crossbody and then the slingshot tornado reverse STO for two! Colby with a kick sequence into a German suplex and a springboard cutter but X kicks out at the last second! Tracer tries to mount a comeback with kicks but Corino is able to snap off a Dragon suplex for another close nearfall. X reverses the running Alabam Slam into a sunset flip, 540 roundhouse, pumphandle suplex into the turnbuckles! Tracer climbs up top...

Tracer X wins by pinfall with a 450 splash.

Another good match. A bit surprising to see Tracer pick up the win but with Colby going to New Japan it makes a lot of sense, and it's certainly worth it later in the tournament.

Corey Hollis vs. Matt Riddle (PWX X16 First Round Match)

Hollis goes right for the leg but the Bro is a step ahead with waistlock takedowns. They continue grappling, struggling for an advantage, Corey choosing to go for a bunch of quick pins to try and knock Riddle off balance. Test of strength, Hollis takes a shortcut but Riddle stands defiant and throws a slap rush at him.

Off the ropes, he knocks Corey to the apron with a knee and follows it up with a springboard triangle knee and then the fake-out slide slap, or so was the theory, at least. Hollis went under the ring and Riddle follows, delivering the big slap on the far side. Chest kicks, Corey catches one but eats a big overhand chop that leaves him woozy and wobbling, the Bro literally blowing him over for a nearfall.

A second overhand chop into a series of corner stomps, but Hollis ducks Riddle when he charges in and goes for mounted punches. Matt fights back from his knees but no sooner than he gets to his feet does Hollis bulldoze him again. Straight suplex gets one and Corey chases it by grounding the bro with a reverse chinlock.

Riddle out but Hollis keeps on him, another suplex, a headbutt, choking against the ropes, but the Bro reverses a third suplex into his fisherman buster. Riddle ducking wild punches and throwing slaps, then rolling Karelin lifts, five of 'em! Big airtime senton gets a nearfall, Bro charges in with forearms, Hollis seemingly out on his feet but he's able to throw a corner avalanche of his own and a lariat to try and get some breathing room.

Double knees into an exploder from the Bro, another senton but Corey gets the knees up and hits a running snap neckbreaker into a half-halch suplex but it's not enough! Hollis up top, he stops short of jumping into Riddle's feet and locks the Calf Killer on. Riddle to the ropes, Corey pounds his head in. Bro struggles to his feet, Hollis with the fireman's carry spinebuster but the former UFC man catches him with a triangle. Jumping tombstone... NOT ENOUGH!

Hollis defiant on his knees as Riddle throws slaps, he low bridges him outside and referee Kevin Pierce checks on the Bro. He wants to stop the match but Riddle refuses and climbs back in the ring, only to get chop blocked hard by Hollis. Back to the Calf Killer but Riddle reverses...

Matt Riddle wins by submission with the Bromission.

Awesome match, and a great sequel to their meeting in the Scenic City Invitational.

John Skyler is interviewed backstage. He says he told everybody from day one, it doesn't matter who it is-- and Corey Hollis rolls up before walking away wordlessly. Skyler reiterates that it doesn't matter who.

Davey Richards vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (PWX X16 First Round Match)

Feeling out early, Richards getting a headscissors and Sabre escaping easily. ZSJ gets a standing surfboard but Davey is able to reverse, shifting to a stepover armlock and bridging back over the near arm, Sabre reverses himself and nearly gets Ode to Jim Breaks. Davey takes a breather and when he comes back in he goes right to a short sharp forearm strike. Ducking and dodging, Richards eventually gets a rolling solebutt off but Sabre is able to hit the inverted stomp armbreaker, sending Davey outside again.

Zack follows after him, uppercuts and an arm wringer, bending the elbow back unholy. Davey gets control for a bit but isn't able to hit a decisive blow until they head back for the ring, getting a dragon screw in the ropes. Richards goes to work on the leg, wrenching and locking an inverted figure four on before transitioning it to an inverted Indian deathlock and then to a Haas of Pain.

Sabre with big uppercuts, Davey gets an O'Connor roll and back to the leg but he hesitates and Zack gets an armbar, forcing Richards to compress his leg hard to the mat to get a break. Looking for a figure four and he abandons it to flip the crowd the bird, soon choosing to ground ZSJ with a reverse chinlock. Zack out of a suplex, Richards with a handspring, Sabre dropkicks the arm out from under him!

Sabre keeps the abuse up with a kick and another cross armbar attempt but Davey's right against the ropes. Tornado DDT, roll-through, the bodyscissors Kimura lock is in! Davey reverses with a few punches to the ribs and an ankle lock, Zack rolls him through into a heel hook, Richards reverses to a Sharpshooter, Sabre gets the ropes for a break. Awesome sequence!

Davey with a series of leg kicks, ZSJ trades him kicks to the arm back and it devolves into plain slugging until Richards hits the Alarm Clock. Dragon suplex into a Penalty Kick from Sabre but it's not enough. Flying triangle, Zack wraps Davey's arm around his leg for added pressure before locking it down entirely. Richards out with a catapult, Sabre catches himself on the turnbuckles and Davey charges in to cut him off with headbutts. Superplex connects, Davey holds the facelock, brainbuster... NOT ENOUGH!

Ankle lock applied, Sabre rolls through, pins exchanged...

Zack Sabre, Jr. wins by pinfall with a bridging double wristlock pin.

Awesome match. Pure technical wrestling Davey is my favorite Davey and aside from the superplex/brainbuster spot late, it was all pure technical wrestling Davey here tonight.

Night Two

Feed goes live on Night Two with Brad Stutts and Tommy Thomas introducing us to the show.

John Skyler vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (PWX X16 Quarterfinal Match)

Grappling early, trading advantage and jockeying for position. A backslide from Sabre after a grueling headscissors sequence leads Skyler to bail for a breather. Back in the ring he picks a leg and gets an inverted figure four on the Technical Wizard but Sabre is able to reverse easily and bridge into a Muta Lock!

After the break a test of strength ensues, John has the strength but Zack's bag of tricks is larger and he gets out and wrenches Skyler's arm something unholy. Skyler starts throwing sentons and shoulder thrusts, crushing the Englishman, but Sabre catches a senton into an armbar! Skyler breaks with a pin and hits a Finlay Roll for two more. Bridging jackknife pin gets Sabre a close nearfall and John Skyler gets one of his own off a spinebuster!

A little back and forth, Sabre lands the Pele kick to the arm and charges in with uppercuts until he eats a boot. Big roundhouses to the arm but John Skyler's lariat arm is good to knock him down. Tiger Driver into a Regal Stretch, ZSJ turns it around into a Fujiwara but Skyler reverses to a pin, Sabre with the Penalty Kick to the arm!

Uppercut for uppercut, blow for blow we go, Skyler dropping Sabre with a headbutt but getting caught with an uppercut on the slingshot spear, Sabre off the ropes, slingshot spear, Sabre has the arm! ODE TO JIM BREAKS! IT'S OVER!

Zack Sabre, Jr. wins by submission with the Ode to Jim Breaks.

Really good match, Sabre chipping away at the arm bit by bit until Skyler's strength advantage was done and dusted.

Corey Hollis is interviewed backstage about his losing streak. He says he doesn't think his heart is in it anymore, and maybe it's time to go. Skyler rolls up and yells at his friend and tag team partner, reminding him that he's Corey Freakin' Hollis! He lost and he's not whining and crying, so Corey needs to pick himself up, dust himself off, and be the man he knows he can be. Skyler presses him but Hollis doesn't want to hear it.

Anthony Henry vs. Trevor Lee (PWX X16 Quarterfinal Match)

Lee blindsides Henry the minute the introductions finish and stomps the proverbial mudhole in him! He keeps the press up with a huge Rock Bottom and a back suplex, generally targeting the back. Trevor grabs Anthony by the chin and locks the bear hug on! I can hardly bear it! Henry escapes and throws a few strikes, but it's very quickly right back to the punishment.

Henry manages to create an opening and chain a bunch of forearms together into an enzuigiri and he's firing himself up! He hits an Air Raid Crash so hard it blacks the camera out for a second! Lee goes outside only to eat a low suicide dive that sends him deep into the crowd! Running big boot on a chair, Henry takes Lee back in but the Carolina Caveman is a step ahead and ducks the diving stomp before hitting his own pop-up stomp.

Off the ropes, Anthony with a low-angle German suplex, but a forearm from Lee sets him up outside for a Penalty Kick off the apron. Henry flips out of a facelock and into a bodyscissors Dragon sleeper, he tries to transition but Lee is able to set him up for a rope-hung neckbreaker and the deadlift German suplex! Suplex attempt, Henry out with a knee, looking for that Vertebreaker, pins exchanged...

Anthony Henry wins by pinfall, reversing a pinning predicament into one of his own.

A little slim, likely owing to Henry needing to save some energy for later in the tournament, but really fun all the same.

We go backstage with James Drake ahead of his match with Matt Riddle. Or perhaps his bye into the semifinals, since Riddle is not cleared to compete. (Or, well, booked in Massachusetts for Beyond today. Tomato, potato.) But no, he doesn't want the bye, he'll earn his way to the semis.

Drake heads out into the ring to give the crowd in live attendance the news. He says the people know how hard he's worked to put the iTV Championship around his waist. He's a fighting champion and a fighting man, and he's gonna earn his spot. Anybody in the back, he doesn't care, come out and get it on.

It's Sami Callihan!

James Drake vs. Sami Callihan (PWX X16 Quarterfinal Match)

Callihan tries to bully Drake around a little but the iTV Champion ain't having it. They go bull moose with the shoulder thrusts, Drake wins but Sami manages to toss him outside and throw a trifecta of suicide dives! Callihan follows up with the spit chop before going around the ring, but James is up in time to cut him off with a chop.

A powerbomb sees Sami escape to the apron, but he dives right into the pop-up haymaker! Drake takes it to Callihan back in the ring, nailing a sick back elbow / northern lariat combo for two. Punishment in the corner, Drake charges in, Callihan takes his knee out but the Space Cat crumples on the fireman's carry. Struggle in the turnbuckles, Drake knocks Sami to the mat but ends up eating a superkick to the back of the knee.

Bicycle kick connects, Drake spits in Callihan's face defiant but two kicks to the knee chop him down again and a sliding knee gets two. Slugging it out, kicks and chops, until a pop-up spinebuster gets Drake a nearfall. He hits the Drill Bit... CALLIHAN KICKS OUT! Up for the moonsault, Callihan dodges, fireman's carry, modified GTS...

Sami Callihan wins by pinfall with a schoolboy pin.

Good fast-paced brawl. Callihan and Drake both kick a lot of ass in brawls, and they delivered on that promise here.

Ethan Case vs. Tracer X (PWX X16 Quarterfinal Match)

Tracer hot out the gate with a trio of shotgun dropkicks! Dipping and dodging, headscissors sends Case to the apron and a triangle dropkick to the outside, slingshot dropkick misses, tornado DDT into the front row! MOONSAULT OFF THE ELEVATED BAR BARRICADE!

Up top for the 450 but Ethan slips away, X goes for a monkey flip and gets caught with a big right and an iconoclasm, ending his starting run and putting Case in the driver's seat... for a moment, because a big powerbomb gets reversed right into a Frankensteiner! Ethan with a suplex lift Michinoku Driver and a huge pop-up forearm strike but neither can quite put the smaller man away.

X connects with the pumphandle suplex, blocks the cutter, running shooting star press but it only gets two. Dodge after dodge in the corner but Tracer hits a superkick to set up the diving reverse STO. Up top, 450 splash... NO GOOD! X slips on a springboard, Case capitalizes, springboard cutter, knee strike...

Ethan Case wins by pinfall with a release suplex neckbreaker.

Really good match. Loved the story of Tracer being just a step ahead until he made a fatal mistake.

Case grabs Tracer X about the face after the match, telling him that he's the future of the company.

He's then interviewed backstage, saying 2-0, two to go, and he's gonna win the tournament back to back.

Chip Day vs. Corey Hollis vs. Fred Yehi vs. Jason Cade vs. Martin Stone

Corey takes a walk immediately, still in a bit of a funk. Cade immediately in on Yehi while Stone and Day feel it out. Day and Yehi go at it, Chip hitting a knockout kick before going to town on Cade (with that awesome knee drop bulldog) and Stone (with a falling enzuigiri), before Fred comes back and levels him again. Yehi catches Cade with a German suplex off a handspring and Stone gets into it with him but Yehi is able to stomp the foot and get a cover.

Cade with a suicide dive onto Hollis at ringside before coming off the top with a dropkick on Yehi. Stone tries for a cutter but Cade stops himself with his hands! Jason ducks kicks from Chip Day and spikes him with a poison Frankensteiner for two! Fred Yehi adds to it with the sickest stomp to the chest ever stomped. Stone gets a run in, with a nearfall off a cutter that put Chip's head into the mat!

He and Cade go at it, Martin one-arm powerbombing him over the ropes and to the outside onto Day and Yehi! Hollis comes in and chop blocks Yehi, running neckbreaker, fireman's carry spinebuster on Cade, Bloody Sunday on Day! His message delivered, Corey heads up the ramp and backstage, to Martin Stone's consternation. Stone heads after him, leaving Day and Yehi in the ring. They slug it out forearm-for-forearm, Yehi wins the exchange and covers him but it's no good.

Cade with a Pedigree into a sunset flip powerbomb... not enough! Chip Day kicks Cade across the ring and spikes him with a tornado DDT into a northern light bomb but it's no good. Martin Stone's back out and Day kicks his leg out of his leg. Pop-up powerbomb into a headbutt combo from the Englishman...

Martin Stone wins by pinfall with a rope-hung DDT on Chip Day.

Good quality high octane five-way action. Enjoyed everybody kind of knowing each other well enough to keep anybody from gaining too much of an advantage and Hollis sitting it out only to drop everybody and leave is a cool progression of his story.

Off to intermission we tread.

Anthony Henry vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (PWX X16 Semifinal Match)

Feeling out early, Henry staying low on the mat, he gets caught by a kneebar but ends up in the ropes. Back and forth they go, neither man able to gain a definitive advantage. Henry's finally had enough and fires off a forearm to Sabre's chops and they slug it out a bit. Anthony takes ZSJ down with a series of kicks, snapmares beget snapmares beget snapmares and Sabre breaks the chain with a head twist.

Abdominal stretch neck crank is in, Henry fights out but Sabre keeps it on as a cravate before taking him to the mat for another headtwist into a seated pin for two. Zack steps on Henry's head and draws his leg up, twisting the ankle. Snapmare into a Japanese stranglehold from the Technical Wizard, Henry fights out with a low dropkick and La Magistral, but Sabre cuts him short and stomps the back of his head in when Anthony kicks out.

Uppercuts and boots, Zack stays in charge, wrenching in the Young Boy Killer before changing to a standing surfboard. Henry gets out and drops ZSJ with a German suplex off the ropes, charging in for an enzuigiri, looking for the Air Raid Crash but Sabre reverses it to kind of a modified octopus! Henry shifts it again into a reverse STO type maneuver and then a low dropkick. ZSJ has the octopus in, Henry reverses to an Alabama Slam and a roll-through legsweep leg submission.

Sabre out, Henry connects with an enzuigiri, Sabre gets the octopus again but Henry buckles and rolls and gets to the ropes! Bridging half nelson suplex nearly wins Sabre the match! A disdainful Penalty Kick follows, and another, but Henry's asking for more. He catches the third, big slap, O'Connor roll into the Dragon sleeper, Sabre right out into a bridging pin for two! Henry with a backslide nearfall, going for the Vertebreaker, Zack dodges, back to the bridging pin, Henry out...

Anthony Henry wins by submission with a Dragon sleeper.

Excellent match, with some crazy reversals, and great to see my man Anthony Henry going hold-for-hold with one of the best technical wrestlers around.

Backstage with the Revolt! and Darius Lockhart says that Jake Manning has become like the oppressors they once opposed. Caleb Konley says the Bravados only care about their own personal gain, and Zane Riley adds that history is written by the victors, and says Manning and the Bravados' children's children will read about how they were cowards in the book that the Revolt! will write.

Callihan and Case come out to each other's entrances and in each other's gear. They even respond to each other's introductions!

Ethan Case vs. Sami Callihan (PWX X16 Semifinal Match)

Mirror image action to start, then they lock up and spill to the floor, not breaking the hold for anything. Up the entrance ramp and backstage, before coming back out, still locked up, but this time in their correct gear! They break the hold and look confused, Case shakes Callihan's hand and Sami fires off the bicycle kick for two!

Hard forearms, Case eats another bicycle kick but fires off a discus lariat to end the exchange and leave both men out on the mat. Double lariats, Callihan hits a Blu-Ray! Sami calls for the thumbs up, Case catapults him into the corner and hits a snap inverted DDT, but Callihan's foot is on the ropes. Case charges in and eats boot after boot, a sunset flip on the third into an inverted double stomp, Stretch Muffler! Pop-up forearm, springboard cutter, knee strike...

Ethan Case wins by pinfall with the release suplex neckbreaker.

Very fun sprint. Good comedy at the beginning, hard hitting to finish.

Commentary runs down the last two matches when the tag team champions roll up to join him on commentary.

Bravado Brothers (Harlem & Lancelot Bravado) & Jake Manning vs. the Revolt! (Caleb Konley, Darius Lockhart, & Zane Riley)

All six men brawling wild out the gates, Riley and Manning fighting with a garbage can at one point, before the Bravados fight Lockhart and Konley over by the door. Manning and Riley are over by the gimmick tables as Harlem Bravado is fighting Darius on a stage in the corner of the arena. Harlem with a huge tope con giro on everybody! Chaos reigns but Harlem and Darius finally get in the ring and the bell sounds.

Bravados with a neckbreaker over the knees double-team and soon the babyfaces are hitting tandem mounted punches. The Revolt! try to turn the tables but Harlem powerbombs Riley to the mat! Into a half-crab but Konley breaks it up. Lancelot shifts the crab to Caleb and we have submissions all around! The Revolt! fight out of it and start working Lancelot over until the Bravado catches a leapfrog into a powerslam and tags his brother in.

Pump kicks all around but they isolate Harlem outside and he gets back suplexed on the apron. He gets some separation and charges in on Konley and the Revolt!man begs off long enough for Riley to run him over like a freight train. Manning tags in and the PWX World Heavyweight Champion cleans house, clobbering Riley and Konely with a diving double clothesline before dropping Lockhart with his backbreaker / STO combo.

Spinning DVD into a moonsault catches the champion but Harlem breaks the pin up! Konley and Manning slugging it out, Caleb wins with a spinning backfist and a Blue Thunder Driver for two. Harlem back in, he catches Konley with a pump kick but Zane is there to catch him into an electric chair into a knee strike from Lockhart and the offense keeps coming, culminating with a cannonball from Zane and a double jump moonsault from Konley but Lancelot and Manning break the pin up.

The match has largely broken down when Manning tags himself back in, looking for the piledriver on Darius but Riley is in with chair. Harlem cuts him off and waffles Lockhart with the chair while referee DA Brewer is checking on Riley...

Bravado Brothers & Jake Manning win by pinfall with a deadlift piledriver from Manning on Darius Lockhart.

Awesome wild six-man brawl.

Broken Matt Hardy comes on the video screen! He has a match against Jake Manning on December 18 and he will DELETE him!

Jake retorts, he wants everybody on FloSlam to hear this and he hopes there's an uplink to Vanguard-1. If Matt Hardy wants to delete him, please delete him. As damaged as he is, all the brain damage he has, please, delete him. But one more thing keeps him giving more and more to this business, this artform, this sport, and that's these people in the crowd. They haven't gotten everything from him, but if Matt Hardy wants to delete him, he'll have to take his career from his cold, dead hands. Do your best, he says, because he will always bring his best, and that's a promise... scout's honor.

PWX owner Brian Kanabroski brings the trophy down to the ring for the finals.

Anthony Henry vs. Ethan Case (PWX X16 Final Match)

Grappling to start, Henry with a bit of an edge but nothing definitive. Off the ropes at each other, wheelbarrow victory roll reversed, arm drags, both men face-to-face on the mat, stalemate. TKO over the ropes breaks the peace and Henry follows it up with that low suicide dive! Sick Kick on the chairs, and a second, and a third, the last one right in front of the X16 trophy! Charging around the ring, perhaps for a fourth, Case catches him with the pop-up forearm strike!

Slingshot from Henry, Ethan catches him into a suplex for one. Case sends Anthony back outside but gets caught by a forearm when he goes for a dive. Henry comes around, charges, Case dodges, hits a huge diving clothesline off the apron! He sets Henry up in a seat and jumps off the apron again but Henry catches him with a kick. Arm drag off the apron into a pump kick and the action heads back in the ring again.

Big corner kick, a slap, Henry heads up but Case cuts him off and hits an iconoclasm off the second rope! On their knees and to their feet, they go forearm-for-forearm, Henry eventually falling to another pop-up forearm but Case can't capitalize. Off the ropes, Case blocks a German suplex but eats a short one after a quick exchange and then a second leaves him out on his feet.

Big corner dropkick, and a second, Henry's coming in hard and strong, a third! Lumbar Check from Case! Not enough! Case goes for a suplex, Henry with a knockout kick... VERTEBREAKER! NO GOOD! Henry signals the end, he's going for another but Case slips away, springboard cutter! Knee strike! Release suplex neckbreaker! ANTHONY HENRY'S STILL IN IT!

On their knees, both men are running on fumes but damn if they're gonna give the other the satisfaction. Slap for slap, forearm for forearm, Henry gets the Dragon sleeper in! Case turns him around but Henry will not break the hold! He traps the arms, wrenching back! It's over!

Anthony Henry wins by submission with an arm-trap Dragon sleeper, winning the 2016 X16!

Awesome finals. Those last couple minutes were heart-stopping.

Henry is presented the trophy to ringing chants of "You deserve it!" before he and Case hug. He gets on the mic, saying he usually doesn't do this often, but after twelve years in this business, all the sacrifices, the long drives, the injuries, the time away from his daughter, this is the greatest moment in his professional wrestling career.

And what makes it even better, what makes it so awesome to him, is that it was two truly home-grown talents. If it wasn't for PWX, nobody would know who he is, and none of this would be possible. This is his home, this is where he belongs, and next on his agenda is the PWX World Heavyweight Championship. Usually he'd take the title match next moth but Manning is already busy and he wants his shot at Rise of A Champion in February. He thanks everyone again and that's the show.

Overall

PWX hit it out of the park with this one. Not every match was a barnburner, and working an injury angle to eliminate Matt Riddle when he had to be in Massachusetts for Beyond on Sunday was a bit of a strange choice (although him being the one to beat Corey Hollis and send him all the way into a tailspin made absolute sense), but by and large it was an excellent pair of shows.

They're only going to be up on FloSlam for two weeks, however, so get on it right away, folks.