Sermon on the Mat (Dec. 15, 2016): DTU, CMLL, PWG, Shine, HOH, ACW, IPW:UK, & PWX cards, Freelance, CZW, Evolve, Beyond, Progress, & Tier 1 results, plus FIVE free matches!

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...

DTU Nuev9 Aniversario (December 15, 9PM Easter)

1. Aero Boy, Ángel o Demonio, Drastik Boy, Pesadilla, & ??? vs. Corsario Negro, Jr., Lokillo, Moria, Niño de Cobre, & Tony Iron
2. Black Fire (c) vs. Hormiga (DTU Alto Impacto Championship)
3. Dragón Rojo, Jr. & Pólvora (c) vs. El Junior & Gio (DTU Nexo Championship)
4. Gallego vs. Jimmy vs. Kevin vs. Mr. Cóndor (Hair vs. Hair Match)
5. Halloween vs. Ovett vs. Sharlie Rockstar (c) (DTU Consagrado Championship)
6. Flamita vs. Negro Casas vs. Ronnie Mendoza
7. Ciclope & Crazy King vs. Paranoiko & Tóxico DF (Rancho de Texas Match)

DTU, a lucha libre indie promotion with a bit of a hardcore bent, are holding their first ever iPPV live from Pachuca, Mexico tonight. The marquee match, such as it is, and the one that's getting me to put my $6 down, is Flamita (a highly talented young luchador who's been making waves in Dragon Gate) vs. Negro Casas (who at the age of 56 is still one of the best wrestlers on the planet) vs. Ronnie Mendoza (who you'll remember as the guy Brian Kendrick beat in the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic), which should be an absolute hoot.

But you've also got a Rancho de Texas Match, which is lucha libre for "no rope barbed wire", CMLL stars Dragón Rojo, Jr. and Pólvora defending their tag team championships, a four-way hair vs. hair apuesta match, a three-way featuring lucha libre veterans Halloween and Sharlie "Charly Manson" Rockstar, and more!

So go ahead on over to the site (make sure to register on the site proper before hitting Paypal) and put your orders in, folks.

CMLL Super Viernes (December 16, 9:30PM Eastern)

1. Mercurio & Pequeño Nitro vs. Shockercito & Stukita
2. El Sagrado, Misterioso, Jr., & Okumura vs. Flyer, Soberano, Jr., & Star, Jr.
3. Estrellita, Jarochita, & Vaquerita vs. Metálica, Tiffany, & Zeuxis
4. Atlantis, Marco Corleone, & Stuka, Jr. vs. Los Ingobernables (La Máscara, Pierroth, & Rush)
5. Mascara Año 2000 vs. Máximo Sexy
6. Carístico, Valiente, & Volador, Jr. vs. Los Guerreros Laguneros (Euforia, Gran Guerrero, & Último Guerrero)

I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner! Super Viernes is broadcast free over the internet every week, why not list the card and link you guys up? Anyway, this week's show has a double-barreled headline of continuing feuds, with Mascara Año 2000 and Máximo Sexy finally facing off mano y mano as well was Último Guerrero and Carístico continuing their feud in trios action. Plus Los Ingobernables in action against a trio of Atlantis, Marco "Mark Jindrak" Corleone, and Stuka, Jr., it looks to be a pretty solid show.

Tune in on ClaroSports and remember to be a little patient if you get an error right at the crack of 9:30, because sometimes the stream takes a few minutes to get going.

PWG Mystery Vortex IV (December 16)

1. Marty Scurll vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (c) (PWG World Championship)

Yessir, folks, it’s a one-match show! Marty Scurll cashes in his BOLA victory title shot against long-time friend and rival Zack Sabre, Jr., and nothing else is going to happen.

...

Oh, alright, there’ll be a full slate of matches, but the fun here is that nothing else is announced in advance. Literally anything could happen, and in 2016, “literally anything” almost actually means literally anything!

Of course, tickets sold out in a matter of minutes and the show won’t be out on DVD for some time, but it’s definitely happening.

Shine 39 (December 16, 8PM Eastern)

1. C4 (Amber O'Neal, Andrea, Kennadi Brink, & LuFisto) vs. Las Sicarias (ACR, Ivelisse (c), Mercedes Martinez, & Thea Trinidad) (Shine Championship Loser Leaves Town Match)

Well, I was gonna do my usual writeup for this bad boy, but there is zero card info aside from that one match (which, granted, sounds like a lot of fun), and it seems like even the other women on the show have no idea who they're facing.

Now, I usually write these out on Tuesday and Wednesday night and try to be on the ball if stuff gets changed/updated before Sermon publishes on Thursday, but this is bad, folks. So I'm gonna go ahead and leave it at this, regardless of whether or not the promised newsmail drops between now and publishing.

But, questions as to what will actually be happening aside, if you'd like tickets you can go here, or just fire up FloSlam tomorrow night.

House of Hardcore 22 / 23 (December 16-17)

—HOH 22 (8PM Eastern)—

1. Dan Barry, ???, & ??? vs. Eddie Kingston, TJ Marconi, & Vik Dalishus (If Dan Barry's team loses, they're all banned from HOH)
2. Lio Rush vs. Tony Nese
3. John Hennigan vs. Fenix
4. Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan
5. Broken Matt Hardy vs. Tommy Dreamer (Steel Cage Match)

—HOH 23 (7PM Eastern)—

1. Jessicka Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie
2. Brian Cage vs. Moose
3. John Hennigan vs. Fenix
4. James Ellsworth & Tommy Dreamer vs. the Spirit Squad (Kenny & Mikey)

Well, that rotten no-chin jackanapes James Ellsworth went and cancelled (or perhaps WWE pulled him, or maybe, if we really want to be charitable, he's actually as sick as he looked on SmackDown), so the tag team event of the year is undergoing a little "card subject to change" action, but House of Hardcore are still doing their best to tee up a pair of quality shows for us.

First coming back home to the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before hitting up Joppa, Maryland, it's two nights of matches you didn't know you wanted to see. From interpromotional action like ROH's Lio Rush taking on WWE's Tony Nese in one of his last indie matches, and TNA's Moose squaring off against Lucha Underground's Brian Cage, there's a lot to like between these shows. Perhaps most of all, Broken Matt Hardy making his way to House of Hardcore to try and DELETE Tommy Dreamer once and for all... inside of a steel cage!

So get tickets here or just be ready for fire up FloSlam for all the action.

ACW Yuletide Beatings (December 17, 7:30PM Eastern)

1. Snoop Strikes vs. Troy Hollywood
2. Romeo Quevedo issues an open challenge for his ACW Combat Championship
3. Aria Blake (c) vs. Jenna (ACW Women's Championship)
4. Jason Cade vs. Johann Ramzes (c) (ACW Cruiserweight Championship)
5. The Carnies (Kerry Awful & Nick Iggy) vs. the Lacey Twins (Gabe & Greyson Lacey) (c) (ACW Tag Team Championship)
6. Parrow vs. Sean Swag (c) (ACW Championship)

ACW are back with a bang to close out the year in their home base of Port Richey, Florida. All titles are on the line, with my boys the Carnies (formerly known as Team IOU) coming into challenge for the tag team championship as well as the excellently named Johann Ramzes defending his cruiserweight championship against Jason Cade, Aria Blake defending the women's title against Jenna, Sean Swag hoping to hold onto the big belt against Drennan's associate Parrow, and most excitingly, Romeo Quevedo defending the combat title against possibly anyone!

Pick up tickets here or check it out live on FloSlam.

IPW:UK Supershow 5 (December 18, 5PM GMT)

1. Scott Star (c) vs. Zack Gibson (IPW:UK All-England Championship)
2. Cuban Heat vs. Santa Claus (10,000 Cuban Peso Challenge Match)
3. Pollyanna vs. Tennessee Honey (IPW:UK Interim Women's Championship)
4. Joseph Connors vs. Tom Dawkins
5. DND (Cieran Donnelly & Danny Duggan) vs. London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) vs. Swords of Essex (Amazon & Scott Wainwright) (c) (IPW:UK Tag Team Championship)
6. Jimmy Havoc (c) vs. Sammy Smooth (IPW:UK World Championship "I Quit" Match)
7. Matt Riddle vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.
8. Cody Rhodes vs. Will Ospreay

IPW:UK are making their (somewhat tape delayed; this will air as a live world premiere a few days after the fact) FloSlam debut in Rochester, Kent with Supershow 5. And it is indeed a super show, from Cody Rhodes surely trampling Will Ospreay under the banner of Bullet Club, to Matt Riddle and Zack Sabre, Jr. having a rematch of their excellent Evolve 59 tilt, to Jimmy Havoc defending his world title in an "I Quit" match where he'll surely bring out all the fixins.

Plus you got a triple threat tag title match involving the London Riots, a match to fill the interim Women's Championship (since actual champion Mickie James is rather busy, you see), Liverpool's #1 Zack Gibson challenging Scott Star for the All-England title, and, most excitingly of all, Santa Claus himself taking the time out of his busy Christmastime schedule to take on Cuban Heat in the 10,000 Cuban Peso Challenge!

Pick up your tickets here or just wait patiently for this bad boy to go up on FloSlam.

PWX Season’s DELETE-ings (December 18, 3PM Eastern)

1. Jason Cade vs. Joseph A'gau vs. Timmy Lou Retton
2. Ethan Case vs. Martin Stone
3. OI4K (Dave Crist, Jake Crist, & Sami Callihan) vs. Ugly Ducklings (Colby Corino, Lance Lude, & Rob Killjoy)
4. Chip Day vs. David Starr (c) (wXw Shotgun Championship)
5. Anthony Henry vs. Darius Lockhart
6. Bravado Brothers (Harlem & Lancelot Bravado) vs. the Revolt! (Caleb Konley & Zane Riley) (FINAL CONFRONTATION)
7. James Drake (c) vs. Tracer X (PWX iTV Championship)
8. “Manscout” Jake Manning (c) vs. Matt Hardy (PWX World Heavyweight Championship)

PWX are back again with their last show of the year, in Concord, North Carolina and it is DELIGHTFUL! Yes, his Broken Brilliance is descending on PWX as he takes a shot at the Manscout for the PWX World Heavyweight Championship. But the rest of the card is not obsolete, with matches ranging from James Drake defending his iTV title against Tracer X to the Revolt! and the Bravados facing off in a FINAL CONFRONTATION, and David Starr defending his wXw Shotgun Championship against Chip Day.

The train doesn't stop there, no sir, with X16 winner Anthony Henry biding his time until he takes his title shot by having a go opposite the Revolt!'s Darius Lockhart, OI4K taking on the combined might of PWX tag champs the Ugly Ducklings, X16 finalist Ethan Case going one-on-one with the Guv'nor, plus Jason Cade and wrestling's premier male gymnast Timmy Lou Retton in a pyrotechnic three-way alongside Joseph A'gau.

It's gonna be a good one, so pick up your tickets here or just get subscribed to the Highspots Wrestling Network and wait for it to drop where it’s going to air live as an iPPV! That’s right, they saw the demand from the X16 and they’re airing it live right from Pivotshare.

Free matches here!

Heidi Lovelace vs. Jessicka Havok

Coming at us from AAW, this one is hot off the presses, folks, straight from last month's Windy City Classic. Lovelace and Havok go hard in an "I Quit" Match, and you aren't gonna want to miss it!

Joey Janela vs. JT Dunn

We're gonna roll on with another hardcore gimmick match, folks, this one from the fine folks over at Beyond Wrestling. Joey Janela took on JT Dunn in a dog collar match that's one of the most violent wars in Beyond history. Check it out!

Brian Milonas vs. Flex Rumblecrunch

This HOSS FIGHT comes to us from Limitless Wrestling up in Maine. Devastation Corporation man Flex Rumblecrunch takes on Brian Milonas in a classic beef-on-beef struggle.

Big Damo vs. Laredo Kid

Coming to us by way of the fine folks at AIW, check out Big Damo (before he got signed to WWE) and Laredo Kid (before he wandered off for the night) going one on one. When lucha libre meets a big man, you know there's fun to be had!

Austin Aries vs. Will Ospreay

Yep. The good people over at Southside Wrestling Entertainment let this out of the bag, folks. Do I even need to do my usual perfunctory job hyping this one up? Go watch it!

Results

Freelance Triple Threat Level Midnight (December 9)

1. Stevie Fierce over Alex Ohlson, Chris Castro, Darin Corbin, Kenny Sutra, Matt Cage, and Space Monkey (Scramble Match)
2. "All Ego" Ethan Page over Arik Cannon & Heidi Lovelace
3. N-Words (Acid Jaz & Bryce Benjamin) (c) over Brubaker & Kobe Durst and Team BETA (Craig Mitchell & Matt Knicks) to retain the Freelance Tag Team Championship
4. Suge D over Christian Rose (Loser Leaves Freelance Match)
5. Hornswoggle over Kikutaro
6. GPA over Isaias Velazquez and Mustafa Ali (c) to win the Freelance Heavyweight Championship

Freelance ended their year strong with an excellent show that saw a number of farewells. Mustafa Ali, naturally, headlines the class, but also Heidi Lovelace (who shockingly turned out to be Sally Stitches after all!), Christian Rose, play-by-play man Mark Maxwell, and, perhaps saddest of all, Space Monkey's freedom after Ethan Page contrived to sign adoption papers.

You can check out my full recap for all the details, but the two biggest matches, the loser leaves town and the title match, both delivered as big as you please, but it was a really thoroughly good show, with even the ineffable dream match that is Hornswoggle/Kikutaro being a lot of fun.

Be sure to check it out when it goes up on Smart Mark VOD, folks, and get on the $5 stream next month for sure.

CZW Cage of Death 18 (December 10)

1. Dave Crist over Alexander James, AR Fox, Jimmy Lynn, Tim Donst, Tony Deppen, & Zachary Wentz
2. Greg Excellent over Homicide
3. Dub Boys (Dave McCall & Nate Carter) over Kevin Martenson & Yuma
4. Shane Strickland over Dezmond Xavier
5. EYFBO (Angel Ortiz & Mike Draztik) over Da Hit Squad (Dan Maff & Monsta Mack) (c) to win the CZW World Tag Team Championship
6. Scarlet and Graves (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) over EYFBO (Angel Ortiz & Mike Draztik) (c) to win the CZW World Tag Team Championship
7. Lio Rush over Sami Callihan
8. "Chainsaw" Joe Gacy over Jonathan Gresham (c) to win the CZW World Heavyweight Championship
9. Rickey Shane Page over Danny Havoc (Ultraviolent Death Match)
10. Devon Moore, Drew Blood, & Young Dragons (Dale Patricks & Josh Crane) over Conor Claxton, Jeff Cannonball, Joey Janela, & Matt Tremont (Cage of Death)

CZW once again held their ultraviolent cage extravaganza. It was a night of title changes, with the tag titles changing hands twice, EYFBO beating Da Hit Squad and being beaten in turn by Scarlet and Graves after they cashed in their Ultimate Opportunity contract for a title shot, plus Joe Gacy ending Jonathan Gresham's reign with the world title. In the main event, Matt Tremont betrayed his team to give the win to the opposing foursome, and Joey Janela ended up hurt enough he had to go in for emergency surgery, although fortunately nothing that will keep him out for any length of time. More on that in the Beyond results, though!

Check it out on CZW Studios.

Evolve 74 / 75 (December 10-11)

—Evolve 74—

1. Drew Gulak over Jaka
2. DUSTIN over Chris Dickinson
3. Brian Cage over Darby Allin by countout
4. Cody Rhodes over "All Ego" Ethan Page
5. Jeff Cobb over Matt Riddle
6. Catch Point (Fred Yehi & "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams) (c) over Peter Kaasa & Ricochet to retain the Evolve Tag Team Championship
7. Dick Togo over Chris Hero

—Evolve 75—

1. Jeff Cobb over Fred Yehi
2. Team Pazuzu (Chris Dickinson & Jaka) over Darby Allin & Peter Kaasa
3. "All Ego" Ethan Page over Dick Togo
4. Chris Hero over DUSTIN
5. Matt Riddle over Ricochet
6. "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams over Drew Gulak

Evolve capped off its final weekend of the year with a pair of shows which, while not amongst the best Evolve have put on this year, still have plenty to recommend them for. Check out my recaps (74, 75) for full details, but suffice it to say, Fred Yehi is incredible, Jaka and Dickinson are in Catch Point now, Darby Allin is as crazy if not crazier than we all thought, Jeff Cobb is a monster, Cody needs to leave his Bullet Club crap in promotions that actually care, and Drew Gulak said goodbye in a match that went way long and was structured weird but I love him anyway and will miss having him on Evolve shows every month very much.

Check 'em out on FloSlam!

Beyond Over-Nite Sensation (December 11)

1. Mikey Webb over Cam Zagami, Christian Casanova, Elia Markopoulos, Mikey Webb, Scotty Slade, and Travis "Flip" Gordon
2. LuFisto over Kimber Lee
3. John Silver over Chris Hero
4. Spirit Squad (Kenny & Mikey) over EYFBO (Angel Ortiz & Mike Draztik)
5. Jaka over Sean Maluta
6. Chris Dickinson over Jeff Cobb
7. Matt Riddle over Dan Barry
8. Alexxis & Taeler Hendrix over Deonna Purrazzo & Jordynne Grace
9. Jonathan Gresham over Ricochet
10. David Starr (c) over AR Fox to retain the wXw Shotgun Championship
11. Brian Fury over Donovan Dijak

Beyond had a very good show on Saturday afternoon. If you watch one match, make it Ricochet vs. Gresham, which featured some of the best offensive sequences you'll see in a wrestling ring this year. Ricochet always, always puts his best foot forward against guys like Gresham who make him step just a bit outside his comfort zone, it is a definite hoot.

Also standing out were Starr (just arrived back from Germany mere hours before) defending his Shotgun Championship against AR Fox as well as one-time tag team partners Jaka and Maluta tearing each other apart and LuFisto and Kimber Lee having a good match with some excellent escalation, including one of the show's several Burning Hammers causing Kimber to be unable to bridge on a German suplex. One more real shocker, Joey Janela had to pull out of his scheduled match against AR Fox due to emergency surgery as a result of the events of Cage of Death, but you couldn't stop him from showing up, still wearing his hospital gown, to Tombstone David Starr into the mat!

Check out the replay on FloSlam, folks, it's worth your time.

Progress Chapter 40 (December 11)

1. London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) over the New Nation (Alexander Henry & Jason Prime)
2. Toni Storm over Bea Priestley (Natural Progression Series IV First Round Match)
3. Rampage Brown (c) over Banter Claus to retain the Atlas Championship
4. Jimmy Havoc over Marty Scurll to become #1 contender to the Progress Championship (No Disqualification Match)
5. F.S.U. (Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews) over the Origin (El Ligero & Nathan Cruz)
6. Adam Cole over Will Ospreay
7. Pete Dunne (c) over Zack Sabre, Jr. to retain the Progress Championship

Oh yes, Santa doesn't just come to IPW, folks. Sometimes he shows up to Progress and he likes to talk trash! And also sometimes he's Dave Mastiff (who has always come off to me as Santa's brother from the rough part of town in the first place).

Anyway, Pete Dunne retained over Zack Sabre, Jr. in what I'm sure is a technical wrestling classic, and Jimmy Havoc earned the right to challenge for the title he once held for nearly two years in what I'm sure was not (but still likely an awesome match), and just think about what THAT title match is gonna look like! Plus Will Ospreay's losing streak continues (bay bay), tag teams jockey for position in Progress's new landscape, and Toni Storm takes one more step to being the inaugural Progress Women's Champion.

Check it out on Demand Progress when it goes up this weekend!

Tier 1 Resurgence (December 11)

1. Sonny Kiss over Caleb Konley, Dezmond Xavier, & Zachary Wentz (Tier 1 World Championship #1 Contender's Match)
2. Breakfast Club (CPA & Francis Kipland Stevens) won the Tier 1 Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Gauntlet Match
3. "Colossal" Mike Law over "Cauliflower" Chase Brown
4. Marc Haus & "Tough" Tim Hughes over Ian Maxwell & Movie Mike
5. Breakfast Club (CPA & Francis Kipland Stevens) over Cutthroat Kings (Joey Ace & Logan Black)
6. Sonny Kiss over Rude Boy Riley (c) to win the Tier 1 World Championship
7. Darius Carter over Sonny Kiss (c) to win the Tier 1 World Championship

It was triumph and tragedy in La Boom on Sunday night for the Concrete Rose, as Sonny Kiss overcomed four tough competitors to earn himself a chance at the Tier 1 title, and managed to best Rude Boy Riley for the gold he's held for over a year. But it didn't last, as Darius Carter cashed in the title shot he earned at the anniversary show this summer and claimed the title immediately after.

As well, the Breakfast Club ran into a speedbump on their unlikely road to the tag titles, as the Cutthroat Kings invoked a clause built into their contract that only teams that have beaten them can challenge for the titles, and so the match was made non-title. Well, the Breakfast Club managed to pull one out, but Logan Black took it out on Joey Ace after the fact, beating him down and seemingly kicking him out of the faction.

Check the VOD out on WWNLive.com when it goes up.

As always...

Remember folks, no matter what type of wrestling you like, no matter how down you feel about the state of WWE, TNA, 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.