Premier Wrestling Xperience
This is How We Do It 2017
July 8, 2017
Escapade VIP – Charlotte, North Carolina

Watch: FloSlam

Jason Kincaid Def. Tracer X

Jason Kincaid’s look always bothers me and is something I always have trouble moving past when watching his matches, even if what he’s doing is great. I appreciate his athleticism, I appreciate how unique is, I appreciate how hard he works, but his appearance is an issue for me. With that said, for every few matches of his I have trouble getting into, there’s usually one I enjoy, and this was that one. Both him and Tracer X, who I’ve only seen once before in Style battle, were extremely impressive. Had they been given another four minutes or so, this really could have been something special. Kincaid won with an incredible looking footstomp from one of the ceiling beams. I would like to see more of Tracer. ***1/2

Corey Hollis Def. White Mike

Average match. Hollis, who I usually enjoy, did little to impress and White Mike was essentially there to get him over as a heel. Mike looks like an old school pornstar and did a nice job bumping and selling, so I liked him quite a bit. Hollis won with a low-blow. Nothing to write home about. **1/2

Darius Lockhart Def. Chase Owens, Jason Cade & Chip Day

Jason Cade was set to make his second appearance for PWG the night before this show but had to pull out due to what was said to be travel issues, which is disappointing. He’s been one of my favorite American indie guys to watch this year, so hopefully they rebook him soon, hopefully he’s in BOLA, and hopefully he gets his big break, because he deserves it. Owens was doing his whole Bullet Club shtick here and the crowd seemed to be into it. He’s used as a member so infrequently I’m surprised people still care. Cade was the star of the match but everyone looked good as they worked a quick, clean, frenetic spot-fest with Lockhart coming out on top. ***1/2

Timothy Thatcher vs. John Skyler (20-Minute Time Limit Draw)

Timothy Thatcher, while he can have good matches in the right scenario, is an average worker at best. If people like him, if people like his boring work, then god bless them, in some cases I can understand why, but I myself will never be able to appreciate him. What he does is crisp and he usually presents himself as an ass-kicker, the problem is that he does nothing enticing during the meat of his matches. Plenty of wrestlers, such as Zack Sabre, Tracy Williams, Fred Yehi, Axel Dieter, among others are much more engaging than he is while working a similar style. He comes across as a guy who sees someone work the way they do and then tries to do it himself, and while he may be good at rolling around grappling with people, he lacks the charisma, the charm, and the excitement those others possess. He has good matches with Sabre and Matt Riddle, he has good matches in Europe with Ringkampf, it’s matches like these that expose him, when there’s no one to add that excitement.

Based on what I’ve seen of him, which I would consider to be a decent amount, Skyler is the literal, textbook example of a wrestler who just exists. He does nothing great, he does nothing poorly, he’s a guy who knows how to wrestle, will give you an okay match every time, and that’s it. He exists. Two average at best pro wrestlers grappling for 20 minutes is not something I care to see. It was boring, it was too long, it sucked the heat out of the building, and a majority of the crowd visibly wanted it to end. Dreadful match. *3/4

Elijah Evans, The Boss & Timmy Lou Retton Def. James Drake & The Ugly Ducklings (Lance Lude & Rob Killjoy)

James Drake and Timmy Lou Retton should be booked everywhere. Drake, who later went on to win the EVOLVE tag titles with Anthony Henry, is as close to a second coming of Kevin Steen on the indies as there is. With a similar appearance, a similar style and similar charisma, I would be surprised if promoters go the rest of the year without picking up on him, especially now that he’s in EVOLVE. Retton, though he did very little in this match, is supremely talented and athletic, and would get over anywhere in the country. He’s Keith Lee if Keith Lee was an Olympic gymnast. Another match where everyone involved looked great, with Rob Killjoy eating the pin to Elijah Evans. ***1/2

Martin Stone Def. Fred Yehi

Fred Yehi has been working for EVOLVE for a year and a half. How he’s managed to go a year and a half, having the quality of matches he’s been having, and not get booked by any major promotion either in America or internationally is utterly bizarre. He’s another guy who should be everywhere, and it’s a crime that he’s had all these eyes on him in EVOLVE for going on two years and no other big promoter has taken advantage of him. He should be working PROGRESS, he should be working BOLA, he should be working AAW, Revolution Pro, wXw, etc.

Why he’s not is one of the most inexplicable and head-scratching things in wrestling.

Martin Stone is also a guy who could serve use to any booker since he’s not someone you ever need to protect but is someone who presents himself as an ass-kicker and someone who will take his opponent to the limit every time. He can beat anyone, and he can put anyone over. He’s a total pro. He did win this match as he forced Yehi to tap to a crossface, but both ended up looking great in the end. Fun little exhibition between the two. ***1/2

PWX Heavyweight Championship 2/3 Falls Match
Anthony Henry (c) Def. Ethan Case

I’ve seen Ethan Case a few times and he’s never done a whole lot for me. In fact, I always got the impression that he was well below average, so I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with how good he was in this match. While both were great, Case especially shined.

I worried that this would be too long and drawn out since it was 30 minutes long and was a two out of three falls match, but they did a nice job with the pacing and the drama, which is something some two out of three falls matches lack in a lot of cases. No blowing through falls early, no bullshit, it was exactly how the match stipulation should be used. As someone who only watches maybe one or two PWX shows per year, I had no idea what the backstory was coming in, but with great commentary and a super hot crowd, I felt just as in-tune with it as anyone. It’s a match any wrestling fan can appreciate on some level. I’ve been pulling to see Henry booked in more promotions for over a year now, and now I’m pulling to see more of Case as well. Excellent work by the both of them. ****

Final Thoughts:

Good show by PWX here. Considering I was not expecting much, it over-delivered. If you have an extra two hours or so and want to try something new, log on to your FloSlam and check it out.