Indy Minute - Weekly independent wrestling news round up

  It’s time again for your favorite segment of Ring Rust Radio – the extended NXT and Indy Minute (which is almost always longer than one minute). With NXT Takeover this week and lots of big independent shows coming up, let’s get right into it!

  NXT TV on 9/4 opens with Alexa Bliss, I guess to remind people she exists (I certainly forgot about her) since the last few weeks it’s just been Bayley, Becky and Sasha. Bliss takes on Charlotte. Drake is the ref. Renee, Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton on commentary. Alexa showing off some high flying moves, an arm drag off the top, head scissors takedown. But Charlotte makes quick work of her, picking up the win after the ‘Bow Down to the Queen’ (somersault cutter).

  After the win, Bayley makes her way to the ring to say Charlotte needs to take her seriously because she is seriously taking her title. Bayley offers a handshake and Charlotte mushes her down to the mat, rushes in and Bayley hits the Belly to Bayley.

  Short Tyler Breeze segment about how he’s really really really really good looking and that should be reason enough as to why he’s going to win the title.

   A short promo to tease Takeover also announces that Kenta will be debuting!

   Devin talks to Kalisto and Sin Cara backstage to talk about their tournament final bout against the Vaudevillains. Says that even though they’ve been only teaming a short time, they’re confident they can beat any team in NXT.

  Next, Tye Dillinger gets an entrance (surprisingly) and takes on Tyler Breeze. Dillinger actually takes it to Breeze for a while before Breeze takes the upper hand, keeping Dillinger in the corner and on the mat, wearing him down. Breeze picks up the win with the Beauty Shot.

  Tyson Kidd gives a good heel promo where he sounds like he’s talking up his opponents but is actually talking himself up and says Zayn, Neville and Breeze are also in the match.

  Enzo and Cass are in a pre-taped segment where they get some “hair removal cream” from a hairdresser friend named Carmella. They fight over a big bucket of it and it accidentally spills on a poodle and its hair starts falling off. Looks like Enzo will have a secret weapon in his hair vs hair match against Sylvester LaFort.

  Tyson kidd versus Adam Rose. Nice, short back and forth contest but Kidd taps Rose with a Sharpshooter.

  Sami Zayn says he’ll go for the win wherever he can, but it’s Adrian Neville he’d like to beat since he’s the champion.

  Aiden English and Simon Gotch talk to the other backstage interviewer who isn’t Devin and basically just say that they’re going to beat Kalisto and Sin Cara. And also that Gotch is apparently the strongest strongman in WWE.

  Sami Zayn versus Marcus Louis (first time I’ve seen him in action I think). Crowd gets a “Can-a-da” chant going before an “Ole” chant. Apparently, Louis used to be a prison riot guard. Hey, Drake is also the ref in this match. Louis takes advantage early, keeping Zayn grounded. Zayn wins with the Koji Clutch after a flurry of offense. (Byron or Tom said Sami is known for his “hearts and his guts”).

  Adrian Neville says taking on Breeze, Kidd and Zayn at the same time is a risk but he likes to take risks and he’s ready for Takeover.

 Adrian Neville against CJ Parker. Good match, CJ Parker put up a good fight (called him CJP on commentary, though he’s nothing like TJP). Neville picks up the win with a Red Arrow. Each guy in the fatal fourway has a win heading into Takeover and it’s hard to say who has the advantage going into the title match.

  Kalisto and Sin Cara versus The Vaudevillains. (You have villain in your name - why are you offering a handshake, Aiden?!) Sin Cara and Kalisto pick up the win over the Vaudevillains and will meet the Ascension at Takeover. Following the match, the Ascension hit the stage to stare down Kalisto and Sin Cara.

  Also, Solomon Crowe has a chipped tibia in his left knee and is in a walking cast and out of action for some time. He tweeted that an MRI showed he won’t need surgery though, which will speed up his recovery.

  (Spoiler alert – The Ascension defeated Los Matadores on Main Event this week so it seems likely they’ll drop the titles this Thursday, since they’re already working on the main roster.)

  Michael Elgin lost the Ring of Honor World title to Jay Briscoe at All Star Extravaganza 6 over the weekend. Briscoe is only the second two-time champion in ROH history – Austin Aries being the first.

  Lots of rumors surrounding why he dropped the title.

  Some say it was due to him losing to Trevor Lee in the Battle of Los Angeles and that ROH was upset he didn’t do more to protect the title and the image of the ROH Champion.

  Some say it is because he let his American work visa lapse and he’s out of the country for up to 90 days while it’s being processed. He missed night three of AIW’s Wrestle Rager this past weekend and was stripped of the Absolute Title (see results from that show further down).

  Another rumor is that ROH was not happy that he commented that he’s looking to try out for Major League Baseball sometime next year. Elgin said in an interview with Brian Fritz for ‘Between the Ropes’ podcast that he wanted to do a tryout next year for MLB and that he was already training for it.

  Elgin’s Reign is the 6^th shortest in ROH history (76 days) behind Jerry Lynn (71), Homicide (56), Low Ki (56), CM Punk (55) and James Gibson (36). This also makes Jay Briscoe the second, two-time ROH Champ in company history.

  In other news from All Star Extravaganza, ACH missed his flight and Cedric Alexander took his place in the TV Title match against Jay Lethal, where Lethal retained. Mark Briscoe defeated Hanson to open the show (good to see they’re continuing this feud). R.D. Evans and Moose defeated Adam Page and B.J. Whitmer, Josh Alexander and Ethan Gabriel Owens, and Caprice Coleman and Takaaki Watanabe in a four way tag match.  reDRagon retained the tag team titles in a 2-out-of-3 falls match against the Young Bucks. Ciampa attacked the Young Bucks following their match, continuing his loose cannon gimmick now that he’s suspended (he is the Sicilian Psychopath after all). AJ Styles defeated Adam Cole and Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, who are now known as The Addiction, defeated Jimmy Jacobs and Roderick Strong of The Decade. Also, Matt Sydal will return to ROH for TV tapings at the end of September and Silas Young is out of action for up to four months with a broken leg.

  The Young Bucks will be at the November 15 House of Hardcore show at the former ECW Arena in South Philadelphia.

  Several wresters have turned down appearing on Lucha Underground, AAA’s new series on El Rey Network. Reports that guys like Matt Sydal, The Young Bucks and Frankie Kazarian were all made offers but none of them signed on. Many indy wrestlers will be a part of the new series - guys such as Ricky Reyes, Chavo Guerrero, B-Boy and Ricochet.Vampiro will also allegedly be a commentator for Lucha Underground.

  Spoilers from the first Lucha Underground taping

  Though many guys were working under masks with new names, some like B-Boy and Famous B are under their usual names. Also, results are sketchy since fans were asked to keep their phones off.

  Matt Cross (Formerly MDogg20) worked under as mask as “Lord of Havok” and faced a female luchadore named Sexy Star.

  Ricochet worked under as mask as “Prince Puma” and faced John (Morrison) Hennigan.

  Said to be set up like Wrestling Society X - in a large warehouse setting with a few sets of bleachers opposite the hard cam/production area. It was also said  that many in the crowd seemed to be extras.

  The final team was announced for Chikara’s King of Trios. Many thought it would be a team of rookies, many thought it would be another team of Flood villains (There’s already the Devastation Corporation, the Gekido, Dr Cube and the BDK, Kizarny and the Odditorium, the Bloc Party, the Flood and Colony Xtreme Force) but the final team was a bit of a surprise - it’s LAX, Chavo Guerrero, Homicide and Hernandez.

  Two tournament matches have been announced – The Bloc Party vs Team UK and Knight Eye for the Pirate Guy and Princess Kimber Lee vs The Gekido.

  Also recently announced, Yoshi Tatsu and Tigre Uno will be on Night 2 of the King of Trios in non-tournament action. Yoshi Tatsu will take on “Smooth Sailing” Ashley Remington and Tigre Uno is in a Rey de Voladores fourway elimination match (King of the High Flyers). Shyron is also announced for that elimination match.

  Results from Absolute Intense Wrestling’s “Wrestle Rager” – a huge three-day event with some amazing looking matches. The more I hear about AIW, the more I want to check it out and wished I lived closer to Cleveland (and not just stuck with CZW here in Philly).

Night 1
-Brent Banks defeated Bolt Brady

-The Duke and Eddie Kingston defeated Gabriel Ethan Owens
(Apparently, Seleziya Sparx got stopped at the border into America and is barred from entering USA for a long time. I hope it’s not true because I’m really starting to like Seleziya.)

-Colt Cabana defeated Supercop Dick Justice

-Johnny Gargano def Josh Prohibition via rollup

6 Person match
-Colin Delaney defeated Tyson Dux, Veda Scott, Action Jackson, Bobby Beverly, and Cheech

AIW Intense Title
-Davey Vega defeated Pete Dunne to retain

AIW Tag Titles
-Jimmy Jacobs and BJ Whitmer defeated The Hooligans to retain

-Rickey Shane Page defeated Candice LeRae

AIW Absolute Title
-Michael Elgin versus Tim Donst versus Josh Alexander went to a 1 hour draw

Night 2
-Pete Dunne defeated Rickey Shane Page

-Eddie Kingston defeated Bobby Beverly

6 man match
-Crimson defeated Brent Banks, Bolt Brady, Marion Fontaine, Eric Ryan, and Supercop Dick Justice

AIW Intense Title
-Davey Vega defeated Louis Lyndon

Four Corner Tag Team
-Jollyville Fuck-Its defeated Benjamin Boone and Joey Vincent Martini, Colin Delaney and Cheech, Hooligans

-Colt Cabana defeated Tyson Dux

-Candice LeRae defeated Johnny Gargano

-Cliff Compton defeated Tracey Smothers

Night 3
Gabriel Ethan Owens/#AllEgo defeated Eddie Kingston

Veda Scott defeated Candice LeRae

Intense Title Four Way
-Dave Vega defeated Johnny Gargano, Tyson Dux, and Pete Dunne

-Cliff Compton and Colt Cabana defeated Jock Samson and Tracy Smothers

Colin Delaney Birthday Bash
-Benjamin Boone, Gregory Iron, Joey V Martini and Jerry defeated Cheech, Bobby Beverly, Supercop Dick Justice, and Colin Delaney

-Alex Daniels defeated Joshua Singh

-Abyss defeated Rickey Shane Page

AIW Absolute title

Tim Donst defeated Josh Alexander

(Michael Elgin’s visa expired and isn’t allowed in America for several months. He was stripped of the AIW Absolute title, setting up this match. Awesome to see Donst winning a company’s championship. The dude has been around a long time and really deserves it.)

Also this coming weekend, Evolve 34 is Sept. 13 in Queens, NY and Evolve 35 is in Brooklyn, NY on Sept. 14.

Evolve 34

Evolve Championship

Drew Galloway vs Rich Swann

DG USA Open the United Gate Championship

Bravado Bros vs Colony (Fire Ant and Green Ant)

Uhaa Nation vs Roderick Strong

Zack Sabre Jr vs Timothy Thatcher

Johnny Gargano vs Anthony Nese

Ricochet vs. Caleb Conley

Evolve 35

DG USA Open the Freedom Gate Championship

Ricochet vs Uhaa Nation

DG USA Open the United Gate Championship (if Bravados retain)

Bravado Bros vs Anthony Nese and Caleb Conley

Drew Galloway vs Roderick Strong (non-title match)

Technical challenge

Zack Sabre Jr. vs Biff Busick

Johnny Gargano vs Drew Gulak

Timothy Thatcher vs Tracy Williams