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Warrior Wrestling Stadium Series
June 5, 2021

by Samoa Rowe

From the Spartan Stadium in Chicago Heights, Illinois. The broadcast takes about 15 minutes to get going and another few minutes to straighten out the audio. The fans are socially distanced around the venue, but it looks like there's a few hundred of them.

The promoter tries to thank the fans for their support during the pandemic, but gets interrupted by Frank the Clown rushing the ring. Security carry him off kicking (and possibly screaming, it's hard to hear anything).

WARHORSE vs. Jake Something

WARHORSE is at a stark size disadvantage and runs into Jake's shoulder tackle. A miscue results in Jake knocking WARHORSE out of the air with a collision. Head butt by Jake, and then a vertical suplex throw. The fans gets behind WARHORSE as he hits turnbuckle punches, and then dodges a senton splash. WARHORSE boxes the ears and nails a Saito Suplex. Jake delivers a back drop onto the turf, and then hits a diving shoulder block! Jake hits a running clothesline against the apron, but WARHORSE surprises with a dropkick to the knee, followed by a tope! Jake answers with an over head belly to belly suplex. Spinebuster by Jake, but he misses a head of steam and WARHORSE leap frogs into a half crab in the buckles. Double axe handle by WARHORSE gets 2. Jake counters with a body avalanche. WARHORSE hyperextends Jake's knee and then targets it with a missile dropkick. Jake collapses in a powerbomb attempt and eats a double stomp to the back on the turf. Flying elbow by WARHORSE gets an expected 2 count. Jake hits a spear through the ropes! They avoid a double countout and Jake desperately flips WARHORSE with a lariat. Suplex, lariat, and ankle lock by WARHORSE, but Jake kicks free. Jake's leg gives out again, but he still manages a sitout powerbomb for a good nearfall. Jake's Black Hole Slam variation gets the 3 count at 14:23! They shook off a bumpy start and developed a nice groove, ***. I want you all to know that while writing this PBP, I kept typing "WARHOUSE" and had to correct it many times.
Winner: Jake Something

Earlier today, Ray Lynn talked to the camera. She's not bothered that she's lost 80% of her matches, because she's working towards a W.

Ray Lyn vs. Deonna Purrazzo

They lock up and roll around in a headlock. Purrazzo seems to be enjoying herself. Lyn flips out of a wristlock and traps the arm. Purrazzo escapes, Lyn reverses into a deathlock variation, Deonna gets the ropes. Deonna chops the neck, but Lyn maneuvers into a dropkick and front facelock. Purrazzo stomps a mudhole and chokes with her boot. She then stands on the hair while pulling Ray up by the arms. Lyn comes back and hits a running Meteora (of sorts) and locks on a Bow and Arrow. They both go for big boots and go down hard. We're treated to a dramatic shot of the sunset while they trade forearms. I hope we can keep some of these outdoor venues even after the pandemic ends. Lyn hits a Fisherman suplex for 2. Flatliner by Purrazzo, but Lyn reverses a headlock into a pinning predicament. Lyn reverses the Neutralizer into a cutter. Purrazzo finishes with a deep armbar at 11:10. After a strong mat-based start, this kind of spun it's wheels until the finish, **½.
Winner: Deonna Purrazzo

Earlier, during the meet and greet, Warrior Wrestling Champion Trey Miguel bickered with Lee Moriarty about who will win later.

KC Novarro vs. Cole Radrick

They start with some frantic mat grappling until KC gets the ropes. Another round of grappling results in Radrick scoring a roll-up for 2. Novarro clears the ring and hits a wild tope suicida with an uppercut! Novarro blocks a hard whip into the ring post and punches Cole out through the buckles! Cole blocks another dive and plants Novarro onto the turf. Cole seats Novarro and hits a long running cannonball! Back to the ring, Cole hits a springboard senton for 2. Cole shakes off KC's comeback to hit a Beach Break variation for 2. They have a collision and take a breather to a "this is awesome" chant. Satellite DDT by Novarro gets 2.5. Springboard stunner by Radrick, and then a Lionsault for 2. Novarro's running Sliced Bread suddenly ends it at 9:58. Good effort, though it devolved into random noise down the stretch, **½.
Winner: KC Novarro

Frank the Clown returns with a lawn chair and bowl of snacks, but gets carried out by security.

Kongo Kong vs. Beast Man

Beast Man follows me on Twitter, so I'm going to be extra nice to him. In fact, let's just assume this a MOTYC and move on. All kidding aside, he looks to be in much better shape since the last time I saw him work in 2020, though he does snack on a bone on his way to the ring. They slug it out at the bell. Kong pulls Beast Man to the turf, and Beast Man desperately pulls the ref down with them. Beast Man uses a fan's drum set as a weapon, but Kong thrusts his throat. Beast Man chokes with a cable, but Kong fires back wtih a golf club. Beast Man enziguris Kong into a seated position and then hits a running cannonball! Beast Man uses the chair to choke, but Kong punches it into his skull, and attempts a pinfall on the turf. They restart with a sumo match, but Kong runs away. They return to the ring, where Kong hits a hard Irish whip and splash for 2. Beast Man hits a lariat, but Kong cuts him off with a superplex! Kong hits a ridiculous tope suicida! Beast Man recovers with a T-Bone suplex off the second buckle and wins at 10:38! This was about a thousand times better than I was expecting, entertaining standing brawl, with some surprising high spots down the final stretch, ***.
Winner: Beast Man

Sam Adonis vs. Matt Cardona

They lock up for a clean break and engage in a short dance-off. They have an aggressive restart, and Cardona armdags into an armlock. Cardona follows with a flapjack and clothesline onto the turf. Baseball slide dropkick by Cardona, and he holds Adonis in place for a kid to slug him. That's not cool, bro. Cardona hits an Irish whip into a standing chair, but Adonis rolls into the ring for the higher ground and gains the advantage. Adonis hits a tightrope walk neckbreaker for 2. Cardona comes back with a missile dropkick to buy some time. Cardona makes the Zack Ryder-style rally, complete with a Broski Boot. The picture keeps going black in distracting fashion. Adonis lands a top rope frog splash for only 2! Cardona answers with a super rana, but Adonis fires back with a chokeslam and side suplex. Cardona pops up for a clothesline and they take a breather. They duke it out in front of a beautiful sunset, and Adonis applies a Cattle Mutilation, but Cardona slips out. STO by Adonis gets 2, so he grabs the Internet Championship belt. Cardona blocks and hits the Rough Ryder to win at 15:00. Cardona is definitely not phoning it in on his post-WWE career, but this felt a bit formulaic, **¾.
Winner: Matt Cardona

Warrior Wrestling Women's Championship:
Kylie Rae © vs. Holidead

After abrupt departures from AEW and Impact, it seemed that Kylie had left wrestling for good in 2020, so needless to say, it's cool to see her back and looking chipper again. Holidead refuses a handshake and pummels Kylie into the corner. Kylie's headlock is quickly broken and Holidead tackles her for a timeout on the turf. Match restarts with Holidead missing a senton and eating Kylie's basement dropkick. Running cannonball by Rae, but Holidead slips out for a breather. Holidead trips Rae into a faceplant on the apron and nails a guillotine leg drop. Holidead works a head scissors as if she's trying to win the match and not like it's a rest hold. Kylie desperately goes for an abdominal stretch, but Holidead counters with a Samoan Drop. Holidead skillfully applies a pendulum surfboard stretch, but Kylie reverses! Pump handle slam by Holidead gets 2. Kylie laboriously rallies through a knee injury and delivers a superkick for 2. Kylie's crossface ends in a rope break. Spinebuster by Holidead gets 2. Holidead follows with End of Days, but a slow cover gets 2. Big boot by Holidead, but Kylie reverses into a crucifix pin to win at 14:26! Fun match due to Holidead's surprising display of technical prowess, and Kylie's underdog performance, ***.
Winner and still Warrior Wrestling Women's Champion: Kylie Rae

Warrior Wrestling Championship:
Trey Miguel © vs. Lee Moriarty

Match starts with both guys going at it at 100% until they reach a stalemate. They shift gears into a chain wrestling sequence. They work a long, complex knuckle lock sequence, with Miguel getting a series of nearfalls while pushing his knee into Lee's chest. Jawbreaker by Miguel, and then a dropkick to send Moriarty to the turf. Miguel hits a slick tope suicida. Moriarty fakes a dive and kicks the wrist. Moriarty kicks Miguel's forearm into his wrist on the turf, and then pushes him against the apron in a hammerlock. Moriarty continues dissecting the bad arm in the ring. Miguel fights back with an inverted atomic drop, and flips into a dropkick to the back of the head. Miguel blocks a suplex and hits one of his own, followed by a Dragon Sleeper. They slug it out and collide with stereo crossbody attempts. German suplex by Miguel, and then a deep kneebar for the quick submission at 17:47! Tremendous action on display, but this felt like the first 18 minutes of an awesome 25 minute main event, so I'm left feeling a tad unfulfilled, ***¼.
Winner and still Warrior Wrestling Champion: Trey Miguel

An actual helicopter lands in the stadium. Out pops Frank the Clown in a glittering robe, for a five star troll job. He lip syncs a hip hop song and has an entourage of clowns with him. This is so stupid, but I chuckled, so they're off the hook. This shameless display of "LOOK AT ME" results in Frank getting booked against Lance Archer at the next show, so he should basically start making amends with God.

Warrior Wrestling Lucha Championship (War of Attrition Match):

Featuring Gringo Loco, Canis Lupus, Golden Dragon, Arez, Aramis, Dragon Bane, Black Taurus, and Laredo Kid This will start as an 8 man tag. The winning team will split up for a 4 man tag. The winning team will then face each other in a singles match to become the inaugural champion. Teams are drawn in the ring. This is going to be a nightmare for PBP writing, but here we go. The first fall will be Aramis, Arez, Laredo Kid, and Golden Dragon vs. Black Taurus, Gringo Loco, Dragon Bane, and Canis Lupus. The announcers can't even tell some of these guys apart, which is comforting to me, as Lupus and Golden Dragon have an insanely quick opening exchange. Gringo tags himself in and showboats. They do a bunch of Matrix-esque moves, and Aramis helps clear the ring and take Gringo down with a rana. Taurus goes toe to toe with Aramis in a spotfest, despite his bulky size. Arez takes Taurus down with a springboard arm drag. The ring gets cleared for the obligatory series of dives onto the turf. They return to the ring for stereo 450 splashes and high crossbodies. Taurus spears two men while Dragon Bane dives into double cutters. Gringo and Taurus throw opponents into each other with gorilla presses. Aramis gets quadruple teamed but kicks out after a round of flying attacks. Laredo Kid makes a brave, but foolish single man rescue and gets stomped down. Taurus makes a point of hunting Arez down for a surfboard stretch, and Gringo dives onto them. Bane and Taurus hit stereo dives. Laredo Kid builds some steam on Lupus and kills him with a clothesline for 2. LK hits Arez with a springboard arm drag, Aramis breaks up a Falcon Arrow. Aramis hits a slick German suplex, but Taurus hits a twisting DDT. Dragon Bane hits Taurus with a Spanish Fly and spike DDT. Dragon Kid falls backwards on a botched springboard attempt, but sprints back to hit Gringo with a rana. Gringo answers with a powerbomb and double underhook slam. Laredo Kid hits a blatant chair shot, and the match breaks down again without any DQ's. Laredo Kid's top rope Spanish Fly eliminates Gringo's team at 13:03! Spectacular action that my PBP cannot possibly give justice to.

The second fall is Dragon Bane and Laredo Kid vs. Arez and Aramis, and they start with a 2 on 2 brawl in the ring without worrying about tags. Arez hits Aramis with a Spanish Fly onto their opponents on the turf! Laredo Kid gets pummeled with stiff shots, but fights back with a handspring DDT. LK piles his opponents for a brutal 450 splash! Arez answers with a Falcon Arrow on LK. Dragon Bane hits Aramis with a SSP and rolls right into a Crucifix Bomb on Arez! Bane's reverse rana gets a good nearfall! LK fights out of a 2 on 1 situation, but Aramis catches him with an airplane spin slam. Aramis dives onto LK, leaving Arez to pin Bane with a suplex at 19:00!

The final fall is Arez vs. Aramis. They are granted a water break, and Arez takes the time to preemptively pose with the belt, which is a nice way to let us know that he's the heel now. Despite being 20 minutes into this, they sprint through an opening exchange as if they're both fresh. I feel tired just watching them. They reach a stalemate and then sell their exhaustion like human beings. They resume their fast paced battle, and Arez hits a brainbuster onto a standing chair! Arez looks for an Asai moonsault onto the standing chair, but instead Aramis hits a slick tope suicida! Back to the ring, Arez blocks a moonsault (that would have missed anyway) and nails a cutter for 2. They lock arms and slug it out. Arez blocks an Alabama Slam with an aggressive charge into the buckles. Shotgun dropkick by Arez, but Aramis superkicks him on the ropes and hits a super powerbomb to win at 28:00! If you enjoy unapologetic, athletic, Lucha-style stunt shows, check this out, ****.
Winner and first ever Warrior Wrestling Lucha Champion: Aramis

Final Thoughts: Not much to say other than this was a good show full of ***+ matches, and some stellar Lucha action in the main event. Strangely, I'm going to miss these charming outdoor venue indie shows as the world seems to gradually return to normal. Recommended.

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