NOVA Pro’s American Slang Goes to the Fireworks Factory

image via Kevin Ford

NOVA Pro Wrestling’s fifth show American Slang is in the books. There was a lot of hype heading into it, not only because of the star power but how it looked to continue the trend of building off the previous shows’ momentum. Slang not only met those expectations, but exceeded them. The success of the show was because of the wrestling- but unlike You Only Move Twice, NOVA Pro delivered the fireworks in spades with plenty of post-match action just in time for July 4^th weekend.

 

Fatal Four Way: Alexander James v. Frankie Pickard v. Reed Bentley v. Ken Dixon

John Kermon vs Logan Easton Laroux

The night kicked off with a grudge match between John Kermon and “The Champion of the 1%” Logan Easton Laroux. Kermon came out to interrupt announcer Kevin Ford and Laroux wasted no time in getting this match started. There was no “feeling out” process. Just two guys whose disdain knew no boundaries, with the action quickly spilling outside the ring.

This was a great way to kick off the show with a level of intensity and feeling of unpredictability. To the dismay of the crowd, Laroux would continue his winning ways with a handful of tights. His heel tactics and Kermon’s aggressive style made this match all the better.

 

Fatal Four Way: Alexander James v. Frankie Pickard v. Reed Bentley v. Ken Dixon

The fans would get treated to the fatal four way right after, and it would not disappoint. The key to a match with so much chaos is being able to find rhythm and timing. It was shaky at first, but once the wrestling quartet started playing, it didn’t slow down until the finish.

James decided to delay the proceedings by taking his time removing his entrance attire. As the four circled each other, James decided to exit the ring- drawing more ire of the fans.

Pickard would have the odds stacked against him as Dixon and Bentley ganged up on him. James saw the advantageous situation and decided to join the fray. The four stars would go back and forth, then the heel trio found themselves on the outside and Pickard was along in the ring. The opportunity was ripe for the first “OMG” moment of the night. Pickard would use his agility to leap to the second rope and springboard over the top rope to the crowd on the outside. Truly impressive effort.

That move was followed by a “tower of doom” spot, when Pickard got below Dixon and Bentley who were about to superplex James off the top rope, sending all four men crashing to the mat.

The end saw James take advantage of a distracted Pickard using a low blow and brainbuster to pull out the win. Shout out to Reed Bentley for an insane spot that saw him and Dixon exit the ring. Bentley was laying face-up on the second rope as Dixon looked to deliver some offense- but Bentley grabbed him and in one motion hit a powerslam on the apron. Incredible, and my favorite move of the night.

Laroux would come out to join James in a pairing that makes sense as arrogant heels.

 

Women’s Match HAT Match: Veda Scott vs. Kimber Lee

The returning Veda Scott looked to make things personal by making this not only a singles match but a HAT match after taking the hat off Kimber Lee’s head.

Scott worked the crowd masterfully, making them pull even more for Lee. The pair went back and forth for quite some time as “THIS IS AWESOME” chants filled the JCC. Scott would trap Lee in the corner and would hit a brutal corner DDT off the second rope that somehow did not end the match.

Lee would gain the win over Scott with an Alligator Clutch pin to the surprise and delight of the crowd.

That match would be followed by a promo from the injured Sean Studd. He received a warm welcome from the audience. You could see it on his face how disappointed he was that he couldn’t be a part of the show due to a shoulder injury.

He was interrupted by the duo of James and Laroux. James had one of the more memorable lines of the night calling Laroux his “heterosexual life partner”. The two would harass Studd and coax him into a near brawl. Studd even had Laroux ready for a chokeslam until James bailed him out. The duo slithered to the back, but lines had been drawn for a future encounter.

 

Battle of the Fan Favorites: Bobby Shields vs. Tim Donst

This match was memorable for the effort the two displayed in the ring and the extracurricular antics afterwards. Shields and Donst would battle with plenty of stiff offense. After an attempted ringside dive countered with a dropkick through the ropes, Shields drilled Donst on the outside with a hard kick to the face.

The move that stole the match was Donst’s minute long standing suplex on Shields. The crowd counted every second, and I figured he’d stop at 30 or 40 seconds. Donst’s legs would eventually give out as he slammed Shields to the mat.

Things turned from competitive to nasty when Donst submitted Shields with From Dusk Til Donst. This was Shields’ second loss in a row, and it showed. Donst tried to show his respect and extended his hand for a handshake. For a second it looked like Shields might accept, until he spit in Donst’s hand and exited the ring.

Where things got even nastier was when Brandon Day- chain in hand- came in and delivered a shot to Donst from behind. The beatdown ended in a ddt on the aforementioned chain, and would give Donst a clear agenda for the future.

 

“The Ace of the Mid-Atlantic” Arik Royal vs Donovan Dijak

Arik Royal had his supporters out in droves, and they could be heard throughout the whole match. The debuting Dijak could have cared less about the love affair between Royal and the audience. He meant business, and a slap to the face by Royal didn’t help matters. It incensed Dijak, and he dared Royal to try it again. After some playful back and forth, Dijak was the victim of another slap. Dijak hit another gear and went after Royal relentlessly.

Royal would gain traction again, even hitting a spinning wheel kick to take the big man off his feet. Dijak would return the favor with a moonsault off the top rope. Did I mention he’s 6’7? But the undefeated Royal would continue his winning ways with a football tackle to pin Dijak.

Despite the loss, this was a great debut from Dijak and hopefully he’ll be back in NOVA Pro sooner than later.

 

Brandon Day vs Jeff Early

Day would have his turn in the ring and had the definite size advantage against Early. While the two delivered a solid effort, this was all about the post-match antics. Tim Donst would exact revenge for earlier in the night and attack Day as he attempted another chain DDT. This broke down into a pull apart brawl which was fun to watch. Donst would continue to find ways to attack day and evade referees/security. Chairs were grabbed from the audience in Donst’s quest for vengeance. This would set up a no disqualification match for August’s One Crazy Summer that people should not miss.

 

Cutie & The Beast (Beau Crockett & Innocent Isaiah), Aaron Biggs & Mecha Mercenary vs. Brandon “Money” Greene, Rayo, Dan O’Hare & SHLAK

Originally a traditional tag team match, fans were treated to so much more after Greene’s attempts to bribe Beau Crockett escalated to a beatdown from O’Hare and SHLAK. The attack was swift and powerful, with Isaiah taking the worst of it. This set a fire under him fans don’t normally see, and he wanted his revenge immediately despite not being 100%. As Bane would say, his courage was admirable but mistaken. Isaiah would be in peril for some time until he could make the hot tag.

The spot of the match saw Mecha and Biggs deliver a sandwiching to an unsuspecting Rayo.

Cutie and The Beast, Biggs and Mecha would pick up the win with the Time of Your Life slam.

Post-match saw Greene demean Rayo verbally and hurling his soccer ball out of the ring- until Rayo had enough and shoved down Greene. You don’t toss a man’s soccer ball, Brandon.

 

The Main Event: PWI Ultra J Championship: Chet Sterling vs Cedric Alexander © with Veda Scott

Based on the night’s previous action, Sterling and Alexander had a high bar to meet. They did, and put together a match worthy of the main event spot on any card out there. Having not seen Sterling live before, the way he moves around the ring reminds me of Dolph Ziggler. His pace, like Alexander’s, only knows overdrive.

One sequence saw Sterling hop from the second rope, miss Alexander, then Alexander missed a springboard attempt but recovered and hit Sterling with a scoop into a sit-down slam. Later in the match, Sterling would hit a blockbuster off the top rope across the ring and go for the pin. But Scott did her job in distracting the ref, allowing Alexander to recover and hit not one but two Lumbar Checks for the win. It was an outstanding main event, but just like a salesman schilling a product on TV- wait there’s more!

The ending saw Easton come out again to assert himself for a shot at Alexander’s belt. John Kermon came out to attack, followed by Alexander James. Cedric got out of dodge with Veda in tow and watched from afar, enjoying the melee. The locker room emptied out to try and contain the situation. Not content with watching anymore, Alexander ran back in and hit a dive outside the ring onto the rest of the roster brawling. He cleared the top rope by a large margin and executed perfect form before crashing into the mass of humanity beneath him.

Once things settled, Kermon would lay down the night’s final challenge: himself, a returning Sonjay Dutt and Big Sean Studd vs James, Easton and a partner of their choosing. This heated feud has been since going since May, and by August 12^th, it will be at a boiling point.

Overall, I would consider the show a huge success. The crowd was bigger than the last and were engaged the entire night. Eight matches gave everyone the most bang for their buck, especially with all the extra post-match happenings. Every match served a purpose and gives fans a reason to come out to the next show, One Crazy Summer.

NOVA Pro works hard on creating an environment that everyone will enjoy. From concessions, to meeting stars and getting merchandise- there isn’t a bad part of the experience that is NOVA Pro Wrestling.

 

NOVA Pro’s next show is August 12^th with two matches announced so far:

Sonjay Dutt, John Kermon & Big Sean Studd vs. Logan Easton Laroux, Alexander James &  TBD

No Disqualification: Tim Donst vs. Brandon Day

Plus it will include the NOVA Pro debuts of Shane “Killshot” Strickland (Lucha Underground) and Ring of Honor’s Moose.

 

For more on NOVA Pro, follow them on Twitter:  @VAWrestling, @tomfva,  @VAGentMike

Catch highlights on their Youtube and visit their site to purchase tickets for future events and merchandise.

 

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know @SeanNeutron.

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