By Chris Vetter

AAW returned to its home in Berwyn, Ill., on April 14, 2007, for "War is Coming." I say this every time I mention AAW -- this promotion has a Monday Night RAW feel, with its use of an overhead screen, and its focus on short matches and pushing storylines.

The action was recorded with multiple cameras, and there is commentary. The crowd is packed into this tiny venue; there are maybe 180-200 fans here.

* The DVD opened with champion Marek Brave backstage, in a promo that was done a week earlier at a show in Iowa. Jerry Lynn walked up to Marek Brave and requested a title shot, but this time, it would be best of three falls. Marek agreed to the match, and they shook hands.

* Silas Young walked to the ring. He said it was good to be back, and fans chanted, "Welcome Back" at him. Silas said he missed some shows because of a pinched nerve in his neck. However, he said he was disappointed in the fans because they didn't send him any 'get-well' cards or emails. Silas would quickly turn full-fledge heel in his match!

(1) Skullkrusher Rasche Brown defeats Silas Young at 11:41. They shook hands and had an intense tie-up, and they traded solid mat reversals. Skullkrusher hit a shoulder tackle, and he paused to flex. They traded punches at 3:00, and Skullkrusher gave Silas a hiptoss into the corner. Silas collapsed in pain, and he sold an injury as he clutched his knee. Silas was in tears as the referee helped him out of the ring. As Silas was heading to the back, he suddenly turned around and attacked Skullkrusher. (Fans have seen this type of fake injury countless times, but the crowd still reacted in anger as Silas attacked Brown.)

Silas hit some stomps on the floor, and he hopped around to show that his leg was perfectly fine. Young slammed Skullkrusher back-first into the ring apron, then into the guardrail, at 6:00. In the ring, Silas hit a nice dropkick, and the crowd booed him. Skullkrusher hit a nice delayed vertical suplex for a pop, and the crowd was hot! Skullkrusher missed a top-rope flying headbutt, and they were both down. Silas applied a sleeper on the mat, but Brown powered out at 9:30. Skullkrusher hit a second-rope superplex, and they were both down.

Skullkrusher hit several chops and a clothesline for a nearfall. Skullkrusher couldn't hit the Burning Hammer/inverted DVD. Silas clipped Skullkrusher's leg! However, Skullkrusher nailed a spear to get the pin. Good big-man match.

* Skullkrusher got on the mic and said it's about time for him to become the champion.

* In a backstage segment, heel manager Jim Jesus and Tyler Black talked about when Black urinated on the grave of Danny Daniels' father. Black was angry at Daniels for costing him a chance at winning back the AAW title.

(2) Dan Lawrence & Ryan Boz defeat Kris Hybrid & Bonebreaker Brooks (w/Darrick St. Holmes) at 5:37. Solid squash. Lawrence got on the mic and said they were supposed to face Conrad Kennedy III, but he wasn't there, so they were issuing an open challenge. Hybrid has a Mohawk. Hybrid is skinny and scrawny. Boz & Lawrence hit some punches and simultaneous back suplexes. Dave Prazak joined commentary, and he's a heel manager here, and he talked about his faction. Boz hit a sitdown powerbomb for a nearfall, and Lawrence hit a basement dropkick to the face for a nearfall.

Hybrid & Brooks did some basic team moves on Lawrence. Brooks hit a back suplex on Lawrence at 3:00. They hit a team Russian Legsweep on Lawrence for a nearfall. Lawrence hit a Lionsault press. Boz made the hot tag, and he hit some punches, and he was fired up! Boz hit a suplex on both opponents! The heels tried to beat up Lawrence some more. Boz hit a Spinebuster, and he slammed Lawrence onto one of the opponents for the pin. Basic, but fine.

* St. Holmes told his students they were going "nationwide" and hitting all the "territories" so they can improve. Lots of old-school references a lot of fans won't get.

* Eric Priest cut a backstage promo. He said the fans can boo him or cheer him. "I have no desire for friendships or alliances," Priest said. The camera kept twisting side to side during this promo, leaving the viewer feeling seasick. Ugh. Priest made an open challenge.

(3) Tyler Black (w/Ms. Latano) defeats Phil Atlas at 13:34. Above-average match. St. Holmes joined commentary to provide a heel perspective, and he's quite funny. I've seen Atlas in UWA Hardcore from Canada; he has long black hair, and I'm impressed with what I've seen of him. Black hit a cheap shot punch. Atlas hit some nice armdrags, and Black bailed. Latano tripped Atlas. Black hit a German suplex, but Atlas rotated in air and landed on his feet! Atlas hit a nice hurricanrana. Black tossed Atlas into the corner, and Phil crashed to the floor. Black hit some stomps on the floor and some chokes. Black slammed the left hand on the mat, and he was in charge.

Black worked the left hand and shoulder in the ring, and this was fairly basic. Atlas hit a top-rope crossbody block at 9:30, then a clothesline and a spin heel kick for a nearfall. Atlas hit a basement dropkick to the face as Black was in the ropes, then Atlas hit a flip dive over the top rope to the floor! In the ring, Black nailed a Pele Kick, and he applied a cross-armbreaker at 12:30. Atlas hit an enziguri and a faceplant for a believable nearfall. Black hit a Mafia Kick to the shoulder. Black then nailed the "Unibomb"/small package driver for the pin. Solid action, but it never reached the next gear up.

* Joey Eastman cut a promo, saying he's been here two years, and he's tired of pretending he's a gay character. He said that getting a concussion made him realize he was working with garbage.

(4) Krotch (w/Nikki) vs. Hunter Matthews went to a draw at 1:37. These guys are maybe a combined 260 pounds. Matthews hit a shoulder tackle. Someone shouted "boring!" Krotch hit a bodyslam and an armdrag. Suddenly, the Michigan Invasion hit the ring to beat them up and cause the draw.

(5) Krotch & Zach Gowen defeat N8 Mattson & Truth Martini (the Michigan Invasion) at 15:18 to win the tag titles. Zach came to ringside and declared that Krotch would be his mystery partner. However, Krotch didn't want to be in this match, as he's terrified of the bigger Michigan Invasion! Truth and Zach fought. Zach hit a nice catapult basement dropkick to Martini's face. Zach hit some punches on N8 on the floor. Krotch fought Martini in the ring, and Krotch was surprised every time he landed a punch. Funny. N8 shoved the ringsteps into Zach at 2:30. The heels then began to beat up Krotch in the ring. Truth hit some loud chops.

This was a basic beatdown, and Truth applied a headscissorslock at 5:30. N8 did a slingshot on Krotch's neck on the bottom rope, and the crowd rallied for Krotch. N8 hit a nice guillotine legdrop. Truth hit a nice Spinebuster for a nearfall. Krotch hit double stunners on the heels, and he made the hot tag to Zach at 10:00. Zach hit a Tornado DDT for a nearfall, then a swinging neckbreaker on N8 for a nearfall. Truth hit a hard clothesline on Zach for a nearfall, and he dropped Krotch gut-first on the top rope. N8 hit a swinging neckbreaker on Zach for a believable nearfall. The heels were frustrated that Zach kept kicking out of pin attempts.

The ref got bumped! Zach hit a top-rope moonsault for a believable nearfall on Truth at 13:00. The crowd was HOT. N8 hit a clothesline on Zach, sending Gowen to the floor. N8 hit a dropkick on Krotch as Krotch was going for a move off the ropes. Truth hit a running palmstrike on Krotch. The heels set up for a team spike curbstomp, but Zach crotched N8 on the ropes. Meanwhile, Krotch got a rollup on Martini for the pin! New champions! "That's the biggest upset in AAW history!" an announcer said. "You've got to be kidding me!" Basic match until the hot finish, and the hot crowd made this seem even better.

* An announcer talked with Jayson Reign backstage. Reign said that "tonight, I'm the machine."

(6) Dash & Tweek (the Phoenix Twins) (w/Joey Eastman) defeat Tyme Paige & Charly Manson Jr. at 6:00 even. Solid, average match. The twins (I can't tell them apart) attacked the faces from behind. Paige hit a top-rope headscissors takedown and another nice headscissors takedown. Manson hit a nice springboard hurricanrana. Paige hit a top-rope flip dive to the floor, and the fans chanted, "Holy sh!t!" In the ring, Paige hit a spine heel kick. However, Eastman grabbed Manson's ankle, allowing a twin to hit a Mafia Kick on Manson at 2:30.

The Phoenix twins hit a double boot on Manson and a backbreaker over a knee. Paige made the hot tag at 5:00, and he hit a top-rope crossbody block and a Japanese armdrag, then he flipped Manson onto a twin. However, the twins switched! The twin in the ring hit Paige with a weapon and scored the tainted win. Solid and short.

* Bryce Benjamin & Shane Hollister hit the ring and chased off the twins & Eastman.

* Marek Brave cut a backstage promo, saying he successfully defended the AAW title last week in Iowa against Tyler Black and Shane Hollister. He talked about how Jerry Lynn challenged him for the belt. Brave then focused his attention on his opponent later tonight, Jay Ryan. He said that Ryan was a "loose cannon."

(7) Eric Priest defeats Trik Davis (w/Dave Prazak) and B.J. Whitmer and Shane Hollister and Bryce Benjamin and Chandler McClure at 8:53. I was really looking forward to this six-way, so I was really disappointed that it was so short! Prazak got on the mic and announced that B.J. Whitmer is a new member of DP & Associates. The crowd taunted McClure. This is ONE FALL to a finish. McClure started against Bryce, but McClure tagged in Hollister! Hollister had to face his partner! They eventually locked up and traded friendly reversals. Whitmer tagged in and hit some chops and a snap suplex. Hollister hit a hurricanrana and a headscissors takedown on Whitmer. Trik entered at 3:00, but he quickly tagged out.

McClure dropped Hollister stomach-first on the top rope, and McClure brawled with (his former partner!) Benjamin. McClure hit a nice spinning neckbreaker over his knee on Bryce. Priest and Whitmer traded shoulder tackles, with neither man budging. Priest picked up Trik and gave him a gorilla press onto Whitmer, then Priest hit a spear on McClure. Priest dove to the top rope onto Trik & Whitmer on the floor!

Bryce & Hollister hit a team Russian Legsweep on McClure for a nearfall. Whitmer hit an Exploder Suplex on Priest at 7:00. Bryce hit a fisherman's swinging neckbreaker on Trik. McClure hit a spinning faceplant, and he applied a modifed Crossface on Bryce. Whitmer nailed a running boot to the side of Priest's head. However, Priest gave Trik Davis a stomach-first bodyslam to the mat for the pin. The action was above average, but I thought this should have been longer.

* Dan Lawrence and Ryan Boz ran in the ring and chased off Whitmer & Trik Davis.

* Backstage, the new tag champions were shown! Zach Gowen said he finally got even with the Michigan Invasion. Silas Young walked up and said that Zach "screwed him over" because Zach hadn't called him. Zach tried to tell Silas that he couldn't get ahold of him, but Silas refused to hear it.

* Back to the ring, where Ami Zane cut a promo, saying that Jim Jesus had gotten what he deserved for treating her poorly recently. "I'm here to prove a point," she said. Ms. Matano & Michael Prader came out, and they grabbed Zane. Marek Brave made the save! Jay Ryan came out of nowhere and attacked Marek! Out of nowhere came Tony Scarpone, who saved Brave from a beatdown. Scarpone got on the mic and asked Marek to make the title match a three-way dance! Marek agreed, allowing Scarpone into the main event.

* Hunter Matthews walked to the ring, and he was upset! He said he drove six hours to get to this show, and he wants a full, real match! Fans chanted, "Iowa sucks!" at him, and Matthews looked like he might start to cry! "I'm the future of AAW!" Matthews proclaimed, and he issued an open challenge.

(8) Danny Daniels defeats Hunter Matthews at 0:40. Daniels hit a butterfly suplex into the corner, a chop, a clothesline, and a sitdown piledriver for the pin. Daniels got on the mic and called out Tyler Black. Black came out, and they brawled on the mat, and had to be separated.

(9) Jayson Reign defeats Michael Prader at 1:08. UGH. This was bad. Prader is really heavy, and just doesn't do much. Reign and Prader brawled, and a referee hopped in the ring and called for the bell. Prader hit a Spinebuster. Reign hit a second-rope step-up kick, then an ugly Samoan Drop for the pin. Reign jawed at McClure after the match. Pointless, skippable match. These last two matches were ridiculously short, and it makes me wonder if AAW had budgeted its time well for this show. -*

(10) Marek Brave defeats Jay Ryan and Tony Scarpone at 10:28 to retain the AAW title. Ryan wore his cowboy chaps & hat to the ring, and he's a modern-day Stan Hansen type. Scarpone and Ryan immediately brawled, and Scarpone hit a shoulder tackle on Marek. Marek hit a nice headscissors takedown, and this was quick action early. Marek hit a monkeyflip on Scarpone, and Scarpone IMMEDIATELY came up limping. It was clear that Scarpone had legitimately hurt himself, and not the 'fake injury' Silas had earlier in the show. Scarpone rolled to the floor, where Ryan attacked him (as it doesn't appear that Ryan knows yet that Scarpone is injured.)

So, it is now back to the originally scheduled match of Ryan vs. Marek. Ryan hit a hard kneelift to the head. Marek hit a top-rope crossbody block to the floor on Ryan. Marek leapt off the guardrail onto Ryan at 3:00. In the ring, Ryan hit a powerslam for a nearfall. Scarpone is nowhere to be seen now. Marek hit a heascissors takedown on Ryan. Ryan hit a series of headbutts. Marek hit a nice DDT for a enarfall, the a top-rope guillotine legdrop for a believable nearfall at 6:30.

Ryan hit a nice standing powerbomb and a kneedrop to the face for a nearfall, then a decapitating clothesline. The announcers said that Tony Scarpone has suffered a broken ankle! Ryan and Marek traded punches on their knees, and Ryan hit some headbutts and a back suplex for a nearfall. Ryan got a table and set it up in the corner at 9:30. However, Marek nailed a spear, sending Ryan crashing through the table. Marek then nailed a superkick for the pin.


Final thoughts:

I've praised AAW a lot recently for putting out some really good shows. Unfortunately, this was one of the weaker DVDs from them I have seen. Between the injury in the main event, the shorter-than-expected six-way, and the lackluster matches right before the main event, this event just didn't click as well as others.

I guess I'll give best match to Silas vs. Skullkrusher in the opener, as they had a solid big-man match. While it didn't reach "three stars" in my eyes (obviously, nothing here did), it was well done and effective in turning Silas into a heel.

The main event gets second-best. The injury to Scarpone clearly threw off some of the planned spots in this match, but Marek and Ryan were able to salvage the match by the end. Third-best goes to the tag title match. The finish was FUN, and the crowd LOVED seeing Krotch & Gowen win the tag straps. I'll give the six-way fourth-best. Again, that match looked good on paper, but it was just too short.

I really liked Darrick St. Holmes on commentary. He's witty with dry humor and does a good job providing a heel perspective.

If you haven't seen AAW before, get the November 2006 "Windy City Classic" or the recent show I attended from Sept. 29, 2007, and pass on this one. Learn more about this promotion at www.aawrestling.com

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