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LIMITLESS WRESTLING’s “THE WORLD IS OURS”
JANUARY 23, 2018
WESTBROOK, MAINE AT THE ARMORY
REPORT BY BRANDON LECLAIR, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT
(If you attend a live event, send a report like this one to pwtorch@pwtorch.com.)
Limitless Wrestling, established in 2015, has become a bit of a cult phenomenon among wrestling fans in the state of Maine. I’ve been a fan for nearly 20 years, and I can’t recall us ever having a promotion with the gravitas and reputation Limitless has managed to establish in such a short amount of time. Known for quality wrestling and a variety of well known and talented independent bookings, Limitless kicked off 2018 with “The World Is Ours.”
The event, held at the promotion’s de-facto home, the Westbrook Armory, drew an impressive crowd, as most all Limitless events do. It’s your standard, run-of-the-mill, small-town America armory, and while I’m not about the capacity, virtually every seat in the building was full, with dozens more standing around the back and in the corners. The crowd, which has dawned a familial like atmosphere, was lively and engaged the whole night.
There was a “pre-show” match prior to the 7:30 p.m. bell time, but I missed the majority of it.
(1) Darby Allin defeated Jeff Cobb. Good opening bout with strong crowd reactions for both men. After a competitive match, Allin scored a surprise pin on Cobb. Cobb was surprised, but showed respect for Allin’s wits.
(2) Martin Stone (NXT’s Danny Birch) defeated David Starr and Fred Yehi in a triple threat match. Starr receives a laundry list of superlatives attached to his name, leading to some annoyance from Yehi and Stone. Strong match with a good amount of technical work in the early going. The winner of this one earned the opportunity to return to Limitless for their next show in March, and to name their opponent for said event.
(3) Allie Kat & Ashley Vox & Kris Stadtlander defeated The Maine State Posse in a mixed-gender trios match. As a general rule of thumb, I’m not big on male vs. female wrestling. The visual just isn’t my thing. With that being said, this match was tastefully done and very entertaining. The Maine State Posse are staples of the Limitless promotion, and always receive great reactions from the crowd. Allie Kat worked the majority of the match, which featured a fair amount of feline-based comedy. She got the pinfall with a nice looking piledriver. Post match, Joey Eastman hit the ring to encourage one member of the MSP to step up and face an opponent of his choosing at the next show. After much deliberation, Danger Kid complied, much to the chagrin of his partners.
(4) Whiskey Dick (“Top Shelf” Troy Nelson & Dick Justice) defeated Brett Domino & DL Hurst (w/Anthony Greene.) Mostly a comedic affair, as to be expected with Nelson and Justice. Nelson is a Limitless favorite, working each match as though he’s jovially intoxicated. He feigned falling asleep on the turnbuckle to start the match. Lots of cheers for Justice, who was seen on Impact in 2017.
(5) Maxwell Jacob Friedman defeated Matt Cross. This was billed as “generations collide.” Friedman cut a decent heel promo prior to the match, and the two had a solid bout. Friedman got a tap out win after Cross missed a 450 splash. Post match, Stokely Hathaway came to the ring and asked Friedman to join his team. There was some back and forth banter before Darby Allin returned to the ring, surprising the pair and throwing himself off the top rope into Hathaway after Friedman moved out of the way.
We headed to intermission, during which many of the wrestlers mingled about the crowd.
(6) Tessa Blanchard defeated Deonna Purrazzo. Blanchard was a standout, looking every bit like a worker primed for the big stage. Her presentation was tremendous, from her attitude right down to her gear. Both were impressive in the ring. This, to me, stood out as the crispest and most “TV ready” match of the night. Impressive mat work to start, but it picked up quickly. Tessa won with a great looking codebreaker off the top rope, onto a waiting Purrazzo below.
(7) Chris Dickinson defeated Eddie Kingston. A long feeling out process in this one. The two big men eventually came to blows and both landed a series of hard, stiff shots throughout the match. This one seemed to run a little long, but Dickinson eventually got the pinfall with a throwing crucifix power bomb.
(8) “All Ego” Ethan Page & The Thick Boys (Jay Freddie & John Silver) defeated Mr. Grimm & Christian Casanova & Austin Theory (w/ Stokley Hathaway.) Page interrupted the ring announcer’s introductions to report his team was “extra thick” thanks to some beers, which got a raucous reaction. The bottom rope snapped deep into this one, leading to some temporary chaos but all six handled it like pros.
The final two matches were contested without a bottom rope.
(9) Massage NV (Dorian Graves & VSK) defeated The Lethal Enforcers (Anthony Henry & James Drake.) The Lethal Enforcers, former EVOLVE Tag Team Champions, were impressive here. Great, calculated tag team work often missing from today’s tag matches. Fun match with Massage NV getting some comedy in and Henry and Drake playing it mostly straight.
(10) Anthony Greene defeated J.T. Dunn, Ace Romero, and Josh Briggs in a Four-Way “Power Struggle” match. Crowd-pleasing main event. Greene wanted little to do with his three opponents early on. Lots of action outside the ring, including a scary spot where Dunn climbed and then jumped off of the lockers fastened to the back wall of the building. Back in the ring, Dunn hit a superplex on Greene into a pile of chairs. It was a brutal looking spot. Greene got a surprise win with a roll up and a handful of Dunn’s tights.
Post-match, Teddy Hart hit the ring and cut an explicative filled, rambling promo about Dunn, Briggs, and Romero. He challenged them to a six man tag match at next month’s show, where he’ll team with AR Fox and Sami Callihan.
Hart’s promo, though mostly well received by the crowd, was the low point of the show for me. It was great to see Limitless plotting logical angles and giving legitimate hooks to their next show, but Hart’s promo was a rambling rant filled with foul language for the sake of foul language. This was, by no means Limitless’ fault, nor would I hold it against them, but the promotion clearly has a lot going for it and doesn’t need to dip into this uber-edgy pool. This is far more an indictment on Teddy Hart’s style and demeanor than anything.
FINAL NOTES: Overall, a very entertaining show and great way to spend a Friday night. It’s truly amazing to see what Limitless has done here in Maine in such a short amount of time, and I look forward to seeing them continue this year and beyond.
(If you attend a live event, send a report like this one to pwtorch@pwtorch.com.)
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS INDY REPORT: 1/11 MLW Zero Hour in Orlando, Fla. at GILT Nightclub: Low Ki, MVP, Havoc, Strickland, Matt Riddle, Tom Lawlor
“I’m not one for intergender wrestling–”
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand you lost me.