Storm Grayson survives Freelance weekend as double champ
DEFEATS ROBERT ANTHONY FOR FREELANCE TITLE, RETAINS FU INDEPENDENT TITLE OVER BRYAN KEITH
By Mike Pankow
February 23, 2023
Storm Grayson endured 45 minutes of hellacious action over two nights of red-hot wrestling and concluded the Freelance weekend with two championships.
The Naperville native capped off Freelance Underground’s “Back For More” show at the Cantigny VFW in Joliet with a hard-fought victory over “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith in a classic, 15-minute match on Saturday night, Feb. 11.
Storm Grayson, left, runs toward Bryan Keith to deliver a clothesline at Freelance Underground’s “Back For More” in Joliet on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Grayson escaped Keith’s attempt at a Emerald Tiger Driver before hitting his trademark knee trigger on Keith to score the decisive 3-count as the two evened up their series at one win apiece.
Grayson started the weekend at Freelance Wrestling’s “Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge” at Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago by regaining the Freelance World Championship by navigating through a gauntlet match and then defeating Robert “Ego” Anthony as he worked 30 minutes, truly earning the chance to hold Freelance’s top title.
Grayson defeated former Freelance World Champions Darin Corbin and GPA before ending Anthony’s reign of terror atop Freelance with three knee strikes on the veteran to secure the pin, much to the dismay of Frank the Clown, whom Anthony abandoned following the match.
“Longest weekend I’ve had in a long time, maybe ever,” Grayson told Windy City Slam following the Freelance Underground show. “I have the wounds to show for it. I’ve got the limp to show for it. It’s easy to get sidetracked in wrestling, you get lost in all those big goals of being on TV and this cool stuff, but Freelance is the only that has felt home for me. It was magic. It was special.”
Keith, the Greenspoint, Texas, native and Freelance regular, had a previous match with Grayson, defeating him in a New Texas Pro Championship match at Freelance Wrestling’s “Killer Klown From Logan Square” on Oct. 22, 2021.
As most Grayson and Keith matches go (whether against each other or other opponents), it was a quality clinic of pro wrestling with crisp strikes, impactful moves, and great psychology.
Bryan Keith, right, works on Storm Grayson’s legs with an Indian Deathlock during their main event match. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Keith, who also is the current Freelance Wrestling Legacy Champion, started working on Grayson’s knee with a Dragon Screw Legwhip and followed up with an Indian Deathlock-style leglock. Grayson also favored the knee a bit during his gauntlet run the night before.
Grayson averted Keith’s first attempt at an Emerald Tiger Driver by backdropping Keith over the top rope and nailing him with a superkick from the apron.
Grayson went to the top rope, but Keith jumped and landed a quick headbutt to rattle Grayson before delivering an exploder suplex from the top.
Keith got a 2-count on Grayson after a knee strike before Grayson escaped and hit the knee trigger to claim the victory. After the match, Keith tipped his cap, bowed his head, and shook Grayson’s hand in a sign of respect.
“The party didn’t last long (Friday) night,” Grayson said. “I would’ve liked to have rode that a little. I knew I had to get it back together. I knew I was going to be 100 percent tonight. Even when I was 100 percent, Bryan Keith beat my ass. So I knew what I had in store for me, but I think I did my homework and that’s what did it for me. I respect him probably more than anyone else I’ve ever wrestled.”
The show started with hot opener as “Sabotage” Sean Logan earned his first victory in FU by retaining the Wrestling 4 A Cure Cruiserweight Championship with a victory over the high-flying August Matthews.
Matthews had Logan on the ropes for a while, obtaining several near falls. Logan turned the tide by DDT’ing Matthews on the ring apron before re-entering the ring to give Matthews the Choas Theory (TKO) to secure the 3-count on one-half of The Bang Bros.
The team of “Playboy” Double H and “Rather Charming” Bradley Stephens III, known as PYT (accompanied by manager Virgil Holmes) defeated The Heroes of Our Time (Mason Conrad & Joey Marx).
PYT used some underhanded tactics to gain the victory as Holmes jumped up on the ring apron top distract Conrad before Double H cradled Conrad and pinned with his feet on the ropes for leverage as Referee Donnovan did not catch the misdeed.
Following the match, Double H and Stephens laid out the challenge to The Bang Bros for a shot at the Wrestling 4 A Cure Tag Team Championship. FU management announced before the end of the show that PYT will challenge The Bang Bros at the next FU show on April 8 back in Joliet.
“Boys, you have 56 days and counting,” Stephens said addressing The Bang Bros on the mic. “We’re coming for those Wrestling 4 A Cure Tag Team titles, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
The macabre “Voodoo King” Mojo McQueen defeated “Beyond Alpha” Ezio Orlandi in a physical, hard hitting affair. Orlandi, one of Freelance Wrestling Academy’s star pupils, went 0-2 on the weekend, but he looked impressive in the losses to McQueen on Saturday and Craig Mitchell at Friday’s Freelance show.
Orlandi looked for a quick advantage as he jumped McQueen from behnd with a steel chain before the bell and went to town on McQueen as the opening bell ring. “The Alphasaurus” lowered the boom with some vicious kicks and a corner clothesline, but McQueen turned things around with a German suplex and a chokeslam.
After exchanging some massive knife-edge chops, McQueen regained the advantage with some brutal physicality, hitting the Spellbinder, but Orlandi kicked out at 2. Orlandi hit a pop-up powerbomb, but he could not put McQueen away. McQueen finally put away Orlandi with the Hurricane Katrina spinning slam to get the 3-count.
Chico Suave pulled off one of the biggest victories of his career by winning the Check for the Championship six-man scramble match, outlasting veterans Mitchell and Acid Jaz, El Torero, Davey Bang and Sean Galway. After several minutes of frenetic action, Suave scored the pin on Acid Jaz after a Chico Slam (Angle Slam).
Mitchell, a former Freelance Underground Champion, appeared to the be the favorite especially after winning two recent scrambles at Freelance Wrestling. But these scrambles can often be unpredictable with the craziness of a six-man match with every competitor legal throughout the bout.
Galway tried to bribe the other wrestlers with what looked like money (later confirmed to be fake bills), but Mitchell didn’t buy it and stuffed one of the bills in the mouth of Galway, Ted DiBiase style.
The always entertaining Jaz wore a wig for most of the match before it was taken off his head by Bang, exposing his bald dome. At one point, the usually serious Mitchell ended up with the wig on his head as he took a break outside the ring.
Galway got a nearfall on Bang after a Cashout before El Torero broke up the pin. Torero had an arm submission on Galway before Mitchell nailed Torero with a dropkick. Mitchell appeared to have the match won after hitting a devastating Trapper Keeper and a moonsault on Torero before Suave broke up the pin.
Chico Suave prepares to do the Worm with Craig Mitchell down on the canvas during the Check For The Championship scramble match. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Suave hit the Worm on Mitchell, but Mitchell kicked out at 2 before retreating to the floor. El Torero and hit a suicide-dive-type move before Bang followed up with a moonsault to temporarily take out the field.
Bang was sizing up Jaz for a 450 splash when PYT hit the ring and tried to attack Bang, but Matthews came out to his partner’s aid as they all brawled to the back. The fallout left Suave and Jaz in the ring where Suave hit the Chico Slam to close out the win.
Suave has up to a year to cash in the check for whatever Freelance Underground championship he chooses.
After intermission, Sandra Moone returned to FU and picked up her first victory with the promotion with a victory over “Killer Bae” Heather Monroe. Moone’s win came one night after a classic bout with Kylie Rae at Freelance.
Sandra Moone, top, delivers a strike to Heather Monroe in the corner. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Monroe took control midway through the match as she worked over Moone’s back, including a Camel Clutch with the assistance of the ropes and a modified Bow and Arrow. Then after a backbreaker and senton, Monroe went for a pin, but the persistent Moone kicked out and began to rally.
After some back-and-forth offense, Moone finished off the match with a Moone Landing (aka gut-wrench powerbomb) and scored the 3-count on Monroe.
In a fun tag-team match, Pick n’ Pop celebrated six months as Freelance Underground Tag Team Champions by defeating Technical Difficulties, who were making their debut in FU.
Moses the Deliverer and Rahim de la Suede, part of Davey Richards’ Team Ambition based in St. Louis, proved to be a legitimate threat to Pick n’ Pop. Technical Difficulties looked like a polished unit with flashy maneuvers and precise strikes.
The Freelance Wrestling Academy students, “One Man Dynasty” Darius Latrell and “Prince 100” Koda Hernandez, have found great chemistry as a team, especially over the last year.
Latrell demonstrated his dominance as the 6-foot-8 former basketball player used de la Suede as lawn dart, spearing him into Moses, clearing the way for the finish.
Pick n’ Pop brought home the victory with the tandem blockbuster as Koda Hernandez dove of the top rope to nail de la Suede, who was in the vice grip of Darius Latrell.
In the semi-main event, Gunner Brave continued his hot run locally as the Rocket Pro Wrestling Outer Limits Champion and Joliet native picked up another victory at FU – this time against the “Southern Flamingo” Koko Lane.
Brave recorded his third consecutive victory in FU, stringing together wins over former Freelance Underground Champion GPA, Logan and now Lane.
“The King of the North” pulled out all the stops, including a Fosbury Flop over the top rope and onto Lane, who was standing outside the ring. Then Brave followed up with a snap dragon suplex and a kick, but he only got a 2 count.
Lane almost stole the victory with a Death Valley Driver and a piledriver, but Brave kicked out a 2 on both occasions. Brave turned things around quickly and polished off the victory with the O’Connor Roll and bridge pin.
Freelance Underground Independent Champion Storm Grayson gave Windy City Slam an exclusive interview after Freelance Underground's "Back For More" event on Feb. 11, 2023 in Joliet, Ill. Grayson discusses his thoughts on winning the Freelance Wrestling World Championship from Robert "Ego" Anthony the night. He also discusses his Freelance Underground Independent Championship match with Bryan Keith.
Check out a gallery of over 300 photos from “Back For More”: https://www.windycityslam.com/freelance-underground-back-for-more
Catch Windy City Slam editor Mike Pankow talking local and national pro wrestling every week with Chicago-area wrestling guests on Windy City Slam Podcast, part of the Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network. Episodes drop early Tuesday morning wherever you download podcasts or at https://windycityslam.podbean.com/.
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