Topsy-turvy times in All Heel Wrestling
HISTORIC MAIN EVENT MARRED BY POST-MATCH CRAZINESS
By Mike Pankow
May 4, 2023
All Heel Wrestling is known for its unpredictability and the end of AHW 6: March of War was no exception.
The renegade promotion based in Chicago’s far Northern suburbs put on another crazy show with a special treat of main event – a championship match contested between two members of the LGBTQ+ community. AHW World Champion Mateo Valentine successfully defended his title against Dog-Faced Bastard Greg Murray in a 15-minute battle on Sunday, March 19, at StarLight Skate Park in Winthrop Harbor.
Mateo Valentine, left, hits a spinning neckbreaker on Dog-Faced Bastard Greg Murray in their AHW World Championship match on March 19, 2023 in Winthrop Harbor, Ill. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
The roles of the two wrestlers were reversed in the first few minutes of the match with Murray, known as a brawler, bringing out more of a finesse game while Valentine utilizing more roughhouse tactics. Later in the match, referee Kevin Woods was momentarily incapacitated and Valentine surprising went for a shortcut and tried hitting Murray with the AHW Championship belt.
Valentine did land a twisting neckbreaker on Murray off the top rope, but he only got a 2 count from Woods. Valentine finally countered out a Fireman’s carry and hit a Widow’s Peak to score the decisive 3 count to win the match.
An exhausted Valentine celebrated briefly before Northland Pro owner Trademark Nate Pepple came out flanked by AHW Women’s Champion “La Muñeca” Leslie Michelle. Pepple said Metalhead was ready to cash in his Championship opportunity that he earned at the start of the show by winning a gauntlet match.
Metalhead marched to the ring with a purpose as Valentine looked shocked. After Woods rang the bell to start, Valentine put up a little fight early, hitting Eat Defeat and a Skye Blue-style roundhouse kick on Metalhead in the corner. Unfortunately for Valentine, he was gassed from his match with Murray and Metalhead hit his side slam finisher to get the 3 count and become the new AHW World Champion.
Metalhead pins Mateo Valentine to become AHW World Champion after cashing in an opportunity for a title match. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Team Northland – Trademark, Michelle and Metalhead – stood victorious over Valentine and AHW owner King Torch and his DaeLyte came out to confront them. Torch and DaeLyte stood side by side and appeared ready to take the fight to Team Northland, but Torch nailed DaeLyte with a baseball bat and aligned himself with Northland Pro Wrestling. Michelle wrapped a steel chair around DaeLyte’s arm and stepped on it. Then Metalhead got some bonus shots in with a pipe before Gunner Wixx, Chucky Bates, Lizard Man Nile and The Heathen came down to the ring as Team Northland retreated, satisfied with the carnage.
It was a fitting end to an action-packed afternoon of wrestling.
To start the day, Torch offered Trademark a chance for one of his charges to get a title shot. Metalhead was assigned a gauntlet match as Torch and AHW brass figured they could throw whatever they could at the monster and stop him from getting a title match.
Metalhead started out against Lizard Man Nathan Nile, who got deposited into the front row for his troubles and subsequently ruled out of the match.
Kenny Nyne then came down to the ring, but he was subdued quickly by the side slam. “Big Steppa” Armando Alvarez tried to get the jump on Metalhead, but even with encouragement from CJ Cole, Alvarez was squashed.
Perfection was next to take on the monster, but the cocksure young star also got taken out with the side slam. Then the Next Level Soldiers came out in what appeared to be a handicap match, but Trademark handed Jax Johnson a slip of paper and Johnson skipped away, leaving his partner Kota Holliday to take a beatdown from Metalhead.
After that, Torch acquiesced and told Trademark that his man can have a title match of his choosing whenever he wanted it. Three hours later, Metalhead became the new AHW World Champion.
AHW Change of Fortune Champion Kenzi James successfully defended the purple belt over Haven Harris, who was making her AHW debut. Harris stretched James out for a while and took her to the limit. However, James pulled out the victory with a Sister Abigail-type maneuver.
Pauly Thomaselli wallops CJ Cole during their AHW Midwestern Championship match. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Twenty-year veteran Pauly Thomaselli claimed championship gold by unseating CJ Cole to become the new AHW Midwestern Champion. Thomaselli chopped the hell out of “The Apex Athlete” and grounded him with a mix of power and finesse moves. Thomaselli hit a GTS and got the pin to win the title.
After the match, Cole called out Alvarez and the debuting Theory of Asian Unity down to the ring and appeared to form a new faction.
In a No. 1 contender match for the AHW Women’s Championship, NWA Women’s Tag Team Champion Missa Kate defeated rising star Shelly “The Bombshell” Benson in a hotly-contested affair. After Missa was stuck as Monkey In the Middle as Shelly and referee Woods tossed a plushie back and forth, the match finally got serious.
Missa gained the advantage with heel tactics, choking Benson in the ropes and hitting her with a suplex. Benson fired back with a vicious clothesline, but the veteran Missa would not be denied. Missa attempted to use the NWA Women’s Tag Team Championship belt as a weapon, but Woods took it away from her. When Woods turned away to put the belt on the ring apron, Missa used the plushie to slug Benson and score a 3-count.
The second belt to change hands on the afternoon was the AHW Hybrid Championship as “Demented” Chucky Bates defeated Percy Drews to the win the title in a Last Man Standing Match, a bout that was voted on by the fans on social media leading up to the event.
Drews and Bates pulled out all the stops in an effort to win, fighting all over the skate park. Drews hit a Percy Cutter on Bates through a chair, but that couldn’t hold down Bates for a 10-count. Drews got desperate as he used the AHW Hybrid Championship belt to knock down Bates and tried choking him with a chain, but Bates was resilient. Bates won the match by hitting the backpack stunner on Drews through a door as Drews was unable to answer the referee’s 10-count.
Before intermission, AHW brass entered the ring and honored 30-year veteran “Ice Pick” Vic Capri as their first inductee to the AHW Hall of Fame. Capri has won numerous championships in the Chicagoland area, including the AHW Midwestern Championship. Capri was honored with an AHW World Championship belt and a plaque to commemorate the occasion.
AHW Women’s Champion Leslie Michelle faces off with Missa Kate on the rampway as Trademark Nate Pepple looks on. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
In the AHW Women’s Championship match, Michelle retained over up-and-coming Chicago star Blair Onyx. Onyx appeared to have Michelle off balance with her quirky moves and spider walk. Michelle hit a kick similar to that of Ruby Soho to gain the 3-count on Onyx. After the bout, Missa Kate got up from her merchandise table to confront Michelle in advance of their future championship match.
“The Mouth of the Midwest” JP came out to the ring after an extended absence and wanted an opportunity to show what he can do. Joey “Jet” Avalon came out to accept his challenge in a match to determine the No. 1 contender for the AHW Change of Fortune Championship. Moments later, Avalon’s girlfriend, Sierra, came out to make it a triple-threat.
After JP slid out of the ring, Avalon and Sierra had a series of exchanges between each other. JP came back into the ring when it was beneficial to him. After Avalon was briefly knocked to the floor, JP pinned Sierra in the ropes to gain the apparent victory. However, AHW Commissioner The Heathen restarted the match due to JP’s illegal pin. Moments later, Avalon hit a Claymore-style kick to get the 3-count on JP.
The debuting Eddie “The Bruiser” Cruz, seen in Chicago Style Wrestling and Northland Pro, got the surprising victory on AHW Legal Counsel Eric Schultz, pinning him after a Banzai Splash. Afterward, Schultz extended a hand to Cruz, but then slapped Cruz, perhaps showing signs of a heel turn.
The AHW Tag Team Championships were defended with “Dive Bar Rules,” basically meaning anything goes. After their last bout went to a no-contest, Country Air (Zach Hendrix and Doc Simmons) defeated Ghetto Gear Solid (Kaz Karter and Ruff Ryder Rashaan) to win the titles.
In a tribute to ECW’s New Jack, the match was contested with music blaring the entire time. Both teams utilized nearly the entire skate park to brawl around, throwing around chairs and adult beverages. Country Air hit a double team move to get the pin on Rashaan. Hendrix and Simmons were so worn out that their celebration was comprised by hugging each other on the mat.
Cody James legdrops Gunner Wixx during their match at AHW: March of War. (Photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
In the semi-main event – a battle of former big-man champions – Cody James defeated Gunner Wixx in a physical contest. Both men kicked out of each other’s finishers during the match. James hit a springboard Cody Cutter on Wixx to finally get a 3-count. Afterward, James showed sportsmanship to Wixx after a hard-fought bout, which didn’t sit well with Trademark.
During Northland Pro’s takeover at the end of the show, James was nowhere to be seen. On Northland’s show on April 22, Trademark turned on James to cost him the Northland Pro Championship in a match against Schultz.
After AHW’s show concluded, the company announced on social media that JP will be the new Commissioner and that The Heathen was no longer affiliated with AHW.
AHW’s next show, Defiance will be in Woodstock at the VFW 5040 on Sunday, May 21. Meanwhile, The Heathen will be running show, called “The Starlight Invitational” back in Winthrop Harbor on Sunday, June 11.
Check out a gallery of over 450 photos from “March of War”: https://www.windycityslam.com/ahw-6-march-of-war.
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/.
We are looking for guests to appear on future episodes of the Windy City Slam Podcast! Please contact Mike at mikepankow@windycityslam.com, message him on Facebook or DM him on Twitter.
