You only get one chance to make a first impression. Fortunately, I can say that my first Northeast Wrestling show set the bar incredibly high. The capacity crowd of 3,700 at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey witnessed a phenomenal showcase of legends, up and comers, and top tier talent.
The opening match saw an over the top Battle Royal with the winner going on to face Northeast Wrestling Champion JT Dunn for the title. Darby Allin won in impressive fashion with the elimination of King Brian. My one and only issue with the show, was starting with the Battle Royal. I know many promotions tend to go this route, but my issue is that we saw nearly every single indy performer before their respective matches throughout the night.
Private Party vs. The Amazing Graysons vs. InZanely Rude
Private Party (who are signed to AEW) hyped the crowd by running up the stands during their entrance. I love the Mariah “Fantasy” Entrance Music. All three teams were great, but Private Party really stole the show. Fantastic match with a ton of great tandem spots. Marq Quen of P.P. particularly impressed with a jaw dropping springboard senton to the outside. Bonus points for his shades staying on throughout all the high spots. Private Party also hit an incredible Frankenstenier RKO type combo to seal the deal. I’m a fan and excited to see more of these guys.
Booker T and Renee Young come out to hype the crowd. Huge Pop for both. Book asks if we can dig it. (SUCKA) And yes, yes we can.
Wrecking Ball Legursky vs. Brad Hollister vs. Mike Taverna
Very much the opposite of the previous match, this was a straight up power match. Lots of 2 on 1 with Hollister and Taverna teaming up on the big man. Wrecking Ball overpowers both with the crowd behind him the whole way for the win. Chants of “Wrecking Ball” throughout. Here’s another guy to keep your eye on.
Karissa River vs. Tasha Steelz
Jersey’s own Karissa Rivera is clearly the face in this one, as Steelz starts the mind games early. Lots of taunting and a quick match with a diamond cutter finish on Steelz for the 1, 2, 3. Lots of Cutters throughout the night.
The Next Segment saw King Brian and his cronies cutting a promo against Mick Foley. Foley wasn’t having it and completely ignored them. In fact he told a great story about how he approached Six Flags as a roller coaster enthusiast in hopes of getting free tickets. He said Six Flags welcomed him to come try their newest coaster, called NITRO. Foley makes a great joke about how Nitro was the competition and he didn’t go on the coaster until the competition was shut down. Nice personal touch.
Shortly thereafter, The Boogeyman joined Foley for a Mr. Socko attack and to clear the ring. Both guys did not miss a beat.
Here’s the icing on the cake: Foley addressed the crowd saying that he’s fallen off a cell, taken stunners, and even Rock bottoms. BUT he’s never eaten a worm. Foley ate not one but two worms with the Boogeyman! Boogey showed respect to the veteran for giving him the spotlight. Boogeyman even ran up and down the stands and threw worms into the crowd. What a great moment as both superstars went the extra mile
Darby Allin vs. JT Dunn (Champ) for the NEW Championship
Allin had already impressed early in the battle royal, but this was hands down the match of the night., Dunn took some pre-match cheap shots to start things off. Allin impressed with a bottom rope corkscrew clothesline (something I’ve never seen before) and what I can best describe as a flip-over stunner. Not only is his persona great, but Allin’s fluidity in the ring is amazing. I’m very excited to see him take on Cody at AEW’s Fyter Fest.
I digress. Dunn countered with a spinning elbow but Allin was able to kick out. Allin hit an amazing Canadian Destroyer on Dunn but it wasn’t enough. Dunn turned a sharpshooter attempt into a very innovative roll-up for the win. The Winner and NEW….well, N E W Champion, Darby Allin. Hands down the match of the night. Allin is something special.
Caz XL vs. Thrill Ride
I feel it’s very appropriate that a guy named Thrill Ride is in the main event (or so we think) at Six Flags. nZo and Caz XL come out with their catchphrases to a mixed reaction. Caz takes on Thrill Ride for a quick victory with a big Boot.
Post match Caz praises the crowd before quickly turning on them. Like a light switch he goes on to say how bitter he is about well, everything.
He states that the last time we saw them they were in ROH in MSG. He goes full heel and issues an open Challenge.
Jon Moxley vs. Caz XL
AC/DC hits with some classic “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and none other than arguably the hottest name in pro wrestling today appears on the entrance ramp. Of course it’s your real main event, Jon Moxley! Caz overpowers Mox for most of the match and lots of nZo interference for insurance. Mox finally hits Dirty Deeds on Nzo and then Caz for the win. Lots of bows and respect shown by Mox post match as he shows the capacity crowd his respect.
Final Thoughts: You knew the show was gonna be great when they stopped letting people into the arena due to reaching capacity. The crowd was fantastic throughout as were the up and coming talent. The big names were used perfectly, as Northeast Wrestling is very good in constantly bringing in top tier names. As I said earlier, Allin is something special and it was very cool to witness him win the title. Heck of a show as the energy stayed very high all night. Next time, we’re gonna need a bigger boat (arena).
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