Words by Rob Crowther IV | Photos and Videos by Ken Ortiz, Matthew Widdis, & Kriss Nunez
Stand Alone Wrestling’s biggest show to date, ‘Don’t Kross the Boss’ which ran on January 4 in Brick, NJ featured a night of top tier talent, title changes, and even some pretty intense death matches. Tons of fans maxed out the Brick Police Athletic League Center in New Jersey to see the likes of Killer Kross, Tessa Blanchard, international death match star Takeda and all of our favorite independent superstars.
Arguably one of the hottest free agents in the business today (and the man ‘Don’t Kross the Boss’ was named after), Killer Kross brought a ton of power and intensity in his title match against long time Pro Wrestling After Dark Champion Serpentico. The masked competitor was able to mount some high flying offense against Kross, but was no match for the powerhouse. I’ll say this. Kross is an intense competitor. Not only is he a force to be reckoned with, but he is focused. There is a lot of discipline and more so respect in his performance. After a massive slam and a Kross Jacket submission, Serpentico had no choice but to tap. And your NEW Pro Wrestling After Dark Champion … Killer Kross!!
Post-match I was able to speak to Kross and congratulate him. I told him he beat up my pal, Serpentico but I was impressed with his performance. Kross could not be more kind, humble, and well spoken. This guy is the complete package and I’m excited to see where he ends up.
Stand Alone Wrestling Heavyweight Champion and fave Joe Gacy, was also dethroned as champ by WrestlePro’s Shawn Donavan (who fought Andrade on RAW last week). This was a great match between to competitors that bring intensity every time they step into the squared circle.
Earlier in the night on ‘Don’t Kross the Boss,’ Stand Alone’s Women’s Champ, Skyler Moore (who debuted on AEW Dark on Tuesday January 7) took on none other than the undeniable Tessa Blanchard for the title. The crowd was clearly on the side of arguably one of the biggest stars in all of wrestling today. Blanchard dominated early with mat wrestling and power, but Moore constantly jumped outside the ring or hid in the ropes. The mind games continued until a frustrated Blanchard finally took control of the match. Tessa hits a flatliner off the second turnbuckle followed by a vicious cutter. Moore tries to rally with a “Skyscraper” DDT but it’s reversed by Blanchard. Suddenly Kasey Catal runs in and attacks the S.A.W. women’s champ to end the match in a no contest. The fans aren’t happy and Tessa is not happy at all. She chucks one of the refs out of the ring and walks to the back. There’s no doubt in my mind Blanchard’s focus will be on her Impact Title Match this Sunday.
Other notable matches featured the likes of Jordan Oliver’s Young Dumb & Broke faction vs. KC Navarro, Rhett Titus, Craig Steele, and Mike Del.
This was a great match with a lot of fun eight man spots including multiple powerbombs and brawls. I have to say anytime KC Navarro and Jordan Oliver get in the ring together it’s pure magic. These guys are both only twenty years old and undeniably the future of this business. Oliver and YD&B take the W after a corner superkick and tandem DDT on Navarro.
In the surprise of the night, crowd favorite “The Green Machine” Mike Orlando and Allie Recks turned their backs on their fans with some new personas. Orlando told the announcer that he no longer wants to dawn the Green Machine attire or moniker. He even throws down his signature green shades at one point in the match. Allie also has an evil aura about her as well. Orlando mocks the crowd and even delivers a VICIOUS boot to female competitor Adena Steele in their mixed tag match. After a TKO maneuver by Orlando, the new heel team take the W. This is a side of Orlando and Allie we have never seen before, so consider me intrigued.
Tag Team action for the night included a pretty epic “Doorway to Hell” match of sorts featuring the best unsigned tag team on the planet right now, S.A.W. tag champs The Rep (somebody sign these guys already!) versus The AC Scoundrels. This was another vicious elimination tag match of sorts with a ton of breaking doors. Both of these teams delivered, but The Rep got the assist from faction member Kris Bishop for the win.
After the main card of Don’t Kross the Boss, things caught extremely hardcore with not one , not two, but three death matches as all hell broke lose. The night ended with Japan’s Masashi Takeda taking on local star Brandon Kirk in an epic battle. Now, I know this style of wrestling isn’t for everybody, but this match was absolutely insane. From Barbed wire to light tubes, to anything and everything you could think of, these men went to hell and back.
This match was full speed and big spots the whole time. This was not for the faint of heart as both competitors were wearing the proverbial crimson mask. What a battle this was and what a way to end the night with Takeda standing tall. After beating the hell out of each other, the two competitors embraced in a show of respect. What a way to end an already intense night of wrestling.
This was a game changing night in S.A.W history as many of our favorites lost not only their matches, but their hardware. With Kross as the new Pro Wrestling After Dark Champion there’s no telling where we might see him next before he’s back on our tv screens. Tick Tock….
