LIVE @ SEVEN L@7

In a nice call back to the Inaugural Favoured Saints Championship Match. We got to relive it once more here on night one to open the show-up. Rezin’s entourage decided to go the motocross route for an entrance. Only bad things can happen if Rezin is now on a bike. He is not on a bike though but a golf cart. Boy a babyface Jestal and Heel Rezin would make a hilarious match if those stars ever aligned. Rezin finds out his golf cart doesn’t work, and ends up getting oil splattered all over his face, and like it has become customary for The Escape Artist tumbles down the entranceway only to be stopped by the ring.

Rezin was angry about all the planning and ordered his entourage to go to the back. So we finally get to the match after Rezin’s customary screw up of an entrance on pay per view. Lots of questions needed to be answered here. DEFIANCE kept this match under lock and key of just WHO exactly was going to be a part of it. Believe me, I tried digging for those answers but could not get them. Rezin also took it upon himself to put himself at a disadvantage, by making himself the number one entrant into the match. Why put yourself in such a behind the eight ball situation is mind-numbing to this reporter.

But hey Rezin matches are entertaining so honestly, I do not mind at all. I think it is incredibly stupid on his part but the man likes to wrestle. So we come to his first opponent…..Titaness! Interesting choice by DEFIANCE. This young lady has made an impressive showing here in DEFIANCE. She shows off her sheer might as she deadlifts Rezin’s broken down golf cart over on its side. Rezin starts to second guess himself about starting out.

So Titaness and Rezin start out and Rezin is yet again stomped by another opponent with power on their side. I’ll say one thing for Rezin, he sure knows how to put someone over. Titaness just looked like a million bucks in the opening five minutes of this match. This led to the second entrant...Cyrus Bates! Another powerhouse that worked perfectly to counter the babyface powerhouse. In the better part of this five minutes Titaness takes the majority of the moves. With a couple near falls. Until….ya know what screw it I am not going to dignify Count Novick with any of my precious time. I ask again WHY? You chose Count over someone like Corvo Alpha!? Fast forward Rezin nails Into the Void on Mr. Twilight and sends him back to his dark hole in the Defarena! @ {12:30} Not long after that elimination Cyrus Bates fell to the team up move from Titaness with a Yakuza Kick into Rezin with a Inverted Cross Driver! @ {12:57}

It was looking like Rezin might survive this, as Titaness was showing a lot of signs of fatigue. Rezin would go on the offensive and threw everything he had at her. Each time he tried for a pinfall, she would somehow manage to kick out before the three. This match really brought out how much of a heart this young woman has. The never give up attitude, led Rezin to start getting desperate and … Rezin would get put into a position where Titaness nailed the Titanium Driver off the second rope...ELIMINATING REZIN!? @ {14:24}  That was a shocker there, holy shit! Titaness eliminates the champion.

Fatigue clearly was apparent on Titaness here, but her final opponent was about to head to the ring. If she had any hope of walking out with the title this was who she had to knuckle up against. Unfortunately for her, this was not Count Novick but Kerry Kuroyama! A FRESH Kuroyama! I was interested to see this outcome, was DEFIANCE going to have her overcome Kerry? Or was her time finished….a couple of minutes later I found my answer, Kerry just wiped the floor with an exhausted Titaness. The woman did manage to survive the first couple of pin attempts but just had nothing left in the tank and fell to the Kuroyama Driver! @ {17:46} Kerry Kuroyama becomes the NEW Favoured Saints Champion!

Watching another classic Favoured Fiveway was an exciting way to start this show off. I was wrong on all my picks for just WHO would be in this match. By far the one participant in this match that got a huge rub was Titaness! Man, that girl has so much potential in this business. It's only a matter of time before she has some gold. Count Novick should have never been in this match. So many others could have been chosen that could make this an exciting match rather than a bad comedy act. Kerry has had a rough run since the fall of 24k. It looks like he might be seeing a smooth road now in front of him. Rezin losing to Titaness, man say what you will about Rezin the man sure knows how to work his ass off in that ring, and make his opponent come out of either a loss or a win smelling like a rose.

Troy Matthews has had his issues with The Stevens Dynasty for a few months now. At Uncut it led to this match Troy and Mushi teaming back up again to take on those devious Stevens. This was a basic tag match. Where we saw the smaller men go at it in the beginning only for the bigger men to tangle for a bit.

I have not been very outspoken when it comes to guys like Mushighara, or Scott Stevens. The Dynasty would also fall in that category.  This one ended with Troy Matthews nailing the Rough Divide on George for the victory. @ {6:33}

Now from the rumors going around, and hearing that Mr. Tillinghast has heard these same rumors. The right team won here. I have not followed much of The Dangerous Mix, but I will make it a point to see these former Trio Champions in the tag division and see if they can shake things up.

So we come to Nathan Eye and Jack Harmen. Sort of a mentor and mentee-type story here. Harmen was around while Nathan was struggling in BRAZEN, to give the young man some encouraging pep talks. Times though have changed for these two men. Jack Harmen fell victim to the lure of Arthur Pleasant’s Scourge, while Nathan has had a reasonable run on the main roster. It all came to a head with the confrontation back at Maximum Defiance between Dex Joy, his best friend, and Arthur Pleasant, the new friend of Jack Harmen.

Realizing Jack was not the same man he once was. Nathan and Jack would get it on at AOD 2021. The match itself led off with Nathan red hot at the start! Until the crafty veteran managed to flip the tide. As the match continued it was almost like Jack was sort of training Nathan on being a ring technician in the ring. Even if it was for nefarious means.

This lesson came to a halting stop when Nathan managed to hit Starry Eyed Surprise, only for Harmen to roll out of the ring and land on his knee awkwardly. Jack was in so much pain, that the ref was about to call this match. Only for Jack to grab a defiant Nathan who refused to let the ref throw the X face-first into the apron. Jack was all about teaching Nathan this lesson too, never trust your opponent. This led to Nathan falling victim to Locomotive! @ {10:41} and Jack Harmen’s bait and switch tactic getting him the win over this young man who in Jack’s eyes has a lot more to learn in this business.

This was an intriguing match here. Although an odd story to tell from someone from The Scourge. I was expecting weapons, blood, and whatever else that would have pissed me off given who he hangs around with. That however was not the case! This was a simple case of Jack showing Nathan that experience in the ring is valuable. In the end, Nathan has a lot more to learn before he can get to that next level. I enjoy the story that they told. How they kept it a wrestling match and did not beat someone senseless with whatever they could get their hands on.

This match started out right out the gate. Jestal attacked Klein before the match even began. After hitting Klein in the ribs with steel steps, Klein was helped to the back. The Box Man however was not going to let the match end that way. Against the advice of Iris Davine, and even Dandelion he risked further injury by giving Jestal what he wanted...him. Jestal spent the majority of the match further damaging Klein’s ribs. He also looked like perhaps he had some internal bleeding as well. He was spitting up some blood throughout the match. Much like I expected, Dandelion was a part of this match.

Choosing the side of her boyfriend Klein. This left the jester enraged that she chose PCP over family. When Jestal got physical with his sister, Klein seemed to forget all the physical injuries for a brief adrenaline burst. Jestal took a beating, So much so that Dandelion had seen enough. Then the unthinkable happened...Dandelion low-blowed Klein then nailed him with a chair! Allowing Jestal to score the pinfall @ {9:55}. The last thing Klein saw was Dandelion leaving with ...Tom Morrow!?

This was a heavy story-built match. From the looks of it, this rivalry may not be over, with the turn from Dandelion. The big question I wanted to know is WHY? From what it looked like The Toybox was not only reunited but also now a part of Better Future. Did the group really need another tag team? Why did DEFIANCE decide to turn Dandelion?

This much like the match before it with Jestal and Klein was a heavy story-driven match. Not a whole lot of action. I went into this match thinking that we were going to see a New Orleans street fight? That was not what we really got. This was some false advertising by DEFIANCE. This match took place in an ambulance in the parking lot. Jessica who was hell-bent on turning her father back to who he once was brought us to the start of this match. The big question I had going into this match was WHO was going to represent The Kabal?

I got my answer when a vehicle pulled up to the ambulance. Victor Vacio, Tyler Fuse, and Teresa Ames Vs Leo Burnett and Jessica Reeves with Rocko Daymon behind the wheel of the ambulance. Not really in a wrestler capacity here. Jason Reeves appeared to be on the side of The Guardians, as he was fighting off The Kabal. Even resisting the allure of Teresa, until she provided a video that Jessica really was not his daughter! No, she was the daughter of his arch-enemy Nathan Fear! This info allowed Teresa to regain control of Stalker, as he reverted back to his Crimson Stalker persona. We also saw the return of Rick Dickulous, and I am sure Tim Tillinghast was not happy as he was indeed correct. Rick was firmly on the side of The Kabal. Given what kind of weird science experiments this group does. Who knows just what exactly they have done to Rick to bring him into the fold. As for the match itself, it really wasn’t a match. It ended with Jessica laid out and Teresa and Stalker reuniting.

Another huge surprise in the night. Acts have been full of surprises so far. The revelation of Jessica Reeves really being Jessica Fear was a nice twist to this convoluted story of the Kabal. This also makes me wonder, has DEFIANCE finally reached the point where they are going to unveil the heads of The Kabal; The Cerberus?

Rick joining The Kabal leaves me with a huge question. Why did DEFIANCE want to put him with The Kabal? I would have expected if this was the night Crimson Stalker breaks control of Teresa and leaves The Kabal, Rick would be a perfect replacement for him. It however does not look that way. It also makes me wonder if these Guardians the arch-nemesis for The Kabal at its end? One would think once Zack, Leo, and Rocko find out the truth about Jessica one would expect they would not see eye to eye anymore. Two shockers were revealed, with lots of questions left to answer.

Ned has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way since arriving in DEFIANCE. His latest involved Magdalena. Which brought Deacon into some payback for his actions. While all this was going on Ned had been running down The Locker Room Leader Conor Fuse for his professionalism. If that wasn’t enough Ned was also on a mission to become the general manager of DEFIANCE. A dream that he ruined when DDK was attacked.

So it all leads to this matchup. Ned’s plans to give a half ass apology to Keebler and then calling it a night. Lead to Darren delivering a message to Ned and his new apprentice Cole that if he left he would be fined and fired! Needless to say, against his own wishes he reluctantly had no choice but to stay. The match-up was an intense tag team contest. There had been a historic past between Conor and Deacon that I thought might come back to rear its ugly head in this match. It did not and actually, they were an impressive tag team here. You really don’t see a blind tag from a makeshift tag team. That's a kind of tag that guys and gals who have been teaming for a long time do.

So I was impressed by that. Toward the ending of the match, Ned tried to bring out the ring that got him a victory over Conor. This time it failed...and with Conor’s Weapon Get maneuver nailed the Altar Call and right after that he climbed the turnbuckles for his Super Splash 450 after Deacon drilled Ned with a chokeslam!  @ {11:22}

Deacon also showed why he was a legend in this business. He is another guy I wonder what exactly DEFIANCE is doing with. I really wish they put him into something more prominent. Just another guy I think that has fallen victim to some bad booking. Conor I have said it over and over, the fans have been firmly behind this young man. I have to say he is more popular than Oscar Burns right now. As for Cole, pairing him with Ned has elevated him. I think his future is bright. Finally, Ned, may not have gotten a big win yet, but his gimmick is solid. If DEFIANCE ever decides to push this guy I will be right there along for that ride.

This was a bloodbath! SNS started out red hot! Davey with his gator Mojo chased Tom Morrow to the backstage area. Just leaving Ophelia to oversee her boys getting beaten down by the champions. Hector was taken out in the first minutes of this match. This turned this match into nothing more than a glorified street fight for the time being. SNS was winning this fight too. It didn't take long for her to get involved with a low blow. From there the Sevens went full-on Kaju on SNS. First Brock was busted open then Pat.

Like a veteran team, they put their focus on Cassidy for the majority of this match. When Hector finally was able to get this match started, Cassidy had already taken quite the beating. With the Sevens focusing on the broken arm. Something I wish Pat sold a lot more. It didn’t seem to affect him hitting a pump-arm powerslam on one of the twins earlier in the match. Most of the story focused on three of the four men in this match, a bloody mess.

When The Sevens finally managed to get the soft cast off, Max was caught by Pat’s forearm. A blow that did more damage than anyone expected it would do. It would appear Cassidy now has a bionic forearm giving a real meaning behind the name “Black Out” Pat Cassidy! Brock eventually was able to recover after his partner was being dissected in the ring for a while. After this bionic forearm shot both were looking for their respective fresh man tags. In classic tag-team fashion, the twins were able to keep Brock away for a moment but eventually, Brock got the hot tag. Newbludd was a house of fire for a while. His flame quickly burnt out when The Sevens took back the advantage to them. As he tried for a tag to Pat, Ophelia tried to seduce Cassidy. Plan A didn’t work so she had to dig into Plan B and fake an ankle injury.

This got Pat’s attention and allowed The Sevens to try and finish the job on Brock. Only for Pat who had carried Sykes up to the ramp only to care more about his championships than her dropping her there. Rushing to the ring and the four men went at it again. That wasn't the last we saw of Ophelia though. She tried to stop Pat from charging at one of the twins in the corner only to get sandwiched in the corner with the twin by Cassidy. The ending sequence saw SNS try to hit the Keg Stand, only for it to be blocked but turned into a sunset flip for the pinfall on Mason Luck! @ {13:03} SNS retain, but oh boy did they pay for it. The Sevens decimated first Brock with No Luck At All, then Cassidy got the same treatment. The Sevens left the champion broken and bloody on the mat with the belts left on top of them and the Sevens standing as though they were victorious.

This was a great ending to the night! Started fast and exciting then slowed down for a moment before it picked right back up in the ending sequences. The Sevens looked strong even in defeat. SNS survived this just barely. My only gripe with it all was Cassidy’s lack of selling a key part that could have been vital to the story, his arm. It was touched on by the focus by the Sevens, the way they booked this match at times you would think “His arm was broken?” I also was not a fan of a sunset flip being what did the Sevens in. SNS though made The Sevens look like probably the most dominating tag team in DEFIANCE by leaps and bounds. That is what makes great babyfaces!

this was a great night of story-driven matches. Ending in a blood bath, with the babyfaces coming in with a disadvantage and finding some way to come out with their championships, but at a cost to the massive heat-filled heels. All made possible by SNS. I enjoyed Night One onto Night Two!