Fighting Spirit Wrestling made a triumphant return to Brooklyn this past Friday night with its third installment of Fighting Spirit Wrestling: Lion’s Den. The event featured two title changes, a new number one contender and the surprise reveal of a new member of the group known as SNOT.
Fighting Spirit Wrestling is an independent organization run by the Ludus school in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City.
Mario Bokara vs Suntan
The first match of the night featured a group that would bookend the evening. Mario Bokara and fan favorite Suntan traded high impact moves in a match that ended with a flurry of action and featured Mario showing off his impressive strength, as he powerbombed Suntan off the top rope. Bokara was escorted to the ring by Kris Rex, Azrieal and Flag Boy, the new hype man for SNOT. Having added to its already formidable ranks, SNOT’s antics on the outside lead to an eventual disqualification. As soon as the bell chimed, the members of SNOT flooded the ring and attacked Suntan. Not waiting for his entrance, Magma ran in and broke up the attack, clearing the ring before his own match began.
Magma vs Azrieal
Magma showed no ill-effects from battling the quartet as both he and Azrieal engaged in a match full of high-paced action. Both men traded suplexes and plethora of moves off the ropes, with Azrieal catching Magma in the back of the head with a double stomp off of the top rope, scoring the pinfall right afterwards. After the match, SNOT celebrated, showing a swagger the group would carry into the Lion’s Den main event.
Tag Team Title Match
After a run-in during the tag title match during last month’s Only The Strong event, Kris Kage returned to reform The Zoltan alongside Supastar Whiplash, taking on the tag team champions Iceburg and Pyro: the Elements. Both teams traded control of the match until Pyro was piledriven on the ring apron, a move he never really recovered from. Whiplash and Cage took control, executing successive top rope splashes, before finally ending the match and becoming tag team champions in the process. This will certainly add to the healthy competition of a tag division in which the current champions were not even part of the conversation a month ago.
Spectacular First Championship Win
After having his undefeated streak besmirched by Joel Maximo just a month ago, AJ Spectre had the loss expunged from his record by PJ Stackpole, the acting FSW commissioner. With his “undefeated” streak safe, Spectre aimed to take the Primero championship off of Talon, after Stackpole demanded that the title be defended on the spot. “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told” took advantage of an unprepared Talon, resorting to distractions to steal the title. After Mandi, Spectre’s girlfriend and valet, cracked the champion in the head with a mirror, AJ hit Talon with a backcracker to claim his first title and stay undefeated.
Ian Aldwin/ Cyrus Deville Contract Signing
The action slowed down a bit as Ian Aldwin and Cyrus Deville entered the ring for a contract signing. Both men agreed to refrain from any contact until next month’s “I Quit” match, to take place at Lucha Libre Extravaganza. Aldwin insulted Deville, deriding him for his lifestyle choices, visibly infuriating Cyrus. Before the signing was over, Aldwin smashed a beer bottle over Deville’s head, busting him open. A bloodied Cyrus signed the contract as he stared down his former stablemate.
Back to the Classroom
Mike Verna vs Joel Maximo (FSW Heavyweight Championship)
Teacher met student once again, as Mike Verna defended the FSW Heavyweight championship against his former trainer and mentor, Joel Maximo. Both men put the past aside, as they traded open hand slaps, openly disrespecting each other and showcasing what the match meant to both combatants. A headbutt to Verna would force him from the ring and gave Maximo an advantage early on. The two traded top rope moonsaults, monkeying each other move for move in a game of one upmanship as moment shifted back and forth. Verna won the match after PJ Stackpole came to the ring, distracting Maximo and helping Verna yet again, leaving the audience wondering what, if any, relationship Verna and Stackpole have.
Lion’s Den Match
The last match of the night was a Lion’s Den match. The match featured 25 men entering the ring, much like a Royal Rumble match. After every man entered, the last two wrestlers left in the ring battled each other in a one on one match for the right to be called number one contender. Fresh off losing his Primero championship earlier in the night, Talon drew number one and attempted to earn a shot to regain gold in FSW. As the match progressed, Talon and his Elite partner Joe Ettell went from fighting each other working alongside each other during the bout. The match featured a bevy of local talent, such as The Abominable CPA, Kris Rex, Maxwell Jacob Feinstein, and Blake Morris.
As the wrestlers packed the ring, Cyrus and Ian Aldwin found creative ways to circumvent their prior agreement and PJ Stackpole found himself on the receiving end of a spear, requiring assistance to get to the back. As numerous men went flying over the top rope, SNOT attempted to work together for a shared purpose, with Flag Boy even spending the entirety of the match on the outside, cheering his stablemates on. Kris Rex hid under the ring for an interminable amount of time, waiting for his chance to crawl back into the ring, only to be eliminated for his efforts. Eventually, Feinstein and Morris were the last two left standing and they squared off in a singles match. In the end, Morris was able to overcome Feinstein with a tombstone piledriver.
However, he would not be able to celebrate for long, as SNOT hit the ring and attacked him. Mike Verna and Joel Maximo ran to the ring to even the sides up. During a tense display of hostility, SNOT announced that Kevin Matthews joined their ranks and is now a part of group. The event ended with a 6-man tag booked for next month’s event, as the faces look to get even with the ever expanding heel stable.
The show was a strong one from start to finish and the addition of a video screen allowed for pre-match promos did well to update fans on all the current feuds. Next month’s event shows a lot of promise with the 6-man already booked and a 5-star match, featuring Lince Dorado, a participant in WWE’s upcoming Global Cruiserweight Series, booked as well.
