Heading into the third annual AAW Pro Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament we have a new AAW Heavyweight champion in Brody King and AAW has announced the Knights Of Columbus in LaSalle, Illinois will be going under remodelling, so AAW Pro will be heading to a new home in 2019. The Knights Of Columbus was the home to AAW Pro for years but that all ends on December 8. Dragon Lee was originally scheduled to wrestle in the tournament but due to obligations in Mexico, Darby Allin will be replacing Dragon Lee. The Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament started in 2016 and has featured some of the top independent wrestling names ever since. The most notable match from the tournaments history so far is Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno from WWE NXT) vs Zack Sabre Jr in the finals, which was won by Ohno in a twenty-five minute clinic in 2016. This year there are AAW Pro regulars as well as young athletes looking to break out into the main event hotbed in North America.
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OFFICIAL PREVIEW
The Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament this Friday and Saturday at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago.
Get your tickets now at https://t.co/9glYmjydOU
Don't miss it!#AAWLynam pic.twitter.com/wqi3Ii8SUi— AAW Wrestling (@AAWPro) September 24, 2018
Sami Callihan vs Moose
Sami Callihan defended the AAW Heavyweight championship at this very event in the past against a rival that still haunts him to this day, Pentagon Jr, This year it’s a rare match with Moose, whole Callihan shares an Impact Wrestling locker room with as well. Moose has been the heavyweight hero in the company whereas Callihan has been the ultimate devil that wants to beat every fan favorite there is to come through the doors. Moose has consistently improved in the ring with each match, getting more crisp with every thrown dropkick. If Moose wins then it would be almost a lock for a first time match with Brody King for the AAW Heavyweight championship in the future. Sami Callihan was almost kicked out of the building last month when security attempted to stop Callihan from throwing chairs around. It’s that kind of chaos that makes “The Callihan Death Machine” unpredictable and a winner against even the biggest of opponents.
Prediction: Sami Callihan advances.
DJZ vs Ace Romero
A true goliath meets high-flyer match, DJZ has an edge in experience but he is outweighed by more than one-hundred and fifty pounds! Ace Romero gets a major opportunity to show the AAW audience why he is one of the baddest big men in the business. “Acey Baby” has launched opponents out of the ring with his pounce and went to war with men like Keith Lee in the past. DJZ has gone through a lot of setbacks in his career including a near-career ending injury last year, suffering a 450 Splash during a match for The Crash in Mexico that left DJZ unable to move and the loss of two-litres of blood as DJZ required a repaired colon. If anyone can get past the massive Ace Romero, it’s DJZ. Ace Romero will use this tournament entry to become a force in AAW even if he loses this bout.
Prediction: DJZ advances.
Sammy Guevara vs Trey Miguel
Twenty-five years old Sammy Guevara calls himself “The Best Ever” and that’s not without reason, Guevara can do just about anything any Junior Heavyweight or Cruiserweight in the world can do and maybe better from 630 Splashes to Moonsaults from balconies. This is one of the biggest matches in Trey Miguel’s career, if the man that calls himself “The Fresh Prince Of Mid-Air” can defeat one of the best from Texas in Guevara, it would mean the world to Miguel and his growing fanbase. Both are serious wild card contender’s to win the entire tournament, Guevara establishing himself as an elite performer like he says he is or Trey Miguel leaves the opening matches for big opportunities. Trey Miguel needs the victory more and wins like this will make Miguel a household name.
Prediction: Trey Miguel advances.
AR Fox vs Myron Reed
AR Fox is everything Myron Reed wants to be in the future and that’s an extremely risk taking and equally popular veteran who has held many titles across several promotions in the past. “Hot Fire” has been on a mission towards glory in AAW Pro, usually coming up on the losing side against top competition like former AAW Heavyweight champion, ACH. Myron Reed always has excellent matches you would not expect from someone so early in pro wrestling, Reed can fly with the best of them and his dives to the floor are astounding to watch. AR Fox simply has more ways of winning this match and Fox seemingly has an endless gas tank, wrestling every week even after taking Canadian Destroyers off the top rope and on the apron from Pentagon Jr. Fox will use his ring IQ to get past Reed but “Hot Fire” will earn more respect until he turns the tables one day on Fox.
Prediction: AR Fox advances.
Trevor Lee vs Rich Swann
Trevor Lee is the current AAW Heritage champion in AAW, “The Carolina Caveman” has more to gain here but also a lot to lose. Rich Swann could easily be in line for an AAW Heritage title shot if he wins this match. There is no denying that this is going to be an athletic showcase and possibly the best of Night One, both wrestlers have an endless supply of counters in their arsenals. Trevor Lee can win a big match in an instant but turning a crossbody over in mid-air, Lee has become one of the top heels in the company based on match quality and his association with the WRSTLING faction with David Starr, Jeff Cobb and Eddie Kingston. This quite possibly could be Rich Swann’s redemption story in this tournament with a Pheonix Splash before heading to the Finals.
Prediction: Rich Swann advances.
Jimmy Jacobs vs Darby Allin
Jimmy Jacobs wrestles at just about each and every AAW Pro event with opponents that vary from the hardcore to the gifted young performers that Jacobs once was himself fifteen years ago. Jacobs has been in the mix with Sami Callihan, Dave Crist and Jake Crist as AAW Heavyweight champion, Brody King, stands by Jacob’s side. Darby Allin is sure to bring the violence to Jacobs and it may spill to the floor more than in the center of the ring. Darby Allin sometimes takes too many chances in the span of a few minutes, allowing more experienced wrestlers to take advantage. Jacobs can snatch Darby in a guillotine choke at any moment but Darby Allin has pinned opponents like Matt Riddle in the past with his Last Supper pinning combination. Jacobs will see a lot of himself in his opponent and pass the torch to Allin but Jacobs won’t go down without a fight.
Prediction: Darby Allin advances.
Shane Strickland vs Rey Fenix
A match that could be a main event for any independent promotion across America but only one sensational entrant can move on to the next round. Shane Strickland could outlast almost anyone in an endurance test but Rey Fenix is not one of them, “The King Of Swerve” should try to end this dream match early. The offense delivered from both really varies by style, it would benefit Strickland to ground Fenix to the mat as well. Rey Fenix is a former AAW Heavyweight champion, defeating Sami Callihan last year but losing the title to ACH this year. Shane Strickland has held his fair share of gold in 2018 across multiple promotions, this is the time for Strickland to battle for the AAW Heavyweight championship.
Prediction: Shane Strickland advances.
ACH vs MJF
A battle of the fastest rising stars in wrestling currently, ACH has been around the world while MJF has made himself into one of the most hated wrestlers anywhere. ACH has spent some time in tournaments in the past, “Super” ACH also has a big edge in agility. MJF doesn’t care how he wins a match or how he treats people and that’s nothing but good for MJF and his chances of winning another Marquee match. Even though Maxwell Jacob Friedman wrestles a very methodical pace and he likes to submit opponents to the Fujiwara Armbar, Friedman also tends to steal the show no matter the opponent and it doesn’t get much more exciting than ACH in the ring. ACH just lost the AAW Heavyweight championship to Brody King last month so expect ACH to give this tournament everything he has including a Brainbuster to MJF.
Prediction: ACH advances.
AAW Tag Team Championships: WRSTLING (David Start and Eddie Kingston) (c) vs Curt Stallion and Jake Something
The Besties In The World (Davey Vega and Matt Fitchett) lost the AAW tag team championships last month to WRSTLING (David Starr and Eddie Kingston) with the help of Jeff Cobb when Scarlett Bordeaux was taken from The Besties corner to WRSTLING’s corner as a distraction. Now, Jake Something and Curt Stallion finally get a title shot and they have earned it after being featured in the undercard for the past two years. Curt Stallion comes from Texas, trained by Michael Elgin, Stallion is ready for a breakout victory. Jake Something hails from Michigan and was trained at the Ring Of Honor Wrestling (ROH) Dojo. Starr is going to be the performer to watch in this match, capable of handling the most match time. Starr clicks in the ring with so many opponents, this is the time for Stallion and Something to bring it all, lock, stock and barrel to the champions. Kingston will be the dirtiest in the match and that will be the deciding factor to set up “The Product” for the win to retain. Kingston has influenced the “freebird” rule so any members of WRSTLING can defend the AAW tag titles in the future.
Prediction: David Starr and Eddie Kingston retain the AAW tag team championships.
AAW Heavyweight Championship: Brody King (c) vs Pentagon Jr
Pentagon Jr has been at the very top of AAW before but Brody King just won his first singles title after only three years in the wrestling business. Brody King shocked the world when he pinned ACH for the AAW Heavyweight championship, King utilizes a mixture of Strong style strikes with powerhouse moves like the Fire Thunder Driver. In the short career of King so far, King has already pinned such established names like AR Fox and traded shot for shot with WALTER but this is arguably the biggest match of King’s career. Pentagon Jr will go for a deadly Piledriver just like the champion, if Fear Factor connects it might be a very short title reign for the lead singer of the metal band, God’s Hate. This will be a brawl that AAW is famous for all over the building with Brody King retaining the big gold belt. The champion says “I believe in violence. It’s the only thing understood universally” and that’s exactly how King plans on carrying on his reign of terror as it starts with Pentagon Jr.
Prediction: Brody King retains the AAW Heavyweight championship.
