This Saturday sees Chicago’s All American Wrestling (AAW) return for its annual tradition, the Windy City Classic, now in its 14th year. The Windy City Classic has in many ways become AAW’s marquee event, a showcase of the stars that defined AAW that year, in thrilling matchups with big moments. Here’s a rundown of Saturday’s card.
Jessicka Havok & PACO vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Josh Briggs
Midwest indie star PACO has been a regular with AAW for his entire five-year career but is gaining more and more exposure the past few years. A tag team specialist in Glory Pro and other promotions in Alpha Class with Danny Adams, PACO has a monster to work alongside for this one. Jessicka Havok is one of the most feared indie wrestlers in the US and a former AAW Women’s Champion as well as IMPACT Knockouts Champion, 2x Women’s Superstars Uncensored (WSU) Champion, and Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) Women’s Champion. But she’s no stranger to fighting men – in fact, she revels in it. She’s part of the Ohio Is For Killers (OI4K) crew alongside Sami Callihan, Dave & Jake Crist and Naveah, and routinely enters intergender battles. They’re facing a tough tandem lead by the twisted genius of “The Zombie Princess” Jimmy Jacobs, a Ring of Honor staple in the 2000s, who is joined by one of the toughest rising big men in the sport, Josh Briggs. This won’t be pretty, but it will be entertaining.
Jake Something, Curt Stallion & Quinn McKay vs. The Besties In the World (Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) & Scarlett Bourdeaux
For two years now, the duo of emerging Midwest indie stars Curt Stallion & Jake Something has been trying to work their way up the ladder of the AAW tag team division and on Saturday they’ll get a huge opportunity. They’re teaming up with Quinn McKay (who recently beat Allie Kat at an AAW event) to face former AAW Tag Team Champions The Besties in the World, who will be teaming up with their manager, IMPACT’s resident “Smoke Show” Scarlett Bourdeaux. Win or lose, Something & Stallion have a lot to prove, and McKay will want to make an impression as well.
AAW Heritage Championship: DJZ (c) vs. Bandido
DJZ is in his second reign as AAW Heritage Champion and only just won it at Last Call on December 8 against Trevor Lee. Only 21 days later, he’s making his first title defense and it’s against one of the biggest international Lucha Libre stars in the world in Bandido. Bandido has been wowing the wrestling world in tag team action with Flamita for the past year, but he’s on the verge of heading to ROH to try his hand in singles action. A big title win would be a great jumpstart for his 2019.
ACH vs. Eddie Kingston
ACH has been battling Eddie Kingston and his WRSTLING stable for the better part of the past year in AAW. In March he defended his AAW Heavyweight title against Trevor Lee, before facing Kingston and Jeff Cobb alongside Kongo Kong at Day of Defiance in May. In June, he fought off a title challenge from David Starr and a month later teamed with The Besties in the World to fend off the trio of Starr, Kingston and Lee. He had back to back title defences against Jeff Cobb before two matches against Kingston at Seize the Day in September and then at Austin 10:12 in October, before facing Trevor Lee in a 60-minute match of the year candidate at November’s Unstoppable. Now he closes out 2018 in one more grudge match war against the enforcer of WRSTLING in what promises to be his most brutal encounter yet.
AAW Tag Team Championship: Fiyah Fox (AR Fox & Myron Reed) (c) vs. The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz)
Fiyah Fox, featuring 21-year old Myron Reed and indie veteran AR Fox, are two months into their AAW Tag Team reign, already fending off a challenge from Mexico’s Kid Laredo & Rey Horus. But for their second defense, they face one of the hottest tag teams in the world in The Rascalz‘ Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz. They’re the current reigning Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) World Tag Team Champions and the Wrestling Revolver Tag Team Champions and are in contention with IMPACT Wrestling and Dragon Gate as well. This will be a tough test for Fiyah Fox, especially considering outside the ring, Myron Reed is also part of the larger Rascalz faction (along with Trey Miguel, who is also scheduled to be in the building). Will AR Fox be able to trust his partner or will Rascalz loyalty run wild and lead to a third set of belts for Xavier and Wentz?
AAW Women’s Championship, Submission Match: Kylie Rae (c) vs. Kimber Lee
Last month at Unstoppable, hometown hero Kylie Rae shocked the world by defeating indie veteran Kimber Lee for the AAW Women’s Championship and has since defended the title at Last Call against rising star Savannah Stone. Kimber Lee is back for her rematch and this time the ball is in her court, as the technical master – trained by WWE Superstar Drew Gulak – is having her rematch contested in a Submission Match.
AAW Heavyweight Championship, Steel Cage Match: Brody King (c) vs. Sami Callihan
Brody King finally scored his first major indie singles title at Defining Moments this past August, when he ended ACH’s 209-day reign as AAW Heavyweight Champion. Since then, the monster King has defended the belt against tough competition in Penta El 0M (Pentagon Jr.) and Eddie Kingston. But on Saturday, he faces his most dangerous opponent yet in oVe’s Sami Callihan, a former 2x AAW Heavyweight Champion. And to make it even more lethal, it will be contested inside a Steel Cage. It’s safe to say we will see at least one crimson mask before the night is over if not two.
