McAloon Productions continues their two nights of events in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend with Come Hell or High Water. If you happen to be in town for the big football game that’s apparently happening on Sunday, it’s a great card with some huge matchups, plus the very real possibility of a huge surprise occurring – but more on that later. The event is airing live on Friday night on Fite.tv and it’s a great mix of indie stars from various promotions under one banner. They’ve also announced that WCW cult classic characters Glacier and The Yeti are both appearing as well. Also announced are Ken Shamrock, Brian Pillman Jr., and Joey Janela (who will be on commentary with Kevin Gill).
Timmy Danger Southern Wrestling Challenge
A regular with Virginia’s Vanguard Championship Wrestling (VCW), Timmy Danger is holding a Southern Wrestling Challenge. It will be interesting to see who answers his challenge, as there are plenty of local talents who could emerge as a strong opponent, with a strong resurgence in the Southern wrestling scene of late.
Ricky Starks vs. “All Ego” Ethan Page
Best known as being one half of the tag team Extra Talented with Aaron Solow, Ricky Starks is proving to be a top singles prospect who could break out in 2019. He’ll get another chance to show his potential on Friday night as he takes on IMPACT Wrestling‘s Ethan Page, a veteran of many indie promotions, such as Black Label Pro, EVOLVE, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and many more.
Matt Cross vs. Eli Everfly
Matt Cross is a well-traveled and respected indie veteran who has worked for just about everyone, including his national breakout as Son of Havoc in Lucha Underground. He’s facing one of the West Coast’s rising superstars in the athletic daredevil Eli Everfly.
Thunder Rosa vs. Penelope Ford vs. Delilah Doom
A triple threat featuring three of the top women in the US indie scene, as one half of the Twisted Sisterz, Thunder Rosa (aka Kobra Moon in Lucha Underground), goes it alone in a triple threat match. She’s up against “The Bad Girl” Penelope Ford, fresh off being announced as signing with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and former SHIMMER Tag Team Champion, Phoenix of RISE Champion and reigning Inspire Pro Undefinable Champion Delilah Doom.
Simon Grimm & Eddie Kingston vs. The Besties in the World (Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett) vs. Tom Lawlor & ???
A tag team triple threat, that sees former WWE Superstar Simon Grimm pairing up with “The King” Eddie Kingston. While both men have been in skilled tag teams before, this is their first time teaming together. The first set of opponents, The Besties in the World, has been a tag team for eight years and are former 2x All American Wrestling (AAW) Tag Team Champions, 2x Wrestling Revolver Tag Team Champions and are the reigning 2x Glory Pro Tag Team Champions – their chemistry is undeniable. The third tandem is the wild card. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor has emerged from the MMA world as the next UFC star to transition into a breakout wrestling star, as one of the top stars with Major League Wrestling (MLW). His tag team partner won’t be revealed until game time, so his opponents will have to react quickly.
MJF vs. Scorpio Sky
MJF has become arguably the top heel on the US indies the past year, working with MLW, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), AAW, Beyond Wrestling and more. He was one of the first signees for AEW as well and has become a new cast member on Being The Elite as Cody Rhode‘s new protege. He faces off against another AEW roster member and SoCal Uncensored (SCU) member Scorpio Sky, in what should be an early preview of what to expect when AEW launches in March with Double or Nothing.
Casanova Valentine vs. Mil Muertes vs. Vernon White
Lucha Underground’s Mil Muertes will face two other men in another triple threat match and the former Lucha Underground Champion will be looking to prove his undead power is stronger than his opponents will to survive. New York City’s Casanova Valentine is a big mountain of muscle himself, honing his brutality with Vicious Outcast Wrestling (VOW), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC), while the third entrant is a former MMA pro fighter. Vernon White, a student of Ken Shamrock’s who debuted with Shamrock and Minoru Suzuki‘s Pancrase promotion in Japan in 1993. He would go on to fight for UFC, PRIDE, and many other promotions, before retiring in 2010. He appeared in a match against Ken Shamrock for the WWE during Shamrock’s early days with the company in 1997.
Joey Ryan, Kikutaro, EFFY & Kris Wolf vs. Steve O Reno, Andy Dalton, Spyrda & Allie Kat
A fun 8-person tag match that holds a lot of potential for a lot of comedic wrestling fun. Joey Ryan is leading a squad that includes Japanese legend Kikutaro, indie star EFFY and former Stardom High Speed Champion Kris Wolf against former Inspire Pro Champion Steve O Reno‘s squad that features Texas indie veteran Andy Dalton, Spryda, and one of the emerging women’s stars in Allie Kat.
The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) vs. SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels)
The main event is a dream tag team match that pits two of the top tag teams in the world against each other that could have some huge surprise overtones. The Lucha Brothers are the current reigning MLW Tag Team Champions and have both been huge players for Lucha Underground, IMPACT Wrestling, MLW, PWG, and just about every indie promotion they set foot in. They face off against AEW’s Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels, representing SCU, in what should be an incredible encounter. But will SCU be truly alone on this night?
As we’ve seen over the past two weeks, other AEW stars – and Being the Elite cast members The Young Bucks, Hangman Page and Cody Rhodes – have been showing up at various indie promotions across the US to help out various other BTE or AEW associates. First it was at Bar Wrestling, then it was DEFY Wrestling, and last weekend it was in Connecticut with Northeast Wrestling.
https://twitter.com/FrankieKazarian/status/1090056773858295808
Two days ago, Frankie Kazarian sent out the above tweet, with the capital letters A-E-W standing out. Was he hinting that an AEW invasion was coming to Atlanta? Oddly enough, the same day, Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks inquired if anything fun was happening in Atlanta this weekend.
https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1090000446972866560
The following day, Nick Jackson tweeted that they had bought plane tickets.
Just bought flights. This weekend is gonna be nuts!
— Being the Elite (@BeingTheElite) January 30, 2019
Then Cody Rhodes got in the action, pointing out he lived just up the street from the venue of the event itself.
I live down the street from this… https://t.co/r2sqG4oCV7
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) January 30, 2019
So if you’re watching out for the next AEW invasion, this just might be the event to put your eyes on.
