Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) returns to Parma, Ohio this Friday for 7 Year Itch, that will feature a special meet and greet appearance from former 3x WCW Cruiserweight Champion and 4x WWE Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman. A cool opportunity for AIW fans, on top of another stellar night of wrestling.
Big Twan Tucker vs. Swoggle
Cleveland’s hometown monster is Big Twan Tucker, who’s been an emerging star in the promotion since 2017. Trained by WWE Superstars Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, his stock is only getting higher. He’s in a real David vs Goliath matchup here, and he’s the Goliath. His David is former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Swoggle, who has been having an impressive indie run since departing the WWE in 2015.
Allie Kat vs. Alex Garcia
If you want to keep your eye out on the next crop of great women’s wrestlers coming up, one to watch in 2019 is Washington’s Allie Kat. She was groomed through the Texas indies and in the past year has seen her presence increase to a national level, with the likes of CHIKARA, SHIMMER, RISE, AIW, All American Wrestling (AAW) and more. Speaking of emerging indie stars from Texas, Alex Garcia is one of the fastest rising stars, only debuting early last year after attending her first wrestling clinic at Sabotage Women in Austin, Texas only six months prior. She’s since worked her way into SHIMMER and has even toured Japan with Stardom, as the new gaijin in Mayu Iwatani‘s STARS faction. Don’t sleep on this match, it could be a main event contender for 2020.
Zach Thomas vs. Eddie Kingston
The young Zach Thomas is homegrown and “The Man At War” has a bright future ahead of him, with his aggression and style. But he’s facing a man who wrote the blueprint for “At War” and it’s “The Mad King” Eddie Kingston. Kingston is an indie legend who has an intensity and ferocity unmatched by many. This will be a tough lesson to learn for Thomas, but King won’t be going down without a fight.
Tim Donst vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
Tim Donst is a graduate of CHIKARA and training from Mike Quackenbush and Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero), he’s been one of the faces of the promotion since 2010. A CHIKARA Young Lions Cup winner and three-time AIW Absolute Champion, arguably no one has defined AIW’s philosophy of grit and determination as Donst. But he’s facing a former UFC fighter who has made a seamless transition to pro wrestling, where he’s the current Major League Wrestling (MLW) World Heavyweight Champion. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor has been a sponge, learning from a long and varied selection of opponents over the past year, and facing off against a veteran like Donst should be an instant classic.
AIW Tag Team Championship (Colin Delaney & Cheech) (c) vs. The Young Studs (Eric Ryan & Bobby Beverly)
To Infinity And Beyond has become the standard bearers for AIW Tag Team Champions, as they’re currently in their fourth reign as AIW Tag Team Champions since 2015. But they’re facing a team that hasn’t united in years, who could be looking to set that legacy for themselves. Before To Infinity And Beyond, the Young Studs stable ran AIW’s tag team division, winning the titles three times – once with the duo of Bobby Beverly & TJ Dynamite, and twice with the duo competing on Friday, Beverly and Eric Ryan. The current duo reunited in 2017 and now have a chance to add a fourth reign to their own trophy case, in a match steeped in AIW history.
AIW Intense Championship: Matthew Justice (c) vs. Dominic Garrini
Another Ohio built talent and protege of JT Lightning, Matthew Justice has been a Midwest staple since 2006. He ventured outside of Ohio in 2009 with the likes of Pennsylvania’s International Wrestling Cartel (IWC), NYC’s New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) and others before returning to Ohio and AIW in 2017. He’s since been on a mission and last November defeated Donst for the Intense Championship. He’s defended against KTB, Tre Lemar and Wheeler YUTA, but on Saturday he faces a man with more technical striking game than he’s faced yet. The young star Dominic Garrini is busting out, both as a singles star and in his tag team Sadkampf with Kevin Ku.
AIW Absolute Championship: PB Smooth vs. MJF
The Smooth Era of AIW is only a few weeks old, as PB Smooth just defeated “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams for the title at February’s Hail To The King. The 7′ gladiator has worked his butt off with AIW the past three and a half years and his hard work has paid off. His first challenger is a man more known for his cunning and shenanigans than his power game, so Smooth will have to use his wits against one of the real tricksters in the game, MJF. He’s already become the thorn in the side of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and there are no depths to what he’d stoop to take the title off of the new champion.
