Around the Ring: Project M.O.N.I.X. strikes again
(thumbnail photo above courtesy Project M.O.N.I.X.’s Twitter)
By Mike Pankow and High5Tom
June 1, 2022
The “Final Phase” of Project M.O.N.I.X. continued to evolve at the latest Freelance Underground event last weekend as the young veteran defeated his rival Matt Knicks in a “Submit or I quit” match as FU owner/promoter James Russo turned his back on Knicks and joined up with M.O.N.I.X.
That was the highlight of an action-packed weekend in the Windy City Slam coverage area, which included another stellar Warrior Wrestling event in the Greater St. Louis area and a great 4th Wall Wrestling show in the West side of Milwaukee.
Freelance Underground: While it may not have been the actual main event, the Project M.O.N.I.X. saga took yet another twist in his rivalry with Matt Knicks. M.O.N.I.X. claimed the victory after Russo attacked Knicks, whose corner he was in during the match, at “Four Quarters” in South suburban Thornton last Saturday night (May 28).
Project M.O.N.I.X. poses with Freelance Underground owner James Russo following M.O.N.I.X.’s victory over Matt Knicks at “Four Quarters” last Saturday night in Thornton, Ill. (Photo courtesy James Russo’s Twitter)
Russo went viral early last week when he decreed that he would be at Knicks’ side “to make sure everything goes to plan.” M.O.N.I.X. countered by bringing along his longtime friend Chico Suave, who was dressed like Russo when he was a regular character in Underground and GALLI Lucha Libre – with dress slacks, button-down shirt and suspenders – and Russo was not flattered.
M.O.N.I.X. and Knicks brawled all over Thornton Distilling Co., amongst the patrons sitting around the ringside area. M.O.N.I.X. was busted open within the first few minutes of the bout when Knicks hit him with a belt. There were foreign objects aplenty, including a steel chair that M.O.N.I.X. threw right into the face of “The Purple Papi.”
M.O.N.I.X. put Knicks’ head through the opening of a steel chair in a modified camel clutch, but he couldn’t get the submission with that. Even a Final Phase DDT or a Canadian Destroyer from the top rope couldn’t get result in a M.O.N.I.X. victory. M.O.N.I.X. the tried take out “Old Yeller” by battering and beating Knicks with a purple kendo stick. Yet Knicks still fought back through the pain and nullified some interference by Suave by hitting a tombstone piledriver on M.O.N.I.X.’s cornerman.
Knicks then used some purple handcuffs to entrap M.O.N.I.X. to the top rope and turned the tables by blasting M.O.N.I.X. repeatedly with the kendo stick. Russo then tossed a small bag of coins to Knicks and wanted him to go for the kill.
M.O.N.I.X. while still cuffed to the ropes told Knicks, “I am what you always wished you would’ve been. You had the platform. You failed and I’m never giving it back. This is Project M.O.N.I.X.’s house, you’re going to have to end my career.”
Knicks turned away from M.O.N.I.X. and handed the coins back to Russo and said, “not this way.” Russo entered the ring and implored Knicks to “knock his ass out.” When Knicks refused, a perturbed Russo clubbed Knicks in the back and threw in the purple towel on behalf of Knicks, causing referee Derek Martha to call for the bell.
Russo freed M.O.N.I.X. from the handcuffs and took the mic and ripped on Knicks, saying he was too much of a good guy. After Russo took off his Knicks T-shirt to reveal a Project M.O.N.I.X. shirt, he continued his diatribe, claiming he was “The Godfather of pro wrestling in Chicago” as he has been running both Freelance Wrestling and Freelance Underground since last year when Knicks wanted to step back from running shows. He also christened M.O.N.I.X. the undisputed Freelance Champion as M.O.N.I.X. continues to carry the commemorative belt he was given last October as a supposed parting gift.
Project M.O.N.I.X. clutches Chico Suave in the Nagata Lock following his victory over Matt Knicks at “Four Quarters” last Saturday night in Thornton, Ill. (courtesy IWTV.live)
Russo then told M.O.N.I.X. to “terminate the side project,” leading to M.O.N.I.X. attacking Suave and locking him in the Nagata Lock and the devastation was complete.
The main event saw Freelance Underground Champion Calvin Tankman retain over Joshua Bishop after “Heavyweight Hustle” powerbombed Bishop through a pair of chairs in an absolute hoss fight between two giants. Tankman’s reign with the title is now approaching eight months since he defeated GPA at “The Final Phase” last October.
In other matches, JJ Garrett defeated Alfonso Gonzalez and Megabyte Ronnie in a triple-threat bout when Garrett pinned Gonzalez after a frog splash. The match also featured hot dogs, a favorite food item of Ronnie’s from his competitive eating contests. … Heather Monroe, who is now based out of Chicago, defeated Blair Onyx in a strong women’s match. … In an intergender match, Alice Crowley pinned GPA, continuing The Academic Standard’s singles slump in Freelance Underground. It was a rare solo appearance from GPA as his fiancée, Laynie, was booked elsewhere. … FU Tag Team Champions, The Brothers of Funstruction (Yabo & Ruffo) defeated The Bang Bros (Davey Bang & August Matthews) after some chicanery, including Frank the Clown’s music playing, Yabo popping a balloon to the face of Matthews and a double-team sidewalk slam/top-rope legdrop on Bang for the pin. …
Freelance Independent Champion Storm Grayson pinned “Maserati” Wes Barkley after a knee trigger after a quality match as Grayson’s reign with that title is approaching eight months. … Pick n’ Pop (Darius Latrell & Koda Hernandez) defeated the Philly-Marino Experience after Hernandez used a loaded sock to turn to blast Marino T behind the referee Devin Anderson’s back and then Hernandez scored the pin as Pick n’ Pop perhaps laid claim for a future tag-title match.
The next Freelance Underground event is scheduled for Saturday, July 2 back at the Cantigny VFW on Horseshoe Drive in Joliet.
—Mike Pankow
Warrior Wrestling: Warrior Wrestling’s first stop to the metro St. Louis area featured several members of St. Louis-based Team Ambition on another star-studded card at Warrior Wrestling 22 last Saturday night (May 28). Davey Richards, the leader of Team Ambition, defeated mystery opponent Brian Cage in the main event when Warrior Wrestling Champion Will Ospreay could not appear due to illness.
Davey Richards is flanked by Team Ambition following his main event victory over Brian Cage at Warrior Wrestling 22 in Collinsville, Ill. (Photo courtesy Nick Consalvo/@cameraguygimmick)
Ospreay, who has held the Warrior Wrestling title since Warrior 17 in December when he outlasted Trey Miguel and Blake Christian in a triple-threat match, had to pull out of the show just days before the event. He is scheduled to return at Warrior 23 in Grand Rapids, Mich., on June 18 to defend his championship in a War of Attrition match.
Richards won his highest profile match in Warrior, hitting a piledriver on Cage after Cage’s old tag team partner KC Navarro interfered.
In the semi-main event, new AEW-signee Athena retained her Warrior Wrestling Women’s Championship by defeating Janai Kai, who was managed on this night by Frank the Clown. Frank had sworn revenge on Athena, who broke his right arm during last month’s Warrior 21 event in South Bend, Ind., as Athena won the vacant women’s title in a three-way match over Shazza McKenzie and Skye Blue.
Frank and his “child prodigy” Trevor Outlaw came out for a “memorial” for Frank’s broken arm and Frank announced that he signed Kai to a “one-night contract with a team option.”
Athena ended up defeating Kai by submission to retain the championship, but not before chasing away Frank and attempting to break Outlaw’s arm on the ring barricade.
In other matches, WARHORSE defeated Adam Brooks by submission with the Sharpshooter … Camaro Jackson pinned Mike Outlaw in a hard-hitting between Team Ambition members … In the New Japan LA Dojo showcase, Alex Coughlin pinned Yuya Uemura after an amazing suplex from a seated position and vicious clothesline. … In a battle of luchadors, Dragon Bane pinned Alpha Wolf after a poison rana. … Warrior Wrestling Medallion holder KC Navarro pinned IMPACT Wrestling star Mike Bennett. … In a last-minute appearance, AEW’s “Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer defeated Myron Reed and Dante Leon in a triple-threat match as Archer pinned Leon after a Black Out. … IMPACT Wrestling star Deonna Purrazzo pinned Team Ambition member Tootie Lynn while Lynn had Purrazzo in the Fujiwara armbar. It was Lynn’s first Warrior main-card appearance. She previously faced Blair Onyx on a pre-show last year. … Jeff Cobb pinned JONAH with a jackknife pin after a long battle of the behemoths.
Warrior Wrestling will have two shows in the next month with Warrior 23 on Saturday, June 18, featuring the main event of Ospreay defending the title against seven other men, including Archer, Brian Pillman Jr., Cobb, Richards, Jake Something, Swerve Strickland and Matt Cardona, whose participation is in serious jeopardy as he recently announced he had suffered a torn bicep.
Then Warrior comes back to Chicago for Warrior 24 at Malcolm X College for a matinee show on Sunday, June 26, on the doorstep of the United Center, where “The Forbidden Door,” the crossover between AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, takes place that night.
—Mike Pankow
4th Wall Wrestling: 4th Wall wrestling presented their Star Wars-themed show “This is the May,” emanating from Buenavista Banquets on the West Side of Milwaukee last Friday (May 27).
The show started with a three-way scramble with one fall to a finish featuring Trevor Gordon facing Jarrod Jaxx and Ethan Matthews. It was a good, back-and-forth match and Marvelous Ethan got a roll up on Jaxx for the win.
Next, Insane Evil (Chucky Bates & DYSfunction) went up against Bear Kingdom (Juan Hernandez & Oso Turco). This was a high-energy match and both teams battled back and forth, but in the end, Bates got the roll up on Hernandez for the win. Is there trouble in the Bear Kingdom?
Then Gunner Wixx took on the “Evil One” Shawn Priest. Priest was a replacement for Aesop Mitchell who “doesn't want to wrestle in front of nerds” (Mitchell’s words, not the reviewer’s), with it being Star Wars Day and all at 4th Wall. In a hard-hitting battle, which included an epic lightsaber battle, Wixx recorded the win with that vicious spear for which he is known.
Rayvin Raddix, who already holds the All Heel Wrestling Women’s Championship, won the 4th Wall Women’s Championship with a victory in a triple-threat match over Stacy Shadows and former champion Blair Onyx last Friday in Milwaukee. (File photo by Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Next up was the triple-threat match for Blair Onyx’s 4th Wall Women’s Championship with Rayvin Raddix and the returning “Midwest Slayer” Stacy Shadows. “The Spider Queen” and Raddix double-teamed Shadows, however Shadows, being the Legend she is, battled back and got a pin attempt on Onyx, but Raddix came in for the sandwich pin on both Shadows and Onyx for the win as Raddix left as the 4th Wall women's Champ.
In the first of 2 match-of-the-year candidates, Country Air (Doc Simmons & Zach Hendrix) took on the tandem Joey Avalon and Sierra for the 4th Wall Championship Gold Jackets. With four of the best in the Midwest today, it is hard not to have an amazing match. These two teams battled in an amazing back-and-forth affair with many close calls. However, The Milwaukee Stretching Crew of “The Shooter” Scott Marciano and Drake Daniels come out for the distraction and Simmons leveled Sierra with a vicious kick to get the pin.
After the match, The Milwaukee Stretching Crew issued an impromptu challenge to Country Air to a title match and Country Air being the fighting champions accepted. Hendrix and Simmons fought valiantly, but in the end two matches were one too many and “The Shooter” was too much and got the pin on Simmons as the Milwaukee Stretching Crew left as the new tag team champions.
In the semi-main event, The Marman faced on “Big Steppa” Armando Alvarez. This was a make-or-breakout challenge set forth by Marman to the “Big Steppa.” Armando fought hard but Marman prevailed with a roll-through pin, proving that Marman is still the Top Guy in 4th Wall.
In the main event, Milwaukee native and longtime ROH star Silas Young defeated CJ Cole. This was the second match-of-the-year contender on this card. This was the classic story of the young upstart in Cole against the wily veteran in Young and these two worked it to perfection. Once again, Cole showed off his athletic prowess to give Young everything he could handle, but Silas outsmarted Cole to nail his legendary finisher Misery for the 1-2-3.
4th Wall Wrestling’s next show is Friday, July 8, back at Buenavista Banquets, an event entitled “Top Guy: Marman.” The poster features both members of the legendary Maidens of Iron: Shadows and Melanie Cruise.
—High5Tom of the Midwest Wrestling Roundup Podcast
Special thanks to Nick Consalvo (@cameraguygimmick) for his Warrior Wrestling photo
Listen to Ep. 121 of Windy City Slam Podcast, with special guest Alfonso Gonzalez, plus a recap of AEW Double or Nothing: https://bit.ly/3PVdc7k.
Catch Windy City Slam editor Mike Pankow talking local and national pro wrestling every week with Chicago-area wrestling guests on Windy City Slam Podcast, part of the Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network. Episodes drop early Tuesday morning wherever you download podcasts or at https://windycityslam.podbean.com/.
We are looking for guests to appear on future episodes of the Windy City Slam Podcast! Please contact Mike at mikepankow@windycityslam.com, message him on Facebook or DM him on Twitter.
