“Iron Demon” ends Calvin Tankman’s reign
SHANE MERCER BECOMES NEW FREELANCE UNDERGROUND CHAMP ON STACKED CARD
By Mike Pankow
August 25, 2023
Thirteen months after taking Calvin Tankman to the limit, “Iron Demon” Shane Mercer finally found the right formula in winning the Freelance Underground Championship from “Heavyweight Hustle.”
A little bit more of a mean streak and the presence of the “Godfather” of Chicago wrestling, James Russo, were enough to push Mercer to become the new champion in the main event of Freelance Underground’s “Wrestling … It’s What You Crave 2” at Cantigny VFW in Joliet on Saturday night, Aug. 5.
“Iron Demon” Shane Mercer attempts to lift “Heavyweight Hustle” Calvin Tankman during their Freelance Underground Championship match on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. Mercer ended Tankman’s lengthy title reign. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Mercer and Tankman had a memorable clash on July 2, 2022, in Joliet, but the “Iron Demon” didn’t quite have enough strength to topple Tankman. Mercer had just worked in a deathmatch and had bandages dangling off his back and lacerations that were still fresh and Tankman took advantage and hit a Tankman Driver to continue a championship reign that was approaching two years by the time they rematched on this night.
“It wasn’t just trying to overcome a battle with Tankman,” Mercer told Windy City Slam after the show. “It was also trying to overcome bleeding everywhere and the flesh hanging off my body.”
Russo had a thirst for power and glory and his guidance of Project M.O.N.I.X. to the precipice of the Freelance Underground Championship came up agonizingly short when Tankman silenced M.O.N.I.X. last December in what was M.O.N.I.X.’s last match to date.
Russo found a new wrestler in which to hitch his wagon, and that was Mercer earlier this year at Freelance Wrestling to help thwart the resurgent Craig Mitchell.
Russo then refocused Mercer for another run at Tankman when he challenged the champion after Mercer defeated Devon Monroe at FU’s “The Long Good Saturday” in May in Thornton.
Mercer almost didn’t survive the opening seconds of the match when Tankman quickly executed a pop-up powerbomb, then threw his vicious signature back elbow, but Mercer avoided contact to elude disaster.
It was a battle of brute power and strength as both men threw everything in their arsenal at each other. Tankman appeared close to victory on a few occasions. Tankman nailed a Tankman Driver, but he couldn’t get a 3-count. Tankman hit the back elbow, but Mercer’s foot reached the rope to break up referee Ned Baker’s count.
"Iron Demon" Shane Mercer speaks to Windy City Slam's Mike Pankow following Freelance Underground "Wrestling. It's What You Crave 2" at the Cantigny VFW in Joliet, Ill. on Saturday night, August 5, 2023. Mercer comments on his Freelance Underground Championship victory over "Heavyweight Hustle" Calvin Tankman in the main event and details the differences between this match and the one they had 13 months prior.
Tankman was looking for a Super Tankman Driver, but Russo grabbed Tankman’s leg. Mercer quickly regrouped and pulled off the Moonsault and Battery to put down Tankman for the count and end “Heavyweight Hustle’s” near-22-month reign.
“I didn’t get it perfectly,” Mercer said of his tremendous feat of strength. “Sweat became involved highly.”
But it was still enough to finally subdue the 350-pound Tankman.
Mercer also pointed to the influence of Russo as part of the reason he finally broke through to become the Freelance Underground Champion.
“Well, I’m a champion now, so there’s that,” Mercer said.
Freelance World Champion Storm Grayson retained his title in a rare defense outside the confines of Freelance Wrestling with an impressive victory over Cole Radrick in a match that main evented the first half of the show.
Cole Radrick raises the hand of Freelance World Champion Storm Grayson following their match. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
Both men are fan favorites as the Joliet crowd offered up favorable responses to each. There was some early-match posturing as Radrick refused to shake Grayson’s hand, perhaps attempting to get into the champion’s head.
Grayson was looking to continue to stack up résumé-building title defenses after surviving the challenges of names such as Paul London, Chris Bey and Nick Wayne. It was another classic battle in a Grayson title match as Radrick gave the Naperville native everything he could handle.
Radrick looked like he was on the verge of becoming the new champion as he hit a stunner, but Grayson turned the momentum of the move into his running knee strike, leading to the decisive 3-count, extending Grayson’s run as Freelance World Champion to six months. Grayson and Radrick showed tremendous sportsmanship after the match.
While the two main championship matches were brilliant, the rest of the card was also very strong. Two other titles were defended, one of which changed hands.
The Philly-Marino Experience finally solved their nemesis in unseating Pick N’ Pop as the Freelance Underground Tag Team Champions.
“One Man Dynasty” Darius Latrell and “Prince 100” Koda Hernandez fell just short of a year with the titles after their domination of PME came to a crashing end.
Marino T, of the Philly-Marino Experience, delivers a kick to Koda Hernandez while Philly C holds Hernandez during their tag team bout. PME became the new Freelance Underground Tag Team Champions. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
There certainly were some “Good Vibes” for PME as they overcame some shenanigans by Pick N’ Pop’s corner man Acid Jaz and some blatant cheating by Latrell and Hernandez.
PME hit their finisher Sunset Dreams, a modified 3D maneuver, but referee Derek Martha wasn’t available to make a count after he took an inadvertent bump. Pick N’ Pop hit a double-team facebuster on Marino T, but the still-woozy referee couldn’t finish a 3-count.
Hernandez looked to take out Marino T with a loaded sock, but Marino T ducked and Hernandez blasted Latrell with it, leading to Philly C and Marino T hitting another Sunset Dreams on Hernandez. This time, PME finished the job with a 3-count to defeat a stunned Pick N’ Pop.
Freelance Underground Independent Champion Chico Suave succeeded in his second title defense by defeating “Yours Rudely” Trevor Outlaw in Outlaw’s first FU match in nearly two years.
Outlaw was a suitable challenger for the veteran Suave, who cashed in his Championship Check in April by beating Wes Barkley, who had just unseated Storm Grayson, and defended against Darin Corbin in May. Outlaw was once a regular in the main event scene at Freelance Wrestling with matches involving Kylie Rae and Isaias Velazquez.
Trevor Outlaw, right, yells at Freelance Underground Independent Champion Chico Suave during their match. (Photo: Mike Pankow/Windy City Slam)
At any moment, Outlaw can end someone’s championship reign, but Suave again showed his resilience and guile. Outlaw, perhaps, got a little greedy when he took the FU Independent Championship belt and tried to use it as a weapon. Suave took advantage and grounded Outlaw with a Chico Slam (Angle Slam) and scored the pinfall, leaving Outlaw despondent as his streak of frustration in the Freelance universe continued.
In the opening match, “Sabotage” Sean Logan, who has been gaining traction in Freelance Underground, picked up the victory over the mysterious Masked Bonanza. Logan, the former Wrestling For A Cure Cruiserweight Champion, got the pinfall after hitting Bonanza with a TKO.
In a thrilling, high-flying tag team match, Davey Bang and August Matthews (who were legally required to stop using their previous tandem name) defeated Caribbean Arrogance (Chuco & Jay Manny). Bang hit a 450 splash following the Spears Tower (Riding the Bus spear) to get a 3-count on Jay Manny.
THE Ryan Matthews, making his IWTV debut with Freelance Underground, got the victory over the impressive 6-foot-9 Cleveland native Hardway Holloway. Matthews used an eye rake on Holloway to get the referee’s attention, then laid in an undetected mule kick on Holloway before rolling him up for the pin. An upset Holloway chased Matthews to the backstage area.
In the semi-main-event slot, Joliet native Gunner Brave continued his roll in Freelance Underground with victory over the veteran Acid Jaz. Jaz tried to keep Brave off balance with his heelish tactics and even wanted to hit Brave with a CD boombox. Gunner secured the victory with a curb stomp from the top rope.
Notes: Both Alfonso Gonzalez, who provided color commentary for the IWTV broadcast, and Angel Escalera said they were nearly ready to make their in-ring returns. Gonzalez had shoulder surgery some months back and was targeting August for a comeback while Escalera was focused on some personal matters away from the ring. … The next Freelance Underground show is scheduled for Saturday night, Oct. 7, back at the Cantigny VFW in Joliet.
Check out a gallery of about 300 photos from “Wrestling … It’s What You Crave 2”: https://www.windycityslam.com/freelance-underground-wrestling-its-what-you-crave-2.
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/.
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