Everette Constenelli/Nathan Roberts/OKAMI Promo
This promo segment accounted for 36% of the show's runtime, it included Constenelli’s announcement as the new owner of VALIANT, it revealed Robert’s new position as the new co-owner of Vittoria, and it unveiled the new design for the VALIANT World Championship with Roberts awarding the new belt to OKAMI.
As an independent segment, this promo was completely inoffensive, it was riddled with audio errors and production blunders but the content of the promo segment was necessary, the quality of the delivery varied greatly depending on who was speaking but overall the promo was passable. My issue came from the promo’s placement as the first and the longest portion of the show, any excitement surrounding the show as immediately deflated, if the show began with the match that followed it would have held the audience’s attention and given a brighter spotlight to the two new members of the roster that debuted in that match.
A few things to take away from this promo are Contenelli’s and Roberts’s promise to revive the UK wrestling scene despite introducing a lot of Italian elements to the show. It's clear that Robert and OKAMI have some unfinished business especially considering that the latter threatened to take his belt to other promotions namely True-1 Pro and ROX, as well as OKAMI’s attack on Roberts to end their promo.
Caesar defeated Matt Williams
A clash between two of the hungriest members of the VALIANT roster, two debuting talents in the Young Lion Matt Williams and the descendant Julius Caesar himself the Pinnacle of Humanity Caesar.
The match began with a taunting exchange, Caesar allowed his much smaller opponent Williams to chop him before retaliating with a clothesline. Caesar would then display his sheer strength by manhandling Williams in a cradle position then slamming him to the canvas. This domination continued for quite some time before Williams would show some heart landing some strikes to a taunting Caesar.
As the match continued Caesar would retake control dodging a clothesline and responding with a clothesline of his own. Caesar would dominate for the rest of the duration of the match before turning Williams inside out with a wrist-lock short-arm lariat prior to hitting a spinning Michinoku Driver for the win.
We here at TIC rated the match * (1.00 Star), it was short and riddled with botches, it was an extended squash match that did its job of making Caesar look strong. Both men clearly lack experience and neither seem skilled enough to carry a match by themselves but we applaud them for their efforts.
Jay Williams defeated Robert Martyr
The match began with Williams playing his usual mind game, leaving the ring and taunting Martyr from the outside. Martyr wisely kept his composure not taking the bait and waiting for Williams to get back into the ring. Both men then began to circle before entering a lockup in which Williams would gain an initial advantage taking the back of Martyr then slamming him face forward into the mat ahead of transitioning into a side headlock. Martyr would reverse into a headscissor which Williams would reverse back into a side headlock which Martyr would reverse into a standing side headlock before Williams would break the lock-up.
As the match continued Williams would further showcase his technical prowess and superiority controlling Martyr on the ground. Martyr escape a seated headlock following up with a small strike exchange before flattening Williams with a enzu lariat. This match told the story of the more established star in Williams controlling and almost mocking the less established Martyr who relied on a less measured more unpredictable style. Martyr just seemed one step behind, he just seemed to be off base as Williams continued to get under his skin. Martyr only seemed to become more enraged as the match continues especially after having his nose broken by Williams.
The finish of the match would see Williams reverse a vertical suplex into a roll-up attempt for a two count before going immediately into a claw hold for the win via referee stoppage.
This match was rated **** (4.00 Stars) by us here at TIC, the action was compelling and matched to machinations and constitutions of the characters. Williams winning was the right booking decision as he was the far more establish star of the two and even in defeat Martyr looked great in a fantastic match and a strong loss.
Overall Show Rating:
The show overall gets *** (3.00 Stars) from us here at TIC, it was dragged down by a long promo segment to start the show and weak squash match but it was aided heavily by the main event. The production team seemed to have issues maintaining the audio and visual quality of the show as it experienced major dips at points especially in the promo segment, the audio for both Constenelli and Roberts was barely audible. The commentary for the show also have a few issues with miss called moves or mispronounced names but for the most part it was a valiant effort by everyone involved. We look forward to see the new direction for VALIANT especially while under Vittoria control.
Written By: Phil Nelson
Contributions By: Colin Harrison, Cole Michaels, Ashley Goldman, and Andrew Brown
Twitter: @TodayInCAW and @PhilNelsonTIC
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