Max Harlton defeated Jamie Bouchard
A circling staredown into a lockup would grant Bouchard a brief initial advantage taking the back of Harlton, only to be caught by a snapmare takedown into a chin-lock. Bouchard the technically sound young upstart would counter Harlton’s chin-lock with an arm drag into a grounded headlock, Harlton the veteran of the two would instinctively reverse into a standing headlock. Bouchard would force Harlton to break his hold by pushing him into the ropes but would be caught with a shoulder tackle off his opponent’s rebound. Circling once again into a lockup this time Harlton would take the advantage with a headlock takedown but Bouchard would counter with a head-scissors which Harlton would the counter into a grounded headlock. Harlton would release the headlock only to take Bouchard down with another headlock takedown, a quick reversal into a striking combo by Bouchard would hand him control of the match.
Bouchard would unleash an aggressive sequence of knees onto Harlton, using his exposed right knee to inflict maximum damage. A Saito suplex into a pin attempt by Bouchard would only result in a two count but being the hungry rookie he is Bouchard would not allow Harlton the opportunity to breathe immediately locking in a seated headlock. Harlton would find a way to fight out of the hold and relent with a series of strikes. Bouchard would crawl into the corner which would prove unwise as Harlton would charge at him with a leaping forearm smash, following it up with a face wash to a seated Bouchard still in the corner.
Harlton would then have his sequence of offense with two neckbreakers but on his attempt at a third it would be reversed and following his escape, Bouchard would fire back with a deep arm drag. Bouchard would then hit a modified exploder suplex before dragging Harlton into the corner for a tornado suplex from the middle rope, however, this would only snag a two-count. The back and forth between both men would continue for a few more moments seeing Harlton merely survive the onslaught of Bouchard until he found an opening to get in some offense of his own.
The finish of this match would see Harlton hit a neckbreaker before kipping up then hitting the ropes to begin his comeback sequence. Two running double axe handles forcing his opponent into the corner only to then hit a shoulder press before rolling backward returning to a vertical base and hit a leaping back elbow. An uppercut into a backbreaker neckbreaker combo would knock his opponent down but then oddly Harlton would lift him back to his feet to hit jumping reverse STO. Harlton would then ascend to the top turnbuckle then hit a corkscrew moonsault for the three-count.
This match was rated **¾ (2.75 Stars) by the reviewers here at TIC, it was an action-packed and quicker paced affair which worked well to engage the audience. Both men were allowed to showcase small parts of their arsenal, James Bouchard especially impressed us throughout the match and we hope to see much more him in the future in VALIANT and elsewhere. Max Harlton was the more established name going into the match and we did expect that he would come out the victor, he got in his typical offense but there was nothing truly special about the match so we didn't expect too much. It was a solid match that did a good job of introducing both men into the VALIANT universe.
Colby Jordan Promo
This promo was to address the animosity between him and Nero as well as many of the guys in the back, explaining that they looked at him as if he didn't belong anywhere in the wrestling. He would then proclaim that they were right and in fact, he didn't belong in wrestling, he belonged in Valhalla to be worshipped as the god of thunder. Challenging his to step into the ring with him and be taught the "ways of Valhalla."
This promo was short yet effective, delivered with conviction and the passion necessary to pull off his character. We didn't find any faults with this promo but there was not much groundbreaking content involved in the promo. We did think the thunder was a nice touch and would like to see it used more in his promos.
Tyreke Carter defeated Jay Williams
This match was a true meeting of different circles of wrestling, Tyreke Carter an outlandish character driven competitor comes to blows with Jay Williams a pure wrestler who carved his path in the world of wrestling by simply being one of the best technical wrestlers in the world today. Both men are extremely talented in their own right but it was impossible not to acknowledge how different they are and how that reflects upon the modern wrestling scene.
Before the bell, both men would meet in the middle of the ring for a handshake as a show of mutual respect but Williams is reluctant but Carter is the one who pulls his hand away refusing the handshake completely. A clearly annoyed and frustrated Williams would charge at Carter only to be stopped by the referee. The bell would ring and the match would finally be underway but before either man could get their hands on one another Walliams would roll out of the ring, attempting to play mind games with Carter. Once Williams did finally enter the ring both men began to circle and engaged in a lockup in which Tyreke got the initial advantage, taking the back of Williams before pushing him away in some mind games of his own. They would meet for another collar and elbow tie up this time Williams would push Carter into the corner, Carter would not take this lightly and take a cheap shot on Williams from the corner preventing a clean break.
Williams would be distracted in his attempt to plead with the referee and would fall victim to a diving forearm by Carter from the second turnbuckle. Carter would attempt to press his advantage by whipping Williams into the corner for a forearm to his back but Williams would reverse and counter with a back elbow. Another quick exchange of momentum would insue ending in a roll-up attempt by Williams. A snapmare by Williams into a headlock would ground and stop the momentum of Carter but only momentarily as he would eventually escape retaking control with an eye rake. Another eye rake to Williams by Carter would leave him prone and open to an inverted backbreaker followed up a dropkick to the side of the head.
This match would maintain a relentless pace for the rest of its duration, neither men giving any time for their opponent to rest. The match was also defined by its constant back and forth as both would trade sequences of offense continuously attempting to gain a significant advantage. The whole way through telling an effective story and presenting both men as viable top contenders.
The finish of this match would see Carter escape William's claw with an armbar attempt, whip him into the rope and catch him with a drop toe hold before theatrically walking over the back of Williams. Carter would whip Williams once again this time sending him over the rope onto the apron but before he would his a move on the prone Williams it would be countered by an enziguri. Williams would then ascend to the top rope for a diving maneuver but would be swatted out of the air by a superman punch by Carter. Carter would lift Williams to his feet before hitting him with a butterfly DDT for the victory.
This match was rated **** (4.00 Stars) by us here at TIC, it was a wonderful example of telling a story through in-ring action, both men seem to understand and be able to embody their characters like few other in wrestling today do. Carter going over was also the perfect booking decision as Williams has established himself so well that a few losses in very competitive matches such as this one don't hurt his credibility. Carter is a lesser known up and comer who benefits by simply being in the ring with someone of William's standing much less holding a victory over him.
Okami defeated Ezra Fawkes
The main event would see Okami go head to head with Ezra Fawkes, both men enter with worlds of momentum behind them ready to prove that they belong in VALIANT. Okami would begin the match by attempting to sike out Fawks ducking and dodging lockup attempts. When they finally did interlock Fawkes would manage to get Okami into a headlock before being pushed into the rope by Okami forcing the break. Off the rebound, Fawks would obliterate Okami with a shoulder tackle showcasing that slight size and strength advantage. A second lockup would result in Okami taking the initial advantage, taking down Fawkes before locking in a headlock, Fawkes would reverse into a head-scissors before Okami would once again reverse into a headlock.
Following the break of the second lockup, Fawkes would lay into Okami with multiple forearms following those up by whipping Okami into the corner hitting two huge chops before bouncing off the rope for some sort of running attack but he would be caught with a deep arm drag with Okami. Okami would attempt a float-over DDT but Fawkes would reverse into a northern lights suplex for a two count. Fawkes would continue to press his offensive advantage with two snap suplexes forcing Okami to roll out but not letting up Fawkes would hit a third suplex this time to the bare concrete floor.
This match would continue along this line of devolving into a contest of one-upmanship, both men acknowledging that they are equally matched and using the full depth of their arsenal to outmatch the other. Fawkes taking full advantage of his slight power and size advantage while Okami would rely on his superior striking ability to even the playing field. Both men spent quite a bit of time on the outside making full use of their environment to batter the other.
The finish of this match would see Nathan Roberts attempt to cost Okami the match by injecting himself at ringside. He would grab the ankle of Okami who just happened to be standing near the rope and as Okami would take to the apron to confront him Fawkes would take flight with a suicide dive missing Okami but taking out Roberts. Okami would then climb to the top turnbuckle and hit a diving missile dropkick taking out both men. Okami would finally end Fawkes with a brainbuster for the victory overcoming both size and interference to pick up this impressive win.
This match was rated ***¾ (3.75 Stars) by the reviewers here at TIC, much like the match before it told a story purely through action. It was a well paced and well-constructed bout in which either man at any point could have won and it would have made all the sense in the world. It was truly brilliant seeing both men clash in such a spectacular match and although it was slightly mired in controversy due to the interference by Nathan Roberts and handicapped by having to follow the wonderful match before it, it still managed to capture and hold the attention of everyone here at TIC for its entirety.
Overall Show Rating:
This show was punctuated by two amazing matches and sensible booking decisions. There were no complaints in terms of the action on the card out only real complaint came from the video quality, the show was posted in 480p considerably lower quality than even the last show Ep 1 which was posted with the max quality of 720p. It did make watching certain points in matches difficult but definitely not impossible but we would hope to see a return to HD quality for future videos, and although this does not have any weight on the rating of the show we would really like to see a more consistent release of content from VALIANT we are aware that there were some backstage issue with the turning in of content to the owner of the company forcing shows to be held back but we as fans of the promotion would really hope to see a more consistent product.
Show Rating: ***½ (3.50 Stars)
By: Ashley Goldman (Twitter: @RealAshleyGold)
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