TORONTO – This past weekend was a busy one for wrestling fans (and wrestlers!) in Toronto. While a certain show at Scotiabank Arena commanded much of the attention, a smaller venue in the city did not want to be left out of the cross-promotional fun. Toronto-based Smash Wrestling invited Femmes Fatales (from Montreal, Quebec), DEFY (from Seattle, Washington), and Progress (coming all the way from London, England) for two shows on Sunday that took over the Rec Room.
SlamWrestling.net was there for the day to give you the results from the matches and, coming up later, chats with some of the wrestlers. Fans were ready to enter well before the 11:30 start time, including one fan who brought along wrestling gear … just in case. Nova Scotian Jennifer Crawford, known in the ring as Moon Miss (which is the name of a banana/grape/bubble gum flavoured ice cream from out east) was making the most of altered travelled plans to take in the Rec Room shows.
“I wrestled at a Junction City show yesterday,” Crawford explains, referring to the Toronto-based promotion. “The sky was blue and crowd was hot. My flight got cancelled, so I could see all my friends. There’s some people that I used to train with, there’s people that I’ve had matches against.”
As mentioned, Crawford makes it a habit to travel with wrestling gear in-hand, because, as today’s show proved, one never knows when there will be an open spot. With late cancellations to the card by Masha Slamovich, Seleziya Sparx, and a late arrival by Juventud Guerrera that took him out of a match, promoters had some juggling to do.
Alas, for Crawford, this was not the day that bringing gear paid off, but that won’t break the habit of always being prepared for Moon Miss.
Now, onto the show’s results — featuring tag-team reporting with Gavin Hillhouse.
Smash Wrestling Women’s Championship
Liiza Hall VS. Nikita (C)
Nikita spends a good chunk of time on her phone while in the ring. Some selfies, maybe some influencing, but definitely dismissing Liiza Hall. The challenger, though, wants to wrestle, and opens with a sequence culminating in a single leg Boston Crab. A quick-drop bulldog by Nikita levels the playing field, allowing the champ some time to strut outside the ring, jawing at the crowd. A couple of strong kicks to Nikita’s head get a 2-count but no new champion. After a back and forth bout with plenty of submission attempts, it’s a sit-out pedigree that helps Nikita to retain the championship.
Winner via pinfall and still Smash Wrestling Women’s Champion: Nikita
Mary Lee Rose & KC Spinelli VS. Miley & Kristara
KC and Miley start off against each other. There’s no real heel in this match, just some fun wrestling. Kristara gets tagged in and hits a nasty double suplex. Mary Lee is tagged in and Kristara unleashes a barrage of kicks. As the match goes on, Mary Lee and KC begin to fill the heel role more, using some cheeky tactics. Miley finally gets tagged back in and goes wild on Mary Lee, hitting a 619 to the delight of the packed crowd. KC attempts to cheat, Kristara comes in to stop her, and the match breaks down into a brawl with all four women getting knocked down. Miley ends up picking up the win with a Lightning Spiral-esque move onto Mary Lee. Mercedes Martinez comes in to attack the winning team and spoil the victory.
Winners via pinfall: Miley & Kristara
Martinez says that since Slamovich chickened out she wants her later match against Vert Vixen for the title, so out comes Vixen and accepts. Martinez stomps Miley’s arm anyway.
Trish Adora VS. “The Mountain” Vanessa Kraven
The bout begins with a handshake and competing chants from the fans. Kraven outmuscles Adora with a judo throw, followed by an awkward slam into the corner. Trish gets her in a headscissors, but a strong clothesline downs Adora once again. Kraven keeps chopping and it gets worse every time – until she chops the ringpost after Adora dodges. Adora gives it back almost as well, but then there are more dull thud chops from Kraven. Adora tries to quicken things off the ropes and reverses what was going to be a chokeslam and rolls Kraven up for the win – then runs to safety in the back with Kraven chasing her.
Winner via pinfall: Trish Adora
Femmes Fatales Championship
Nicole Matthews VS. Alexia Nicole (C)
Nicole starts out the match by teasing the champ about her height, landing the crowd firmly on Alexia’s side. The challenger uses her power early on, but the champ fights back by displaying her technical prowess. Alexia keeps up the momentum with some lightning quick offense, but can’t keep Nicole down. Nicole slows the momentum down by attacking the leg of the champ, hoping to lessen the blazing speed that the champ used against her in the early goings of the bout. Alexia gets back into the match with a massive missile dropkick, The champ keeps up the fight, but is hindered by the leg injury. Nicole locks in a single leg crab, but Alexia gets to the ropes. The champ looks for the piledriver to finish the match, but her leg gives out on her, and Nicole is able to hit a Cross Rhodes and pick up the win and the title.
Winner via pinfall and NEW Femmes Fatales Champion: Nicole Matthews
Haley Dylan VS. Taylor Rising
Dylan gives the finger to the crowd. Cheap heat, but it works. Rising is running her around, driving her into the corner and into the mat. A knee drop and slam to the back of the head stops Taylor and nets a two-count for Dylan, who then badmouths the ref and the crowd some more. Dylan nearly slips off the top but recovers, though Rising uses the delay and lands a superplex. Dylan blocks a German suplex and delivers a rope-hung, spike piledriver for two. She tries a Sharpshooter but Rising makes the ropes. Both look exhausted as Rising reverses a second Sharpshooter attempt for a two-count rollup. Rising hits a pedigree for the win.
Winner via pinfall: Taylor Rising
DEFY Wrestling Women’s Championship
Mercedes Martinez VS. Vert Vixen (C)
Mercedes comes out full of confidence, but it quickly fades when Vixen climbs the desk that this very laptop sits on as I write and jumps off it onto Vixen. Mercedes gains control when they get into the ring, using underhanded tactics like an eye poke to frustrate the champ and draw the ire of the crowd. Battling chants of “Let’s go Vixen” and “Mercedes” fill the arena as Vixen fights back with a disaster kick. The two continue to brawl, sending the other down with twin kicks. Mercedes fights back with a spinebuster and a spider suplex, but can’t put the champ down. Mercedes looks to lock in her dragon sleeper, but Vixen bites her to escape it. Vixen goes for a spear, but Mercedes moves and the ref gets taken out, leaving nobody to count the pin when Mercedes hits the champ with a Fisherman’s Buster. The challenger retrieves a chair, but Miley, who Mercedes attacked earlier, comes out and stops her. The champ goes to hit Mercedes with the chair, but Miley grabs it and does it herself, ending the match.
Winner via DQ: Mercedes Martinez (Vixen is still champion)
Allie Katch VS. Jody Threat – No DQ
Hyper entrances are followed by a more mellow start to the match with ducked clotheslines and a stalemate test of strength. They pull out a door from under the ring – normally that’s um, forbidden during a match, but this is No DQ after all. In any case, chairs come in first and an aluminum softball bat. Threat sets up a chair and runs Katch into it, then lines up a swing which Allie ducks, responding with charges into the corner. Threat takes a drink from a bottle she found under the ring, and soon after Katch chokes her with the bat. Katch goes for the door, leaning it in the corner, but Threat escapes being thrown into it. Allie grabs a second door but takes a suplex onto the chair, while Threat inadvertently runs into another chair wedged in a corner. Allie sets up a door resting on two chairs, but she ends up laying on it while Threat splashes her off the top rope. Threat uses the “I’m sorry, I love you” line as she smashes Katch over the head with half a door, but it’s not enough. Allie goes superplex and then drives Threat through the other table – but only for two. Finally, Allie stacks several chairs in the middle of the ring but Threat lands a cutter with a side of fireman’s carry for the win.
Winner via pinfall: Jody Threat
DEFY X Progress
Sovereign (Evan Rivers, Judas Icarus, Mike Bird) VS. Brent Banks, Vaughn Vertigo, & Psycho Mike
Sovereign is looking good to start. Banks takes the brunt of the offence, though it’s mostly chops, until he hits a springboard corkscrew elbow. Psycho Mike wins another chop battle and takes all of Sovereign to Body Slam City, but then takes move after move by the heel trio. Bird tries to body slam Mike to no avail, and is backdropped into his partners. Both teams tag and Vertigo comes in against Icarus. Banks comes in and dodges punches, leaping over Icarus back and forth before landing a dropkick. Bird sorta saves Icarus from a double suplex, then Rivers is in to moonsault off the top while Bird and Icarus hold Banks up by the arms and legs. Mike is in and calls for more bodyslams, with one more for Rivers for the win.
Winners via pinfall: Banks, Vaughn, and Psycho Mike
Schaff VS. Brian Keith
Schaff starts off strong by jumping Brian before the match starts and beating him up outside. Brian suckers him back into the ring and tosses his poncho at him to distract him. It doesn’t amount to much, as Schaff uses his power to dominate from then on out. Any burst of offense from Brian is quickly quelled by the massive Schaff. Brian remains stubborn throughout the match, often going chop for chop with the much bigger man. A couple Rainmaker clotheslines gets Schaff a close count, but it still isn’t enough. The two trade cutters with neither getting a pin, and recognizing his tenacity, the crowd begins to resolutely side with Brian. Brian unleashes a series of kicks and a knee, but Schaff catches his leg, chops him, and delivers a frankly mountainous powerbomb for the win.
Winner via pinfall: Schaff
Charles Crowley VS. Gringo Loco
Crowley has a monkey in his hand while opening the match, but Gringo gets his hands on it, first using it to start a clap, then tossing it out of the ring. Crowley is mad, really working the crowd, and gets a two-count after a bodyslam and starts jawing with the crowd again. Gringo, with the fans firmly behind him, lands a springboard back elbow for a two-count. Gringo lands a moonsault onto Crowley’s legs, but Crowley responds with his own springboard cutter. Then, a top rope Spanish fly by Gringo gets another 2. Crowley feigns an ankle injury to sucker Loco in, then hits a driving knee and neckbreaker for the victory.
Winner via pinfall: Charles Crowley
Progress World Championship
Spike Trivet (C) VS. Artemis Spencer
Trivet is booed aggressively by the crowd before he even starts his heel schtick; he’s really got the good heel heat. He works the arm of the challenger, using the damage he’s done to slow down Artemis when he attempts to get some offense going. The challenger finally gets going with a powerbomb lungblower, but Trivet snaps his fingers and hits a flying codebreaker. Artemis tries to mount another offensive but is met with bites to the ear and a piledriver on the apron, which causes a fan to exclaim “that’s the hardest part of the ring!” Trivet hits a shoulderbreaker to finish off the match.
Winner via pinfall and STILL Progress World Champion: Spike Trivet
DEFY Women’s Championship: Nicole Matthews VS. Allie Katch VS. Session Moth Martina VS. Vert Vixen (C)
Matthews interrupts Martina’s lengthy entrance but is sent out of the ring. Katch is down and trying a kip-up, unsuccessfully until Vixen helps her, and Allie kicks her in the head as thanks. Allie and Martina double-team Matthews, then Vixen, taking a sip of beer and landing punches. Martina takes charge for a bit with a Bronco buster for Vixen, and then Matthews. Then Allie asks for one and gets it, too. Vixen gets it back on track with a rolling cutter on Matthews, then a basement dropkick on Katch, then all four exchange power moves until everyone is down. Matthews is thinking of becoming a double champ with a crossface on Vixen, but Allie breaks it up with a senton. She brings Martina down with a hangman’s piledriver, but Matthews breaks up the pin by using the belt – then Vixen sneaks in with a roll-up on Matthews to retain.
Winner via pinfall and still DEFY Women’s Champion: Vert Vixen
Bollywood Boyz VS. Matt Cross & Psycho Mike for the DEFY Tag Team Championships
With Juventud Guerrera unable to attend the event, Mike fills in to team with Cross against the Boyz. The champs show their tag team prowess early with some double team moves, illustrating the advantage they have over the challengers, due to their pre-existing tag team experience with each other. Mike comes in and delivers some bodyslams (as he does), and the challengers slam the Boyz around outside the ring. Cross and Mike show off some tag team synergy as well, but it’s not enough to beat the champs, who avoid a flying attack from Cross and hit a tandem backbreaker for the win.
Winners via pinfall and STILL DEFY Tag Team Champions: Bollywood Boyz
With two shows back to back, early in the day, these were all solid matches and lots of fun for those in attendance. SlamWrestling.net will feature interviews with some of the wrestlers soon, so keep checking back for those, and look below for more great stories!
RELATED LINKS
- July 17, 2023: Catching up with the sane side of Psycho Mike
- June 23, 2023: New wrestling streaming service launches
- Feb 10, 2020: DEFY’s 3rd anniversary: A photo essay