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Mobsters, Monsters and Heart – New Wave Pro – “See You at the Crossroads” Review

ByJohn Dinsdale

Jan 12, 2021 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Welcome back to New Wave Pro. Following the events of November Reign, Solomon Tupu was left with two titles, the big gold belt, and the Crossroads Title. Instead of carrying both belts, Tupu decided to relinquish the Crossroads title and let everyone else fight over it. New Wave Pro management decided to make a tournament featuring eight of the companies best and brightest to fight over this belt and crown a new champion. Throw in a slew of other title fights and big matches and we have, See You at the Crossroads. Let’s get into the action.

Crossroads Title Round 1: Don’t Die Miles defeated Sage Philips via Rolling X-Factor Superkick

Up first was the saviour of NWP, Don’t Die Miles taking on the in-ring wizard, Sage Philips. These two would both be easy tournament favourites so it was hard to see who would be the obvious winner. Things started with sportsmanship and Philips pushing Miles into the corner for a clean break. Miles did the same for Philips and Philips returned the favour by going for a leg and breaking it. He trapped Miles in an inverted deathlock and forced Miles to the ropes. He trapped Miles in a headlock but Miles broke free and after dodging Philips with rope runs, took him over with a pair of dynamic arm-drags. That was followed by a rolling dropkick and kicked Philips off the ropes into an attempted Tornado DDT and Guillotine but Philips held on and launched him with a bridging Northern Lights. Philips continued to pound and kick away at Miles but couldn’t keep him down for the three. He tried for a Suplex but Miles kneed free and tried for a jumping spin kick. Philips dodged and made Miles pay by kicking out his arm. He nearly folded Miles in half with a uranage but still only got two. He continued to try and break Miles’ arm, then crushed Miles with a senton and kicked him into a shoulder breaker in the ropes. Miles tanked the damaged and nailed a step-up enzuigiri off of a caught-kick and rocked Philips with a rolling cutter. A slugfest broke out with Philips taking advantage with head strikes. He went to the well once too many times and got caught with a kick and finished with a rolling X-Factor into a Superkick for the win. Miles had managed to survive the first round but Philips had left him with a damaged arm as a reminder.

Crossroads Title Round 1: Chase Holliday defeated Jay Marston via Tiger Bomb

Next up was the Beast King, Chase Holliday taking on the Huntsman Jay Marston. Would the hunter become the hunted or would Marston be able to find a way to beat Holliday? He started the fight on the mat and forced Marston to work around a side headlock. The pair traded to the ropes and both teased each other with clean breaks. Marston struck out at Holliday and unloaded on him with fists in the corner. He continued with a corner forearm and a rolling elbow, then launched Holliday into the ropes for a leaping lariat. Holliday booted free and downed Marston with a knife-edge chop. Both men traded sickening strikes until Marston stunned Holliday with a pop-up right hand into a corner shotgun dropkick. Marston slammed Holliday onto his face and survived a kick catch by turning it into a Crucifix Bomb. He backed to the corner for another running move but Holliday caught him with a back elbow and dropped him on his head with a Fisherman’s Brainbuster. The fight went to the top rope where Marston tried for a sunset bomb but Holliday fought out and ended the match with a Tiger Bomb. We had a second close fight here with both men giving it their all but Holliday found the right moment to strike and won the match. The Beast King had bested the Huntsman.

Flophouse Title Match: Hoodfoot Mo Atlas defeated Schwartzy via Pumphandle Powerbomb

The tournament action was broken up by a title match for the Flophouse Wrestling title. It would be Schwartzy challenging the champion, Mo Atlas AKA the Hoodfoot. Things were going to get nasty and not just because the man of dabskies and dick-based nicknames was here. The pair started with some light mockery of waist locks and fought for arm control. They started throwing hands, giving each other the time to hit until Hoodfoot went to the eye. Schwartzy fired back by kicking Hoodfoot in the gut and launching him to the apron. He celebrated and ran at Atlas but the Hoodfoot was ready and kneed him in the head and beat him down in the corner. He launched Schwartzy with a pounce and hammered him with kitchen sinks until Schwartzy caught his leg and dumped him on the mat. He went after Hoodfoot’s leg with a knee-DT and kneebar, then stretched out the knee further, to avoid being caught by Atlas. He fought back with a punch to the mouth and went to the second rope but Schwartzy was faster and dragged Atlas down to the mat by his injured leg. He applied another submission and nearly tapped Atlas, then brought him down with a front-facing chop block when Atlas got to his feet. He re-applied the kneebar and peppered Atlas with strikes but the Hoodfoot grabbed him by his shorts and dragged him into a Saito. They both took a breather, then fought over a backslide with Schwartzy using this to his advantage by kicking out the knee and dragging Atlas into a flying forearm. He took out Hoodfoot’s knee again and locked on a Figure Four but Atlas made the ropes. He slapped Hoodfoot, snapped his fingers, and blasted him with a short-arm knee strike but Atlas tanked all this, caught Schwartzy by the arm, and won the match with a Pumphandle Powerbomb. Hoodfoot retained his title but the master of phallic nicknames had taken him to the limit and left him limping. What a fight.

Crossroads Title Round 1: Eric Dillinger defeated Aaron Atlas via Wrench Shot STF

Back to the tournament and it was time for Aaron Atlas vs Eric Dillinger. Would it be the Young Titan or the Public Enemy joining the other semi-finalists? Once again, a technical start quickly gave way to rope running and Atlas downing Dillinger with a clothesline. Atlas got a bit too comfy beating down Dillinger in the corner and got caught by a powerbomb. He continued to press the advantage by choking Atlas with his t-shirt and catching him with a guillotine leg drop. The mugging continued with more ground and pound, a standing moonsault, and a Tornado DDT. Out of nowhere though, Atlas came back with a corner elbow, second rope stomp, and nailed Dillinger with a destroyer. He over-sold the injury and crawled to the ring corner where he grabbed a wrench. As the ref was distracted by Atlas, Dillinger clocked him in the head and quickly locked in the STF with the ref declaring a pass-out win to Dillinger. I actually like this a lot. I love bad guys doing bad things and the mobster look of Dillinger fits perfectly. Considering I’d not seen him in action before, I’m impressed.

Crossroads Title Round 1: Apollo Starr defeated Jordan Dye via Submission

Last but not least, the last first-round match. The smash-mouth style of Jordan Dye would take on one of everyone’s favourite stars, Apollo Starr. Could the cool timeless technician best Dye and take home some gold? They started with some beautiful technical exchanges, both guys managing to keep up with each other until Starr started throwing Dye around with arm-drags into a scoop slam and a dancing elbow drop. Dye took a breather on the outside and snapped Starr throat-first across the ropes. Starr shook this off and after juking Dye in the corner, launched him with another arm-drag and caught him into a backbreaker. Once again, a ref got in the way and Dye poked Starr in the eye. He kept control with a superkick and ground down Starr with submission holds and knee lifts. It wasn’t limited to strikes as he dragged Starr face-first across the ropes to the ref’s admonishment. Starr started to fight back, hitting a combo of strikes and kicks into a short-arm clothesline but Dye reversed their landing into a Koji Clutch variant. The pair continued to trade strikes relentlessly until Dye scored another knockdown with a rolling elbow. Just when things looked lost, Starr stunned Dye and threw him overhead with a Teardrop Suplex. He fired back hard and beat Dye into a swinging neckbreaker. Dye launched one more offensive, nailing Starr with a brainbuster into a crossface but it wasn’t enough. Dye was livid Starr made the ropes so Starr used his opponent’s lack of awareness to trap Dye in an arm-trap submission for the win. It was so unique I don’t even quite know what to call it but it damn well worked. Apollo Starr was the final semi-finalist and had used a lot of his veteran savvy to survive the onslaught of Dye.

NWP Uber Rapid Title: Nate Matthews defeated Jeffery John via Powerbomb to Sharpshooter

As another break from the tournament action, we got a defence of the Uber Rapid Title. It was once known as the Ultra Rapid Title but since the Ubermensch Nate Matthews had taken the title, it was now the Uber Rapid title in his honour. His first defence would be against the ass-kicking male model, Jeffery John. Matthews started by showing off his technical execution and tried to work around John’s attempts at submissions. The pair went arm-drag mad and Matthews started using his power to knock down John. He sent Matthews to the outside with a dropkick and chased the champ around the outside but got caught in the ropes and hit with a Dragon Screw. Matthews continued to target the injured knee and showed off more power through hard strikes and corner attacks. John was able to use these gratuitous displays of power to his advantage as he dodged a corner splash and hit Matthews with a clothesline. Matthews struck back quickly with a corner hip attack and Gamenguiri, then sent John flying with a Snap Suplex. He went back after John’s leg with a deathlock knee-breaker and fought out of a sunset flip to deliver a running knee. John side-stepped a second and dumped Matthews with a German. Matthews fired back with a T-Bone Suplex and both men collapsed. A slugfest broke out and John tried to mount a comeback with a series of elbows into a front slam and kick. Matthews kicked out and dropped John with more chops and a leaping lariat. He gave John another sickening knee to the face and crushed him under a jackhammer but only got two. John refused to stay down and tanked another knee-strike to hit Matthews with a Blue Thunder Bomb. John climbed to the top rope but Matthews was ready and knocked John off, winded him with a powerbomb, and locked on the Sharpshooter for the win. Once again, Matthews shows how tough he is and put on one hell of a match with John. The Ubermensch continues to make the title his own and has one of the vital wins towards getting a World Title shot.

Cole Radrick & Joey O’Riley defeated The Original Sins (Mean Dick Michaels & Tyler Lydol) via Roll-Up

The Original Sins are quite the gobshites. They love to call people out and two people answered the tag team call. First was Joey O’Riley, the second was the Wildheart of Indiana, Cole Radrick. Cole was meant to take part in a tag title match at November Reign but had to take a rain check and took the fight to them now. He wasted no time in taking it to the Sins, running the ropes with Lydol and crushing him under a slingshot senton. He brought in O’Riley who came out hot, continuing the athleticism spree with a running senton and handstand moonsault. Lydol played possum off a sneak tag and Michaels used this to drop Radrick face-first on Lydol’s knee. Radrick tried to strike back but Michaels put him down with an STO. He was throwing into the Sin’s corner and tried to fight back with forearms but Michaels winded him with a cannonball. The Sins double-teamed Radrick with a dropkick/backbreaker combo, then tried to keep the pressure on but Radrick caught Lydol into a deadlift German and made the necessary tag. O’Riley leaped in and starting knocking the life out of Lydol with athletic kicks and dodges into a nasty Zig Zag. Michaels interrupted their double-team Suplex so Radrick unloaded on both Sins with palm strikes. The Sins tanked this though and dumped him on his head with a double-team driver. O’Riley made the save and tried to fight solo but the Sins caught him into a double-team powerbomb. He was sent over the top rope as Radrick recovered and went after the Sins with more chops and a backdrop to Lydol. He caught Michaels with a folding slam and O’Riley caught Lydol into a double-arm DDT. Michaels got rid of him with a Ushigoroshi and watched as Lydol beat down Radrick but this delay allowed O’Riley to strike and win the match with a roll-up. It might not have been a Tag Title match but Radrick and O’Riley definitely just gave the Sins the middle finger and potentially earned a shot later down the line.

Crossroads Title Semi-Final: Don’t Die Miles defeated Eric Dillinger via Shooting Star Press

It was time to return to the tournament. Our first semi-final would be Don’t Die Miles taking on the villainous Eric Dillinger. Miles was working with a damaged arm whilst Dillinger was still clutching his neck after the Destroyer from Atlas. Dillinger struck right as the bell rang, rushing Miles with a dropkick and tying his shirt around Miles’ neck to launch him with a Biel. He chopped Miles in the corner and launched him across the ring again. Miles answered back with some stiff kicks into a rolling forearm but couldn’t get two. Dillinger fired back with a corner splash and put his boots into Miles’ head with a corner dropkick. He threw Miles again and beat him into the mat with ground and pound strikes but got admonished by the ref for pulling Miles’ hair. He swaggered away and walked right into a superkick from Miles. Both men staggered to their feet where Dillinger went back to work throwing Miles with more suplexes and tried to end things with a massive frog splash. Miles made the ropes so Dillinger went for the wrench again. He ran at Miles but caught the ref in the face with it and got caught by Trouble in Paradise. Miles climbed to the top rope and got the win with an insanely high Shooting Star Press and progressed to the final. He had survived Dillinger and used his villainous wrench attack to his advantage to get a big win. Unfortunately, he was heading to the finals in bad shape as Dillinger is a bad loser and has killed him with the wrench post-match.

Crossroads Title Semi-Final: Chase Holliday defeated Apollo Starr via Tiger Bomb

The second semi-final would see the Beast King, Chase Holliday take on the Timeless Technician Poison Apollo Starr. It would be a battle of brawn vs technicality as Holliday had the distinct strength advantage here. Would he be able to use it against Starr though? Starr had to think quick as Holliday tried to rush him with a jumping knee but he dodged, pummelled Holliday in the corner, and dropped him with a Russian Leg Sweep. He kept Holliday grounded with a chin-lock and Full Nelson, then got clocked by a go behind lariat from Holliday. He used Starr as his own personal punching bag, but Starr wasn’t going to accept this and gave Holliday the same treatment until he was cut off by a corner clothesline. Holliday tanked more strikes and fought out of a Teardrop Suplex to dump Starr on his head with a German. Holliday took some time to ground Starr with another chin-lock and ran right into Starr’s Teardrop Suplex. He beat the stunned Holliday into the swinging neckbreaker and accidentally gave Holliday the momentum for a rebound lariat. A lock-up saw Starr thrown throat-first onto the rope and hoisted into the Tiger Bomb for the win. He had withstood the Starr storm and had the task of trying to finish off a wounded Don’t Die Miles in the final. Starr gave it a good effort but unfortunately for him, Holliday was in better condition and used his raw power to win.

NWP World Title: Solomon Tupu defeated Conan Lycan via Single-Hand Chokebomb

Before the final of the Crossroads Tournament, it was time for a big title fight. The Samoan Hellraiser had been issued a challenge at the start of the show by someone as equally big and imposing as he is, Conan Lycan. Would Tupu enter with two belts and leave with none? That would be answered now. Tupu started by throwing hands but got a shock when Lycan floated over him and knocked him down with a vicious lariat. Lycan continued to outmanoeuvre Tupu and dumped him on his back with a Deep Six. The pair brawled around the outside and Tupu kicked a ring rope into Lycan’s balls. He took to the air with a crossbody and rained down elbows on Lycan, then choked out Lycan on the ropes. He kept the pressure on with a seated headlock and slammed him down into a grounded headlock before stunning Lycan with a headbutt for a butterfly neckbreaker. He gave Lycan a leg drop across the throat and re-applied the headlock transitioning to a Full Nelson when Lycan tried to escape. Lycan finally broke free and punished Tupu with a combo of kicks into a vicious right hand and clothesline train. He dropped the champion with a lethal powerbomb but somehow only got two. Tupu avoided a move from the top and took Lycan’s head off with a spinning heel kick. He nailed the Samoan Drop but somehow Lycan found the energy to kick out. The pair fought off the ropes until Tupu was able to catch Lycan into a one-handed chokebomb for the win. It was a fast and furious affair with both men showing off their scary strength and agility. Exactly what you’d want from a title fight.

Crossroads Title Final: Don’t Die Miles defeated Chase Holliday via Superkick Barrage

Last but not least, our main event. Don’t Die Miles and Chase Holliday had fought through an entire tournament, battling two opponents apiece, and now had one final fight against each other. One would get the NWP Crossroads Title, the other nothing. Holliday had the advantage of going in as he had not been brutalised by a wrench in his previous match. Holliday made this gulf in wellness known with some vicious chops and lackadaisically kicked at Miles’ head. Miles tried to fire up off of this but Holliday just threw him to the mat. He trapped Miles between his arms and battered him with lariats. He threw Miles into the ropes but Miles ducked under another lariat and caught Holliday with a single-knee codebreaker. He tried to rebound but Holliday decapitated him with another violent lariat. Holliday seemed offended that Miles kicked out and just continued to beat him down on the mat. A switch was flicked and Miles fired up, tanking chop after chop and unleashed a barrage of kicks on Holliday. He nailed the rolling X-Factor and landed a standing Shooting Star Press but only got two. Holliday didn’t stay down and caught Miles with a back elbow into the Tiger Bomb but he too only got a two-count. Holliday was livid and just rained down forearm after forearm on a downed Miles. He tried for the Tiger Bomb again but Miles cracked him with a jumping knee and a scathing kick to the back of the head. He continued to strike and kick at the Beast King with everything he had until finally, one last superkick to the head KO’ed Holliday and gave him the win. Don’t Die Miles had lived up to his name and put away every opponent that had come his way. The road had been tough and full of potholes but NWP’s resident underdog had finally earned himself a title. Congratulations Don’t Die Miles on becoming the new Crossroads champion!

So, there you have it, NWP’s See You at the Crossroads, reviewed for your reading pleasure. This was one hell of a packed show. The tournament offered a series of enjoyable matches from some talent I’d never seen before and showed off the range of characters and fighters the company has. Plus. we got some exceptional title fights that just bolstered the card further. NWP has a habit of going under the radar but when they’re firing on all cylinders, they have an excellent roster with a lot of excellent action.

All images courtesy of NWP Twitter, Wrestling with Unicorns, IsThisWrestling

By John Dinsdale

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