WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE AHEAD

Welcome back to DMDU and the first-ever DMDU Heavyweight Title Tournament. Yesterday we saw the first-round matches play out, now we’ll see the epic conclusion as the remaining fighters will go through another gruelling schedule of fights to claim the prestigious spot as the inaugural DMDU Heavyweight Champion. Alongside that, we’ll see Callen Butcher look to finish his winning streak over Gweedo by taking the UGWA Total Violence Championship and Aussie Open making their DMDU debut against Misspent Youth. Let’s get into the action.

Quarter-Final: Caveman Ugg defeated Jessica Troy via Fire Thunder Driver

What a way to open. We started with the ultimate clash of styles as The Arm Collector looked to break the brawling mitts of Caveman Ugg. Both of these fighters took a beating in the first round but would Troy’s arm be back in working order? They started with a lock-up and Troy failed to move Ugg so he took her on a ride with a giant swing. Troy rolled to the outside as Ugg had to compose himself. She returned to the ring and quickly found herself being tossed around like a ragdoll. Troy landed on her feet after another toss and tried for an armbar but Ugg sent her flying. She tripped him into the buckles and mashed his head in with double knees. Ugg’s arm was brutalised by kicks but he blocked another armbar attempt with a hair swing. Troy tried to go for a Sunset Flip but got trapped on Ugg’s back as he wandered around. He tried for a Dudebuster but Troy rolled through, only to meet canvas as Ugg threw her in the air again. He looked to end things with the Fire Thunder Driver but Troy elbowed free and cinched in the armbar, pulling on fingers for good measure. Ugg crushed her in the corner and launched her off the ropes but Troy used this to set up La Mistica and try for another tap out. Ugg got the ropes but Troy was right back on him, using his back as a platform for a double arm wrench before crushing him with another double knee. She snatched the arm again but Ugg fought free and caught her into the Fire Thunder Driver for the win. Ugg may have been victorious here but Troy had definitely left her mark. Ugg’s arm was weakened and though she was out, her damage was done. I loved this opener; it was light-hearted yet serious as hell when it needed to be. Troy is incredible and I’m finally glad to have seen her in action.

Quarter-Final: Charli Evans defeated Royce Chambers via Lariat

Charli Evans seems to keep drawing the cocky ones. First, she destroyed Sammy Falcon, now she’d have to murder Royce Chambers. If anyone was going to do it though, Evans definitely seemed the most capable. Would Chambers be able to progress to the semis or would his ego cost him? He didn’t hesitate as he instantly drilled Evans with a double stomp. Evans dodged the Spinal Tap and superkicked his teeth out. Chambers ate a turnbuckle pad and the canvas as Evans spiked him with a Low Rana. He avoided a Saito and second buckle trip to nail a handspring corkscrew uppercut and stabbed through her with another double stomp. He turned his attention to Evans’ taped-up arm and made the mistake of talking shit. Evans popped up like a firework and smashed him with a flurry of strikes into a schoolboy knee strike and bridging fisherman. Chambers kicked out and took out Evans’ leg for a gutwrench. He grabbed a chair and used it as a launchpad for a moonsault. He then used it a second time for a jumping cutter. Evans refused to stay down so he used it a third time for a step-up corkscrew splash. That still didn’t end it so he charged a seated Evans only to get dumped on the chair with a German. The pair traded slick kicks outside and Evans ended it with the Saito/Lariat combo. Evans had made it through two cocky opponents now though to his credit, Chambers was more focused than I’m used to seeing. This was another excellent match from Evans as the underdog spirit and take no shit attitude led to her getting another hard-hitting win.

Quarter-Final: Tommy Knight defeated Tyson Baxter via Brainbuster

If there’s one opponent Tommy Knight didn’t want, it’s Tyson Baxter. GORE had targeted his knee throughout a lot of their match yesterday and now he was against a kneebar specialist. He was going to have to be extra careful here. They opened with a cagey standoff and Baxter went straight to the knee, cockily kicking at it. He quickly bailed when Knight approached him and tried to hide in the ropes but Knight caught another kick and faceplanted him into a deadlift German. It went from bad to worse as Knight murdered him with a senton and got beaten down from corner to corner. Baxter escaped the brainbuster and knocked Knight to the outside with kicks for a dive. Only Knight caught him out of the air into a forearm knockout and apron slam. Baxter kicked out at the leg again as Knight re-entered the ring and used the outside furniture to do more damage. Baxter continued that targeted assault in-ring but Knight wasn’t going down quietly. That knee was locked up and snapped about with Baxter even throwing in the same dirty knee brace trap he used yesterday. Knight tried to fire back but his knee gave out and Baxter caved him in with a double stomp. Baxter continued to take advantage with kicks but a PK to the back just pissed Knight off. He woke Knight up with more back kicks and turned around to greet death in the face as Knight caught another kick into an overhead belly to belly. He flattened Baxter with a second and the pair threw bombs until Knight levelled them both with a huge lariat. They went for one final sprint as finishers were countered until Knight hoisted Baxter out of the kneebar and ended him with the Brainbuster. Knight had fought through injury to kill off another specialist in the tournament. The Prodigy refused to be stopped and even if he was limping a bit, those strikes were still deadly as fuck.

Quarter-Final: Ritchie Taylor defeated JXT (without FOX) via Rolling Elbow

Oh, revenge is sweet. Ritchie Taylor felt the sting of defeat last time he battled JXT. Now, he had a chance to avenge that loss and punch the arrogance out of him. This was going to be a vicious little bout that was certain. FOX was here again but thankfully he wasn’t threatening to shit in the ring this time. JXT ushered him away because he didn’t think he needed him present for this fight and tried to talk down to Taylor on the mic. He talked about taking the company to new heights and new places overseas whilst Taylor wasn’t fit to carry the Title let alone the company. He took things too far by mocking Taylor’s straight-edge lifestyle and recovering alcoholic status. He tried to get in Taylor’s face but Taylor just hit him with the rolling elbow and knocked him the fuck out. This was a one-move match and damn fun for it. I love JXT but you don’t shit talk something that serious and walk away unscathed. Taylor just had the easiest fight of the quarter-finals; he’s definitely going into the semis with an advantage.

UGWA Total Violence San Jose Glass Crush Deathmatch: Gweedo (w/York & Damian Rivers) defeated Callen Butcher via Orange Glass Self Destruction

Here we go, bloodbath time. Gweedo and Butcher have been at each other for months. Across multiple shows and multiple matches, Butcher has picked up the win each time. Now the title was on the line and the pair were going one-on-one in a bout of broken glass, broken circuitry, and broken skin. This was going to be brutal. Butcher was going shirtless for this one and crashed into a glass pane after throwing hands. Butcher shook off the effects and speared Gweedo through a second pane. The glass was certainly crushing now. Gweedo bailed and Butcher pelted him with oranges before setting up another pane outside and launching Gweedo through it. York tried to step up but Butcher just threw him into a guardrail and went back on the offensive. Gweedo hit low and broke another pane on Butcher with a chair shot. Butcher wouldn’t stay down so Gweedo littered the mat with computer chips. This quickly backfired as Butcher dumped them both on them with a Russian Leg Sweep. Gweedo attacked with his shiv and Butcher hijacked the commentary area to set up a door. He cracked Gweedo with the ring bell and put a pane of glass over the door-bound Gweedo. He climbed to the top of the entrance scaffold and broke the pane, the door, and Gweedo with a splash. Everyone scrambled to look after the wrestlers and Gweedo’s goons jumped Butcher, Rivers attacking him with a staple gun. Butcher looked to set up the kill shot with an orange-covered pane contraption but Gweedo dodged and Butcher threw himself through the pane. Gweedo fell onto Butcher and took the win. Holy shit this fucking rocked. I knew it was going to be nasty but this was other levels of brutality. Callen Butcher really kicked it up another level and even in defeat looked like a superstar. Gweedo is as smart as he is sadistic and let Butcher self-destruct to take the win.

Candy Lee, Kid Valiant, GORE (w/KrackerJak) & Rochelle Rogue defeated Punch-Drunk Istria, Chanel Phoenix, Edward Dusk & Jake Taylor via Snuff Slam on Istria

Time for what commentary called the “we paid them to be here so they’ll fight” multi-person tag match. All the fallen fighters from yesterday’s show and Kid Valiant were about to duke it out in eight-person tag action. KrackerJak didn’t really know what the hell he was doing there but went along with it and danced to Nicki Minaj. He once again had a mic and was strangely self-referential as he referred to everyone, including himself as losers for fucking up the tournament. He also ran down the odd teams and wanted to just see GORE fight Istria. They looked set to fight but Istria had to be a dick and tag out. What followed was 16 minutes of pure chaos as with every match of this type, everyone fought everyone and took the spotlight when they could. To do play-by-play here would eat up a lot of words so just imagine the name-value here as they all went to war. Valiant genuinely tried to have fun and impress Uncle KrackerJak who spent most of his time berating him from ringside and Rogue had an enjoyable slug-out with Phoenix. Istria finally entered the match and got his first fight against the ultimate diva Candy Lee. Valiant became a punching bag until we finally got the GORE/Istria war. Everyone got their licks in as Istria fought with a bloody nose and bloody hatred for GORE. In the end, the Snuff Slam ended it and GORE got the win for his team. It was nice to see so many of the tournament faces get another shot at action, even if for half of them it was a loss.

Semi-Final: Charli Evans defeated Tommy Knight via Lariat

Now things were really getting interesting. We had Tommy Knight rolling with a hobbled leg against the Violence Artist Charli Evans. Both had been through the wringer but neither was showing it and were ready to mess each other up. Knight may have a huge height advantage but that didn’t deter Evans in the slightest. Evans attacked out of the gate and beckoned Knight outside. He gave chase and Evans punished him with a Dragon Screw in the ropes. He made her pay with a slam and crushed her with a senton. He asserted his power with another heavy slam and lobbed her into a buckle. She fell outside but Knight attacked her on the apron and dragged her back inside for a sickening forearm. Knight tried to charge Evans in the ropes but she dodged and got hung up, leaving a massive target for Evans to kick at. The kicks continued as Evans lit up his chest and cracked his temple with more stiff boots. She tried to drag Knight up but he cut her off with a violent headbutt. Evans was busted open but that did nothing but rejuvenate her. Evans attacked Knight with clotheslines but he exploded out of the corner and brought her crashing down again with a clothesline. This trend continued as Evans would fire off a flurry and Knight would take her head off. Evans tried for the lariat but Knight remained defiant so she buckled his knee with another Dragon Screw. She hit a low lariat and Knight stayed down for three. Charli Evans had slain the giant and taken the first spot in the DMDU final. She had beaten all comers and put on a hard-hitting classic here. Knight had bulldozed his way through the competition but heart trumped brawn here.

Semi-Final: Ritchie Taylor defeated Caveman Ugg via Roll-up

The second semi saw the Boulder Smasher meet the Smash Mouth as Ritchie Taylor collided with Caveman Ugg. Taylor had an easy ride through the semis but Ugg was trying to nurse an injured arm at the hands of Troy. Would Taylor be able to exploit this? Ugg tried to give Taylor the swing treatment but Taylor wasn’t playing and attacked with forearms. The pair chopped it out and Ugg struck Taylor into the corner for a head toss. The pair went for a second round of chops and Taylor launched Ugg with a back body drop. A slugfest broke out and both men hit the canvas. They fought up and Taylor wiggled free of Splash Mountain to roll Ugg up and take the win. This was a pure rapid slugfest with Taylor managing to sneak the win out from under Ugg. He heads into the final in better shape but will be meeting someone as equally tenacious.

Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) defeated Misspent Youth (Aysha & Murdoch) via Aurelias/Fidget Spinner on Murdoch  

Time for something special. Misspent Youth were about to battle with one of the top Australian teams on the planet, Aussie Open. Mark Davis had been unsuccessful in his last DMDU visit so he’d brought his partner along for the fun. They were about to upset the tag division. Fletcher started against Murdoch and backed him into a corner. The crowd gave Fletcher their thoughts as the pair chain wrestled and went into a shoulder block battle. Both scored knockdowns as Fletcher took Murdoch a bit too lightly. Davis tagged in and Aysha came to meet him. She tried to shunt him about but Davis just launched her like she was nothing. Aysha used Davis’ momentum against him but he surprised her too by cartwheeling out of a head-scissor. Aysha nearly scored the win with La Magistral and drove Davis into the turnbuckles with another head-scissor. Fletcher rushed the ring and the pair smashed Aysha into the mat. Aussie Open continued to slam Aysha like a sack of spuds and mocked her with the world’s longest Stalling Suplex. Aysha slapped back and took out both members to make the tag to Murdoch. He flew in and lit up Fletcher with clotheslines but Davis cut him off with a chop.

They went back and forth with bombs until Murdoch hit a spinning clothesline. Murdoch ran an uppercut train and bounced Davis off Fletcher before hitting a standing SSP. Murdoch went for more uppercuts but Fletcher caught him into a sit-out Michinoku Driver. Fletcher hammered down on Murdoch but Murdoch cut him off with the Final Cut. Aysha tagged in and Fletcher held her Crucifix off and lawn-darted her straight into Murdoch. Davis got the tag, threw Aysha into Fletcher’s boot and the pair hit a double-team cutter. Misspent Youth hit their Yeet Kick DDT and Aysha hit a suicide DDT on the outside. Fletcher kicked out of the Yeet Crucifix and everyone got hit in the head. Aysha nailed a double DDT and Murdoch slugged it out with Fletcher to beat a count-out. Murdoch hit Crossroads and a cannonball but couldn’t get the kill shot and Aussie Open softened Murdoch up for Aurelias and the win. Aussie Open had just beaten the tag champs in a pretty nasty fashion. That should mean we’ll get round two with the titles on the line. I don’t think anyone will complain after seeing this.

FOX defeated “Mr. Wrestling” Mitchell Wright (w/Caity Luxe) via Tombstone Piledriver

FOX was back and looking to shit in the ring again. Security was about to intervene again when the Safety Dance hit. That could only mean one thing, Mr. Wrestling Mitchell Wright and the Anti-Deathmatch Party were around… yay. Somehow FOX was the face here as no one could take Wright’s drivel about the sanctity of wrestling. They just wanted to laugh at FOX taking a shit in the ring. We got a match and Wright brawled on the outside… how impure. He hit FOX with an Atomic Drop into a dropkick and went for a wrist-lock. Wright choked out FOX with his leg whilst distracting the ref. FOX got revenge by suffocating Wright under his kilt, showing him all manner of eldritch horrors and the pair yanked on the other’s beard. Jay Stevens lost their temper with all the cheating so both tried to play innocent and hit eye pokes before downing each other with a double lariat. Wright tried for the Chicken Wing but FOX fought him off and KO’ed him with a Tombstone. Wright had tried to defend the sanctity of wrestling from someone looking to shit on it. Instead, he lost and his win/loss record was further shat on. Ah, how life can be funny.

Final: Ritchie Taylor defeated Charli Evans via Brainbuster

Last but not least, the main event. The grand finale of the tournament and the match to decide the first DMDU Heavyweight Champion. Both Ritchie Taylor and Charli Evans had fought off three other opponents to get here and now they’d have to go through each other to claim this historic prize. Taylor was coming in in better shape but that wasn’t about to stop Evans from kicking his ass as she had kept her crimson mask. They both basked in the chants and went into a rapid technical exchange. Evans broke this by heading outside and forced Taylor outside by going for an armbar. Evans continued to keep the technical edge and applied pressure to the arms and neck of Taylor. He went to the ropes and Evans let him find his feet. They traded pin attempts and dodged the other’s finisher before going into an all-out slugfest. Evans went for her kicks but Taylor caught her leg and threw her away with a T-Bone Suplex. The back-and-forth continued as Taylor dished out chops and Evans beckoned for more. Evans crumpled and Taylor quickly locked on a Camel Clutch. Evans started a Violence party and flatlined Taylor into the buckles for a face wash. The schoolboy knee followed and Taylor countered a lariat into a deadly back elbow. The pair took a break and renewed hostilities on the outside as they beat each other around ringside and up to the stage. Taylor fought out of a piledriver attempt and spiked Evans on the stage with one of his own. Jessica Troy attended to Evans as Taylor returned to the ring for a count-out.

Evans beat the count and Taylor nailed her with a DVD. She wouldn’t give up though and dodged a corner spear. Taylor went right back on the attack with a forearm but Evans kicked him through the ropes and hit him with a twisting neckbreaker. The bridging fisherman followed but Taylor wasn’t out for the count yet. Evans tried for a Gory Bomb but Taylor countered and trapped her in a Cloverleaf. Evans made the ropes and the pair slugged it out again. The defiance remained as Evans gave Taylor the finger but he just bent it and smashed her in the face. He dragged her up for another elbow but Evans fired back with a superkick into the Saito and lariat. Taylor somehow kicked out and stunned her on the top rope to deliver a top rope Brainbuster for another two-count. Neither fighter would stay down as the adrenaline fuelled their fighting. Taylor hit another rolling elbow and one final Brainbuster for the win. Evans had come at him like a living dead girl but that Brainbuster was the final shot to put her out of it. These two had an absolute banger of a match full of drama and intensity as you could tell how much the Title meant to them. Both had fought drastic odds to be here and, in the end, Taylor was the one to take it. That ended the Juice was Worth the Squeeze, a super weekender of high-impact, high stakes wrestling with a whole host of amazing matches and competitors. This tournament should have already put this blazing hot company on the map and showcased the wealth of talent on offer. I cannot wait for D.R.E.A.M when we see them do it again with deathmatches. Until then, congratulations once again to the first DMDU Heavyweight Champion Ritchie Taylor.

All images courtesy of DMDU, Jake Hurdle Photography, Digital Beard,