WARNING: STRONG VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE AHEAD
Welcome back to the wild world of No Peace Underground. It’s been a while since we covered this crazy company and for this one, they hadn’t come alone. They were at Harpos in Michigan alongside Ruthless Pro Wrestling and Circle 6 to put on one demonic night of strong-style, technical wrestling, and pure deathmatch violence. We’d see Alex Shelley vs Kevin Blackwood, Atticus Cogar vs Matt Cross, The RSP Open Challenge, Justin Kyle vs Josh Woods, the 15-fighter Body Count Battle and so much more leading to the main event massacre between Hoodfoot and Parrow for the NPU Championship. Let’s get into the carnage.
Kevin Blackwood defeated Alex Shelley via Tights-Pulling Roll-up
We kicked things off with the second meeting between Alex Shelley and the Aesthetic Crippler Kevin Blackwood. These two tore the house down on the West Coast, now they were going to do it again to kick this show into gear. There was definitely no love lost between these two. This started mean and just got meaner as the pair locked up and broke as many limbs as they could. It was highly technical, highly physical, and full of horrific-looking holds as Shelly and Blackwood held nothing back. The pair had learned from the first bout and brought that newfound knowledge into play with new strategies and creative counters. After an exceptional back-and-forth war, it would be Blackwood who got the win with the simplest and most effective moves, the tights-pulling roll-up. The ref didn’t catch it so Blackwood got to steal the win and pull another one over Alex Shelley. This didn’t exactly make him popular with the fans but who the hell cares there, these two just put on a masterclass. I think he’d earned the shortcut. He had been left limping by Shelley’s relentless assault on his legs, after all.
Atticus Cogar defeated Matt Cross via Brain Haemorrhage
Next up was something a bit faster. MDogg 2020 was in the building and he was going to be taking on the face of Circle 6 and the demon of 44OH!, Atticus Cogar. These two had a whole venue to play with and no doubt Cross was going to make the most of that. He started fast and took Cogar on a tour of the crowd but got cut off in ring and methodically beaten down. The crowd demanded skewers so Cogar taunted them as often as he could and destroyed Cross with his technical wrestling ability. This continued for a while until Cross was able to sprint down the comeback trail and put the hurt on Cogar. That pushed the Silver Teeth Satan to unleash the skewers but even then, we didn’t get to see them as Cross booted them away. Instead, we got more of Cogar’s signature offense before the killing Brain Haemorrhage. It had been an oppressive match for Cross but he continued to shine in the bits of time he got out from the crushing Cogar was giving him. Cogar remains unkillable at the moment and loved to remind everyone how he still holds the G.O.D briefcase.
Dominic Garrini defeated Schwartzy via Snap Piledriver
Oh shit, it’s time for something special. Dominic Garrini was back in action returning to all his familiar haunts after a long spell with an injury and had found his way back to RPW/No Peace. He was getting a warm welcome back as his opponent was none other than the Long Dong Samurai, Schwartzy. These two were going to get in deep with technical bullshitskis. Behind the dong references and dabskis, we had the makings of a technical monster mash. That is exactly what we got. Despite his initial goofy fun, Schwartzy was ready to bring the pain and match Garrini on a technical level. He’d had his wake and bake so he was fired up and ready to fight. A good thing too as Garrini was merciless. This was a stiff one with Garrini just pummelling Schwartzy whenever he pissed him off. It was far from light-hearted with the master of the dabskis getting handed a loss in his hometown. It wasn’t for lack of trying, he got his licks and holds in and almost had it with his Figure-Four but just couldn’t quite tap Garrini out. A Snap Piledriver followed and Schwartzy was all but KO’ed. It had been a valiant effort but Garrini had not come to fuck around. He played spoiler and made sure that Schwartzy was all bruised up for his next Twitch Stream. Definitely fun to watch though, it cannot be understated just how good Schwartzy is and how well he meshed with Garrini.
Jake Something defeated Rickey Shane Page via Black Hole Slam
.@RickeyShanePage with a release suplex toss!#BodyCount @NoPeaceFL @RuthlessPro419 @Circle6_co
▶️https://t.co/d3Dddxgwp5 pic.twitter.com/ib5ndux7rC— Rob (@HeyyImRob) May 8, 2022
I hope the ring was reinforced; we were about to have a battle of the big men. RSP had laid out an open challenge for anyone in the Michigan area and it had been answered by an absolute juggernaut. RSP likes to have faith in nothing but now he was about to believe in Something. That’s right, Jake Something had come to fight. Goddamn, this was cool. It was Ohio Strong vs Michigan Strong in a one-up contest. It got pretty physical as the pair kept swinging and throwing each other around. It made for an awesome spectacle and gave us a lot of high-impact spots to enjoy. RSP is still bringing out the best in anyone he fights and Something is going on the run of a lifetime at the moment, carving his own path through any company he chooses. This was a nice change of pace and gave us two excellent big men trying to flatten each other.
Jake Crist defeated Kevin Giza via Spin Kick KO
.@TheJakeCrist tosses @kevin_giza off the stage and into the ring!#BodyCount @NoPeaceFL @RuthlessPro419 @Circle6_co
▶️https://t.co/d3DddxfYzx pic.twitter.com/kWxgHJu5aO— Rob (@HeyyImRob) May 8, 2022
We’re all just born to die and no one likes to remind us of that more than Jake Crist. The veteran of almost every style around has found himself on quite the tear lately and looked to keep that streak alive by a win over a cult favourite rising star, All Balls Kevin Giza. Both men have all the skills to make each other quit and we were going to see that on display here. Surely you already knew this one was going to be good right? It was a straight wrestling match between two guys with the skills to pay the bills. Giza started hot but got cut off and broken down by Crist forcing him to mount a comeback and use the whole venue to do so. As always, Crist made no friends in the crowd and had as much fun insulting the fans whilst bringing the hurt to Giza. You can never keep Giza down though and it took Crist throwing him off the stage and spin kicking him to the head to finally turn off the lights. This was another awesome fight from a show that kept on giving. Crist might be an obnoxious asshat once he starts fighting but fucking hell does he get results.
RPW Title: Justin Kyle defeated Josh Woods via Spear
Oh man, it’s time for a fight. Justin Kyle, the Super Fight Beast, reigns atop the mountain that RPW is and has seen off any challenger that comes his way. Be it a straight fight or hardcore warfare, Kyle cannot be stopped. Now, he was getting to flex his technical muscles as he fought the former king of ROH’s Pure division, The Technical Beast, Josh Woods. This one was definitely a fight for survival. Woods seemed to have an answer for almost anything Kyle could throw at him. He struck smart, pulling on his pure rules mentality to break down Kyle’s limbs and take away the power game that makes him so dominant. The damage kept mounting up as we saw Kyle wince with pain whenever he tried to strike back. The surgical precision continued to be shown as Woods picked his targets and stuck with them. The game plan would have worked too had it not been for a surprise Spear from Kyle. That one moment was all it took for all of Woods’ hard work to go down the train. It had been compelling to watch and certainly showed how much of a threat Woods is but the result remains the same, Justin Kyle is still your RPW champion and no one seems to be able to dethrone him. Woods had a winning formula but Kyle’s toughness and brute force just would not be denied.
Body Count Battle: Kevin Giza defeated Apollo Q Starr, Casanova Valentine, Darren McCarty, Josh Crane, Madman Pondo, Malcolm Monroe III, Mathias Thrasher, Mickie Knuckles, Neil Diamond Cutter, Otis Cogar, Remington Rhor, Satu Jinn, Thunderkitty, 44OH! & TJ Meyer via Apron Splash on Cogar
Let there be blood. We’d reached the show’s namesake and it was time to bring out the bodies, the blood, and the fuckery. It was Body Count Battle time. 15 fighters were going to enter the ring and only one could leave alive. We’d seen names announced but we had no idea the order they’d come in or what would be left of them when they left. Madman Pondo was the first out and started the action against the timeless classic, Thunderkiity. She’s been wrestling since 1946 and had a wealth of experience to unleash on Pondo, providing she could dodge the saw bat. She could not and after a staple down under, Pondo was raking her back with that bat. So much for respecting your elders… As they fought on, Mickie Knuckles came out next and interjected herself with a German on Pondo. Thunderkitty got revenge with the staple gun and Knuckles brute-forced the pair further. They were joined by TJ Meyer who got a warm welcome through forearms and headbutts from Knuckles. Pondo brought out the spike and went full Kakihara by stabbing the mouth of Knuckles. As things took a more violent turn, Apollo Q Starr came out to up the wrestling quota. He was met by a German and Pondo continued his vendetta against Knuckles with a knife to the eye socket (from Ichi the Killer to Dead Space…) Neil Diamond Cutter was out next and brought an army of bundles with him, which Pondo quickly used to hit a tube low blow on Meyer. Starr took advantage of the chaos and quickly dumped out Thunderkitty, giving us the first elimination. More glass, staples, and private parts with broken as 44OH! rushed the ring with guitars. They struck and quickly eliminated Starr and Meyer from the match.
Flying crossbody w/ a light tube bundle from @kevin_giza!#BodyCount @NoPeaceFL @RuthlessPro419 @Circle6_co
▶️https://t.co/d3Dddxgwp5 pic.twitter.com/48kOPgA7rg— Rob (@HeyyImRob) May 8, 2022
44OH! continued to wreck the remainder of those in the ring as Cutter, Pondo, and Knuckles all felt the sting of tubes. They’d hijacked this marquee match and were massacring everyone left. Getting sick of the bullshit, the godfather of RPW, Darren McCarty came out to raise some hell. He tried to fight off all of 44OH! but the numbers were against him and after a beatdown, Atticus Cogar skewered him. He was thrown out and the 44OH! domination continued. Satu Jinn was out next, Kataba Blade in hand and ready to kill. Sadly, 44OH! picked that moment to fuck off and flee, leaving everyone blue-balled. He opened the butcher shop on everyone else though, giving the crowd plenty of cuts from that blade to watch. Things got glassy and the next entrant emerged, All Balls Kevin Giza for his second match of the night. He flew into action and the bloodletting kicked up a notch as more fuckery got involved. The next entrant was Evil Incarnate himself, Otis Cogar and that just led to another round of bulldozing for those in the ring. Blood and glass continued to be shed so it only seemed fitting that as the ring got more dangerous, Danger Josh Crane entered the fray. He brought his mix of strong and death to the ring, busting skulls and tubes. The action was spilling everywhere so it only seemed fitting to bring out another entrant, Malcolm Monroe III aka MM3. The Process went wild on those in the ring whilst Pondo was put through a door outside by Knuckles. It was all death everywhere and only getting worse as Remington Rhor, the Carnivore made his way out as the next entrant. He threw Cutter to his death and Jinn launched MM3 out of the fight. Crane was tossed out as heads were carved and the next potential winner of the match came out, Casanova Valentine.
With almost all the entrants out and the survivors still tearing each other apart, we had the final stretch of the match. There was still plenty of fuckery left to break and a whole host of bloody, tired and angry competitors ready to break it. Valentine unleashed hell on the match and eliminations came quicker as Knuckles got rid of Pondo and Brooklyn Black Death came for Rhor. The final entrant came out right as a whole lot of bodies were dropped, Mathias Thrasher. He was entering a reduced field but was still going to have his work cut out for him. He got to tear up Valentine then got brained and emphatically thrown out by Cogar. Breaking another door on the way out. Jinn was the next to go as all three remaining dogpiled him and Giza nearly met a similar fate as Cogar and Valentine teamed up. That unholy alliance quickly fell apart as Valentine went into business for himself. It didn’t work out though as Giza low-bridged him out minutes later. That left All Balls to deal with evil. They fought like their lives depended on it and with one last flurry, Giza was able to best Cogar with his apron splash. It had been a rough night for Giza but he had beaten the odds to walk away with at least one win tonight. This had been one hell of a rumble with everyone getting at least one cool moment and a whole lot of scars. I love shit like this. A whole lot of bodies doing a whole lot of damage. What’s not to love?
RPW Rustbelt: Randi West defeated Bobby Beverly via Bundle Folding Flatliner
.@BobbyBeverly busts a light tube fan over Randi West's head!#BodyCount @NoPeaceFL @RuthlessPro419 @Circle6_co
▶️https://t.co/d3Dddxxzr5 pic.twitter.com/6B3tXhru7w— Rob (@HeyyImRob) May 8, 2022
It was time for more violence as the RPW Rustbelt was up next. The deathmatch title for RPW had been won by Randi West and now she was going to have to defend it against the enforcer of 44OH! Bobby Beverly. Randi West is one of the toughest broads in the business but how would she fare against the Saitos and swinging of the Bev? It could get very ugly, very fast here. Within the opening minutes, there was blood as tubes and wire had been brought into play. These two weren’t fucking around and took this horror show around ring-side, showering fans in glass and blood. This was just a constant one-upmanship contest as the Bev tried to manhandle West and she just murdered him right back, putting up with none of that shit. They continuously traded tubes, bundles, and Suplexes as West was not going to let the Bev take her lightly. That was continuously being tested though as the Bev brought out tube splashes and tube fans to continuously test her mettle. Even a glass pane would keep West down. She just kept kicking out and eventually put Bev down with a Folding Flatliner, smashing his face into a bundle. It had been visceral as hell and a tough watch at times but West had powered through and defended her title against a merciless foe. This really upped the violence quota and gave us one hell of an underdog story in the process.
NPU Title: Atticus Cogar defeated Hoodfoot & Parrow via Briefcase Braining on Parrow
Here comes the fucking pain. It was No Peace Title time and the champion, Parrow, has been undefeated for as long as we can all remember. No matter the foe, no matter how big or small, Parrow has killed them. This time he was in for a real test though, the Saucy Butcher, Hoodfoot. Parrow wasn’t just going to be able to pick up and dominate someone as big as Hoodfoot. Okay, I stood corrected, he got a chokeslam off in the first minute but it was nowhere near enough to stop Hoodfoot. These two just kept shunting and hossing it up, trying to find any opening. This fight went everywhere and incorporated yet more glass into the mix as their brawling saw tubes and panes smash in their wake. No one and nothing was safe as even a guardrail buckled. It was a hurricane of hardcore hoss fighting and goddamn was it great. It was completely derailed though. Remember earlier I said Atticus Cogar had the G.O.D briefcase. That basically entitled him to a title match anytime, anywhere. He cashed in at the climax of this match and stole the win as these two behemoths lay broken amongst more damaged guardrails. Neither man stayed down for that cheap shit but Cogar had plenty of energy and managed to avoid death at the hands of Greetings From Asbury Park after pissing Parrow off with skewers to the head. He brained Parrow with his briefcase and that sealed the deal. Atticus Cogar had handed the champion his first loss and taken the NPU Title. It was a sad end to a monumental reign but I can see Parrow attempting revenge. I really wanna see Cogar/Parrow 1 vs 1. Or, Cogar vs Hoodfoot 1 vs 1 for that matter.
ICW American Deathmatch Title: Eric Ryan defeated John Wayne Murdoch, MASADA & Tommy Vendetta via Snuff Stomps to Murdoch
Last but not least, the main event. It was time for another bloodbath as the ICW American Deathmatch Title was on the line. Eric Ryan found himself against a challenger from each company as John Wayne Murdoch repped ICW and NPU, Tommy Vendetta flew the flag for RPW, and deathmatch icon MASADA flew the flag for Circle 6. It was going to be all-out warfare with Eric Ryan having to use every trick in the book to beat the odds. This was a war. These four fought their hearts out as they took Harpos by storm. They fought ring-side, stage-side, and bar-side as every fan in any seat became a front-row participant at some point. Tommy Vendetta has been taking the deathmatch world by storm and looked right at home alongside all the pros in the ring, having multiple competitive stretches with MASADA. No one dared to slouch in this one as there was violence at all times and a whole host of different weaponry used. They broke chairs, tubes, and glass, then even brought out a barbed-wire trampoline. That final bit of fuckery would be the end of the match for MASADA and Vendetta as they could do nothing more than struggle and watch as Murdoch and Ryan closed the match with more from their heated rivalry. As a three-company show, with ICW NHB making an impromptu fourth, it was nice to see this collective bloodbath with all companies getting their shine. All their stars brought the pain and ended the show on a high note. Ryan retained by getting another win at the duke’s expense and everyone went home happy. It was a triumphant return for NPU and another excellent show from RPW. Circle 6 is slowly making a name for itself and their fingerprints were felt throughout. Jolly cooperation leads to jolly good shows. Who knew?
Vintage MASADA. #BodyCount @NoPeaceFL @RuthlessPro419 @Circle6_co
▶️https://t.co/d3DddxfYzx pic.twitter.com/9X3JolWmod— Rob (@HeyyImRob) May 8, 2022
All images courtesy of NPU/RPW, HeyyImRob, Neil Hazel,