NEW Live Event Results (3/3): Kurt Angle's Indy Farewell, Ryback, Great Khali Appears, Cody Rhodes
Thanks to Wrestling Inc. reader Ryan Bair for sending in these results from last night's Northeast Wrestling WrestleFest XXI event in Waterbury, CT, which featured Kurt Angle's last indy appearance:
The show was a true sellout, with the Fire Marshall turning people away by the scores, all in anticipation of Kurt Angle's impending WWE Hall of Fame induction
* Triple Threat Match: Travis "Flip" Gordon d. "Big Bacon" Brad Hollister and Vinny Marseglia, via pinfall. Solid opener that showcased each performer's strengths; Marseglia's charisma, Big Bacon's strength and Gordon's athleticism. Flip won with a top rope 450 splash.
* The Battle Brothers d. Adrenaline Rush, via pinfall. The Battle Brothers are over bigtime with the NEW crowd, and earned the win in this evenly matched contest.
* Wrecking Ball Legursky (w/ Marshall McNeill) d. Donovan Dijak, via pinfall. McNeill cut a stellar introduction for the recent WWE Performance Center tryout Legursky, who beat the Ring of Honor competitor with a guerilla press into a World's Strongest Slam.
* "Connecticut's Hardcore Icon" Ron Zombie d. Warking Hanson, via pinfall. The hometown crowd backed Zombie to victory in this battle of big men, with the New England Wrestling Hall of Famer defeating the well-traveled member of War Machine withstand chokeslam and his spike DDT.
* Cam Zagami w/Romeo Roselli and "The Sexy Beast" Bull Dredd went to a No Contest. After an entertaining promo, the duo tried to utilize outside interference until the Sexy Beast challenged the two to a tag match with his partner, and introduced Jerry Lawler! One of the biggest pops of the evening
* "The Sexy Beast" Bull Dredd & Jerry "The King" Lawler d. Cam Zagami & Romeo Rosseli, via pinfall. After the quick win, The Godfather came down with two ladies (one of which was Woman of Honor Mandy Leon). Lawler grabbed a mic and took the opportunity to scream "Puppies!" Cam & Romeo then challenged anyone in the back to a match, bringing out the Great Khali. No formal match ensued but both wrestlers received a Big Chop for their troubles.
* "The Big Guy" Ryback d. "The Man Scout" Jake Manning. Very entertaining match, including a highlight when the crowd chanted for Manning to "Use the book!" about his Boy Scouts Guide... and he sat in a corner flipping through the pages. Ryback won a fairly even contest with the Shell Shock.
* NEW Heavyweight Championship Match: "The Miracle" Mike Bennett w/Maria Kanellis d. T.K. O'Ryan (c) via pinfall. Despite the main event's enormous spectacle, this was probably Match of the Night. Bennett came down as a mystery contender for the championship, and he initially said Maria wasn't in attendance. Halfway through the match she appeared, and in the end Bennett won with a kick below the belt while the official was incapacitated, then covered the champion while Kanellis roused the referee.
* Steel Cage Match: "The American Nightmare" Cody d. Kurt Angle, via pinfall. Fantastic match, as could be expected. They shook hands to start and had a classic cage match. Cody missed an attempted moonsault from the top, Angle delivered one of many Release German Suplexes against the wall of the cage, and both men escaped several near-falls and ankle locks. In the end, Cody slipped out of his boot to escape and ankle lock and won with a small package.
After the match, Cody said that he was a better man for having wrestled against Angle, and genuflected to the Olympic Gold Medalist. He also said to Angle, "If you don't like it where you're going, there's always a spot for you in the Bullet Club." Angle then gave a heartfelt thank you to the capacity Waterbury crowd.