By Josh Nason
Just like that, eight years of Limitless Wrestling are officially in the books following last month’s 8th Anniversary Show in Yarmouth, Maine.
If you haven’t seen it or just want to watch again and again, check out IWTV.
In one of the big news items of the night, not one but two title challengers have emerged for Limitless World Champion Channing Thomas.
One of them is former champion Ace Romero who made his surprise return on Saturday to disrupt the show-opening championship celebration with Thomas and Sidney Bakabella. The manager spared no expense with balloons, champagne, a framed 8x10, and his old friend Doink The Clown who Bakabella claimed was Thomas’ favorite wrestler growing up.
Romero’s music hit and he burst through the curtain in his first appearance anywhere since losing the title to Big Beef at March’s Reasonable Doubt. After destroying the celebration, Romero cut to the chase: he wanted Thomas for a title match that night. Thomas and Bakabella declined and escaped as Romero turned his focus to Doink, decimating the clown in short order.
Romero will now get his shot at Thomas at October’s Fresh Blood.
The other is Dezmond Cole who bested former champion Alec Price in the Last Man Standing main event. As expected, both men pulled out all the stops with Cole eventually getting the pin and win after a top rope Spanish Fly through a thick wooden board set up on two chairs.
Afterward, Cole called out his rival in Thomas and made his intentions clear: he is coming for the Limitless title.
Here’s the full results from another fun night in Yarmouth with Fresh Blood coming up on Saturday, October 28th:
JT Dunn defeated Joey Janela
For the first time in six years, the rivalry between Dunn and Janela was renewed in Limitless with Dunn picking up the win. This was competitive as expected with Janela nearly picking up the win after both a death valley driver and a sunset bomb off the top rope followed by a package piledriver for two.
He made a mistake as when following a superkick exchange, he got caught with two Death By Elbow strikes by Dunn for the pin and win. The two shook hands afterward in a show of mutual respect.
Aaron Rourke defeated Kevin Blackwood
Blackwood was firmly in control in this first-time-ever matchup, but Rourke rallied with his innovative offense which included a cannonball to Blackwood’s back while he was still standing. “The Aesthetic Crippler” was unrelenting with his stomps and a Northern Lights bomb, but Rourke again rallied and nearly got the win with a meteora. He later ducked a Blackwood attack with a Matrix, followed by a power bomb and an innovative judo-style leg sweep DDT for the pin to get back on track and send Blackwood to another defeat in Limitless.
Afterward, Ricky Smokes returned to attack his now-former ARTE mate, hitting a cutter to lay Rourke out. He then took the mic and told Rourke that he was always nothing and never special. It was Rourke holding him back and that now that ARTE is no longer, he will respect “The Smokeshow.”
1 Called Manders defeated Ricky Smokes
Smokes then took on the returning Manders who brought his hard-hitting prairie fight-style offense back to Yarmouth. Smokes hung tough with Manders and was about to lay him out with his own cowbell until Rourke returned to prevent it. Manders laid in a chop and his lariat to get the 1-2-3.
Afterward, an enraged Smokes told Ethan Scott that he not only wants Rourke out of his life, he wants him dead. Later, Manders caught up with Scott and suggested they go to the bar.
A question: what does Ava Everett think about all this?
Big Beef defeated Alexander Lee in an anything goes match
This started with a warning for fans to stay off their phones and stay alert because this could go anywhere in the building. That turned out to be good advice.
Lee (a last second replacement for the injured Matt Tremont) brought out a barbed wire wrapped chair and his longtime buoy against Beef’s hammer. Yes, this featured a buoy vs. hammer battle.
Beef pulled out a solid wooden plank from the back which eventually got dropped right on Lee’s head which was directly after Lee used a bat to hit the door that then rammed into Beef’s toe. How’s that for a sequence?
Lee later brought out a forkboard (something I learned exists) that eventually got broken over his own head. In the end. Beef threw Lee through the aforementioned board with a power bomb to get the pin and win.
MSP (Aiden Aggro & DangerKid) defeated ATR (Tristen Thai & Gabriel Skye)
As a throwback, MSP surprised everyone by coming out in their retro Maine State Posse outfits, entrance music and attitude. These guys were all business from the get-go, focusing on Skye’s shoulder and taking Thai out of action for a long stretch after Aggro threw him into fans’ chairs and then right outside the front door of the damn AmVets!
Skye was favoring his shoulder due to the focused MSP attack, telling the referee repeatedly that he was ok to continue despite his loud groans of pain. DangerKid showed no remorse in attacking Skye, attempting to gain revenge for ATR’s initial victory. Aggro joined in by pulling the referee away at one point only for DangerKid to continue his attack unfettered.
Thai eventually made his way back in and was on fire, laying out both MSP members with rapid fire strikes. A sling blade into a backbreaker nearly got ATR their second win over MSP.
However, the end came when Skye got back in and Thai took way too long getting up to the top rope, getting knocked to the floor as a result. DangerKid took advantage, dropping his kneepad and hitting a Busaiku knee strike to Skye’s shoulder that Bryan Danielson would be proud of. He and Aggro hit the Drip Drop to the shoulder for the pin and win. Even after the match, DangerKid appeared to be in a trance of violence. The vibe certainly has changed.
After the match, MSP refused ATR’s attempt at a handshake and a big post-match brawl ensued. The fans, who had been split most of the match, even started chanting “ATR” after MSP departed. This feud must continue!
Hazard won a fatal-four way over Puf, Kody Lane and Love, Doug
You might be wondering who Hazard is. Well, he’s the former Conner Murphy who revealed to ring announcer Rich Palladino what he wants to be known as now.
This was a fun match with a lot of fun personalities. Lane, making his promotional debut, made an impression with his agility, including missing a leaping moonsault off the top rope that looked effortless in the attempt. The returning Doug nearly picked up the win by hitting his Sliced Love No. 2 on Lane, but Hazard stole the pin while putting his feet on the ropes to pick up the victory.
Afterward, Lane tossed Hazard back in the ring where he got hit with a 3D from Doug and Puf. Scott later caught up with Hazard who called out Doug for a match.
Dezmond Cole defeated Alec Price in a Last Man Standing match
The normally playful Cole was all business while Price was sporting some Muay Thai shorts for a slightly different look.
This one went all over the building and also into the fans who cleared out for a Price hiptoss into and over some chairs. A trash can later got involved with Cole ending up on the receiving end of Price’s One More Time kick, an Emergency leg drop from the top rope, and a big stomp. Price later connected on a Hood Stomp on a bed of chairs in a memorable moment.
But Cole would not quit and kept getting up time and time and time again, even after a crossface and Curb Stomp from Price which had the former Limitless Wrestling World Champion incredulous that it didn’t end the match.
Another wooden plank was brought out from under the ring and ended up set up on two chairs. Price wanted to put Cole out for good with a top rope power bomb through the board, but Cole battled and hit a Spanish Fly. Both men went through with sickening force with Cole making it to his feet at the last second to get the victory.
Afterward, Cole grabbed the mic and issued his aforementioned challenge to Thomas for a future title match.
We’re on to Fresh Blood on Saturday, October 28th.