By Josh Nason
And just like that, the first quarter for Limitless Wrestling live events has come to an end with Bitter Taste — yet another sold-out show that featured a faction re-aligning, several standing ovations, and a former LW World Champion officially calling his shot to reclaim the title.
Here’s a look back at that late-February night in Yarmouth, Maine, ahead of Limitless’ return on Saturday, April 13th back at the AmVets. Get your tickets now for Guilty Pleasures because they will sell out once again.
The Big News:
Channing Thomas once again left the AmVets as the Limitless World Champion, defeating Rip Byson for his fourth title defense and once again, Sidney Bakabella had something to do with the end. Afterward, Alec Price came into the ring to deliver a Surprize Kick to Bakabella as Byson delivered a Burning Hammer to Thomas. Price raised the belt above his head, calling his shot for a title match that will take place at Guilty Pleasures.
The Quick Results:
Ace Romero defeated Sami Callihan in a Yarmouth street fight
Ricky Smokes defeated Gabby Forza
Megan Bayne defeated The Bratz (Paris Van Dale & Shannon LeVangie) in a handicap match
The Rich & Powerful (Charles Mason & Richard Holliday) defeated JT Dunn & Dezmond Cole
Alec Price defeated Lio Rush
Above The Rest (Tristen Thai & Gabriel Skye) defeated The Unit (Danny Miles & Trigga The OG)
Limitless Wrestling World Champion Channing Thomas (w/ Sidney Bakabella) defeated Rip Byson to retain
In-Depth:
Ace Romero defeated Sami Callihan in a Yarmouth street fight
These two rivals hadn’t gone to war against each other since December 2019 and not in Limitless since November 2017. Callihan didn’t waste any time attacking Romero before the bell and then challenging him to change the rules up to a Yarmouth (or YarMOUTH as Callihan pronounced it) street fight. Romero quickly accepted.
This saw Callihan deliver, yes, paper cuts between Romero’s fingers and his mouth and even a shove to Romero’s mother who was in attendance. The usual plunder got involved with both men using chairs, trash cans and a door which Romero got tossed through in the corner.
Callihan also countered a Stinkface attempt with a surprise staple gun attack. But Romero eventually got ahold of the gun, stapling his rival’s balls to everyone’s delight. Romero got the pin after a running elbow drop and said in a backstage interview that he is going to continue his path to the top but for Aiden Aggro to “keep my name out of your f**king mouth.” Why did he say that? Read on.
Callihan is still in search of his first win in Limitless while Romero now has his second straight victory.
Ricky Smokes defeated Gabby Forza
Before the match, Smokes cut an intense promo addressing the fans and challenging former ARTE teammate Aaron Rourke to a match right here, right now. However. Rourke was not in the building (which Smokes knew) but Rourke ally and friend Forza was. And, of course, “Your Homie The Gnomie” was ready to fight.
Forza was on a roll early using her considerable power advantage to land a press slam, a spear, a springboard splash out of the corner, and a release German suplex. In the end, Smokes survived and won with a roll-up but with his feet on the ropes to pick up the win.
Afterward, Forza was furious and began arguing with referee Eric Greenleaf. She then lost her cool and landed an all-time spear on the referee to the ravenous delight of the Yarmouth faithful. One has to wonder if this will result in a long suspension for the Limitless rookie.
This is Smokes’ first Limitless singles win since Crunch Time in July 2022. Backstage later, he said he has bigger business to attend to and reiterated that he wants Rourke one-on-one and will “backhand the face paint right off” Rourke’s face.
Megan Bayne defeated The Bratz (Paris Von Dale & Shannon LeVangie) in a handicap match
PVD and LeVangie were making their Limitless debut with PVD proclaiming the show would make the beginning of “The Bratitude Era.” This was PVD’s Limitless proper debut after multiple appearances on The Road series while this was LeVangie’s second appearance.
The confidence of the young duo quickly changed when the debuting Bayne came out, fresh off a long run in Japan’s Stardom promotion. An intimidating physical presence, Bayne fought through some double-team attempts from The Bratz, landing an improbably double belly-to-back side-by-side suplex that has to be seen to be belived.
In the end, Bayne won with a Bayne 5 (F5) to LeVangie followed by a tombstone piledriver to PVD onto the prone LeVangie for the pin. Later backstage, The Bratz were undeterred and said they weren’t going anywhere. That was probably before they learned Bayne is returning to Limitless in April.
The Rich & The Powerful (Richard Holliday & Charles Mason) defeated Dezmond Cole & JT Dunn
Originally slated to be Mason vs. Cole in a Vacationland Cup rematch, Holliday came out in full gear and confronted Cole. Mason then snuck in from behind and the two then beat up Cole until JT Dunn ran out for the save to even the odds. He then suggested a tag team match and it was on.
Both Cole and Dunn took a beating from Holliday and Mason at various points with Holliday hitting a counter Super 2008 from the top rope on Cole with a surefire pin being broken up by Dunn.
Later, Cole hit his signature swanton from the top rope but just as he was about to pin Mason, Holliday pulled out referee Nate Speckman to everyone’s dismay.
The end came when Mason had a sleeper on Cole with Dunn standing on the apron. Dunn called for Cole to run Mason into him for a kick but Cole got reversed and he got kicked instead. Mason then hit a twisting tombstone for the pin.
Afterward, the unsteady alliance between Cole and Dunn that began at last year’s VLC came to a screeching halt. Cole had enough of Dunn’s attempt at a bro embrace and told him to back away, lighting into him and eventually calling him selfish. Dunn slumped in the corner, looking disgusted at himself. Cole then stood there, almost looking empathetic. The Unit (Danny Miles & Trigga The OG) then came out and started verbally jabbing with Cole. Dun then fired up and laid Cole out from behind with a Death by Elbow, looking conflicted as he walked out with his past Unit teammates.
Later on, Holliday and Mason glowed about their victory and took a shot at Above The Rest. Intriguing indeed….
Alec Price defeated Lio Rush
Rush was making his first Limitless appearance since April 2017 while this was Price’s first appearance since losing to Cole in a Last Man Standing match last September. These have done battle elsewhere with their last meeting coming in January 2023.
As expected, speed was on display from both men. Their history was on display on several occasions where both men hit the ropes, stopping dead in the middle of the ring as their offensive idea was muted.
Some Rush offensive highlights include a mat spin into a head kick and an out-of-nowhere Spanish Fly that nearly got him the win. He also started favoring his right wrist and shoulder which has been a problem for him in the past.
The end came when Rush hit a spear and then missed his MOTH frog splash, giving Price a sliver of an opening to hit a Surprize Kick for the pin and win.
Afterward, Price took to the mic and cut a babyface promo, saying, among other things, he is getting better not just for himself but for the fans. He then called out Thomas for a title shot — his first since losing the title to Romero at September 2022’s anniversary show.
Aiden Aggro promo
J-Heru came out with some notecards for ring announcer Rich Palladino so he could probably introduce Aggro for his first appearance since defeating former MSP teammate and friend DangerKid in their January epic.
Aggro wasn’t received well from the Yarmouth faithful with one young lady giving him the Steve Austin middle finger treatment. He responded by telling her mother, “I’d be your father but a dog beat me to it.” Among his comments about changing the game, he took a shot at Ace Romero and said he was going to build his name the right way.
“Aiden Aggro is the Maine character,” he said, later stating backstage that the VLC could use a “Maine character.”
Above The Rest (Tristen Thai & Gabriel Skye) defeated The Unit (Danny Miles & Trigga The OG)
This was ATR’s first match back since ending their three-match series with MSP in December while Miles was making his return to Limitless for the first time since February 2017. After two decades of work on the indies, this marked Trigga’s LW debut.
In a competitive bout, we saw perhaps the finish of the year. ATR prevented The Unit from hitting their finisher with Thai monkey flipping Trigga into a running Skye knee that turned Trigga a full 360 degrees.
The win gives ATR their second straight victory and perhaps a meeting with The Rich & The Powerful at some point. For The Unit, we will need to see what’s next after their reunion with Dunn who watched the bout from behind the announce desk.
Backstage, the hazy became clear and all of Limitless Wrestling should take notice:
Limitless Wrestling World Champion Channing Thomas (w/ Sidney Bakabella) defeated Rip Byson to retain
The backstory here was that Thomas defeated Byson on the same night he won the VLC last August, ending Byson’s title reign which had begun on the same night. Byson then departed for Japan and made his surprise return in January, challenging Thomas to a title match that night only for Bakabella to refuse.
In his intro of Thomas, the ever-confident Bakabella even threw a verbal missle toward referee Eric Greenleaf, saying that Thomas was “the only man in the room that doesn’t care about Morgan’s birthday.” Greenleaf’s daughter was celebrating her birthday in Yarmouth and the comment definitely got his attention.
Byson was well in control of Thomas early, but was in control while doing it, showing some growth from his time in the Far East. He even hit a dive over the top rope onto Thomas and was rolling, later dragging Thomas around with a chain and biting him which had Bakabella concerned. Byson then followed that up with three Cactusa Rippers (Mick Foley elbow drop to the floor) with the third coming while Thomas was laid out on ringside chairs. A title change seemed academic at this point.
Thomas got an opening and took advantage, punctuating a run with a Chris Jericho-style springboard dropkick to Byson while he was standing on the ring apron. Thomas couldn’t finish him off though and kept trying to piledrive him but no dice.
Byson rallied for his first Lovegun Lariat of the match that got a two-count. He then put on some brass knuckles as a counter against a Thomas chairshot followed by a chokeslam that nearly won him the title.
Then, Bakabella got involved. Byson got distracted by the manager, putting aside his Burning Hammer attempt. Thomas took advantage and hit the piledriver but Byson kicked out, becoming the first man to do so.
Bakabella got knocked off the apron and Byson hit two lariats, but as he went for a Burning Hammer to finish things, Thomas reversed it into a small package for the victory and successful title defense.
As mentioned earlier. things broke down afterward as Byson was about to deliver that Hammer which Price run down to knockout Bakabella with the Surprize Kick followed by Byson hitting the Hammer. Price stood over Thomas with the title belt which Byson took offense to, shoving Price. They talked it out and they shook hands before embracing.
Thomas then headed off to Germany for his first tour of wXw.
And just like that, we’re onto April’s Guilty Pleasures which will see the following announced already:
The return of Paul London for the first time since May 2017
Channing Thomas defending the Limitless World title against Alec Price
The return of Megan Bayne
Aiden Aggro in action
The return of Gabby Forza
The return of TJ Crawford
Nason Notes:
While I wasn’t in attendance live, I was impressed with how full the room was all through the main event. Limitless fans continue to show why they are unmatched in their enthusiasm, passion, support and dedication to what they are seeing.
Troy Nelson was solo on commentary for the majority of the night as Johnny Torres was on assignment elsewhere. He was joined by several guests during the night including Sidney Bakabella, Ricky Smokes, Aiden Aggro and Alec Price.
Nelson also had his own merch table of sorts, selling off memorabilia and wrestling-related items. I have been unable to confirm he sped away laughing from the AmVets with cash flying out of his car.