Each and every week without a major pay per view the At Odds with Wrestling podcast assigns a wrestling show as homework. Hosts Joe and Adam alternate weeks and listeners with too much free time like myself watch alone. This week Adam picked the brand new event which took place live this past Friday, AIW’s You Know What? I’m Not Leaving! I watched live on IWTV and ignored the other Friday night wrestling show. However, I was having technology issues with another service (IWTV was perfect) and I was distracted at times while trying to resolve that.

Dominic Garrini & Tom Lawlor vs Casey Carrington & Ethan Wright (w/Brian Carson).

As soon as the Dom and Tom connection come to ringside, that was it. What an amazing team that the audience knows will destroy anyone in their path. Which made it great to have Carrington and Wright jump them before the bell. Swoggle thought Lawlor was injured, and more on that in a bit. Carrington and Carson leave the ring and abandon Wright to the wolves. Dom and Tom get the win for a great opening match.

Riley Rose vs Chase Oliver.

Credit to both men for keeping each other safe. Rose hits a moonsault on the outside but is out of place and Oliver moves just in time to catch him. Great wrestling throughout by both men. But Swoggle ruins it. He is screaming as a fan but not as a commentator, and there is a difference. Oliver hits Rose with a DVD into the turnbuckle then follows it up with a 450 for the pin. This show is enjoyable as hell other than Swoggle’s commentary.

Derek Dillinger and Ziggy Haim vs Bulking Season.

Bulking Season is so enjoyable and it’s always great to see Adam’s doppelgänger in the ring. However, I am drawn to Ziggy every time she’s out there. She hangs with men twice her size, never holds back, takes it as well, and every person in the building recognizes her as a bad ass. (Side note, she also comes across very sweet on her social media which is an interesting dichotomy to her in ring persona.) Bulking Season keeps evolving and I don’t think we’ve seen the final form for either man. I was sure the Production would win and then Arthur pins Derek out of no where. Always expect the unexpected in AIW, and speaking of unexpected – its Danhausen! Dan is not yet cleared to compete but he has some very good very evil words to say here.

Joseline Navarro vs LuFisto.

Nothing against LuFisto but I kind of forgot about her in recent years. I used to seek out her matches and then saw my attention go elsewhere. As soon as she came out to Ghost’s “Faith” she brought me right back in. Joseline has seen amazing growth in AIW and keeps getting better. This match will be a great test and learning experience for Joseline. LuFisto shows why she is an icon in independent wrestling. There were a couple mis-steps but that came across due to nerves and this being a first time meeting. I debated doing a card prediction before this show and I would have picked Joseline to win, which she did. She is the uncrowned women’s champion of AIW and deserves more wins like this as her legend grows.

The Philly Marino Experience (Marino Tenaglia & Philly Collins) (tag team champions) vs The Mane Event (Duke Davis & Ganon Jones Jr.).

I was shocked by this match. I expected more shenanigans from Cardona and crew. Mane Event feels destined to win these titles. Granted Cardona came out to help PME win but I thought it would be more ridiculous. Much like Cardona’s GCW match with his entire Major Wrestling Faction involved. Not a bad match at all but looking back it’s obvious this is a middle chapter of the longer “how the Mane Event won the tag team titles” story. I need to have trust and faith in Thorne’s booking.

The Bitcoin Boiz (Eric Taylor & Mikey Montgomery) (w/The Duke) vs To Infinity And Beyond (Cheech & Colin Delaney).

As much as I’m waiting for PME to be defeated, there is something about the Bitcoin Boiz and the Duke that makes me want to see them get their comeuppance each and every time. From the moment they enter the ring they exude an attitude that irritates. They’re damn good at their jobs. Colin and Cheech are always reliable, always put on a good match, and I think a lot of wrestling fans take them for granted. Myself being one of them. Duke helps out and Eric pins Cheech. Not a bad match but also what I expected from everyone.

Joshua Bishop vs Brian Myers.

That’s a big boy! Bishop is already not just turning heads but flat out breaking necks. Putting him in there against a star maker like Myers and this is one of Josh’s best matches I’ve seen. Wrestling is better because of Brian Myers and not that Bishop is bad, not that he needs any help, but this match took him to another level and as people look back on Bishop’s career they’ll remember this one. Myers sold the hell out of Bishop’s finisher too and that just adds to the mystique.

Kaplan vs Matthew Justice (w/Bill Alfonso) vs Isaiah Broner vs PB Smooth.

It’s tough to talk about the match and not skip ahead to Justice diving off of a platform. Chairs, doors, and an absolute (and intense!) lack of fear by all four men. When a match like this is the only match like it on a card it stands out. Such an amazing fight and I found myself screaming and yelling at home while watching this live on IWTV. Any one of these men could have won the match and would have earned every bit of it. To see the fans move out of the way, but also to get closer for a good view is one of the best reasons to go see wrestling live. There’s nothing like being at any show in person. AIW never disappoints on TV and every one of these fans in attendance had a giant smile on their face. Kaplan pins Broner gets the win and I was exhausted by the end.

Matt Cardona (Absolute and Intense champion) vs Wes Barkley.

Cardona is such a great heel and embraces every boo. Wes comes out and you can feel the fans hopes that he is the one to bring the AIW titles back home. As well as Wes came across, we already know Myers is here and PME so a title change probably isn’t happening here because the MWF will interfere. PME tries to help but Bulking Season attacks them and runs them off. A mysterious person shows up later in an AIW hoodie and a Danhausen mask. It could be anything under that mask Marge. It could be a boat. To the surprise of us all, but not really, it’s Chelsea Green! Cardona gets the win and now flanked by Green and Myers he cuts off some of Wes’s hair! Bishop runs out to help his Rip City partner and a challenge is laid out for the next show. Which I will be watching whether it’s a homework assignment or not.

This show was loads of fun and I wish I hadn’t been so distracted Friday night. If you didn’t watch, seek it out on IWTV before the next show. Then make sure to remember the dates for upcoming AIW streams (or go see it live) because I’m sure many of these stories aren’t over yet.