Dawn of a New Era opens with a highlight reel recapping Wrestle Queendom 2. After the package, Emily Read announcing a quarter-final match in a number one contender’s tournament.
Charli Evans vs. Kanji
This match has a twenty-minute time limit, and it is Kanji’s first singles match in EVE. Nina Samuels joins Dann Read on commentary. Evans takes control early and cuts off a short comeback by Kanji after a flurry of kick-based offense. Evans works over Kanji’s left arm. She continues to dominate until Kanji pulls a DDT-like maneuver out and begins a comeback. A springboard elbow before a missile dropkick leads to a two count. Kanji continues to fire up, hitting an Alabama slam for two. Evans finally regains her composure and hits a series of kicks and knee strikes that lead to another two count.
Kanji begins another comeback, taking several kicks before both women go down to the matt again. Evans turns a Gory Stretch into a kind of flatliner for a near fall. Kanji avoids further damage, getting a tornado DDT and big top rope splash for two. She hits a springboard stunner, but before she can cover Evans rolls outside to recover. Evans catches a penalty kick attempt and puts Kanji in the electric chair, only to drop her face onto the apron. After rolling Kanji into the ring, Evans hits a cradle DDT for the victory at Dawn of a New Era.
Millie McKenzie vs. Laura Di Matteo
This is another quarterfinal match in the number one contender’s tournament. It’s a stalemate early on until Di Matteo hits a series of arm drags and a pin attempt near the ropes. McKenzie rolls out of the ring for a cover and continues to try dodging Di Matteo, only to find herself rolling to the apron on the side of the wall. As Nina Samuels notes, it’s an anomaly of the Resistance Gallery that you can’t escape all sides of the ring due to that wall. Di Matteo goes for a fisherman’s suplex, but McKenzie counters into a swinging neckbreaker for two.
Livvii Grace and Nightshade show up by ringside as McKenzie fires back at Di Matteo. Grace and Nightshade appear to be cheering on Di Matteo, and commentary begins to wonder if Laura Di Matteo is part of Rhia O’Reilly’s new group. Di Matteo mounts a comeback, hitting clotheslines, a flying headscissors, and a fisherman’s suplex. She misses a missile dropkick and is caught with a German Suplex. Livvii Grace trips McKenzie, giving her the match by disqualification.
As everybody clears the ring, Dann Read speculates whether or not Laura Di Matteo was behind the interference. He asks if it was meant to be seen and if Di Matteo is actually part of the group.
Raven Creed vs. Roxxy
Roxxy begins the match by staying low and playing some mind games with Creed. After the initial exchange, she even does a Bray Wyatt spider stance about a minute in. Creed rolls out of the ring and refuses to get back in until Roxxy pulls her to the apron by the hair. Creed bites Roxxy’s hand to escape her grasp, however, and hits a snap suplex. She then stomps Roxxy’s elbow and continues the assault with forearms and bites.
Creed sets Roxxy up in the corner as the crowd chants Roxxy on, then mocks the crowd and chops Roxxy. She delivers a second chop after licking her hand, before setting up a third. Roxxy, however, takes Creed’s hand and bites before hitting several chops of her own. The comeback is short-lived, as Creed whollops her with a lariat. Following a two count, Creed dares Roxxy to hit her, and Roxxy starts firing back and they trade fists. Both women go down following a double headbutt. Roxxy mounts another comeback, only to be hit with a German suplex. Roxxy pops up to hit a running knee for two before Creed can capitalize.
She gets a double stomp for two but eats a Samoan drop. This is only a temporary setback, however, as Roxxy hits another double stomp followed by a running sunset bomb into the corner for three. Roxxy will face Charli Evans in the semi-final.
Rhia O’Reilly promo
Nightshade and Livvii Grace join O’Reilly as she comes to the ring. The audience greets her with a hearty “Fuck you, Rhia” chant. She says we all deserve an explanation and says that she did what she did for us and the future of EVE. O’Reilly says she’s given everything for this company and been here through injuries, unlike Charlie Morgan who has walked out on EVE.
She says that Kay Lee Ray and Viper were happy to sell out and even the Reads were willing to let them take the EVE title to a corporation that is the antithesis of EVE. O’Reilly is now an active member of the roster and has stepped down as matchmaker. Her last act as a matchmaker was to create the tournament, and she doesn’t believe anyone on the roster can beat her. She’ll see the winner in September.
Yuu vs. Kasey
The winner of this match will face Millie McKenzie in the semi-final. The crowd is quite partisan for Yuu, but one fan is steadfast in support of Kasey. It’s a slow start to this match, and Dann Read points out Yuu is at a disadvantage from wrestling so much recently. Kasey takes the momentum at first but winds up caught in the air by Yuu. Yuu hits a spinning sidewalk slam followed by several chops for two. Yuu follows up with chops and offense in the corners until Kasey pulls her over the rope into an armbar.
Kasey presses her offense, getting a pair of two counts following running knee strikes. After a series of kicks and knee strikes, Yuu catches Kasey and hits a buckle bomb and cannonball for two. As Yuu attempts to lock in a judo choke, Kasey attempts to run the corner and hit a stunner out of it, but there seems to have been a miscommunication and the move is botched. Shortly thereafter, Yuu wins with the last ride powerbomb.
Nightshade vs. Shazza McKenzie
Nightshade is accompanied by Livvii Grace. The match starts slow, with lots of back and forth testing of strength. McKenzie gets the first real offense going by ducking some punches and hitting chops, before using a headscissors to roll up Nightshade for one. She keeps up the pressure with kicks to the back and a seated leg drop for two. Nightshade begins to come back into it, however, hitting McKenzie with a uranage and a senton for a two count of her own.
Nightshade continues the pressure with a big clothesline, followed by a series of strikes and headbutts. She continues with a German suplex and double knees to the back in the corner for a near fall. Nightshade puts McKenzie in a kind of a seated abdominal stretch, but McKenzie pulls free, hits her apron kicks, and gets two off a modified Thesz press. Nightshade returns the favor, nearly winning the match after a hip attack into the ropes. She slaps McKenzie in the back of the head and lifts her up, but McKenzie uses a victory roll for two.
McKenzie follows up with a back suplex and a corner kick for a near fall and prepares for her splits stunner, but Livii Grace climbs to the apron as a distraction. Nightshade tries to run at McKenzie, but she hits Grace. She avoids another stunner and plants McKenzie with a sit-out powerbomb to win at Dawn of a New Era.
Lana Austin & Mercedes Blaze vs. WrestleFriends (Jetta & Erin Angel)
Jetta’s entrance introductions are quite amusing, and Lana Austin tries to sing Let It Go. Blaze takes the microphone, leading to chants of “Let her sing” from the crowd. Angel and Blaze begin, and it’s Angel who takes the lead early, hitting a cross body and big boot out of the corner. Blaze returns fire, however, and Angel trips her coming off the ropes. Angel put Blaze in a toehold and tags Jetta in with her foot, prompting Dann Read to wonder what it is about EVE referees and tag team wrestling that doesn’t seem to work right.
WrestleFriends hold Blaze down and offer Austin the chance to sing, and so Austin takes a microphone and sings “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as the WrestleFriends stretch Blaze’s legs. They follow it up with Jetta singing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” while they slap Blaze’s hands and Austin dances at Dawn of a New Era.
It’s all a feint, though, as Austin headbutts both WrestleFriends and tags in before stomping Jetta in the corner. She tags Blaze back in and sets Jetta up for a running dropkick for two. Blaze keeps Jetta in the corner, but takes a lot of time before tagging Austin in. Austin continues the offense, hitting a fantastic dropkick to a seated Jetta. She then flips the crowd off, and Jetta gets enough energy to flip her off and hit a stunner before collapsing. Austin tags out and Blaze shoulders Jetta in the corner before hitting a butterfly suplex. Jetta puts her foot on the rope before Blaze drags her to the corner.
Dissent rules the team of Austin and Blaze, as they begin to fall apart in terms of communication. Jetta tries to come back and get to her corner, but Blaze finally tags in and puts Jetta in a full nelson. She fights back, hitting an exploder suplex. Austin distracts the referee as Jetta makes the tag, and Blaze and Austin bring Jetta back to their corner. Jetta and Angel make another comeback, but Austin has the referee distracted. Jetta finally gets a reprieve and tags Angel, who fires off on Austin with a sunset flip, but Blaze made a blind tag.
WrestleFriends try to start a double team, but Austin and Blaze put them in the corners and try their own double team, only for the Friends to do-si-do and hit corner splashes. Blaze overcomes Angel and stops Jetta, only to eat a neckbreaker from Angel. Austin makes the save and begs for a tag, only to be refused before Angel hits the killswitch for the victory as Jetta holds Austin back in the ropes.
After the match, Austin looks sadly at WrestleFriends before offering her hand and shaking theirs, then hugging them. As Jetta and Angel leave, she and Blaze have words, leading to a hard forearm shot by Blaze that lays out Austin. She takes some beer and a hat from members of the audience and leaves to cheers.
Millie McKenzie vs. Yuu
Before Yuu enters, Millie responds to crowd chants and asks if they’ve seen Yuu wrestle, because “she will kill me.” Yuu takes the advantage in the early minutes, hitting her patented spinning side slam and senton before attempting to lock in a cross arm breaker. McKenzie rolls her up to escape but eats a dropkick into the corner before delivering one of her own. She spears Yuu in the corner and continues hammering away for one at Dawn of a New Era.
McKenzie cinches in a headlock, but Yuu eventually escapes and tries to fire back before she gets caught in a crucifix. Following a two count, McKenzie superkicks her and tries to go for a German suplex, only to be thrown off and hit with a couple of judo throws and another senton. Yuu and McKenzie trade fists and forearms, with Yuu getting the better of the exchange. Both wrestlers charge the corner and dodge, with Yuu hitting an elbow and a cannonball on the third attempt for a near fall.
Yuu sets up for the yoshitonic from the top, but McKenzie fights back and throws Yuu from the top. She signals for Yuu to get up and catches her with a German suplex for two. Yuu is able to catch McKenzie’s arm in the cross arm breaker before transitioning to a triangle. McKenzie stacks Yuu up for two to escape, then hits a stunner and a spear to win. Thus ends Yuu’s unbeaten run in EVE at Dawn of a New Era.
Burlesque Intermission: Lolly Jones
It wouldn’t be an EVE show without a burlesque performance, especially with the performer giving her performance as Theresa May. The fields of wheat bit was hilarious and the whole thing is well worth watching for that alone.
Charli Evans vs. Roxxy
Roxxy starts off strong with a corner dropkick and flying headscissors before plowing into Evans in the corner. She gets a near fall and charges a recovering Evans, who ducks and hits several short clotheslines for two. Evans punishes Roxxy in the ropes, before stomping her in the corner and hitting a facewash for another two count. She chops Roxxy while she’s down, leading to an exchange of chops and headbutts before Evans resumes kicking and stomping Roxxy while she’s down at Dawn of a New Era.
Evans and Roxxy charge each other from corner to corner, and Evans gets the better before Roxxy avoids a suplex and hits a headbutt. They take each other down with a double clothesline. They reach their knees at the count of seven, and Roxxy gets her second wind, hitting a series of strikes and an STO for two. Evans rolls out of the ring after the kick out, and Roxxy makes to go for a suicide dive until she’s caught with a fist. It’s at this point that Evans pulls out a chair and hits Roxy with it.
Roxxy rolls out of the ring and tries to get a bundle of bamboo kendo sticks, but Evans prevents her from taking it and delivers a few shots for two. She’s bleeding from her mouth, and the referee pulls the sticks from Evans. Just after Dann Read says he’s going to have to leave the booth to check on Roxxy, she manages a surprise schoolgirl rollup for three. There is quite a bit of blood, with some of it even smearing Evans’s cheek at Dawn of a New Era.
Charlie Morgan Segment
Dann Read stands in the ring and praises Charlie Morgan for the bravery she showed in coming out in the ring. After introducing her, he welcomes her to the ring for her final pro wrestling appearance.
Dann thanks her for everything she’s done, pointing out that this is where she came out and did her balcony dive and did so many other memorable things. Dann notes that in January EVE was running a show on the same night as an NXT TakeOver, and WWE said wanted Charlie there on two days notice. Charlie said she’d stick with EVE that night for Dawn of a New Era.
We get a video package about Charlie and her injury. It showed a close angle of the spot that caused the injury and then continues with a retrospective of her career in EVE. After the video concludes, we return to Charlie, sitting in the ring tearing up. She says that she did retire heartbroken at Wrestle Queendom, but she’s had time to reflect. And now she can leave in peace. She says she’ll go away for a while, but she’ll probably show her face again someday and leave a hat or something.
After finishing her speech, the EVE locker room empties to show their love and support for Charlie. They hold a ten bell salute for her and then cover her in streamers at Dawn of a New Era.
