DEFY PDX III: City of Thorns
November 24, 2018
Hawthorn Theater
Portland Oregon
On November 24th DEFY will be at their home away from home, the Hawthorn Theater in Portland Oregon! Defy – City of Thorns is shaping up to be a fantastic show! We have five matches announced as of this writing, and it is not unusual for DEFY to have at least one unannounced match at each of their events. As a result, audience members are likely in for a surprise match at some point in the evening.
Singles Match
Matt Cross vs. King Khash
This is perhaps one of the most highly anticipated matches of the evening. It has been nearly two years in the making. On January 13, 2017, at DEFY’s inaugural event, these two highly talented men opened the show as the first match in DEFY’s history. During this brutal battle, which can be seen below, was so ferocious Matt Cross broke his leg. Despite his injury, Matt managed to pull out a win.
Back in September, At DEFY Wrestling Club, Matt Cross made another appearance and defeated Puma King. After the match, King Khash came out, kneeled and tapped Matt’s leg. Khash then stood and barked something at Mr. Cross in Farsi. One needn’t know Farsi, to understand Khash was issuing Matt a stern warning. Thus, we learned these two men would face off for a second time at City of Thorns.
In what will likely be a rancorous match, we will see if Matt can pull out another win. But it would be unwise to underestimate the Persian Prodigy. Khash has grown monumentally as a wrestler in the last two years, both in skill and strength. Undoubtedly this is going to be one of the best matches of the night.
Singles Match
Tommy Dreamer vs. The Devil Drexl
Neither of these men is strangers to the Defyance. Despite their multiple appearances at DEFY, this will be their first time facing one another in the ring. With one man being referred to as The Devil and the other as the Innovator of Violence, you know this isn’t going to be your typical wrestling match.
With these two men pitted against one another in the ring, it’s almost impossible to imagine how this is going to play out. Neither are orthodox in their approach. I think the safest thing I could predict is there will likely be several improvised weapons. If a chair and or a garbage can doesn’t make it into the ring at some point I will be surprised.
Drexl is a beloved local favorite and Tommy Dreamer is a celebrated international performer. This match will absolutely be a crowd favorite.
Singles Match
Willie Mack vs. Schaff
The Baddest MFer in professional wrestling, Schaff, has made a huge splash on the local scene since moving to the Pacific Northwest nearly a year ago. We’ve watched him go up against the best wrestlers in the region and held his own against the greatest talent the promoters could recruit from out of town. I will never forget the panic on Walter’s face when Schaff lifted him onto his shoulders.
Facing Schaff, and making his DEFY debut, is Willie Mack! This gentleman is familiar to anyone who is a fan of Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling. As of this writing, he is holding four championship titles! He is the NWA National Champion, CWFH Heritage Heavyweight Champion, The Crash Heavyweight Champion, and the HOH Twitch Television Champion. There are few wrestlers more impressive than Mr. Willie Mack working in the business today.
Will our local sensation, Schaff defeat this celebrated champion, Willie Mack? Those lucky enough to be there November 24 are going to have a great time finding out.
Tag Team Title Match
LAX (Ortiz & Santana) vs. Amerikan Gunz (Mike Santiago & Ethan HD)
This will be the Amerikan Gunz second title defense since winning the DEFY tag team championship in September. Unquestionably one of the best tag teams in the business today, Ethan HD and Mike Santiago work so well together in the ring they are a pleasure to watch. There really is no question why these two are the reigning DEFY champions.
Hoping to make their mark at DEFY and challenging the Amerikan Gunz is the tag team LAX! Ortiz and Santana are the current reigning Impact World Tag Team Champions, no doubt they intend to add the DEFY tag belt to their collection. In my opinion, these men will pose the biggest challenge to the Gunz since they won their championship.
With these two champion tag teams, both at the top of their game clashing on November 24th, I predict this will be a particularly close match that will have everyone sitting on the edge of their seats.
DEFY World Championship Challenge
Randy Myers vs. Shane Strickland
Shane Strickland’s career has exploded in these last few months. He’s the current DEFY Champion and PCW Lightweight Champion. In addition, he’s held a number of championship belts across some of the top promotions in the country. He was most recently exposed as the man behind the mask, known as Killshot. One thing I have learned as a Strickland fan, he is a man who is full of surprises.
At DEFY – City Of Thorns, Shane Strickland will be defending his title against The Ravenous One, Randy Myers. This gentleman has been a staple at DEFY since making his debut at Kings Among Men. He has faced Johnny Defiance, MJF, Joey Janella and Jimmy Havoc. Not only did he face them, but he also defeated all four of these industry titans. To say The Weirdo Hero is not a serious opponent for Strickland would be a gross underestimation of this spectacular competitor.
I can guarantee this match is going to be entertaining and full of top-notch wrestling. Both men are so incredibly talented and I can’t imagine this match won’t completely captivate the entire audience.
Just as this article was about to be posted the folks behind DEFY decided to release some amazing news for Defy – City Of Thorns! The One Percent, consisting of Royce Isaacs, and Jorel Nelson, a native of the Pacific Northwest and alumni of the Buddy Wayne Academy, will be making an appearance at City of Thorns. The One Percent has recently made a huge splash at IMPACT Wrestling and it would appear they have their eyes set on DEFY.
We already know the reigning tag team champs, the Amerikan Gunz, have an announcement match for the evening. I can only speculate who the One Percent might be going up against. Will they be dark horse contenders in a surprise three-way tag title contest? Or do the minds behind DEFY have something else in mind? One thing is certain, the One Percent isn’t coming to Portland Oregon for the hell of it! They no doubt have their sights set on DEFY gold. I for one will be watching DEFY’s twitter and Facebook feeds to see if any new matches are announced. I suspect this may be a surprise that will be revealed the night of the event!
DEFY has built a brand for itself that guarantees high-quality matches with top talent. When you attend one of their shows, there isn’t any doubt every match is worthy of being the main event and at the end of the night it’s a pleasure to hang out with friends and have a friendly debate over a beer about which match stole the show.
Join the Defyance, November 24th at the Hawthorn Theater in Portland Oregon! Defy PDX III – City Of Thorns is going to be off the chain! This is a 21 and over show. It is worth your time to go and have a fantastic evening watching some of the best wrestling you’re going to find anywhere!
