Matty Star Becomes First Ever Absolute Pro Champion. The Absolute Pro Wrestling Championship was mere inches away from Ethan Everheart’s grasp. Waterloo’s hometown boy had climbed to the top of the ladder and was about to do it; he was going to become the very first Absolute Pro Wrestling Champion. Then it all came crashing down.
Everheart, who had been in an absolute war with Matty Star, was in the grasp of Lars Metzger, a man with malicious intent. A devastating spear through a door put Everheart down for the count. With his opponent incapacitated, Matty Star made his ascent up the ladder.
A simple Metzger assist later, and Star was officially the inaugural Absolute Pro Wrestling Champion. The stunned Waterloo crowd rang out a chorus of boos as Star grabbed the mic to proclaim that “he did it”.
It was a shocking ending to a spectacular match, one that will be remembered as iconic in the Absolute Pro Wrestling history books. It all started fast and furious, with Everheart delivering a bevy of hard right hands.
After Star retreated ringside, Everheart followed up with an exhilarating dive over the top rope onto his opponent. The move elicited one of the loudest crowd reactions of the night. From here both men were more than willing to use the ladder as a weapon.
Everheart tossed a ladder at Star outside the ring. Star returned the favor by slamming a second ladder onto a crouching Everheart. Everheart was hip tossed onto the ladder while Star was sent crashing into a ladder set up in the corner.
One of the scariest moments came when Star pulled Everheart off the middle of the ladder by his foot, and the young upstart’s feet got caught in the middle rope, causing him to land awkwardly in the ring.
Late in the match, Star used the ropes to rest the second ladder on the first, creating a makeshift platform to walk on. This came back to bite the “Role Model” a few seconds later when Everheart sent him crashing into the second ladder with a Rock Bottom-like maneuver.
With both men down from the devastating move, the crowd saluted them with a “Holy Sh*t” chant.
This match took its toll on both men, with each needing some form of assistance to return to the locker room. For Everheart, it was a star-turning performance for a young man who has been making his way around the Midwest independent scene.
One that will help continue his ascent up the ranks no matter the promotion he wrestles in. For Star, it was the ultimate middle finger to the fans, who love nothing more than to boo him. Only now they will be looking up as they boo, because Matty Star sits atop the Absolute Pro Wrestling ladder.
Tag Team Division Shines
One of the goals for Absolute Pro Wrestling when they debuted back in May of this year, was to establish a tag team division that could be considered one of the best in the Midwest.
After their fourth show of their very first year, it’s safe to say they are well on their way of accomplishing that goal. During APW Gold Rush, there were two tag team matches. Four teams ready to make the claim that they are the standard bearer for APW tag team wrestling.
In the show’s opening match, “Da Boys,” Bryce Jordyn and The Shank defeated “The Cowboys from Hell,” Justin Decent, and Aaron Von Baron in a wild Cowboy Rules Street Fight.
This match included all types of plunder, as the late, great Dusty Rhodes would call it. Chairs, baseball bats, kendo sticks, and even a poker table was used as Da Boys picked up the huge win.
The victory pushed Da Boys’ record in APW to 2-0, putting them at the front line of future championship opportunities. A team Da Boys might be on a collision course towards is Chillileo, Gable Galileo, and Max Chill.
Champions already outside of APW, the nefarious duo picked up a big win against the debuting team of Jameson McGregor and AC Riley. Chillileo receives a lot of hate for the way they win, but it’s a brutal fact; they win a lot.
Those aren’t the only teams hoping to make APW their own; teams like the Snake Pit, Original Violence and Diamonds and Violence have all set their sights on future APW gold. One thing is for certain, the Absolute Pro Wrestling tag team division’s future is bright.
Contenders Emerge
During Absolute Pro Wrestling: Gold Rush, there were three singles matches outside of the Ladder Match main event. Each of the six competitors was trying to move closer to a possible championship opportunity.
Ricky Bronson put an open challenge which was answered by Viktor Payn. Despite being at a size disadvantage, Bronson picked up the win. His new piss-and-vinegar attitude seems to be doing him wonders as he continues to build on his momentum in APW.
Matty Star Becomes First Ever Absolute Pro Champion
Two long-time rivals, Ugly and the Big Picture, renewed their long-standing feud and Ugly got the victory with a surprise roll-up. Both of these guys would love being next in line for a shot at Matty Star’s newly won championship.
The first-time-ever singles match between Cole Cannon and the APW debuting JT Energy was a fantastic back-and-forth tilt. These two traded big moves and took the physicality to another level.
A massive superplex by Cannon to Energy helped the “Potato Daddy” get a hard-fought win. But it’s pretty certain these two will meet again sometime in the future.
This was Absolute Pro Wrestling‘s biggest show to date, and they delivered the goods in a show that had an old-school, classic WCW Clash of Champions-type feel.
With one more show on schedule for 2022 (November 19th in Algona, Iowa) APW has a lot of momentum heading into the new year.
