(Editor’s Note - NEPAwrestling.com would like to thank Ed Kody formerly of podcast Pod Van Dam for choosing us to host his year-end top matches list. Ed has been a great friend to NEPAwrestling.com since our launch; in both encouragement and promotion of our content to his much larger circle on social media. Any photos used are used under fair-use and sole copyright remains with the respective owners.)
2022 was a really weird year for me when it comes to professional play fights. It seemed like the first year that there wasn’t a company I fully supported and got behind all year.
For the first part of the year it seemed like AIW was (rightfully so) re-building and giving chances to unproven stars. NOAH started hot but was quickly cooled off by the broken down husks of Mutoh and Fujita. I don’t think I’ve ever been less interested in NJPW.
So, coming up with a top five matches list seemed daunting. How can you critique matches in a year you weren’t wholly invested in? So instead of a top five matches list, I’m going to go with my five favorite matches.
Maybe not all five star classics, but for sure five matches that reminded me that I do love professional wrestling. So in no particular order, here’s me doing a journalism about my favorite five matches from 2022.
This was part of AIW’s amazing effort at making new stars in 2022. Find some dudes with upside and put them in there with respected AIW vets, and this is the best example of that.
Casey fucking sucks; the most punchable face, the most irritating delivery on promos. Surrounding himself with goons. This kid gave you so many reasons to want to see him get murked, and Dom for sure did a murking. It was a bloodbath.
It was almost therapeutic watching Dom batter this kid. Just beautiful. Too bad Casey had to mess all this work up by being a dope, but that shouldn’t get in the way of remembering how great of a job AIW and Dom did at getting this kid over as a heel that can be billed on a top match at the biggest show of the year.
Big Dan Champion staring across the ring at Max The Impaler
Maybe this is rose colored glasses, but I adored this match. Maybe it was the several White Claws. Maybe it was being surrounded by friends I don’t get to see often. Maybe it was illegally streaming this match on Instagram standing right next to Jerry of Jerry’s Internet Wrestling Emporium fame. Maybe it was watching Max batter Dan with a glass bottle-filled trash can.
I don’t know what it was but I couldn’t quit smiling during this. Just the cherry on top of one of the best nights of wrestling I got to enjoy this year.
Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima as AXIZ collides.
Much like NJPW, NOAH peaks very early in the year. The new year is kind of Japan’s Mania weekend. With every company running and putting on their biggest matches. That’s what this match is; former tag partners battling it out for the biggest prize in Pro Wrestling NOAH.
These two beat the absolute shit out of each other and put on a classic. All this momentum got derailed fairly quickly with NOAH leaning into broken down old men who they assumed were still stars, but this match shows you what NOAH could be when they do things right.
This match is disgusting. I love it. Justice bashing his eyebrow open hardway… Kaplan being just the dumbest (it’s a compliment), and Derek doing a blade job that would make Muta blush. I’m a monster and I love this shit. The best hardcore style match to happen this year.
Cody Rhodes in his Last AEW match before Returning to WWE. Also Sammy Guevara.
I was in the house live for this one and boy oh boy easily the best match of Cody’s career. I’m not at all anything close to a Cody fan but even I have to admit that dude worked harder than he needed to knowing he had one foot out the door. Made Sammy look like a million bucks.
Now Sammy sure did destroy all that goodwill in record time, sure but enough can’t be said for the work they both put into this match. Being there live might have skewed this higher for me, but the entire environment of the match with everyone losing their minds, I guess you had to be there.
(Editor’s Note - Make sure to check out the final episode of Ed and company’s critically acclaimed wrestling-adjacent podcast Pod Van Dam! Listen here! A well beloved podcast that will be missed by many within the internet wrestling community.)
(Editor’s Note: If you haven’t already make sure you check out part one of this piece here. Which covers the debut of Hydra and the background of “The Flames of Love” tag team, up until Hydra’s abrupt disappearance from the independent wrestling community. Special thanks to Billy Avery who’s assistance has been invaluable in assembling this piece. All photos are credited to Zia Hiltey of Zia Shoots Wrestling unless otherwise noted. All photos are used with permission and sole copyrights rest with the Zia Hiltey.).
The Order of The Neo Solar Temple w/Cheeseburger and Clara Carreras
It would be nearly a decade before Hydra would make his return to the world of professional wrestling at LVAC’s Real Rumble Redux in an 8-person (quatros?) match, teaming with Green Ant, Mach 10, and his old Order Of The Neo Solar Temple leader UltraMantis Black.
A return spurred in part by the “speaking out” movement which while we all acknowledge has a long way to go has led to a somewhat different and more diverse landscape within at least the Pennsylvania independent wrestling community.
“It’s a different landscape now then from when I Left. [Wrestling] became something I’d be proud to be a part of [again]. Seeing UltraMantis at my first show back, and seeing Hallowicked- and Delirious. I saw him for the first time in a decade, as well as Shane Storm, Akuma, Crossbones, “Diamond” Joe Leonard, Avery Good, Smart Mark Gary, Dan Yost and many more - even Dan Champion! It’s been very uplifting for me…
Billy Avery stares across the ring at Hydra with his career on the line.
While Hydra had now returned to the world of wrestling,his old home school summer camp friend Billy Avery was in a struggle of his own after having run afoul of LVAC Commissioner Chris Reject. Their issues started way back at LVAC Holiday Hang out ‘18 when Billy scored an upset victory in the “Scramble match” upsetting Commissioner Chris Reject by defeating in his opinion the other “worthy” competitors.
Incensed at being humiliated Chris Reject wielded corrupt power from his role as Commissioner and placed Billy into a singles match with the towering Rex Lawless. The fallout of that match saw Billy assaulting Chris Reject in defense of his good friend LVAC and now AEW Superstar Willow Nightingale.
It all came to a head in a “loser leaves Lehigh Valley” match which pitted Billy against the vicious deathmatch wrestler Jeff Cannonball. Not only did he have to contend with the fact that he had never beaten Jeff Cannonball, Commissioner Reject also made the match no disqualification which gave a significant advantage to the deathmatch luminary.
Hydra and Billy Avery square off with a strange sense of Deja Vu
Unfortunately, that match spelled the end of Billy Avery in LVAC, or did it? Shortly after, a comic book character created by John F. Malta named Haunted Francis seemingly came to life and started competing in The LVAC. Of course a comic character didn’t actually become corporeal; it was all a clever ruse by Billy Avery to continue to chase his dream, no matter what Chris Reject was willing to throw at him.
Once the ruse was discovered Chris Reject paid a lackey to have Billy unmasked mid-match to further his humiliation! If you aren’t familiar with wrestling lore in particular lucha-libre, (which is Mexican professional wrestling, one of the foundational styles of wrestling) , unmasking a wrestler during a match is the most disrespectful act you can do, and can result in an immediate disqualification depending on the jurisdiction.
WIth Billy Avery completely at his mercy, Commissioner Reject gave him a terrible choice, if he wanted to continue to be a part of The LVAC he would have to do whatever The Commissioner said, in essence, agreeing to indentured servitude to the despotic Reject.
Hydra uses his massive muscles to get the better of Billy Avery.
All the while that Billy Avery thought his struggles against Chris Reject were going unnoticed, they weren’t. Unknown to everyone (Including Billy himself) his old summer camp friend “The Rising Flame” Leslie Butterscotch was under the Hydra mask the whole time! Billy remarked to me in an email interview.
“I had always sensed that something about Hydra was very familiar to me. As a teen, I had loved watching Hydra on Smart Mark Video DVDs, but it didn't strike me that he might be someone that I knew until facing off with him eye to eye.”
At LVAC’S Record breaking Steelstacks Smackdown event (read our review here), Hydra confronted Chris Reject over his corrupt display of power and his attempts to ruin his best friend’s wrestling career. Much like Jeff in “Denton” this is where Hydra helped devise a plan to get even.
Chris Reject goaded Hydra into putting his mask on the line for a “mask vs career” multi-person tag match that featured the reunion of fabled Chikara stable The Order of the Neo Solar Temple of UltraMantis Black, Crossbones, and of course Hydra.
As a lifelong fan of pro wrestling I can easily say this match was one of the most special moments I’ve been able to witness as a fan. Seeing old chikara standouts and stars like Gran Akuma facing off against Crossbones and UltraMantis Black makes me emotional even as I think about it now.
Hydra chokes Billy to prepare him for a massive chokeslam attempt.
I touched on the topic of the mask earlier but it’s worth revisiting its symbolic importance. For wrestlers a mask is more than just a hood they put on to safeguard their identity from fans and from other wrestlers who would seek to do them harm outside of the ring to get an advantage for a future match.
No the mask itself is an actual extension of the character the wrestler is portraying. It can be seen as sacred and important as their literal face. The ceremony and circumstances of mask matches, while not significant within American wrestling, are a cornerstone of Lucha LIbre. Mask vs Mask, and their alternatives Mask vs Hair, and Mask vs Career are used to sell out the biggest yearly shows and put an end to the most vicious feuds. Indeed the humiliation of losing one’s mask is akin to losing a piece of your very soul.
I asked Hydra to tell me what the mask meant to him, and I was not surprised by the passionate depth of his response.
Ref Yost prepares to call for the bell as Hydra submits to Billy Avery
“Wearing a mask, it was great, especially [when] starting out. Because it’s hard to wrestle with facial expressions, especially when you are learning how to do things. Trying to do things smoothly and not look like you are thinking ahead five steps, or not that you [look] worried. It helped me find the character.”
“I wasn’t sure when I started grunted, and I decided that Hydra would not speak, that was my decision. A lot of the character stuff did come from me and some people I trusted, which was really cool. So the mask worked on those two levels, covering me up and letting me keep my fear to myself, and also letting me develop a character too. In Chikara there were a lot of masked people, but for instance in IWA there wasn’t so [I] could stand out more, and that helped with that.”
Hydra sheds his mask and a part of his wrestling identity
So while it initially appeared that Commissioner Reject had just completed his masterstroke in his years-long plan to humiliate Billy Avery and then Hydra it all blew up in his face. Though Billy Avery and his team were able to secure the victory against Hydra and his team which cost Hydra his mask, The National Sokols was shaken to its very foundation when Hydra took off that mask and revealed himself to the world to be “The Rising Flame” Leslie Butterscotch!
Leslie speaks from the heart as he explains his absence and actions
What transpired in the aftermath was one of the most genuine displays of emotion and vulnerability that I’ve ever witnessed as a wrestling fan (DVD available here from LVAC). Hydra now Leslie apologized to his estranged friend for abandoning him and their tag team team nearly a decade ago. I asked Billy what the match and the ensuing fallout meant to him.
“When I defeated Hydra to take his mask and to be reinstated, it was bittersweet. I was happy to be a free man again, but it immediately became clear to me how much that Hydra mask meant to Leslie. It's all Reject's fault that everything had to go down that way.”
Billy Avery and the newly won "Trophy" of Hydra's mask
I could tell the bond of friendship still remained deep between them when Billy seemed more concerned about Leslie losing his mask as his Hydra persona, than he was for being abandoned, but eventually Billy did tell me what the apology and reconciliation meant to him.
“It was everything to me. I wanted to be mad at Leslie because he had completely cut off contact from me after he left the wrestling business 10 years ago. There were many times over those 10 years when I could have used my best friend. But as he spoke to me and the audience back in October after being forced to remove his mask, I could tell that his words were genuine. He had been through a lot. I had also been through a lot, so I understood where he was coming from. He put his Hydra mask and the entire history that it has on the line for me. That was a very emotional moment. There were a lot of tears. Having the OG Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, UltraMantis and Crossbones, there at ringside made that moment even more special, too.”
Billy and Hydra embrace, leading to their rechristening as Dapper Donnie and The Rising Flame "The Flames of Love"
Like the mythological creature adorning an imagined album cover of “Satan’s Fingers” or “The Hospital Bombers”, from the ashes of Hydra and Haunted Francis arise the Phoenix of “The Flames of Love”!
Chris Reject is going to learn a harsh lesson on December 23rd at National Sokols; no matter how many thugs he brings with him (including Rex Lawless and Blaxstrom) to try and stop Dapper Donnie and “The Rising Flame”, he’s going to find out “that “The Best Ever [Tag Team] outta [Bethlehem] will in time both outpace and outlive you! Hail Satan!”
Check out below for the World Premiere of the Flames of Love Recap Movie from 2018 to 2022! Edited by Danny Sgrizzi Featuring music by The Mountain Goats, Waste Man, Screaming Females, and Archers of Loaf!
(DVD’s of past LVAC events, show merchandise, and limited tickets for Friday’s huge year-end show are available here. In addition you can order the limited edition “Flames of Love” T-Shirt designed by Eisner award winning artist Box Brown! All proceeds go directly to the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Youth Center of Lehigh Valley! To donate directly to the Bradbury-Sullivan Center click here!
It's that time of year, time for one last Let's Hang Out of 2022! This time let's make it a Holiday Hang Out!
Pro-Wrestling! LIVE bands! Vegan food and donuts! Merchandise! Community! Booze! Holiday Cheer! Vaccination or negative COVID test requirements!
They've got a huge tag match between Blackwood and Puf (Bethlum Brothers) taking on Obarion and Kodama The Batiri! Which team will reign supreme!
This is a match that I'm very invested in! I have been watching Lucky wrestle for nearly 20 years and I look forward to more people seeing what he is capable of doing inside a ring.
Myung Jae Lee really impressed me with his showing at Steel Stacks Smackdown, can the Buffalo Native bring it to the Hardcore Kid from Jersey?
This match has the potential to steal the entire show! La Chica Clara Carreras and B3CCA have both been building up quite a name with impressive showings. Will this showdown lead to a standout match??
It simply wouldnt be a Let's Hang Out without a multi-person match! This one is super-sized as we've got Little Mean Kathleen, Delirious, The Boat, and UltraMantis Black taking on the dastardly Dan Champion, Merlok, Veda Scott, and Channing Thomas with the conniving two time WWF Hall of Famer Sidney Bakabella!
Can Dan Champion finally snap his LVAC losing streak???
This is a match nearly ten years in the making (You can read about The Flames of Love in our feature ) as Dapper Donnie and The Rising Flame finally make their tag-team debut as The Flames of Love!
Commissioner Chris Reject has put a lot of obstacles in front of Billy Avery and the (former) Hydra culminating in a huge 2 vs 3 handicap match! Pitting The Flames against the massive Rex Lawless, the viciously technical Blaxstrom and of course the despotic Chris Reject himself. The Flames Of Love are going to need everyone there cheering to give them a shot!
A highly anticipated match that could easily main event any wrestling show in the country. Two World Class athletes step into the ring as Impact Wrestling and international and Independent Superstar SpeedBall Mike Bailey comes to the LVAC to take on ROH and international star in his own right Cheeseburger!
I've long said that I feel Cheeseburger is consistently underrated and of course no accolades are needed for Mr. Bailey.
It's not just great wrestling action, LVAC also has live music! Including Lehigh Valley's own OK Buddy
Plus a musical performance from UltraMantis Black that you won't want to miss! When will you ever get to see someone wrestle and the perform music in the same evening!
It wouldn't be an LVAC hang-out without the Vegan Food! First they will have an assortment of savory offerings from No More 108!
When you are finished with your entree make sure to pick up a vegan donut (or 6) from Circle Donuts! Seriously I ate 3 last time and then bought 6 to take home and eat later! Absolutely delicious!
When - December 23rd 2022
Time- Doors 7, Show 7:30
Where - National Sokols at 613 Hillside Ave Bethlehem PA 18015
