america the beautiful 2

One day after Independence Day, the GAW Academy changes forever…

The incredible night begins with the Wing Collectors challenging the Titans for the Tag Team Titles… or at least we thought. Before the match, the Lieter announced the Titans are not obligated to defend their titles in any US Territory so he and Dagonite skipped town for the day. Upon hearing the news, WAR hit the ring after having competed in some training matches earlier in the night. Credit goes to both teams for taking the match on such short notice but, on this night, the Wing Collectors were the better team. Wesley and Omega used flurries of devastating double team offense culminating with the Crows and Angels for the win.

Next up, Mexcian Shia fights for his honor against underground legend Lancelot in a falls count anywhere brawl. The match was finished almost as soon as it started after a Meet the Boss from Shia but Lancelot survived. The two fought all over the arena but the action led them back into the ring. Lancelot took advantage of Shia showboating to the crowd, spraying a blinding green mist into his opponent’s eyes and blasting him with a Round Table Decapitator. Miraculously, Shia kicked out. But Lancelot had a backup plan. He took Shia to the ring apron, picked him up and hit a gigantic piledriver through a table that was set up earlier. The EMP through the table was enough to prove Lancelot was the better man on this night.

After months of waiting, Ballesca Pierce finally gets her shot at Katherine Sakamoto’s Academy Title. After beating the champ on her first night in the company, Ballesca seemed to be the far better wrestler on this night as well. She started out with an early Neck Piercer and just dominated from there. After a couple minutes, Pierce hit her second Neck Piercer of the night and surely seemed to be the new champion. But Katherine had a backup plan. Her sister Kristin jumped from the crowd and pulled the referee out of the ring while he was making the count. The ref took a few seconds to eject Kristin from the arena but that was all Katherine needed. She threw on a pair of brass knuckles and popped the challenger in the jaw. The champ pinned to retain after a disgustingly cheap attack.

Backstage, Kurt Andrews is asked about the suspicions he’s voiced in the past concerning Flyboy. He said the Underground taught him how to recognize the signs that Flyboy has something planned and all the training in the world won’t help him if he’s outsmarted later.

Omega Woods and Yun-Son Park finally get their hands on each other after a vicious war of words. The match started as quickly as we all expected and only ramped up in pace. With no countouts and no time limit, these two waged war in and out of the ring, even up onto a ladder on the outside. Both men fell from the top of that ladder but even that could not diminish their will to win. It was Omega Woods who finally scored the death blow; unfortunately it was the death blow for both men. Woods soared through the sky to drop the elbow on Park who was laid out on the announced table. With both men down and no signs of movement, the ref began a count and the match ended in a hellacious draw. 

It was Kurt Andrews’ turn to defend his Academy Championship against Flyboy and, sadly, it turned out the champ was right about all his suspicions. Flyboy hit a Flyboy Bomb and possibly had the match won but the champ showed the resiliency we’re so used to seeing from him. Flyboy turned around and began arguing with the referee. While the official had his back turned, Nick Miller of TMDK came into the ring and delivered a lariat to the back of Andrews’ head. As the Buccaneer tried to escape, Shane Thorne nailed him in the back with a sledgehammer. TMDK had come out to the Academy and they had now interfered in the Academy’s championship match. Thorne rolled Andrews back into the ring, Flyboy hit a second Flyboy Bomb and, tragically, Flyboy is the new Academy Champion.

After an insane show, our main event is finally upon us. For the first time in GAW history, two Luchadors compete in the historic mask vs. mask match. La Tortuga Roja and Jackel will finally end their months-long battle of wills and it comes in the most consequential of matches. As expected, the two put on a tremendous match. Jackel’s Face Wrecker and Rolling Thunder were ineffective. Roja’s torpedo DDT and Chapoteo Grande couldn’t get the job done. After seemingly every move in the arsenal and nearly half a dozen weapon attacks of various kinds, only Jackel had something left to give. He used the last ounce of his strength to hit Jackel’s Ending for the first time in GAW. The high elevation cutter took Roja’s head right into the edge of a steel chair. After Roja gave everything to retain his mask, it wasn’t quite enough. 

The show ended with Roja removing his mask for the first time in over 25 years. In a somber moment, he waved to crowd before leaving, a legend of the sport whose career may finally be over.