BUSINESS IS JUST BUSINESS

After an extremely disappointing end to their title match in Cairo, the Titans return to the fold against Aussies Don’t Kneel. Flyboy and Shane Thorne, two men who were massive parts of Season 2, head into their first match of Season 3 against a pissed off Titans team looking to send a message. And Dagonite certainly did that… maybe even too well. He got Shane Thorne alone in the ring and proceeded to obliterate him with vicious ground and pound. It was such a brutal display the referee nearly disqualified the former champs after Dagonite refused to obey his commands. Lieter saved the pair, tagging himself in and making the cover but it was clear Lieter was not pleased at the lack of discipline showed by his young partner. 

Backstage we saw Garrett Gibson tearing up the place looking for Lancelot. But, like in Cairo, the former champ was hiding in plain sight. Lancelot attacked Gibson from behind and powerbombed him on the concrete.

Sophia Sweetness takes on Kristin Sakamoto after having made a challenge to champion Lazzara a few weeks ago. Sweetness may have been ungrateful for Lazzara’s tutelage last season but it’s clear she learned something as she blasted Kristin with heavy kicks in the corner before hitting a missile dropkick for the win. After the match, the champ confirmed she will be taking on Sweetness with the title on the line next week!

Marco Diaz gets his first match of the new season when he takes on Xavier Cross. Cross is looking for a bounce back win after two losses to Igris and he got it here, defeating Diaz with a modified Kronwalled Hawk Slayer. After the match, new Apex Champion Derrick Cole came down to the ring but it wasn’t to attack Cross or even admonish Diaz. He came down to address the fans for the first time as champion. Go watch his speech if you haven’t seen it but the long and the short is this: it will take a positively heroic act to take Cole down.

In the main event, Gotti Crime Family’s Nathan Rotunda gets his first singles match against Chandler Marcy. Before the match, GCF patriarch Jon Gotti was very complimentary of Marcy and referenced GCF’s business plans which seem to include expansion. The match was two very large men hitting each other very hard and all that that implies. Marcy made only one mistake in the match but it proved fatal: Rotunda was able to lock on a devastating guillotine choke. Marcy fell into the ropes but the damage had been done, Rotunda rolled him over and pinned him. Marcy never gave up but he wasn’t able to win. Gotti seemed impressed, however, congratulating Marcy after the match as the show went off the air.

Next week, Lazzara puts her title on the line for the first time PLUS a tag team title #1 contenders match between the Titans and PBD!