MATCH OF THE YEAR??

It’s an incredible episode of Storm to start off December and it begins, fittingly, with one of the greatest ladder matches in GAW history. Will Ospreay took on Davey Richards with both the MLW Heavyweight and WCPW titles on the line. Both men risked everything to try to get a hold of the titles; both men fell off tall ladders, pushed each other from great heights and used some of the most brutally effective offense we’ve ever seen. Even a Stormbreaker from Will Ospreay wasn’t enough to finish Richards. But when it came down to crunch time, Will Ospreay was willing to take things one step further. The Aerial Assassin flew from the top of the ladder twice to land on Richards and then hit the former champ with another Stormbreaker to finally open enough space to climb the ladder and secure the titles. Put simply, this match was legendary. After the match though, things took a dark turn. The lights cut out and, when they came back on, Marty Scurll had Ospreay locked in his crossface chicken win submission.

Drew McIntyre took on Marcel Barthel, longtime friend of WALTER, in a very European bout. Barthel utilizes much of the same offense that nearly cost McIntyre his wXw title when he fought WALTER but, this time, McIntyre was well prepared for what Barthel brought. The Scottsman was able to open up Barthel for the No True Scotsman to win the match.

Backstage, Kacy Catanzaro was being interviewed when she was interrupted by Charlotte Flair, arrogant as ever. Flair claimed Catanzaro was not a legitimate champion and before Kacy had a chance to respond, Flair viciously attacked her.

Ember Moon puts the US Title on the line against Sonya Deville in a clash of very distinctive styles. Moon tried to push the pace on the former MMA fighter but Deville stuck to her guns and kept Moon on the ground as much as possible, grinding the match down to a brutal exchange of strikes. But right in the middle of this all out fist-fight, Deville left the ring. She began looking underneath the ring apron as if she was going to grab a weapon but she produced nothing… at least it appeared so. When she back in the ring, Moon tried to jump her with a drop kick which Deville avoided before knocking Moon out with one punch. Moon was unconscious before she hit the ground which allowed Moon to pin and win the United States Title. Saying this was controversial is putting it lightly and there will surely be investigation into Deville’s suspicious activity at the end of the match.

Johnny Gargano entered straight afterword, though, and all thoughts of Deville’s potentially dirty win were forgotten. Gargano gave a passionate speech, describing his relationship with his newborn son and how it has pushed him to be a better fighter and person. He said he would not want to explain to his son why he didn’t stand up to Adam Cole and that’s why he has come to take Cole’s title. The whole promo is well worth listening to and we can bet Cole is shaking at the prospect of fighting Gargano once again.

In the main event, the sensational new House of Black team takes on War Machine in a tornado rules match for the Tag Team Championships. This sort of match benefitted the singles stars greatly as they isolated both members of War Machine and took them to the woodshed. The champs had no answer for the power and brutality of the challengers and the House of Black captured the titles courtesy of a Bobby Lashley Street Cutter. War Machine had seemed unbeatable for so long… now we must ask who can beat the House of Black.