This Sunday at Smash Wrestling, 10 competitors will face off in 5 separate 1-on-1 match ups to be included in the 5-way elimination final to crown a new #1 contender to the Smash Wrestling championship. For the third straight year, Smash has delivered on an awesome line up for the tournament with a fresh blend of unique match ups & storyline based scenarios! One by one, I'm going to preview & try to predict both the tournament and non-tournament bouts.
SMASH Wrestling GOLD #Facts:
- Current WWE & NXT stars have been included in GOLD in the past such as Kevin Owens, Biff Busick & Rich Swann
- The first tournament was for the vacant Smash Wrestling Title
- Matt Cross & Candice LeRae are past winners of GOLD, both being very successful & world traveled athletes
- This will be the first GOLD tournament not involving Scotty O'Shea & Matt Cross
- TARIK is the only person to be involved in ALL 3 GOLD tournaments
- Josh Alexander will miss the GOLD event for the first time ever
- Johnny Gargano just hit 365 days as the champion of Smash Wrestling leading up to this event
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Candice LeRae v. TARIK:
The opening round sees the winner of last year's tournament, Candice LeRae face off against the only man to compete in every single tournament in its history, TARIK. TARIK is fresh off of Fourth Gunn where despite looking like a star, he failed to capture the championship from still-champion Johnny Gargano at 'Brock Gets Smashed'. Candice on the other hand, hasn't seen a victory in Smash since November's 'London Calling' event, so it's safe to say whoever loses this match isn't going to be in the best state of mind following this event. I honestly believe whoever wins this match, wins the entire tournament & earns themself a title shot later on this year for Super Showdown 4!
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Facade v. Kevin Bennett:
This opening round match up is very interesting, considering both made their debut at last year's 'Smash Kicks ALS' event & haven't looked back being almost regulars on the roster since. 'The Remix of Pro Wrestling' & 'The Neon Ninja' are making their debuts in the tournament together in the first bracket of the entire thing. Smash Wrestling looks to finally separates the path of these 2 being pretty much intertwined together since arriving on the scene. The wild card of this match has to be Big Tank & Dani Mo at ringside & what part they play in this contest. I've got Kevin Bennett moving on to the finals, solidifying him as a staple of the brand going forward. Big fan of both, lots of potential here!
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Mike Bailey v. Tyson Dux:
'Speedball' Mike Bailey returns to Smash Wrestling for the first time since unsuccessfully challenging for the Smash Wrestling Championship back in February, to take on a man who's rightfully called 'the Godfather of Ontario Wrestling' in Tyson Dux. Tyson has the advantage in 2 forms, as he advanced to the finals of last year's tournament and knows what it takes to do so, as well as he hasn't been defeated on the Smash Wrestling main shows since back in January to Jon Gresham. Mike Bailey looks to pick up his first victory in Smash since a Smash TV taping back in March 2015. Gotta go with Tyson's momentum and pick him for the win but don't be surprised if Bailey advances.
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Franky the Mobster v. SUSHI:
SUSHI makes his Smash debut, all the way from All Japan Pro Wrestling to take one of the most underrated big men in Ontario, if not THE most underrated, Franky the Mobster. Franky has had very entertaining matches with Dalton Castle, Candice LeRae & Mike Rollins, being victorious in all 3 meaning he's undefeated in a Smash ring. SUSHI looks to make a huge impact not only debuting in Smash & being apart of the GOLD tournament but also doing something no one has been able to, and that's defeating Franky in a Smash ring. I think Franky continues his winning streak until the finals, but it's gonna take more than 1 of those competitors in the final match, hurt or not to take down the Mobster.
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Courtney Rush v. Mike Rollins:
The final of the opening round bouts sees 1/3 of the Well Oiled Machines, the #F8tfulEight tag team tournament champions facing off against TNA's Rosemary, also known as Courtney Rush. At 'Any Given Sunday 4' in March, Mike prevented Cherry Bomb from assualting Courtney more after the DQ loss, enfurating Cherry in the process & getting himself involved in a feud that's been brewing for years. With no sign of the other 2 WOM members at GOLD, Courtney can focus all of her aggression towards Cherry on another member of the stable, taking out her security & protection in advance before getting her hands on the woman now known as Aliie at a later date. I think Mike might be able to sneak one out, with Courtney's focus being off but he's gotta be on his game, because Courtney focused or not is very scary.
Non-Tournament Match - The Overdogs (John Greed & Sebastian Suave) v. Brent Banks & Scotty O'Shea:
We have a very unique non-tournament match pitting one of, if not the elite team of Smash in the Overdogs, against 2 men who have nearly killed each other in a Smash ring in Scotty O'Shea & Brent Banks. Slowly but surely, it looks like we're seeing a slightly different side of 'the One Man Dynasty' then seen in the past. Scotty O'Shea wants to put the differences aside after the insane battles of the past between the 2, and put the chemistry of the 2 together in a tag team situation to prove themselves and to finally & hopefully get each other on the same page. With tag team experience & uncertainty alone, I would have to select the Overdogs for the win. Can't imagine Scotty & Brent on the same page!
Smash Wrestling Championship Match - Eric Young v. Johnny Gargano (C):
This match got 2 very intriguing additions since being announced a little while ago, as Eric Young is bringing Scott D'Amore alongside with him for his Smash debut to turn the numbers game against 'Johnny Wrestling' for the first time in his entire title reign, as Fourth Gunn is no more. Johnny Gargano talked about being the Smash Champion & a star on WWE NXT every time he's had the chance, but after this Sunday, he may not have claim to that title. Eric Young recently showed up on WWE Network's hottest product in NXT, challenging the NXT Champion & Smash alumni Samoa Joe to a match, proving that Eric is truly a 'World Class Maniac'. Will we see a new champion this Sunday? Either way, this promises to be the toughest challenge in the entire reign of Gargano's & with no back up at his side, it's going to be interesting to see how the gameplan changes and if he can pull out a way to retain the championship.
This all goes down this Sunday in Mississauga, Ontario at the Franklin Horner Community Centre, with a bell time of 5 PM and doors opening at 4 PM. If you're unable to attend this or ANY Smash event, I highly recommend checking out Smash on Demand (ondemand.smash-wrestling.com) as for only $7.49 a month, you can experience everything Smash has to offer from the Any Given Sunday's & Super Showdown's to the road shows like Fanshawe & Brock Gets Smashed + extras & so much more! Smash will also be making some historic announcements on Sunday regarding their July, August & September shows so be on the lookout on their social media for those announcements + other great content.
Limited tickets are available, purchase them here!
SMASH Wrestling GOLD #Facts:
- Current WWE & NXT stars have been included in GOLD in the past such as Kevin Owens, Biff Busick & Rich Swann
- The first tournament was for the vacant Smash Wrestling Title
- Matt Cross & Candice LeRae are past winners of GOLD, both being very successful & world traveled athletes
- This will be the first GOLD tournament not involving Scotty O'Shea & Matt Cross
- TARIK is the only person to be involved in ALL 3 GOLD tournaments
- Josh Alexander will miss the GOLD event for the first time ever
- Johnny Gargano just hit 365 days as the champion of Smash Wrestling leading up to this event
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Candice LeRae v. TARIK:
The opening round sees the winner of last year's tournament, Candice LeRae face off against the only man to compete in every single tournament in its history, TARIK. TARIK is fresh off of Fourth Gunn where despite looking like a star, he failed to capture the championship from still-champion Johnny Gargano at 'Brock Gets Smashed'. Candice on the other hand, hasn't seen a victory in Smash since November's 'London Calling' event, so it's safe to say whoever loses this match isn't going to be in the best state of mind following this event. I honestly believe whoever wins this match, wins the entire tournament & earns themself a title shot later on this year for Super Showdown 4!
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Facade v. Kevin Bennett:
This opening round match up is very interesting, considering both made their debut at last year's 'Smash Kicks ALS' event & haven't looked back being almost regulars on the roster since. 'The Remix of Pro Wrestling' & 'The Neon Ninja' are making their debuts in the tournament together in the first bracket of the entire thing. Smash Wrestling looks to finally separates the path of these 2 being pretty much intertwined together since arriving on the scene. The wild card of this match has to be Big Tank & Dani Mo at ringside & what part they play in this contest. I've got Kevin Bennett moving on to the finals, solidifying him as a staple of the brand going forward. Big fan of both, lots of potential here!
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Mike Bailey v. Tyson Dux:
'Speedball' Mike Bailey returns to Smash Wrestling for the first time since unsuccessfully challenging for the Smash Wrestling Championship back in February, to take on a man who's rightfully called 'the Godfather of Ontario Wrestling' in Tyson Dux. Tyson has the advantage in 2 forms, as he advanced to the finals of last year's tournament and knows what it takes to do so, as well as he hasn't been defeated on the Smash Wrestling main shows since back in January to Jon Gresham. Mike Bailey looks to pick up his first victory in Smash since a Smash TV taping back in March 2015. Gotta go with Tyson's momentum and pick him for the win but don't be surprised if Bailey advances.
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Franky the Mobster v. SUSHI:
SUSHI makes his Smash debut, all the way from All Japan Pro Wrestling to take one of the most underrated big men in Ontario, if not THE most underrated, Franky the Mobster. Franky has had very entertaining matches with Dalton Castle, Candice LeRae & Mike Rollins, being victorious in all 3 meaning he's undefeated in a Smash ring. SUSHI looks to make a huge impact not only debuting in Smash & being apart of the GOLD tournament but also doing something no one has been able to, and that's defeating Franky in a Smash ring. I think Franky continues his winning streak until the finals, but it's gonna take more than 1 of those competitors in the final match, hurt or not to take down the Mobster.
#GOLD2K16 Opening Round Match - Courtney Rush v. Mike Rollins:
The final of the opening round bouts sees 1/3 of the Well Oiled Machines, the #F8tfulEight tag team tournament champions facing off against TNA's Rosemary, also known as Courtney Rush. At 'Any Given Sunday 4' in March, Mike prevented Cherry Bomb from assualting Courtney more after the DQ loss, enfurating Cherry in the process & getting himself involved in a feud that's been brewing for years. With no sign of the other 2 WOM members at GOLD, Courtney can focus all of her aggression towards Cherry on another member of the stable, taking out her security & protection in advance before getting her hands on the woman now known as Aliie at a later date. I think Mike might be able to sneak one out, with Courtney's focus being off but he's gotta be on his game, because Courtney focused or not is very scary.
Non-Tournament Match - The Overdogs (John Greed & Sebastian Suave) v. Brent Banks & Scotty O'Shea:
We have a very unique non-tournament match pitting one of, if not the elite team of Smash in the Overdogs, against 2 men who have nearly killed each other in a Smash ring in Scotty O'Shea & Brent Banks. Slowly but surely, it looks like we're seeing a slightly different side of 'the One Man Dynasty' then seen in the past. Scotty O'Shea wants to put the differences aside after the insane battles of the past between the 2, and put the chemistry of the 2 together in a tag team situation to prove themselves and to finally & hopefully get each other on the same page. With tag team experience & uncertainty alone, I would have to select the Overdogs for the win. Can't imagine Scotty & Brent on the same page!
Smash Wrestling Championship Match - Eric Young v. Johnny Gargano (C):
This match got 2 very intriguing additions since being announced a little while ago, as Eric Young is bringing Scott D'Amore alongside with him for his Smash debut to turn the numbers game against 'Johnny Wrestling' for the first time in his entire title reign, as Fourth Gunn is no more. Johnny Gargano talked about being the Smash Champion & a star on WWE NXT every time he's had the chance, but after this Sunday, he may not have claim to that title. Eric Young recently showed up on WWE Network's hottest product in NXT, challenging the NXT Champion & Smash alumni Samoa Joe to a match, proving that Eric is truly a 'World Class Maniac'. Will we see a new champion this Sunday? Either way, this promises to be the toughest challenge in the entire reign of Gargano's & with no back up at his side, it's going to be interesting to see how the gameplan changes and if he can pull out a way to retain the championship.
This all goes down this Sunday in Mississauga, Ontario at the Franklin Horner Community Centre, with a bell time of 5 PM and doors opening at 4 PM. If you're unable to attend this or ANY Smash event, I highly recommend checking out Smash on Demand (ondemand.smash-wrestling.com) as for only $7.49 a month, you can experience everything Smash has to offer from the Any Given Sunday's & Super Showdown's to the road shows like Fanshawe & Brock Gets Smashed + extras & so much more! Smash will also be making some historic announcements on Sunday regarding their July, August & September shows so be on the lookout on their social media for those announcements + other great content.
Limited tickets are available, purchase them here!