Okay, I ripped the band-aid off. I guess it's time to talk results. What happened at SWA Aftermath 2019?
SWA Aftermath 2019 in Portland, OregonRaye Groves def. Tommy Powers, Kaori Nakajima, LeRoy Roundtree, Robert Kingston, Becky Bravo, Brianna Dalton, Tony Castille, Zack Solberg, and Jasmine Bellamy in a 10-man Over-the-Top-Rope And Pinfall Battle Royale to become #1 contender for the SWA Aftermath Championship.
Cool to see Tony Castille in an SWA ring again, even if the 43-year-old is clearly not a full-time competitor anymore and showed some ring rust. Raye Groves continues to prove himself a force to be reckoned with. Surprising and disappointing to see Jasmine Bellamy eliminated so early, but impressive performance from Tommy Powers, who hung on until the end.
Paul Lambert, Dash McCaine, Ashlynn Reed, and Tigress Amita def.
Fabio Silva, Aguijon Tachibana, Cerise, and Leticia Fujioka in 19:34 via Submission
Paul Lambert has been agitating about change that needs to come to SWA since the World Open back in March. He, Dash, and Ashlynn all seemed pretty tight after the match. Possible new faction incoming?
Aaron Wolff def. unimportantguy in 2:46 into the 4th Round (17:46 total match time) via submission in a "Shoot-Style" SWA Rules Match.
Many thought UIG was foolish for accepting this, a shoot-style match against a shoot-style wrestler, but he acquitted himself surprisingly well, lasting well into the fourth round. Ultimately, it really leaves it to the viewer whether UIG successfully made his point about how being "shoot-style" isn't anything special to brag about.
El Halcon Loco Jr. def El Halcon Loco in 18:22 via Pinfall in Mask vs. Career Match
How the mighty have fallen. El Halcon Loco used to be one of the premier Junior Heavyweights in SWA, but his hateful obsession with the wrestler who was given his mask in Mexico was ultimately his downfall. He's now lost not only his mask, but his very career in SWA in pursuing this vendetta. A feel-good victory for El Halcon Loco Jr., but in the process we lost an SWA Original and one of the true legends of the company.
Blaze def. Armel St. Martin in 17:58 via Submission to WIN the SWA Aftermath Championship.
A lot of people were, I think, surprised by this result. Blaze has a reputation as a hit-or-miss wrestler who can put on a show-stealer or just kind of do nothing depending on his level of motivation. Tonight, he came motivated, and this match was a standout on the show.
Angels of Anarchy (Brandon Kennedy and Gabriela Espinosa) def. BHB (Lina and El Hijo de Toxico) in 27:19 via Pinfall to WIN the SWA Tag-Team Championships.
The second title win for the Brotherhood of Fallen Angels this evening. Lina and El Hijo de Toxico were very prepared for this fight, but Angels of Anarchy are a well-oiled tag-team machine.
Mieko Suzuyama def. Raven Briars in 25:45 by submission to RETAIN the SWA Joshi Championship.
Big history here for both women. Raven Briars was soundly rejected by fans during her first big opportunity at the Joshi Championship, and swore to work her way back up from the bottom. More than three years of hard-work and self-examination later, she finally made her way back to the big match at Aftermath. For Mieko Suzuyama, she had, to this point, never beaten Raven Briars in a singles match. The two had a strong rivalry years ago, but Mieko was embraced by the fans, while Raven was stopped cold by their indifference. Ultimately, Mieko proved why she is called the Joshi Ace, and continues one of the most dominant runs anybody has ever had with the SWA Joshi Championship.
Samael Tangaroa def. Kyle Sieras in 28:34 by referee stoppage to WIN the SWA Openweight Championship.
Okay, I already talked about this one a little but goddamn was this a downer ending. Samael the SWA Openweight Championship. Kyle Sieras out for 6-8 weeks with a herniated disc in his neck. This is just awful and depressing and I'd really rather not discuss it further.
Overall, a very good night for the Brotherhood of Fallen Angels, and a very bad night for SWA. We lost an SWA Original to an idiotic grudge, one of the most popular SWA Openweight Champions in recent years is on the shelf, and three of the four championships in SWA now rest in the hands of the Brotherhood. In the immortal words of the Angry Wrasslin' Nerd, "Fuck."
