🌐 IRON GRIP PRO WRESTLING: SHOW 35 – “Crimson Reign”
Venue: Iron Coliseum – Chicago, IL
Attendance: 17,432 (Sold Out)
Commentary: Mauro Ranallo, Tazz, Renee Paquette
Theme Song: “Control” by Halsey x Bring Me the Horizon
🔥 PRESHOW MATCH: Santos Escobar vs Alex Shelley vs Chris Sabin vs Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano
📌 ELIMINATION MATCH
📌 #1 Contender’s Match for the Cruiserweight Championship
📍 Winner faces Hiromu Takahashi at “Iron Grip: Rising Storm”
Story Setup:
Hiromu Takahashi shocked the world at Crimson Reign by winning the Cruiserweight Title. Now, five of the most respected, battle-tested veterans and innovators in the division are gunning for a shot. William Regal has declared an elimination match—last man standing gets the title match.
- Santos Escobar has called this “his redemption arc” after a long string of losses.
- Shelley and Sabin, reunited and respected, have promised to tear it up but fight clean.
- Ciampa wants to reassert himself as more than a tag partner or gatekeeper.
- Gargano is here for one thing: Gold for The Way.
MATCH FORMAT NOTES:
- Two men start, others tag in at will.
- Eliminations by pinfall or submission.
- No DQ, but outside interference results in instant disqualification of the interfering party.
Entrances:
- Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley enter together to a massive pop as the Motor City Machine Guns.
- Johnny Gargano comes out solo, wearing new gear inspired by Final Fantasy VII, focused and intense.
- Tommaso Ciampa stomps out, hood up, no nonsense.
- Santos Escobar enters last, full mariachi skull gear, with Legado banners on screen.
🎮 MATCH BEGINS
🔹 Starting: Gargano vs Shelley
- They open with slick chain wrestling, mat counters, and clean respect.
- Tags start flying in. Sabin and Shelley isolate Gargano with Machine Gun tag-team precision.
- Ciampa tags in—blind tag—and drills Sabin with a vicious knee.
- Shelley tries to save, but Ciampa hits a double draping DDT on both Guns!
❌ ELIMINATION #1: Chris Sabin
Ciampa hits a surprise Willow’s Bell, followed by a Project Ciampa on Sabin.
1…2…3!
Chris Sabin has been eliminated.
Shelley checks on him. They bump fists, Shelley stays in.
🔹 Chaos Breaks Out
- Escobar tags in for the first time and targets Gargano’s neck with brutal suplexes.
- He hits a Phantom Driver on Shelley but only gets a 2-count.
- Ciampa and Gargano reluctantly work together to take out Escobar temporarily—
—until Ciampa sucker punches Gargano and yells, “You never change!”
❌ ELIMINATION #2: Alex Shelley
As Shelley returns to break up the fight, Escobar recovers and hits a running knee.
He hoists Shelley up and hits the Legado Bomb!
1…2…3!
Alex Shelley has been eliminated.
Now it’s Escobar vs Gargano vs Ciampa.
🔥 Triple Threat Sequence
- All three men go back and forth for several minutes:
- Gargano hits Slingshot Spear on Escobar.
- Ciampa hits Air Raid Crash on Gargano.
- Escobar hits Tope Con Hilo on both outside.
- Back in, Gargano and Ciampa briefly team up again—hit a Meet in the Middle on Escobar.
But Gargano quickly turns on Ciampa, superkicking him while screaming, “This is MY moment!”
❌ ELIMINATION #3: Tommaso Ciampa
Gargano hits One Final Beat (slingshot DDT) and stacks up Ciampa.
1…2…3!
Tommaso Ciampa has been eliminated.
We are down to Santos Escobar vs Johnny Gargano.
💥 FINAL PHASE: Escobar vs Gargano
Crowd is HOT. This feels like a TakeOver main event.
- Gargano reverses Phantom Driver into Garga-No-Escape, but Santos rolls through into a cradle—2.9!
- Santos hits a top-rope hurricanrana, rolls through, hits double knees to the back.
- Gargano kicks out, fires up—SUPERKICK!
- Garga-No-Escape again—Escobar inches to the ropes, and eventually bites his hand to avoid tapping.
Finish:
Santos dodges a second Final Beat and kicks out Gargano’s knee.
Escobar hits Sudden Death (rolling enzuigiri) followed by a phantom-style avalanche Legado Bomb from the second rope!
1…2…3!
🎤 POST-MATCH MOMENT:
PACKAGE**
Dark, cinematic recap:
- CM Punk’s rise to Iron Grip World Champion.
- LA Knight’s meteoric momentum.
- House of Black’s dominance.
- Hangman vs Omega’s emotional war.
- Swerve, Ospreay, and Sabre circling the main event.
- Balor’s recent alliance with Kross & Priest – “Dark Kingdom.”
- The mystery of Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens’ rocky friendship.
Tonight… everything changes.
🎤 SEGMENT: Swerve, Ospreay, Sabre Jr. Collision
Swerve opens, promising to take what should’ve been his from day one: the World Title.
Will Ospreay interrupts—mocking Swerve’s “swagger without substance.”
Zack Sabre Jr. appears, calmly saying they both lack what matters—technique and IQ.
Regal appears on the tron:
“Settle it in the ring. Triple threat. Winner becomes #1 Contender to the World Title… tonight.”
🔥 MATCH 1: Swerve Strickland vs Zack Sabre Jr. vs Will Ospreay
📌 #1 Contender’s Match – World Title
Match Highlights:
- Sabre ties Swerve in knots early with a double wrist clutch octopus.
- Ospreay lands a Sky Twister Press to both men outside.
- Swerve rallies with a rolling flatliner/DDT combo.
- Ospreay and Sabre go full “British Strong Style” slap fest.
- Sabre traps Ospreay in a grounded arm-triangle—but Swerve hits a 450 splash to break it.
Finish:
Swerve sets up House Call on Ospreay—Sabre cuts in with a PK kick to Swerve, goes for a roll-up—but Ospreay reverses into a Storm Breaker on Sabre!
Winner: Will Ospreay
➡️ Ospreay is the new #1 Contender to the Iron Grip World Championship.
🔥 MATCH 2: The House of Black (c) vs The Young Bucks & Ricochet
📌 Trios Championship Match
Match Highlights:
- Nick Jackson and Buddy open with furious chain counters.
- Ricochet stuns Brody with a Fosbury Flop.
- Bucks double superkick Malakai into the corner.
- As Ricochet sets up for the 630—
Lights flicker. BLACKOUT.
Suddenly, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Karrion Kross storm the ring, attacking both teams.
Winner: No Contest
House of Black retain the Trios Titles.
Post-Match Carnage:
- Kross chokeslams Ricochet onto the steel steps.
- Priest gives Matt Jackson a razor’s edge into the barricade.
- Balor climbs the top rope and Coup de Grâce’s Nick Jackson through a table.
They call themselves: THE DARK KINGDOM.
🔥 MATCH 3: Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton
📌 Grudge Match — 20 Minute Time Limit
Match Highlights:
- Deep psychological storytelling. Orton targets Cody’s shoulder from the bell.
- Cody powers back with the Disaster Kick and a Cody Cutter.
- Orton hits the elevated DDT from the ropes.
- Cody attempts Cross Rhodes… COUNTERED into an RKO… but Cody kicks out at 2.99!
- Orton sets up for a Punt—
Lights go out again! DARK KINGDOM returns. They attack both men again.
Ref throws the match out.
Winner: No Contest
Post-Match: Cody and Orton finally unite, fighting off the Kingdom together.
Regal appears on the tron:
“Next week – Cody & Orton vs Dark Kingdom in a No Disqualification War!”
🔥 MATCH 4: Adam Cole (c) vs Finn Balor vs Kazuchika Okada
📌 Intercontinental Title – Triple Threat
Match Highlights:
- Okada and Balor open with stiff forearms. Cole plays opportunist.
- Okada hits a Dropkick into Balor’s face.
- Cole superkicks both men and hits Panama Sunrise on Balor—but can’t cover.
- Balor counters Okada’s Rainmaker with 1916 DDT, Cole throws Okada out.
- Balor goes up top—
Coup de Grâce!
Winner: Finn Balor – NEW Intercontinental Champion
Balor, bloody and wild-eyed, is handed the title by Kross and Priest as The Dark Kingdom raises his arms.
🔥 MATCH 5: Hangman Page vs Kenny Omega
📌 Best of 5 Series – Match 4 (Page leads 2-1)
Match Highlights:
- Story-driven. Heavy psychology. Hangman targets Kenny’s surgically repaired neck.
- Omega hits the V-Trigger and teases One-Winged Angel, but Page counters.
- Page hits Deadeye, but Kenny kicks out.
- Kenny fakes another V-Trigger and rolls up Page with the tights.
Winner: Kenny Omega
Series tied 2-2
➡️ Final match set: Iron Grip Show 36 – 30-Minute Iron Man Match
🔥 MATCH 6: Kevin Owens vs Drew McIntyre
📌 Singles Match – Grudge Showcase
Match Highlights:
- Brutal strikes and chops. Crowd split.
- KO hits a cannonball into the barricade, then a swanton bomb inside.
- Drew hits White Noise from the second rope, and both men are down.
- Drew lines up for the Claymore—
EL PHANTASMO appears on the ramp, distracting Drew!
KO hits a low blow, then a vicious Stunner.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Post-Match Assault:
- KO nods to ELP, who enters the ring.
- Together, they double-team Drew, stomping and mocking him.
- ELP hits CR2. KO hits Pop-up Powerbomb through the announce table.
Crowd boos loudly
🔥 MATCH: Bronson Reed & Kyle Fletcher (c) vs Paragon (Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly) vs Jack Perry & Sammy Guevara
📌 Iron Grip Tag Team Championship – Triple Threat
📍 No Countouts, One Fall to a Finish
🎥 Backstage Hype Video
Clips of:
• Bronson Reed and Kyle Fletcher bulldozing challengers left and right.
• Paragon’s rise—precision, strategy, and a cold, calculated mission.
• Jack Perry & Sammy Guevara, chaotic but passionate, on a hot streak.
Overlay:
“Three teams. One crown. Who rules the tag division?”
🎤 Entrances
• Jack Perry & Sammy Guevara come out first, hyped, soaking in crowd energy.
• Paragon enters second, stone-faced and intense. Kyle O’Reilly air guitars, Roddy does zero nonsense.
• Reed & Fletcher, the champions, enter last—slow, no-nonsense walk, titles raised high.
🛎️ MATCH BEGINS
🔹 Opening Chaos
• All six men brawl at once.
• Reed bulldozes Sammy into the barricade.
• Paragon isolates Jack Perry, working the shoulder.
• Fletcher nearly gets a flash pin on O’Reilly with a sit-out powerbomb—only 2.
🔥 Momentum Builds
• Sammy hits a 630 Senton to the outside on all five men!
• Jack Perry and Sammy attempt a double-team Assisted Destroyer on Fletcher—Reed breaks it up with a flying body press.
• O’Reilly puts Perry in a Guillotine Choke—broken up by Guevara with a springboard cutter!
Crowd: “This is awesome!”
⚠️ Just as the match reaches a fever pitch…
The lights dim.
A black mist pours down from the rafters.
Smoke seeps through the entrance ramp.
Music hits:
🎶 “No more heroes…”
THE DARK KINGDOM HAS ARRIVED.
• Finn Bálor hits the ramp in black gear, blood-red lighting behind him.
• Karrion Kross and Damian Priest flank him, stoic, sinister.
☠️ THE ATTACK
• Priest enters the ring first—clotheslines Fletcher into oblivion.
• Kross takes Reed and hits a Saito Suplex through the announce table.
• Bálor hits Pele Kick + shotgun dropkick to Jack Perry into the corner.
• Sammy eats a South of Heaven chokeslam on the ring apron from Priest.
• Roddy tries to escape—Bálor Coup de Grâce from the top rope onto a chair.
• Kyle O’Reilly reaches for a weapon—Kross TKO’s him onto the steel steps.
💀 Ring of Destruction
All six men are laid out. The Dark Kingdom stands over the entire tag division.
Finn Bálor grabs one of the tag belts, examines it, then throws it to the ground in disgust.
“We don’t take what’s offered. We conquer what matters.”
❌ Official Ruling: No Contest
• Referees swarm in. EMTs check on Perry and Reed.
🔥 MATCH 8: Mustafa Ali (c) vs Hiromu Takahashi vs Rey Mysterio vs Dominik Mysterio
📌 Cruiserweight Title – Fatal 4-Way
Match Highlights:
- Rey and Hiromu steal the show with fast-paced sequences.
- Dominik uses cheap tactics, eye-gouging Rey.
- Ali hits 054 on Dominik—but Rey breaks the pin!
- Hiromu hits Time Bomb II on Rey!
Winner: Hiromu Takahashi – NEW Cruiserweight Champion
Ali is stunned. Dominik throws a tantrum. Rey congratulates Hiromu, who celebrates with the belt on the ropes.
🎤 BACKSTAGE SEGMENT
JetSpeed, Andrade, & Dragon Lee discuss fighting for pride, not politics.
The Hurt Syndicate (Lashley, Shelton, Carmelo, Cedric) walk in.
Lashley:
“You boys are fast, but we’re inevitable.”
Brawl breaks out. Match made on the spot!
🔥 MATCH 9: The Hurt Syndicate vs JetSpeed, Andrade, & Dragon Lee
📌 8-Man Tag
Match Highlights:
- Dragon Lee & Cedric open with fireworks.
- Andrade and Carmelo square off in a sequence filled with disrespect.
- Lashley spears Andrade outside the ring.
- Jet
Speed fights hard, hitting a Phoenix Splash on Shelton.
Finish:
Carmelo hits Nothing But Net on JetSpeed. Cedric follows with a Lumbar Check.
Winners: The Hurt Syndicate
🔥 MATCH 10: AJ Styles vs El Phantasmo
📌 Dream Match – First-Time Ever
Match Highlights:
- Technical brilliance meets chaos.
- ELP tries mind games, fakes respect.
- AJ unloads with strikes and a Phenomenal Blitz.
- ELP lands a Top Rope CR2, but AJ kicks out.
Finish:
AJ dodges the next CR2, springboards—Phenomenal Forearm for the win!
Winner: AJ Styles
Post-match: AJ offers a handshake. ELP spits in his face and retreats, smirking.
🔥 MAIN EVENT – MATCH 11: CM Punk (c) vs LA Knight
📌 Iron Grip World Championship
Match Highlights:
- Epic crowd energy.
- Punk works Knight’s leg, grounding the high-impact offense.
- LA Knight hits a BFT early, but Punk kicks out!
- Punk grabs the ropes on a pin attempt.
- Knight mounts a comeback with a superplex and elbow drop.
Finish:
Knight goes for BFT again—Punk low blows him behind the ref’s back, rolls him up with the tights.
Winner: CM Punk (retains)
Post-Match:
Punk retreats with the title, smirking.
But then—Will Ospreay’s music hits!
He stares Punk down from the ramp.
Punk mouths “You’ll never beat me.”
Ospreay raises one finger. “One shot. One kill.”
