Cody Rhodes pins Kurt Angle under the stars
Cody Rhodes wrestled one of his bucket-list matches tonight at the NEW Wrestling Under the Stars Event in in Wappingers Falls, NY.
Rhodes, 31, beat Kurt Angle with his Cross Rhodes finish in what was described as a shorter match than fans expected, but one in which they both got in all of their major spots. In particular, Angle got a huge reaction for his ankle lock, which Rhodes escaped prior to hitting his finish.
In an interview with Ring Rust Radio earlier this week, Rhodes said regarding the Angle match: “I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and I was there in 1996 when he won the gold medal in freestyle with a broken neck. I feel like Kurt Angle has always been a part of my life as a fan, as a wrestler and now competing against one another. That one in particular is a gleaming name on the list that’s kind of pulsing, so whatever happens there is going to be very unique. The partnership that is just now cultivating, how it’s going to go and which way it’s going to work is Ring of Honor. They’re going to take me more places outside of the United States with some more International flavor and that’s really intriguing to me.”
Rhodes is on a mission to prove that he’s one of the best wrestlers in the world following his WWE release, and will be competing in the PWG Battle of Los Angeles tournament next weekend, facing Sami Callihan in the first round.
Submitted by a subscriber:
Wrecking Ball Legursky and Big Ang defeated Adrenaline Rush (Daniel Evans and Keith Youngblood). Wrecking Ball pinned Youngblood after a gorilla press slam.
TK O’Ryan won a four way elimination match over Caleb Konley, Vinny Marseglia, and Travis “Flip” Gordon. Marseglia eliminated Konley after a Gordon 450 splash. Gordon eliminated Marseglia after a death valley driver and seated superkick. O’Ryan eliminated Gordon via Tenzan-style tombstone pile driver. Crowd loved O’Ryan and especially Gordon.
Brian Anthony pinned Dan De Man after a top rope elbow.
So Over (Jimmy Preston and Mark Sherman) and Velvet Sky (all three managed by Swoggle) defeated Kamaitachi, Sumie Sakai, and “The Man Scout” Jake Manning. Really entertaining comedy match. Crowd loved Manning, who ran the ropes while reading his Scout Manual. Kamaitachi did a crazy pervert routine trying to get to Velvet. Crowd hated So Over, who were supposed to be baby faces. Velvet pinned Sakai after a Tadpole Splash by Swoggle and a Stunner.
Jerry Lawler defeated Brooklyn Brawler in a match that was mostly playing to the crowd.
Broken Matt Hardy (w Reby Hardy and Senjor Benjamin) defeated Sami Callihan by pin after a Twist of Fate. They brawled all around the field. Callihan was doing his Space Cat gimmick and did a dueling DELETE!/MEOW! promo with Hardy. At one point during the match Callahan took a mic to call Hardy washed up, so Hardy shoved the mic into Callihan’s mouth.
The Now (Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins) defeated the Battle Brothers (Anthony and Chris) when Dalishus pinned Anthony Battle after a corkscrew senton.
After the match, Showtime Stevie Stamos, the Battles’ manager, fired them and cut a heel promo until “The Big Guy” came out and hit him with a meat hook clothesline and a Shell shock.
Jeff Hardy pinned Jushin Thunder Liger after a Swanton Bomb. Both guys worked harder than you would expect for an indie show at a minor league baseball park. Liger and Jeff bowed for each other after the match.
Cody Rhodes defeated Kurt Angle by pin after a Cross Rhodes. This was not a very long match but both guys got their big spots in. Biggest ppp of the night was for Angle slapping on the ankle lock.