DEAN~!! Sunday School.
Produce is one of the most interesting promotions in the US right now, when they first announced they're collaborating with ACTION and Segunda Caida to bring the 5th show under the DEAN~!! umbrella back in april, i was hyped like many others, i knew about Mad Dog Slade II as soon as they last show ended, but i was looking forward to see how different this show might look with Produce Talent under it, when the full card got revealed my expectations were high but HOLY SHIT.
before i start yapping, stop, close this page, go to MyAEW, buy this show and watch it, do yourself a favor and watch this show, PLEASE.
before i start yapping, stop, close this page, go to MyAEW, buy this show and watch it, do yourself a favor and watch this show, PLEASE.
Match 1: Angus legstrong & Oldman Youngboy vs. VIF.
when i first watched DVD Days in February, i fell in love with how Oldman and Angus Wrestled, they wrestle a style that i aspire to wrestle and i always find joy in watching, their match against each other was the hook to get freaks like me invested in them, this match was an attempt to prove they were worth the attention, VIF may be the most important tag team on the indies this decade, this was a huge challenge for Oldman and Angus, but they proved that they were worth this spot, there's a bizarre similarity and and difference between all 4 competitors that made every exchange interesting, Angus and Garrini was a heavyweight grappler matchup that neither of them won or lost, they were 50/50, but the thing is that Angus tried his best while Dom only tested the waters, when Oldman and Ku started grappling, the match took on a completely different feeling, it was suddenly a different weight class fight and the two made it pretty obvious, Oldman was trying to outsmart Ku but Ku is more experienced, that was fun, but the thing is that this wasn't a match booked to JUST be a MOTYC, this was booked to showcase that simple pro wrestling can still work, working on the mat until a big spot can still work, Angus Legstrong and Oldman youngboy are 2 of the most interesting wrestlers in the world right now, not just in singles but in tags, if you're a booker reading this, book these guys on your show if you want them to completely steal it, i would've said that making this match the opener is the dumbest booking decision on the indies in 2026 if this wasn't my favorite show in wrestling history, but the point stands, VIF should be on TV. Angus and Oldman should be on every single show i randomly find on IWTV, this was a PRO WRESTLING MATCH worked perfectly, i dont use star ratings anymore but this match can be called a "5 star match"
Match 2: Ryan Mooney vs. Tony Deppen
on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, this was a sprint, Can Tony Deppen keep up with Mooney's speed? a pretty simple idea that managed to shine with it's execution, even tho this style isn't really my favorite to watch, but i sure had fun watching this one, it fit right well with the rest of the show and managed to show the contrast of how great wrestling can look different.
Match 3: Tim Bosby vs. Matt Mako
it's 2026, and Tim Bosby is the best kept secret on the Indies, just like how Adam priest was the best kept secret on the indies a couple of years ago, and funny enough 2 of Bosby's best matches were Against Priest, we are not used to see Bosby work as a Babyface, but he did work as a babyface, a relateable one too, he kept the high ground and kept control over mako until Mako put him in that gogoplata and Bosby had to counter it by dropping Mako on his knee, throughout the rest of the match, Bosby had to deal with his now damaged knee, there's a price that he has to pay and he payed it by selling his knee perfectly, one guy said that Bosby looks like a long lost son of kurt angle, but kurt angle has never sold this good, in a match where the roles are reversed from what's excpected both guys played their roles perfectly, Mako's knee targeting and "chopping down the tree" was perfect. Bosby is one of the most exciting talents in the world, with the amount of bookings he's getting i can proudly call him the present and future of pro wrestling.
Match 5: Slim J vs. Adam Priest II
the 2nd dance of the match that put Adam Priest on the map with a different setting, he didn't need to prove himself to the crowd, he beat Slim because there's no better wrestler in the world than adam Priest with a chip on his shoulder, Adam Priest isn't trying to be the best wrestler in the world, he is the best wrestler in the world whether you admit it or not, everything he does is for himself and only himself, that lose against Slim J from 2 years ago is still on his mind, so he found the perfect opportunity for payback, he's more grounded now both figuratively and literally, so instead of going with the wind he came with a tactic, he'll keep Slim on the ground and keep targeting his head with those headlocks... shoutout to walker stewart. slim keeps fighting for his comebacks but Priest ALWAYS cuts him off, this leads to slim trying shit he hasn't tried in years... this guy is 41 !!
Priest wasn't a heel, he wasn't a babyface too, you can cheer or boo him but he's here to finish a job and get revenge for a match that he lost 2 years go, Slim J makes you cheer for him tho, he's such a good babyface that he'll make you believe in everything he does, his comebacks get better and crazier each time and Priest has more trouble dealing with him until he got on that top rope... which priest is vey familiar with, shoutout to anthony henry.
this is better than their first match in my opinion, seeing how different Priest is 2 years after the first dean show is very interesting, seeing how different this match is 2 years later was interesting, an insane performance for both, especially if you keep up with the DEAN~!! shows.
Match 6: Darian Bengston vs. Skayde
a different school sloppy Technical match... this was my shit, Skayde was the smarter one here and Bengtson was so Desperate he used tactics and counters that ZSJ used against him in their match, that was interesting because Skayde had an answer for problem that Bengston gave him, the idea is so simple but the sloppy excution and imperfection makes this even better. you can tell that Bengston studied Skayde but studying isn't enough, he had to actually try and make new stuff to win, and funny enough? he won with the same move ZSJ beat him with, i would like to see Bengston against more llave wrestlers.
Match 7: Low Ki vs. Carl Greco Malenko - Battlarts rules.
LOW KI STRIPPED DOWN INTO HIS OLD GEAR
I REPEAT
LOW KI STRIPPED DOWN INTO HIS OLD GEAR
hearing the names of the wrestlers in this match + the moveset is enough. i can't describe how UGLY this was. not the ugliest on the show, but a pinnacle in ugly pro wrestling matches of the decade.
where do i start? Low Ki comes out calm, doing his casual entrance with his hitman outfit, like a dragon coming out after years of being chained in a cave, but the dragon had a mouth guard, he couldn't spit fire until he got rid of that, so he took of his suit, got into his old white gear and roared. the dragon roars once again, against a sword that gets sharper with age, Malenko is maybe the best wrestler on the indies this year, he was always known to be caesious in battlarts, but this last run is the exact opposite, he adapts to his opponents style and strikes hard, but can this sword cut the dragon's skin?
this was disgusting, this level of stiff grappling is nonexistint in 2026, that's why we need this match, this contrast of the stiffnes of low ki and fluidity of Carl worked perfectly, in the start Ki gets a choke locked in and Karl's purple almost instantly, and yeah, assume Ki's choking with everything he's got, that's just who he is. Karl can't muscle out, has to peel the fingers apart one at a time to get his head loose, and the second he's free he's already got something tighter locked on Ki. That's the fluidity im talking about.
dear reader, if you're here, i want you to type on the comments the reason that drives you to keep fighting in life, a story that you got fucked in and you kept fighting and won.
Mad Dog Connelly and SLADE are driven by hate, it's a simple fact, these guys are trying to kill eachother and they get so close to doing so, nothing i will say and write will describe how ugly this is, and funny enough this is the 3rd time that i used these words to describe a mad dog Connelly match, this match rides on the same high that there first match rode on and goes even further, they kept fighting outside the white eagle hall so you can take that as a literal fact.
"the arena couldn't contain them!" is a silly thing that commentators say, but this the first time that i felt that the arena truly couldn't contain these guys, can any place in the world contain them? mad dog didn't tap out but what would tap him out, how much can hate drive you? when do you stop? these are question that not mad dog nor SLADE know the answer to, because it's simple, they don't give a shit if there's any fans or not, they just want to kill eachother.
on another note; shoot headbutts, stiff punches, hard elbows, loud slaps, great use of the chain, what's there to hate about this match? what's there that was missing from this match?
an ugly experience that i feel like everyone should experience for once in their life, ride the high with these guys and see where they'll take you, get shocked and disgusted while seeing how mean humans can get, feel how gnarly can this beautiful sport get.
GMEC !
*Mad Dog Connelly is the 3rd wrestler to enter my GMEC list twice, behind John Cena and Terry funk.
i'm not gonna tell you that this is the greatest show of all time, but im not gonna tell you it isn't, it's certainly my pick as all the matches were GREAT in my opinion, but i feel like this is a show everyone should watch, the Segunda Caida boys outdid themselves on these DEAN~!! shows once again, Bravo.
Match 2: Ryan Mooney vs. Tony Deppen
Match 3: Tim Bosby vs. Matt Mako
Match 5: Slim J vs. Adam Priest II
the 2nd dance of the match that put Adam Priest on the map with a different setting, he didn't need to prove himself to the crowd, he beat Slim because there's no better wrestler in the world than adam Priest with a chip on his shoulder, Adam Priest isn't trying to be the best wrestler in the world, he is the best wrestler in the world whether you admit it or not, everything he does is for himself and only himself, that lose against Slim J from 2 years ago is still on his mind, so he found the perfect opportunity for payback, he's more grounded now both figuratively and literally, so instead of going with the wind he came with a tactic, he'll keep Slim on the ground and keep targeting his head with those headlocks... shoutout to walker stewart. slim keeps fighting for his comebacks but Priest ALWAYS cuts him off, this leads to slim trying shit he hasn't tried in years... this guy is 41 !!
Priest wasn't a heel, he wasn't a babyface too, you can cheer or boo him but he's here to finish a job and get revenge for a match that he lost 2 years go, Slim J makes you cheer for him tho, he's such a good babyface that he'll make you believe in everything he does, his comebacks get better and crazier each time and Priest has more trouble dealing with him until he got on that top rope... which priest is vey familiar with, shoutout to anthony henry.
this is better than their first match in my opinion, seeing how different Priest is 2 years after the first dean show is very interesting, seeing how different this match is 2 years later was interesting, an insane performance for both, especially if you keep up with the DEAN~!! shows.
Match 6: Darian Bengston vs. Skayde
Match 7: Low Ki vs. Carl Greco Malenko - Battlarts rules.
I REPEAT
LOW KI STRIPPED DOWN INTO HIS OLD GEAR
hearing the names of the wrestlers in this match + the moveset is enough. i can't describe how UGLY this was. not the ugliest on the show, but a pinnacle in ugly pro wrestling matches of the decade.
where do i start? Low Ki comes out calm, doing his casual entrance with his hitman outfit, like a dragon coming out after years of being chained in a cave, but the dragon had a mouth guard, he couldn't spit fire until he got rid of that, so he took of his suit, got into his old white gear and roared. the dragon roars once again, against a sword that gets sharper with age, Malenko is maybe the best wrestler on the indies this year, he was always known to be caesious in battlarts, but this last run is the exact opposite, he adapts to his opponents style and strikes hard, but can this sword cut the dragon's skin?
this was disgusting, this level of stiff grappling is nonexistint in 2026, that's why we need this match, this contrast of the stiffnes of low ki and fluidity of Carl worked perfectly, in the start Ki gets a choke locked in and Karl's purple almost instantly, and yeah, assume Ki's choking with everything he's got, that's just who he is. Karl can't muscle out, has to peel the fingers apart one at a time to get his head loose, and the second he's free he's already got something tighter locked on Ki. That's the fluidity im talking about.
Reversals start coming fast, small windows both guys are grabbing at, until Karl ends up on top and Ki burns his first break. Next exchange Ki gets the exact same choke back on and this time it's Carl reaching for the ropes. carl walks him into the post and starts kneeing him, Ki actually hits the mat, which basically never happens. He gets up angry, and that's either going to make him dangerous or make him stupidly angry. It's the second one. Karl reads the anger immediately and ties him right back up, second break for Ki, Finally Ki gets to do Ki things. Body shots, up and over, Ki Crusher into the mat. the one moment that just works clean from Ki. For the first time Carl's the one on the ground, and for a second, pulling himself up off those thin arms, for once in this run, he looks like an old man instead of a wizard.
That's the whole match right there though. Ki hits hard and fast, that's the entire game plan, and the Crusher is as close as he gets to actually winning. He just can't generate enough violence to put Karl away for good. Ki's a dragon that it's breath has gone colder and Carl's a sword that's never been sharper. Karl wins because age only made him better. Softer, looser, still hits like a truck when he has to, but mostly he's playing the long game, treating literally everything that happens to him as an opening instead of a threat.
perfect, ugly, disgusting, hurts to watch.
but it isn't the ugliest and most disgusting match of the show.
Match 8: Mad Dog Connelly vs. SLADE II (Dog Collar)
Mad Dog Connelly and SLADE are driven by hate, it's a simple fact, these guys are trying to kill eachother and they get so close to doing so, nothing i will say and write will describe how ugly this is, and funny enough this is the 3rd time that i used these words to describe a mad dog Connelly match, this match rides on the same high that there first match rode on and goes even further, they kept fighting outside the white eagle hall so you can take that as a literal fact.
"the arena couldn't contain them!" is a silly thing that commentators say, but this the first time that i felt that the arena truly couldn't contain these guys, can any place in the world contain them? mad dog didn't tap out but what would tap him out, how much can hate drive you? when do you stop? these are question that not mad dog nor SLADE know the answer to, because it's simple, they don't give a shit if there's any fans or not, they just want to kill eachother.
on another note; shoot headbutts, stiff punches, hard elbows, loud slaps, great use of the chain, what's there to hate about this match? what's there that was missing from this match?
an ugly experience that i feel like everyone should experience for once in their life, ride the high with these guys and see where they'll take you, get shocked and disgusted while seeing how mean humans can get, feel how gnarly can this beautiful sport get.
GMEC !
*Mad Dog Connelly is the 3rd wrestler to enter my GMEC list twice, behind John Cena and Terry funk.
i'm not gonna tell you that this is the greatest show of all time, but im not gonna tell you it isn't, it's certainly my pick as all the matches were GREAT in my opinion, but i feel like this is a show everyone should watch, the Segunda Caida boys outdid themselves on these DEAN~!! shows once again, Bravo.
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