Reality of Wrestling Review – 08.04.25

Amongst the writing beats I have undertaken is Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling. We get the weekly broadcasts here (as the shows are usually taped in nearby Texas City.) We are at the Walker Texas Lawyer Arena. I will be covering the show to show who is up and coming and might be the next Roxanne Perez. So, let’s say we sit a spell and keep it real. Shall We? We shall.

Our announce crew is Brad Gilmore, Carolina Teak and Chirs Russo. Russo is your prerequisite heel commentator with Teak as your Third person who takes up for the faces (somewhat analogous to the set up WWE/NXT had a scant few years ago.) Note: Chris Russo – no relation to Vince as far as I can tell (if Jim Cornette is reading this, you’re safe.)

Also, it being a smallish budget promotion, the graphics are minimal and we get no chryon indicating who is who except for what was a significantly smaller version of what the big show offers. It does help when pan up to identify who is who. These are first broadcast on YouTube. The YouTube version feels more WWE like and don’t have the odd commercial breaks that the show has on regular TV (the CW channel, which means we are also fed a steady diet of NXT plugs.) I will indicate what was missed during said breaks.

Marcus Mathers vs. Sam “Hardway” Holloway

Mathers has been featured on Evolve (reviewed here by Sonic Reducer.) Holloway is a big hoss who jaws and the taunts the fans. We get through Holloway’s full name before Mathers leaps between the ropes for a clothesline on Holloway. Mathers is amped and attacks Holoway from the opening bell and pounds away in the corner. Holloway, however, who has a precipitous height and weight advantage, quells the tide by a vicious chop. However, and Irish whip is reversed to a boot and a drop kick sends Holloway to the floor.

Holloway takes a breather and collects himself as Mathers wants to fight with a crazy sense of urgency. Holoway gets in and meets Mathers with a knee to the gut. Holloway chops away and bad mouths Mathers as we get commercials.

We also get an ad for Booker T’s wrestling school where the matches are held. We also get ads (in Houston) for Jim Adler, the Texas Hammer, who is a personal injury lawyer. It’s odd since the arena is sponsored by one of his rival. And, Walker is an injury lawyer Booker T advertises on NXT and other shows. (On YouTube, Holloway used his boot to choke Mathers in the corner. Mathers tries to rally by chopping away on Holloway across the ring. Holloway tried to regain momentum by chopping Mathers but Holloway missed a charge to the turnbuckle. Holloway jumped to the top turnbuckle and hit a reverse bodypress for two. Holloway staggers to the ropes and….)

We return as Mathers clotheslines Holloway out of the ring but another dive through the ropes is caught by Holloway. It is turned to a powerbomb on the apron. Holloway gets an elbow drop as they question Holloway’s motives. Teak calls it a bully mentality as a vertical suplex gets two for Holloway and we hit the chinlock. They talk about the size of Holloway (six foot eight) and that the slow pace favors Holloway.

It’s the announcers’ jinx, though, as Holloway goes for a charge to the turnbuckles but Mathers ducks and Holloway shoulderblocks the turnbuckle. Another charge to the turnbuckle by Holloway is met with a back elbow. Another charge is met with a dropkick by Mathers who leaps on the rope and gets a Tornado DDT for two. Mathers tries to gain the momentum by climbing to the top rope but Holloway rolled out of the ring. Mathers gives pursit but Holoway rams him into the ringpost. Holloway throws hm back into the ring and grabbed a chair. Hollway winds up but misses a chair shot as Mathers ducked it and dropkicked the chair into Holloway.

Holloway is in the corner and begging for mercy. Mathers dropped the chair but goes to beat on Holloway. Holloway goes old school by grabbing the legs to drop Mathers and pins Mathers with his legs on the ropes.

Post Match: Mathers is angry about the denouement. He grabs the chair and hits Holloway in the back. Mathers is screaming at Holloway and hits him agin with the chair. Mathers is still indignant as the fans cheer Mahters. As we have to cheer ads.

Coming back from break and we get Booker T with a thick human being named Jay Alexander. Booker heads to the ring and has the mic. Booker is here for one reason and one reason only. His homey, his esse, is going to wreck shop like Booker T did a few weeks ago with help in Las Vegas against Zilla Fatu (that help included AJ Francis.) Alexander emphasizes the point by stomping on the mat. In the match, Booker T said what was going to happen and it did – Zilla Fatu is dead (so his ghost wrestled at Slammiversary? Should we call LVPD? Mulder and Scully? Ghostbusters?)

Booker has adopted the evil GM persona. He needs to leave but Alexander will stay to entertain us something proper and if we can feel him and if we are ready of the reckoning? Booker leaves and pokes fun at a fan. Russo said the fan should be removed.

However, Alexander facing the “The Future” -not the time reference- but “The Future” Will Austin.

This is Austin’s debut in ROW but has been seen nationwide on other shows. Alexander is a vertible fireplug who is small but really strong. Alexander backs him into the corner and slaps him on the break. Teak and Russo are arguing as Russo said Austin is about to become “the past.”

Austin does grab a headlock but eats a shouderblock coming off the ropes. Teak called Alexander “methodical” which is wresting for “slow.” Alexander charges the turnbuckle but Austin moves out of the way. Austin climbs to the middle turnbuckle but a reverse flying bodypress is caught by Alexander and turned into a delayed suplex in a nice spot.

Alexander stomps away in the corner on Austin. However, we hear music and, apparently back from the ethereal plane, Zilla Fatu hits the ring and slugs away on Alexander. Fatu hits the pop up Samoan Drop and then gets ready and hits a, well, Superman Spike (nice homage to the family.) Alexander bails and Fatu grabs the mic as Russo is indignant about the intrusion.

Fatu said its once in a blue moon that I really, really lose my cool and tonight we are going to handle business. We then get the proverbial interruption of the interruption with “The Final Boss” Bryan Davidson. Davidson has a mic readily available. Instead of giving answers he is going to give an apology. And he does apologize to Zilla; that he didn’t stomp his glutes sooner than Las Vegas. Davidson built this place brick by brick and the arena was built by people like him. When Zilla looks at Davidson, Fatu sees the greatest of all time.

Davidson accosts the fans for doing the Bloodline “one” hand gesture up by saying that is how high the moronic fans can count (aloe vera, please; We got just burned.) Loud “Zilla” chant breaks out. What happened to him is stret justice. Davidson doesn’t care about culture, bloodline or history. The difference is he is a well-traveled respected pro wrestler, Zilla is just a social media influencer playing wrestlier.

He got served street justice in Las Vegas. Booker T and Davidson doesn’t want him, he doesn’t care what fans or the office wants. There is a reason why they have sidewalks on the streets because the streets aren’t for everyone. Davidson is going to but Fatu to the curb for good Russo said those are straight facts and the same people you see on the way up are the same you see on the way down.

As we head down to commercials.

(On the YouTube channel we get Emily May setting us up for a return match between “El Chingon De Texas” Max Castellanos and Matty Ice. Castellanos was the former Texas Heavyweight champion. The last time the two met, Ice won. Castellanos is veteran of nine years in the sport and has an aesthetically pleasing young lady named Alexa by his side (it sort of feels like an Andrade and Zelina Vega reboot.) Castellanos walks into the frame with a lit cigar.

May brings up the loss and Castellanos is rightfully insulted by the insulation. He had an injured shoulder – which Ice took advantage – and the referee had “the fastest three count in history.” He didn’t lose to Ice, he got screwed by Ice. He splits the rest of the interview between Spanish and English, asking May does she know how expensive this watch is? She probably can’t fathom it, he surmises. He finishes the interview in Spanish and gives the camera some second-hand smoke. )

We head back to ringside as Castellanos makes his way to the ring with Alexa in tow. Russo heard the cigar is a Churchill cigar worth $87. Next up is Matty Ice (note: not Matt Ryan.)

Ice has an odd shimmy as he disrobes and points to his bicep, indicating he has ice in his veins. Ice gets the fans to chant something that offends Castellanos.

Ice fires off a flurry of punches to drop Castellanos and then a series of clotheslines and a backdrop coming off the turnbuckles. Ice throws Castellanos back into the ring and Castellanos’ missed chop in the corner leads to a series of European Uppercuts for Ice. Castellanos slumps to the apron. However, when Ice attempts to get Castellanos back in the ring, Castellanos neck drapes Ice on the ropes and Ice falls to the mat.

Castellanos hits a clothesline to the back of the neck and then pounds away on the prone Ice. Castellanos jaws at the fans. The beat down continues. Castellanos throws Ice to the tunbuckles and gets a sort of side suplex for two (file it under “didn’t get all of it.”) Castellanos hits a series of shoulderblocks to the back of Ice in the corner.

Castellanos takes time to jaw at the fans again which gives Ice time to make a comeback by slugging away at Castellanos. Castellanos puts an end to it quickly by kneeing Ice in the gut. Castellanos attempts his finisher, a sitout swinging sideslam (similar to Big Bill’s East River Crossing) is teased by Ice escapes. However, Castellanos hits a snap powerslam to Ice hit the ropes for two. And we get snapped to a commercial break.

(on YouTube: Castellanos slaps around Ice before he makes a comeback and fires away at Castellanos.” Ice hits the ropes and lands a neckbreaker as they both hit the floor and…)

When we return both combatants are on the mat and are getting the slow crawl to their feet. They stand simultaneously but Ice is feeling it from the crowd. Castellanos charges but Ice gets a series of clotheslines and an uranage. Ice is does the ice in the vein and hits the “Ice Pick” – elbow drop – off the ropes. Ice gets Castellanos on this shoulders but Cstellanos escapes only to be clothelined to the floor. Ice tore s the floor but Castellanos rams him into the apron. Ice reverses a Castellanos slam into the ringsteps into one of his own.

Ice gets ready to make a run at Castellanos but Alexa, who had pretty much been a spectator in the match, stands in front of Ice. Alexa begs for mercy but Ice wans her to move the referee treis to intervene as Ice picks Up Alexa and moves her out of the way. In doing so, Alexa fell to the mat. Teak and Russo argue whether Alexa fell or Ice pushed her down. As one would expect, Castellanos recovers and hits a low blow as the referee was checking on Alexa. Castellanos shoves Ice back into the ring and gets the ref and NOW Castellanos hits his finisher for the win.

Post Match: Castellanos shows some concern for Alexa – even as Teak insists it’s a ruse – and confronts the ref. threatening litigation toward Ice and ROW. Castellanos picks up Alexa and carries her to the back. And, they say chivalry is dead. Also, what is isn’t dead? Advertisers.

We come back to the main event as La Princesa, Tiffany Nieves “the Best at Everything” (everthing??? EVERYTHING???) makes her way to the ring to face QUEEN SHARMELL!!! This emanates from a long-standing feud that Nieves accused Sharmell of holding her back and insulting her hometown. Sharmell responded that Nieves denigrated everything that is ROW. Tiffany made it physical by shoving Sharmell. Nieves also nefariously stole Sharmell’s crown, which she is wearing to the ring, Russo said every reign must end. Teak brings in the history of Queens in wrestling, including Sherri Martel.

Nieves has the mic and wants to clear the air (good luck with Houston’s air quality.) She did not just steal Sharmell’s crown, she claimed it. Fans are not happy. The crown is the first thing she is going to take around ROW, including titles and legacies. She is feeling generous and give her one more chance to face her and bow down to her before she makes her stay down.

Sharmell takes advantage of that chance. She said she knew she would be doing some silly stuff like stealing her crown like it’s a game. Nieves is playing checkers while Sharmell is playing chess and in chess, the queen always stays protected. She told Nieves and reminds her because Nieves is dense.

We get a weird intro to a video but out comes Promise Braxton who gets a huge pop. Braxton has been on the scene for years and appeared on ROH, NXT and other territories. This is her return to ROW after seven months, she had been wrestling here on and off since 2020. Braxton runs to the ring, ducks two clotheslines and hits a clothesline of her own, Bret Hart style. Braxton pound away on Nieves and chops away in the corner. Braxton hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and then thinks twice of diving through the ropes but rather plays it safe and stalks Neives and runs Nieves into the barricade twice.

Braxton is back in the ring and attempted a suplex twice on Nieves but Nieves reverses that into a neckbreaker on the rope. Nieves now has the advantage and hits a DDT. Nieves pounds away on Briton in the corner and chokes her along the rope. Braxton tries a back drop but is met with a boot. Nieves though hits the ropes but is met with a pump kick for two.

Nieves regains the advantage but double karate thrusting Braxton in the throat and pounds away on her in the turnbuckle including a series of back elbows.

Braxton ducks a charge by Nieves and hists a series of clotheslines but is met with a turnbuckle assisted knee strike. Nieves capitalizes with a spinning side suplex (landed nicely) for two. Nieves hits the chinkock.

Braxton eventually fights out of it but Nieves lands a knee to the back and wrenches it. Braxton gets out and rolls Nieves but Nieves reverses a clothesline into a snapmare and hits another knee into the back. Braxton however recovers quickly and lands a series of boots and knees.

Both go face-to-face and we get the “boo/yeah” chop off. Nieves grabs the arm and hists two back kicks. Nieves hits the rope but Braxton again hits a clothesline. Both combatants are down again but arise simultaneously only for Nieves to charge into another series of Braxton clotheslines. Braxton whips Nieves into the turnbuckles and hits a flying kick and a back suplex. Braxton then hits a reverse meteora to the back of the neck. Briton gets a two count.

A gut wrench suplex is attempted but Nieves reverses it to a throw to the turnbuckles. However, Braxton ascends to the second turnbuckle for a reverse body press but Nieves pulls the referee in front and Braxton hits him with the body splash. Meanwhile, Nieves gets a sit out spine buster and covers Braxton but there’s no referee (you see, that wasn’t very smart, was it?) Nieves is angry – no one to blame but herself – and yells at the ringside crew and grabs a hammer.

However, Sharmell grabs Nieves from the apron and pulls her down. Nieves drops the hammer and starts to jaw with Sharmell and Sharmell lands a huge slap (well sold by Nieves.) Braxton hits an axe kick and hits the gutwrench powerbomb for the victory. ‘

Post match: Braxton and Sharmell rejoice in the adulation of the fans. Briton said very happy to be back as we conclude.

Reality Bytes:

First This is an odd show to review given the lag between YouTube and Network TV. The production seemed more up to speed on YouTube. How do you think I should cover it going forward?

Secondly, the production values are what they are. The action in the ring did most of the talking and the quality is fine. There is definitely a there there, to quote Emily Dickinson, with the talent. I was impressed with Nieves and Braxton (one could see why they were the main event tonight.) Castellanos has a lot of ability but may need a little more tweaking of the character as he progressing in the WWE. For now, he is a good, solid wrestler.

Third, I don’t know much about Danielson but the promo was good and had some believability to it.

Fourth, I was shocked that we got a reset of the evil authority figure with Booker T (with Sharmell being a force for good.) I am not a real fan of it – I actually enjoy the neutral, yet beleaguered, feel of the GMs with Aldis and Pearce. And, you know what, throw in Ava, too.

Fifth, I do like the old-school details of the wrestlers. Holloway’s pin, the work wih Alexa and Castellanos (there was even a lit cigar angle with Booker T in the past that brought back the likes of Heenan and Humperdink.) The action was solid.

Lastly, the fans got to be a little much but they were into it and knew the players. And, that was enjoyable. Houston always had a long history of being an “A” city for fans and action. This crowd was no different. Hot take: they were better than the NXT crowd when they were here a few weeks ago.

Keep Fighting the Good Fight