All of the festivities of the Jersey City/New York City region have come and gone, and now we’re looking back at the week that was. Loads of wrestlers came to the region looking for a chance to get their work in front of new eyes. While there was plenty of shine to go around, we’re going to take a look at some candidates for the 2019 WrestleMania week MVP.
Examining the 2019 WrestleMania Week MVP Candidates
10. Rock n’ Roll Express – The veterans came in and stole the headlines this week. Ricky Morton hit a damn Canadian Destroyer in what was my match of the week.
9. Swoggle – Swoggle deserves some credit for showing up and going toe to toe with Nick Gage and Scott Steiner. You know he did something right when Gage commended him for his effort after their match.
8. Shazza McKenzie – 10 matches in eight days. It feels weird to compare McKenzie to Nick Gage….let that sink in for a minute….but it really did feel like every time I turned my head, McKenzie was there. She had a continual presence throughout the week and delivered.
7. Joey Janela – There’s no better testament to the wild spirit of indie wrestling than the creative mind of the Bad Boy. But, aside from putting together the two Spring Break shows, Janela returned from injury to wrestle Marko Stunt and Jungle Boy, two of my favorite matches of the week.
6. Orange Cassidy – Regardless of your stance on comedy wrestling, you can’t deny the presence that “Freshly Squeezed” had on WrestleMania week. He had a flutist – who else had a flutist?!?!
5. Dominic Garrini – “The Bone Collector” was the quiet workhorse of WrestleMania week, and not enough people are recognizing the work he put in last week. He represented SUP in the six-man tag at IWTV’s Family Reunion, took on Phil Baroni at Bloodsport, and he and partner Kevin Ku had a fun brawl against Manny Fernandez and Tank at BLP’s Adventures in Wrestling. But, he and Joshua Bishop absolutely stole the show at AIW’s Slumber Party Massacre. The man was nearly lit on fire, ffs.
4. Bryce Remsburg – Bryce was consistent all week, but his performance in the Invisible Stan vs. Invisible Man match was the story of the night. On a card as stacked as Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3, Pt. 1, that’s saying something. Remsburg reminded us of just how important the referee is to the stories told in the ring.
3. Ethan Page – Didn’t All Ego say he wrestled something like 11 times in three days? That’s insane – but it was how dynamic his matches were that stood out to me. Page went from what felt like a full-on bar fight, powerbombing Kobe Durst through a door to losing his soul to Virgil. Underrated week, in my opinion.
2. Jonathan Gresham – Gresham was another guy who seemed to pop up on every show. The match with Otani was special, and I dug the unique contrast in styles between him and Cassidy. But, honestly, I’d put his match with Shigehiro Irie atop the list for the week. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the last WrestleMania week Gresham spent on the indies.
1.Nick Gage – Easy, hands down, no questions asked. I feel like Gage popped up on every single show I watched last week. Taking on Mance Warner at AIW’s Slumber Party Massacre, Swoggle at BLP’s Adventures in Wrestling, Shinjiro Otani at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3 Pt. 1, and he was in the clusterfuck at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3, Pt. 2. At Inter Species Wrestling, he took on Matt Tremont, Addy Starr, and Jeff Cannonball in a Lego Death Match. My personal favorite was the Yuletide Death Match against Ultramantis Black at Orange Cassidy Is Doing Something or Whatever, Who Knows???
Everyone's tweeting the pics of Gage in the sunglasses alone, but the ones I got with him and Cassidy destroy me even more pic.twitter.com/Ov4Qn3Vh8v
— BostonNooga (@BostonNooga) April 10, 2019
And, I’m not omnipotent – I’m sure there’s a match or two out there that I’m missing. But, this one goes much deeper than just being a workhorse. That’s his city. These are his people. Last week was his week – he just flat out owned it. The reaction when he came out, every time, no matter if the crowd had just seen him 10 minutes ago or 10 years ago – the place went nuts. People were genuinely happy, and that’s what it’s all about.
Salute to The King. The God. MDK.
The collective was awesome thanks to all my MDK gang that showed me love we ran jersey city thats just a fact im doin it for you guys pic.twitter.com/ZtWocbp4o7
— Nick FN Gage (@thekingnickgage) April 8, 2019
MORE WRESTLEMANIA WEEK COVERAGE
AIW: Slumber Party Massacre Recap
IWTV: Family Reunion Recap
Mose’s Favorite Mania Weekend Matches
NXT TakeOver: New York – Results And Match Ratings
The SoBros’ WrestleMania Week In Tweets
Stoney’s Top 10 WrestleMania Week Matches
WrestleMania 35: Results And Match Ratings
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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