Tag: Cash in Cash out scramble

Review the Kraken: Episodes 27-30 & 2024 Wrap

Review the Kraken: Episodes 27-30 & 2024 Wrap

Kraken Pro Wrestling made its debut in the summer of 2024. I learned about the promotion not long after that and, back in the fall, I started watching and reviewing episodes of Kraken TV on YouTube, writing up my thoughts and posting them here. Life got in the way several times since, but I reached the end of 2024 with the episodes contained in this taping.

By this point, Kraken has established a core roster and is building some long-term storylines. The most significant plot point is the introduction of the Pieces of 8, a novel concept to determine participants in the Kraken Classic. The Pieces of 8 are coins, each of which gain the holder entry in the tournament. Whomever receives the coins then have to maintain possession until the Kraken Classic. If any coin holder gets pinned or submitted, in a singles or a tag match, whomever gets the duke claims that coin.

Kraken booker Will Huckaby shared with me that Donnie Harris, the lead commentator and on-screen authority figure, first came up with the idea as the premise for a secondary title. Using the coins to secure spots in the Kraken Classic evolved from that. Donnie mentions the new concept at the start of Episode 27, then explains it in greater detail to start Episode 29.

Wrestling tends to be all about recycling ideas — whether that means capitalizing on a hot trend or digging into something from a past era that has fallen out of favor and can seem like an innovation today. However, this is a very creative concept I do not recall seeing yet. It’s an idea I could see a major company stealing and using, and I mean that as a compliment to the creative team at Kraken.

This is also the first Kraken event at a venue the promotion still uses, a senior center in Tifton, Georgia. The entire vibe reminded me of some of those early CHIKARA shows from small public spaces in Pennsylvania. I’m not saying it means Kraken should put on a Cibernetico match, but I’m not not saying that, either.

Let’s dig into these four episodes.

Episode 27

A full menu of tag wrestling on this episode. After heavily teasing dissension between themselves at the last taping, Lamar Diggs and Jay 2 Strong of The Business face Jayy Wells and Gabe Norton in a fun little sprint. I don’t think Wells or Norton have won a match yet in Kraken but they bust out some nifty combo offense and I certainly didn’t have “Norton hitting an ushigaroshi” on my bingo card. Diggs and Jay throw in some small beats to keep their disagreement simmering; I especially liked Diggs chopping Jay across the chest to tag into the match.

The main event on this episode pits Noir against the Saturday Night Temptations. Thus far, I prefer Ehren Black as a singles act. This match rated as skippable for me but give Black, the other half of Noir Mr. Wright, and one of the Temptations, CJ Shine, props for thinking on their feet to keep the match moving and everyone safe when Karl Hager has a medical issue that basically takes him out of the contest.

This taping includes multiple installments of the Diamond Den interview series, hosted by Kraken commentator Diamond Duke. However, the one here featuring “The Sweeper” Jak Myles should have been left on the metaphorical cutting room floor. Duke just tosses out a bunch of bad jokes about trash, garbage, and janitors, and Jak doesn’t really seem to know how to respond. Jak has been getting built as a “man of the people” type of fan favorite but this segment did nothing to help him.

Episode 28

The Cash In, Cash Out Scramble returns. Myles gets his second straight win in the match but, this time, The Business doesn’t show up to attack him for the envelope of money. Myles wins with an STO, which I actually think looks better than his Russian legsweep. Kassius King, Don Haylo, Travis Ray, and ERC round out the field and everyone gets at least one moment to shine even in a short match. King not to be confused with Cassius King, who has a similar look to Kassius. Did I mention they also both wear white gear? Forget what I said about not being confused…

The main event on this episode is one of the better matches yet in Kraken, a rematch between Hold My Beer Hanson (now being billed as “Sam Hanson”) and Brother Azriel from the previous taping. Both wrestlers do a good job building off of what they did in the first match, and doing so without repeating many moves and spots from that initial meeting. The context of the first match adds to the quality of the second, and this incredibly hard-hitting rematch actually stands out as one of my favorite Kraken matches yet — as you’ll see in the lower section. Little touches helped elevate this one. I loved the facial reaction from Azriel when Hanson’s arm failed to drop the third time on a submission hold, and Hanson’s struggle to roll over Azriel for a pin attempt later in the match. I also caught for the first time that Azriel’s jumping piledriver — one of the more established finishers in Kraken — is called The Woodgrain. I can dig it.

Before Hanson’s match, he and Huck are backstage and bump into Kevin Kantrell. Words are exchanged and Huck and Kantrell agree to a match. This is the third or fourth time Huckaby has ended up in a match after bumping into someone in the back. I would suggest Kraken wrestlers just avoid hallways and doorways with Huck altogether at this point.

Episode 29

The centerpiece of this episode is the Kraken return (in some snazzy gold gear, no less) of Trever Aeon, who was suspended from the prior taping by Harris. Aeon faces the debuting Chad Skywalker. At first I found it distracting that Skywalker wrestled in a vest but after seeing some of those leaping stomps to the face, I think he can wear whatever he wants. Skywalker’s use of misdirection and hitting seemingly standard moves from unique angles helped him stand out here. The match goes to the time limit, but Donnie gives them a few more minutes. Diamond Duke is really lobbying Donnie to make that move; as mentioned in an earlier review, I like moments where, even with face/heel commentators, something happens to provoke a genuine human reaction. Once Donnie restarts the match, things heat up quickly. Skywalker looks like he went to the astral plane after eating a nasty-looking snap back suplex. He responds with a nice combo punctuated by an elbow drop out of a springboard moonsault from the second rope. Aeon wins with a second or two remaining in a finish that is executed very well. The only thing I didn’t like about this match was Skywalker using the cross face during the overtime; at this point that hold should be the sole property of Kantrell.

Elsewhere in this one… Donnie Harris explains the Pieces of 8 in greater detail to open this episode. It’s a segment of considerable length and he nails it in one continuous take and is pretty smooth in the process.

There’s another Diamond Den on this episode, this time with Kantrell as the guest. This continues to establish Kantrell, his credibility, and his undefeated streak, while creating the question of what he still has to do to get a shot at the Kraken title. It makes for an effective piece of storytelling, and shows the capability of segments like this.

Charlie Kills scores another win in the opening match, besting Josh Breezzyy. I can summarize Charlie best as Kraken’s lovable murder clown. It can be tough to convey emotion during a match with your entire face covered, but Charlie does a good job of this, especially when he sells. The work here is solid but the match did not connect for me.

Episode 30

The beginning of this episode is different from anything Kraken has done to date. Things open with a seemingly silly backstage segment with Rose Gold and the Temptations, until the debuting Tsu Nami attacks Rose, a brawl that goes all the way into and around the ring. One of the Temptations screaming out “Mama no!” as the brawl leads away from them got a genuine chortle out of me. A scheduled match between them gets called off because of the attack. I liked this as something fresh for Kraken but it ran on a bit too long for me.

Sandwiched between this and the taping main is a brief segment between Diggs and 2 Strong where they agree to, well, stop disagreeing. Jay makes the segment when, after the two have a rather intense handshake, he quietly asks Diggs to please let go.

After their aforementioned hallway escalation, Kantrell takes on Huckaby in a contrast of styles and sizes that mostly sees them beat, as I wrote when making notes in the moment, the everloving piss out of one another. Kantrell is rugged and ruthless attacking the arm and hand of Huckaby. Kantrell wins by submission, but not with the Crossface. Instead, he takes a spinebuster, rolls through a pin attempt by Huckaby and hooks him in a Muta Lock. After Huck refuses an offered handshake, Kantrell speaks on the house mic in a promo that sounds like it was recorded from the bottom of a well. Poor sound quality notwithstanding, the message is there: he’s coming for the title, which really should be the goal of every wrestler on a given roster, right?

2024 Review

With this the end of Kraken’s offerings for 2024, and fully realizing we are nearly halfway through 2025, I thought it’d be worthwhile to try and identify the best matches and top performers for this still-new promotion.

Best Matches of 2024

#1, Kevin Kantrell vs. Jay 2 Strong, Episode 26

Kantrell works as a full-fledged fan favorite for the first time in Kraken in a highly entertaining, back-and-forth contest. Read my thoughts on this match here.

#2, Trever Aeon vs. Dominic Stuckey, Episode 18

Stuckey makes his Kraken debut in a very good match against the top babyface in Kraken. Read my thoughts on this match here.

#3, For 3 Minutes vs. Justin Kayse: Trey Shaw vs. Dominic Stuckey, Episode 22

Now part of The Business, Stuckey faces Shaw in another top-notch match. Unfortunately, this marked Shaw’s final Kraken appearance to date. Read my thoughts on the match here.

#4, Hold My Beer Hanson vs. Brother Azriel rematch, Episode 28

This match got covered in this installment and really jumped out as something unique and compelling.

#5, Will Huckaby vs. Lamar Diggs, Episode 14

A hoss fight that saw both men push the boundaries with some high-risk moves down the stretch. At the time it aired, it was the best match in Kraken at the time and also the longest — two hurdles that have been surpassed several times by the end of 2024. Read my thoughts on the match here.

2024 MVP: This isn’t necessarily about the best wrestler on the roster or the top draw, but about who brings the most consistent value as compared to their time on screen.

Honorable Mention: Jay 2 Strong is one of the more consistent wrestlers on the roster and one of the best if he’s slated for a big match. CJ Shine maximizes his time on camera whether that’s a main event tag match or a 20-second cameo in a backstage segment.

Fifth place: Lamar Diggs — The heavy hitter of The Business, Diggs speaks softly or hardly at all but hits like a truck. He projects an imposing figure of menace any time he is on camera, whether in a match or just looming at ringside or in the background of a segment.

Fourth place: Dominic Stuckey — I sang Stuckey’s praises when he showed up in the fall of 2024 and had he compiled a longer run in Kraken, he likely would have finished higher. He did produce two of the top Kraken matches in 2024.

Third place: Kevin Kantrell — Kraken has some intriguing long-term stories simmering and the build of Kantrell has been one of the more consistent and well-done elements of their TV show. No matter the opponent or how big the size discrepancy, Kantrell has tapped them all out. That has also allowed Kantrell to showcase his talents against a variety of different wrestlers and styles.

Runner-up: Brother Azriel — I did not expect to see Azriel finish this highly when I started looking back at Kraken in 2024 and, to be honest, I did not think much of Azriel when I first saw him in Kraken. The big man is actually an incredibly consistent presence — the wrestling equivalent of the guy in a baseball lineup who rarely strikes out and often gets on base. He’s surprisingly nimble for his frame, hits hard when he wants to, projects a generally formidable aura, and has shown great versatility along the way: a pair of hoss fights against Hanson, a very good clash of styles with Kantrell, a classic Southern style main event with 2 Strong, and playing along with the shenanigans of the Saturday Night Temptations in their debut tag. I understand Azriel finished 2024 with some health problems but does make his Kraken return at some point in 2025, so I’ll be interested to see if he can keep it up after the time away.

MVP: Trever Aeon — If Stuckey is the ace of the heels and Kantrell is the workhorse on the roster, then Aeon is the top guy among the fan favorites. Since getting robbed in the Semifinals of the Kraken Classic, Aeon has been on a mission to bring down The Business and champion Justin Kayse and the fans appear to be fully bought into the chase. His only bad match in Kraken was on the debut episode and was more an indictment of his opponent than anything. Since then, Aeon has had an assortment of good to great matches under the Kraken banner, with the match against Stuckey as the high point. His bout with Skywalker on this taping nearly cracked my top five for 2024. As booker, Huckaby closed the year by using Aeon to introduce new talent like Brandon Whatley and Skywalker — two unique and talented wrestlers. Meanwhile, Aeon keeps meeting and beating every challenge in front of him like a heroic figure should in any fictional or dramatic work. Factor in the crowd reactions and Aeon is clearly the man whose won the hearts and minds of Kraken fans.

For other entries in the Review The Kraken series, here is a master index.

Looking for something more retro? I’m also working on Mat Quest, a chronological viewing guide to the WWE archive on Peacock.

Review the Kraken: Episodes 23-26, aka The Taping of Chaos

Review the Kraken: Episodes 23-26, aka The Taping of Chaos

As a writer, I’ve always been fascinated by the booking process in wrestling. So, when Kraken Pro Wrestling booker Will Huckaby told me he had heavily revised the card for one Kraken event just a few hours before bell time, I wanted to get more details once I got there in this review project.

Cancellations and card changes are part of it but Huckaby found himself dealing with a slew of them on the day of the event. Moreover, previously known absences included Trever Aeon, Jak Myles, and Justin Kayse.

“On the way to the show, people were calling out. I didn’t know what I was gonna do,” Huckaby recalled.

He made significant rewrites while en route to the venue, which entailed changing almost the entire first half of the scheduled taping.

“It turned out way better than I thought it would be originally, to be honest with you,” Huckaby told me.

With that, let’s dive into this latest set of reviews of Kraken TV, which covers Episodes 23-26.

Episode 23

The major storyline that plays out over the course of these four episodes is a simmering dissension within The Business with manager (and champion) Kayse not present. Not to worry, though, Dominic Stuckey tells Lamar Diggs and Jay 2 Strong that he’s talked to the base barrister of Kraken and knows the plan. The problem is that, after Stuckey’s open challenge to kick off this episode against Jayy Wells, he’s otherwise absent. Also worth noting that, in a similar impromptu match with Wells, Jay 2 Strong wins clean while Stuckey needs a distraction from his Business teammates to set up the finish.

One of the hastily changed matches on this taping is also the only tag, pitting the Saturday Night Temptations against the H-Town Hittas. This is the most competitive match yet for the Hittas, who otherwise have wrestled a series of very one-sided squashes. The identical twin monster heels bust out some new offense in this one — there’s a nice combination spear and short-arm clothesline while CJ Shine is taking the heat. I also liked the slow burn after the hot tag to Karl Hager. The Hittas don’t bump for Hager right away but some extra effort helps him knock down both.

Episode 24

You know you’re in for something when the episode opens with a disclaimer and it has to do with the main event of the episode. Rose Gold, who is 2-0 thus far in Kraken, says she will take on anyone on the roster. Enter Diggs — and speaking of entrances, I loved the camera angle as he came through the curtain, shooting him from below to make him look as massive as possible. Diggs totally controls the ensuing match until Diggs splatters the referee by accident on a corner splash. Rose Gold turns the tide with a low blow, then dodges a superkick by an interfering Jay 2 Strong, who hits Diggs by mistake. Rose Gold low-blows Jay as well, then pins Diggs and the crowd loves every bit of this. I wouldn’t call it a good match by technical standards but the whole affair is highly entertaining.

Meanwhile, I thought there was a real disconnect on commentary during this one. Kody Madden and Diamond Duke are at the table for this and Episode 26, and while we’ve established that Dave is the heel announcer, his laughter and altogether delight at seeing Rose Gold get obliterated rubbed me the wrong way. The face-heel dynamic on commentary is tricky, but I think it works best, like any gimmick, when it is rooted in reality. And, in reality, in 2025, most people would express at least a little discomfort. That said, if the goal is to portray Diamond Duke as a totally loathsome individual, then mission accomplished.

The less said about the other match on this episode, Huckaby vs. Cassius King, the better, although Huckaby does bust out his moonsault. There’s also a short segment with Jak Myles waiting outside the office of Kayse, promising payback when The Sweeper returns from his 30-day suspension.

Episode 25

All the card changes on the day of the event reduce the latest Cash In, Cash Out Scramble to three participants: Ehren Black and the debuting Nathan Vanderbilt and D’Angelo Leysath. Black dominates this match, as he should, and I think I prefer him as a menacing monster in the singles division than I do in his Noir tag team.

I enjoyed the main event between Hold My Beer Hanson (now being billed as Sam “Hold My Beer” Hanson) and Brother Azriel. Hanson brings more of a hard-hitting approach to this than his tag work with Huckaby in All Star Special, and I’m here for it. The two super heavyweights engage in what I would describe as a clumsy hoss fight, and I mean that as a compliment. Clumsy, in that the execution might be off from time to time, but those imperfections emphasize the physical punishment both wrestlers endure. Hanson, who is also the Kraken promoter, seems bound and determined to shake off the cliche of the guy in charge always putting himself over and Azriel takes the win here — in impressive fashion as he hoists Hanson for a jumping pile-driver that’s been established as one of the most authoritative finishing moves in Kraken.  

Episode 26

Once again, the fourth episode in the taping is the best. It also includes a superb main event between 2 Strong and Kevin Kantrell, which eclipses the Stuckey vs. Trever Aeon match from Episode 18 as the best match in Kraken history. There’s so much to like in this match: from the sharp, crisp mat wrestling between the two in the early going to some high-impact moves and well-done false finishes. It’s not the spots or the moves but the little things that elevates what happens here. Watch how Kantrell sells a snap suplex he takes into the turnbuckles — not just on the initial impact but in the disorientation he shows for the next several minutes. In the home stretch, Jay busts out a Strong Valley Driver from the second rope that leaves him screaming in pain himself upon impact and that still doesn’t finish the match because Jay is slow to cover after the punishment he’s received. Kantrell meanwhile finds himself thrust into the firm fan favorite role for the first time in Kraken, overcoming more botched Business interference — this time with Diggs hitting Jay by mistake (we think?) to secure another submission win with his version of the cross face. Kantrell continues an impressive win streak against opponents of all sizes and styles, while Jay shows he can be arguably the best wrestler on the roster when he wants to raise his game.

In the other match on this episode, ERC continues to grow on me as a sneaky heel and has a good match with the debuting Don Haylo. His rule breaking tactics get diluted somewhat in this one by four very vocal ERC fans in the front row, but I like where he’s going as a character.

Kraken is on a roll, but I honestly don’t think it can be appreciated without watching week to week. It’s not the type of wrestling show where you can parachute in for a particular episode or the blow off — although this has been more a steady week-to-week product so far than building to a major event.

This isn’t the type of wrestling promotion that churns out five-star matches or produces a bunch of GIF-worthy highlights or angles that can go viral. Instead, there is a quiet continuity to the product that, with it, brings great value. We know that Azriel’s piledriver and Kantrell’s cross face are almost unstoppable finishing moves because they’ve been built that way week after week. We know there are cracks in The Business since Stuckey was added. We know it’s a big deal when the H-Town Hittas get knocked off their feet because it rarely happens.

It remains a product well worth your time, especially if you’re a fan of the old-school stuff.

For other entries in the Review The Kraken series, here is a master index.

Looking for something more retro? I’m also working on Mat Quest, a chronological viewing guide to the WWE archive on Peacock.

You can watch all four episodes here:

Review the Kraken: Episodes 19-22

Review the Kraken: Episodes 19-22

As WWE heads into WrestleMania weekend, the question is, is it possible for a casual fan to remain engaged? The biggest wrestling event of the year has swollen to become a two-night show with 14 to 15 matches, spanning seven to eight hours for the matches (and entrances) themselves, and several more hours for the pre-show gab-fest and post-show press conferences. The two-night concept is growing; SummerSlam will be split over two days this year as well and the Royal Rumble might be next in 2027.

My point is this. Casual fans can carve out one night every few months to get together and watch a three- or four-hour wrestling show. Two nights in the same weekend is a much bigger ask.

Meanwhile, I can fire up an episode of Kraken Pro Wrestling with my morning coffee and protein bar and be done by the time it’s time to walk my incredibly needy Shepherd mix.

Just saying.

I’m shaking up the format this time and looking at each episode individually. Kraken definitely appeared to turn a corner with the previous set of episodes — this set of matches is filmed in a former venue but with a significantly larger and more engaged crowd. Good growth but with higher quality come higher expectations.

Episode 19

Kody Madden and Donnie Harris return on commentary and they jell much better in this set of episodes. Harris is also now the interim general manager, as Robert Vien apparently returned to his home planet. There’s a short segment backstage where Harris establishes that aspiring challengers for the Kraken Title now have to beat Dominic Stuckey, the newest member of The Business, to earn a three-minute match with Business manager and current champion Justin Kayse. Stuckey appears to have jumped right to the top of the pecking order in The Business.

With Harris now the on-screen authority figure but still on commentary, I immediately wondered how this would work with rule breaking right in front of the boss, having been in a similar storyline conundrum myself many years ago for a promotion here in East Tennessee. Harris covers this beautifully after the very first match when ERC scores a crooked victory over Josh Breezyy by explaining that, while he is the general manager, the assigned referee has total and final authority inside the ropes during any match. Meanwhile, I liked the throwback structure that focused ERC’s attack on the knee of Breezyy, who also deserves an atta boy for some very fine selling. An extra tip of the cap to Donnie for using the word “fulcrum” on commentary.

Brother Azriel and Kevin Kantrell headline this episode and produce one of my favorite Kraken matches to this point. Kantrell actually isn’t undefeated — he lost in the second episode of Kraken TV in a forgettable match — but he is on a solid winning streak that continues against the super heavyweight Azriel, who has yet to score that breakthrough victory in a Kraken ring. Kantrell’s offense works well against opponents of any size — especially the leaping double stomp to the shoulder of a seated opponent — and he finishes yet another foe with his cross face hold.

Moving on!

Episode 20

The Cash In Cash Out Scramble returns and no winner in the past few scrambles means the pot continues to grow. The participants include Jak Myles, who has been a fixture in these matches since the concept was first introduced and has yet to win the pot; and Lamar Diggs and Jay 2 Strong from The Business. The match itself is pretty skippable but the finish and post-match are a fine piece of wrestling storytelling. Jak finally scores a win in the scramble, but The Business attacks him after the bell and steals the envelope of cash. The bait and switch reminded me, in a good way, of an angle they did in the Memphis territory way back in 1980 when a very young Koko Ware, a bottom-of-the-card wrestler at the time, won a battle royal to win a TV set and Jimmy Valiant smashed it.

After losing to Stuckey in the last taping in what stands as the best match I’ve seen yet in Kraken, Trever Aeon picks up a win against the debuting (on TV, at least) Brandon Whatley. I’ve seen Whatley before a few times and I like his martial-arts based style and how he uses it in a unique way in his matches. This is a good back-and-forth contest until Whatley, for some reason, grabs his nunchuks out of the corner right in front of the referee and eats Aeon’s finisher.

Episode 21

Rose Gold gets a second straight win. Her opponent this time is CT Entertainment and I especiallyed enjoy him yanking on her long hair as the turning point to take control. Rose is an interesting case because she’s equal to or even bigger than some of the male wrestlers on the roster. I definitely see her becoming a potential draw as time passes.

The main event is a tag match pitting All Star Special against Noir in their second head-to-head match in Kraken. The match goes to a time-limit draw, which is fine in concept but really telegraphed here. Time limits have barely been discussed previously in the entire Kraken history.; then the commentary team keeps talking about the time limit throughout the match.

Episode 22

Let me call your attention to the best episode yet of Kraken’s YouTube TV program.

The H-Town Hittas are back and win yet another squash match but this one has some extra spice courtesy of one of the opponents, Travis Ray, who shows some significant fight and knocks one of the Hittas down — something thus far unprecedented in Kraken. The Hittas proceed to win the match fairly quickly after that but I liked this twist to their usual match formula.

The main events of Kraken tapings have been consistent highlights and this bout between Dominic Stuckey and Trey Shaw continues the trend. This is just Stuckey’s second match in Kraken but he impresses me greatly and might be my favorite guy to watch on the entire roster. He’s definitely in the running for that. I especially like how much of what he does has a feeling of authenticity to it. We’ve all seen matches with early chain wrestling that feels more like cooperation than competition, with wrestlers standing there and waiting to have their opponent make a reversal and grab a hold. Stuckey’s first two Kraken matches have none of that. Little moments like when he scrubs his elbow across Shaw’s ear to escape then reverse a hold just enhance what’s happening inside the ropes. Stuckey knows how to work as a heel as well, stalling early and at one point ordering his manager Kayse to silence the crowd. It helps that the Kraken audience appears fully bought in and minimally jaded. The fans go dead silent when Stuckey counters Shaw and hits an Ushigaroshi and there’s a fantastic near-finish at the end when Stuckey’s hand grabs the bottom rope at the very last millisecond, and only after a distraction by Kayse — who is evolving as a troublesome mouthpiece — delayed the pin count by Shaw.

Let’s not diminish the contributions of Shaw in this match either. He’s probably one of the more popular wrestlers in Kraken at this juncture and brings his own convincing, authentic style to matches. His finisher is established as one of the most definitive in Kraken — status helped along greatly by the commentators on this match — and he has a couple of fantastic transitions in this match: catching Stuckey coming off the corner ropes and flattening him with a power slam, then getting his knees up on an attempted top-rope elbow by Stuckey that looked altogether gruesome for both competitors.

The match itself breaks down when Aeon, seeking revenge for what happened in his match with Stuckey, storms the ring and attacks. The locker room eventually empties for a brawl involving the entire roster of wrestlers on the taping, a trope that is always good for some entertaining chaos as long as it isn’t overdone, and this is the first time it happens in Kraken. We also get our first clffhangar finish, as Harris suspends both Aeon (for ruining the end of the match) and Myles (for attacking The Business with his janitor broom) for their actions during the brawl.

You’ll get more out of it with the context from prior episodes, but this 22nd installment of Kraken TV is 30-minute chunk of wrestling TV that is well worth your time. It’s also a fine introduction to the Kraken promotion if you’ve not been watching along with me so far.

f you would like to check in other entries in the Review The Kraken series, here is a master index.

Looking for something more retro? I’m also working on Mat Quest, a chronological viewing guide to the WWE archive on Peacock.

You can watch all four episodes here:

Review the Kraken: Episodes 12-14

Review the Kraken: Episodes 12-14

Before diving into this installment, I want to take a moment to praise the camera shot in the featured image. The close-up of Lamar Diggs putting a hold on Will Huckaby is fine, but framing the shot to include the boy and his reactions from ringside takes it to the next level.

With that, let’s take a look at Episodes 12-14 of Kraken TV, which comprise the third taping by Kraken Pro Wrestling, an independent promotion in South Georgia.

Lamar Diggs was absent from the last set of episodes and he returns in a big way here. He shines as the MVP of the taping. He is the very first wrestler you see in Episode 12, laying waste to a couple of poor unfortunate souls who make the mistake of being in his path on the way into the building. In the next episode, he and his cohort Jay 2 Strong enthusiastically clubber all four participants in the Cash In, Cash Out Scramble (much more on this match and this attack later…)

And then Diggs headlines Episode 14, and the taping, going against Will Huckaby in a very good match. It might be the best match yet in all of the Kraken I have watched, and one of the longest as well. The Youtube description for the episode tabs this as a “hoss fight” and it definitely delivers on that end. Diggs and Huckaby brawl all around the ringside area as well, something else that has been otherwise unseen on Kraken. Back in the ring, there are some fine false finishes — a pleasant habit in Kraken main events — before Diggs heads to the top and attempts a swanton. The leap is impressive, although it ends in a nasty-looking landing. Things break down, culminating in interference by manager Justin Kayse and Jay, then Huck’s partner Hold My Beer Hanson to counter, before the H-Town Hittas get involved as well. It all adds up to a tasty dish of pro wrestling.

The positioning of Kayse is unusual. Here we have a manager who also is the Kraken Champion. Kayse has yet to take a punch or a bump, and the tension is building for that to happen. Hanson gets his hands on Kayse during the shenanigans at the end of the main event, only for Jay to make the save. When Kayse finally does get hit, the live crowd is going to love it. And, that moment can be separate for his inevitable comeuppance where he eventually loses the title. It’s a level of effective slow burn that is hard to pull off, but it’s working.

The Cash In, Cash Out Scramble continues to develop as a fun concept. Participating wrestlers put in their pay for the night in a six-minute winner-takes-all match. If there is no winner, that money rolls over to the next scramble. The matches have been better since they whittled down from six wrestlers to four. Production has improved, too. The six-minute countdown clock is easier to read and now includes the dollar total on the line. They’re building a solid story around Jak Myles who has been in every scramble so far and yet to win one. This scramble breaks down when The Business interfere and wipe out all four competitors. It’s a good bit of bad-guy business — no pun intended — but when Diggs and Jay begin their attack, Justin Kayse gets the attention of the referee while the beatdown happens behind the official’s back. Then, the referee turns around, sees what is happening and does nothing to stop it because… scramble rules don’t end matches on a DQ or countout? The extended distraction just makes the referee look clueless — not to mention hearing impaired.

A few other observations from these three episodes:

  • Myles was the referee for the main event for Episode 14, continuing a trend from the Jay 2 Strong vs. Brother Azriel match on Episode 11. After Myles falls short in the scramble, he picks up a refereeing assignment to replace the lost extra cash. He’s doing the wrestling ancestors proud as he comes out to officiate Diggs vs. Huckaby, still favoring his ribs after the attack at the end of the scramble.
  • There’s a new commentary team for these episodes. Donnie Harris, Jr., joins Diamond Duke at the table. Harris also handles the ring announcer duties. They work well for the most part but actually detracted, for me, from the Brother Azriel vs. CJ Shine match on Episode 13. Azriel and CJ have a solid if unspectacular match and Azriel gets a win back after nearly defeating Jay 2 Strong. However, the commentators — Diamond Duke in particular — keeps babbling about how great the match is. Having done that work, I understand hype is part of the deal when you’re on commentary, but there’s a difference between building up what’s happening on the ring and going so over the top that it contradicts what you can see with your eyes.
  • Mr. Wright and his wife — you guessed it, she is Mrs. Wright — is featured in two of the three episodes. He has a forgettable match with Eddie Honcho in Episode 12 but the interview segment with Diamond Duke on Episode 13 is much more effective in establishing him as a heel character.
  • The H-Town Hittas work fast and win another squash that, if you blink, you might miss it. What’s interesting here is that the opposing team includes ERC, who had a competitive match at the last taping but gets completely obliterated here.

The big takeaway is that Kraken is growing. Each taping has taken place in front of a crowd that is bigger than the last one, and more responsive as well. It’s been a fun ride so far.

If you would like to check in other entries in the Review The Kraken series, here is a master index.

Looking for something more retro? I’m also working on Mat Quest, a chronological viewing guide to the WWE archive on Peacock.

You can watch all three episodes here: