What's new, sympathizers of sugarcoated scrapping?!
This has been one of the busiest weeks in recent memory for me, with far more going on behind the scenes than I care to talk about here. All you guys need to know is, things are looking up! This is a possibly positive change! I will update further when I know more, but keep your fingers crossed for your favourite wrestling reviewer.
Let's get onto the match for this week, shall we?
 |
| HOG |
📖 - 9 minutes
Here's what I watched for the week;
| Match | Show | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Tommaso Ciampa vs. Charles Mason | HOG Salvation 2026 | 10/09/2026 |
• • • • •
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| Things are about to get a bit psycho. HOG |
Basic Breakdown
With this being Ciampa's first indie match since 2016, I was excited to see what a Ciampa on the indies would look like. Just a few notes before the match I wanted to get out of the way;
First off, why are we using 2018 Ciampa renders here, guys? That's his TakeOver New Orleans jacket in the HOG promo pics, there are at least a dozen updated 2026 renders you guys could use.
The match ended up getting delayed as they were waiting for the ambulance to return to the arena after Vic Vendetta landed a shooting star press short and landed face first in the Six Way Scramble match. Best wishes to Vic Vendetta.
I've never seen a Charles Mason match and, right off the bat, he's got me hooked. His entrance alone was something else, honestly. I had to find his entrance song and I've been listening to it on loop for the last 15 minutes now. It's a pitch-shifted version of Shania Twain's song "Ka-Ching" and it is haunting. Give it a listen and tell me this shit isn't amazing. Maybe it's just how he stalks his way through the crowd, I dunno, he had me hooked with this entrance.
Ciampa came to the ring with his Psycho Killer gear that he used at All Out, complete with mask and leather jacket. He is wearing his blue and copper gear that he used at the very beginning of his tenure on WWE RAW, which is a colour scheme I haven't seen in years.
What, you guys didn't think I was a fan of Ciampa after all I've said about this guy? You didn't think I had an almost eidetic memory about this guy? If you're gonna step to the king, you'd best not miss.
Bell To Bell
Mason coldly stalks his way around Ciampa, who is steely and focused before their lockup, with Ciampa getting pressed to the ropes as the referee forces a break. Another lockup, with Ciampa taking Mason over with a side headlock. Mason is able to snatch Ciampa's head with a head scissors but Ciampa gets free, the slower, methodical pace favouring neither man in the opening moments of this match so far. After breaking the previous lockup, the sick freak Mason licked his lips, getting a taste for Ciampa. After getting his head free, Ciampa held Mason's head to then lick his fingers, meeting Mason in the middle.
Another lockup, with Mason pressed to the corner as Ciampa feigns a chop. Pushing his advantage, mason garbs Ciampa by the throat and marches out, landing a chop across his chest after Ciampa breaks the grip. Digging his nails into the bald head of Ciampa, Mason relishes in the flavour of the damage he dealt before sending his foe into the ropes. Ciampa ducks a clothesline and an elbow, landing a flying forearm before pressing Mason to the corner with chops. Tossing Mason through the far side ropes, Ciampa takes advantage of the window he created by charging into Mason with a running knee as he tries to climb back inside the ring.
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| Gotcha! HOG |
Seating himself on the apron, Ciampa proudly applauds his work and pats himself on the back, laying into Mason with chops, punches, and a running knee to the face. He's careful to make sure the count does not expire before tossing Mason into the barricade on the far side, with Ciampa taking a chance to hug a fan that may have been caught in the crossfire. Tossing Mason back inside, Ciampa rolls to follow, but Mason rolls back to the floor. They play cat and mouse for a moment, but Ciampa gets the better of Mason, slipping inside the ring with Mason on the apron, catching him through the ropes and looking to spike him with Willow's Belle! Mason is able to drop out to the floor to save himself from certain disaster, getting himself a mouthfull of water before Ciampa sticks his head through the ropes, only to get blasted by a mouthful from Mason.
Back on the apron, Mason is able to spike Ciampa with an apron DDT, mimicking his "pat yourself on the back" celebration before taking Ciampa to the middle of the ring to wear him down with punches and dig into his back with his nails. Mason is truly sick in his offence, fish-hooking the cheek of Ciampa with him tied up in the ropes before kicking the middle rope, targeting the neck before going for a cover. There's a recorded history of neck issues for Ciampa, with Mason being acutely aware of this. Ciampa is able to fight back with chops, but Mason slows his offence before biting the head of Ciampa and twisting the head and neck with his feet, holding him down by the throat as the referee gives him a five count, using every possible second.
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| Restricting the airways. HOG |
With Ciampa in the corner, Mason seats himself on the top rope, behind the head of Ciampa. Lacing his legs around the upper torso and neck of Ciampa, Mason falls to the apron, choking Ciampa across the top rope. Back inside, Mason crushes Ciampa with a forearm smash, looking for a back suplex with Ciampa dropping his hips in an instant to snatch a side headlock. Giving himself a second to respond to a "Triple H" chant, Ciampa gives the raucous fans a Texas Rattlesnake-style salute, their chant coming across as less than complimentary.
Backing Mason to the corner with chops again, Ciampa fores him out of the corner and charges, only to get caught with a boot to the jaw. Again, Mason makes use of his corner positioning, pulling Ciampa in and ripping him off the canvas with a rear naked choke. Using every bit of the referee's five count, Mason drops his foe as he rolls to get away. Jumping from the middle rope, Mason looked to be going for the great flying nothing, with Ciampa catching him in the jaw with a jumping knee!
Back in the middle, both men trade forearm shots back and forth, with Ciampa getting the better of the exchange by ducking a forearm shot and snatching a waistlock, able to get Mason over for a pair of German suplex's! He tries for a third, but Mason fights free, going for a half-and-half suplex but Ciampa fires off a back elbow to survive. Hitting the ropes, Ciampa rebounds right into a fish-hook from Mason, ripping Ciampa around with a lariat!
 |
| If Patrick Bateman did the Rainmaker. HOG |
A cover is made, but Ciampa survives, with Mason digging around in his trunks for a plastic bag. His eyes light up and open a mile wide, barely able to contain his excitement. Standing above Ciampa, Mason holds the bag high and looks to choke out the Psycho Killer Death Riders style, but Ciampa slips through his legs as the referee snags the bag away. Lighting Mason up with chops, he sends him into the ropes before sending him over the top with a clothesline, turning his attention to the discarded bag in the corner.
Ciampa's 2026 can be summarized in a lot of ways, a career revitalization, potential finally realized, the final evolution of a generational wrestler, all of which are true. But something that gets overlooked quite often is his outright disdain for inanimate objects. From stuffies to pants, nothing is safe, his ire turned to a plastic bag now. Dropping it in the centre, he brutalizes it with stomps and a knee drop, picking it up before landing... Project Ciampa! Oh my god! He covers the bag, hooking... the leg? With the referee counting three!
Move Of The Match
Out on the floor, Mason bickers with the referee before getting onto the apron, with Ciampa catching him with a knee shot between the ropes. Pulling him into the middle, Ciampa rips him up and kills him with Project Ciampa!
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| A thing of beauty. HOG |
You guys need to understand something, Project Ciampa is my favourite wrestling move on the entire planet. Sure, the Western Lariat is great, the Burning Hammer is insane, whatever. To me, nothing is greater than Project Ciampa. It's my Move of the Match for the rest of time.
Hooking the arms of Mason, Ciampa looks to be trying for the Fairytale Ending, but Mason is able to shove Ciampa down and float over for a pin, but it's not quite enough. Ciampa swings for a lariat when he'a back on his feet, but Mason ducks and tries for another fish-hook lariat, with Ciampa catching Mason with a forearm after he makes a full rotation. Another double underhook, but Mason fights out with fingers in the eyes of Ciampa, backing him to the corner. Grabbing his beard, he whips Ciampa face first across the ring into the middle turnbuckle, following up with a meteora from across the ring. Grabbing the wrist of Ciampa, Mason rips him out of the corner and onto his shoulders, quickly dumping him on his head with a Death Valley Driver before covering, only scoring two.
Pulling Ciampa back to his feet, Mason hooks him in position for Sister Abigail before biting his nose, adding insult to injury. He pulls Ciampa around for the move but Ciampa is able to take the back of Mason and shove him into the ropes, rolling back for a pin that Mason breaks by going for a sleeper hold on Ciampa! The Root of All Evil! Squeezing tight, Mason tries to sap the life out of Ciampa, but he's able to flip himself up to hold Mason's shoulders down for a pin, with Mason letting the choke go before the count of three.
 |
| Kratos with the Pedigree! HOG |
Another DVD is attempted, but Ciampa is able to hook the nose of Mason and force him to let go, with Ciampa biting the nose of Mason himself before crushing it with a knee strike. Getting a double underhook, Ciampa picks Mason up for the Fairyta- no! The Pedigree! Covering, Mason escapes, with Ciampa returning to face the side of the ring that was previously chanting "Triple H" at him, giving them a double bird salute before the signature "suck it" gesture.
With Mason back on his feet, he once again hooks in The Root of All Evil to a standing Ciampa, who is able to back Mason up to the ropes before pulling him down with a snapmare. Mason is able to rebound off the ropes and catch Ciampa with a boot before fish-hooking him again, catching him with a lariat as he lines up a prone Ciampa in the corner for a meteora. Ciampa is able to roll to the middle of the ropes for air, but Mason pivots aftern hitting the corner and rebounds off the ropes, still able to land a meteora on his grounded foe.
Mason tries to pull Ciampa up for the DVD again but Ciampa springs to his feet and catches Mason with a jumping knee to the jaw! Ciampa charges at a kneeling Mason for another knee, but Mason is able to catch him with a quick Sister Abigail for a pin, with Ciampa surviving at two. Again, Mason hooks in the Root of All Evil, with Ciampa starting to fade for a moment before getting a foot to the ropes to break the hold. With Ciampa in the corner, Mason cracks him witha. chop and seats him up high, looking for a superplex or something of equal punishment from up high. Scratching at the back of Ciampa, his foe is able to collect himself, hooking Mason up for the Psycho Driller from the top rope! A cover is made, but Mason survives!
 |
| Drilled, psycho style. HOG |
We are then treated to the slowest slow-mo replay clip in the history of mankind, with both men still on the canvas when it concludes. On all four in the middle, they meet foreheads and rise to their feet together, two psycho's meeting each other head-on. Playing his trump card early, Ciampa kisses Mason! Challenging him, Mason moves in and lip-locks Ciampa! My god! These men are insane! Ciampa spits to the heavens before laying into Mason with forearms, with Mason responding in kind. Back and forth they go, neither man giving an inch. Ciampa gets the better of the strike exchange, but Mason lands a boot to stagger Ciampa. Not to be outdone, he catches Mason with one of his own before going for the ropes again, with Mason charging, only to get sent over the top and onto the elevated entrance ramp way.
Hooking Mason's head, Ciampa tosses his torso into the ring and positions himself on the apron, dropping down with Willow's Belle, spiking Mason into the ramp. Shoving his foe back, his corpse draped in the ropes, Ciampa marches back up the ramp and drops the knee pad, charging in and cracking Mason in the skull with a knee strike. Rolling inside the ring, Ciampa covers, scoring three.
 |
| Jawbreaker. HOG |
Match Time: 20:03
This was a stellar main event and a great outing from both men. At this point, I'm confident Ciampa can have a great match with just about anybody, and I want to keep my eye on Mason going forward, see what this kid is all about. They managed to keep the great, hard-hitting action you come to expect from indie matches nowadays and a bit of that indie silliness you hope for as well. Ciampa's hatred for all inanimate objects and his penchant for smooching his foes made for some fun moments of levity in this match. Kudos to both men.
• • • • •
Until next week. Be well, stay safe, and love one another.
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com
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