The Flying Hammerlock Video Review #11: Tables Ladders and Chairs

(I've never reviewed a match of this type before, so, as a warning, this is going to be long.)

Tables Ladders and Chairs Match: "The She-Wolf" Hania The Howling Huntress vs. "The Goddess" Athena, WSU 8th Anniversary Show, 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, PA, February 21, 2015.

Unlike WWE's TLC matches, where the only way to win is by grabbing some object hanging above the ring, this TLC match is won by pin or submission.

Hania walks to the ring first and, of course, howls in the entrance way. She enters the ring, jumps up on a second turnbuckle, and howls again. Athena gets an elaborate entrance with people walking out holding up flags with her name on it while she walks out wearing a red raincoat and a skull mask, which she takes off when she gets on the apron. The commentators talk about their history. (Athena d. Hania at WSU Resurgence on September 13, 2014 and Hania d. Athena at WSU Breaking Barriers on November 8, 2014.) The bell rings and Athena comes charging in with a dropkick, which misses. They tie up and Hania twists Athena's arm and knees her in the chest. Athena grabs Hania's arm and kicks her in the face. Hania grabs Athena's arm and goes for a kick but Athena catches Hania's foot. The commentators talk about pride, how it is the main event and how all respect goes out the window. Athena grabs a rear waistlock and goes for a German Suplex but Hania lands on her feet. Hania grabs Athena and pushes her out through the ropes. Athena lands on her feet but collides with a table on the floor. Hania jumps to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto Athena on the floor, with the commentators saying that Athena didn't think Hania would do it. Hania grabs Athena and rolls her back into the ring, with the commentators acknowledging the pin or submission rule. Hania goes for a running clothesline but Athena ducks it. Hania runs at Athena but Athena catches her with a Black Hole Slam for 2. Athena hits Hania with a chair as the commentators talk about how there is nothing hanging from the ceiling. Athena goes for another chairshot but Hania escapes and trips up Athena, causing Athena to hit herself in the face with the chair. Athena is down but still holding up the chair, leading to Hania hitting a Vandaminator on her. It only gets 1. Athena is still down and Hania grabs her and hits some forearms to the face. The commentators talk about how both women are trying to end it early. The commentators note blood coming from Hania's lip. Athena gets up, kicks Hania, and goes for a vertical suplex but Hania blocks it and hits one of her own, with Athena landing on the chair. Instead of going for the pin, Hania goes out and grabs a ladder. Hania brings the ladder into the ring, hits Athena with it, and does the Terry Funk ladder-around-the-head spot from ECW Barely Legal, which the commentators acknowledge. Hania connects with the ladder but Athena stops the spinning by hitting the ladder with a chair causing Hania to drop the ladder. Athena rolls up Hania but only gets 2. Athena goes out to the floor and grabs a ladder of her own. The commentators say that they're worried about how Athena might use it. Athena sets up the ladder horizontally between the ring and the guard rail. Hania follows Athena out to the floor and hits her with some forearms right next to the ladder, and then smashes Athena head first into the ladder. Hania climbs up onto the apron, places a foot on the ladder, and howls to a good pop. Hania walks on the ladder like a bridge and hits a moonsault bodyblock onto Athena on the floor! (This being the former ECW Arena, no pretty blue mats on the floor.) Hania rolls Athena back into the ring and goes for the pin but only gets 2. Hania grabs Athena and hits another forearm smash. Hania drags Athena to her feet and locks on a front facelock but Athena blocks the attempted vertical suplex. Athena grabs the first ladder and hits Hania in the stomach with it. Athena then slams Hania on the ladder. Athena rolls Hania back onto the mat and goes for the pin but gets 2. Athena pulls Hania to her feet and hits some big knees and punches. Athena tries to smash Hania's face into the turnbuckle but Hania blocks it and does it to Athena instead. Hania throws some kicks into Athena in the corner, with the commentators saying Athena doesn't want to lose two in a row here, especially to Hania. Hania goes out and starts stacking up chairs on the floor with help from some presumably crew people, and the commentators suggest that it might not go as Hania has planned. They talk about how this is the first match of this type in Hania's career and the significance of a women's TLC match. One of the commentators calls the arrangement of the chairs "ultraviolent Feng Shui." Meanwhile, Athena is back up and climbs up and dives out onto Hania and the guys in hoodies on the floor! The commentators say that Hania should have been paying attention and taking advantage of how Athena was down and how Hania gave Athena an opening. Now Athena gets involved in stacking up the chairs. Athena grabs a chair and hits Hania across the back with it. Athena looks for something under the ring but doesn't find anything, which she questions. Athena walks around to another side of the ring and walks right under a ladder, which the commentators say is bad luck. (It's an old superstition.) Athena grabs a chair and walks under the ladder again, with the commentators saying that she reversed the bad luck. Athena adds the chair to the other stacked chairs. Athena grabs Hania and sets Hania up for a slam from the apron onto the chairs but Hania escapes back into the ring. Athena follows and they trade forearm shots for a bit. Hania takes control with some forearms and kicks in the corner. Hania sets Athena up on the top turnbuckle and follows her up but Athena pushes Hania off and she lands feet-first on the mat. Athena climbs down and goes after Hania but Hania dropkicks her. Athena then runs at Hania with a dropkick of her own. Athena places the first ladder on the mat near the ropes and kicks Hania in the back. Athena sets up Hania in the corner and punches her in the stomach.

Athena walks over to the opposite end of the ring and hits a front handspring into a forearm in the corner. Athena follows up with a running kick but Hania gets out of the way. Hania comes back with some forearms to Athena's back. Hania goes for a kick but Athena catches her and hits a high angle suplex into the corner. Athena goes out and grabs the ladder and brings it back into the ring. Hania sits up in the corner and Athena traps her behind the ladder! Athena climbs up and flies across the ring for a Van Terminator with the ladder! (THAT is the correct name, NOT "Coast to Coast.") Amazingly, that only gets 2! Athena goes out to the floor and stands up the ladder, and also positions a table near a second ladder. The commentators say they don't know what Athena is setting up for and that maybe Athena herself doesn't even know. Athena walks around to another side of the ring and grabs another ladder, walks under the ladder bridge, and brings the ladder over to the first ladder. She positions the new ladder as a bridge connecting with the first ladder. Meanwhile, Hania gets back to her feet and, when Athena gets back on the apron, hits Athena with some forearms. Hania sticks her head between the ropes but Athena kicks her. Hania comes back with more forearms. Hania charges and spears Athena off the apron onto the second ladder bridge! Hania gets up, climbs onto the ropes, and hits a flying knee onto Athena on the ladder, causing the ladders to collapse in the process. The commentators say the match has been a train wreck and a car crash to both women's bodies. Both women slowly get to their feet with the fans cheering for Athena. Hania gets on offense first with more forearms. Athena stands up by the guard rail and Hania chops her. Then another forearm and another chop. Athena staggers to another side of the ring and Hania hits her with another forearm! Then another chop, with the commentators reminding us of the chair structure the ladies built earlier. Then some knees to the gut. Hania then launches Athena shoulder first into the guard rail. Then another forearm. The commentators mention the look of confidence on Hania's face. They talk about Hania being young in the business (She debuted as "The Intergalactic Luchadora" Saturyne at the first Wrestling Is Fun! event on November 18, 2011.) and how she usually looks timid but not anymore. Hania climbs up on the apron and walks onto the ladder bridge. Hania jumps off the ladder bridge for a flying headscissors into the guard rail but Athena catches herself and stops the intended collision. Athena kicks Hania in the stomach and sets her up for a Vertebreaker and flips Hania face first into the ladder bridge! The commentator mistakenly suggests that Athena's career might be shortened by that, instead of Hania's. Athena positions Hania on the ladder bridge. The commentators say that Athena wants to end both their rivalry and Hania in general. Athena ties up Hania's legs and grabs Hania's head for a submission hold on the ladder bridge! Hania doesn't give up, forcing Athena to release the hold. Athena hits a double ax handle off the apron to Hania's midsection on the ladder bridge. Athena climbs up onto the second turnbuckle on the outside and dives off but Hania rolls off the ladder bridge and Athena goes face first into the ladder! The ref checks on Athena and the commentators say that Hania needs to take advantage of the situation. Hania goes for the table, and a couple of staff guys help her bring it into the ring. Hania sets up the table in the ring while the commentators talk about her having a sense of urgency while Athena might be knocked out cold. Hania brings in the bridge ladder and stands it up in the ring. Hania moves the ladder around as the commentators talk about how she wants to define her career and make an Arena moment but may be wasting too much time. The crowd chants "She's hardcore! She's hardcore!", which the commentators acknowledge but say that it won't win her the match. Hania stands on the bottom rope and howls again. Athena has somehow made it back to her feet but suddenly snaps off a big kick, showing that she is back to her senses. Athena climbs onto the apron and Hania starts scaling the turnbuckles while the commentators talk about it being a career-shortening match. Athena grabs Hania and hits a VERTICAL SUPLEX OFF THE APRON ONTO THE STACK OF CHAIRS! We get a "CZW" chant (CZW owns WSU) and a "This is awesome!" chant. Both women somehow make it back to their feet.

They somehow go back to forearms, chops and screaming, and Athena launches Hania into the ring steps. Hania gets up and delivers more punches and kicks while the commentators talk about how Hania will not give up as long as there is an ounce of will in her body and how she wants to prove she belongs in the upper echelon of WSU. They trade more forearms and kicks. Hania follows with a screaming running forearm, while one of the commentators calls it "21 minutes of pure hell." Athena punches Hania in the face and Hania responds with more forearms. Back in the ring, more punches and kicks while the commentators acknowledge the table. Hania superkicks Athena and Athena lands on the table as Hania goes for the ladder. Hania climbs high up on the ladder and hits a diving somersault senton onto Athena but the table falls over and does not break! Hania sets the table up again but Athena counters with a small package for 2. Hania kicks Athena twice more and another superkick lands Athena on the table again. Hania climbs up again and this time the table does break! The fans chant "Holy shit! Holy shit!" The ref gets the remnants of the table out of the way as the crowd chants "That was awesome! That was awesome!" Hania goes for the pin but only gets 2. Hania sets up another table. Athena slowly gets up and Hania delivers more punches and kicks to the back. Hania stands Athena up and goes for a headscissors or rana but Athena catches her and powerbombs her on the table, which does not break! A second powerbomb does break the table. THAT only gets 2! Another "This is awesome! This is awesome!" chant. Athena rolls out the floor, grabs a chair, throws it back into the ring and follows. Athena picks up Hania and hits her with a Fisherman's Buster right on the chair! THAT only gets 2! Another 2 count. Athena knocks down the ladder and starts looking at the one standing up outside the ring. Athena climbs up the ladder and, as Hania is getting to her feet, flies off the ladder with the O-Face for the pin at 27:48! Amazing match with some fantastic spots! What else? *****!

Long, brutal, but absolutely worth watching. The only downside is that they could have made Hania's career here by having her win. Still, a must-see match and you can see it here.

Oh, we're not finished here. The commentators put over the match and both women, saying it was a first for WSU and now everyone will have to match its standard. Athena raises Hania's hand and they hug and Hania points to Athena as the winner. Athena bows to Hania. Athena takes her bow and...Hania nails her with a chairshot! Hania then flips off the fans to boos. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a heel turn. Hania continues with the chairshots to the back as the commentators talk about her wanting her moment and getting it. Hania walks back to the boos of the crowd.