REVIEW: Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling - Unleashed (2025)

A live professional wrestling event

KCXW’s 2025 Unleashed event was promoted with the powerful symbolism of breaking chains – a fitting image for Kansas City’s longest-running wrestling company. After weathering the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many promotions were forced to shut down, KCXW has emerged with a renewed spirit of liberation, rebirth, and transformation. As a company, they’re always pushing to expand their reach, innovate in the ring and outside, and train the next generation of regional stars. It’s been a wild few years, but Unleashed was yet another successful chapter in their ongoing evolution – one of many reasons I keep coming back every chance I get.

Taking place at the Kansas City “Ozark Armory,” KCXW Unleashed delivered a stacked card with eight action-packed matches and a couple of memorable segments, ensuring there was truly something for everyone. Since the show was in Missouri, I was able to get there quickly, which, selfishly, I really appreciated. (Don’t get me wron- I love making the drive to my birth state, but saving a little gas never hurts!) So with the chains broken and the energy high, let’s dive into everything that went down at Unleashed and take a closer look at where KCXW stands in 2025.

If you were at this event, I’d love to hear your thoughts: what matches stood out to you, and what are you most excited to see from KCXW in 2025? Be sure to check back here to stay in the loop with Kansas City Professional Wrestling and witness all the unforgettable moments. Here’s to another fantastic year for Kansas City wrestling!

REVIEW: Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling – Destiny (2025)

For More about KCXW, check out their Facebook Page HERE, Their YouTube HERE. KCXW is also on Cagematch, HERE (although missing a few years). If you are a fan, make sure to drop likes, and reviews, or join their social media pages!

The Card:

Results – KCXW Unleashed 2025 4/12/25

Kansas City Ozark Armory, Kansas City, MO

Preshow match 1 – Singles – Old Glory Defeated Harrison Cruz by pinfall.
Preshow match 1 – Singles – El Diablo Defeated Caden by pinfall.
“The Diamond” Marco Hendrixxx Defeated “Rad” Rico Estevez by pinfall.
Segment – Tobias thanks the crowd for sticking with him, Talon heckles him.
Tag Team Triple threat – Wild N’ Untamed (Charlie Graham and “All Slay” Angel Shay) Defeated The Xtremists (“The King of Hardcore” David Cattin and “The Chain Wrestler” Jude Vice) and United Patriots (Old Glory and “The Natural” Atlas Armstrong) by pinfall
Segment – “The One Percenter” Richard Goldman addresses the crowd, announced he had turned over a new leaf after being humiliated last summer, now owns company and vows to improve things.
Singles – for the vacant KCXW Women’s Championship – “Shooter” Shylynn Defeated Lady Pride by count out after Lady Price walked out, belt still vacant.
“The Polish Powerhouse” Gerard Jaworski does a “Polish test of strength”.
Singles – for the KCXW Metro Championship – Tables Match – “Big Brudda” Clay Huna (C) retains against “The Iron Pitbull” Kenny Kingston after driving him through a table.
Singles – “Hard Luck” Hal Rogers and “Heaven’s Superior Aztec Demon” El Diablo deemed No Contest – double pin.
Singles – For the KCXW Kansas City Championship – Tobias Storm (C) defeated Talon to retain.
Segment – The backstage area spilled into the ring and started brawling after Hal Rogers tried to interfere.
On May 18^th at the next Checkpoint taping, we will see a rematch of “Hard Luck” Hal Rogers and “Heaven’s Superior Aztec Demon” El Diablo with Tobias Storm as special guest referee.

DISCLAIMER:

I make it a point to cover most, if not all, of the matches and provide reports on what happened, along with any significance they may have to ongoing feuds. You might think some of my opinions are dumb, or the way I review things is dumb, and that’s OK! Diversity in preferences is what makes wrestling so great. I strive to maintain a positive outlook because there’s already enough negativity in the wrestling community (in my view), and we can all contribute to making it better. However, it doesn’t mean I won’t offer opinions or criticisms when warranted. Let’s cut the B.S. and, as the old saying goes, “Just enjoy Wrestling!”

My Thoughts:

Harrison Cruz has made a few appearances in KCXW, most notably stepping in as a last-minute replacement for The Iron Pitbull Kenny Kingston during Richard Goldman’s attempt to dethrone the then-newly crowned Season of Xcellence Champion Tobias Storm. However, this match marked one of Cruz’s first true one-on-one showings in the promotion. There aren’t many men in KCXW who can match Old Glory in size, but Cruz is certainly one of them – perhaps even rivaling Kingston when it comes to sheer power.

The match quickly turned into a slugfest, with both big men trading heavy blows and trying to take each other down, leading to a series of impactful slams and shoulder tackles. Ultimately, it was Old Glory’s not-so-secret weapon — his deceptive agility — that turned the tide. A few well-timed dropkicks and quick bursts of offense overwhelmed Cruz, who simply couldn’t keep up. The match ended after Old Glory managed to hoist Cruz up and hit his signature TKO, securing the win.

Next up was a match featuring Caden, a relative newcomer to KCXW, taking on El Diablo – the former Metro Champion and current number one contender for the Kansas City Championship. On paper, this seemed like it would be a straightforward match in Diablo’s favor, but Caden brings a unique challenge: he’s quite a bit larger, wrestles a completely different style, and carries a volatile temperament that only seems to worsen each time I see him compete. The key to defeating “Heaven’s Superior Aztec Demon Warrior” has always been simple in theory – keep him off the ropes. Once he starts climbing, he’ll launch himself with reckless abandon, turning his entire body into a weapon. While Caden was able to land some early heavy strikes, he failed to keep Diablo grounded. That mistake proved costly.

El Diablo capitalized, hitting a series of high-flying dives that kept the crowd on their feet and ultimately finishing the match with his signature swanton for the win. Better luck next time, Caden – hopefully next time it’s against a more grounded opponent who doesn’t make his living in the sky doing all that time-traveling.

When you’ve got a guy like “The Diamond” Marco Hendrixxx – dripping with charisma, oozing star power, but also carrying a heavy dose of arrogance and a dangerously short fuse – the perfect foil is someone like “Rad” Rico Estevez. “Rad” Rico is the definition of cool under pressure. He’s smooth, relaxed, and always moving to the rhythm of the invisible boombox in his mind. His background in dance has translated into one of the most unique move sets KCXW has seen in years. And if you leave a limb dangling near him, don’t be surprised if you end up accidentally breakdancing mid-match.

This unpredictable, rhythm-based style completely threw Hendrixxx off his game for a good portion of the match. Rico’s playful, unorthodox offense kept “The Diamond” rattled… for a while. Eventually, though, Hendrixxx found his footing. Once he was able to reset and bring out the hard-hitting offense he’s known for, the tide began to turn. After narrowly surviving Rico’s attempt at a “Worm” ripcord flatliner, Hendrixxx capitalized on an opening, hit his devastating finisher, and scored a big win over the “Too Fresh, Too Cool” opponent.

Tensions between Old Glory and “The Natural” Atlas Armstrong have been bubbling under the surface for months now. Ever since Wild N Untamed (Angel Shay and Charlie Graham) handed them a loss back at KCXW Destiny in January, there’s been a noticeable undercurrent of miscommunication between the two. While Armstrong has been quick to reassure fans via social media, insisting that “The United Patriots are fine”, most people watching closely are starting to wonder just how “fine” things really are. That patriotic unity showed more cracks at this latest event, where Wild N Untamed continued their impressive winning streak – this time at the expense of the Patriots. Of course, adding to the chaos was the presence of The Xtremists, who brought their usual brand of wild-card unpredictability and chaos into the mix.

From the jump, “The Chain Wrestler” Jude Vice feigned an injury, at one point nearly in tears, and had to be walked to the back. It had all the markings of a total collapse, and even I remarked to a friend how uncharacteristically “soft” they seemed compared to their usual “Xtreme” persona. Of course, the injury turned out to be nothing more than a ruse, a clever mind game meant to lure the other teams into a false sense of control. Once Jude Vice ran back in and all hell broke loose, it really looked like The Xtremists might run away with the win. Thankfully, Wild N Untamed kept their cool, overcame the deception, and pulled off the pinfall to clinch another well-earned victory. The United Patriots suffered more miscommunication, allowing the win to get away from them yet again.

The aftermath, however, is what has everyone talking. Armstrong and Old Glory exchanged heated words in the ring, and when it was all said and done, Armstrong walked out – seemingly done with his tag partner. Is this the end for The United Patriots? If it is, it’s a shame – but maybe not a surprise.

Right before this match, “The One Percenter” Richard Goldman made a surprise announcement to the crowd: he is now the new owner of KCXW. Claiming he’s turned over a new leaf, Goldman expressed frustration over the recent chaos within the promotion and vowed to restore order. One of his first decrees? That the KCXW Women’s Championship is still officially vacant – and that Lady Pride must return the belt until a true champion can be crowned. Of course, Lady Pride has no intention of playing nice. She’s claimed possession of the championship since last summer, after Shylynn was forced to relinquish it due to injury. At Destiny, Shylynn faced Camron Branae in what was meant to be a title match, but Lady Pride stormed in and nullified the contest, asserting that Shylynn only held the belt due to a technicality, and that she, Lady Pride, was never actually pinned for the title.

Leading into this match, Pride promised a clean fight – no ringside interference, no games – as long as Shylynn did the same. As you might expect, fans were skeptical from the jump. This bout was Shylynn’s shot at redemption. Still on the comeback trail following her injury, she’s been chasing that elusive win – and Lady Pride has been a constant obstacle. Shylynn brought the fight with her usual high-impact offense, using her size and power advantage to lay into Pride with devastating moves. Pride tried to strike back with sharp, Muay Thai–inspired knees, but her confidence seemed to wane as the match wore on. In the end, Lady Pride took the coward’s way out, walking away from the match and accepting a count-out loss. She later claimed that she was worried somebody n the crowd was looking as if they were going to steal the belt, a bizarre accusation for sure. The result? No winner, no champion, and the belt remains physically in Lady Pride’s possession. The question now is: how long can Lady Pride keep hijacking the championship picture? And when will KCXW finally crown an undisputed Women’s Champion?

At KCXW Checkpoint: Winter Blast, The Iron Pitbull Kenny Kingston earned a shot at the KCXW Metro Championship, but it didn’t take long for things to spiral out of control. In a moment of fury, Kingston shoved champion Clay Huna to the mat, began choking him out, and blatantly ignored the referee’s count – earning himself a swift disqualification. Frustrated and enraged, Kingston made a statement by putting Huna through a table after the bell. That act of violence directly led to the signing of this very tables match, where the only way to win was to do exactly what Kingston had done before –drive your opponent through a table.

On paper, this was Kingston’s match to lose. His sheer strength and size made him the clear favorite. But “The Big Brudda” Clay Huna is no stranger to tough opponents – he’s a former Season of Xcellence winner, after all, and he wasn’t about to be steamrolled. Despite surviving a brutal onslaught, including being choked on the top rope and hurled into the ring posts, Huna held strong. He ultimately pulled off what looked like a massive Rocker Dropper through the table, scoring a huge win and getting a measure of revenge in the process.

Most fans were hoping this match, a grudge match between former KCXW Metro Champion El Diablo and the man who cost him his title at Destiny, “Hard Luck” Hal Rogers, would bring some closure. But when the added stipulation surfaced that the winner might become the #1 contender for the Kansas City Championship (currently held by Tobias Storm), the stakes skyrocketed. With a potential shot at the “big belt” on the line, both men were ready to leave it all in the ring. As I mentioned, the bad blood between these two has been simmering since January, when Rogers declared war on the fans of Independence, MO, vowing to “ruin their fun.” That unfolded when he interfered in the Metro Championship match between El Diablo and Clay Huna, attacking Diablo while the referee was down.

This match was all about endurance, and both competitors came prepared. As mentioned earlier in this review, the best way to neutralize “Heaven’s Superior Aztec Demon Warrior” is to keep him off the ropes, and Hal Rogers seemed to know that. He grounded El Diablo for large chunks of the match, utilizing punishing submission holds like a brutal Gory Special, and mixing in heavy suplexes to wear him down. But El Diablo is nothing if not resilient. Eventually, he created enough separation to get back to his high-flying, unleashing a series of high-flying / high-risk moves that seemed to turn the tide entirely. Just as it looked like El Diablo had the upper hand, both men simultaneously went for pins, resulting in a double pin. As a result, the match was declared a draw.

A draw may not be the closure fans were looking for, but one thing’s certain: this rivalry is far from over, a fact we would soon find out. And with the Kansas City Championship in the picture, things are only going to get hotter from here.

Talon made a huge statement at Destiny, literally lighting a fire under the Kansas City Championship scene when he launched a fireball into Tobias Storm’s face and issued a bold challenge for the title. After scoring a low-blow at Checkpoint: Winter Blast, it looked like Talon might actually have what it takes to dethrone Tobias – though his methods have been anything but clean. Heading into Unleashed, Tobias was still recovering from the attack. With an eye patch and a clear lack of energy in recent weeks, he looked like a shadow of his usual self. But when he stepped into the Kansas City National Guard Armory, he looked almost like the same healthy, charismatic Tobias that fans have come to rally behind. The question on everyone’s mind was easily – could he still keep his title?

Talon certainly wasn’t going to make it easy. Flanked by the massive Harrison Cruz, undoubtedly serving as backup or a full-blown insurance policy, Talon came ready to fight and to leave a mark on KCXW history. But Tobias Storm isn’t called “Pound for Pound, the Strongest Man in the Midwest” for nothing. In one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the night, he managed to lift both Talon and Cruz onto his back at once, delivering a massive double Death Valley Driver that brought the crowd to their feet. Talon did what he could -using the ropes, using distractions, and using Cruz, but none of it was enough. Tobias fed off the energy of the crowd, (perhaps the Tobiasmaniacs?) and willed himself to a massive victory to retain the KCXW Kansas City Championship. But the celebration didn’t last long.

Chaos broke out almost immediately. First, “Hard Luck” Hal Rogers stormed the ring. Then El Diablo. Then it seemed like the entire KCXW locker room was suddenly in an all-out brawl. This included the likes of the returning Bert Candy and even folks not on the card like SyKawtic. Finally, Richard Goldman had seen enough. The newly-minted KCXW owner took the mic, cleared the ring, and vowed that change was coming. Through the smoke and chaos, Tobias Storm stood tall, still the Kansas City Champion.

Conclusion:

I’ve always loved wrestling shows in armories, even though they seem to be a rare breed these days, so getting back to the Kansas City National Guard Armory was a real treat! This show had a solid turnout, and as always, the atmosphere created by the stars and sponsors felt like part wrestling event, part craft fair with all the cool merch, food, and autograph opportunities floating around. (I’m a total autograph hound, so that’s always a major bonus.) From start to finish, the night moved several big storylines forward, but the standout takeaway? Tobias Storm’s title reign is no fluke. The guy might very well be a once-in-a-generation talent in the Kansas City wrestling scene. Even after nearly getting his eyes burned out and constantly facing absurd odds, he keeps coming out on top—and doing it with heart. Now all eyes are on the number one contendership picture, and we’re inching closer to what’s shaping up to be a wild main event at Xtreme Freedom. Whatever ends up happening, one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be absolutely nuts, and I can’t wait.