REVIEW: Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling - Checkpoint Solar Flare (2025)

A Live Pro Wrestling Event

I’ve said before that I enjoy when wrestling companies break the mold of running shows strictly on Friday or Saturday nights at 7 PM. Having cheaper, or even free, options with a smaller roster can make for a refreshing change, and Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling has done a solid job of this with their Checkpoint series. These shows usually take place on Sunday afternoons in between the bigger events, which works out perfectly for me since my son has school and I have work the next day. It also avoids the crowded Saturday scene where five to seven different companies often run at once, all using much of the same talent. KCXW Checkpoint: Solar Flare was the direct follow-up to July’s Xtreme Freedom and carried its storylines forward while also setting the stage for October’s Xcellence. As always with these reviews, I’ll be going through the entire card and giving a full run-down of what happened.

For future shows, I have referenced this little chart I made months ago, and so far this has turned out accurate.

Jan – KCXW Destiny
Feb – KCXW Checkpoint special
April – KCXW Unleashed
Late May? – presumed KCXW Checkpoint special
July – KCXW Xtreme Freedom
Late August? presumed KCXW Checkpoint special
October – KCXW Excellence
Late November? – KCXW Checkpoint special

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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 Checkpoint: Solar Flare
At the Xtreme Wrestling Center in Raytown, Missouri 8-17-25

Singles Match – Old Glory Defeats Talon by pinfall.
Segment – Atlas Armstrong has words for his former partner, teams up with Talon for attack.
Segment – The Xtremists bring out ladder, and David Cattin announces ladder match in October against El Diablo. Lady Pride is not there, but it is announced they will also have match in Oct.
Singles Match – Shooter Shylynn VS Merci ruled No contest due to interference from Lady Pride (who was there, as it turns out). Their match in October will be a strap match.
Segment – Lord Maximus Canine and the Canine Kingdom try to recruit “The Iron Pitbull” Kenny Kingston, but he is not interested – brawl ensues.
“The Diamond” Marco Hendrixxx VS Tobias – ruled a draw due to Double Count out.
Segment – Rad Rico dance off has no winner, brawling instead.
Singles Match – “The Hypothetical Specialist” Dr. Isin defeats “Rad” Rico Estevez by pinfall. “Hard Luck” Hal Rogers watches on.
Segment – The Candy Shop with “Big Cutie” Bert Candy – Arm Wrestling challenge for “The Polish Powerhouse” Gerard Jaworski, Jaworski claims he can win in 30 seconds, this does not happen so he flips the table and confronts Candy – they will face eachother in finals for Season of Xcellence Championship at KCXW Xcellence in October.
Trios Match – The Canine Kingdom (Lord Maximus Canine, and the Squared Circle Squires Sir Henry and Sir Arthur) defeat Wild N’ Untamed (“Killjoy” Charlie Graham and “All Slay” Angel Shay) and “The Big Brudda” Clay Huna by pinfall.
Singles Match for the KCXW Kansas City Championship – “Heaven’s Superior Aztec Demon Warrior” El Diablo defeated “The Chain Wrestler” Jude Vice (With “The King of Xtreme” David Cattin) by pinfall.

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:

The night kicked off with Old Glory taking on Talon. Fans will recall that Old Glory was blamed for the downfall of tag team powerhouse The United Patriots at Xtreme Freedom by his former partner, Atlas Armstrong. After a string of miscommunications and losses, Atlas took the coward’s way out, blindsiding Old Glory with a superkick and an RKO after their loss to The Xtremists. Understandably, Old Glory came into this one with his mind clouded, but he still managed to put up a strong fight against Talon. Talon, of course, made headlines earlier in the year when he infamously threw a fireball at then-champion Tobias Storm.

He’s not flashy, he’s not looking to please the crowd – he’s looking to climb the ladder, and beating Old Glory would go a long way toward that goal, and helping him recover from his loss against Tobias. He kept Glory grounded with headlocks and mat-based holds, but with Old Glory’s size advantage, it was only a matter of time before he fought his way back. Eventually, Old Glory managed to score a big win to push forward with his singles career. That victory was short-lived, however, as “The Natural” Atlas Armstrong stormed ringside to once again confront his former ally. The distraction gave Talon the chance to blindside Old Glory with a steel chair, leaving both men standing tall over him. Could we be seeing a new alliance forming between these two? Only time will tell.

Before this next match, The Xtremists (Jude Vice and David Cattin) hit the ring carrying a ladder. Cattin announced that his upcoming match with El Diablo at Xcellence would now be a ladder match, stemming from The Xtremists’ vicious post-match beatdown of El Diablo after his historic title win at Xtreme Freedom. They also addressed the KCXW Women’s Championship situation, noting that Lady Pride was “not in the building” – though that would soon prove false.

Shylynn was set to face Merci, one of the breakout stars of the women’s division who has already picked up key wins, including one alongside Wild N’ Untamed at Checkpoint Mayhem. The match itself was evenly paced, with both women showcasing their chemistry and friendship in a competitive back-and-forth. But just as things started heating up, Lady Pride stormed the ring armed with a thick leather strap. She unleashed chaos, laying out both Merci and Shylynn, with Shylynn taking the worst of it.

The attack set the stage for the announcement that Shylynn and Lady Pride will face off for the long-vacant KCXW Women’s Championship in a strap match – a brutal stipulation fitting for such a heated rivalry. This bout was officially ruled a no contest.

Next up was Marco Hendrixxx taking on Tobias Storm. This has the promise of being a solid match, and it initially had the Raytown crowd fired up from the start. Storm came in as the fan favorite, albeit still licking his wounds from losing the KCXW Heavyweight Championship to El Diablo, but clearly eager to prove that he remains one of the company’s top stars. Hendrixxx, on the other hand, leaned hard into his darker side, mocking the fans, trash-talking Storm at every opportunity, and trying to capitalize on Tobias’s recent setback to make a name for himself.

From the opening bell, Hendrixxx wrestled a methodical, mean-spirited match. Constantly asking the crowd things like “Who’s better than Diamond?” and “Is this your guy?” He cut Storm off early with cheap shots, using the referee’s blind spots to the limit, and grounded him with some big submission attempts. Referee Erin laid into Hendrixxx a few times, which seemed to only make his behavior worse. The fans rallied behind Storm, who fought back with an almost superhuman energy that always gets him through the toughest situations. The match boiled over when the fight spilled to the outside. The fight became so heated that neither man made it back before the referee’s ten count. The result was a double count-out, leaving both men frustrated and the issue far from settled.

At KCXW Xtreme Freedom, fans learned that Rad Rico’s invitational dance-off would return, but this time in a one-on-one format against the man who ruined it last time – Dr. Isin. To nobody’s surprise, the dance-off quickly collapsed into chaos, and officials called for the bell to make it an official match. Isin, who loves to proclaim that he’s “never cheated a day in his life,” immediately bent every rule in the book. He tried rope-assisted pins, teased low blows, and generally looked for every shortcut imaginable.

The real twist came when “Hard Luck” Hal Rogers walked out with a bag of popcorn and planted himself at ringside. Instead of cheering on Rico, Rogers berated him at every turn, distracting him long enough for Isin to capitalize. After a few close calls, Isin finally pulled off a questionable victory by once again using the ropes for leverage. Post-match, Rogers confronted Rico directly, making it clear that a clash between the two is on the horizon.

This show’s Candy Shop skipped the usual talk-show setup in favor of an arm-wrestling showdown between the Season of Xcellence finalists: “Big Cutie” Bert Candy and “The Polish Powerhouse” Gerard Jaworski. Jaworski, who has made a name for himself with feats of strength like bending rebar and dominating gauntlet matches, strutted in with supreme confidence. He even claimed he could beat Candy in under 30 seconds. That boast backfired. Candy held firm, frustrating Jaworski until the clock ran out. The powerhouse snapped, flipping the table in anger. Tensions boiled over as the two had to be separated, and now the stage is set: Candy and Jaworski will meet in the Season of Xcellence finals at KCXW Xcellence this October.

Fans groaned as the horrendous trumpets of Lord Maximus Canine blared through the arena not once but twice. Earlier in the night, Canine and his lackeys had tried to recruit “The Iron Pitbull” Kenny Kingston, only to spark a brawl when he refused. By the time they made their full entrance for the trios match, the crowd’s patience had run thin.

The Canine Kingdom (Lord Maximus Canine, Sir Henry, and Sir Arthur) faced Wild N’ Untamed (“Killjoy” Charlie Graham and “All Slay” Angel Shay) and “The Big Brudda” Clay Huna. Fans remembered the bad blood between Canine and Huna, stemming from Canine’s capture of the KCXW Metro Championship. The Squires worked Shay over with relentless double-teams, while Canine avoided most of the fight, swooping in only to attempt easy pinfalls.

The action broke down as both teams spilled to the outside, leaving Huna isolated. That was all Canine needed. With the referee distracted, he smashed Huna in the back of the head with the Metro Championship and stole another tainted victory. The Canine Kingdom walked out gloating, making it clear they’re becoming one of the most detestable forces in KCXW.

In the main event, El Diablo defended his KCXW Kansas City Championship for the first time against “The Chain Wrestler” Jude Vice, a man closely tied to El Diablo’s upcoming Xcellence opponent, David Cattin, who thankfully was tossed out of the ringside area and sent to the back. Before the bell even rang, Vice made a show of pointing to the ladder his fellow Xtremists had set up outside the ring, trying to plant doubt in Diablo’s mind and remind him of their looming ladder match. Throughout the bout, Vice continued to play mind games, constantly accusing El Diablo of phantom hair pulls and other obvious fabrications just to frustrate the official.

Despite these distractions, El Diablo eventually built momentum, stringing together his signature offense, including his own version of the 619. With Cattin ejected from ringside and no allies left to interfere, Vice grew desperate and turned to every underhanded trick he could think of. He nearly stole the match with a couple of submissions, but Diablo’s fire was too much. The champion scaled the ropes and landed a crushing Swanton dive, securing the pinfall victory to remain KCXW Kansas City Champion.

An enraged Vice tried to attack after the bell, grabbing the ladder and threatening to use it as a weapon. Diablo, however, reacted quickly, kicking the ladder back into Vice and sending him crashing to the floor. Seizing the moment, El Diablo set up the ladder in the middle of the ring and climbed to the top, raising his title high to prove he was the true king of the mountain in Kansas City and ready for whatever challenge lay ahead.

Conclusion:

It looks like KCXW Xcellence is shaping up to be a strong show, and since I missed last year’s event, I’m glad I’ll get to see this one live and witness the culmination of the Season of Xcellence tournament finals. The Checkpoint series continues to be a great value for wrestling fans who want quality entertainment on a budget, especially when everything else seems to be getting more expensive by the day. Solar Flare delivered solid matches and gave KCXW’s up-and-coming talent valuable experience in front of a live crowd. If you haven’t checked out one of these shows yet, keep an eye out in November or December when the final Checkpoint of the year rolls around.