July 3, 2025 - Fairbanks, Alaska
By Dave "The Brute" Kent, Ace Wrestling Reporter
The Only Column in Wrestling That Hits Harder Than the Matches
The snow may have been falling outside, but inside the Fairbanks Civic Arena, NPCW brought the fire with a night of headlocks, high spots, and enough interference to make even the most crooked ref blush. From tag team mayhem in the opener to a main event rematch that ended quicker than a sleigh ride down Black Ice Hill, this show had all the charm and chaos fans have come to expect from the North Pole’s wildest promotion. With former champions clawing for another shot at glory and rising stars looking to make names for themselves, No Words Barred 015 was less about clean victories and more about the message: in NPCW, anything can happen—and usually does.
Match 1: Yukon Trappers Vs Rapido Rojo and Peter Cottontail
Well, the lumber hit the tundra early in Fairbanks as the rugged Yukon Trappers took on a duo straight outta a cartoon sugar high. Peter Cottontail and Rapido Rojo brought the flash, but the Trappers brought fists, flannel, and the kind of double-teaming that would make the Andersons blush. You want holds? You got ‘em. You want punches? Buckle up. You want logic? Well… keep reading.
Match Recap:
The match started surprisingly even. Yukon Trapper Josh and Peter Cottontail traded submission holds early—Josh locking in a Smothering Facelock, Cottontail countering with a Sugar Cane Sleeper. Credit to the bunny: he took a beating and kept on hopping. Cottontail dominated the early minutes, landing a Flying Crossbody, a Turnaround Sidekick, and a Leaping Judo Chop in rapid succession. He nearly pinned Josh in the 5th minute after a series of Deep Armdrags, but Josh kicked out at one.
Then the Trappers got mean. For the next ten minutes, Josh and Lou did what they do best—isolate, wear down, double-team. Josh tossed both opponents out of the ring twice and hit Rojo with enough Throat Chops to close a windpipe. Cottontail tagged out to Rojo, but the lucha star got immediately mauled with a Shoulder Breaker and the dreaded Yukon Elbow Drop.
Even when Rojo and Cottontail got a flash of momentum—like the Bulldog Lariat/Deep Armdrag combo—they couldn’t string enough together. The Trappers consistently regained control with old-school, borderline-illegal teamwork: Overhead Smashes, Smothering Facelocks, and repeated Headlocks with Punches.
Despite Rapido Rojo’s resilience, including a last-minute Inverted STF, and Cottontail’s valiant return, the beating was just too much. At the 24-minute mark, YukonTrapper Lou flattened Peter Cottontail with a brutal Bodyslam and got the clean 1-2-3.
Kent’s Brutally Honest Take:
This was a classic case of style vs. substance—and substance won. The Yukon Trappers did what they always do: grind the pace to a halt, maul their opponents, and get the job done. That said, this match felt 10 minutes longer than it was. Too much double-teaming. Too little tag psychology from the faces. Peter Cottontail looked sharp early, but once Rapido Rojo tagged in, the timing went wonky. It didn’t help that “Honest” Abe was about as effective as a screen door on a submarine—let double teams run wild for most of the match.
If you're a fan of brawling, you’ll find something to like here. But if you want crisp tag wrestling, this was more trail mix than five-star meal.
Final Word: The Trappers win, but NPCW needs to figure out if they’re a tag team or a gang of lumberjacks mugging wildlife in the woods.
Rating: 3/5
Match 2: Moon Silver Vs Gretel
When you’ve got the entire damn forest lurking ringside and a young warrior trying to fight them off with nothing but boots and bravado, you know you’re either watching a fairy tale… or another NPCW grudge match. Moon Silver brought the full moon and the full Pack to Fairbanks, but Gretel didn’t come to get eaten—she came to cook the wolves.
Match Recap:
The bell rang, and from the first howl, it was clear the Wolf Pack had no plans to play fair. They distracted “Fast Count” Frank right out of the gate, giving Moon Silver early leverage—but Gretel shut that down fast with a picture-perfect Shining Wizard that had the crowd howling louder than the Pack themselves.
Moon Silver retaliated with a heavy-hitting Running Shoulder Block and a series of Snap Suplexes that had Gretel struggling to breathe. Then, the Pack pounced—literally—with a Double Attack that had shades of a back-alley mugging. Still, Gretel kept swinging. Her counter-offensive came in the form of K-360s, Spinning Heel Kicks, and a Rolling Fireman’s Carry that got the crowd behind her and sent Moon Silver reeling.
As the minutes wore on, Gretel’s footwork and tenacity turned the tide. Moon Silver, no slouch herself, landed multiple Howling Slams and Sitout Powerbombs, and even scored a close pin in the 17th minute—but Gretel kicked out, dug deep, and answered with another Shining Wizard. The match seesawed from there, with both wrestlers pushing limits.
Then came the final Pack interference—a slipped foreign object from the shadows—but Gretel somehow absorbed the chaos, popped Moon Silver in the jaw with a Superkick, and planted her to the mat.
1...2...3.
Despite a three-on-one handicap the entire match, Gretel pinned Moon Silver clean in the middle of the ring, proving again she’s not some lost child in the woods—she’s the one carrying the axe.
Kent’s Brutally Honest Take:
Let me be clear: this was far from a perfect technical match. The pace dragged in the middle. The ref was practically in another dimension. And the Wolf Pack’s constant interference was a distraction—not just for Gretel, but for the viewer too. But even with all that nonsense, Gretel turned in one of the grittiest babyface performances we’ve seen this side of Chill Factor. The crowd was with her every step of the way. Her timing, her striking, her refusal to die—it all landed.
Moon Silver? Talented. Physically imposing. But reliant on backup like a high school quarterback with stage fright. You take the Pack out of this, and Gretel likely finishes her five minutes earlier.
Final Word: A messy, chaotic fight made better by a hot crowd and a breakout performance. Gretel might be the best pure striker NPCW has who doesn’t need a damn werewolf howling at ringside to get noticed.
Rating: 4/5
Match 3: Jolly Green Vs Nutcracker Captain
Two titans. One ring. And a lot of slams. This wasn’t ballet, folks—unless ballet now includes piledrivers, spike piledrivers, and a flying axehandle to the skull. In the most heavy-hitting contest of the night, Jolly Green locked horns with the militarized marionette, Nutcracker Captain—and they beat the stuffing out of each other. Literally.
Match Recap:
Kent’s Brutally Honest Take:
Right from the opening bell, both men threw bombs. Jolly Green opened with a Suplex, and the Captain responded with his signature Death From Above flying double axehandle. That exchange set the tone: meat-on-meat mayhem with no regard for subtlety.
Green went to the Cradle Slam well a couple times, mixing it with Backbreakers and Knee Smashes. Meanwhile, Nutcracker Captain spammed Death From Above like it was a video game glitch, and started mixing in Spike Piledrivers and German Suplexes. The back-and-forth was wild, with barely a pause between high-impact moves.
Jolly Green’s offense was pure power—classic territory hoss wrestling. His Backbreakers hit with authority, and his Piledriver in the 13th minute nearly turned Captain into woodchips. But give the Captain credit—he kept firing back with Olympic Slams and nearly got a flash pin after one in the 15th minute. His German Suplexes looked tight, and DDTs came fast and frequent.
Despite Nutcracker General’s ominous ringside presence, he mostly stayed out of it… until the final stretch, when he shoved the referee in full view of everyone—except, apparently, “Honest” Abe. Still, Jolly Green powered through, shrugged off the shenanigans, and delivered one final Suplex that scored the pin at 20:00 sharp.
Rating: 3.5/5
Match 4: Furiosa Ardilla Vs Morrigan
It was speed vs. sorcery in this wicked collision as the high-flying Furiosa Ardilla took on the velvet poison of the Coven, Morrigan. Broomsticks flew, limbs twisted, and gravity got bullied. But when the smoke cleared—literally—Furiosa proved once again she’s not just fast… she’s fearless.
Match Recap:
This match opened at a sprint. Right from the bell, both women threw strikes like it was a martial arts movie: hip attacks, hurricanranas, axe kicks, and roundhouses came in waves. Morrigan, with the Witch’s Coven looming like a bad stormcloud at ringside, tried to ground the squirrel—unsuccessfully.
Furiosa brought out her signature offense: Code Red, Sentons, and Tornado DDTs that nearly cratered Morrigan’s skull. She was relentless, zipping around the ring like a pinball on pixie sticks.
But Morrigan, to her credit, landed some devastating bombs—brainbusters, soccer kicks, and repeated running hip attacks that looked like they came straight from a wrecking ball. Her pin attempt in the 11th minute nearly sealed it, but Furiosa had just enough squirrel left to kick out at 2.9.
And yes, the Witch’s Coven did what they always do: interfere. A classic “Smack With Broomstick” gave Morrigan a brief edge, but it wasn’t enough. As the match wore on, Morrigan couldn’t keep up with Ardilla’s tempo. The turning point came around the 13th and 15th minutes, when Furiosa landed consecutive Tornado DDTs and a final Axe Kick that nearly knocked the eyeliner off Morrigan’s face.
One clean 1-2-3 later, and Furiosa had pinned the Coven’s dark enchantress clean in the center of the ring.
Kent’s Brutally Honest Take:
This was fast, crisp, and loaded with chemistry. Furiosa Ardilla continues to prove she’s the most dynamic babyface in the women’s division—her Code Red and Apron Diving Hurricanrana had the crowd losing their minds. Morrigan more than held her own, and she might’ve stolen this one if the Coven’s interference had been better timed.
I’ve got to knock off half a point for Honest Abe once again being asleep at the wheel. How do you miss a broomstick to the spine in a match with a literal coven ringside?
That said, this is the kind of match NPCW needs more of: great pacing, high drama, and a clean finish despite the chaos around it. Morrigan will bounce back, and Furiosa? She’s ready for bigger prey.
Final Word:
Witch’s Coven got burned, Furiosa flies again, and the crowd howled with every twist. Put this one on Chill Factor’s highlight reel.
Rating: 4/5
Main Event: Robin Hood Vs Ogre
Well, that was fast. What was billed as a high-stakes rematch between two former Northern Lights Champions turned into an overbooked wolf pile before anyone even had time to finish their hot cocoa. Robin Hood wins—technically. But don't let the record fool you—this was less of a victory and more of a mugging that just went sideways..
Match Recap:
Robin Hood walked into this match with a chip the size of Sherwood Forest on his shoulder. And why not? His reign as Northern Lights Champion lasted a single day before Abaddon snatched it like a thief in the night. Big Bad Wolf, on the other hand, has been prowling for another shot at the belt since Polar Meltdown, where these two tore the roof off.
So what did we get in the rematch? A blazing open, with Robin countering a Wolf Pack distraction and nailing a Superkick right to Wolf’s snarling jaw. He followed it up with a crisp German Suplex that popped the crowd and might’ve spelled doom for the Big Bad one.
But then, the inevitable: Wolf Pack interference.
Instead of adding drama or building tension, the pack immediately got involved again—this time holding Robin’s legs and launching a full-scale Gang-Up in the second minute. Only this time, Honest Abe actually did his job (possibly by accident) and threw the match out.
Ding ding ding, DQ victory for Robin Hood.
Kent’s Brutally Honest Take:
Let me be blunt: this was garbage.
Two of the top guys in NPCW’s main event scene—both former Northern Lights Champs—deserved better than two minutes and a DQ finish straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon.
Robin Hood, who held the title for just 24 hours, desperately needed this win to reestablish credibility. Instead, we got a no-contest in disguise, and a post-match reaction that screamed, “See you in a six-man tag.”
Big Bad Wolf doesn’t look dangerous—he looks desperate. And the Wolf Pack’s antics are starting to feel less like chaos and more like recycled filler. If this was supposed to build heat, all it did was cool the crowd down faster than a blizzard in Barrow.
Final Word:
Forgettable. Lazy. And a complete waste of a rematch that could’ve main-evented Chill Factor with the right booking. Here's hoping NPCW doesn't blow it again when the title shot's actually on the line.
Rating: 1/5
Overall Take
“Maple Syrup Wrestling with a Few Shots of Moonshine”
NPCW’s latest stop on the July House Show Tour gave Fairbanks a night of solid action, wild characters, and more double teams than a polar bear has blubber. This was your classic NPCW mid-tour show—some standout effort, some head-scratching booking, and more interference than a poorly guarded buffet line at Santa’s workshop.
We kicked off hot with the Yukon Trappers vs. Peter Cottontail & Rapido Rojo, a match that had old-school brawling, energetic bumps, and what felt like 700 double-team segments. It was chaotic, sloppy fun—but it overstayed its welcome and exposed the Trappers’ limited toolbox when forced to go long.
Moon Silver vs. Gretel was better than expected, with Moon’s size and the Pack’s distractions bumping against Gretel’s scrappy energy and well-timed comebacks. The interference was excessive (shocker), but the pacing and crowd heat were on point, and Gretel got a much-needed win.
Jolly Green vs. Nutcracker Captain gave us big-man mayhem at its finest. You want spine-bending suplexes, backbreakers that echo into tomorrow, and zero selling? You got it. These two brutes slapped meat like it was Christmas Eve and the toy factory ran out of parts. The finish was a bit of a mess, but the crowd didn’t care—they were all in.
Furiosa Ardilla vs. Morrigan might’ve been match of the night. Fast, fluid, inventive offense with both women pushing each other to the limit. Ardilla continues to be one of the most underappreciated workhorses in NPCW, and Morrigan’s eerie charisma kept the crowd on edge. If only the Coven would stop broom-whacking everyone like they’re extras in a Halloween pageant.
And then there was the Main Event.
Robin Hood vs. Big Bad Wolf had buzz, had stakes, had a DQ after two minutes. Yep. Two damn minutes. The kind of booking that makes fans roll their eyes and wonder why they stayed through the intermission raffle. If you're gonna run a rematch, don't toss it in the trash to build the next feud. Save that for the kids’ tag matches.
HIGH POINTS:
Furiosa vs. Morrigan brought legit drama and fire.
Gretel showing grit in a strong bounce-back performance.
Jolly Green and Nutcracker Captain gave the crowd what they paid to see.
LOW POINTS:
Interference city in nearly every match.
A main event finish that insulted the audience’s time and interest.
Double team abuse like it was a bad 80s tag match on repeat.
FINAL WORD:
No Words Barred 015 was a serviceable house show with flashes of brilliance, buried under NPCW’s obsession with shenanigans. The talent is undeniable, but if the storytelling keeps getting cut off at the knees for cheap heat, the fans won’t keep biting.
Fairbanks showed up. NPCW delivered—just enough. But next time? Less Pack interference, more clean finishes. Let these wrestlers wrestle.
Final Show Rating: 2.5/5
This has been No Words Barred—where wrestling gets the truth, not excuses.
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