Conquest Wrestling Federation's Season 5 Warzone Kickoff Review

RESULTS: https://conquestwrestling.x10.mx/warzone-season-5-episode-1-new-orleans-la-a-new-age-dawns/

We're going to take a look now at Conquest Wrestling Federation's Warzone, Season 5, Episode 1 today.

Full disclosure before we begin, I am using dictation software to capture my thoughts live and will clean those up a bit after. I just wanted to be transparent about that. I also did use AI to summarize a few past shows to get a feel for the characters prior to reading this, as suggested by another fed head. I think I'll keep doing that, so I am not walking in blind on reviews.

The show opens with the new Warzone theme for Season 5. Starting a new season with a new theme gives it that fresh feel right away. And while I like it to an extent, adding the song's Spotify embed in does slow us down from getting to the actual show.

As we begin, we get the patented CWF drone fly over the crowd, fireworks going off around the stage, down the ramp, and to the ring. I like this a lot. It gives the show that big production feeling. But I feel like what could of been drawn out with more descriptive narrative, was consolidated to just a few sentences. It was enough to set the stage and I could imagine it, so it did that right, but I tend to like to see the full picture of what they are wanting me to.

There are a few typos early on, nothing major, but things like "Gentlement" and "announces" do pop out. Not a huge deal, but when you're opening a new season, you probably want that opening to be as clean as possible.

The commentary team does a really good job catching us up. Ben Price and Eddie Vega run down Tribal Warfare, Vanguard, the new co-owner Jeremiah Vastrix, the Eternal Grove having three of the four titles, the nKo being gone, the Upstarts losing momentum, and the main matches for tonight. This is how you open a show. It tells someone like me, who may not read every week, what matters and why I should care. Maybe throw some description between to break up the banter to add realism, but otherwise it did its part. Descriptive narration is a personal preference anyways.

Then the lights go out and we get the Samael Drago segment.

This is a big cinematic piece. We start in an empty gothic church, with a throne, a dragon bust, the Conquest Title, the whole thing. I like the imagery. It fits Drago. It feels dark, dramatic, and like a champion announcing that this is his world now.

That being said, I did find myself asking why we needed both the church video package and then the grand live entrance afterward. I get it. It's cinematic. It's big. It's supposed to make him feel important. But if we're going to get the video history of his debut, his fights, the Eternal Grove, the Lunar Rumble, and the title win, and then immediately after he comes out with hooded figures, a horse, rose petals, and the title, it almost feels like two huge entrances stacked on top of each other.

Still, it looks cool in my head. The hooded figures, the black horse, the withered rose petals, and Drago walking into a ring decorated with roots and branches is a strong visual.

His promo is good. It's very Drago, very theatrical, very "the age of monsters has begun." He talks about Abigail Dresden, the old guard, the Eternal Grove, Apathy, and how there will be no prisoners in this promised war. It's not a short promo, but for a new world champion on the first show of a new season, I think that's fine.

The one thing I would say is that it maybe could have been tightened just a little. But overall, good segment. He is out here to let us know that the Age of Monsters has begun.

We come back from commercial and get a Dixie Clement segment with Valora Salinas.

I liked this. It was simple, direct, and gave Dixie a reason to care about the Skirmish Title tournament. Valora basically tells her, get in the tournament and make it to the title match or you're fired. That's motivation. That's a story. That's something that gives the tournament more stakes than just "here is a new belt."

I also like the way Valora talks. It's rough, it's blunt, and it fits her. The dialogue feels like two people who know each other and have history. Dixie saying she was only supposed to be here for one show and Valora saying they're all addicts here was a nice little line.

We go back to commentary, and again, they do a good job tying things together. They recap Drago, the Eternal Grove, Dixie, and then move us into the first match.

First match is Zolothach versus Annika Devereaux.

The entrances are fine, but then we get the black rain on Annika. The ConquestTron shows the moon insignia, and Annika goes almost into a trance. I like this a lot because it ties back into Drago and the Eternal Grove stuff without outright explaining everything. It gives you a mystery.

Then Annika just snaps and attacks Zolothach before the match really begins. The match itself is more angle than match, but I think it works. Annika is brutal here. Choking, throat punches, heel rake, biting, throwing Zolothach through the ropes, hotshotting her onto the railing, shoulder-first into the post, and then the corkscrew stunner to win.

This was short, but it had a purpose. It wasn't just moves for the sake of moves. It was telling us something is wrong with Annika, and then after the match she seems confused and upset when she sees what she did. I like that.

The commentary helps here too. Ben and Eddie are confused with us, and that makes it work.

Then we go right into Elizabeth Devereaux-O'Rourke, Apathy, reacting to it.

This is another good segment. She doesn't have all the answers, but she makes it clear that whoever went after her daughter is going to pay. I like the idea that the rain may have been some kind of drug or trick. It keeps things grounded just enough while still allowing all the dark theatrical stuff.

The "tough tittie" line was funny. It fits her personality and keeps the segment from being too serious all the way through.

Next is the Jeremiah Vastrix segment with Sebastian Jalabert.

This one is interesting. It's very different from everything else on the show. We get this private box, a man in a wheelchair, guards in Warhammer Shocktrooper armor, life support machinery, cigarettes, blood, weapons, real estate, and Dylan Erickson being tied into some kind of weapons deal.

I'll be honest, this is one of those segments where I can see some readers loving it and others being like, what exactly am I reading? I like that it gives the show a larger world, but I wonder if it fit here fully. Once again, personal preference as well as it's how the shows have been historically set for Conquest.

Jeremiah being pressured into arranging a meeting with Dylan is good. You can tell he's a co-owner, but he's not fully in control of his own world yet. That gives him some depth.

Then we go into Dylan Erickson versus Alex Nelson.

This was a solid big man match. Dylan is huge, Alex tries to fight from underneath, and the match makes the size difference matter. I like when matches actually remember that one person is bigger and stronger and doesn't just have everyone doing the same moves.

Alex trying the powerslam and not being able to get him up was good. Then later trying the German suplex and also not being able to get him up made sense. Dylan throwing Alex around, kicking him out of the corner, powerbombing him, and eventually winning with the ax kick worked.

It wasn't a super long match, but it didn't need to be. It did what it was supposed to do. Dylan looks strong, Alex got some fight in, and the earlier segment with Sebastian makes Dylan feel like someone important moving forward.

Before the next match, we get Karlie Nash.

This is a short promo, but it works. Karlie lost to Annika, and now she feels like she needs to prove she's not weak. I like that. Champions shouldn't be immune to insecurity or pressure. She's one half of the tag champions, part of the Eternal Grove, but she still feels like she has something to prove.

Then we get Karlie Nash versus Trelisa Perrault.

This is probably my favorite match on the show up to this point. The entrances are more detailed, especially Trelisa's. Karlie's entrance is more basic, though I did notice part of it basically repeats with her climbing the ropes and stretching in the corner. That could probably be cleaned up.

The match itself is really good. This is where I feel like the show kicked into another gear from an in-ring standpoint.

Karlie coming in with the strong style influence was nice. The stiff forearms, chops, roundhouse kick, dragon suplexes, tiger suplex, spinning backfist, Muay Thai clinch, and double underhook piledriver all made her feel different. It wasn't just "Karlie wrestles a match." It was "Karlie is changing."

Trelisa got enough in too. She didn't just get run over. The tornado DDT, tiger suplex, Curtain Call, Backstabber, and near falls made this feel like a real fight. I also liked Karlie rolling out after the Curtain Call. That's smart wrestling.

This match had commentary, drama, near falls, pacing, and a clear story. Karlie needed the win, and she got it. Good stuff.

Then we get Kara Reinhardt confronting Valora.

I liked this segment a lot. Kara is pissed that she's not in the Skirmish tournament, and Valora says she's over the weight limit. That's simple, but it works. Kara threatening Valora, Valora pushing right back, and then Abigail getting mentioned adds layers to it.

Valora saying Kara can re-weigh after the show with Kronin and Greg there is a good hook. Now I want to know if Kara actually makes weight or if this is just Valora messing with her.

The commentary afterward adds important context too. Ben pointing out that Kara scored every pinfall for her team at Tribal Warfare except Armand is a great detail. That's the kind of thing that helps explain why Kara feels overlooked.

Next is Gabriel Tuck versus Madd Morales.

The entrances here are good, especially Madd's. It has a lot of character and atmosphere. I like that we know there is history here with the nKo imploding, Gabriel turning on Armand, Trelisa being involved, and Madd feeling like he was cost the Elite Championship.

The match itself is less about clean wrestling and more about personal issues, which is fine. Gabriel accusing Madd of hurting Trelisa's friend on purpose gives the match a reason to exist beyond "these two used to be in the same group."

Madd is brutal here. The ring steps spot, the Devilslayer, refusing to release the hold, the repeated bell rings, and Gabriel needing EMTs all worked. It gives Madd heat and gives Trelisa another reason to want revenge.

I do like that Gabriel wins by disqualification because Madd wouldn't let go. That keeps Madd looking dangerous while giving Gabriel the official win.

Then we get Abigail Dresden in Valora's office.

This was a decent segment. Abigail is asking about the Skirmish tournament but also considering the Elite Title. I like that it gives her options. It also keeps the tournament feeling like something people actually want to be in.

Valora pretending to wipe away a tear because Abigail might go beat people bloody in the Elite division was funny. It's a small moment, but it fits their relationship.

Finally, we get the main event: Pacific Rim versus Bad Company for the number one contendership to the tag titles.

This felt like a real main event tag match. It had history. It had stakes. It had commentary explaining why it mattered. Pacific Rim were the first tag champions, Bad Company took the titles from them, and now the winner gets eNVy. That's simple and effective.

I like that Kelea demanded Kara start the match. That's a good character moment. She's confronting what happened before. Kara immediately shutting her down with the clothesline also worked.

The match uses size and teamwork well. Kelea is quicker, Kara is stronger, Ahklut and Kronin are the big powerhouses, and the match actually plays with that. I liked the blind tag spot where the referee missed it, and then Pacific Rim sarcastically making the next tag obvious. That felt like something that would happen in wrestling.

Kronin and Ahklut's power exchanges were good. Kelea trying to repeat the missile dropkick and Kronin learning from it was also good. That's the kind of little callback inside a match that helps make it feel alive.

The double team powerbomb and leg drop was a cool visual. The finish with Kara locking in the Scorpion and Kelea tapping quickly made sense. Bad Company winning was probably the right call based on the direction of the show. The Upstarts continue to fall, and Bad Company moves on to eNVy.

Overall, I thought this was a strong first episode for Season 5.

What I liked most was that the show felt like it had direction. The Age of Monsters is here. The Eternal Grove is on top. Apathy is coming for Drago. The Skirmish tournament is already creating issues. Kara feels overlooked. Abigail is looking for her next move. Bad Company is going after the tag titles. Dylan has something brewing with Sebastian. There is a lot going on, but most of it feels connected.

The commentary was also one of the strongest parts of the show. Ben and Eddie do a good job explaining things, reacting to the weird stuff, and giving context for people who might not know every detail. That's important.

The matches were mostly solid. Karlie versus Trelisa was the standout singles match for me, and the tag main event felt like the right match to close the show. Annika versus Zolothach worked as an angle more than a match, and Dylan versus Alex did what it needed to do.

What I didn't like as much: there are some typos and formatting issues throughout. Nothing that ruins the show, but enough that they stand out. There are also moments where things repeat, like Karlie's entrance. Some of the writing could be tightened in spots, especially the big Drago presentation at the start, because it felt like we got a cinematic video and a cinematic entrance back to back.

But overall, this was a good show. It felt like a season premiere. It established the new power structure, gave us a clear direction, and made Civil Warfare feel like something everything is building toward.

If you like shows with story, factions, supernatural or gothic imagery, and a lot of moving pieces, this is probably something worth checking out. Maybe not so much if you're into more realistic shows.

So, with that being said, thank you to Conquest Wrestling Federation for putting on the show. I enjoyed reading it. There are things to clean up, sure, but there is a lot of good here, and Season 5 feels like it's starting with a purpose.