Velveteen Dream turned his boxing match into a full-blown wrestling circus—and the referee finally had enough. The former WWE star was disqualified after throwing Ryan Pownall through the ropes and out of the ring for the second time.
Patrick Clark Jr. faced Pownall in the third fight on the Duel Arena 1 main card at Orlando’s Kia Center on August 29. Clark entered first, but Pownall made sure his arrival was impossible to ignore.
Pownall walked into the arena to Kanye West’s “Runaway” alongside a little person dressed as Kanye. That bizarre entrance set the tone for a fight that quickly went completely off the rails.
The ring announcer introduced Clark using his wrestling credentials, billing him as former WWE NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream Patrick Clark. Andrew Tate was also brought out as a special commentator for the fight.
The opening bell sounded—and both men immediately started throwing bombs. There was no feeling-out process and no patience. Clark and Pownall just stood there firing fast shots at each other. Within seconds, Clark had Pownall trapped against the ropes. The referee rushed in to separate them, but the break didn’t calm either fighter down.
They went right back to throwing wild punches before getting tangled in the ropes again. Then things stopped looking like boxing altogether. Clark tied Pownall up near the ropes, and both men went tumbling through the second rope and out of the ring. Somehow, that was only the first round.
The second round started slower, but Clark couldn’t shake his wrestling habits. He grabbed Pownall in a headlock and forced the referee to break them apart again. Clark followed that with several low punches that missed. Pownall then trapped Clark in the ropes and nearly sent him spilling out of the ring for a second time.
Once the action restarted, Clark launched Pownall into the ropes and sent him crashing to the floor. The referee deducted a point from Clark for the illegal throw and gave him a clear warning.
Clark didn’t listen. The two fighters became tied up in the ropes again before the end of the round. Clark then shoved Pownall through the ropes and sent him flying out of the ring for the second time. That was it. The referee immediately waved off the fight and disqualified Clark, giving Pownall the victory.
The ugly finish came after their pre-fight press conference erupted into chaos. Clark had to be dragged away by security, returned carrying what appeared to be a metal pole and later claimed Pownall was being sued for defamation—though no court documents were provided.
Clark finally got Pownall inside the ring, but this was supposed to be boxing—not an NXT Falls Count Anywhere match. Dream’s WWE instincts took over, and they cost him the fight.
Do you think the referee made the right call by disqualifying Velveteen Dream, or should the fight have continued? Leave your feedback in the comments.
