BG Says: FIP Chasing the Dragon

June 9, 2006 – Inverness, Florida

When we last left FIP
This actually takes place the night before Impact of Honor but FIP’s wacky DVD release schedule is kind of messing up this section of my reviews. Recent FIP events had seen Black Market defeat the Heartbreak Express for the FIP Tag Team Championship. Also, Sal Rinauro knocked Jimmy Rave out of FIP for 90 days en rout to a title shot, the Briscoes made their FIP debuts and Bryan Danielson defeated Jay Lethal, freshly fired from DP Associates, in an FIP Heavyweight Championship match.

Dave Prazak and Jared David provide commentary from the FIP Mobile Studio. Jonathan Gold is our man on the microphone in the building.

VS.
They lock up and King powers Pourteau to the corner. Pourteau proves that he’s just as strong and then they trade hammerlocks. Pourteau puts on a wristlock but King counters to a headlock. He backslides Pourteau for 2. He grabs another headlock but Pourteau throws him across the ring to escape. Pourteau blocks a blind charge and puts on a chinlock. He hits an elbowdrop and puts the chinlock back on. King hits a shot to the groin and an awesome cartwheel kick. He hits a neat leg lariat for 2. Pourteau swats away a springboard missile dropkick and hits a lame looking powerbomb before putting on an armbar for the win at 5:34. King looked impressive but half of the match was the chinlock. The finish made no sense given that Pourteau worked over King’s neck the entire match but then was able to win with an armbar after pretty much not touching the arm after the first thirty seconds of the match. I hate to complain so much about such a short match but come on!
Rating: ¾*

VS.
I’d like to pretend that I didn’t see Impact of Honor before I saw this show but the fact is that I have and I already know how useless Drago is. They lock up and Drago takes Chavis to the mat. He grabs a wristlock and puts on a cravat. He hits a pair of knees to the head and puts on the MNS. Chavis gets to the ropes. Drago puts on a headlock but Chavis blocks a superkick and drops him on the top rope. Chavis hits a butterfly suplex for 2. He hits a dropkick and a sit out powerslam for 2. Drago dropkicks him out of the ring and then hits a series of chops. He hits a clothesline for 2. He hits a palm strike and a fisherman buster for 2. Chavis blocks a tiger driver and hits a suplex into a side slam for the win at 6:33. I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong so I take it back; Drago proved that he has talent here.
Rating: *¾

Davey Richards comes out to the ring to ask for a title shot on the basis of beating Danielson in a tag team match last time FIP was in Inverness. Neither man was involved in the decision so that argument is pretty weak. Dave Prazak and Bryan Danielson come out and Prazak tells Richards that he was only in that tag match because of Jay Lethal and thus hasn’t earned a title shot. Roderick Strong comes out and reminds us that it’s his destiny to hold the FIP title. Colt Cabana comes out and talks about his ROH World Championship match against Danielson the following night in Orlando. He says that after he wins that title he’s going to take the FIP belt from him too. Danielson tells the three of them to have an elimination match to determine the number one contender for the next time FIP comes to Inverness.

Steve Madison comes out to introduce Shingo Takagi as the man he’s hired to take out Erick Stevens. While he’s on the microphone he adds himself to the number one contender’s elimination match for later in the show.

VS.
Stevens is pretty much the American counterpart to Shingo so this match should be interesting. They lock up and Stevens shoves Shingo away. They knuckle up and Stevens powers Shingo to the mat. Shingo hits a knee to the gut and puts on a headlock. Madison hits a shoulder tackle and Shingo bails. He pulls Stevens to the floor and presses his head against the post. Back in the ring Stevens hits a bodyslam and an elbowdrop. He hits a side Russian legsweep and puts on the Koji clutch. Madison distracts Stevens and Shingo hits a bodyslam. He hits a kneedrop for 2. He hits a back elbow and stands on Stevens’s face. He hits a DDT for 2. He hits the STO and puts on the MANRIKI but Stevens gets to the ropes. Stevens hits a cheap shot but ends up getting knocked down by Shingo. Stevens hits a clothesline on Shingo and follows up with a knee in the corner. He hits a forearm for 2. Shingo blocks a blind charge and hits a vertical suplex. He hits a clothesline in the corner and a gutbuster. He hits a head-and-arm suplex for 2. Stevens hits a gutwrench sit out powerbomb for 2. Madison catches him with a cheap shot and Shingo follows up with a lariat and the Blood Fall for the win at 9:24. The finish was a little cheap but the feud is between Madison and Stevens. The match itself was every bit as good as Shingo’s match against Richards the following night. After the match Shingo and Madison hit a spike piledriver on Stevens. Strong, Richards and Cabana check on Stevens after the fact, prompting the crowd to ask them where they were when Stevens needed them.
Rating: ***

The Heartbreak Express and So Cal Val come out to complain about their tag title loss. Val is more upset that Phil and Sean let the Black Market destroy her $400 Gucci purse. Sean is actually very upset that he’s not a champion anymore and says the whole situation isn’t fair. He says that the Black Market doesn’t have the guts to defend the belts against them tonight. Machete & Murphy run out and lay Phil and Sean out with the belts and tell them that their title rematch starts now.

VS.
They brawl around the building for a while before the opening bell. Machete hits Phil with a garbage can and rolls him into the ring so the match can begin officially. Sean hits Murphy with a chair and the Davis brothers take control for a bit. Murphy & Machete get the advantage back with avalanches on both Davises. Phil dumps Murphy to the floor and they Express hit a double backdrop on Machete. Sean hits an elbowdrop and a legdrop on Machete. Phil and Sean hit a clothesline/legsweep combo but Machete comes back with a clothesline. Chavis runs out and hits Machete with the Sky High and draws the disqualification at 3:55. This was mindless crap.
Rating: ¼*

The Heartbreak Express & Chavis decimate Murphy after the match until Machete makes the save with a chair. He gets on the microphone and challenges the Heartbreak Express to a no disqualification match for the tag titles when FIP comes back to Inverness, but it will be their last shot at them.

VS.
Ever since finding out Chasyn Rance is Jewish (explaining the Stars of David all over his gear) and a reader I can’t help but find him more entertaining. I actually already reviewed this match because it’s on the ROH In Your Face DVD. My feelings on the match remain the same so here’s that review. Fury and Delay start. Fury grabs a headlock but Delay reverses to one of his own. Fury takes Delay to the mat with his headlock and follows that with an armdrag and a dropkick. Rance and Clark tag in and Clark hits a hurricanrana. He hits an armdrag and a dropkick and tags to Fury. Fury hits a clothesline in the corner and a seated dropkick. Clark tags in and hits a handspring moonsault for 2. Rance hits a drop toehold into the corner and tags to Delay. Delay hits a dropkick for 2. Clark hits a northern lights suplex into the turnbuckle and tags to Fury. They hit a double drop toehold and put on a double Mutalock. Rance breaks it up. He hits a cheap shot on Fury and asks Delay for a tag. He hits an enziguiri for 2. Delay tags back in and they hit a double hiptoss for 2. Delay hits a kneedrop and a vertical suplex for 2. Rance tags in and puts on the Koji clutch. Fury powers out and hits a clothesline. Clark and Delay tag in and Clark takes control. He hits a clothesline but walks into a leaping forearm. It gets 2 for Delay. Clark hits a pumphandle suplex for 2. Rance and Delay hit a legsweep/blockbuster combo for 2. Fury hits a dropkick on Delay and swings Clark into Rance. They hit a double flapjack on Delay and follow up with a neckbreaker/Code Red combo for the win. Between this match and their match at Impact of Honor I’m starting to invest some faith in Fast & Furious. It’s nice to see a really good match in FIP involving no fulltime ROH wrestlers. The jailbait at ringside ‘hearts’ Rance after the match.
Rating: ***¼

Sal manages to cut a promo without calling anyone gay, which is a big step in the right direction for him as far as I’m concerned. Danielson hits an armdrag to start. He hits a big hiptoss and a bodyslam. Sal comes back with all the same offense and throws in a dropkick for good measure. Danielson bails and hurts himself while having a temper tantrum. Back in the ring Danielson puts on a wristlock. Sal escapes with a monkey flip but Danielson comes back with a headlock. Sal hits a pair of hiptosses and puts on a wristlock. Danielson powers out as Jared David laughably calls Sal and Danielson evenly matched. Sal hits a dropkick and Danielson bails. Back in the ring Danielson puts on a hammerlock but Sal uses his own momentum to shove him to the floor. Twice more Sal sends Danielson to the floor and then slingshots himself out onto him. Back in the ring Sal hits mounted punches in the corner. Danielson bails again and then hits a cheap shot back in the ring to regain control. Prazak distracts the referee while Mr. Milo Beasley attacks Sal. Danielson works Sal’s nose over and puts on a camel clutch. Prazak makes my whole day by shouting “make him humble,” an obvious reference to the many shoot interviews in which the Iron Sheik claims that he’s made many a man humble by “putting him in the camel clutch and f^cking his ass.” Those are his words, not mine. Danielson pitches Sal to the floor where Milo hits him with a somersault senton off the apron. Back in the ring Danielson chokes Sal with his wrist tape. Sal comes back with a backdrop. Danielson stops him short with a stomp and shots to the nose. He hits a kneedrop and a butterfly suplex for 2. He goes back to choking Sal with his wrist tape and has a sexy party. He hits a vertical suplex and climbs the ropes. Sal dodges the diving headbutt and hits a flying forearm. He hits a leg lariat and a splash for 2. Danielson cuts him off with a knee to the gut but its not enough to stop Sal from hitting a cross body off the top for 2. Milo distracts the referee long enough for Prazak to grab Sal. Danielson knocks Prazak down by mistake and Sal gets a roll up for 2. Sal goes for a sunset flip but Danielson sits down and grabs onto Milo for leverage to pick up the win at 19:03. Things got a little goofy at the end but this was still probably the best Sal Rinauro match I’ve seen. After the match Danielson and Prazak dance around as only best friends should and Sal Rinauro takes the opportunity to run Milo and his wheelchair into a wall.
Rating: ***¼

VS. VS. VS.
VS. VS. [#1 Contender’s Elimination Match]
ROH’s Survival of the Fittest finals only had five guys in it this year, so as far as I’m concerned this makes up for it. They never try to explain how Canadian Cougar got added to the match. Prazak, as a way to guarantee that Danielson faces none of the other participants next month, inserts DP Associate Austin Aries into the match. Aries is in full on gay biker TNA mode, and so are a couple of fans in the crowd. Madison attacks the Cougar before the bell. He hangs him in the Tree of Woe and hits a knee to the midsection. The Cougar comes back with armdrags and a back bodydrop. He hits a dropkick and Madison tags out to Richards. Richards opens up with kicks and a snap suplex for 2. He hits a backbreaker for 2. The Cougar hits an armdrag and a drop toehold. He gets a crucifix pin for 2. Aries tags Richards out and gets dumped to the floor. Strong attacks the Cougar from behind but gets hit with a hurricanrana. The Cougar hits another hurricanrana to the floor where he hits Richards with ANOTHER hurricanrana. That’s four hurricanranas in less than four minutes from the Cougar. Everyone brawls on the floor so the Cougar hits a springboard moonsault onto all of them. He rolls Aries back into the ring but misses a senton off the top. He gets a backslide for 2 but Aries catches him with a brainbuster for the elimination at 5:06.

Richards runs in and hits a dropkick on Aries for 2. He tags to Strong who hits a back suplex for 2. Strong hits a backbreaker and tags to Cabana. Cabana and Strong hit a double back elbow for 2. He hits a beautiful dropkick before Madison tags Aries out. Madison gets caught between Strong and Cabana and gets pinned for 2. Strong tags Cabana out and they hit a double hiptoss for 2. Richards tags Strong out and they take turns kicking and chopping Madison. Richards hits a knee to the gut for 2. He hits a bodyslam and a legdrop for 2. Madison tags Strong in and in a nice subtle move he has to go out of his way to touch Strong’s hand for the tag. Strong hits a bodyslam on Richards for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Richards escapes with a back suplex. Cabana tags in and hits a monkey flip on Strong. He hits a kneelift and gets a jackknife pin for 2. He hits a pancake for 2. Strong fights hard for and gets a sunset flip. Madison tags in and puts a figure 4 leglock on Strong. Strong gets to the ropes. Aries tags in and hits a jumping back rake. He claps Strong out of the ring but Cabana puts on his eccentric gear and does it to him. He hits a dropkick on Aries. Strong climbs the ropes and hits a crossbody on Aries for 2. Aries puts on a front facelock and tags to Madison. Strong hits him with a powerbomb and puts on the Stronghold. Aries being a jerk to his only ally there was great. Madison struggles to tag Aries in and Aries gets chopped down. Strong kicks everyone down and hits the gutbuster on Aries. Madison catches Strong with a roll up out of nowhere with a handful of tights to eliminate him at 15:15.

Stevens comes out and gets on the microphone to complain about Madison’s cheating. Strong says to let it go because he knows he’s the better man and suggests that Madison wrestle Erick Stevens when FIP comes back to Inverness. This isn’t the right time for this promo. Cabana sneaks in and rolls up Richards and Aries for 2. Madison gets on the microphone and suggests that since anything goes in FIP that they should turn things into an elimination tag team match for the time being. So now it’s Madison & Aries vs. Cabana & Richards. DP is all about double-teaming, after all. Madison hits Richards with a pair of neckbreakers. Aries tags in and catapults Richards into the bottom rope. Madison hits a legdrop on the apron, getting 2 for Aries. Aries hits a sexy party neckbreaker for 2. Madison tags in and hits a falling headbutt. He puts on a nerve hold and hits another kneedrop. Aries tags in and misses the Instant Replay Kneedrop. Cabana gets the tag and cleans house. He hits a double noggin knocker and tosses Richards onto Aries & Madison for 2. He crossbodies Madison to the floor and Richards hits Aries with an enziguiri. Aries climbs the ropes but Richards slams him down. Aries pins Richards with his feet all over the ropes in the corner to eliminate him at 25:20.

Cabana and Richards complain but Richards is forced to leave. Cabana evades his opponents and then nails them with jabs. He sends them both into the corner and hits the Flying Asshole. He claps Aries’s head and slugs Madison down. Aries catches him from behind and chokes him with his wrist tape for 2. Cabana tries to fire up but the numbers are too much for him to overcome. Madison puts on a camel clutch and Prazak breaks out the humble line again. Aries tags in and hits a double axe handle. Madison hits one off the second rope. Aries hits another off the top rope and goes for a third. This one hits Madison and Cabana is able to roll up the Modern Miracle to eliminate him at 31:41. Aries attacks immediately and hits the corner dropkick for 2. Cabana blocks the brainbuster and gets a backslide for 2. He dodges the kick of death and trips Aries up for 2. He misses the Flying Asshole but hits the tornado suplex for the win at 33:49.

The first half of the match was all action but all the goofiness after the second fall really slowed things down. It didn’t stop the match from being fun as the atmosphere was light hearted enough to begin with that the nature of the match wasn’t compromised. I’m worried about how far FIP is going to stretch the anything goes policy, as I don’t want to see tag matches sprouting out of other matches all the time. The next few shows would be centered on Cabana going after Danielson’s titles but he wasn’t really in much of the match. Most of the match focused on Aries, who really shined as a heel (something he had a hard time with in ROH).
Rating: ***¾

After the match Danielson attacks Cabana. Cabana fights back and then gets on the microphone to challenge Danielson for the FIP title right now. Danielson turns him down so he proclaims that he’s taking the ROH World Championship tomorrow night and the FIP Heavyweight Title next month.

The 411:  As a whole I actually liked this show more than Impact of Honor. This show stayed true to FIP’s storylines and had matches that were just as good as the ones on the next night’s show. The main event was on the same level as the tag title match the following night, the championship match on this show was more fun than the one on Impact of Honor, Shingo had a match just as good here as he did there and then you get a tag match from the FIP regulars to put it over the top. This is one of the strongest FIP releases to date and if you’re a fan you really owe it to yourself to get it. This DVD is available at ROHWrestling.com.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]