Death by Midwest: IWA Mid-South Ted Petty Invitational 2006 Night 2

IWA Mid South Ted Petty Invitational 2006 Night #2
September 30th, 2006
Midlothian, IL at the Don Preston Recreation Center

IWA Champions Roll Call
-IWA World Heavyweight Champion: Toby Klein (1st reign-defeated Trik Davis on 6/17/06 in Streamwood, IL)
-IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Champion: Josh Abercrombie (2nd reign-defeated Tyler Black on 1/21/06 in Midlothian, IL)
-IWA Mid South Tag Team Champions: VACANT (Brain Damage and Deranged were the last champions, vacated titles after Brain Damage retired from wrestling)
-IWA Mid South/NWA Midwest Woman’s Champion: Mickie Knuckles (2nd reign-defeated Hailey Hatred on 2/8/06 in Charleston, WV. Unified title with NWA Midwest Title by defeating Daizee Haze and Vanessa Kraven on 4/1/06 in Midlothian, IL)

This is nearly a 5 hour show so let’s get right into it! Ben Jordan and Brandon Thomaselli on commentary to start off.

#1: TPI Second Round: EL GENERICO vs. M-DOGG 20
These are two Canadian indy guys so I’m sure this match has happened before up north. There’s so much stuff on tonight’s card that it’s still light outside for this match. Before they lock up someone loudly knocks over a chair in the crowd and Generico gets a little distracted. Standing switches to start and Generico grabs a leglock and M-Dogg kicks him hard in the chest. Generico has Dogg in a hammerlock, but Dogg grabs Generico’s head and flips it over into a Dragon Sleeper! Cool reversal. They run the ropes and Dogg leapfrogs Generico once, tries to leapfrog him again without looking, Generico catches him in the Electric Chair position and Dogg twists around into a Rana. Awesome sequence. That gets 2. Quick leg lariat by Generico gets 2. A backbreaker gets 2 as well. They trade chops and Dogg hits a snap suplex for 2. A few chops for Generico followed by a back suplex. Generico looks for the running Mafia Kick but Dogg moves out of the way and Generico’s leg crashes into the ropes. Dogg hits a springboard missile dropkick that sends Generico to the floor. Dogg goes for a handspring dive but he misjudged the ring and hits the ropes with his leg. Generico acts relieved on the outside and goes after the injured leg of Dogg. Back in the ring, Generico kicks at the injured leg. Generico tries to send Dogg to the floor but he lands on the apron and hits a springboard moonsault onto Generico. He follows up with a lariat in the corner and then a springboard double stomp to Generico’s back. Dogg goes for a Shooting Star off the top, Generico moves and Dogg lands on his feet. Generico goes for a Northern Lights but Dogg reverses into a DDT for 2. Dogg heads back up for the Shooting Star, but Generico stops him and hits the TURNBUCKLE BRAINBUSTTTTAAAAHHHHHH for 3 at 13:27. **3/4. Fairly good action-packed match and nice way to get the crowd started for a long night. I wish they had kept the leg stuff going, but oh well. Dogg looked he hit the metal part of the buckle on that finish. That move is so, so dangerous. Replays after the match show that Dogg turned enough so his head didn’t hit the buckle, but it was close.

#2: TPI Second Round: MIKE QUACKENBUSH vs. CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI
These two know extremely well from Chikara. Claudio for some reason comes out in a mask and a white smock, along with “Bad Medicine” by Bon Jovi. Well, I don’t understand that at all. Claudio clubs away at Quack’s back, since he had major surgery there early in 2006. Double wristlock and Quack tries to monkey flip Claudio, but then jumps over Claudio’s right arm, flips back over and gives him an armdrag. Wow, that was cool. Claudio doesn’t like being shown up so he elbows Quack down and hooks on the Wilbur Snyder, but Quack reverses into a Royal Octupus Hold! That gets turned into an armdrag. Claudio tries to roll Quack up to his feet but Quack hits a helicopter headscissors takedown! That makes Claudio mad again and he forearms Quack down and then hits a Euro Uppercut. Claudio whips Quack but Quack reverses into an armdrag from the second rope. Claudio catches Quack and slingshots him but Quack then monkey flips Claudio! Out to floor goes Claudio…Somsersault Plancha by Quack! Back in the ring, Quack goes up top and goes for a crossbody but Quack catches him and turns it into a Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreaker! This is awesome stuff. That gets 2. Claudio stretches Quack’s back some more. Claudio lays in some strikes. Claudio goes for the Tilt-a-Whirl again but Quack reverses it into a backslide for 2! Big clothesline knocks Quack down again and Claudio makes an arrogant cover and the crowd is all over him for it. Claudio keeps Quack down by attacking the back some more. Claudio goes to clothesline Quack but Quack monkey flips him OVER THE ROPES to the floor! Quack goes for a dive, Claudio moves, Quack lands on his feet. Claudio launches Quack up and Quack lands on the second turnbuckle, turns around in midair and hits an armdrag!!!!! Did he just do that?! Back inside, Quack heads up and Claudio cuts him off with an uppercut. Claudio throws Quack off but Quack rolls through and jumps onto Claudio….DRAGONRANA! That only gets 2. Crowd is loving this right now. Claudio reverses a move from Quack and hits the WATERSLIDE….for 2! Claudio signals for the finish. Quack gets whipped and Claudio goes for something but Quack leaps up and STANDS ON CLAUDIO’S CHEST, backflips off, ducks a clothesline, and hits a TORNADO HEADSCISSORS into a trapping pin….for 2!!!! Crowd is HOT now. Everyone gets on their feet now. They trade strikes and Quack goes for the DRAGONRANA AGAIN, but Claudio flips through in mid-air into a CODE RED for the 3 at 9:42. ****1/4. That is without a doubt the best match under 10 minutes I’ve ever seen. There was psychology with the back of Quack, but what mattered is the absolutely seamless offense by Quack that flowed like a river of brilliance through that ring. I don’t care what any other smark asshole writer demands in terms of hour-long draws and what have you, THIS IS GOLD and I loved every second of it.

After the match, Ian Rotten comes to the ring and says Quack needs to come back more than just once a year for the TPI. Crowd agrees. He says Quack is a class act like Ted Petty was, which is a rarity these days. Rotten puts over the guys Quack has trained because he has done it properly. Crowd thanks Quack before he leaves.

#3: LOW KI vs. DAVEY RICHARDS
Two Super 8 winners going at it here. I don’t know if these two have met before. Joey Eastman is on commentary and calls it an “indy dream match”. They feel each other out and Low Ki goes right for a cross armbreaker but Davey avoids it. Each man is going for a submission. Low Ki goes for an anaconda vice but Davey reaches the ropes. More great mat stuff. Davey goes for a cross armbreaker but Low Ki gets out into a headlock. Hard shoulder tackle by Ki sends Richards down. Richards grabs a headlock which Low Ki tries to reverse into a headscissors which Richards takes advantage to apply a Stretch Muffler! Richards tries to turn it into an STF but Low Ki blocks. Richards tries to pin Ki down for a cover but Ki keeps his shoulders off the mat and grabs a headlock. Ki then stands and KAWADA KICKS Richards in the face. Owwww. Richards regains control and gives Ki several chops and a STIFF kick to the chest for 2. Ki tries to fight a snap suplex but Richards hits it. Low Ki is making Richards earn every piece of offense here. Back up, Richards hit 3 HARD kicks to the chest, but only gets a 2 count. A back elbow smash gets 2 on Ki. Richards misses a dropkick and Ki measures him for some STIFF kicks of his own. Ki snapmares him over for a stiff SPINE KICK as well. Richards gets right up and stares down Low Ki and the crowd pops big for that. Richards goes for a move and Ki hits a STIFF spin kick to his gut. SPINE KICK again and Richards doesn’t get up from that one. Only a 2 count though. 3 more STIFF kicks to the chest but Richards hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, followed by a backbreaker and STIFF kicks of his own. Ki ducks a spin kick and gets a crucifix takedown for 2. Richards keeps control after the pin. Ki kicks Richards in the face while he’s on the mat. Dammmnnn. Richards keeps on him, though, hitting the Davey Boy Smith Running Powerslam for 2. More hard kicks by Richards. Ki fires back with STIFF chops and a HUGE forearm strike. Crowd comes alive for Low Ki. Ki tries to grab the Dragon Clutch in the ropes but only gets Davey in a sleeper for a moment. Ki goes up top with a Flying Forearm for 2. Ki measures Richards for 2 STIFF kicks but on the third Richards sweeps the legs of Ki and knocks him down! So Richards does Low Ki-style kicks and even imitates the pose of Ki. Ki gets pissed and chops the leg of Richards. KAWADA KICKS! Richards recovers with a HANDSPRING ENZIGURI….NO SOLD BY LOW KI….. RUNNING CAAPPPPPOOOOO KICKKKK! Crowd gets on their feet after that. Ki hits some chops, Richards picks Ki up but Ki reverses into a sort of hanging cross armbreaker! Ki goes for a handspring elbow but Richards catches him and plants him with a gutbuster and then a LIGER BOMB….for 2! Damn, that was a high impact power bomb. Richards puts Ki up top and Ki blocks a superplex. DOUBLE STOMP…misses and Richards locks on a hammerlock with a headscissors. But Ki reaches the ropes. SHOOTING STAR PRESS by Richards….get KNEES! JOHN WOO DROPKICK by Low Ki! Low Ki heads up top….DOUBBBBLE STOOOOMPPPP! That’s it at 16:42. ****1/2. I don’t know how they topped Quack and Claudio but they did it. WOW, what a stiff, intense match that was. Lots of crowd heat for this one and Richards gave Ki a hell of a fight, but Ki stays undefeated and moves onto the semifinals.

After the match, Ki gets on the mic and says “I wanted to say thank you from one Super 8 Champion to another.”

#4: CHRIS HERO vs. TRIK DAVIS
Just for a little reminder, Hero and Trik have feuded since last year’s TPI. Trik was a victim of Hero’s heel turn at that event. Since then, Hero tried to keep Trik out of the TPI and even cost him a title shot back in April. Then last night, Trik was jumped by Hero and Hero pilmanized Trik’s shoulder. Trik smartly jumps Hero during Hero’s entrance. Trik’s shoulder is heavily taped up. Crowd unfortunately is more pro-Hero tonight. Trik delivers a dropkick to a seated Hero. Hero tries to throw Trik in the ring and get in control but Trik fires right back with a tope…but Hero catches him and slams him into the apron. The crowd oddly duel chants with “Fuck you Hero” and “Fuck you Trik”. Hero keeps beating on Trik on the outside and hurls him back in the ring. Trik tries to kick back but Hero catches the leg and stomps his back hard and chokes him out. Snake Eyes follows that. Hero just throws Trik across the ring onto his ass. Hero taunts Trik by kicking at him. Trik keeps trying to come back but Hero always cuts him off. Basement dropkick by Hero into an arrogant cover for 2. Trik finally recovers with a Front Guillotine Choke, but Hero tosses Trik out of it. Hero starts ripping off the tape of the injured shoulder and starts stretching it out with a hammerlock. Hero hits a backbreaker with the injured arm hammerlocked behind Trik’s back. That gets 2. Hero begins peppering Trik with forearms, but Trik is getting fired up. Chop flurry! Hero tries to tilt-a-whirl Trik but Trik lands on his feet and STIFF headbutts Hero. Mafia Kick! Double knees to the chest! Cover…only gets 2! Crowd is all over this action. Back up, Hero cuts him off with a Saito Suplex. Then a RELEASE brainbuster! He landed right on the injured arm but still kicks out at 2! Hero puts Trik on the top turnbuckle and wails away at him. Trik answers with a headbutt and a rana off the top! Trik goes for double knees to the chest again but Hero stops him and lifts him up in choke position, but Trik reverses into the double knees…for 2! Another Guillotine Choke applied by Trik but Hero reverses into an Alabama Slam into the HANGMAN’S CLUTCH! Trik gets to the ropes. Dueling chants for both men again. Boot in the corner by Hero, goes for another but Trik cuts him off. Trik ducks the Mafia Kick and grabs the leg for the HANGMAN’S CLUTCH!! TRIK LIFTS THE HANGMAN’S CLUTCH! Crowd screams at Hero to tap, but he makes the ropes. In the center of the ring, they trade STIFFFFF headbutts back and forth. Trik collapses after a very hard one and Hero falls on top for the pin….1…..2…..NO! Trik kicks out and the crowd goes nuts and rises to their feet for the 3rd match in a row! Forearms from both men. CRAVAT by TRIK with a bodyscissors! But Hero reverses and takes Trik down on that injured arm again. Hero lifts him up entirely by the arm and drops Trik on the top rope to the floor. Hero picks Trik back up and holds him up entirely by his injured arm as Trik screams in pain. The ref stops the match then at 16:30. ****1/4. Good god, that was intense. All the feuding between these two the past 12 months came together tonight in this underdog story. Unfortunately, the arm injury Hero gave Trik last night proved to be the deciding factor. The heat on this is rarely seen in wrestling these days, as the crowd was on the edge of their seat for the last 8 minutes! Great match, and I just watched the best 3 match stretch in wrestling in 2006.

#5: TPI Second Round: HALLOWICKED vs. ARIK CANNON
While I like both of these guys, there’s no way they can follow up these past three matches. Mike Quackenbush back on commentary. Awesome stuff. Lots of Chikara history here, with Hallowicked winning the first Young Lions Cup and Cannon holding the Cup now. They start with headlockery. Cannon grabs Hallowicked by the stem which Hallowicked doesn’t find pleasing. Armdrags by Cannon. Cannon blocks a Frankensteiner but gets met with a big boot. That gets 2 for Hallowicked. Cannon answers with chops. Quack is so good on commentary. They trade lots of hard strikes. Judo chops from both guys. Cannon goes for a crossbody off the top but Hallowicked reverses into a Rydeen Bomb! That gets 2. Hallowicked dropkicks Cannon in the lower back. Weird. Cannon ducks a clothesline and hits a swinging neckbreaker. Brainbuster by Cannon blocked, but he counters back into the HANGMAN’S NECKBREAKER! That gets 2. Weird multiple limb submission applied by Cannon. Cannon goes for the Saito Suplex, but Hallowicked blocks it. Mafia Kick to the back of the head by Hallowicked. A second one misses, but Hallowicked hits a Frankensteiner instead. Hallowicked hits a Fisherman’s Buster into a Sit Out Powerbomb….for 2! He calls that the Graveyard Smash, apparently. Cannon recovers…Enziguri! Saito Suplex! GLIMMERING WARLOCK! That’s 3 at 11:17. ***. Pretty good match. These guys know each other well and it shows. Nothing spectactular but there was no one they could compare to the last 3 matches. Cannon moves on to the semifinals for the 3rd straight year.

#6: TPI Second Round: RODERICK STRONG vs. DELIRIOUS
Both guys are very over here. According to Ben Jordan, they wrestled 2 weeks prior to this in FIP. Delirious goes nuts at the bell and Strong bails to the floor. I notice Strong can’t help but laugh at Delirious. Strong works over Delirious’s arm. Delirious goes for a cross armbreaker but Strong makes the ropes right away. Roderick tries to chop Delirious but Delirious runs away. Delirious curls up in a ball to lure Roderick in for a takedown. Butterfly lock by Delirious, but Roddy quickly breaks it. Delirious hits a back suplex. Roddy comes back with a release atomic drop type move. Last Call by Roderick, which softens up the back. Chops from Roddy. Long delay vertical suplex by Roderick followed up by an arrogant cover that draws boos. Butterfly suplex on Delirious. Camel Clutch applied by Roderick but Delirious bites the arm to break it. Bearhug by Roderick. Well, it does make sense with the back work. Delirious tries to fight out but Roderick hits him with an overhead belly-to-belly. Bearhug re-applied by Strong but Delirious breaks out of it. BAM leaping lariat by Delirious followed by chops. He whips Strong into the corner then hits 21 short arm clotheslines. That’s a lot. Then a bulldog for 2. Delirious charges at Strong but Strong hits a Swinging Half Nelson Backbreaker! Dropkick to the back by Delirious. He puts Roddy up top and hits a neckbreaker out of the corner. Perhaps some setup to the Cobra Stretch? He goes for it but Roddy is too close to the ropes. Chinbreaker by Roddy followed by a backbreaker! Lariat follows for 2. Boston Crab by Roderick but Delirious makes the ropes quickly. Roderick goes for the Gorilla Press Gutbuster but Delirious reverses into the COBRA STRETCH, but Delirious can’t bridge up and Roderick turns into a nearfall for 2. Strong gets dropped into the corner…PANIC ATTACK! SHADOWS OVER HELL….for 2! COBRA STRETCH applied again but Roderick gets the ropes by rolling it over. They trade strikes. Strong cuts off Delirious…GORILLA PRESS GUTBUSTER! Half Nelson Backbreaker! STRONGHOLD applied on Delirious. He submits right away and Roderick wins at 14:47. ***1/2. Another really good match. Both guys worked the other over for their signature submissions but once Roderick got that Stronghold on it was done. Delirious was a favorite to win this year so his loss here comes as something of a shock to the crowd.

#7: IRON SAINTS vs. AMERICAN KICKBOXER and TAREK THE GREAT
Some background here: The Saints have been targeting Kickboxer for some months, as they call themselves the “Legend Killers” of IWA. Kickboxer was in IWA dating all the way back to the beginning in 1996. To help in this fight, he enlists Tarek the Great, his longtime rival. They had a great series of matches in the late 90s and traded the Light Heavyweight Title back and forth over a dozen times. The Iron Saints are the IWA Deep South Tag Team Champs, but those titles aren’t on the line here. The faces charge right at them at the bell. They knock Vito out and double team Sal. They hit a few neat double team moves. Vito grabs Kickboxer and throws him out and the Saints gang up on Tarek. Kickboxer goes to kick Vito but Vito puts Tarek in the way and Kickboxer hits Tarek by accident. Everything starts looking really messy after that. I could tell that the Saints look very frustrated. The Saints go to superplex Kickboxer but Tarek throws them both off and hits a Muscle Buster on Kickboxer! Well, there ya go. They brawl all around the gym and the ref throws the match out at 3:21. The Saints are in the ring declaring themselves the best tag team in IWA and saying no one will face them tonight. All of a sudden, some music starts playing. The Saints have pissed off many people in IWA and they get jumped by BLKOUT!!!!! The Saints turned on Eddie Kingston back in March by putting him through a table and now he’s here with Joker to take care of business! The ref rings the bell and then Brandon Thomaselli comes from the back and jumps Kingston! Then Ricochet comes out and attacks the Thomasellis with a chair! They announce this will be a 6-man tag under Old School IWA Rules…meaning no DQs, no countouts, anything goes!

#8: Old School IWA 6-Man Tag Match: THE IRON SAINTS vs. BLKOUT and RICOCHET
Vito and Joker are brawling on the outside, so are Kingston and Sal while Brandon and Ric are in the ring. The Saints isolate Ricochet and all head up top…Triple Missile Dropkick to Ricochet! All hell breaks loose everywhere after that. Kingston and Sal go at it in the ring. SLAP FIGHT! Dear lord, those are loud! Mafia Kick by Kingston followed a spinning back fist! “Aja Kong, eat your heart out!”-Quack. That man is awesome. Joker in….FLAPJACK ONTO THE KNEE of Kingston for Sal. They go for a double team move by Ricochet but he messes up. Dammit, I’m really starting to not like him. Brandon and Vito choke Joker into the corner. Kingston tries to break it up but Brandon grabs him….POWERBOMB LUNGBLOWER!!!! They go for a suspended 450 splash on Kingston but Brandon doesn’t get full rotation so it ends up being like a 270 senton. I guess that works. Joker tries to fight back but the Saints knock him out. Ricochet avoids Sal and he goes flying outside. Brandon forearms Ric and sets him in the Tree of Woe. He goes for a knee but Ricochet moves. Joker back in….JOKER DRIVER on Brandon! Ricochet up top….DOUBLE MOONSAULT on BRANDON!!!! That gets 3 at 8:17. **1/2. It got messy but it was fun. Ricochet screws up too much, though, and I still think he shouldn’t be so high profile in IWA at this stage. Finally, Kingston has gotten a measure of revenge on the Thomasellis.

After the match, Kingston gets on the mic and calls IWA his “home away from home.”

#9: TAG TEAM GUANTLET ROYAL RUMBLE
This is a tad confusing so I’ll explain the rules:
-Two teams start off for 5:00.
-Every 3 minutes after that, another team enters.
-Tags can be made, but only to their own partner.
-Once all 6 teams are in, its battle royal rules. If your partner is thrown out, you are eliminated.
-Once 2 teams are left, it’s a normal tag match.

Well, that’s too confusing. First team in are the PWG Tag Champs Chris Bosh and Scott Lost. Second team is B-Boy and Ricky Reyes. They start off quite serious as Bosh ducks a kick from Reyes. Reyes unleashes a furious flurry on Bosh. Lost and B-Boy in, who reverse each other on everything. Spine kick on Lost. Reyes in and he beats on Lost, too. “What’s wrong with you, Scott? You should be kicking some ass!”-Bosh from the apron. Lost hits an elbow smash and tags in Bosh. Bosh hits a Fisherman’s Suplex. B-Boy and Reyes team up on Bosh. Facewash by B-Boy. FACELIFT! Damn that move hurts! Lost tagged in and he kicks away at B-Boy. Team #3 is Kevin Steen and Colt Cabana. Steen doesn’t look happy with this pairing. Cabana runs in the ring and unleashes Dusty Elbows to everyone including Steen! Cabana says he didn’t remember Steen was his partner but Steen says they just walked in together. Cabana tries to high five Steen but Steen refuses. Steen and Cabana continue to argue. Cabana, Lost, and Reyes are in the ring. Reyes and Lost agree to double team Colt, so Colt tags in Steen and runs away from the ring. This is funny stuff. Team #4 is Jigsaw and Gran Akuma. Akuma gets attacked by Steen right away. Steen reverses a Code Red by Bosh into a Gory Special then a backbreaker! Nice! He then hits double knees to the chest of B-Boy while doing a senton to Bosh. Missile dropkick by Akuma to Steen. Jigsaw goes to kick Bosh but Bosh hits him low. LIONCOCK! Steen then hits B-Boy low. Cabana then walks up to the fist of Bosh and just falls over, selling his crotch. Akuma kicks at Bosh but meets the fist as well. Steen goes off the top rope but still the fist is too strong. Crowd gives that a standing ovation. Reyes gets hit, too. Then even Scott Lost gets it! Cabana and Steen pile up Akuma, Reyes, B-Boy, and Jigsaw and Cabana goes for a splash but they all move. Hahahaha. He blames it on Steen. Team #5: Scorpio Sky and Erick Stevens. Stevens gets a “Choo Choo!” chant. He will never live that down. Cabana thinks that’s all the teams so he throws everyone out but the match isn’t a battle royal yet. He celebrates until someone tells him he didn’t win. “Steen, you screwed it all up!”-Cabana as Steen gives chase. Bosh and Steen punch each other with the crowd saying “Bosh!” and “Steen!” with every punch. Then Colt jumps in and hits Steen by surprise as the crowd says “Colt!” Then Jigsaw jumps in and all 4 punch each other as the fans say their name as they punch. Then Lost and Sky jump in. Stevens tries to get in but Colt bails. Stevens whips Steen…CHOO CHOO! Crowd loves that. Colt calls Steen the worst partner ever. The last team in the North Star Express. Steen and Bosh are twisting nipples in there. Bosh is in there punching air. Just bizarre stuff. Darin Corbin declares the LCD belt is not on the line because Trish Stratus stole his gimmick. HAHAHAHA. Now the match is battle royal rules. Steen messes up a powerbomb and goes for one more so Bosh hits him with a Stunner! Rock Bottom by Steen! Steen signals for the People’s Elbow but Cabana gives him a stunner and throws him out, not knowing that eliminated himself as well. Steen yells at Cabana. Corbin hits the People’s Elbow on Bosh. Total Elimination Enziguri by Akuma and Jigsaw on Ryan Cruz! Lost hits a Side Effect on Cruz, who looks exactly like Matt Hardy. HAHA. B-Boy and Akuma beat on Corbin. Chokeslam by Jigsaw on Scott Lost! B-Boy catapults Sky out of the ring so Sky and Stevens are gone. North Star Express are hiding in the corner. Lost almost gets sent out. Jigsaw is eliminated. Him and Akuma are gone. Bosh is thrown out as he brawls with Reyes. B-Boy and Reyes are left to fight North Star Express. Cruz Control on B-Boy and North Star Express win the match at 23:32. ***. Fun comedy match and a good change of pace from the rest of the tournament. North Star Express act like they just won the Super Bowl. “Dreams come true in Midlothian!”-Ryan Cruz. HAHAHA.

#10: TPI Semifinals: CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI vs. ARIK CANNON
Claudio is back wearing three title belts again. Yet again, the ROH Tag Title gets booed. They start with wristlocks. It seems to me there are only so many ways to start a match really. Interesting fact from Quack: these two won the 2005 Chikara Tag World Grand Prix as a team. More wristlocks. Claudio getting a good heel reaction tonight. Lots of smooth, methodical reversals starting off. Trio of armdrags from Cannon then a stiff right hand. Swinging faceplant by Claudio for 2! Claudio thumbs the eyes of Cannon. How dastardly. Claudio drives Cannon’s shoulder into the ring post. Claudio grabs a chinlock while digging the knee into the back. Elbow drop by Claudio gets 2 followed by a suplex. Claudio steals Cannon’s move by grabbing an armbar and chopping Cannon repeatedly. Like a good heel, he did to the rhythm of the clapping fans trying to cheer on Cannon. They trade chops and forearms but Claudio keeps the advantage with knees and an uppercut. Cannon ducks a clothesline and hits a swinging neckbreaker. He follows up with a flying forearm to the back from the second rope. Exploder by Cannon gets 2! Hangman’s Neckbreaker follows, but Claudio recovers to hit the Waterslide! But only for 2. RICOLA BOMB by Claudio….for 2! Claudio is frustrated now. Cannon blocks another Waterslide attempt with a headbutt and grabs Claudio…TWISTING BRAINBUSTER! But it only gets 2. Cannon hits an uppercut which pisses off Claudio. Three straight HARD Euro Uppercuts knocks Cannon down, but he gets fired up and comes back with forearms. They begin trading STIFF Euro Uppercuts and STIFF forearms. Claudio goes for the Discus Uppercut which he beat Steen with last night but Cannon ducks and knocks Claudio down for a forearm. GLIMMERING WARLOCK!!! That gets 3 at 14:39. ***1/4. About a dozen fans aren’t happy with that, but the majority of the crowd chant for him. That was a good albeit slow-paced match. Claudio played the heel role really well tonight, and I liked how Cannon had the Discus Uppercut scouted and found the opening for his Warlock. Good stuff.

#11: TPI Semifinals: RODERICK STRONG vs. CHRIS HERO
Interesting to note Hero had won the ROH Tag Titles with Claudio from Strong and Austin Aires a few weeks prior to this. Mixed reaction for Hero. This shows this isn’t your typical IWA crowd because usually he gets a tsunami of boos in Midlothian. Oh well, smarks will be smarks. Hero makes sure to taunt Strong with the ROH Tag belt as Strong gets right in his face. Fans chant for Hero but he just looks annoyed by that. Shoving match to start. Hero acts like he’ll do a chop battle and grabs a headlock instead. HEEL! Roderick powers out and CHOPS the hell out of Hero. He fights back with forearms. Roderick hooks the arms and hits a hangman’s double underhook swinging backbreaker for 2. Well, he kind of hit it. Hero goes to the eyes and begins attacking the arm with stomps. He ties the arm in the ropes and forearms it. Well then he can’t break your back. Good idea. He grabs an armbar and dragon screws the arm! Nice. More arm stretching. Roderick tries to get away to the outside but Hero follows and rams the arm into the ring post. Roderick fires back with forearms. Hero hits the arm and then taunts him with the ROH belt again. Hero bends Roddy arm back and heads up top and Diamond Dusts the arm! That gets 2. He gets a double armbar and tries to pin Roddy but he makes the ropes. He goes for the Break Special that he beat Trik Davis with but Strong fights it off and hits an Enziguri! They chop a bit, which is fine because Hero worked the left arm and not the right. Strong lariats him down also with the right. Pinpoint dropkick by Strong gets 2. Falcon Arrow by Strong but only for 2 again! Strong tries to whip Hero using the injured left arm and Hero headbutts it. Nice. Hero then hits a few forearms to the left shoulder. He takes Strong down by the arm and hooks in the Tequila Sunrise with CRANK! Strong makes the ropes fairly quickly, though. Hero works the arm but misses a Mafia Kick to it as Strong moves out of the way. Strong comes back with a HUGE YAKUZA KICK….but only for 2! Strong goes for the Half Nelson Backbreaker but Hero reverses and slams the left arm into his knee. Hero, you rule. HAMMERLOCK BACKBREAKER by Hero. Hero goes for another arm move but Roddy reverses into backslide for 3 at 10:40! Wow, that was unexpected! ***1/4. They worked at a slower pace with all of the arm work from Hero. The finish made more sense as most of Roddy’s big finishers involve that left arm that Hero had attacked all match. But Roddy got a quick pin and scored an upset. Crowd LOVES the finish and gets on Hero’s case by chanting “Loser!” at him after the match for losing in the TPI semifinals for the second year in a row. Remember, he went nuts after losing in this round last year and made his big heel turn.

#12: TPI Semifinals: LOW KI vs. EL GENERICO
This is definitely an odd matchup. El Generico wrestled in the first match tonight and is in the last semifinal so he has had the longest time to rest. Low Ki has his elbow taped up now. Generico ducks a back elbow and hits two quick armdrags. Generico goes for a back suplex but Low Ki reverses and drops Generico onto the ropes. He means business right now. STIFF chop in the corner gets 2. Generico reverses a wheelbarrow suplex into a victory roll for 2. He went UNDER the legs of Low Ki there. Generico eats a clothesline, though. Ki grabs a bodyscissors on Generico. Generico tries to roll up Ki up from the wheelbarrow position again but Ki blocks it and hits a JUMPING DOUBLE STOMP on Generico’s chest. Owww. Seated bearhug by Ki working over the abs of Generico. Ki goes for the Tidal Krush but Generico answers with a dropkick but he’s still holding his ribs. Leg lariat by Generico. He goes for the Running Mafia Kick in the corner but Ki dropkicks him back. Ki goes for a flying forearm but Generico moves and goes up top. High Cross Body by Generico gets 2. Generico hits a Tornado DDT! He pulls Ki away from the ropes but only gets 2. Generico tries to put Ki up top to set up his finish, but Ki blocks it with his legs. CAAPPPPOOO KICK! TIDAL KRUSH! But it only gets 2. Mongolian chops by Low Ki but Generico still gets up. He ties up Low Ki’s arms, but him in Hangman’s DDT position but flips over into an ORANGE CRUSH BOMB!!!! But only for 2! It was like a flipping Blue Thunder Bomb. RUNNING MAFIA KICK IN THE CORNER RIGHT TO THE FACE OF LOW KI! Generico goes up top for the Top Rope Brainbuster, but Ki kicks him in the face and tries to go for the Dragon Clutch, but Generico blocks while still on the top. Generico blocks a Super Ki Krusher and goes for the Brainbuster again. He almost gets it but Ki blocks and hangs Generico in the Tree of Woe! Oh god, here it comes….TREE OF WOE DOUBLE STOMP!!!!!!!! That’s it at 8:02. ***1/4. Really short but it was nothing but action in there. Again, there is a good way to short an under 10 minute match and this is one way to do it. Crowd was into it the whole time and Generico looked like a true threat to Ki’s winning streak here. So now it’s Low Ki vs. Arik Cannon vs. Roderick Strong in the finals.

Ok, I’m going to have to detail a lot history before this next match:
Jim Fannin is a minority owner in IWA Mid South. He had a long feud with Ian Rotten over control of the company which ended in a War Games Match at No Blood No Guts No Glory 2005. After that match, he retired as a manager in IWA.

At the Sept. 15th show in Plainfield, IWA deathmatch veterans Bull Pain, Mitch Page and Cash Flo reformed the Bad Mother Fuckers, an old stable from 2002 and 2003 in IWA. They proclaimed to be sick of young guys who haven’t paid dues getting opportunities while the veterans get left behind. They beat up Brain Damage so bad that he retired from wrestling afterwards.

Tyler Black and Josh Abercrombie have been feuding for over a year now in everything from a Finishers Match to a TLC Match. Last month at Simply the Best 7, it was billed as a Hair vs. Mustache match, with Tyler’s hair vs. Josh’s signature mustache. Josh lost, however, it was shown that the contract they signed had actually said it was Josh’s hair vs. Tyler’s mustache. Josh’s hair was shaved into a mullet. Then they agreed to face each other in a Loser Leaves IWA for 6 Months match with the Light Heavyweight Title on the line.

And lastly, Jimmy Jacobs. Jimmy was the longest reigning IWA Champion in history, though he often retained by cheating his way to victory. In a notorious incident in Nov. 2005, Ian cancelled 4 shows that month because his wife was having health problems as she neared her due date for their upcoming child. As a result, Jimmy claimed he couldn’t make rent because of the money he missed from those shows. He took another date with Chicago promotion AAW, run by former IWA talent Danny Daniels, who had quit IWA on terrible terms months before and had been competing with them. He offered Jimmy more money to dump the IWA Title in the trash on the show. Jimmy did. This caused a huge uproar in the Chicago wrestling scene and IWA itself. Jimmy wrestled for IWA a few more times afterwards, and was punished in a match with Bull Pain where Bull hit the stiffest baseball bat shot in wrestling history. He lost the title to Arik Cannon in January, afterwards Ian fired him from the company.

So, there’s some background.

#13: Loser Leaves IWA for 6 Months, IWA Mid South Light Heavyweight Title Match:
JOSH ABERCROMBIE © vs. TYLER BLACK
Tyler does his usual hardcore dancing entrance. Abercrombie is coming out to Michael Jackson’s “Bad” now. Even though he’s a heel he is very, very over. His new mullet is awesome. Mixed reaction for Tyler. He has some heat because he works for rival AAW. They start on the mat. Josh goes for a couple of quick covers. Tyler gets pissed as Josh taunts him with the mustache. Tyler hits a big dropkick. Josh tries to bail to the outside but Tyler catches. Josh pokes the eyes. Tyler searches around for a second then charges at Josh. Josh horse collars the leg and drives Tyler face first into the second buckle. Nice! Tyler is caught between the third and second ropes and Josh dropkicks the crap out of him. Josh pulls him in and gets 2. Josh applies a crossface and then chokes Tyler with his wrist tape. He threw part of it away to distract the ref beforehand. HEEL! Josh back elbows Tyler and then double stomps his back for 2. Rolling neck snap move by Josh into a full nelson type submission. Chinbreaker by Tyler. Double knees by Tyler. Josh whips Tyler into the corner but Tyler fires back with a PELE KICK! That gets 2. Falcon Arrow by Tyler gets 2 as well! Tyler goes for a Phoenix Splash but Josh moves and hits a sidewalk slam right on Tyler’s head. That wasn’t very smooth, though. Tyler blocks the Taliban Backpack, hits a big boot and hits a Frog Splash for 2! Tyler kicks at Josh but Josh fires back and hits a one-handed swinging neckbreaker. Josh heads up top….TALIBAN BACKPACK! 1…2…NO! Tyler kicks out! Josh wrenches away at Tyler’s back but Tyler powers out….SMALL PACKAGE FISHERMAN’S BUSTER…for 2! Tyler heads back up to try for a Phoenix Splash but Josh had rolled away far ahead of time. The cameraman notices Jim Fannin coming away from the merch booth and is closer to ringside. Josh puts Tyler up top and calls for the “Super Lungblower of Doom” but Tyler knocks him off and hits the Phoenix Splash! 1…2…JIM FANNIN PULLS THE REF OUT OF THE RING! The crowd looks very confused. Then suddenly, JIMMY JACOBS RUNS IN FROM THE BACK DOOR! HE NAILS TYLER WITH A CHAIN AS THE CROWD CHANTS “HOLY SHIT”! Josh hits a Fisherman’s Buster and gets the 3 at 12:17. ***. Match was all right, but the important stuff happens now.

Jimmy and Josh celebrate the victory in the ring. These guys are childhood friends from Michigan and have known each other for years. The crowd is in utter disbelief by seeing Jimmy Jacobs back. Jim Fannin reveals that it was he who changed the contract last month and saved Josh’s mustache. “I’ve saved your IWA career and your title. Now you do your part of the deal.” Fannin hates Jimmy but Josh convinces Jimmy to try to bury the hatchet with each other. “My head will explode if they shake hands.”-Ben Jordan. Fannin says they can make a boatload of money together. Jimmy and Fannin embrace each other.

But then the twist! Fannin starts choking Jimmy as he screams “You NEVER EVER should have betrayed us!” Suddenly, BULL PAIN and MITCH PAGE show up and wail away at Jimmy Jacobs. Josh set up his best friend! Bull hits a huge splash on Jimmy. Fannin made the deal so he could get another chance to beat up Jacobs, and Josh did it so he could get rid of Tyler Black and keep his title. Josh looks distraught as Jimmy continues to get beaten down. Then, TOBY KLEIN, the IWA Champion comes to the ring to try to stop this. He gets hit with a Pedigree onto a chair by Bull Pain. He’s busted open now. Jim Fannin warns him that he shouldn’t have stuck his nose into their business.

Ian Rotten comes out and tries to cancel the World Title Match between Toby Klein and Chuck Taylor. Klein is injured and says he can’t feel his left arm. Ian promises Chuck a title shot on October 21st. Toby grabs the mic and says “I’d love to fight you tonight, Chuck….so I will!” And away we go!

#14: IWA World Title Match: TOBY KLEIN © vs. CHUCK TAYLOR
Match spills to the outside. Toby carries Chuck by one arm around the ring and slams him to the floor. Chuck gets tossed into the chairs. Toby’s left arm is still hanging limp at his side and he continues to beat on Chuck. He regains some feeling in it but Chuck hits a dropkick on him. A back suplex from Chuck gets 2. Toby tries to fight back but Chuck hits a basement dropkick to Toby’s face for 2. Back elbow by Toby but Chuck hits an overhead belly-to-belly and knips up. Second rope moonsault by Chuck gets 2. Rolling submission hold on the injured arm by Chuck. Smart thinking, young man! Perfect dropkick by Chuck gets 2. Toby ducks two clotheslines and goes for a springboard back elbow but Chuck moves out of the way and Toby lands hard on his back! Chuck covers but only gets 2. Chuck works over the arm some more but Toby reverses a whip and hits the springboard back elbow. Swinging neckbreaker by Chuck gets 2. Toby couldn’t take advantage quickly enough. Some kicks from Chuck, but Toby stops him and big boots him down. Spinning heel kick by Toby. Dropkick by Toby gets 2 but he’s clutching at the left shoulder again. Toby goes for the Airplane Spin DVD by Chuck reverses into the FALLING FOOT GIMMICK! Right on the injured shoulder and arm, too. That gets 2 as Toby clutches the shoulder. Step up enziguri in the corner by Chuck! Standing shiranui after that gets 2! Toby catches Chuck and hits the Airplane Spin DVD! But only for 2! Toby heads up top very slowly and falls over trying to do it. Chuck takes advantage and grabs Toby…Omega Driver out of the corner! That gets 3! NEW CHAMP at 9:41! **3/4. Storyline over match. I give it the middle of the road grade but it’s a pretty good match and I liked the storyline involved with it. Crowd goes nuts for the finish.

Bull Pain, Mitch Page, and Jim Fannin attack Chuck after the match. Chuck’s partner, Ricochet tries to run in for the save but gets thrown out. Fannin yells at both Toby and Chuck. Erick Stevens comes out to check on Chuck and gets attacked, too. “Congratulations, champ, you can thank me later.”-Fannin to Chuck. Ian comes out to yell at Fannin. Fannin says Chuck has paid zero dues and doesn’t deserve the title. He insults Ricochet by saying he can do a double flip and nothing else. Man, Fannin is a great character. Fannin continues to talk until the NECRO BUTCHER comes out and clears the ring! The crowd goes APESHIT for Necro. Bull Pain attacks ref PJ Drummond on the outside. Ian’s in the ring now. “You want to talk about paying dues? October 21st, it’ll be Necro Butcher and Toby Klein vs. Bull Pain and Mitch Page!” Crowd chants for Necro as Bull Pain gets on the mic and says Ian is sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong and warns Ian if he makes that match he’ll be in trouble. Ian says if he’s gonna go to war, he’ll bring along a guy like Necro. Ian challenges Bull’s manliness: “Are you a man or the ugliest fucking pussy I’ve seen in my life?” BURN! Ian namedrops the free porno channel that was available in the designated TPI hotel.

Fannin takes the mic and says IWA used to be different. “You had to get your ass kicked by Ian Rotten and Bull Pain.” Fannin says if Ian won’t do that anymore, the BMFers will take care of kicking the crap out of young guys. Fannin heels on the crowd, saying they wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. Ian makes sure Necro is free to be booked on October 21st, making light of how Necro missed a few dates in 2006 for IWA. And there ya go. Ian changes gears and talks about internet fans who insulted Ted Petty. Not cool, dudes. Anyway, there’s your main event for next month, and that whole segment from Jimmy’s return to now made me mark out live and on DVD. Now onto the finals!

#15: 2006 TPI Finals: ARIK CANNON vs. RODERICK STRONG vs. LOW-KI
This is elimination rules. Cannon is in the finals for the 2nd straight year, but is uninjured this time. Cannon is getting a mixed reaction. He’s a much better heel anyway. Crowd is still very loud even after 5 hours of wrestling. Ki has his elbow taped up. They all face off with caution until Ki begins unloading on Ki. Cannon tries to fight back with chops but Ki has none of it. Strong comes from behind and unloads on both guys. Strong goes for a quick pin on Ki but only gets 1. 3-way facelock applied with Cannon on top, and Ki breaks free from the bottom and gives Cannon’s head a nice kicking. HUGE chop from Roddy on Ki. A backbreaker on Ki gets 2. A regular one for a change. Suplex by Cannon on Ki gets 1. More chops exchanged among all three guys. Roddy takes Cannon out with a dropkick. Ki and Strong go at it…CAPPPPOOO KICKKK. Cannon ties up Ki on the mat. Strong kicks him in the face but Cannon stays up and asks for more. Strong then chops him and Cannon falls over. Haha. Another backbreaker by Strong on Ki. Cannon ties up Strong on the mat, and Low Ki then kicks the crap out of him. Cannon should stop doing submissions because the 3rd guy just breaks them up. Hard back elbow from Ki gets 2 on Roddy. Ki peels off the tape from elbow and Cannon smartly goes right after it but Ki makes the ropes. Curt Henning necksnap by Cannon on Strong. Ki and Strong start kicking the crap out of each other. I love that. Crowd chants “Petty” in honor of Ted Petty. Nice touch. Eye poke by Cannon and he dropkicks Roddy’s knee with 10 minutes gone now.

Roddy and Cannon go at it on the outside a bit. Ki comes out and joins them as they quickly trade CHOPS all over the place. Back inside Strong hits a back suplex on Ki for 2. Strong and Cannon team up and get a big time back bodydrop on Ki for 2. They even tried to pin him together. Good strategy. Another submission applied by Cannon on the mat. And like I predicted Strong breaks it up. Silly Anarchist. Strong and Cannon trade more chops. Strong chops Cannon IN THE FACE. HEADBUTT by Cannon. Dizzamn that is tough stuff. Cannon chops Ki and Ki just whacks him in the face. Cannon retaliates by gouging the eyes. Another submission by Cannon on Ki. Strong chops Ki while he’s tied up. Gutwrench suplex by Strong on Ki. Strong is focusing on the back, as per usual. Ki tries to fight off Cannon and Strong but they beat him back down. They stretch Ki against the ringpost to work over the back and ribs more. Strong only gets 2 on Ki, though. Cannon and Strong doubleteam Ki in the corner with headbutts and chops. Strong tries to roll up Cannon but only gets 2. They go back to the double team and try to backdrop Ki, but Ki kicks Cannon away and hits the TIDAL KRUSH on Strong! All men down now. KOBASHI CHOPS by Ki on Cannon. Strong tries to work over Ki but gets met with a RUNNNING CAPPPOOOO KICKKK at 20 minutes.

Ki heads up top but Strong cuts him off. Strong heads up to superplex Ki but Cannon stops Strong. Cannon hits a back suplex to get Strong off but leaves himself in the Tree of Woe. Ki goes for the TREE OF WOE DOUBLE STOMP but Cannon avoids it by throwing Ki off the top. Strong puts Cannon up top but Cannon fights him off and hits a forearm to his back. Strong goes right into Ki who looks for the Ki Krusher, but Cannon tries to sunset flip Ki, and then Ki goes for a rana on Strong but Strong gives him a POWERBOMB BACKBREAKER!!! Awesome. Ki sells it like death as the crowd chants “Petty”. Cannon picks up Strong….SWINGING HANGMAN’S NECKBREAKER….for 2. Glimmering Warlock by Cannon misses and Strong hits a Mafia Kick to send him down. Strong locks on a Boston Crab while Cannon struggles but Ki is back in…JOHN WOO KICK by Low Ki sends Strong in the corner. Cannon seems to have hurt his ankle. KAWADA KICKS by Low Ki on Cannon followed by a flurry of strikes. Cannon ducks a clothesline and hits a Saito Suplex. Strong gets a 2 count on both guys. Cannon’s ankle is really messed up. He’s hanging over the second rope…..DOUBLE STOMP ON THE BACK BY LOW KI. Roddy covers Cannon….for 2. Ki and Strong trade CHOPS. Ki hits a flurry and a STIFF KAWADA KICK and that’s enough to eliminate Strong at 27:36. That looked like Ki may have knocked Strong senseless with that one. He stumbles away to the back with his nose pouring blood.

It’s down to Cannon and Ki. Ki chops Cannon as Cannon struggles to stand on that ankle. Cannon pushes Ki off the top rope and hits a HANGMAN’S PEDIGREE but can’t make the cover because of his ankle. Brainbuster by Cannon gets a LONG 2 COUNT. Cannon stalks Ki for the Glimmering Warlock by Ki stops him short with a CAAAPOOO KIIICCKKK. But Cannon’s back up…GLIMMERING WARLOCK! FOR 2!!! Cannon can’t believe it. Cannon tries to set up for a Super Brainbuster, but Cannon can’t lift him on that ankle and Ki is able to shove him off. Ki goes up top….PHOENIX SPLASH! He pulled out the PHOENIX SPLASH! FOR 2! FOR 2! FOR 2! LOW KI LOCKS IN THE DRAGON CLUTCH! EVERYONE IS ON THEIR FEET! KI WRENCHES BACK ON IT! CANNON PASSES OUT AND THAT’S IT! LOW KI WINS at 34:10. ****1/4. Wow what a match. I can’t believe they went that long after wrestling twice already tonight. They went full speed for about the last 10 minutes and the atmosphere really intensified as it got down to Ki vs. Cannon. Just like in 2004, by the end the crowd was all on their feet. I do take off ¼* for that overly stiff kick by Ki on Strong, though. In any case, it’s a great end to an unbelievable tournament.

Ian Rotten comes out and asks the crowd to give it up for both guys. Cannon has to be helped up by Ian and Bryce. Ian talks about Cannon getting knocked out by Hero in his first IWA match and Ian thought he wasn’t ready for this kind of style. “He sure proved me wrong.” Ian said Cannon might have broken his ankle but he still kept up with two of the very best. Ian said he had heard Ki was bad to work with, but in truth, he says, he’s nothing but a class act and he makes his opponents better by facing him. Ki shakes both Cannon and Ian’s hands. Ian says he hopes Ki comes back as much as he can.

And of course, since we’ve got a touching moment, enter Chris Hero to ruin things. He tries to say Ki hasn’t done anything until he’s beaten Hero, but the crowd right away gets all over him with “Fuck you Hero” chants. There’s that heat. He says he can’t respect Low Ki until he beats him. Ian says Hero used to be the measuring stick in IWA. “This isn’t your home anymore.”-Ian. Ian says Hero has been nothing but a dick since he joined ROH, and that pisses him off since Ian lobbied hard to get Hero into ROH when Gabe Sapolsky said Hero would never be on his roster. “Then you have the gall to wear their belt on our show.”-Ian. Ian says he’ll give Hero his match with Ki. “Beat the respect out of him.”-Ian to Ki. The winner of that match gets a title shot.

The 411: This entire show was breathtaking. Absolutely the best wrestling I've seen all year. Just do the math if we disagree with me. There's 15 matches on here. Out of 15, NONE are below **1/2 rating. 12 are above ***. 4 are above ****. That's just mind boggling. Within that, you also have the surprise appearance by BLKOUT, a fun comedy battle royal, a title switch, and the shocking returns of Necro Butcher and Jimmy Jacobs. Show of the year folks. No arguments.

Final Score:  9.5   [  Amazing ]