BG Says: FIP Dangerous Intentions

February 12, 2005 – Sebring, Florida

Well, I can’t tell you what happened when we last left FIP because certain circumstances lead to me not seeing it, but I can tell you the following:
FIP Champion Homicide’s amazing win streak came to a crashing halt at 9 when he and ROH champion Austin Aries lost to newcomers Bryan Danielson and Rocky Romero in the main event. Having put his feud with the pathetic Heartbreak Express to rest, Scoot Andrews set his sights on an FIP title shot, challenging his protege Antonio Banks for his number one contender status. Most importantly, FIP instated its “Anything Goes” credo, allowing for the wrestlers to book their own matches in whatever way they see fit.

Your hosts are Dave Prazak & Lenny Leonard

WHOA! Mark Nulty looks completely different than I thought he would. He brings out Antonio Banks and asks him how he feels about his FIP title match against Homicide at ROH’s Do or Die IV event. Banks is excited about the match, but he’s upset that Scoot Andrews didn’t pass the torch to him last night. Andrews comes out and says that since he was one of the first participants in ROH that he should get an FIP title shot at a Ring of Honor show. Banks asks for some respect, but Scoot slaps him and walks off.

VS.
The Heartbreak express attack Epic on the floor. In the ring the Phil and Sean get dumped and Epic and Kahagas hit them with stereo suicide dives. The match gets organized with Phil Davis and Epic in the ring. Epic hits a running elbow for 2. Phil comes back with a back elbow and tags to Sean. Epic tries to chokeslam them both and gets flapjacked. It gets 2 for Sean. Sean hits a splash and a clothesline for 2. Phil tags in and they hit a double suplex. Phil hits the chinlock. Epic escapes with a jawbreaker but gets clotheslined down. Sean tags in and hits a legdrop for 2. He hits the Flashback for 2. Phil tags in and blocks a chokeslam attempt. Epic goes for it again and hits it. He dodges the Express and makes the hot tag. Kahagas cleans house and hits the Osaka Street Cutter on Phil for 2. Epic hits a standing sliced bread on Sean. The Express walk out to the back and the babyfaces follow. Lenny Leonard announced that the referee has chosen to rule the match a forfeit on the part of the Heartbreak Express and give the win to Kahagas and Epic. That really kills me, as the match was pretty much the best Heartbreak Express match I’d seen and the finish was just awkwardly executed and lame.
Rating: *

VS.
Rainman starts things off with a headlock. Starsmore gets a crucifix pin for 2. Rainman cuts him off with a kick to the chest. Starsmore comes back with a hurricanrana into the turnbuckle. Rainman hits a low blow and a side slam for 2. He hits a spinning dropkick for 2. Starsmore gets a sunset flip but Rainman comes back with a clothesline for 2. Starsmore could not look less like a wrestler. Rainman hits a powerslam for 2. He hits a bodyslam but misses an elbow drop. Starsmore hits a flying forearm and an ugly dropkick. Rainman hits the Sky High for 2. Starsmore reverses a suplex to a roll up for 2. Rainman hits the Dark City Street Cutter for the win at 4:24. Starsmore looked awful here, and I can’t understand why they had him kick out of so many of Rainman’s signature moves.
Rating: 3/4*

VS.
Sal says that while he may not have won a match yet in FIP, he learns from all his mistakes and that elusive win could come any day. Stevens takes Sal to the mat to start. Sal brings them back to their feet but Stevens powers him down. Sal hits a flying forearm and a dropkick. He hits a hurricanrana for 2. Stevens tosses Sal into the air and then hits a gutwrench suplex for 2. He hits a backbreaker for 2. Sal goes for a legdrop but slips on Stevens’ back and gets pinned for 2. Stevens puts on an abdominal stretch but Sal gets out with a hiptoss. He sets Sal on the top rope but Sal fights him off and comes off with an elbow drop for 2. Stevens hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for 2. He puts on a bearhug but Sal elbows out. He dropkicks Stevens’ knee and hits the legdrop he was looking for earlier for the win at 4:45. Well, Sal said he’d learn from his mistakes, and he did, but that didn’t make the match any more interesting. I also really hope that he doesn’t start calling his new finisher the Phoenix Fury Legdrop, because that move was way more awesome when it wasn’t a legdrop at all.
Rating: *1/4

VS.
Punk lambasts FIP’s anything goes motto, saying that he doesn’t need to cheat to win and enjoys being governed by the laws of Illinois. Danielson says he will challenge the winner of the FIP title match after he beats Punk. He also charges up the crowd in a way that can only been seen here and in Red Stripe commercials. They lock up and Danielson forces Punk to the corner. Punk grabs a wristlock but Danielson dropkicks out. Punk bails and applauds the reversal. Back in the ring Punk puts on an armbar but Danielson reverses to a wristlock. I think I should mention that everything done so far has been very pretty. They knuckle up and Punk kicks away at Danielson’s thigh. He puts Danielson on the mat for 2. Danielson monkey flips out of the knucklelock and gets 2. He drops a leg on Punk’s arm and gets a series of 1 counts. They trade chops in an exchange that Danielson ends with a European uppercut. Punk puts on a hammerlock but Danielson flips out and hits a dropkick. He kicks at Punk and tosses him to the floor. Punk slowly gets back into the ring and asks the referee to look at his knee. Danielson looks concerned so Punk takes advantage with a clothesline. He stomps and kicks and smacks Danielson down for 2. He hits a bodyslam and wrenches the neck. They trade chops and Punk hits a back bodydrop for 2. He hits a back suplex and puts on a bow and arrow lock. Dragon flips out and gets 2. Punk goes for another back suplex but Dragon reverses for 2. Punk catches Danielson off guard with a kick and relaxes in the corner. Dragon comes back with a string of headbutts to the gut. He sends Punk to the floor and follows him out. They brawl into the crowd where Danielson unloads with kicks. He looks for a pin fall but the referee reminds him that it is not a falls count anywhere match. Back in the ring Danielson hits a slingshot suplex for 2. He puts on the Mexican surfboard and turns it into a nasty chinlock. Punk goes to the eyes to escape. Danielson goes back to the gut but Punk catches him with a piledriver for 2. Danielson is dead weight so Punk climbs to the second rope but misses a legdrop. Danielson comes back all fired up with forearms and a neck wrench suplex. He hits the diving headbutt for 2. He sets Punk on the top rope and hits a snap superplex for 2. He goes for the airplane spin but Punk reverses to a sleeper hold. Danielson fights out and puts on a sleeper hold of his own which he turns into the airplane spin. The referee gets knocked down in the process. Danielson keeps going until the spins catch up to him and he collapses. Azrieal comes to ringside and gives Punk a 2×4. Punk smacks Danielson in the leg with it and puts on a figure 4 leglock. Danielson tries to turn it over so Punk uses the ropes for leverage and Danielson taps at 25:42. Danielson demands a rematch! While the match kept Punk strong as the top heel in the company, it wasn’t quite the classic that the hype suggested. It was however a good match with some really great mat wrestling to start, fun brawling in the crowd and a hot finish. Just about as good as their ROH encounter from 2004.
Rating: ***3/4

VS.
Andrews slugs away to start but Banks shoulder blocks him down. He slaps Scoot across the face, knocking him to his knees. He hits a bodyslam and unloads with crossface forearms. He goes for a big punch so Andrews bails. Back in the ring Andrews catches him with a legdrop from the second rope. He rakes the back and chokes away. He hits Banks with the Shattered Dreams and goes back to choking. He hits a dropkick for 2. Banks comes back with a clothesline and a big boot in the corner. He washes Scoot’s face with both feet for 2. Andrews comes back with the Alabamaslam for 2. He hits the chinlock but Banks fights out. Andrews hits a dropkick for 2. Banks hits a spear and a forearm to the back. He hits a pair of suplexes and hangs Andrews on the ropes. He forearms him out of the ring and follows up with a shitty looking baseball slide. He swings back in and goes for another dive but Andrews catches him and pulls him down. Back in the ring Andrews goes for the Force of Nature but Banks reverses to a crossface and Andrews taps at 8:45. This was about par for the course for Banks, who can be relied upon to put on solid if unspectacular matches every time out. He will now, without a doubt, go on to face the FIP champion for the title in ROH, because there are no other shows between this one and that one.
Rating: **1/2

After the match Andrews repents for his short-lived heel turn, calling it the desperate act of a man nearing the end of his career. He calls Banks the future and asks that he shake his hand. He announces that this was his last match and he is officially retired. Banks does the only thing he can and shakes his hand. Fans can be heard pleading with Andrews not to leave. If this is really the end of Andrews’ career it’s a pretty classy way to go out.

VS.
At this point in his ROH career Aries didn’t really feel like a champion to me. However in the smaller FIP he definitely fit the bill as a champion. Aries powers Walker to the corner but gets shoved to the other side of the ring. He puts on a front facelock but Walker gets out and gets a double leg takedown. Aries puts him back on the mat for 2 and then gets a roll up for 2. Walker gets a front facelock but Aries goes to the corner to break. They trade chops in an exchange that Walker gets the best of. Walker hits a leg lariat for 2. Aries goes to the eyes but gets caught with an atomic drop. Walker hits an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline. He clotheslines Aries out of the ring but gets pulled out himself. Walker takes over on floor before getting tricked into a defensive position back in the ring. Walker hits a belly-to-belly overhead suplex and a bodyslam. He climbs to the top rope but Aries crotches him. Aries rakes Walker’s eyes and hits a VICIOUS back rake. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. Walker gets a roll up for 2. Aries comes back with a clothesline and hits an elbow drop. He starts working on Walker’s leg and then puts on the Royal Octopus. He lets go to put on a chinlock but Walker fights out. Aries hits a DDT for 2. He calls for the 450 splash but takes too long jawing with the fans and gets slammed off the top rope. Walker hits a series of clotheslines and an enziguiri for 2. Aries calls for the brainbuster but Walker blocks and hits a suplex. He hits a standing moonsault for 2. He hits an Asai moonsault and goes for a second but Aires gets his knees up. He hits a dropkick in the corner for 2. Aries dodges an enziguiri and hits a shinbreaker. He goes for a figure 4 leglock but Walker reverses to a roll up for 2. Aries blocks Walker’s side slam and hits a brainbuster for 2. Walker hits the Vortex for 2 when Aries gets his foot on the ropes. Aries comes back with a brainbuster for the win at 14:02. This was a really fun match, and I can see how it got Walker a job in ROH. I can’t see why he couldn’t duplicate this kind of work in Ring of Honor, however.
Rating: ***1/4

VS. VS. VS.
We haven’t had one of these in a while, so here are the rules again. All four men are in the ring at the same time and the match has elimination rules. Eddie pairs off with Jerrelle and Puma pairs off with Azrieal, as per their respective feuds. Azrieal enziguiris Puma out of the ring but gets caught with a leg lariat by Clark and bails himself. Clark goes to dive onto them but Eddie cuts him off. Puma gets back in the ring and he and Clark get dominated by Eddie. Clark and Puma double slam Eddie. Azrieal pulls Puma out of the ring as Clark gets a moonsault on Eddie for 2. Eddie hits a bodyslam on Clark as Milo and Puma brawl on the floor. How could Puma beat up a cripple like that?! Eddie and Azrieal hit a double clothesline on Clark. Clark hits Eddie with an STO and hits a running shooting star press for 2. They show a replay of Puma kicking Milo out of his chair in a hilarious moment. Clark goes for the powerdriver on Azrieal but gets caught in a doomsday dropkick by the heels. Puma kicks away at Azrieal but gets knocked down by Eddie. Clark misses an enziguiri to Azrieal but hits it on Eddie. Milo gets out of his chair and beats on Puma, making the wheel chair knockout way less funny. Clark hits a hurricanrana/DDT combo on the heels and then hits Eddie with the nastiest hanging stunner I’ve ever seen for 2. Azrieal hits a backbreaker on Clark and Eddie hits him with the spike legsweep to eliminate him. Thanks for selling that death move Eddie. Puma hits a suplex on Azrieal but Eddie nails him with a suplex. The heels make a wish with Puma’s legs and stomp away. They double-team attack Puma’s leg and plan to hit him with a Yakuza kick. It doesn’t work and Puma rolls Eddie up to eliminate him. Puma goes for the tiger suplex but Azrieal blocks and dropkicks Puma’s knee. He stays on the leg and hits a shinbreaker. He puts on a leglock but Puma makes it to the ropes. He slams Puma’s leg on the apron and then gets 2. Puma goes for his patented kicks but Azrieal takes advantage of the injury and kicks his leg out from under him. Azrieal puts the leglock back on and lets go to hang him up in the Tree of Woe. He hits a dropkick on the knee for 2. He kicks his back for 2. Azrieal goes for an armbar but Puma rolls through and rolls Azrieal up for 2. He gets a cool sunset flip for 2. Azrieal gets la magistral for 2. He hits a bodyslam and goes to the top. Puma dodges the double stomp and hits the tiger suplex for the win at 15:26. This kind of match really bothers me, as it had death moves getting thrown out and nothing being sold. Once Eddie got out of there things picked up, but even Puma’s great selling wasn’t enough to save this match.
Rating: **

VS.
Romero cuts a lame promo in which he basically establishes himself as a heel, but a friend of Homicide because they are both Rottweilers. They square off and Romero kicks at Homicide’s thigh. Homicide grabs a wristlock and puts Romero on the mat. Romero gets a full nelson and turns it into a hammerlock. He turns that into an abdominal stretch but Homicide reverses to a toehold. Romero makes the ropes. Romero kicks at Homicide’s thighs and gets a snap mare into a sleeper. Homicide ties to power out but Romero holds and slips on a headlock. Homicide gets out with a hammerlock but Romero gets a flying mare to escape and puts the headlock back on. Homicide powers out and hits a series of armdrags into an armbar. Romero comes back with chops in the corner and a hurricanrana. He hits a kick to the gut and a stiff kick to the back. He goes for another hurricanrana but Homicide plants him face first. Homicide puts on a surfboard stretch but Romero gets to the ropes. Homicide pokes him in the eye and rips at his ear. He scrapes Romero’s ear with his boot and then sets him up on the top rope. Romero blocks the superplex and hits a crossbody for 2. Homicide hits a knee to the gut and puts on a guillotine submission. He rolls through and puts on the Rings of Saturn and rolls Romero up for 2. Romero blocks a suplex and kicks away at Homicide’s thigh. He hits a knee to the face, sending Homicide to the floor, and follows him out with a plancha. Back in the ring Romero blocks a blind charge and sends Homicide shoulder first into the post. He hits an armbreaker and then comes off the top rope with a knee to Homicide’s arm. He stays on the arm with knee drops. Homicide comes back with an abdominal stretch but Romero hiptosses out. Romero puts on an octopus stretch but Homicide gets out with a backslide for 2. He hits a tiger driver but Romero immediately comes back with a armbar. Homicide makes the ropes. Romero kicks Homicide to the apron where they fight it out. He kicks Homicide down. He goes for a double stomp but Homicide monkey flips him back into the ring. He then tosses Romero to the floor and follows him out with a tope. Back in the ring Homicide hits the Ace Crusher for 2. He hits a T-bone suplex for 2. Romero blocks the lariat and puts on a guillotine choke with a hammerlock. Homicide goes to the eyes to escape. Romero hits a hurricanrana for 2. He blocks the lariat with a kick but gets caught with a second lariat for 2. Homicide goes for the Cop Killer but Romero reverses and hits a kick to the back of the head. Homicide catches him with a roll up for the win at 17:55. The finish wasn’t as out of place as it sounds in the PBP. The match was solid enough, as Homicide couldn’t get the job done with a lariat because of his bum arm, but Romero’s stalling and jawing got annoying after a while.
Rating: **3/4

The New Dawn attack Homicide after the match. Punk proclaims that the belt belongs to him as Azrieal works over Homicide’s’s arm. He goes to leave with the belt but Bryan Danielson cuts him off and spanks him around the ring with a 2×4. He does his Jim Duggan impression, and then stares down Homicide. See, these two were having a violent feud in ROH at the time. He goes to give Homicide the belt but then attacks him with a roaring elbow. Then he becomes my hero when he refuses to talk to Mark Nulty.

And now for your reading pleasure, I give you FIP’s contribution to ROH Do or Die IV. I figure since this match was built up over three shows in FIP the least I could do would be to let you know what happened. There’s also a relatively important FIP storyline development after the match.

Bonus Review from ROH Do or Die IV 2/19/05

VS.
This is on an ROH show so Homicide is soundly booed. Homicide tells the referee that he doesn’t have to shake Banks’ hand because it’s an FIP match. Banks forces Homicide to the corner to start. He grabs a wristlock but Homicide reverses to a headlock. Banks shoulder blocks Homicide down and he bails. Homicide tosses a Boston Red Sox hat at the balcony and gets back in the ring. Banks shoulder blocks Homicide out of the ring again. He follows Homicide out and gets baited back into the ring where Homicide stomps him down. He gets a drop toehold but Banks comes back with a flapjack and a big boot for 2. Homicide hits a hurricanrana and a side kick sending Banks to the floor. He follows him out with a suicide dive. Back in the ring Homicide climbs to the top rope and hits a kneedrop for 2. He hits a neckbreaker for 1. He puts on the Mark Nulty special but Banks gets to the ropes. Banks catches him with a fall away slam. He hits a Mafia kick in the corner and then washes Homicide’s face. Sick. He hangs Homicide on the apron and works over his chest. Back in the ring he gets 2. He hits a delayed vertical suplex for 2. He goes for another one but Homicide blocks. Homicide blocks the roundhouse kick but gets hit with a side slam for 2. Homicide comes off the second rope with a tornado DDT. He hits the Ace Crusher for 2. He hits his running knee in the corner and then chokes Banks with his foot. Banks blocks a kick and hits a sick German suplex for 2. Homicide blocks a bodyslam and hits a side suplex for 2. Banks blocks a clothesline and puts on an armbar but Homicide makes the ropes. They trade forearms until Banks hits a spinebuster for 2. Banks goes for a German suplex but Homicide goes low to block. He hits a pair of piledrivers but his big clothesline has no effect. He goes for it twice more and it does nothing. Banks goes for another German suplex and Homicide goes low again and clothesline one more time for the win at 12:16. The crowd was totally dead for this, being completely unfamiliar with Banks, and it seemed to hurt the match flow. Punk attacks Homicide after the match and steals the belt.
Rating: **3/4

The 411:  The ball is rolling again in FIP, as Punk and Homicide are back at each other's throats and we love them that way. The addition of the new faces in the upper card was nice, even if the new faces in the undercard dropped the ball a bit. I recommend this one on the basis of a really good Punk/Danielson match and a fun ROH title match. You can pick up both FIP Dangerous Intentions & ROH Do or Die IV at www.rohwrestling.com.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]